Randy Green's Blog, page 440
June 8, 2013
Grief and Relief – Part 2
Let the day perish on which I was to be born, and the night which said, “A boy is conceived.” [Job 3:3]
Job went through hell on earth. Then his three friends arrived to comfort him. They began well, sitting down beside Job for three days and nights, speaking nary a word but being there so Job didn’t feel alone. That much was a good thing.
Job soaked up their presence and endured all the longer through his grieving process. In grief we begin by being overwhelmed and wiped out. After some time this changes to anger and we lash out, even if it’s only against the air. We are reeling in the pain without any recourse for bringing it to an end, so we let off steam by blurting out our frustration. The worse the grief, the more severe the venting.
This is where chapter 3 comes in. Job sat with his three friends and their companion for seven days and nights. He was doubled over with emotional devastation inside him, unable to cope with all that had transpired in his life of late.
Remember, his life was one of wealth and status. Now it was all gone, including his ten children and his health. He no longer had a life for all intents and purposes. That much is a given, when it comes to survival in this world. Instead of helping others and feeling good about himself, Job now had nothing about himself of which to feel good and he found himself in desperate need of being helped.
The fermentation welling up inside him at last popped the cork and erupted into a lava flow of frustration. He rued the day of his birth, wishing he had never been born. Even more, he pronounced a curse on the day of his birth, wanting to get even with that day by casting it into the eternal infernal place!
This is real stuff, dear friends. If you’ve never faced anything so severe, praise the Lord! I am happy for you. But don’t get cocky like Job’s three friends did with him, thinking you could never have it so bad. Such thinking is wrong on several counts, the most compelling one being pride.
Suchlike thinking means we see the sufferer not as the victim but as the instigator of his woes, as deserving whatever he gets. But not us! Oh, no, we aren’t bad enough to deserve that! We’re good old boys.
Such was the mentality of Job’s three friends, falsely so-called. Small wonder, then, that their help did more harm than good—scratch that; their help did all harm and no good. As friends go, those three rascals were no good!
When we face the obstacles and roadblocks life puts in our way, especially the extremely severe type which leave us ruing the day of our birth, let us find our comfort in the only place it is guaranteed. Job did. The Book of Job concludes with Job bowing to the Lord and giving Him the glory. In consequence of his repentance the Lord gave Job his deliverance.
Friends may come and friends may go, but the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. He knows a thing or two about suffering—I mean REAL suffering—and He can empathize with us no matter how severe a struggle we have to endure. We cannot honestly say that about our friends.
So let’s not sing a pitiful country song about trying to find friends in all the wrong places. Let’s find Him Who is a true Friend indeed. He is to be found in the only right place, viz., in prayer and Bible alone with Him.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles. I cannot bear my burdens alone. Sing it with me, won’t you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Job went through hell on earth. Then his three friends arrived to comfort him. They began well, sitting down beside Job for three days and nights, speaking nary a word but being there so Job didn’t feel alone. That much was a good thing.
Job soaked up their presence and endured all the longer through his grieving process. In grief we begin by being overwhelmed and wiped out. After some time this changes to anger and we lash out, even if it’s only against the air. We are reeling in the pain without any recourse for bringing it to an end, so we let off steam by blurting out our frustration. The worse the grief, the more severe the venting.
This is where chapter 3 comes in. Job sat with his three friends and their companion for seven days and nights. He was doubled over with emotional devastation inside him, unable to cope with all that had transpired in his life of late.
Remember, his life was one of wealth and status. Now it was all gone, including his ten children and his health. He no longer had a life for all intents and purposes. That much is a given, when it comes to survival in this world. Instead of helping others and feeling good about himself, Job now had nothing about himself of which to feel good and he found himself in desperate need of being helped.
The fermentation welling up inside him at last popped the cork and erupted into a lava flow of frustration. He rued the day of his birth, wishing he had never been born. Even more, he pronounced a curse on the day of his birth, wanting to get even with that day by casting it into the eternal infernal place!
This is real stuff, dear friends. If you’ve never faced anything so severe, praise the Lord! I am happy for you. But don’t get cocky like Job’s three friends did with him, thinking you could never have it so bad. Such thinking is wrong on several counts, the most compelling one being pride.
Suchlike thinking means we see the sufferer not as the victim but as the instigator of his woes, as deserving whatever he gets. But not us! Oh, no, we aren’t bad enough to deserve that! We’re good old boys.
Such was the mentality of Job’s three friends, falsely so-called. Small wonder, then, that their help did more harm than good—scratch that; their help did all harm and no good. As friends go, those three rascals were no good!
When we face the obstacles and roadblocks life puts in our way, especially the extremely severe type which leave us ruing the day of our birth, let us find our comfort in the only place it is guaranteed. Job did. The Book of Job concludes with Job bowing to the Lord and giving Him the glory. In consequence of his repentance the Lord gave Job his deliverance.
Friends may come and friends may go, but the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. He knows a thing or two about suffering—I mean REAL suffering—and He can empathize with us no matter how severe a struggle we have to endure. We cannot honestly say that about our friends.
So let’s not sing a pitiful country song about trying to find friends in all the wrong places. Let’s find Him Who is a true Friend indeed. He is to be found in the only right place, viz., in prayer and Bible alone with Him.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles. I cannot bear my burdens alone. Sing it with me, won’t you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 7, 2013
Grief and Relief – Part 1
Let the day perish on which I was to be born, and the night which said, “A boy is conceived.” [Job 3:3]
Have you ever had it so rough that you wished you were dead? Hope not, but it can happen. Life has been known to throw some fast curve balls, and it’s hard not to strike out when it happens.
I’ve known this from personal experience. At times I have to watch myself that I don’t succumb to despondency. On such occasions I almost become convinced that I was born under a bad sign—but such thinking belongs to astrology, and I don’t subscribe to astrology.
Once there was this man named Job. He was a man of like passions as all men. His social estate was one of wealth and status. He wasn’t supercilious about it though. He aided the weak and less fortunate, helped the widows and orphans, and in general served his community with distinction.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the supermarket one day. Without warning his property perished through supernatural causes. Oh, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit.
As if the loss of his livelihood wasn’t enough, his seven sons and three daughters were dispatched to eternity in the blink of an eye. Again, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit.
One would think it couldn’t get any worse for Job at that moment…but it did! His wife turned on him and told him God was against him. To listen to wifey, he should get it over with. Stop clinging to his righteousness. Curse God and die!
She had some swell advice, don’t you think? Especially coming, as it did, at such a time in Job’s life. The only positive Job could cull from the situation by then was that the worst was over. I mean, what else was there that could go wrong, right?
Wrong! Job still had his health. Oops! I shouldn’t have said it. I jinxed him. Job lost his health too. Again, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit. Egads! Won’t it ever end? God, help me!
Such was the mess in which Job was embroiled, when we get to the story at chapter 3. Oh, no, I forgot a crucial detail to the story. Job still hadn’t reached rock bottom. He still couldn’t catch a break.
Job’s three “friends” arrived to “comfort” him, and they brought a young dude along with them who meant well but hadn’t the experience to actually do well. This young guy did have enough sense, though, to zip the lip and let the adults speak first. Alas for poor Job. He would’ve been the better if they had kept quiet too.
But we’re getting ahead of the story because, as chapter 3 commences, Job’s friends hadn’t yet begun to flap their jaws with their religious tripe and empty clichés. They did begin on a good note, by sitting beside Job for seven days and nights without attempting to give him advice.
Their presence no doubt was an encouragement to Job. That much was their duty as friends, dear people. They were there to keep quiet and be available for Job, so he didn’t have to feel alone under such duress. He needed their moral support, not their oral retorts.
Would that the story concluded on such a high note. Alas, but it didn’t. We will continue the tale on the morrow. For the present let’s spend some time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Have you ever had it so rough that you wished you were dead? Hope not, but it can happen. Life has been known to throw some fast curve balls, and it’s hard not to strike out when it happens.
I’ve known this from personal experience. At times I have to watch myself that I don’t succumb to despondency. On such occasions I almost become convinced that I was born under a bad sign—but such thinking belongs to astrology, and I don’t subscribe to astrology.
Once there was this man named Job. He was a man of like passions as all men. His social estate was one of wealth and status. He wasn’t supercilious about it though. He aided the weak and less fortunate, helped the widows and orphans, and in general served his community with distinction.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the supermarket one day. Without warning his property perished through supernatural causes. Oh, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit.
As if the loss of his livelihood wasn’t enough, his seven sons and three daughters were dispatched to eternity in the blink of an eye. Again, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit.
One would think it couldn’t get any worse for Job at that moment…but it did! His wife turned on him and told him God was against him. To listen to wifey, he should get it over with. Stop clinging to his righteousness. Curse God and die!
She had some swell advice, don’t you think? Especially coming, as it did, at such a time in Job’s life. The only positive Job could cull from the situation by then was that the worst was over. I mean, what else was there that could go wrong, right?
Wrong! Job still had his health. Oops! I shouldn’t have said it. I jinxed him. Job lost his health too. Again, nature was the agent of destruction, but behind the scenes Satan was the culprit. Egads! Won’t it ever end? God, help me!
Such was the mess in which Job was embroiled, when we get to the story at chapter 3. Oh, no, I forgot a crucial detail to the story. Job still hadn’t reached rock bottom. He still couldn’t catch a break.
Job’s three “friends” arrived to “comfort” him, and they brought a young dude along with them who meant well but hadn’t the experience to actually do well. This young guy did have enough sense, though, to zip the lip and let the adults speak first. Alas for poor Job. He would’ve been the better if they had kept quiet too.
But we’re getting ahead of the story because, as chapter 3 commences, Job’s friends hadn’t yet begun to flap their jaws with their religious tripe and empty clichés. They did begin on a good note, by sitting beside Job for seven days and nights without attempting to give him advice.
Their presence no doubt was an encouragement to Job. That much was their duty as friends, dear people. They were there to keep quiet and be available for Job, so he didn’t have to feel alone under such duress. He needed their moral support, not their oral retorts.
Would that the story concluded on such a high note. Alas, but it didn’t. We will continue the tale on the morrow. For the present let’s spend some time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 6, 2013
TRP Bandits Are the Worst! – Part 3
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ [Philippians 3:7-8].
The Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3 are quite special, just as the Apostle himself is. If ever there was a man, our Lord Jesus excepted, who was worth emulating, it was Paul. It would be to our hurt to move on from verses 7-8 without further rumination.
Before he was born again, Paul was a young man with a most promising future in Judaism. His own words in the New Testament incline us to believe he was already a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council of that day. He was taught by one of the foremost Jewish teachers of the time, Rabbi Gamaliel. To contemporize it, Paul was already a Harvard educated Senator from New York, on a fast track to the White House.
Such a one owned the world. He was the man! He boasted of his pedigree. All doors flew open when he approached. He excelled at his job of persecuting the Christians. He was the desire of the ladies and the envy of gentlemen. His future was bright indeed.
But a strange thing happened to Paul (aka Saul) on his way to the city of the Damascenes one day. The Jewish authorities entrusted him with official paperwork to the authorities there, authorizing Paul to seize Christians and drag them back to Jerusalem to stand trial for heresy.
Can you guess what happened? As they drew near the city, suddenly a blinding light from heaven shone on Paul and his underlings. Paul heard a voice speak to him from heaven, but the underlings only heard indistinguishable noise. The voice queried Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?”
“Uh, who might you be, sir?” Paul responded.
“I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting,” was the retort. “Now get up and go into Damascus. A man named Ananias will tell you what you must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Paul arose, but he couldn’t see the end of his nose! No way he was going to Damascus. Lucky for him his underlings could see, which is interesting since the light blinded Paul but not them. Not only could they not recognize a voice speaking from heaven, but they apparently were unable to see a blinding light from heaven too. I think it had something to do with faith or lack thereof. Paul had it, they didn’t. Ergo, they didn’t recognize the Lord’s presence or receive His impending blessing.
Anyway, they led Paul to Damascus and, sure enough, a man named Ananias paid Paul a visit. The long and the short of it is that Paul was born again, his eyesight returned, and his life of advancement in Judaism was replaced with a life of deprivation in Christianity.
Paul was persecuted relentlessly by his erstwhile associates, and it never ceased until his death. He suffered shipwreck, was whipped the maximum forty lashes minus one for his faith on more than one occasion, faced plots to assassinate him by the Jewish authorities—in fine, he plunged from the top of the food chain in Judaism the to bottom of the rubbish heap in their eyes.
Not to fear. Paul couldn’t have been more content because he was walking in obedience to the Word of God and enjoying fellowship with the Lord Jesus daily. He gladly renounced all the perks he once had in Judaism, in favor of adoption into the family of God known as the Church.
Read Paul’s words one more time before closing this study. Understand them in the context of today’s review. Are you pumped or what? I want to experience the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”, which Paul valued so highly. How about you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3 are quite special, just as the Apostle himself is. If ever there was a man, our Lord Jesus excepted, who was worth emulating, it was Paul. It would be to our hurt to move on from verses 7-8 without further rumination.
Before he was born again, Paul was a young man with a most promising future in Judaism. His own words in the New Testament incline us to believe he was already a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council of that day. He was taught by one of the foremost Jewish teachers of the time, Rabbi Gamaliel. To contemporize it, Paul was already a Harvard educated Senator from New York, on a fast track to the White House.
Such a one owned the world. He was the man! He boasted of his pedigree. All doors flew open when he approached. He excelled at his job of persecuting the Christians. He was the desire of the ladies and the envy of gentlemen. His future was bright indeed.
But a strange thing happened to Paul (aka Saul) on his way to the city of the Damascenes one day. The Jewish authorities entrusted him with official paperwork to the authorities there, authorizing Paul to seize Christians and drag them back to Jerusalem to stand trial for heresy.
Can you guess what happened? As they drew near the city, suddenly a blinding light from heaven shone on Paul and his underlings. Paul heard a voice speak to him from heaven, but the underlings only heard indistinguishable noise. The voice queried Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?”
“Uh, who might you be, sir?” Paul responded.
“I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting,” was the retort. “Now get up and go into Damascus. A man named Ananias will tell you what you must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Paul arose, but he couldn’t see the end of his nose! No way he was going to Damascus. Lucky for him his underlings could see, which is interesting since the light blinded Paul but not them. Not only could they not recognize a voice speaking from heaven, but they apparently were unable to see a blinding light from heaven too. I think it had something to do with faith or lack thereof. Paul had it, they didn’t. Ergo, they didn’t recognize the Lord’s presence or receive His impending blessing.
Anyway, they led Paul to Damascus and, sure enough, a man named Ananias paid Paul a visit. The long and the short of it is that Paul was born again, his eyesight returned, and his life of advancement in Judaism was replaced with a life of deprivation in Christianity.
Paul was persecuted relentlessly by his erstwhile associates, and it never ceased until his death. He suffered shipwreck, was whipped the maximum forty lashes minus one for his faith on more than one occasion, faced plots to assassinate him by the Jewish authorities—in fine, he plunged from the top of the food chain in Judaism the to bottom of the rubbish heap in their eyes.
Not to fear. Paul couldn’t have been more content because he was walking in obedience to the Word of God and enjoying fellowship with the Lord Jesus daily. He gladly renounced all the perks he once had in Judaism, in favor of adoption into the family of God known as the Church.
Read Paul’s words one more time before closing this study. Understand them in the context of today’s review. Are you pumped or what? I want to experience the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”, which Paul valued so highly. How about you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 5, 2013
TRP Bandits Are the Worst! – Part 2
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ [Philippians 3:7-8].
No one is born a Christian. Doesn’t matter who our parents are or if we are in church seventy-three times a week. No one is born a Christian. Every person must be born again to become a Christian.
In the natural realm after a person is born, he must then grow up. He must mature into an adult who can contribute to society. He must study and learn and gain experience and put it all together by practicing what he learns.
The spiritual realm has its counterpart to this. Every person who is born again must then grow up. We do so by eating hearty spiritual meals from the Word of God—from the whole counsel of God rather than picking and choosing what we like. We also grow strong spiritual muscles through prayer and Bible meditation while alone with the Lord Jesus. Then we put into practice what He teaches us, as the Holy Spirit gifts us and directs and empowers us.
One thing each and every Christian must do as a part of maturing spiritually is to prioritize what is important and what is not. In the natural realm my Tootsie Roll Pops were not important, at least not to anyone who matured a bit. There are also many spiritual TRPs which exist. The Christian must prioritize between what is a spiritual TRP and what is a spiritual principle.
Sometimes this is phrased in today’s parlance “major on the majors and not on the minors”. Alas, but the spiritual immaturity in many churches is prominently on display, when minor, insignificant points serve as a soapbox, while the weighty matters are left by the wayside. Such conditions usually are a sign that the lunatics are running the asylum! Beware the spiritual bedlamites!
Let’s list a few hills in the Body of Christ which are worth dying on:
• growing up in Christ
• discovering our spiritual gifts
• employing our spiritual gifts in the ministry assigned us by the Holy Spirit
• holding to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible
• insisting on the Bible as the sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice
• holding to the deity of Jesus Christ
• holding to the humanity of Jesus Christ
• holding to Jesus as being the only way of salvation
• holding to the necessity of being born again to get to heaven
• holding to the requirement that only born again folks can have church membership and hold church positions
This list is by no means exhaustive. It is given to open our eyes to the reality that there are some things on which we dare not compromise. Then again, on other things we should be prepared to compromise. Many of them are good. Others are quite helpful.
But in the end these other things don’t get anyone into heaven or keep them out of heaven. They are useful in helping us to understand the Lord and His Word better. Still, there is room for us to agree to disagree with regard to them, without compromising our salvation or witness for Christ.
Let us recognize this truth and demonstrate our spiritual maturity. Let us build up the Body of Christ, not tear it down by majoring on the minors. Paul abandoned all the things he once deemed essential and necessary, all for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus better and growing up in him. That is the essence of his words which we quoted at the start of this study.
We will do ourselves good to emulate this fine man of God on that point. After all, the Holy Spirit did inspire Paul to pen those words for our learning. That is reason enough for me to want to emulate the behavior. How about you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
No one is born a Christian. Doesn’t matter who our parents are or if we are in church seventy-three times a week. No one is born a Christian. Every person must be born again to become a Christian.
In the natural realm after a person is born, he must then grow up. He must mature into an adult who can contribute to society. He must study and learn and gain experience and put it all together by practicing what he learns.
The spiritual realm has its counterpart to this. Every person who is born again must then grow up. We do so by eating hearty spiritual meals from the Word of God—from the whole counsel of God rather than picking and choosing what we like. We also grow strong spiritual muscles through prayer and Bible meditation while alone with the Lord Jesus. Then we put into practice what He teaches us, as the Holy Spirit gifts us and directs and empowers us.
One thing each and every Christian must do as a part of maturing spiritually is to prioritize what is important and what is not. In the natural realm my Tootsie Roll Pops were not important, at least not to anyone who matured a bit. There are also many spiritual TRPs which exist. The Christian must prioritize between what is a spiritual TRP and what is a spiritual principle.
Sometimes this is phrased in today’s parlance “major on the majors and not on the minors”. Alas, but the spiritual immaturity in many churches is prominently on display, when minor, insignificant points serve as a soapbox, while the weighty matters are left by the wayside. Such conditions usually are a sign that the lunatics are running the asylum! Beware the spiritual bedlamites!
Let’s list a few hills in the Body of Christ which are worth dying on:
• growing up in Christ
• discovering our spiritual gifts
• employing our spiritual gifts in the ministry assigned us by the Holy Spirit
• holding to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible
• insisting on the Bible as the sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice
• holding to the deity of Jesus Christ
• holding to the humanity of Jesus Christ
• holding to Jesus as being the only way of salvation
• holding to the necessity of being born again to get to heaven
• holding to the requirement that only born again folks can have church membership and hold church positions
This list is by no means exhaustive. It is given to open our eyes to the reality that there are some things on which we dare not compromise. Then again, on other things we should be prepared to compromise. Many of them are good. Others are quite helpful.
But in the end these other things don’t get anyone into heaven or keep them out of heaven. They are useful in helping us to understand the Lord and His Word better. Still, there is room for us to agree to disagree with regard to them, without compromising our salvation or witness for Christ.
Let us recognize this truth and demonstrate our spiritual maturity. Let us build up the Body of Christ, not tear it down by majoring on the minors. Paul abandoned all the things he once deemed essential and necessary, all for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus better and growing up in him. That is the essence of his words which we quoted at the start of this study.
We will do ourselves good to emulate this fine man of God on that point. After all, the Holy Spirit did inspire Paul to pen those words for our learning. That is reason enough for me to want to emulate the behavior. How about you?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 4, 2013
TRP Bandits Are the Worst! – Part 1
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ [Philippians 3:7-8].
I’m taking a stroll down Nostalgia Avenue right now. Way back in the day, oh, sometime not long after the Civil War, I used to save Tootsie Roll Pops. I had this humongous collection of them—well, it was humongous back then. I was only around first grade age.
Anyway, I really was proud of this fantastic collection of such a fine source of sugar. It made me proud. I couldn’t be separated from a single one of my Tootsie Roll Pops, no, not even to pay for protection against bullies.
Well, maybe I spoke a little too assertively there. I could too be separated from one, no, scratch that, from practically all of my precious Tootsie Roll Pops. All it took was one of my older brothers to pilfer them when I wasn’t looking.
He was clever at it too. He didn’t slither in behind my back and snatch the entire box of TRPs. He simply “borrowed” one at a time and ate it. When he wanted another, he put on a repeat performance, an encore from his standpoint. When I noticed my collection was a bit undersized, he simply played dumb and suggested I must have eaten it myself.
This didn’t fool me one bit! But I didn’t have any proof, so all I could do was whine about it. Before long, though, there weren’t many TRPs left to filch, so big bro couldn’t conceal his crime any longer. The jig was up. The cat was out of the bag. His dirty deed was exposed and proclaimed aloud from the rooftops. If only we could’ve constructed a pillory…
Yes, I know. Loss of Tootsie Roll Pops isn’t life-threatening. Prisons aren’t built to house TRP thieves. Gallows aren’t employed for their use. The gas chamber and electric chair have no connection with them either. But when you’re very young…
Tell me you can’t relate to my predicament. Betcha can’t! You know full well what I went through, don’t you? You have your very own suchlike experiences and rue the day of each one. If only we hadn’t been born on those days!
But we were, and they served a useful purpose. Methinks they afforded us valuable education in maturity. We learned to prioritize what is really important and what isn’t, what deserves a “Yikes!” and what deserves a “Ho hum.”
This part of maturing, of growing up, has its counterpart in the spiritual realm too. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about the subject, as we can ascertain from the Bible verses quoted to kick off this study.
But we must needs pause awhile. We will continue the study on the morrow. Enjoy time with the Lord Jesus now. I’ll see you later.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I’m taking a stroll down Nostalgia Avenue right now. Way back in the day, oh, sometime not long after the Civil War, I used to save Tootsie Roll Pops. I had this humongous collection of them—well, it was humongous back then. I was only around first grade age.
Anyway, I really was proud of this fantastic collection of such a fine source of sugar. It made me proud. I couldn’t be separated from a single one of my Tootsie Roll Pops, no, not even to pay for protection against bullies.
Well, maybe I spoke a little too assertively there. I could too be separated from one, no, scratch that, from practically all of my precious Tootsie Roll Pops. All it took was one of my older brothers to pilfer them when I wasn’t looking.
He was clever at it too. He didn’t slither in behind my back and snatch the entire box of TRPs. He simply “borrowed” one at a time and ate it. When he wanted another, he put on a repeat performance, an encore from his standpoint. When I noticed my collection was a bit undersized, he simply played dumb and suggested I must have eaten it myself.
This didn’t fool me one bit! But I didn’t have any proof, so all I could do was whine about it. Before long, though, there weren’t many TRPs left to filch, so big bro couldn’t conceal his crime any longer. The jig was up. The cat was out of the bag. His dirty deed was exposed and proclaimed aloud from the rooftops. If only we could’ve constructed a pillory…
Yes, I know. Loss of Tootsie Roll Pops isn’t life-threatening. Prisons aren’t built to house TRP thieves. Gallows aren’t employed for their use. The gas chamber and electric chair have no connection with them either. But when you’re very young…
Tell me you can’t relate to my predicament. Betcha can’t! You know full well what I went through, don’t you? You have your very own suchlike experiences and rue the day of each one. If only we hadn’t been born on those days!
But we were, and they served a useful purpose. Methinks they afforded us valuable education in maturity. We learned to prioritize what is really important and what isn’t, what deserves a “Yikes!” and what deserves a “Ho hum.”
This part of maturing, of growing up, has its counterpart in the spiritual realm too. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about the subject, as we can ascertain from the Bible verses quoted to kick off this study.
But we must needs pause awhile. We will continue the study on the morrow. Enjoy time with the Lord Jesus now. I’ll see you later.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 3, 2013
Unique Wedding Invitation – Part 2
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost [Revelation 22:17].
Imagine folks, as they go to their mailbox and pick up their mail. As they sort through the various correspondence, they find a most attractive envelope sporting a seal and vignette. It is a wedding invitation from the world’s most famous person. Wow! They are floored.
Of course they accept the invitation. RSVPs are dispatched forthwith by overnight delivery and plans are made for their trip to the ceremony. Who in their right mind wouldn’t attend? It is an honor to be invited, one never anticipated or expected. It is a most humbling experience.
The world’s most famous person, the Groom, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is marrying His Church, the Bride. This will occur at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The father of the Bride is the Holy Spirit. He has teemed up with His daughter to invite all mankind to the ceremony.
It seems incongruous, nay, inconceivable, that anyone in his right mind would decline the invite. Alas, but a not inconsiderable number of folks do just that. Those who do not accept demonstrate thereby that they are not in their right mind. Sin makes us crazy, dear people. When we submit to sin we become certified loonies. We are not in our right mind.
Those who do accept the gracious offer, however, form a sizable contingent of mankind. Even more, they are transformed from being attendees into being the Bride. Whoever heard of a wedding invitation having such powers? Wow!
Now that they are the Bride too, they join in sending out the invitations. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” They, you see, fit the criteria “the one who hears”, so they also say, “Come.” They join in by inviting others to the ceremony.
This pretty much exhausts the list of folks from the quoted Bible verse which began this study. Oh, I almost forgot! We did leave off some folks who are essential to the story. They would be,
• the one who is thirsty
• the one who wishes
The one who is thirsty should “Come!” because there will be plenty of invigorating drink at the ceremony. He will have no difficulty quenching his thirst. After all, the Groom is able to change water into wine.
The one who wishes should “Come!” He will sate his thirst with an abundance of the water of life. Yea, even better, he won’t have to pay a penny for it! It is totally free of charge. It doesn’t get any better than this.
I guess all that’s left to ponder is where I fit in the story. Am I a part of the Bride of Christ? Perhaps I am not but I am one who is thirsty. Maybe I am one who wishes to drink of the water of life without cost.
Whoever I may be, one thing is certain: I am invited! It’s up to me how I will respond to the invitation. Will I come? Will I drink of the water of life freely, i.e., by grace?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Imagine folks, as they go to their mailbox and pick up their mail. As they sort through the various correspondence, they find a most attractive envelope sporting a seal and vignette. It is a wedding invitation from the world’s most famous person. Wow! They are floored.
Of course they accept the invitation. RSVPs are dispatched forthwith by overnight delivery and plans are made for their trip to the ceremony. Who in their right mind wouldn’t attend? It is an honor to be invited, one never anticipated or expected. It is a most humbling experience.
The world’s most famous person, the Groom, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is marrying His Church, the Bride. This will occur at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The father of the Bride is the Holy Spirit. He has teemed up with His daughter to invite all mankind to the ceremony.
It seems incongruous, nay, inconceivable, that anyone in his right mind would decline the invite. Alas, but a not inconsiderable number of folks do just that. Those who do not accept demonstrate thereby that they are not in their right mind. Sin makes us crazy, dear people. When we submit to sin we become certified loonies. We are not in our right mind.
Those who do accept the gracious offer, however, form a sizable contingent of mankind. Even more, they are transformed from being attendees into being the Bride. Whoever heard of a wedding invitation having such powers? Wow!
Now that they are the Bride too, they join in sending out the invitations. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” They, you see, fit the criteria “the one who hears”, so they also say, “Come.” They join in by inviting others to the ceremony.
This pretty much exhausts the list of folks from the quoted Bible verse which began this study. Oh, I almost forgot! We did leave off some folks who are essential to the story. They would be,
• the one who is thirsty
• the one who wishes
The one who is thirsty should “Come!” because there will be plenty of invigorating drink at the ceremony. He will have no difficulty quenching his thirst. After all, the Groom is able to change water into wine.
The one who wishes should “Come!” He will sate his thirst with an abundance of the water of life. Yea, even better, he won’t have to pay a penny for it! It is totally free of charge. It doesn’t get any better than this.
I guess all that’s left to ponder is where I fit in the story. Am I a part of the Bride of Christ? Perhaps I am not but I am one who is thirsty. Maybe I am one who wishes to drink of the water of life without cost.
Whoever I may be, one thing is certain: I am invited! It’s up to me how I will respond to the invitation. Will I come? Will I drink of the water of life freely, i.e., by grace?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 2, 2013
Unique Wedding Invitation – Part 1
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost [Revelation 22:17].
I remember my wedding. The invitations went out, inviting the guests to the gala event. The invitation read something like this: “The people of God cordially request your attendance to witness the union of Randy & Jossie”. Of course it was a little more formal than that. It did include our full legal names!
This memory got me to thinking. At a wedding it is traditional for the bride to be given to the groom by the bride’s father. Am I not right? In that context consider the phrase in the Bible verse quoted above: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Sounds like a wedding invitation to me.
Even more, it smacks of the father of the bride and his daughter. This Scripture has to do with inviting folks to come to the Lord Jesus and live. Anyone doing so is born again, which means he is baptized with the Spirit as a part of the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ Jesus.
Let’s list the apposite Biblical truths:
• the Groom is the Lord Jesus
• the Bride is the Church
• the Spirit indwells the Bride and fits her for her Groom
Now let’s roll this concept over our tongue a bit and get the full flavor. When I was born, my parents were the source of my life. Of course God gives life, but His normal way of doing so is through procreation. This is to be done within the context of one man/one woman marriage.
In this vein when I was born again, I received the new life of the Spirit. The Spirit is the source of my new life, indwelling me and conforming me into the image of Jesus. Do you see the correlation between parents in the natural realm and the Spirit in the spiritual realm?
Now consider the phrase The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” It is the wedding invitation. The Bride is the Church, the Groom is the Lord Jesus, and the Bride’s parent is the Spirit. The Bride and her Father are inviting everyone who will to the wedding ceremony.
This is a most unusual ceremony, however. Those who do come don’t function as the attendees. They come to the Lord Jesus, the Groom, and are born again. In doing so they too become a part of the Bride, the Church. By accepting the invitation, the guests are transformed into the Bride who sends the invitations.
Wow! This is deep theology. We must continue this analysis and see what else we can learn. But it will have to wait until the morrow. Let’s visit with the Groom now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I remember my wedding. The invitations went out, inviting the guests to the gala event. The invitation read something like this: “The people of God cordially request your attendance to witness the union of Randy & Jossie”. Of course it was a little more formal than that. It did include our full legal names!
This memory got me to thinking. At a wedding it is traditional for the bride to be given to the groom by the bride’s father. Am I not right? In that context consider the phrase in the Bible verse quoted above: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Sounds like a wedding invitation to me.
Even more, it smacks of the father of the bride and his daughter. This Scripture has to do with inviting folks to come to the Lord Jesus and live. Anyone doing so is born again, which means he is baptized with the Spirit as a part of the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ Jesus.
Let’s list the apposite Biblical truths:
• the Groom is the Lord Jesus
• the Bride is the Church
• the Spirit indwells the Bride and fits her for her Groom
Now let’s roll this concept over our tongue a bit and get the full flavor. When I was born, my parents were the source of my life. Of course God gives life, but His normal way of doing so is through procreation. This is to be done within the context of one man/one woman marriage.
In this vein when I was born again, I received the new life of the Spirit. The Spirit is the source of my new life, indwelling me and conforming me into the image of Jesus. Do you see the correlation between parents in the natural realm and the Spirit in the spiritual realm?
Now consider the phrase The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” It is the wedding invitation. The Bride is the Church, the Groom is the Lord Jesus, and the Bride’s parent is the Spirit. The Bride and her Father are inviting everyone who will to the wedding ceremony.
This is a most unusual ceremony, however. Those who do come don’t function as the attendees. They come to the Lord Jesus, the Groom, and are born again. In doing so they too become a part of the Bride, the Church. By accepting the invitation, the guests are transformed into the Bride who sends the invitations.
Wow! This is deep theology. We must continue this analysis and see what else we can learn. But it will have to wait until the morrow. Let’s visit with the Groom now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
June 1, 2013
Crockpots and Crackpots – Part 2
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves [2 Corinthians 4:7].
Yesterday we left you feeling let down. Paul’s answer as to why we still have our frail earthly bodies after salvation didn’t register? Well, you shouldn’t be befuddled, dear friends! Let me tell you why.
Our salvation is powerful. We have seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We have at our disposal all the riches of the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven because we are in Christ Jesus. This is awesome!
But beware. It is also dangerous because we frail humans are full of ourselves. We have a penchant for taking the bows when the power of God is manifested in our lives, as if we do great things rather than Jesus does them in and through us.
And there is the answer to my question about why I am not already in heaven with my resurrection body. The Lord leaves us on earth to be His body, the Church. He indwells us and conducts His ministry in and through us throughout the earth during the Church Age.
If we remained on the earth but had our resurrection bodies already, we would no longer be like unsaved humans. In order to demonstrate to them how Christ can change their lives and deliver them from enslavement to sin, we need to have the same frail earthen vessels they have—that would be those earthen vessels we had before being saved.
Ergo, the Lord leaves us in our earthen vessels, as weak as everyone who isn’t saved, as dependent on Him for victory as everyone else. In this way it is evident to all that we are not some sort of supermen, to whom others cannot relate. Rather, the unsaved folks as well as the saved folks can see that we are not capable in our own might of having the victories we experience.
In this way we are witnesses of the Lord Jesus because it is apparent that the surpassing greatness of the power is from God, not us. The Lord Jesus receives the glory. The unsaved flock to Him for their deliverance—a deliverance, I might add, which we are incapable of giving them.
Paul expressed this best when he made the observation, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” [2 Corinthians 12:10] Just as relevant is Jesus’ response to Paul for removal of his weakness. Jesus denied Paul’s request, noting, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
When I am doing well in life, I tend to think I am good and have less need of God’s grace. This is the reverse of spiritual maturity which says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” When I am weak, then the power of God can work in and through me. This makes me strong. It is real strength, God’s power in me.
What say ye? Do you want your good things now? Do you want to be seen as Mr. Macho? Do you want folks to be allured by your mighty works and witty thoughts? The world is full of suchlike crackpots.
Or do prefer that the Lord be mighty and witty in you and through you to others? We have this surpassing power in earthen vessels—in crockpots if you would—for a godly purpose. We cannot improve on God’s plan, dear friends. Why not surrender to Him and allow Him to fulfill His plan in our earthen vessels?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we left you feeling let down. Paul’s answer as to why we still have our frail earthly bodies after salvation didn’t register? Well, you shouldn’t be befuddled, dear friends! Let me tell you why.
Our salvation is powerful. We have seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. We have at our disposal all the riches of the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven because we are in Christ Jesus. This is awesome!
But beware. It is also dangerous because we frail humans are full of ourselves. We have a penchant for taking the bows when the power of God is manifested in our lives, as if we do great things rather than Jesus does them in and through us.
And there is the answer to my question about why I am not already in heaven with my resurrection body. The Lord leaves us on earth to be His body, the Church. He indwells us and conducts His ministry in and through us throughout the earth during the Church Age.
If we remained on the earth but had our resurrection bodies already, we would no longer be like unsaved humans. In order to demonstrate to them how Christ can change their lives and deliver them from enslavement to sin, we need to have the same frail earthen vessels they have—that would be those earthen vessels we had before being saved.
Ergo, the Lord leaves us in our earthen vessels, as weak as everyone who isn’t saved, as dependent on Him for victory as everyone else. In this way it is evident to all that we are not some sort of supermen, to whom others cannot relate. Rather, the unsaved folks as well as the saved folks can see that we are not capable in our own might of having the victories we experience.
In this way we are witnesses of the Lord Jesus because it is apparent that the surpassing greatness of the power is from God, not us. The Lord Jesus receives the glory. The unsaved flock to Him for their deliverance—a deliverance, I might add, which we are incapable of giving them.
Paul expressed this best when he made the observation, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” [2 Corinthians 12:10] Just as relevant is Jesus’ response to Paul for removal of his weakness. Jesus denied Paul’s request, noting, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
When I am doing well in life, I tend to think I am good and have less need of God’s grace. This is the reverse of spiritual maturity which says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” When I am weak, then the power of God can work in and through me. This makes me strong. It is real strength, God’s power in me.
What say ye? Do you want your good things now? Do you want to be seen as Mr. Macho? Do you want folks to be allured by your mighty works and witty thoughts? The world is full of suchlike crackpots.
Or do prefer that the Lord be mighty and witty in you and through you to others? We have this surpassing power in earthen vessels—in crockpots if you would—for a godly purpose. We cannot improve on God’s plan, dear friends. Why not surrender to Him and allow Him to fulfill His plan in our earthen vessels?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 31, 2013
Crockpots and Crackpots – Part 1
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves [2 Corinthians 4:7].
I’ve been thinking… No, I don’t mean to suggest that’s something new! It’s what I’ve been thinking about that’s the issue here. I’ve been thinking about why I’m not in heaven already. Why am I still stumbling and bumbling through life, ill-equipped to overcome sin and win the victories in spiritual warfare.
Oh, I know I’m not supposed to say such things. It’s not PC—not “politically correct” but “powerful Christian”, for you spiritual novices. We Christians are supposed to be spiritual macho men. We can conquer anybody and anything because Jesus can…yada yada ho hum. Fine sounding words, but I’ve yet to see the reality.
No Christian this side of eternity overcomes sin perfectly. The Apostle Paul didn’t, and he was a giant among Christians! Don’t believe me? Read Philippians 3:12-16 and 1 Timothy 1:15. I personally become suffused with a flushed face, at the mere suggestion that I am without sin.
No, dear friends. We Christians are not Jesus. Only He is without sin. Because He died for our sins, while having none of His own, He pays the penalty for our sins. This removes them from our account and leaves our balance at zero, paid-in-full, tetelestai!
But after being born again we still need to avail ourselves of His payment daily. We do this through confession of sin and repentance. God reckons our debt as paid-in-full because of what Jesus did on our behalf, not because we are without sin in our own right. Theology textbooks call this as justification.
Simultaneously though, we have to work out the salvation which God already worked in us. Theology textbooks call this sanctification. This side of eternity we Christians, every last one of us, stand before God justified; but our day-to-day state is that we are being sanctified. We aren’t there yet, but praise the Lord we are working on it!
In the Scripture quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul noted that we have salvation “in earthen vessels”. Our frail earthly bodies come from the dust of the ground (cf., Genesis 1): they are “earthen vessels”. At the rapture these frail earthen vessels will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye into new resurrection bodies, just like the Lord Jesus has! But this side of eternity we are still weighed down by frail earthen vessels.
Which brings me back to where I began this study. Why am I not already in heaven? Why do I still have to carry around this body of sin, the frail earthen vessel? Why don’t I already have my resurrection body? Is God a sadist? I don’t mean that last question in a blasphemous way, dear friends. Logically the question follows, if we don’t know the truth of Scripture.
But not to fear. Paul afforded us the answer. We only need refer once more to the Scripture quoted at the start of this study. We still have our frail earthen vessels because…because…because… “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”.
Huh? What does that mean? You say you feel let down by the answer? I’m sorry. We’ll have to do something about that. But we can’t today because we are out of time! Tomorrow we will though. For now enjoy some time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I’ve been thinking… No, I don’t mean to suggest that’s something new! It’s what I’ve been thinking about that’s the issue here. I’ve been thinking about why I’m not in heaven already. Why am I still stumbling and bumbling through life, ill-equipped to overcome sin and win the victories in spiritual warfare.
Oh, I know I’m not supposed to say such things. It’s not PC—not “politically correct” but “powerful Christian”, for you spiritual novices. We Christians are supposed to be spiritual macho men. We can conquer anybody and anything because Jesus can…yada yada ho hum. Fine sounding words, but I’ve yet to see the reality.
No Christian this side of eternity overcomes sin perfectly. The Apostle Paul didn’t, and he was a giant among Christians! Don’t believe me? Read Philippians 3:12-16 and 1 Timothy 1:15. I personally become suffused with a flushed face, at the mere suggestion that I am without sin.
No, dear friends. We Christians are not Jesus. Only He is without sin. Because He died for our sins, while having none of His own, He pays the penalty for our sins. This removes them from our account and leaves our balance at zero, paid-in-full, tetelestai!
But after being born again we still need to avail ourselves of His payment daily. We do this through confession of sin and repentance. God reckons our debt as paid-in-full because of what Jesus did on our behalf, not because we are without sin in our own right. Theology textbooks call this as justification.
Simultaneously though, we have to work out the salvation which God already worked in us. Theology textbooks call this sanctification. This side of eternity we Christians, every last one of us, stand before God justified; but our day-to-day state is that we are being sanctified. We aren’t there yet, but praise the Lord we are working on it!
In the Scripture quoted at the start of this study, the Apostle Paul noted that we have salvation “in earthen vessels”. Our frail earthly bodies come from the dust of the ground (cf., Genesis 1): they are “earthen vessels”. At the rapture these frail earthen vessels will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye into new resurrection bodies, just like the Lord Jesus has! But this side of eternity we are still weighed down by frail earthen vessels.
Which brings me back to where I began this study. Why am I not already in heaven? Why do I still have to carry around this body of sin, the frail earthen vessel? Why don’t I already have my resurrection body? Is God a sadist? I don’t mean that last question in a blasphemous way, dear friends. Logically the question follows, if we don’t know the truth of Scripture.
But not to fear. Paul afforded us the answer. We only need refer once more to the Scripture quoted at the start of this study. We still have our frail earthen vessels because…because…because… “so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”.
Huh? What does that mean? You say you feel let down by the answer? I’m sorry. We’ll have to do something about that. But we can’t today because we are out of time! Tomorrow we will though. For now enjoy some time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
May 30, 2013
My Enemies Are Three – Part 3
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest [Ephesians 2:1-3].
The first three verses of Ephesians 2 enumerated two types of Christians. There are those of Jewish ethnicity, and there are those of Gentile origins. By birth every Christian was a child of the devil. He had to be born again, born a second time, in order to die to the devil’s family and be adopted into God’s family.
As children of God we face three categories of enemies daily. These three were our one-time friends. While we ate and drank and partied with old Lucifer, we were the best of friends with these three rascals. But all that changed when we joined the family of God. Now the three rascals are our inveterate enemies.
So just who are these villains? Well, the usual epithets applied to them are,
1. the flesh
2. the world
3. the devil/Satan
Paul, you see, noted how the Christians consisted of both Jews and Gentiles by ethnicity. Simultaneously with this he identified the three enemies of Christians, thus making it evident that the three were enemies of all God’s children, whether Jew or Gentile.
You say you don’t see the flesh, the world, and the devil specified in verses 1-3 of Ephesians 2? I’m sorry. But they sure are there! Allow me to show them to you.
The first villain who Paul identified was the world. He wrote:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.
The Gentile Christians in the past used to conduct their lives according to who again? Answer: according to “this world”. They wallowed in the same sorts of sins as all unbelievers do. Only because they were born again did they cease engaging in such a lifestyle.
The second villain Paul identified was the devil. He wrote:
According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
The prince in question is the spirit of disobedience. Friends, that would be none other than the devil, or Satan for short.
The third villain—well, the process of elimination leaves only the flesh, so the flesh it is! Paul wrote:
We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh.
And that makes a grand total of three enemies, the flesh, the world, and the devil. The three are inveterate enemies of every child of God, but they are BFFs for every child of the devil.
Oh, I almost forgot. Paul also made specific reference to the children of the devil in our three verses. Listen:
• the sons of disobedience
• children of wrath
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. Aren’t you? I sure don’t look back with longing on my life of disobedience and wrath. Once escape from the grasp of sin by God’s grace, and we no longer find pleasure in such filth as we once did. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The first three verses of Ephesians 2 enumerated two types of Christians. There are those of Jewish ethnicity, and there are those of Gentile origins. By birth every Christian was a child of the devil. He had to be born again, born a second time, in order to die to the devil’s family and be adopted into God’s family.
As children of God we face three categories of enemies daily. These three were our one-time friends. While we ate and drank and partied with old Lucifer, we were the best of friends with these three rascals. But all that changed when we joined the family of God. Now the three rascals are our inveterate enemies.
So just who are these villains? Well, the usual epithets applied to them are,
1. the flesh
2. the world
3. the devil/Satan
Paul, you see, noted how the Christians consisted of both Jews and Gentiles by ethnicity. Simultaneously with this he identified the three enemies of Christians, thus making it evident that the three were enemies of all God’s children, whether Jew or Gentile.
You say you don’t see the flesh, the world, and the devil specified in verses 1-3 of Ephesians 2? I’m sorry. But they sure are there! Allow me to show them to you.
The first villain who Paul identified was the world. He wrote:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.
The Gentile Christians in the past used to conduct their lives according to who again? Answer: according to “this world”. They wallowed in the same sorts of sins as all unbelievers do. Only because they were born again did they cease engaging in such a lifestyle.
The second villain Paul identified was the devil. He wrote:
According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
The prince in question is the spirit of disobedience. Friends, that would be none other than the devil, or Satan for short.
The third villain—well, the process of elimination leaves only the flesh, so the flesh it is! Paul wrote:
We too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh.
And that makes a grand total of three enemies, the flesh, the world, and the devil. The three are inveterate enemies of every child of God, but they are BFFs for every child of the devil.
Oh, I almost forgot. Paul also made specific reference to the children of the devil in our three verses. Listen:
• the sons of disobedience
• children of wrath
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. Aren’t you? I sure don’t look back with longing on my life of disobedience and wrath. Once escape from the grasp of sin by God’s grace, and we no longer find pleasure in such filth as we once did. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
