WHAT DO WE DESERVE?

Jude 11 says: “Woe unto them for they have gone in the way of CAIN and ran greedily after the way of BALAAM for reward, and perished after the gainsaying of CORE. (emphasis mine)

CAIN – The sacrifice of works rather than the sacrifice of blood.

BALAAM – Seeking to become rich in the doing of God's work.

CORE – putting up themselves to take the place of God's appointed leaders.

What does this say about us? Do we place our toil before God and expect him to honor it? Do we expect riches and honor to flow from our doing of God's assignments? Do we believe we can do something better than the one that God seems to have already placed there?

DRESSING THE WOMAN

Where is the sin when women don't dress right? It is in the mind of the one who describes it as sin. There are one of three that make this determination: God, the man, and the woman.

The most important of the three is God. How does he define appropriate dress? He started clothing people at the garden of Eden. He said we should wear some type of clothing. My guess is he wanted to inhibit promiscuity. He did not want us going about exciting sin in the heart of another person or group. Notice he also established the marriage relationship which drastically reduces sex opportunities.

Dressing well for the woman can mean many things. She wants to look good, to be attractive, to be in style and to be comfortable (not too hot or too cold). She wants to attract a man's attention for companionship, to impress him, and to be respected.  However, some women merely want to appear sexy.

The man looks at the woman's clothing to appraise her for many reasons. What are her intentions? Does she want companionship? Does she want attention? Is she doing it for lust?  He thinks: what can I get from her, companionship, a cooperative workmate, sexual favors? How should I treat her? Should I treat her with respect, with disdain? Should I avoid her; should I befriend her?

Sin in dressing does not originate with the woman alone.  More frequently it starts in the man's heart. I really resent men who require women to be clothed in draperies because she may incite men to lust. A man should control his own mind and where he looks. He should not lay the blame for his sin on a woman. That being said, I doubt we would get along well as a society with no dress codes at all.

HAS HE BEEN THERE?

Much of what we know about God comes from how he has worked with other men. We know when  God works in men because they write about it. Of the writings we have available to us men decide some are true, some are not. What we should look for in these writings are:

They are eye witnesses
They have known eye witnesses
They have lived within 200 years after Christ lived,

THE ILLUSION OF PREDESTINATION

God is the God of all time. He exists in the past, present and future. For him time is just another created entity that is controlled by him. I can somewhat comprehend the foreknowledge of God in this manner: I am 71 years old. I know at 71 that I have been in the Navy, have married, have three children who are married, and am retired. If I was like God, and time was something I created, I (being god) would exist also at the time I was born as well as I do at this time, and for eternity. Time is like a dot moving along a line.

- - >Birth===========>.(Now)==========>Death - - - - - - - - ->>

Creatures subject to time must stay on the dot, but God stands back a distance from the line and can see the dot, the beginning and end of the line. So if I were like God, I could stand back from the line, while the dot was at 71 years and see clearly at the spot on the line of me at zero years. I would know that in the “future” I would join the Navy, get married, have children, work and retire.

If I were like God, I could proclaim all this to the zero year spot on the line and it would sound to the zero year old creation me like predestination. However, the 71 year old me had been making choices all along the way to the present, and will make choices into the future. But I can not stand back from the line, like God, to see the extent of it. God may know what my choices will be but I do not. I must make them when I arrive at them with the best of my knowledge, experience, intelligence and ability. And It is possible for me to make bad choices, even sinful ones. God does not strong-arm me to decide certain ways. The finest proof of that is: God gave me the choice of whether to accept Christ as Savior and Lord or not. I did not have a place in heaven until I chose it.

FROM THE WELL OF HUMANISM

Here is a quote I recently saw: "Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax." Will someone explain this to me? What is “your power”? It seems to me it could be many things. Your “power” would be directed toward something or things or purpose. What are they? This sentence, “Your ability . . . “, would require many paragraphs to explain it, perhaps a book. The sentence does not convey usable guidance as would a verse (any verse) from Proverbs. The sentence comes from the well of humanism.

SERVING IS NOT AN OPTION

Jesus speaks to his disciples when they did not want him to wash their feet, “. . . if I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me.” He was saying that it is not an option about accepting the service of God. We must accept his personally serving us. Even though we know him to be God - - greater than any other person, object or force - - we must allow him to serve us. Even if he is very much higher in station and privilege than us we accept his service as if he were one very much lower.

So our serving others is not an activity we should avoid. We do it because we are to be like him, as commanded. We should do as he does. Right after talking about serving, Jesus tells us “. . . the servant is not greater than his lord . . .” Why does he say this? Is it because he knows as we get to serving one another we will begin to think how noble and giving we are? Perhaps more noble and giving than anyone else in the whole world ever was? Perhaps more a servant than God ever knew how to be?

We can never serve as God has served us: by taking the punishment for a misbehaving creation to demonstrate the extent of his care for us. Yet he wants us to be like him in serving. In doing so we must remember we are made to serve, not to be served. And, may I add, when being served we show sincere appreciation for it.

24 CARROT GOLD MIRACLE

Jesus wanted to allow Lazarus to die so he waited four days before he went to him. If Jesus had been there when he was alive, a sick man would have been healed. This still would have been a miracle, but a lesser one. Some would have said, “Lazarus was sick and just got well; he would have recovered even it Jesus were not there.”

By letting him die and raising Lazarus from the dead he performed a much greater miracle, a 24 carrot gold miracle, a miracle almost as good as it gets. Who could argue with it?

The Pharisees could, and did. Their solution to the problem was to seek to put Lazarus to death (John 12:10). If you can't argue with the truth, avoid it.

WHY NOT LIGHTNING?

Jesus was amid a turmoil when he was with us 2000 years ago. Some believed him and some did not. Many may have contended, “The Messiah is supposed to come from Bethlehem but this guy comes from Nazareth. This guy has never even been to seminary.” Perhaps these did not know that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem. They certainly did not know he was God incarnate, one with the Father and Holy Spirit. The Pharisees wanted the people to believe as they believed and they used themselves as the example and reason: “Have any of us (the Pharisees) believed on him? We have all gone to seminary and are smart and understand what those who have not gone to seminary can understand. To know if you are correct in your thinking look at what the seminary graduates are thinking. But you people who do not have the training are cursed.”

We have doubts about things because we do not know all there is to know. Jesus appeared as if was not obeying the Law because of work he did on the Sabbath, yet he did a right thing when he healed a man on the Sabbath. It was right to do because God's intention for us is for wholeness. Many were seeking his harm: the religious leaders and even his brothers (the other sons of Mary).

Why would he choose to place himself in such a setting? Why not just come in lightning and power and destroy all who oppose him and whip the rest into submission? Because if he came that way most being sinners would die immediately, many others would die in a short while later, many would be miserable suffering stripes on their back. Only a few would be somewhat content, though walking on eggshells.

What did God want? His will was to demonstrate mercy. His will was that all should not perish, but should come to the knowledge of the truth. He came not to give stripes - - but by his stripes we should be healed.

This is an example of Gods great love and loving kindness - - by not sending lightning.

DON'T AVOID THE DRIPS

In the reading of one of my old journal entries I noticed two things. One of my tendencies at that time was to concentrate on failure. Another was that I was practicing piano.

My negative tendency then was to concentrate on what I did not do or what I did not do well. I would think about what I could have been and about what I am not. The effect was to make me not want to do anything at all; it made me want to give it all up. All this holding on to things perceived as failures or as incomplete were very sapping to my strength.

Yet in that same entry I recorded how I was becoming fairly good at elementary piano playing. I have no memory of ever being good at piano, but the Journal says I was. The only way I could have accomplished this was through persistent practice. Many times I did it only because I thought it might be something I wanted. Many times I wondered if this was a thing I could ever do - - or whether it would ever be worth the effort. But I knew I could never achieve anything id I did not take the little steps.

It's like drops in a bucket. If there are no drips the bucket will never become full. Want to be good at piano? Do the practice: drip, drip, drip. Want to get depressed? Think bad thoughts: drip, drip, drip.

So I need to press on through the failure. I need to turn my mind from failure to a worthy goal, whatever it may be. I need to overcome, overcome, overcome. Overcoming may not look pretty and glamorous; it does not even feel virtuous or victorious at the time you are doing it. The unimportant appearance of an overcoming task is a deception. We want the bucket filled with one sweeping, dramatic, Hollywood slosh whereas it is filled only one drop at at time. No drops, no filling. There will never come the Hollywood slosh.

CHRISTMAS CONSPIRACY

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." This was a quote from an automatic email I get. It is supposed to refer to Christmas. Odd that it does not mention Christ. When I think of “conspiracy” I think of evil people colluding together to do bad things. Good people “cooperate”, Bad people “conspire”. In fact the dictionary says conspiracy is, “An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful or subversive act.”

It seems Christmas has changed from a religious holiday to a time of obligations for many and a time of financial opportunity for others.

WHEN STARVING PREFER TO STARVE

“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for want of wisdom.” (Proverbs 10:21) What he says goes out and “feeds” the ears of many. The words are feeding the ears of people who are listening. The words feed because they are helpful, hopeful, beneficial words the listeners can use in their lives. The ears gobble them up and send them to the brain, intellect, spirit, emotions to be digested and used in life.

But there are some, the fools, that will not hear. This is a choice; the words are spoken but they choose to reject, not to hear, them. Perhaps these words conflict with how they intend to live their life. Perhaps they will effect their money or status. Perhaps they would have to change their direction.

MEEK VS WEAK

Some people use the word “meek” when they really mean “weak”. They turn the first letter of the word upside down. I wish they would not do that. If they mean to refer to a person they consider “weak” they should say “weak”. Say what you mean!

A meek person is one who is not “froward”. A meek person shows patience and humility; he is gentle and considerate. He may be meek but that does not mean he is easily imposed on or submissive. One who is easily imposed on or submissive is called “weak”. Remember the old song lyric, “. . . gentile Jesus, meek and mild . . .” While Jesus might have been easy-going and kind to some, he was hardly a push-over!

If you mean to say a person is unassertive and retiring, say he is “weak”. Don't call him “meek”. Do not turn the first letter of the word upside down.

A “froward” person, by the way, is one who is stubbornly contrary and disobedient; he is obstinate.

THE INSIDES MATCH PEOPLE

Proverbs 10:18 says that he who hides hatred with lying lips AND he that speaks slander is a fool. (emphasis mine)

The Hider is one that hates who or what he is talking about, but tells others something entirely different. The listener does not know where or how he really stands.

The Slanderer openly despises the thing or person he talks about, and everyone knows it.

Although apparently different, they are inwardly the same. The similarity between the two is in the heart, where there is hatred. They both seek to do damage. The hate and destruction makes them fools.

They are not god-like, filled with creation, love and true judgment.

USE OF WEALTH

The wealth of the rich enables them to build strong defenses, which protect them and enable them to keep and acquire more wealth.

The poverty of the poor leaves them nothing with which to avoid or defend against destruction. This causes them to lose even more of what they already have, which makes them poorer.

The considerate and generous wealthy seek to share their excess in ways to save, secure, educate and uplift deserving poor people or the general public.

The prudent poor seek to understand their situation and to plan ways and means to exit poverty. They will solicit advice from the more fortunate.  They will use welfare to escape from the need of it and never to return to it.

The inconsiderate wealthy seek to keep all they have and to acquire even more. They may even try to usurp wealth they have no right to own by underhanded or illegal means.

The inconsiderate poor merely complain of their situation and take no thought of how to change.  They may horde to themselves that which they could spare for the less fortunate.

TURNING

People have to make an effort to get knowledge and wisdom, and they have to make an effort not to. Know, perceive, receive, hear, attain, understand.

Regarding Proverbs 31: Wisdom calls out to the Simple and the Scorner, among others. If they were to turn she would pour out her spirit and make know her words. Because he will not put out the effort the Simple (and I am not talking of the mentally incompetent) is unaware of basic facts thus making himself incapable of more complex mental activities. The Scorner looks upon others as inferior to himself and is more than willing to say so.

If the Simple and the Scorner will turn (steer away from their usual way of doing things) Wisdom would make them capable of receiving wisdom. The spirit of wisdom will allow them to think the way the wise think. They will become enlightened to wise concepts. They will be able to see as they have never seen before, as when in a dark room the light has been turned on. What a wonderful thing: for the Simple to become smart and capable and for the Scorner to have a humble, hopeful view of things. But it takes the effect of turning.

Some people choose not to have wisdom for they hated knowledge of God and they did not choose the fear of the LORD. They would have none of wisdom's counsel. They despise all the reproofs. “. . . the turning away of the simple will slay them.” Those that choose prosperity over wisdom (and obedience and godliness) are choosing destruction.

It takes effort to be wise (and godly) and it takes effort not to be wise (and godly). If we are going to have effort, let us ave effort that profits to godliness. Let's make the right turns.

TREATING WOMEN

In Proverbs 31 Wisdom is personified as a woman.  We find this advice to a man from Wisdom: "Give not your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings". It is interesting that a wisdom's advice to a man she cares for, one she wants to give the "inside track" to, is to avoid other women.

I wonder if women are different from mothers, sisters, wife, daughters ? He should not spend his money, time and influence for women that are not his family.  Rather, of the woman he engages foremost, he should favor his mother, sister, wife, daughter.

The thrust of a man's life should not be women. I think it would not be even his wife. He should consider his purpose in life is to serve his God. In the service of his God he cares for and prefers his wife and raises and educates his children. In the exercise of serving his God, a man serves others, like wife and children.

When God is going over the books with you in heaven and you get to the "Treatment of Other People" section, the first major category will be "Family".

DOES MY ARM REALLY ITCH?

An amputee feels sensations of itching or pain from a limb (arm or leg) that is no longer there. There are no longer any physical sensors (nerves) to provide signals. No messages can travel from sensors that are not there. Where is the feeling coming from when there is no limb?

Yet the sense of itching or pain is still present in the victim; the victim knows, the victim can feel it. Where is the feeling when there is no limb?

Does it arise from an actual electrical-chemical-physical stimulus? What is its origin: The Spinal Chord, the brain's nerves? If it is, how can this process be identified, demonstrated and measured? Can it be controlled by drugs or surgery?

Does the feeling have an emotional, not-physical source? Is it a process of thought, of emotion? Can the victim control this process? What does the existence of this phenomenon say about spiritual reality? Where is the pain or itching really? Is it in the limb, the nerves, or in the brain?

When we, who have all our limbs, feel itching or pain where does it really exist: in the limb, the nerves, or in the brain?

VANTAGE POINTS

12 September 1994

A while ago I was flying in the plane on my way to the MACS (Marine Corps Air Station) at Tustin, California I looked down upon the earth from 35000 feet.  Things of men were so small that only the largest of buildings were obvious.  When looking at a super highway it would have been difficult to pick out a semi truck.  Indeed, I never saw one.  If a person, like say Jesus, was standing in the middle of an intersection you might know in your mind he was there but you could not possibly see him.  Then let your eye wander over the rest of the earth that you could see.  The smallness of that place  where Jesus is becomes astounding.


Yet through such a means (a human body) God saved the world.  Think of God living in one human body.  Compare to John 1:14 . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among men . . .


The vantage point of the plane demonstrates the expansiveness of God's comprehension.  He comprehends what the human eye in the plane sees . . . and every thing else.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY POSTINGS

The following blogs, down to the one titled "Buster and The Toilet" (posted 11-16-2015), were taken from an autobiography I intended to write. Upon reflection I don't believe anyone except my immediate family would really be interested in an autobiography about me. So I put them here, which is as close as they ever will get to the public.

The only new post in this series from November 16 2015 to date is titled "Zacchaeus" (posted 11-22-2015).

MAY 2012 MEMORY LOSS-6

MEMORY LOSS
[[This blog, and several following, have to do with memory loss events apparently due to "brain freezes".  All took place before my one-and-only seizure. ]]

An entry in FaceBook that is not repeated here elsewhere:

"And it's even better than that. I seems Tamra had a graduation party on Saturday, and I was there. Well, my body was there. Maybe I drove off without my memory. I didn't make a fool of myself, did I? I have no inkling that anything is "slipping", as far as I know.

"How I know about the party came from a Facebook invitation to Tamra's party, dated last week. Well, the party may be gone, but Tamra is not. PapaJ loves you girl, and your sisters and Mom and Dad."
5/23/2012