Impact

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)
Again, the Greek word for blessed (i.e., makarios) used here has a meaning of being fortunate, prosperous or successful. That is, successful are those that meek! Why? What is it to be  meek? First of all, to be MEEK does NOT mean to me WEAK! Rather meekness is strength under control. Picture a  feral horse (i.e., a mustang)  that expends its great strength by running the fields yet accomplishes little to nothing in the way of work. However, if that same horse is "tamed",  "broken" or "meeked" then that same great strength - that is now under control - can be utilized to accomplish much work for its master!

Reality TV consumes much of television programming.  We seem to have gotten tired of the fake or fictional for the authentic even if it reminds us of all that is wrong with life.  Authenticity is powerful.  When we see real life whether inspirational or discouraging we are changed.  Over the years I have seen and experienced how authenticity is a powerful leadership tool.&nb

Hos 5:8-10 Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; we follow you, O Benjamin! Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.
 

Hos 5:5-7 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also shall stumble with them. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58).[1]
 
The World Religions’ Professor’s assignment read as follows: What’s the best word to describe Jesus? Prophet, Avatar (of the Hebrew God), or Bodhisattva?
 
Well, I was not going to be forced into the professor’s definitions....
 

While preparing for my message this week on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem I was reminded that Jesus instructed his disciples to borrow the donkey that he would be riding into the city.  The King of the Jews, their Messiah didn’t own his own donkey.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4)
The Greek word for blessed (i.e., makarios) used here has a meaning of being fortunate, prosperous or successful. That is, successful are those that mourn! Why? When do we mourn? Mourning is the proper reaction to the loss of something considered precious and dear... something or someone that we loved. This may the loss of a loved one, loss of plans for marriage due to unrequited love, loss of plans for your children's future as they become rebellious, or loss of career opportunities while being sidetracked in your place of employment for decades thus effectively wasting your working life, etc. Furthermore, mourning is part of the natural progression as we move through the stages of grief.

Understanding the Bible promises us that the fallen world we live in, where evil is called good and good is called evil (1), will never become better but rather become worse and worse until it is replaced (1) - how then should we live? To answer hard questions like this we should always look to the one that came to Earth to show us the way - Jesus Christ! (John 14:6) What did Jesus say and do when He started His Earthly ministry at the age of thirty? (Luke 3:21-23) Recall, He started His approximately three year long Earthly ministry in a time when Rome ruled with its brutality, hedonism, and worship of false gods. A time not unlike today... and our world will only become increasingly worse in the not so distant future (2 Timothy 3:1. Hebrews 1:1,2. 2 Peter 3:3,4).

I watched some of the New Years Eve events on the major networks. The celebrations are filled with so much optimism as the calendar turns to 2013.  The problems, struggles and challenges that existed in 2012 and long before travel with us into the new calendar.  Although we believe we have the ability to see a greater potential for change simply because we cross over into a new year.

The preceding blogs on the Ten Commandments(1) have precisely articulated how God expects us to live; nevertheless, we have as individuals and as a nation have largely chosen to say "no thanks" to God's offer of rescue from the bondage of sin, its destruction in our lives while on Earth and its promise of eternal death after we die thus identifying with the Biblical definition of a fool (Psalms 14:1). Nevertheless, God so loved the world, even in its despicable fallen state, so much that He sent His unique son to provide a way back to Himself (John 3:16,17. Romans 5:8. 1 Corinthians 15:3,4). However, we have failed to see that if we do not accept God's offer of salvation by His Son Jesus Christ then we are already condemned regardless of how good we are living in this life (John 3:18-20. John 12:46-48. Revelations 20:11-15). If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me!

God had promised a son to Abram. At the same time, God prevented conception.

This is the will of God? Go figure.

Someone recently asked me in an email if Israel existed at the time of Jesus. This is a very interesting question because the answer is, technically... no. Since I wasn't sure why this person was asking it seemed that a brief history and explanation was in order. I thought this might make an interesting post here since my experience is that many people don't really understand the flow of Israel's history very well. It is important in that it helps put scripture in perspective to grasp the bigger picture of history. To that end, here's a simplified account...

Personal Note: It has been a while since my last post. A great deal has been going on, but rest assured I have not forgotten the readership here and for those interested I do plan to continue this study of the minor prophets. What follows is the next installment in the Hosea series...

The Bible doesn’t tell us everything.

Not even close. That's because there are huge gaps between most events. 

Oh, to be sure, the Bible tells us all we need to know. But it leaves out most of the details that scratch our curious itches.

The Fourth Commandment states that we are to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8-11). To keep something holy simply means to set it apart (Leviticus 20:26). That is, on  the Sabbath we are to cease from the things that we do the other six days of the week and rather do things that bring glory and honor to God. So, have you set apart one day of the week where you cease doing your normal routines and rather spend time honoring God? If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me!

Recently while attending a leadership conference one of the presenters said the following. "Sometimes we go through some tough times and there seems to be no explanation, no answers, just pain. God is taking you somewhere." I don’t like pain! I suppose you don’t either. Pain without any apparent purpose is even more unbearable.

I've heard it said, "If you want to understand the history of Israel, then learn the history of Jerusalem."

The Sixth Commandment states that we are not to murder  (Exodus 20:13). To murder is the intentional killing of a human being under the wrong motives and circumstances which includes taking of your own life (i.e., suicide) or that of a baby while in the mother (i.e., abortion anytime after conception). This does not include the killing of humans in self defense, national defense (e.g., war), capital punishment (Genesis 9:6), or unintentional killing of a human (Numbers 35:11) . Furthermore, it does not include the killing of animals for food or clothing, etc.  While many of us would say that they have never committed murder; nevertheless, the Bible states that if you hate including practicing prejudice towards another then you are already a murderer (1 John 3:15. Matthew 5:21,22. James 2:1-13). If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me! 

The Seventh Commandment states that we are not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). When God made the first man Adam He saw that it was not good for him to be without a companion (1) (Genesis 2:18). However, no animal was worthy to be called the helpmate or wife of man (Genesis 2:20). Therefore, God put the first man Adam to sleep and from his side took cells from which he made woman and Adam named her Eve (Genesis 2:21-23. Genesis 3:20). This is the pattern for the nuclear family on Earth - one male and one female united for life (Genesis 2:24). Not two males nor two females - again, the pattern was Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve or Eve and Louise! Consequently, the phrase "same-sex marriage" is an oxymoron.

In 1957, Leave It To Beaver premiered on CBS portraying the ideal family to 171 million Americans glued to 47 million televisions in 39 million homes.  A few months later, American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark, goes national when it moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and Studio “B”.  Dwight D. Eisenhower was President.  The Pink Flamingo was created by Union Products worker, Don Featherstone.  The Gyrating rocker, Elvis Presley, emerges as one of the world’s first rock stars.  The most popular toys?  Slinkys, Hula Hoops and Frisbees. The children’s book, “Cat in the Hat” is written by Theodore Geisel as Dr. Suess and Mr. Whipple begins selling us Squeezably Soft Charmin.  Eveready markets the first AA alkaline batteries for use in portable transistor radios – cutting edge technology on both counts.

Prices were much different:  The average car sold for $2749 while the average production worker made $82.32 per week.  The cost of a first rate postage stamp was only 3 cents.  The average cost of a new house was $12,200 while the cost of renting a like home was $90 a month.  Gasoline was 24 cents a gallon.  Bacon was 60 cents a pound.  Eggs 28 cents a dozen.

A decade before my birth, 1957 was also the last year a child born in America was permitted to openly pray at the beginning of a school day in the nation’s public school system.

The Eighth Commandment states that we are not to steal (Exodus 20:15). You may say I have not robbed a bank or held a person up; therefore, I am not guilty of breaking this commandment. Have you ever misrepresented your time on a timesheet, taken supplies from work, cheated on your taxes, not reported being undercharged, or published another's work without giving them credit, etc? (1 Peter 4:15) If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me!

In the previous post we read about what looks like God's wrath in exposing sin. The reason God exposes sin is so it can be dealt with - realization, repentence, and restoration. The previous passage dealt with realization. Anticipating repentence, the rest of this chapter of Hosea shows the mighty power of God in restoring the broken relationship. We broke it, but God alone is able to restore it.

“Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend. For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them” (Matthew 13:13-15).

“The superiority in judgment and diligence which you are going to attribute to Biblical critics will have to be almost superhuman if it is to offset the fact that they are everywhere faced with customs, language, race-characteristics, class-characteristics, a religious background, habits of composition, and basic assumptions, which no scholarship will ever enable any man now alive to know as surely and intimately and instinctively as the reviewer can know mine. And for the very same reason, remember, the Biblical critics, whatever reconstructions they devise, can never be crudely proved wrong. St Mark [for instance] is dead. When they meet St Peter there will be more pressing matters to discuss.” - C.S. Lewis

The assigned textbook for the seven week World Religions Class was Huston Smith’s The Illustrated World Religions. The book listed seven major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Seven weeks, seven major world religions, one week for each religion, right? Wrong! We spent the first two weeks with Professor Yu making a joke of Christianity, Judaism, and the Bible, confusing and mangling the facts… Then we students sat in class for the next two weeks as the professor attempted to deconstruct the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity. Four out of seven weeks spent attempting to erode Christianity and its foundations? Does this sound like a World Religions course or something else?

Huston Smith, we have a problem!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil…. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground…. by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:12-16).

Responsibility is a tremendously important concept every parent tries to teach their children! Has one of your children ever used something of yours and damaged it while he had it? Chances are, if that thing had any value at all, you talked to your child about being more careful. Then, as a good steward of God’s resources, you probably made sure your child couldn’t get to other valuable things and break them. He or she had to demonstrate more responsibility and earn back your trust, right?

Why do we get bent out of shape when our kids break something? That “thing” represents some type of value. The categories of value we typically recognize are sentimental, monetary or possibly both. I would guess a majority of the time; the financial value is the most significant category to most men. So how do we help our children place value on things but still have an accurate view point of our possessions?

I want to share an idea that has been very effective in our home. We had a situation several months ago that provided a great opportunity to teach responsibility.

Kablam, is the sound heard when a punching balloon, explodes.  We heard this sound twice over two days and my oldest daughter was responsible for popping both balloons.  By accident, she successfully broke both of her sister’s balloons.  She felt terrible both times the balloons exploded as she cried and was very remorseful about her actions.  I was watching her during one of the explosions, and it was completely unintentional.   

However, whether or not she intended to pop the balloons, she was still responsible.  We have a family rule that if you break something, whether accidentally or on purpose, you pay to replace the item.  We believe in teaching our daughters to take responsibility for their actions.  Saturday morning we jumped in the minivan and made the short drive to Wal-Mart.  We finally found the punching balloons (they are not in the toy department but instead are in party supplies.)  Since we had to ask for help in locating the balloons we had a Wal-Mart associate with us as we discovered the balloons.  However, as we picked up the bag of balloons, it was very evident someone had taken one of the balloons.  The bag had a big hole and only three of the four balloons were still in the bag.  Fortunately, for us this was the last bag in the store.

As we walked to the cash register, I inquired to the Wal-Mart associate if we could purchase the balloons for less than the $2.00 marked price since one balloon was missing.  I told her I would be willing to pay $1.00, and she accepted my offer!   

What a day, two lessons from one balloon popping.  As we drove home, I asked our oldest daughter again why we purchased the balloons and who paid for the balloons.  She told me because she popped her sister’s balloon, and she paid for the balloon.  I then asked her if she would rather pay $1.00 for a balloon or $.33.  She told me $.33 and we discussed how I could negotiate with the employee because even though the product was not whole, which in our case, was acceptable.

We can use money to teach our children biblical principles and fulfill our responsibility to teach our children character at the same time!

The Ninth Commandment states that we are not to lie (Exodus 20:16). Lying is one of the six things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19. Proverbs 12:22). To lie is to NOT speak the truth typically with the intent to deceive. This includes: slander which is the spreading of false reports to destroy the reputation of others; gossip which is the spreading of reports of things not validated to be true (i.e., rumors); perjury which is the swearing of an oath to things that are not true, exaggeration which is stretching the truth typically due to PRIDE and being hypocritical which is living a life that is a lie (1 John 1:6. 1 John 2:21), etc. So you say that you do not practice lying? How many of us have accepted a software's End User Licence Agreement (EULA) that states we have read and understood it and yet we have done neither? If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me! (Psalms 116:11)

Reaching Bottom
Hos 2:6 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.

A hedge is a barrier. God is going to put a barrier up to end Israel’s prosperity and thus its idolatry. Even today God blocks our way when we turn from Him so that we become miserable, sensing our loss, when we turn from righteousness to the ways of the world.

Hos 2:4-5 Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom. For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’

It was one of those sleeps that when you wake up it takes a few minutes for everything to come into focus.  God had caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, removed a rib from his side and used it to fashion Eve.  It’s uncertain what first caught Adam’s eye but one thing is certain, Eve was striking.  “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man.”  The Genesis account teaches us about the nature of man and the nature of the marriage relationship. 

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Gatorade bottle being placed on the ground through the cracked driver’s door of a running Honda Passport.  I witnessed the sequence of a pulled back hand, a closed-door and the appearance of backup lights indicating the exit of an individual apparently ignorant of what it means to be a proper steward of the earth.

What is the most important tool in your tool belt? Every guy has one ability or “tool” they use at work every day to be successful. What is yours? Is it your stellar personality, a computer, a hammer or just your ability to get along with others?

Without a doubt, the story of Job is one of the most mesmerizing, puzzling and unpopular narratives in the Bible. Job was a godly, moral and blameless man whose life personifies a bad movie script. In Scene One, everything he owns is stripped from him. Then, some freak desert tornado incises the house where his kids are having a shindig, collapsing the roof and smothering everyone inside except one courier. As if that isn’t enough, Scene Two leaves Job scraping his carcass with glass just to relieve pain left by head to toe lesions. Torture, agony and despair are inferior words that pale in comparison to the reality of the situation.

The other day as I was driving on the highway on a business trip, I was thinking about

Philippians verse 6 "...that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Our small group is going through a verse-by-verse study of Philippians. This lead me to then think more about the doctrine of "Love" and of "Grace", which lead me to think more about

John 10:29 "...no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand", and

Psa. 139:10  "even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me", other similar verses.

“[From] the moment students set foot on the contemporary campus, their Christian convictions and discipline are assaulted. ‘Faith is just a crutch,’ they hear from friends and teachers. ‘The Bible is just mythology.’ ‘Christianity is judgmental and intolerant.’ ‘Morality is different everywhere.’ ‘Everyone must find his own truth.’ ‘I can be good without God.’ ‘Jesus was just a man who died.’ No wonder so many lose their faith!” (J. Budziszewski, How to Stay Christian in College).[1]

Drip, drip, drip. I witnessed the constant attack on Christianity, Christian beliefs and morals, while I was in college. At times I felt totally alone. Many times I wanted to fight. Many times I just stayed quiet, silent, while within my blood boiled. Oftentimes I argued with myself about responses or lack-thereof. I was sometimes so spiritually oppressed (Ephesians 6:12) that I needed some time of refreshing. I needed my tank refilled, needed a good influence, needed to be reminded how I could answer the enemies of Christ and the cross (Philippians 3:18). And then, by the grace of God, I ran across J. Budziszewski’s How to Stay Christian in College at an online Christian bookstore.

There are dozens of prophets mentioned in the Old Testament. Some are credited with writing whole books. Moses was the first and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. He is credited with writing (or at least compiling) the first five books of the bible and probably the book of Job. Other great prophets like Elijah, Elisha, and Nathan did not contribute directly to the text of scripture, but were instead subjects of scripture. The period known as the “period of the prophets” was between the times of Solomon and Alexander even though God has used prophets before and since. This period is called the period of the prophets because this is when the books of the Major and Minor Prophets were written.

John’s Revelations

The book of Revelations is John’s written record of a series of prophetic visions. The first three chapters read as a series of messages to specific churches, but also seem to be prophetic descriptions of various ages of the church.

Introduction

The book of Hebrews is one of my favorites in the New Testament. There is considerable debate as to the identity of the author, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no doubt it is the inspired word of God. The book was written primarily to the Jewish believers. It holds many nuanced references aimed to reach out to Jews. Even so, its truths transcend the Hebrew people and benefit all Christ believers, be they Jew or Gentile. In the first chapter the position and role of Jesus Christ is identified, as are angels and man relative to Jesus.

I am referring to God's Covenant Implementing Angels (CIA). Realize, long before man was created on Earth, God created millions of beings called angels to serve Him (Job 38:4-7 stars = angels in Revelation 1:20. Revelation 5:11). Unfortunately, one of the ruling angels or archangels called Lucifer led a rebellion* with one third of the other angels following him (Revelation 12:4). Nevertheless, they were quickly defeated, their authority (but not power) removed and they were cast out of Heaven (Luke 10:18). Today we know the Archangel Lucifer by the name of Satan (Satan means the adversary or accuser of the brethren - Revelation 12:10).

On this Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have assembled many of the prophesies from the Old Testament and their corresponding fulfillment in the New Testament (hundreds if not thousands of years latter) that clearly show that He is the Savior of the World!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to You and Yours!

After His Passion* Jesus was raised from the dead* by His Father, our God, to become the “first fruits” of all Christians that will be raised from the dead in the future (1 Corinthians 15:20. Romans 6:4). That is, those that have by faith accepted the gift of salvation* through Jesus Christ and then die go to live in spiritual bodies in a spiritual place called Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8. John 14:1-3). Then, in the future those humans that live in Heaven will be brought back to Earth to be reintegrated with their resurrected former “soul focused” physical bodies that have been transformed (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). (In addition, those that have accepted the gift of salvation and are still alive on Earth at this time will received their transformed bodies then, too. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

As my wife and I train our daughters in regards to money, we have chosen, as most parents do, to place the last part of Acts 20:35 as the Biblical foundation. The verse ends with Paul reminding us that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I am sure you would agree with me that the commercialism of Christmas has created an even greater challenge for parents! Over the last several years my wife and I have discussed multiple options to help redirect our daughter’s perception with this very important issue.

“For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

I knew that in taking World Religions (Philosophy 251) as a general elective, I was probably jumping from the frying pan into the fire.[1] In World Religions Class, I certainly felt as though I was in a place “where Satan has his throne” (Revelation 2:13, NIV).

The Good News of Jeremiah 36

Jer 36:1-3 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” If I had no other words from this chapter but these, they would be enough.

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you” (Hebrews 13:7, NASB).

I will answer the question first by telling you some things about my childhood:

My mom tells me that Dad began reading the Bible to me the day I came home from the hospital. I know all my years growing up, until the very day I moved out of the house a month before my marriage, Dad either read or recited a verse of the Bible to me every single day. That was Dad’s way of being obedient to the biblical injunction to “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds…. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19, NIV).

The Same Only Different

Is 51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. First, notice that God calls us. Specifically, he’s calling on those who seek righteousness. To me, this says that if we go looking for Him, He will respond by calling out to us, giving us the direction we need to find Him. He will not abandon those who come after Him.

Introduction

Ecclesiastes is a fascinating book filled with peculiar wisdom. It is attributed to Solomon and was most likely written toward the latter part of his reign in his old age. Throughout the book you can feel the almost melancholy from the writer as he describes the pointlessness of wasting one’s life on unimportant things, of trying to figure out the unfathomable instead of simply reveling in it, and of a selfish worldview in general. The wisdom of Chapter 7 includes a number of things the average person would think unusual if not crazy yet when one squints to peer using Solomon’s vision, truths appear which are far deeper than surface observations reveal.

Summary by Verse

V1: Drunks are fools.

V2: Don’t piss off the king.

V3: Don’t lower yourself to arguing over dumb stuff.

V4: Be lazy = go hungry.

About Proverbs 8

Much of Proverbs is written as a collection of wise tidbits. There are chapters that focus on wisdom for youth, wisdom for women, wisdom for all. There are chapters that provide a series of short profoundly wise statements. In each of these we hear about wisdom. Proverbs 8 is different. Unlike many other chapters of this unique book, this chapter personifies Wisdom. Wisdom itself speaks with distinct personality. It beckons the reader to listen carefully. As I read this chapter it spoke to me as though its true name was Holy Spirit.

It Starts With The Relationship

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;

2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.

THE TABLE OF SHOWBREAD
The Table of Showbread is located to our right along the North side of the Tabernacle directly across from and illuminated by the Golden Lampstand. Remember, there was no other source of light in the Holy Place other than the Golden Lampstand. The light from it is reflected off of the walls that are made of boards of acacia wood (very disease and pest resistant) overlaid with pure gold (Exodus 26:15-29) and the ceiling that is made of colored fine linen with pictures of the Cherubim (i.e., angels that guard God's throne in Heaven) sewn on them (Exodus 26:1-6). Just as the Priests could not see the bread without the illumination of the Golden Lampstand - we can not see God's provision for our lives without the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Shine On

Ps 94:1-2 O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! I am reminded of the ancient Klingon Proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

THE TABERNACLE
The Tabernacle was a tent located within the Outer Court.  It was 45 feet long, 15 feet wide and 15 feet high.  Four curtains serve as the roof and walls of the tabernacle.  The innermost curtain is made of fine linen.  Four curtains serve as the roof and outer covering of the walls of the tabernacle:

The Good Old Days

Ps 44:1-3 O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. The authors, Levites who served the priests but themselves were not actually priests, remember and glorify and praise the awesome wonder, authority, and power of YHWH for the wondrous things He’s done for their forefathers. They recognized it wasn’t by their own power that great things were done, but by the Hand of God Himself. The authors understood personal humbling before YHWH particularly well since their own family had suffered great loss for defying the authority of God (Nu 16).

The design for the Tabernacle of Moses (or Tent of Meeting) was given to Moses by God while on Mount Sinai and it is based upon the Tabernacle in Heaven (Hebrews 8:5.Exodus 25:40). This Earthly tabernacle was to prophetically point the way to God the Father through Jesus; therefore, no error was allowed in its construction. Furthermore, the building of the tabernacle reveals the ultimate desire of God our Father - to live amongst us His children (Exodus 25:8). Oh, the joy of God when He became flesh and dwelt amongst His people - Emmanuel (i.e., God with us)! (John 1:14)

What does the term “baptized” with the Holy Spirit mean?

To baptize means - to place into.  Jesus baptizes - places us into - the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11. Mark 1:8. Luke 3:16. John 1:33).  The first people to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, by reason of Jesus’ request to the Father (John 14:16. John 15:26. Acts 2:33), were the approximately 120 waiting in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost including Mary Jesus’ mother (Acts 1:4. Acts 1:12-15). The Holy Spirit came into the room and filled it with Himself (Acts 2:1,2).  Therefore, they were placed into or baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:16) and the Holy Spirit came within them (1 Corinthians 12:13). 

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the great honor of being on Dr. Randy Carlson's Intentional Living radio program. During one of the hours, he asked me a question about our government's debt situation. My response was to the effect that neither our government, nor families can live in a perpetual situation where we spend more than we make!

The Setting

The events of 2 Ki 3 happen in the mid 9th century BC. Saul, David, and Solomon’s united Israel has fallen apart. It is now divided into the Southern Kingdom of Judah with its capitol in Jerusalem and the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capitol in Samaria. The Kings of both kingdoms are bad by degrees, though the Northern Kingdom just seems to have one bad king after another. Though the two kingdoms occasionally battle each other, they are united for this chapter. While the two kingdoms may not get along consistently, they are still a very powerful force in the region and command the respect and tributes of their neighbors.

When did the Holy Spirit first come to Earth?

The Holy Spirit has been on Earth for a long time (Genesis 1:1,2).  He was involved in the creation of the universe; therefore, it would be safe to say that He has always been on Earth (Isaiah 40:12-15).

Overview of 1 Samuel

Samuel was the last major Judge and in fact presided over the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel under King Saul about 1050 BC. The book of 1 Samuel covers the period from Samuel’s conception through the end of King Saul’s life around 1010 BC. In 1 Samuel 1 you can read about Samuel’s mother’s prayer for a son and the blessing of the high priest, Eli. In 1 Samuel 2 we read a beautiful and powerful prayer of Samuel’s mother, Hannah. Chapter 2 goes on to talk about Eli’s family problems. In Chapter 3 we pick up with Samuel coming of age in the Lord’s service under Eli.

Introduction

Judges 20 is the second of three chapters at the end of the book of Judges telling a tale of woe. There’s rape, murder, civil war, death on a grand scale, and… redemption. These are great elements for a great story. The story is made even greater when viewed within the greater mosaic of the biblical Twilight Zone.

We have seen from the Holy Bible that the Holy Spirit is definitely a person and not simply an influence or power.  However, it is not enough to just believe the doctrine – we must know the Holy Spirit Himself.  Furthermore, what sort of person is the Holy Spirit?  Is He a finite or an infinite person?  Is He God?  The answers to these questions are found in the Holy Bible.

Introduction

As a whole, Chapter 16 of the book of Joshua provides a physical description of the land rights for Joseph’s sub-tribal inheritance in Israel. The tribe of Joseph was divided by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Chapter 17 gives the boundaries of Manasseh beyond the Jordan and north of Ephraim. The bulk of Chapter 16 deals specifically with the area allotted to Ephraim.

“Do you want extra “blank” with that order?.”  Normally, I would probably turn down that extra “blank”, whatever it was.  However, while training for the Northface Ultra-marathon, I found myself eating way more than I would ordinarily eat.  I needed to eat more food to compensate for all the calories that were being burned up during the training runs.   Before training for this event, I would estimate I would consume about 2000 to 2500 calories in a given day.  During the training months, particularly during the end of training, getting close to race day, I estimated the intake doubled, to about 4000 calories. I would easily burn up about 2000 calories in a single 20-mile training run.  During those training runs, I was reminded of how much spiritual food I was eating (or not eating) in my daily Christian walk. I also realized how much more I needed to spiritually eat to be obedient to God’s Word and His plan for my life.

“Your words were found and I ate them…”  - Jer. 15:16

About Joshua 13

Unless you are really itching for some tedious study, Joshua 13 at first appears one of the more dull chapters of biblical text. Mostly it details the boundaries of the lands of the various tribes and which enemies were yet to be conquered.

The Story

Rather than quote the entire story, I shall summarize. In the preceding chapters Joshua has kicked butt all over Jericho and Ai. He’s developed a reputation – and most of the locals are ticked (v1-2). However, some of the locals from Gibeon hatch a deceitful plot to avoid getting wiped out (v3-5). They come to Israel with worn out shoes and rotten food and pretend to be from far away and want to make a peace treaty with Israel (v6). Israel is skeptical, but the con artists are good and fool them (v7-13).

Overview

Chapter 2 tells of spies sent by Joshua to Jericho. At this point the city was a fearful obstacle in the way of Israel taking over the promised land. Jericho lay across the Jordan, still to be crossed by Joshua shortly after Moses’ death. The spies enter the city. To get information they came to the seedy part of town and went to a whore house run by Rahab.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

I am sure you probably do not struggle with the same communication problems that exist within my home! You always agree with your wife about how to spend your leisure time and money, and your kids never ask you for money, right?

Lev 23:33-43 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths [or Tabernacles] to the Lord. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.

Lev 23:26-32 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”

Running with endurance takes great sacrifice. It is difficult to calculate the sacrifice needed to prepare properly for an Ultra-marathon. Even though I have trained for and ran many races in the past, including marathons, training for and running a 50-mile Ultra-marathon is a whole different story.  I knew that it would take a great deal more sacrifice to accomplish it.  I would need to make some hard decisions and sacrifice time, energy, comfort, convenience, personal and family activities, and much more.  I also knew that it would not only be a sacrifice for me, but also a sacrifice for my family.  There will be times when I would need to stick to my training schedule which might be in the way with family plans, particularly during the scheduled Saturday long runs. I tried not to impact my family too much with the training; however, there were many times where it was unavoidable.As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I would not have even begun the training process if I did not gain the support of my wife and family.  After they got over the crazy idea of a 50-mile race, they were very supportive of the entire process.  When thinking about the sacrifice for this race, I was reminded of the sacrifices needed to be a Christ-follower.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” – Romans 12:1

Lev 23:23-25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

Lev 23:15-22 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. And you shall

During my athletic exploits earlier in life, I entertained thoughts that someday I might pursue sports as a career. Baseball was the sport where I experienced the most success. Our high school team was incredibly talented, and the coach was known for taking guys who lacked focus and self-discipline and turning them into a great team. Many of the individual players went on to get college scholarships, and some were major league draft choices.

Lev 23:6-8 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”

As the Passover is the day when the Passover lamb is slain is preparation for the impending end of oppression, the Feast of Unleavened Bread picks up at dusk at the end of the Passover (aka Preparation) day. It stretches from the execution of revenge upon death itself on through a Sabbath to the next day when the barley sheaves are waved. It concludes at the end of seven days. The Hebrew name for this week long feast is Chag HaMatzoth. In summary, it celebrates the passage from bondage to freedom.

In the previous Discover Prayer blogs we have reviewed the following tenets of prayer:

• We must ask and ask in Jesus’ name in order to receive.(1)
• Our motive in asking must not be selfish but rather to honor God our Father. (1)
• The requests are to be based on the contract that we have with God. (1)

With the introduction of these important foundation principles we are now poised to analyze the process of prayer with the goal of increasing our prayer efficiency.

“The discerning person acquires knowledge, and the wise person seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15).

“I would like you to give me five of the greatest Christian books of all time.”

This was what I told my dad in response to his asking me to provide Christmas gift suggestions for him and Mom about fifteen years ago. Of course, in this case I meant books other than the Bible, as I understood that the Bible contained 66 of the greatest and most influential books from throughout Christendom’s history.

 We are so busy... I feel like a taxi cab driver... I never see my kids... are some of the comments we hear from parents of teens. School, church, sports, friends, music, dance and other activities over run schedules. It sometimes seems like keeping up with the Joneses is not only about money anymore!

Ok, just passed mile 12 and for the next 26 miles it’s all up and down a bunch of hills and then another 12 miles of relatively flat running to the finish. (note: see elevation chart for the Northface Endurance Challenge Gortex 50 miler at the end of the article).  Easier said than done.  Although the small hills by themselves are not too impressive, when they are stacked back-to-back in a 50 mile race, they become large obstacles in your way to the finish. It’s amazing how such unimposing little hills, that if you encountered them while taking a walk in the park, you would not think too much about traversing, become daunting obstacles with each step.  When faced with various obstacles in life, I am reminded of the following verse:

"The one true God gives me strength; he removes the obstacles in my way."  – Psalm 18:32

Lev 23:3 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.

Sabbath Established

Leviticus

“How long will you simpletons love naiveté? How long will… fools hate knowledge?” (Proverbs 1:22-23).

We must remember to ask our Heavenly Father for the things that we need, want, and desire (James 4:2. Philippians 4:19.Psalms 23:1.Psalms 37:4).
There are several different Koine (common) Greek words that we translate as our English word “ask.”  Furthermore, the one used in this verse (James 4:2) is Strong’s number 154 aiteo {ahee-teh'-o} which Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible defines as “a demand of something due.” (2)

My family went to see my oldest son play in the school band the other night. Siting in front of us were a few teen girls. Before the show they were talking to each other and giggling and laughing. There were 3 of them, two sat in front of us, and one sat in front of them. The girl who sat alone keep looking at the door behind us like she was waiting for a friend. Finally this guy shows up and sits with the two girls in front of us. The show starts and now all three of them keep looking at the door behind us, and they all have huge smiles on their faces like they are waiting for their “best friend” to show up.

Genesis 32

In Gen 32:1-21 Jacob prepares to meet his brother Esau after years apart. All this time apart Jacob has lived in fear of his brother’s wrath for deceiving his father to obtain the blessing. As Esau draws near Jacob is afraid. He takes secret action to preserve at least part of all he possesses while at the same time overtly trying appeasement.

The King of Kings – the Lord Jesus Christ – looked upon his bride (i.e., the church) with love, the same love that had compelled Him to die for her, as she came down the aisle of the Temple in Heaven for The Royal Wedding! (John 15:13. 2 Corinthians 5:14,15. Revelation 19:7) She was dressed in a beautifully brilliant white flowing gown - both spotless and wrinkleless (Revelation 19:8). For this gown is woven of the good works of the righteous saints, washed spotless in the Word of God, dried and purified by the fire of affliction and pressed wrinkle free by the weight of hardship (Ephesians 5:25-33. Isaiah 48:10. 2 Corinthians 4:8,9.).

“A fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future?” (Ecclesiastes 10:14).

Recently someone left a tiny note/tract on my wife’s car in a parking lot: “Christian Bible Truth, world’s end! END = 10/21/11.”

Ever wish you could afford to do more for your kids?

You can give them a priceless gift without spending a penny if you courageously dare to give the simple gift of obedience.

As parents we naturally think of “obedience” as something we expect from our kids. Instead, think about your obedience to God. Here's why it's so powerful...

I think we could all agree that God will hold us accountable for the things we accomplish or fail to accomplish while on this earth. My question that I pose today is, "Should we focus on accomplishing our work, how well we carry out the work or accomplishing our work well?"

“I am certain that in passing from the scientific point of view to the theological, I have passed from dream to waking. Christian theology can fit in science, art, morality, and [it can explain] the sub-Christian religions. The scientific point of view cannot fit in any of these things, not even science itself. I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”[1]

I have to say that I get to meet a lot of neat people. Either people I meet though out my day working with bible.org or some of the really cool people I meet at church.

Context of Genesis 7

Distance running strengthens the body. As you run over time, different areas of your body are strengthened, not just your legs. There is a common saying among Ultra-marathoners that states: “You know you are an ultra-runner if your friends and family think you're in a whole lot better shape than you think you are”, and the reality to that is, “you actually are in a whole lot better shape than you think you are.” By exercising your body on a daily, regular basis, your body benefits greatly from it, whether you realize it or not. So it is with spiritual exercise.

“I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.” – Psalm 119:32

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave— what can you know?” (Job 11:7-8, NIV).

“God is both further from us, and nearer to us, than any other being” (C.S. Lewis). [1]

As Christians, how should the world see us? What kind of thumb print should we leave on the world or better yet how should we, Christians, be known.

In the Big Scheme of Things

The Scroll of Authority(1) is the original title deed to rule planet Earth given to the first Adam by God. This scroll stated that man was to be the ruler over Earth but only for a finite period of time (Matthew 8:29. Revelation 12:12). Once Satan had manipulated Adam and Eve into sin he took the scroll, placed seven booby trap seals on it, and hid it where he thought no man could retrieve it - in the Abyss of Hades. This he did in order to maintain his rule on planet Earth beyond the terms of the Scroll of Authority (i.e., indefinitely). However, it seems Satan did not consider that God would become Man(1)... (John 1:1,14)

Jesus Confirms Genesis

• Jn 2:1-11: Jesus’ first miracle was a creative act – turning water into wine.

Yesterday was my birthday and I hit a milestone in life. My daughters told me I was getting old, my parents told me they could remember the day I was born and my friends told me I was over the hill! Yes, I hit the big "FOUR-0". I have always heard and now believe that you are only as old as you feel, and I FEEL YOUNG! However, I did reflect a bit on the last forty years of my life and wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

“[T]he world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:6-7).

As a young boy I broke a glass on a table because it was sitting behind a balloon that I punched! As my mother helped me clean up the mess, I told her that I didn’t know the glass was there; I didn’t mean to break it. She understood, but used that opportunity to discuss why it’s important to think about possible results before taking action. That was my first memorable lesson on the Biblical concept of foresight

Training for and running an Ultra-marathon will show how committed a person is to running.   Training for this type of an event does not only happen when the weather is good and you are in the mood. This sort of training has to be done in all types of weather, no matter how cold, wet, hot, dark, or how miserable it may be. This type of training still needs to be done when you are physically tired, mentally spent, when you are busy, have other responsibilities, or even when you are even hurt.  Basically, it requires commitment.   As I pondered that fact during a very wet, cold, early morning training run (and after asking myself “what am I doing out here?”),  it was clear to me that God wants us to have a level of commitment towards Him and His Word that is unmatched with anything else in our lives.  An unwavering, unyielding, enduring, passionate commitment.   I was reminded of the following verse:

“Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”    -Psalm 37:5

Most evenings involve the routine of walking our dog Buddy. He loves his walks and being a big dog needs a lot of exercise. I must admit that my wife does a majority of the dog walking but I have also come accustomed to going with her or taking him myself. He is rather demanding when it comes to his walks so he lets us know when he is overdue.

“If only you would keep completely silent! For you that would be wisdom” (Job 13:5).

We did communion this weekend at my church, and it got me thinking about Jesus’ death & sacrifice and how we remember this.

As with anything that we do regularly, communion can be taken lightly and it can become something we do without much thought. Because we’re so familiar with communion, it becomes so easy to allow it to become a mindless exercise, doesn’t it?

Accountability is a challenging subject to many guys. We do not like to be told what to do or when to do it! Fortunately, most of us realize accountability is a part of life, although some guys never figure it out or think they are above the rules! To what standard are we held accountable? Let's take a look from a Biblical perspective as it relates to money.

Jesus having risen from the grave, having poured out His blood on the Mercy Seat of Heaven*** and having receiving a glorified body of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39)* appeared, as if out of nowhere, in the locked room where the apostles had hid for fear of the Jews (John 20:19) . This His glorified body being able to move at the speed of thought by converting from matter to energy and back at will.** This is the body that those that are born again will one day receive (1 Corinthians 15:48-53). A body that is immune to death, disease, and damage, etc.

"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." Ro 1:24-25 (ESV)

"And the LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city." Gen 11:6-8 (ESV)

Just running along, enjoying another training run on the secluded trails      along the Potomac River.  No one was around in the early morning winters’ day.  It was cold, but comfortable.  I was heading back home from the out-and-back trail run that morning.  During a typical training run, I spend time thinking, praying, meditating, trying to memorize Bible verses, etc.  But sometimes, not every run, I could be just thinking about something, and all of a sudden, God seems to stop me in my tracks and say something to me.  It’s funny how it happens, it always surprises me, yet it is so smooth and natural, like a divine whisper.

I was watching the President’s state of the union address this past week. I am drawn to speeches like that since they provide an overview of where we are and the leader’s thoughts on where we should be going. If done well the leader should be able to cast a vision that people can see and understand enough to get excited about and support.

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;" Acts 17:26 (KJV).

"Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron." Job 40:15-18 (ESV)

As I mentioned in the introduction blog post, each blog post in this series will be a topic or lesson God showed me while training for an ultra-marathon, in the order in which He showed me.  The blog posts are roughly divided into two sections:  the topic and how it applies to running and how it applies to the Christian walk.

The first topic I recall God bringing to my attention was drawn from this verse in Hebrews:

“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” - Hebrews 12:1

"I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one." Ezekiel 22:30 (NASB).

Recently I was talking to a guy who was unemployed. Like so many others he had been searching for so long and felt frustrated and even hopeless. I asked him what the most challenging thing about his situation was. I thought he would say the financial challenges. He told me it was his feelings of worthlessness. His sense of worth had been stripped from him when his job was lost.

Welcome to a brand new year. As with most people, everyone is making a list of things they want to change this year. Some people want to stop smoking or lose weight. Others want to drop old habit or start new ones.

"Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers." – Gen 2:10 (NASB)

The Dark Archangel - Satan - had been defeated in his first confrontation with the King who was fully God (but voluntarily not utilizing His abilities as God Philippians 2:5-7) and fully Man. Nevertheless, He was a Man with the fullness of the power of God the Holy Spirit in His life!  Satan knew that man must sin before He can be killed - for death is the minimum wage of sin (Romans 6:23). No sin, no death, and no elimination of this enemy!

"He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs." Ex 35:35 (NASB)

Jesus said, “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of My followers, you will surely be rewarded.” Matthew 10: 42
Generosity is supposed to be a standard characteristic of Christ-followers. We’re supposed to be generous to others because God’s been so generous to us...
• in saving us
• forgiving us
• loving us
• being patient with us

Gifts, gifts and more gifts is the story so far. Our family has received a few, given several, and purchased a bunch! We usually buy all the presents for the grandparents for our daughters so my wife, who is truly amazing, works diligently to get everything purchased.

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen 2:7 (NASB)

I just returned last night from an eight day trip to Europe. The purpose of my trip was to present several financial seminars to Romanian families and business people. It was an unbelievable opportunity to share both Biblical and practical financial truth.

The Dark Archangel - Satan - knew that none born of the DNA in the seed (i.e., sperm) of man could defeat him since Adam's sin had tainted the genetic code of man. Consequently, all born of the DNA of man (male and female babies) would be under his influence from birth and belong to him when they willfully disobeyed God (i.e., they sinned). Nevertheless, God had said that it would be one born of the DNA in the seed (i.e., egg) of a woman that would break his rule over planet Earth! (Genesis 3:15) Satan then launched a sinister plan to taint the DNA of all woman so that there would be none to birth into the Earth the one that would defeat him!

More Him, Less Me...

We left off last time knowing we had to be a surrendered servant.  

Knowing this I know that I am not my own but that I belong to God and I am his surrendered servant. So I must do "His Will"  OK here is another term that I am afraid gets tossed around like the less more more him phrase.

"As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire." Dan 7:9 (ESV)

The ruler of the dark angels - Lucifer - came to Earth and deceived then stole the Scroll of Authority from man. He then returned to his invisible kingdom in the atmosphere of Earth (Ephesians 2:2*) to ruthlessly kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) man with the very authority that was taken from him.

And some things that should not have been forgotten have been forgotten... history has become legend and legend has become myth... and the Scroll of Authority passed out of all knowledge**... until... the Revelation!

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.

“The only statistic I can ever remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable.” – Attributed to Queen Victoria

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." – Proverbs 27:17

I've found this simple truth impacts my life most when I live it out in 3 dimensions.
Sounds simple but how do you make this a reality in your life?

Here is how it is working for me.

Remember, living life in 3 D means I intentionally cultivate relationships with a variety of guys…

I had a great opportunity last week to speak at the school my daughters attend for their junior high convocation. I love talking to kids. You can tell by their face if they are understanding what you are saying, and if you ask a question, they will answer! I want to share with you my communication with the kids.

"I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" Lk 19:40 (NASB)

John 8:36 says So if the Son set you free, you will really be free. Over 2000 years ago Jesus died to set us free. Over 200 years ago many men died to set us free. Why does death always have to happen in order to get freedom.

"He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem." Jer 22:19 (NASB)

Have you ever stopped for a minute and pondered how foundations effect our lives? Foundations are the ground work (pun intended) of our lives. For example, you probably

"Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!" Is 47:14 (ESV)

I saw this on a bumper sticker today and it made me think. My thoughts are still hung up on the topic from our men's retreat a few weeks back, which prompted the topic for my last blog entry.

Have you been confused about someone’s expectations for you? Maybe a boss, a parent or even a spouse have placed unrealistic expectations on your relationship with them. This happens all the time and keeps us from enjoying our relationships to the fullest. Marriage is a great example of how differing expectations can cause disunity and confusion.

Satan can relentlessly bombard our minds with impure thoughts and if we chose to dwell on these thoughts they will form an impure image in our mind. We will then feel pressure (i.e., lust) to satisfy this image via some form of sin (James 1:14,15). If we follow through in obedience to this temptation we are actually performing an act of worship to that image (i.e., the idol) in our minds. Recall, we were commanded not to worship idols due to the spiritual law that whatever we chose to worship we fellowship and join with resulting in becoming just like what we are worshipping over time (Exodus 20:4, Psalms 115:4-8). This is a wonderful law when we are worshipping the only true God as it causes us to become increasingly like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18.1 John 3:2). However, as we submit to the impure image or idol in our minds then we are actually fellowshipping with and becoming like the demons that are tempting us! (Psalms 106:36,37.1 Corinthians 10:19, 20).

One day something is going to happen that you will not be planning. You won't know when it's going to happen, and it will most likely catch you off guard. You're going to die.

"In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened." Gen 7:11 (ESV).

Last night I had a realization. Today was going to be my first "open" day in several weeks. As I finished my final tasks at the church, I could feel a flood of relief rush over me as my mind started contemplating that I could actually relax. I almost felt like celebrating.

I am not sure if you are following along with Lance Ponder's Creative Science but it is a wonderful series and should be read (or listened to).

"All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Jn 1:3-5 (ESV)

By this time we all heard or seen the news coverage about the Florida Pastor who planned to burn a copy of the Quran. The news coverage was unending. It never ceases to amaze me how we Christ followers just don’t get it. Do we think that God in any way shape or form would be pleased with such a display?

... and other Creationist Theories ...

"Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it." Is 42:5 (ESV)

So much is said about it, but just what is Godly leadership? I’ve been spending time this summer working through the book of Nehemiah, and it’s a book full of God’s time-tested truths on what it takes to be a godly leader.

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." 2 Pe 2:1 (NASB)

I received a phone call today from one of my best friends. An amazing guy who introduced me to Christ and has been a role model in my life for years. Within seconds of the conversation I could immediately sense that something was very wrong. When he mentioned that there was something he needed to tell me about his wife, my first thought was, “oh no, she’s sick.”

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Ro 1:20 (ESV)

I like lists. I like schedules. I like making plans and following through on them. I like predictability. I am goal-oriented. All the clocks in my house are set to the correct time.

Beautiful - but deadly - blue glow (i.e., Cerenkov radiation) of an operating or "critical" nuclear reactor seen under many feet of radiation shielding and thus life protecting water. The light is given off because highly charged particles of matter around the reactor are traveling faster than the speed of light in water (the speed of light in water is 75% of the speed of light in a vacuum). While the matter of the charged particle can exceed the speed of light in water the charge must travel at the local speed of light. This causes the charge on the particle to lag behind the matter of the particle with the consequence that photons in the blue to ultraviolet region are emitted. Think of this as a photonic boom similar to the sonic boom of a jet traveling faster than sound in air! 
Myth buster: Those that work around nuclear power do not glow green - they glow blue! (Just kidding!).

Compassion – to suffer together 

It’s the complexity of emotion, thoughts, and actions prompted by the pain of others. It commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering.  Compassion is ranked a great virtue in numerous philosophies and is considered in all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues.