Ministry of Love

The intention of this blog is to share Biblical messages at least on a weekly basis. Any response is appreciated. I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation of Biblical passages. I will try to respond with love and thoughtfulness.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Musings:11/30/09, On Being Sealed, by John

Ephesians 1:13,1400

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."

I remember my mother explaining to me why a pint jar of home-canned green beans spoiled. The top of that jar swelled and looked like it might pop open any minute. She told me that when she canned it, she must not have sealed it before some bacteria got into the jar, or maybe the top wasn't tight enough to begin with. I've thought a lot about how things are sealed since then, and I wondered a lot about canned goods because I've seen cans swollen and looking as if they might explode. Periodically we have removed cans from our community food pantry because they were swollen and leaking. We certainly did not want the food we gave to people to make them sick!

I read about how the canning business was wonderfully changed when a man in the Campbell Soup Company started sealing the soup cans before they were cooked. That insured no living bacteria would be in that can. I'm sure that has to be done under tremendous pressure, and pressure-cooking revolutionized the business of canning.

I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if no bacteria could get into canned stuff anyway? Food would last forever, I guess. Then it occurred to me that there is one seal that keeps all pollution out. It's God's Holy Spirit. The difference is our "Seal" is living! He's the eternal Spirit of God, and He is constantly protecting us from the pollution of satanic powers. No matter where we are, or what's going on around us, He keeps that seal perfect! It will carry us all the way into the very presence of our Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty God!

All of that passage of Scripture is wonderful, but I think too often when we read it we don't even think about the Spirit as our Seal taking us into the heavenly realms in Christ. It's wonderful to be "included in Christ." But it is equally wonderful to be kept by the Spirit! I think there's a difference in being "sealed" and in being filled with the Spirit. We do sin, and while we sin, I'm sure we aren't filled with the Spirit, but we are still sealed by Him. On occasion, we may be aware that God's Spirit is empowering us in a special way: We know we are filled with the Spirit when that happens. Those mountain top experiences are nearly always followed by valley experiences, but on the mountain, or in the valley, we are still sealed to the very day of redemption!

Paul was beaten and left for dead. He was shipwrecked and barely escaped with his life. He was jailed once, imprisoned at least once, maybe three times and in it all, he could say, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Ephesians 4:13. Many people think that means any good Christian can move mountains whether he has the faith to do it or not, but that idea does not fit the context. Paul was talking to Ephesians about being in need of physical things, and being surfeited with physical things. He was simply saying he was content in the Lord no matter what his earthly situation was. All of us, whether we have great faith, or not, should be able to say the same thing because God's Seal, the Holy Spirit, is with us every moment of time as the saying goes, "24/7!"

Musings:11/30/09,This Is Coming, by John

This is Coming!

Jeremiah 31:33-34 says: "'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,' declares the Lord."

For years and years, I've tried to memorize Scripture verses, and I did memorize a large number of verses I felt were core statements of my faith in God, but I also remember sitting and listening to a young minister recite entire books of the New Testament as I followed in the Bible. He wanted to be sure he knew it perfectly. I admired his goal, but I also wondered if what he was remembering would be put into practice in his life. I hope so. I've wondered the same thing about myself, and too frequently I've discovered I know more than I put into life-practice. (I am trying to divide something here that is not easily expressed). In my ordinary run of the mill day, I do pretty well, but when I get into an argument, I may get out of my Christian character behind and revert to the way of the world. I may lose my good will toward my fellow man, an individual in this case. Afterward, I follow the recipe Jesus gave us. I apologize to the person for my behavior, and I ask God to forgive me for taking my eyes off of Jesus. I do the latter because I can't hurt someone else and follow Jesus at the same time. Good things come from God. All bad things come from somewhere else!

Picture the future Jeremiah prophesied. God's Law written in our hearts is different to having some of it, or even all of it, written in our heads. A friend of mine some years ago stated emphatically that he never broke the speed limit! I said, "Oh, come on! I've ridden with you, and I know better!" He replied, "Well, I never go over 60!" The speed limit on the highways was 55 at that time, so he explained, "They (meaning law enforcement) always allow you 5 miles over without a ticket." We fool ourselves in the same way about so much that we do and say, don't we? But God is not fooled. We may inadvertently break some of man's laws, but when we break one of God's laws, it's no accident. Hebrews 10:26 used to bother me. It says, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." The word "deliberately" was the one word that really bothered me. I knew when I sinned it was no accident. Being a new Christian at that time, I doubted my faith in Jesus was enough to save me. I think the Holy Spirit gave me the insight to examine the rest of that verse.

First, "if" makes this statement written to Hebrews, perhaps beginning believers hypothetical. The writer wasn't saying it could happen, but that leaving Jesus left nowhere to turn! The Jew's faith had been in the Old Testament Law, and if they failed to go all the way with Jesus, it might be natural to turn back to the Law and its sacrifices. "Knowledge of the truth" does not mean one has accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior. It does mean that the person has heard what it takes to be saved eternally. We call that "The Gospel of Jesus."

Jews who heard the Gospel and refused it would find no help in the Law. It was never intended to "save" people. It was, and still is, a guide for living. Jewish Christians today frequently call themselves "completed Jews" because they realize everything that happened to Israel, and everything written in the Old Testament led to the coming of the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled God's promise to them.

One of the themes in Romans concerns the children of Abraham. Paul pointed out that Abraham had children of the flesh, but that Isaac was a child of faith, and the child of his promise. Then he called attention to the fact that no one was saved by the Law, but that the children of the flesh trusted the Law to save them while the children of faith trusted in God's grace and their faith to save them. He continued by indicating that Jew and Gentile alike became children of Abraham by faith when they trusted Jesus. Hence Jesus is Messiah for both Jew and Gentile completing their salvation.

Back to Jeremiah, how wonderful it will be when it becomes natural for all of us to do God's will, to love Him and serve Him without really thinking about what we are doing! As I was growing up, when someone asked me who my daddy was, I never had to think about it. I just answered from the reservoir of knowledge that was part of my very being. I hope I'm getting closer to that with my Lord every day. Like Paul, I don't count myself as having already reached the goal, but I strive toward it hoping to be more like Jesus all the time.

The poet said, "The world is too much with us late and soon...." It is, and we are fallible, but the Lord has sealed us with God's Holy Spirit until we are ushered into the very presence of God. This Thanksgiving, I am everlastingly thankful that our God looks at us in all of our frailty through the shed blood of His One and Only Born Son, Jesus! I cannot keep from crying out, "Thank you, Father!" And I look for the day when Jeremiah's prophecy is completed in each of us!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Musings:11/25/09,Unspeakable Words, by John

Unspeakable Words?

Are there unspeakable words? Isn't that a contradictory idea? Words express ideas so that others can understand what we are thinking, right? Samuel Morse invented a code used for many years to express written words by wire and radio. Juan Pablo de Bonet invented a sign language signifying words rather than going directly to ideas. Anne Sullivan developed and taught Helen Keller her own sort of sign language, and she even taught Helen to speak though Helen could not hear at all. Others have created ways to communicate. American Indians communicated with sign language from one tribe to another. They also used the sound of drums and signals made with smoke to communicate at a distance. People do communicate when it is required for numbers of reasons.

All of the above could be called "unspeakable words, couldn't they? But I am thinking of statements in the Bible. Paul said, "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift." in II Corinthians 9:15, King James Version. The New International Version translates the Greek word as "indescribable." Strong's first definition was "not expounded in full." In II Corinthians 12:2-4 the NIV says, "I know a man...caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." He used a different word, but the KJV translators gave it the same translation. Strong's first translation was "unsaid" and by implication indescribable.

In the first reference, I believe Paul spoke of Christ and all of the wonderful gifts included in His grace. In the second, Paul was talking about being in heaven and hearing these things God would not allow him to share with others.

Peter also used a word closely related to the one used in II Corinthians 9:15. It's in I Peter 1:8, and it was translated by the KJV translators as "unspeakable." The NIV again translates this one as inexpressible. Peter spoke of Christians as being filled with an "inexpressible and glorious joy!" These three words would seem to be talking about ideas for which there are no words sufficiently powerful to express them with human vocabulary.

Oh, yes, there is another reference, we can't leave out. Romans 8:26,27 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." The word translated "groanings" in the KJV and "groans" in the NIV is far different to those in the other references. Perhaps to our minds, these prayers of the Spirit are unspeakable words.

Personally, I frequently discover that I can't find just the right word for the thought I want to communicate. I'm so thankful that our Wonderful Father knows how to communicate with us in myriads of ways. He has exactly the right word, prick of the Spirit, comment from a stranger or friend to convey to us His love and His will. Our problem is not lack of understanding. It is lack of listening! It's not that God doesn't speak to us. It's that we turn deaf ears to Him!

I've tried rather unsuccessfully to learn other people's languages so that I can communicate God's love to them. I've been successful with some by the help of God's Spirit, but wouldn't it be wonderful to have a 100% record? With the millions of Christians now alive and who have gone to be with the Lord, our witness would have filled heaven, and Jesus would have already come the second time!

I depend on the Spirit's groans to make up for my poor attempts at prayer. That doesn't relieve me of my responsibility to pray, and I pray sentence prayers all day for people as they come into my mind. Right now, I'm praying for you who read this, and my prayer is that you will come to know and love our Heavenly Father as I do.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Musings:11/17/09,Thanksgiving Thoughts, by John

Ephesians 5:18 ends with the injunction, "Be filled with the Spirit." The author then told us to speak to one another in music. That makes me wonder why we separate music and other spiritual messages such as preaching and other forms of prophecy. In our own hearts, we are to make music to the Lord. With that music, we are to give thanks to Him for everything. Yep! Everything!

We are free and since we aren't perfect, we enter into activities where we fail and often into activities where we sin against God. God allows it because He made us in His Own image, and we are created free. Our freedom brings us pain and sadness much more often than we think it should, but in spite of that, God expects us to be thankful for everything!

How is it possible? As far as I know, the only solution the Bible offers is found in Romans 8:28; "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Can you believe not that God causes you to make bad decisions, or causes you to sin, but that God does use every event in your life for your good?

In Matthew 7:9,10, Jesus asked His hearers if their child asked for bread would they give him a stone, or if he asked for a fish would they give him a snake. Their obvious response was, of course not! In v. 11, Jesus indicated God only gives good gifts to His children. If you believe the Bible, everything that happens to you good, bad or horrible, God will turn into good for you. I didn't say it would be easy for you. Those who visit personal trainers are used to hearing, "No pain, no gain!" The good may be an improvement in character, strength, intellect, understanding, a closer relationship with the Lord, and the list can go on ad infinitum!

It's right to be obedient. That's the primary way to say thank you to the Lord. Verbal thank you's are good, too. Another way is to say thank you to your brothers and sisters as they share their lives with you. That brings us to Jesus' statement in Matthew 7:12; "So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." That's not the "Golden Rule." It is Christ's command to you and me.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Musings: 11/01/09, Painting...Fruit; by John

Painting, Painting and Fruit

Most people have a variety of interest. One of mine is painting. I like impressionistic art, but my own may not fit that genre precisely. I don't use pure colors, but rather blend colors to try to capture a scene such as it might be at a given moment in time. If it includes animate objects, they too will not be supine, but caught in a moment of time.

To my mind there are really only two acceptable types of painting. One looks as if a camera caught it. The other suggests reality without the extreme detail of the other, an impression. Cartoons are included in the latter. The first was definitely needed and required by the public before cameras were invented. Portrait artists frequently use a bit of both. They show the detail of a camera, but they also add another dimension that the camera can't capture except in series, such as movie clips. Good portrait artists suggest some of the ephemeral features of their subject. The Mona Lisa is probably the best extant example of that.

To others, cubism, and surrealism are admired. Except for Dali's "Self Portrait in Liver" I've never cared for either one. I prefer the old masters whose technique I have not been able to copy. I tend to use Bob Ross' wet on wet technique. I do vary it somewhat applying more detail on dry, or almost dry canvases.

I think art is a purely subjective thing. Each one of us sees things differently, and if we attempt to produce art, we naturally do it differently. Grandma Moses became famous for her rustic work late in life. Many now considered great artists had little or no market for their work. Other people
capitalized on the artist's work after their deaths. Picasso became famous after he decided to become a surrealist although in my estimation he was a greater artist when he produced paintings more lifelike than a camera can capture.

I also believe many true artists are never given any credit for their work. "Starving artists" is a term that can be applied to artists in every age. Others of less talent and skill became famous because of other factors such as their love life, political and, or, religious connections.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a phrase that comes to mind, so is painting, sculpture, carving, music, writing and mechanical or technical productions. What really bothers me is faddism. Art to many people is simply that which others admire. It becomes a property to be obtained and gloated about if not worshiped.

My advice to would be artists is, express yourself in what you do the way you want to do it and don't copy someone else just because it is popular. You can learn from many without becoming a copycat. Their art may prove to be a fad in time, and if it does, you've wasted your skill without giving to the world at large something you alone could give.

Personally, I like the "art" I do even though frequently I think it is terrible when it is finished. Usually in time, I grow to like it, so whether anyone else does or not, it is both important and fulfilling to me. If others do like it, I am thrilled that I can please them. I continue to attempt scenes I think are beyond me, and sometimes I am surprised that I handle it very well. At other times, the wastebasket gets rather full, and some of my canvases may be layered with more than one picture on them. Either way, I express myself as God's child. My hope is that my life will please Him. If I can please viewers in the process, I find that great!

As God's child only you and He really know what you are capable of. If you haven't done it, why don't you try to find out? His creation is full of material you can use to bring appreciation to others around you. You may add something valuable to other's lives. Not every vine bears fruit. Some bare only thorns, but every Christian bears fruit! (John 15:5).