musings123110, The Beginning and the End, by John.

The Beginning and the End?

This is the last day of the year 2010, and it is rapidly drawing to a close, ten pm as I write. When the first day Genesis recorded in chapter one, none of us know. We don't know when the end day of life as we know it is to arrive either.

The Old Testament prophets expecting their prophecies to be fulfilled in the near future for the most part. Of those that were later considered to be for the distant future by Israel's students of the Scripture have been fulfilled in part. One particular group of prophecies was fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, but some have yet to be fulfilled. Most of Israel's scholars did not see God's coming Savior as dying on a cross. They saw Him as leading Israel's armies to victory over their oppressors whether it was some ruler from the near east, or Rome.

Today the Christian community is not divided over the birth and life of Jesus, but over when and how He will return to claim His Church. The differing views should not disrupt Christian fellowship, nor should the views of the exact way Jesus saves. We should accept our different ideas and look to Christ as the unifying Person of all who follow Him.

All of us have two "New Year" celebrations every year. Some make more of them than others. The most obvious one takes place tonight. I've watched the ball descend in New York City for many years. I think the first time was in a movie news clip long before television became available. I may watch it again tonight. The second "New Year" celebration is perhaps better called a birthday, perhaps a celebration of living another year.

How much difference does such a celebration make? A million people are gathering around the square in New York tonight. A lot of them will have a hangover headache tomorrow. More importantly, our end of life on earth is the most important one for which we need preparation. Preparation requires a whole lifetime because we don't know when it is going to happen. We do know it is going to happen. Hebrews 9:27,28 says; "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrifced once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Death is coming to all of us, unless we are living when Jesus comes. I Thessalonians 4:15-18 says, "According to the Lords own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." Everyone not alive at that time has already faced physical death. Neither they nor we will precede the other as we approach the Lord. Our station in life will not make any difference either. All of us are alike in that respect.

So why all the present celebrations when we know that future one will be the greatest of all celebrations? Well, we seem to have a need to celebrate, don't we? I think so, and it is obvious we do a lot of it from time to time. I find no problem with godly celebrations. (Put the accent on "godly"). I do find a problem with unbridled revelry that leaves God out, and I don't want to take part in such revelry.
I gave God first place in my life in 1946. I've frequently gone my own way and suffered for it. Not necessarily that God punished me, but rather that ungodly ways always bear ungodly fruit! My goal every day is for God to be in first place in my life. That is necessary for me, and I believe it is necessary for everyone who calls himself Christian.

If I can stay awake, I'll enjoy seeing that huge ball descend in New York tonight. If I have to sleep, it won't bother me. My great celebration will come when I leave this world and assuredly discover my faith in Christ was not in vain. Like Paul, I now say, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (II Timothy 1:12).

Value & Life's Brevity, by John

Value & Life's Brevity

Considering the brevity of life on earth, does anything we do have lasting value? According to the Bible, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (I Corinthians 15:19). Paul also wrote in Galatians 3:24, "So the Law was in charge to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." If we have faith in Christ, we have hope. If we have hope, we have far more to look forward to in the future, and our future will be forever!

Think about all the work we do just to live in this world. Is it no more than busy work God has given us to keep us out of trouble? Does it have any meaning, or is Ecclesiastes right when it proclaims all is done in vain?

I wonder about some of the things Jesus said, too. What about when someone strikes us on one cheek, and we are to turn the other? Is that just giving in to the superiority of another person, or is it actually a declaration of God saying He loves the person who hurts us, and it would be sinful for us to take revenge on a person He loves?

Has it ever occurred to you that God still creates? I remember making model airplanes from kits, and various electronic devices. Later, I started my own kids on some of the same things. My intention was to let them do the work, but most of the time I expected too much and ended up doing a lot of the work myself. Did I just happen to start doing something with my children that God has done with His all the time?

Edison "invented" the incandescent light bulb, and that changed the world, didn't it? Did he do something new, or did he just unveil a gift God was holding in store for us? Ecclesiastes says there is nothing new under the sun, but some people reading that today are quick to say, "Man! If he just knew about all the technical stuff of today! Wouldn't he be surprised?" Actually, I think the author of Ecclesiastes would have said something like, "Wow! Who would have guessed God had all these good things ready for us!" He knew people don't create. Only God does that, and that leads me to make another assertion: God still creates, and as our heavenly Father, He lets us take part in it! "Inventors" are people especially blessed with the ability, stability, and patience to uncover the wonderful things God has prepared for mankind. I'm doubtful there is an end to what can be done with "human" technology. The preceding quotation marks are there to show my assurance that many people are unaware of what really happens. I think too many of us miss God's accomplishments and give the credit to the wrong entity.

We need to look at the positive side of everything. The person who hurts another is going against God's will in most cases, but probably not all. Our Father loves the one who hurts just as much as He loves the person who is hurt. In most cases returning the hurt doubles the wrong. An inventor deserves the profit for his discovery and development of new things, but the credit belongs to the Creator Who made him and gave him his ability. Instead of being proud of ourselves, we need to develop thankful hearts for the One Who made us as we are. All of us are valuable in His sight, and we are so loved that He sent Jesus to redeem us and make us His adopted sons and daughters.

I just heard that Google revealed that they are developing an automobile that will not require a driver. Punch in the destination, and the car will deliver the passenger wherever he needs to go. It obeys the speed limits and follows the best route to arrive there safely. Meanwhile the passenger is able to read, nap, or text on his phone without danger. Beyond what I read, I don't know anything about it. I just learned this bit recently. But no one person could possibly do such a thing, and no group could accomplish such a feat without the creative leadership of our most wonderful, caring God.

I've been near-sighted all my life. With corrective lens I had 20/20 vision for a number of years. Now, I've lost 97 % of the vision in my left eye and 95% in my right due to glaucoma. I know what it is like not to be able to recognize friends at a distance, and I now know what it is like to walk into a room thinking it empty and being startled when someone already there speaks! Nothing at this time can be done to restore my vision. I'm happy I can still navigate around pretty well. What bothers me most is not my loss of vision, but rather the myopic vision of most of the people in the world. Most see every physical thing 20/20, and they can see a lot more of the same stuff with microscopes and telescopes. Computers can enhance these so that they can still see more, but only God can give the world the ability to see beyond the physical to behold the spiritual. We can guess fairly accurately about the near future, but God can help us see the spiritual future as accutely as we need to see it.


In John 14:1-3, Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." When we glimpse what God has prepared for us, how thrilled we are! Sometimes we have been educated with the ideas of others, and heaven may not be as appealing as it should be, but when we read the Bible, pray about what we read asking for understanding, I firmly believe God gives it to us. When He does, we discover that we are like those who talked about it to others. There are no words to express the thrill! The glory is beyond our language to describe what we know to be true. Don't bother with trying to believe me! Believe Jesus! He is the Creator. He is the single greatest Revealer of our Father that any of us has seen and known!

Thoughts on the Magi
Matthew 2:1-13

The Magi as a group were not kings. They were men who gained riches if they were good at what they did. The fact that the ones who visited the baby Jesus gave expensive gifts does not mean they were wealthy. They may have had one of two distinct talents, or gifts from God, but probably not too many. Usually they practiced healing. They almost all studied the stars. They used them as well as various other items to predict the future. Sometimes they were right. The Magicians Moses faced in Egypt were such men. Some were much more open to truth than others. They were not stupid.

It's likely that most of them were quite intelligent. I'm sure these particular wise men knew the kind of person Herod was. I believe they were open to the spectacular warning God gave them not to go back to Herod, and they traveled home passing up Jerusalem because of it just as Matthew says they did. I don't think these men were worried too much about what Herod thought.

An ancient story has it that there were 12 magi. All we can be sure of is that there were more than one, and that they gave the baby Jesus their most treasured possessions. If we apply this story to ourselves, it will make us wonder if we shouldn't give more liberally than we do!

Beyond what the Scripture gives us in Matthew, I think we may spend too much time trying to piece together the lives and activities of the Magi. We do not need to know their names, or their point, or points of origin. We don't need to concern ourselves with whether they spoke or understood Hebrew, or not. The "east" Matthew speaks of could refer to almost any part of western Asia, or beyond and is not important to the story. What is important is that God made sure someone recognized the importance of that baby to Israel, and the rest of the world. It is obvious, God sent Jesus to be the Savior and Lord of all mankind.

When I think of Jesus' birth, I wonder how we connect giving gifts to each other with Christmas. Shouldn't we be giving gifts to Him as the Magi did? He is not here in the flesh, but He did say; "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers, you did it for me." I know some try to limit that to Christians, but there were no Christians at the time He said it. All human beings are our brothers and sisters. Without Christ, all are lost and need saving, too many are poor and need food, clothing, shelter, medical help, hope for the future and eternal life. As in the story of the Samaritan who helped the injured man, we are friends to those we help, and we fulfill the so called Golden Rule when we help those in need.

I am not saying we shouldn't give gifts to each other, but rather that we must not let that be the end of our giving! Be wise! Be one of the Magi! Fill the need of the poor, not necessarily the deserving, in the Name of Jesus!

Matthew 2:12-23, The Flight to Egypt, by John

Luke begins with talking about shepherds and angels. Mark jumps right into Jesus' choice of disciples. John begins with, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God." With all four Gospel accounts we get a complete picture of the birth of Jesus.

In Matthew 2:12-23, we have the only account of Joseph's and Mary's flight into Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod the Great. Herod had his two sons by Mariamne killed because he thought they wanted to be king. He killed Mariamne later. At the end of his life, he gave an order for the first born of every family in Jerusalem to be killed when he died. He knew the people hated him, and he wanted them to be mourning when he died. That's the kind of person he was.

Knowing that, we know it didn't bother his conscience to kill Jesus and all the other Bethlehem boys approximating His age. His order gives us a clue to the age of Jesus at that time. He was less than two years old. The family went to Egypt and stayed until Herod died in AD 4.

We've seen that Joseph believed God spoke to him in dreams. That was a common belief then, and many believe dreams reveal the future today.

If you want to remember the Hebrew word translated "angel," remember Malachi, the Book before Matthew. Malachi is the Hebrew word for messenger, and the shorter Hebrew word for angel is Malak! The Greek word is "angelos." Both can refer to a messenger, an ambassador or an emissary. The three "men" who visited Abraham were not called angels, but what they said and did makes them fit that description.

The Greek word also can refer to a pastor. It is technically correct to say Brother Emil is the angel of this church. This sets the stage for how God speaks to us, and the very point of that I think is, how can God speak to me? Would I believe a voice from the sky? Would it take an extremely poignant dream while I slept? Would it take a person with a wooly head of hair and beard dressed in a camel's hair robe? Would He have to shout? Or could He speak in a still, small voice as He did to Elijah? Or would He be able to use one of my peers on a Sunday morning in church? I told my church members on more than one occasion that God speaks to me sometimes through my wife!

I believe God communicates with us in the most effective way we can accept. It may take a dream for you, a book for me, a storm for someone else, or in a near dear experience for someone else. I believe God chooses the way and the moment to accomplish His goal in our lives, and He did that with Joseph and Mary.

Poor Herod! He could have heard God speak if he had really wanted to! Instead, he went his own way, and he missed living as God wanted Him to live. He had time to repent, he didn't have to kill any children including his own, but he would not hear what God said. He used trickery, deceit, and it was obvious that he became paranoid along the way.

I believe most of the Old Testament prophets did not know they were prophesying anything for the distant future. By the same token, I suspect God may use some now to forecast future events that will only be proven true when they happen. Jeremiah 31:15 gives the prophecy Matthew used in today's lesson, and it was about Israel being taken captive. It is used correctly here.

Listen for God's Word, and I believe God will give it to you, but don't be surprised by the medium He uses to address you. He is infinitely intelligent, and He doesn't have to do or say anything the same way twice.

Musings122010, The Trust of a Little Bird; by John

The Trust of a Tiny Bird.

The town of Glen Allen is located on the East bank of Lake Washington in Mississippi. The lake is an oxbow of the Mississippi River cut off long ago by the Corp of Engineers. I loved that lake because the west edge was shallow with Cyprus trees growing far out into the water. In the summertime, the temperature of the lake rose high enough to make Black Bass seek the cooler water under the trees. I liked to use a Hawaiian Wiggler for bait because it was weedless and that's really important under the trees with lost limbs and knees bulging up out of the water to supply the roots with air. One still morning as I fished, I saw a fluttering way out toward the middle of the lake. It seemed to be moving in my direction. It aroused my curiosity, so I sculled my boat out into the sunlight toward the disturbance. When I neared it, I realized it was a small bird trying desperately to get airborne. I eased alongside the little black thing and scooped it up with my hand. It was a chimney swift. I noticed them a little earlier skimming along the surface. They lower their bills and take in a drink of water without ever touching the surface except with their lower bill. Apparently this one caught a riffle or for some reason flew a little too low. At any rate, it found itself in water with the shoreline far, far away, and it did the only thing it could. It tried to fly in the water!

That little bird with its big eyes seemed content to sit in my hand where it was warmed by the sun. I held it for a few minutes examining it carefully. For my fifteen years, I'd seen them in vast droves circling the smoke stacks in our town just before sundown, and one at a time would descend to its resting place. I marveled at how streamlined they were and how accurately they flew. Having seen them dipping water on the lake and rivers, I wondered how they could avoid being drowned. Now I am sure some do drown or become fish food, but that one in Lake Washington just enjoyed a ride on the seat of my boat next to me. When I was sure it was dry, I slipped my fingers under it and gave it a toss as high as I could and still be gentle. It took its opportunity and quickly disappeared in the distance. I watched it go.

God cares for chimney swifts. He cares for His entire creation. He looked at it and saw that it was good. I'm afraid we have all taken part in polluting it one way or another and most likely in many ways, but we don't have to stop loving and doing our best to care for it.

All of us, like that little bird find ourselves needing outside help from time to time, and we turn to so many thing. I use my spell-checker, my dictionary, my concordance, my computer, and myriads of other things to live out my life on earth. When times are toughest, I hope I can rely on God the way that little bird relied on me. I hope that I will show such trust in Him as that little bird did me when it comes time for me to leave this earth.

Jesus came to give us life, not to destroy it. Oh, yes, there has to be destruction, and God will do it because there are so many destroyers in the world who refuse God, but none who trust Him and receive Jesus as their personal Savior will have a single thing to fear, not even facing Almighty God! I said it before, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of God, but it is a wonderful, comforting thing to step into His loving arms.

Isn't it a shame, tiny animals can trust us; yet, so many of us haven't trusted God? We can change that! We can trust Him! He built into us the capacity to trust Him!

Musings122010, The Gate to Life is Narrow, by John

Matthew 7:13,14 say, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." I've preached a number of sermons on those verses during the last 60 years, and I've heard many topical sermons using them as their text during the last 80 years. Some preachers have used them like a diving board. They read them and then dive off into a series of words that may, or may, not reflect the trust of the text. That is generally called topical preaching; a sermon devoted to a topic rather than a text.

One of the mystery religions of ancient Greece practiced a rite called "tauroboleum." One purpose of the rite was to supply purity for those who were aware they lacked spiritual cleansing. The person seeking purity lay in a shallow trench, or pit, under a grating. A live bull, or bullock, was placed above the person. The priest stabbed the animal, and the blood trickled down on the person beneath. The blood was supposed to take his sins away. It was thought it also gave the person the attributes of the sacrificial bull.

The Jews, on the other hand, expected shedding the blood of animals to cleanse them. Hebrews 9:22 speaks of this when it says, "In fact, the Law, requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Those sacrifices foreshadowed the death of Jesus on the cross. The New Testament teaches us the real way to be cleansed and saved for eternity. Jesus, our Great High Priest, shed His Own blood for us as an innocent sacrifice before God for the sins of the world. It was a spiritual as well as a physical act. Work, suffering, devotion, shedding your own blood, nor any other physical thing can accomplish anything eternal. Salvation is wholly spiritual. Ephesians 2:8,9 says God's grace accepted by our faith does the saving.

Most of the sermons I have heard talking about the "narrow way" have dealt with living a sinless life. I remember a Mississippi Methodist minister named Ellis Finger who preached to my college group at Delta State College, now a university. He said before he became a Christian he thought Christianity was walled in and so narrow that he would bump his elbows every time he turned around. That kept him from entering through the narrow gate. Once he overcame his fears and entered the narrow gate (Jesus), he discovered that the walls were so far away that he couldn't touch them with outstretched arms. Mr. Finger was right. No one ever has known true freedom outside of Jesus. There were many Jews who began to believe in Jesus. Jesus knew they needed the freedom He offered, and He said in John 8:31, 32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." There is no real freedom in anything false. In the truth of Jesus, the vast expanse of God's creation lies before us without limit! We are really free!

The Bible points out a mistake so many of us make. Anarchy is not freedom. If freedom is limited to one person then all the rest are slaves. Francis of Assisi discovered the narrow way was better while he was living a life of debauchery. That truth so deeply impressed Francis that he gave his wealth away and turned to Jesus. In Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus talked with a young man and told him if he wanted to enter into life to keep the commandments. The man realized he had done that already, but something was lacking. In verse 22, Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." That young man went away sad because he had great wealth." I'm not sure Francis realized there is nothing wrong with wealth. The problem is, it is hard to keep possession and the power it gives from making a person consider himself God. Francis followed Jesus' advice literally. We don't need to be so drastic, but as Jesus said in verse 23, "It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." We must be willing to put aside any and every thing that hinders us from following Jesus with our whole being.

Let me use sort of a reverse illustration. The first year I served as pastor 1947, one of the men asked me, "Preacher, does it bother you when you eat onions that your breath become offensive?" I replied that it did. He said, "They've discovered that you can take one bite of a little garden vegetable, and no one will know that you've been eating onions." I bit hook, line, and sinker! "What is it?" He grinned and said, "Garlic!" So much of what we consider dear before we meet Jesus will be lost in the wonderful life Jesus gives us. Our new life just eliminates the memory of our life before. Jesus described it in John 3 as being "born again."

I myself discovered long ago that the gate to life looks narrow from the outside, but not the inside! Now, I wonder why so many refuse to enter the perfect freedom that God gives us in Jesus! I suppose riches, education, popularity, and guilt all narrow people's perspective of what being a disciple of Jesus is. I pray for God to open the eyes of such people so that they may not lose their opportunity to live successfully in this world and eternally with God. It really is such a short step into the arms of Jesus when it seems impossible to us, and I think that is because it is a rational step into the unknown. That's called faith.

The Personal Touch, by John.

I've read quite a bit about both personal and impersonal touch. I want to confine my thoughts on the subject to the personal touch of two people whether in public or private. Touch is important to convey many feelings such as the importance of what is about to be said, to convey affection, friendship and love. A touch can simply be no more than an attempt to get attention, or it can mean, "Let me speak." Some people use too much touch, and some don't use enough. Hand touches are the ones I want to address in the main. Please remember what is true in the USA may, and probably will, be different in other countries. This should set the scene for the next paragraphs.

Perhaps the first thing we need to consider is that all the people we meet have an area around themselves they consider their own personal space. All are sensitive to anything and anyone moving into that area. Some people almost cringe if someone even suggests they will touch them. Others think nothing of touching as long as it doesn't signal aggression.

Hand touches are considered very personal when they are between opposite sexes, but they may not be at all. Some people greet both relatives and friends with a hug. Of course that involves much more body language than hands alone, but the hands do come into play as part of the whole touch. If during a hug the hands stroke, or pat, they can convey differing meanings to different people. Strokes can mean signal love, or perhaps real affection. The recipient may misread such a signal and consider it to mean sexual attraction, or they could be correct in their assumption. A hug with light pats may mean the one doing the hugging wants to get it over with as quickly as possible, or it may signal affection. Alternatives like these reveal how easy it is to misinterpret the signal.

A tap on a person's arm or shoulder in passing usually means friendship. It also means, "I'm not looking for a conversation right now." A person standing still and giving such a tap means, "I want to talk to you personally." If the hand remains on the other person's arm or shoulder, it generally means, "I need to say something to you as soon as you can take a break from what you are doing." Repeated tapping usually means the person is getting a tiny bit anxious.

When a person grabs another person's arm, it usually means, "I can't wait! I want your attention right now! Give it to me!" If the grab becomes a hold, it usually means the same thing except it indicates, "I'm not going away until you give me your undivided attention and hear me out!" Facing and placing your hands on each of another person's shoulders indicates you want their undivided attention while you deliver some very important words.

It should be obvious that almost every touch can have a different meaning for the one doing the touching. By the same token, the person receiving any of these signals can easily misread them, and for that reason we need to be careful with how often we use them. I've already said that each one of us has a personal space that we guard dearly, and too many intrusions into that space become annoying and eventually result in a turn off toward the person who uses them. Those making interpersonal communication have to constantly be on guard to keep from alienating others. We usually think the things another says and the actions we see alienate us from them, but touch is so much more personal and deserves our greatest care. I remember a minister who preached some things in a sermon once Sunday night to which one deacon took exception, and after church he told him so. The preacher then began a tirade to the deacon, and the deacon turned away. The preacher jumped around in front of him and continued to rant. The deacon turned away again, and the preacher jumped in front of him again. Before he could speak the deacon doubled up his fists, and said, "Preacher! If you say another word, I'm going to knock you out!" The preacher was stunned, and replied, "Sir! You wouldn't strike a man of God, would you?" The deacon answered, "No! But I'd sure hit the devil in the face!" Both were friends of mine, and I knew both were serious. I still don't know which one was right, but I do know the preacher wisely backed away. That was a gesture the deacon understood and accepted.

Touches also can be confrontational. A finger pointed at another can mean the pointer is accusing them of something, or that they are angry. If the pointed finger strikes the other person's chest, it means they are ready to render bodily harm. That's a touch too much, isn't it? When a man hits another on the shoulder, it may just be a form of "Hello!" If it is hard enough, it means, "I'm really displeased with you, and I'm ready to do something about it if you aren't careful!" It is a signal for the person hit to be properly apologetic, or to face the consequences.

A gentle touch, an undemanding attitude, a relaxed smile and body can quiet others displaying anger, can comfort those who are in mourning, and give encouragement to those who are frustrated, sad, or in the throes of failure. All of us fit into those categories at some time in our lives. Part of being a Christian peacemaker is to work at giving the right signals to those around us. It doesn't sound hard, but it is because none of us are perfect. Perfection, I read in something recently, to the Hebrew people is not a matter of being sinless, but a matter of being complete, whole, satisfied with the life you have. How accurate that is, I don't know, but I do know such a life is likely to be much happier than one constantly on edge, pushing to get ahead, pushing for popularity, pushing for wealth, and I now believe one of the greatest Christian qualities is a willingness to forgive others whether they deserve it or not. I believe it is worthwhile to learn how, as Dale Carnegie wrote, to win friends and influence people. A gentle touch moderately applied may be the starting point.

A Note to Those Who Comment

A Note to Those Who Comment

I've used computers for many, many years operating the first ones with radar to locate enemy ships and planes about the close of WW II. I purchased my first computer from Radio Shack many years ago. It had fifteen kilobytes of memory, and I was told I would never need more. That lets you know how far back that goes.

I've watched spam operators from the beginning. I don't answer spam. I appreciate comments about the items on my blog, but I really consider all spam, even if it parades as a comment, as trash, and that's where it goes. I don't expect everyone to agree with me about most anything. I've counseled with many wanting to solve marriage problems, personal problems, and with those seeking to know, or know God better for decades. Sometimes someone fools me. That doesn't bother me. God is not fooled and is aware of the attempt before it is made. He is my Protector as well as my God.

I said the above to let you know, you can send anything you want. The reasonable things I will read and consider. The rest I will overlook without a second glance, but I will probably pause for a second to ask God to forgive you for what you do. After all, if you don't please Him perhaps He will have pity on you. He did me many, many years ago while I was on the Pacific aboard the USS Iowa. I've never regretted turning my life over to Him, and I've never regretted depending on Jesus for Eternal Salvation, nor have I ever understood why anyone fails to see that our God is so great that He can be Father, Son and Holy Spirit all at the same time.

A few of those who comment have been quite uncomplimentary toward Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, you are out of touch with all Christendom. Surely we all have enough imagination to see the possibility of trinity. Most of us laugh and get swept up in the moment when a skillful ventriloquist puts on a show with his dummy. As a youngster, Charlie McCarthy was quite real when Edgar Bergen spoke through him. My mind was not fooled, but I enjoyed every minute of "their" conversation. For me it is an easy step to recognize the reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and they are One God. God is as some theologians have put it "holy other," but I think those theologians all acknowledged God is not "the Great Unknown." In fact, the Scripture is about knowing God, and Jesus came that we may know the Father. In John 14 Thomas asked Jesus how they could know the way, and Jesus answered him in verses 6 and 7, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." His words definitely tell us, the only way to God and heaven is through Him, and when we come to know Jesus, we also know the Father and have seen Him! Moses wanted to see God, and God gave him a glimpse, but when we want to see God we look to Jesus, and there God is! They are One!

Thank you all for all your comments!

musings121010, DangerofEnteringBibleSilence, by John

I'm sure you have noticed the Bible is silent about many things, right? I've thought of these things a lot, and many avid Bible students spend much time considering them. I simply call these areas by what they are, silences. I discovered too many Christians label others as conservative or liberal. I don't like either term partly because I've noticed an when people find someone else is more conservative, they put him in the conservative camp. If they find someone more liberal, they consign him to the liberal camp. Too often both words are used as epithets! In my estimation there's no adequate definition for either conservative or liberal.

I think most people are aware of the Bible's silences, but we don't concern ourselves about them. For instance, one of the early authors wrote about the boyhood of Jesus and his making a dove out of clay. He said the boy Jesus threw it into the air, and it flew away. That's a fanciful story, and that's why it is not in the Bible. The Bible is silent about the boyhood of Jesus. We don't know that He attended a catechetical school, or any other for that matter. The Bible is silent about where He gained such knowledge as He displayed. That's no problem for me. I believe God can do anything. Jesus was about thirty when He began to minister according to Mark 3:23. The Jews considered a person an adult when he reached that age, and I believe at that time Jesus was completely God and fully man, all-wise, all-powerful and eternal in nature.

There are so many things God did not have written in His Word. The most familiar ones have been acknowledged for centuries. 1947, the first year I served as pastor, I was faced with, "Where did Cain get his wife?" I'm sure every long-time Christian has faced that one, and many of us were embarrassed because we didn't have a ready answer. Most of us have advanced in faith beyond being tempted to give concrete answers to things we don't know. There are some Biblical silences that can become quite divisive when we do attempt to fill them with our own noisy verbalizations. I was aware I entered that area when I started writing this. I don't enjoy conflict, so I was reluctant to begin.

I read a commentary by a brother who filled some empty spaces in the Biblical account with his own thoughts and neglected to say that was what he did. He just stated them as fact. Many people without much Biblical education do that. I know this brother knows the Bible well. Perhaps his statements were perfectly obvious to him, but they are not to me. When a spiritual leader, well versed in Scripture and the history of God's dealing with man, states something as a fact, and it is not Biblical, I consider it dangerous. Aren't shepherds supposed to lead the sheep to quiet water and fresh green grass? How many do you suppose will lead his sheep through an unmapped wilderness on the way? That thought bothers me! Why? Because I believe God loves diversity. I think all creation shows it. That's obvious to me, but it is not stated exactly that way in the Bible, is it? I can't think of chapter and verse where it states such a thing about diversity. One of the silences? Yep! That's one of those dangerous silent areas I plod through. I think Jesus came to earth to establish one church. There's no silence about that! He called it "My church." No other church is mentioned. He didn't say anything about Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist (my own), Pentecostal, or any other, just "My Church."

Oops! I omitted Catholic! I also omitted Church of God, Church of Christ, too, and scads of others. I don't mean to set them apart for any particular reason. Some people in any of these may think their denominations are THE ONLY Biblical churches. I remember when my brother joined the Catholic Church, I asked him his reason. He said he was joining the original church that had never split. My brother was 18 years 11 months older than I was, and he was my earthly idol and hero. He continued in that role until he died at age 38. I was 16 and didn't yet know the Lord. Even at that age I could see the problem with his statement and pointed it out to him. There wouldn't be any other denomination if the Catholic Church was THE original and had never split! I wasn't attempting to defeat him in argument. I simply stated what seemed to me an obvious fact.

I think it is okay as a Christian to have likes and dislikes. It is not okay to judge our brothers and sisters, and I personally won't knowingly judge others. I will continue to teach and preach what I believe, and part of what I believe is to stick close to what the Bible says. Everyone has the right to disagree with anyone. I've found I can trust Christians with whom I disagree because they look to the same Source for inspiration that I do, and I believe we should relate to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone disagrees with me, it does not make him an enemy, but if it did, I would have to remember Jesus said, "Love your enemies." (Matthew 5:44).

I haven't given my reason for considering filling Biblical silence with human noise as dangerous, have I? Consider two short passages of Scripture. Proverbs 30:5,6 say, "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." Revelation 22: 18,19 say, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book" If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." Where the line is drawn in adding and taking away, I don't know, but I certainly don't want to be found crossing it! I'll do my best to stick with what God does say rather than to make conclusions about what He chooses to leave unsaid, and I do hope my brethren will do the same!

musings120710, Amen in Hebrew and Greek, by John

This may not interest many people, but it is straight from the Bible.

I'm not sure how many times "amen" appears in the entire Bible. In the NIV, it appears about 130 times, less in the KJ, but the word both in Hebrew and Greek can have slightly different meanings. That allows translators to decide on the best definition.
In Hebrew the accent might be on the last syllable, phonetically ah-MAHN, and in Greek it varies. In the King James version, John 5:24 has it translated, "Verily, verily." In Greek, it appears twice. That was the Greek way of emphasizing the importance of what was to follow much like some people today may say, "That was really, really good!" The NIV translates it, "I tell you the truth." No matter the language, amen means true, or truth. The same three Hebrew letters can have a different meaning when different vowel sounds are applied. With one set it can mean, "turn to the right." With another it can mean "cunning" with the idea of being well trained. Since the original Hebrew had no vowel sounds, we depend on the Masoretic text to provide them. The Masoretes were a group of scribes who realized Hebrew was becoming a forgotten language. To preserve the exact meaning of the Old Testament, they added markings to show how to pronounce the words. They felt limited because of the Old Testament warning to take away nothing and to add nothing to the text, so they developed a way to leave the text itself as it was, but to put underneath each letter the appropriate vowel indicator. We would call their markings dashes, two dots aligned horizontally, three with the triangular apex turned down, or a tiny tee. With these marks, we know how each word should be pronounced. As an example suppose our language had no written vowels, and you saw "thr." It could be "other," "there," "their," "ether," "either," and I suppose the list could be extended a lot more. Can you imagine trying to read a sentence written without vowels? Take a look, "cnymgntrygtrdstncwrttnwthtvwls?" I forgot to mention, ancient scripts most frequently omitted spaces between words, too. If you haven't figured that sentence out yet, it repeats the one preceding it.

All of this should emphasize how technically hard it is both to keep a language alive, and to translate one into another accurately.

I've never considered myself to be good with languages. When my wife had a little Mexican boy enrolled in her second grade class, she introduced us explaining that he could not speak English. He managed a little bow and I said in English that I was glad to meet him. He grinned, and as I was going out, I said, "No tome usted ningunos centavos cinco de madera!" He looked surprised, and blurted out, "No spik Engles!" My wife said, "Oh! My husband spoke to you in Spanish!" He smiled and nodded, but I knew he didn't understand. That's a rough translation of, "Don't take any wooden nickels." I haven't used Spanish since 1953.

As I said, I've never been good with languages, but I am sure of this, When Jesus said, "Amen! Amen!" what followed was of vital importance. The King James version says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him who sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life!" That is really, really true!

Musings120510, Depression and Suicide, by John

Too many people in our world today suffer depression. They've lost most of their hope for the future and are usually unhappy. Most depressed people are wonderful, but they don't make very good company because of their problem. That can increase their depression. These folks tend to be overly concerned about themselves even when they express real concern for others. Doctors give medications designed to lessen the problem, but there is no pill that will heal it. Psychologists and psychiatrists help many, but some people leave their counseling sessions in as much pain as when they went in.

I've been told depression may be caused by a chemical imbalance in a person's system, and that it may be a result of their early environment, or perhaps still something unknown. Whatever the cause, it is a very real problem and some victims end their own lives. Sometimes a person struggles through his own personal battle and wins. Sometimes they lose.

I am thinking about this right now for two reasons. The first concerns a man who recently took his own life. He was well known by some of our church members. His death left sorrowing people in its wake. The second reason is that so many people during the past sixty years or so have asked me, "What does God say about suicide?" Some of them were victims of depression, some wanted to help those who were struggling with thoughts of ending it all.

We do not have definite answers about how God considers suicide in spite of what some good, well-meaning Bible students say. I am sure God is grieved by anyone's failure to live out his full God-given life. As well as I can remember the only account of suicide in the Bible is that of Judas Iscariot. I've known quite a few people use that to say, "See? God is against suicide!" Some go further, "Anyone who commits suicide is going to hell!" As far as I know neither is necessarily true. One of the wonders of life is that God gives us great latitude in living it. Perhaps suicide is not so terrible in His sight as so many of us think. I believe God loves us so much that He suffers with us any time we even hurt! I'm a Christian, a child of God, and I am devastated when I hear of a suicide. I believe that reaction is something God has given me, but I'm aware it may not come from God. It may be circumstantial. I was exposed to a suicide early in my life. A little girl, my second grade classmate more than seventy years ago, suffered terribly when her father committed suicide in his office one morning. I heard my parents say he left his wife and daughter shocked, penniless, and grieving. They thought business reverses were responsible for his death. I knew him well myself, and as I've thought of it in the passing years, I've wondered if suicide isn't actually murder! Is the perpetrator also a victim along his friends and family? I still am not sure. God forgives murderers when they truly seek His forgiveness. David is a good example. He ordered the murder of Bathsheba's first husband Uriah the Hittite. The prophet Nathan faced David with his sin. David confessed to God, and God forgave him, but He also told David Bathsheba's child would die. That shows us that even when forgiven, sin always has consequences right here on earth. Sometime later, Bathsheba bore Solomon and he lived to become the person God chose to reign on his father's throne.

I think almost all Christian people agree that taking a human life is a terrible sin whether it is their own life, or someone else's, but that does not mean it is unforgivable. It is forgivable. All sin is. I think Muslim leaders sin when they convince their young people to be suicide bombers. Those leaders may experience worldly blessings, but I believe it is at a cost of spiritual blessing. Remember what Jesus said about little children? He said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck." (Mark 9:42) Can you imagine what waits for these leaders in eternity? I'm not at all sure about what will happen with the misled children in eternity. At least some of them may be okay. I believe one of the most precious gifts God has given us is our physical life and the opportunity of living forever with Him as His children.

Another aspect of suicide is that there is certainly no reason to believe Christians who commit suicide will be lost. I know from reading the whole Bible and living with God as my Father that He knows the heart of every person. I also know what He says in His Word. If you believe that a Christian who commits suicide will be lost, you will still make an exception for a Christian soldier who saves other soldiers by throwing himself on an exploding grenade, won't you? I think such a soldier is a hero, and I see no Biblical reason to believe he loses his salvation by giving his life that way, but it is suicide in the strictest sense.

Another thought is that the only kind of life God offers living people is eternal. I agree with Billy Graham. He said being saved means that we will live as long as God lives. I know some think Christians can lose their salvation. My goal each year is to read the Bible through. I finished in early August this year, and as yet I do not see anything indicating Christians can be lost. I am quite aware Hebrews 10:26-29 is used by some as a proof text to say we can be lost again by sinning. The key to understanding that passage is in verse 29. It is not talking about all sinners, but rather speaks of those who despise both Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In Ezekiel 18:20, God said, "the soul who sins is the one who will die." He also said a righteous man who turned to sin would die, and the wicked man who became righteous would live. In a sense this fits with the New Testament Gospel Jesus gave us. We are guilty because "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). In John 5:24 He said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal (present tense) life and will not be condemned: (future tense), he has crossed over from death to life." That last phrase is present perfect tense indicating the life that began in the past will not die in the future! Our turning to God is exactly what is described in Ezekiel. Jesus makes it possible.

Suicide is extremely sad, forgivable, but a person contemplating it should think what the future can but will never be if he is not alive in it. He should also think of the pain, longing, and loss he will put others through who know and love him. Personally, I feel that saving my family such grief is worth all the suffering I might experience. That includes depression, and I'd hate to come before the Lord with such failure. If you are thinking of ending your life prematurely, don't trust yourself! Seek the help of others, particularly the Lord. Find a godly purpose that will fill up your days. Work at it! Cling to it! And perhaps you will discover many years later, it was worth it all after all!