Prayer Power

(A short observation from a few years ago :-)) I just read 2 Kings 19 today and had a great lesson about prayer. See, Sennacherib was all talking smack about Israel and The LORD. He boasted about how he'd beaten all these other places and their gods didn't save them. (Of course, as Hezekiah pointed out, that's 'cause those gods are wood and stone and not real.) And in 2 Kings 19:1 and 19:15- what was Hezekiah's first response? P..p...p...Prayer Power! Let God at 'em! He'll splat them! :-) So I was thinking (as guided by my devotional book and of course, God's Book and Spirit), why is prayer our last resort and not our first? I mean, if I'm going to a resort, I'd want that to be the first thing I'm doing! :-) It's like on Power Rangers when they fight against all those enemies just with their individual powers when they've got a Megazord they can bust out on the side of evil. Why don't they just pull out that giant robot first and the battle would be done in like two seconds? (I guess then the show would be really short-lol. Not that I really watch it.) Why don't we bust out The MegaLord first? He's got all the power! So let's pray and let Him work- because we're nothing without Him!

Isaiah: Mini-Bible (song)

 As the first line in this song says, one book undertakes a gargantuan task in The Bible. Likewise, I undertook a gargantuan task in trying to sort of summarize this book in a short song. Hopefully, this at least gets across some of the highlights. Scholars have called this book a "mini Bible" because it holds a lot of parallels to The Bible, having 66 chapters, just like The Bible has 66 books. Isaiah is by far the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament, having been quoted 55 times! (You can read about numerous connections here- http://isaiahminibible.com/) Of course, if I was to try to give you a miniature version of The Bible, it would be the Gospel- The Bible is all about the Good News of Jesus. Our sins are like scarlet but He can make them white as snow when we put faith in the One who had all our iniquities laid on Him. It's no wonder Philip used Isaiah 53 to witness to the eunuch as he was already reading it. Even if he hadn't been, Philip probably would have pointed him there as it's one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament of the sacrifice Christ made to save us- a prophecy made 700 years in advance! Read all about this and so much more in Isaiah- mini-Bible. 

"Isaiah: Mini-Bible"

(Parody of "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/12/2020)

(Book of Isaiah; particularly 1:17-18, 2:4, chapter 6, 7:14, 9:1-7, 40:1-9, chapter 53, 55:8-11; also Luke 3:1-6 and Luke 4:16-21)

One book undertakes a gargantuan task- hey!

Well, the news is tragic- judgment's passed, yo!

Eyes are blind- won't just perceive the truth

Isaiah prophesied coming judgment of Judah's sin!

Gonna write it up- 1 through 39

OT's same judgment- similar vibe

Grace next 27- NT's vibe

Isaiah- mini-Bible! Oh yeah!

Uh!

So Isaiah is made up of chapters- 66, hey!

Yeah, it's just like books in God's Word

It's gonna blow your mind- all the book's retweets

Look- chapter 40 lines up with Baptist (in) Luke 3

He said good- Good News!

Evangelize- Is. 40:9

Scroll to place Jesus read Isaiah's lines

Luke 4 writes this- there're more times

Isaiah's in The Bible!

Quoted

How many times? 55!

How many times? 55!

How many times with this guy-

Isaiah? 55!

Uh!

Well- some lines to know- you know each part's revered

In Isaiah first part- 18- sin's washed here

Swords beat to make plowshares- verse 2:4 says. Huh!

In chapter 6, read how prophet saw The Lord- hey!

God sends sign (of) Messiah- 7:14 line

Show's Christ's traits- promised Son born in 9

Pay for all sins- 53 find

Isaiah- mini Bible

Oh! Oh! Oh!

God's mind's higher

(Isaiah 55!)

Point will drive

(Isaiah 55!)

(Isaiah 55!)

(Isaiah- mini Bible)

Keturah, Wife-maid (Song)

Note: Here's an apologetics-based entry from the archives about a very well known Biblical patriarch and a part of his life that probably is not nearly as well known. And it is a point of contention some skeptics raise; this song addresses that and offers reasons to trust the Biblical account.
.............................................................................

Okay- and this next one dips back into some ‘70s Americana! There’s been an infomercial I’ve seen filled with classic songs from the classic and legendary song and storytellers of the ‘70s and I love listening to it just to see the vintage clips and listen to the music. And the subject of this song dips back in time as well to differentiate different word usages from different times- and it explains how when God wrote His Book- He didn’t make any errors! So venture down through this ditty and reacquaint yourselves with one of the lesser known folks in The Bible. (This was also sort of a belated birthday gift for a friend from Sunday School since her name inspired it.)

“Keturah, Wife-maid”
copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/25/2011
(parody of “Ventura Highway” by America
)
(Genesis 24:67, Genesis 25:1-11, 1 Chronicles 1:28-34, Isaiah 40:8, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
(I’m gonna recommend a good Bible commentary like Matthew Henry’s for this one too. ;-) Check this site- http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=804)

You remember Abraham
Walking down the aisle
Married so long ago to Sarah, so
Some people say records don’t look good, you know
If you care to know

Keturah wifey- Genesis line
25:1 ponder
But writes- 1 Chronicles- concubine
1:32, you know

‘Cause the meaning is throwing humans here
Who make claims surrounding, “Who’s right here?”
Seems they’re trying for error
And they say, “Your Scripture’s in error, in error!”

Did di di di dit…………………..

Wishin’ it’d all fall apart
Debating to throw God away
Sorry boy, but you can’t win- the Truth remains
In time maybe Abe remarries
Changed her name
There’s no problem- just the same
Keturah’s wife and Abe’s concubine
In the days of (the) fathers
The words are different than king times
So she was both, you know

But to Sarah, well Kitty’s no compare
Abe still gave gifts for her kids right there
Eastbound riding postal mail
Allegations listed, au contraire- God won’t err!

Did di di di dit……………………..

…………………………………………………………………

Green, Dumb, But Still Growing :-)

    Job 3:23, "Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?" - Thankfully, God does provide a hedge of protection for His children. But hedges have to be trimmed at times. It not only helps them look better but helps it and the garden to grow at the right rate.
    As Jesus tells us in John 15, God prunes the branches that don't bear fruit. And sometimes He brings in some discipline, like Hebrews 12 talks about, but He does it for those He loves. It doesn't mean it's fun to go through, but the Master Gardener will grow us to perfection here (Philippians 1:6) so he can transplant us to that New Eden one day. :-)

Who do you say I am?

(Note: This piece is an analysis of the claims made about Jesus by the secular world, in particular as demonstrated by this T-shirt produced by John Fugelsang in the link below- in comparison to what The Bible actually says about Jesus.
https://johnfugelsangstore.com/products/tagless-t-shirt-2)

      Interesting description of Jesus and spot on in some regards but there are a number of descriptors here that are unBiblical and untrue. Jesus is not anti-wealth; He's anti-greed. He is not necessarily anti-public prayer; after all, He regularly went to synagogue where public prayer was held for those who came. Yes, He is against making a show of it- that's what Matthew 6:5 is talking about. The concepts of abortion and birth control as we know them were not around in that time but Jesus certainly spoke out for the vulnerable and children. He said for anyone who leads one of the little ones who believe in Him astray- it'd be better for them to have a millstone put around their necks and thrown into the sea. (Matthew 18:6, also in Luke 17 and Mark 9) Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but He came that we might have life and life more abundant. (John 10:10)
Jesus also said that whatever we do to the least of these, we have done it unto Him. (See the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25- specifically verse 40.)
Jesus rebukes James and John for wanting to call down fire from Heaven to destroy those who don't believe in Jesus. He told them that the Son of Man came to save people's lives, not destroy them. The Bible makes clear a number of times that God hates the shedding of innocent blood. (See Proverbs 6 for one.) Jesus upheld all of Scripture (Matthew 5:17) and as the Second Person of The Holy Trinity, He is God and all of Scripture is His word.
And He clearly condemns Ammon for the sin of ripping open pregnant women in Amos 1:13. God is concerned about the both the death of the women and the babies.
And by the same measure, Jesus upheld Scripture's teaching on the sin of homosexuality. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and others) Jesus Himself addressed the issue of God's order for sexuality in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that in the beginning God created human beings male and female. Then He quoted Genesis 2:24 to the Pharisees, which says that for this reason a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.
Jesus held this model up as God's standard for marriage and human sexual relations.
In regards to comments about the poor, The Bible does give us the principle that he who does not work shall not eat. This is not to condemn poor people for the situation they are in but to condemn Christians for being lazy and idle. (As 2 Thessalonians 3:10 is written to the church.) Of course, the Thessalonians were also told to help the weak and always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15) There are numerous commands for Christians to help the poor.
I also don't know that non-violent is the best descriptor for Jesus, seeing as how He made a whip and drove corrupt moneychangers out of the temple! He was pretty mad then. But yes- He doesn't promote violence in general but obviously there are some things where some force is justified.
I also don't know if "anti-death penalty" is the best descriptor since Jesus upheld all of the Scriptures and the Old Testament Law is where we get the notion of the death penalty to begin with. (An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.)
"Anti-slut shaming" is an interesting one too. Jesus did make clear that adultery is a sin. (Matthew 5:28) And we should certainly be ashamed of sin. I imagine this descriptor is referring to John 8, where a woman caught in the act of adultery is brought to Jesus by the Pharisees. It is true that He tells them that whoever is without sin to cast the first stone- and they all leave until just He and the woman are left there. Of course, Jesus is the only One without sin who could rightfully stone her to death but He asks her if any of her accusers has condemned her. She says that none of them did and then Jesus says, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
This is important to note because as John 3:17 says, Jesus didn't come to the world to condemn it but to save it! Yet He didn't tell this woman what she was doing was okay. He told her to go and leave her life of sin.
To get back to the point of Jesus being against the death penalty, I do like that one because I think that is true in some sense.
(I think a lot of these are trying to make political points but need to be considered in terms of spiritual points. Politics is not going to save humanity. Jesus came to save us from the problem that plagues us all the most- sin. Changing people's hearts for eternity is what it's about.)
Jesus came to put an end to the death penalty because that's what we all deserve for our sins. "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Though we all deserve eternal punishment in Hell, Christ endured that for us and paid for all sins for all time through His death and Resurrection. And because He lives, we can live also if we put our faith in Him and follow Him.
That's the most important revolution Jesus came to bring- a spiritual one. He wants all people to be saved so that we might all experience eternal joy with Him in Heaven.
That is a Biblical picture of Jesus- He is God. And God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Recipe for Gravel Bread

     The Bible doesn't say what kind of fruit it was that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and brought sin into the world, but tradition says that it was an apple. (See Genesis 1-3). If that's true, I think it must have been a sour apple. It may have tasted good at first, but in the end it turned sour just as its taste turns stomachs. 
       Satan still packages sin the same way- it always looks good wrapped in pretty paper with a sweet smell, but in the end it rots in your stomach. "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." (Proverbs 20:17) In contrast, Scripture calls us to feast on Jesus and His death and Resurrection that has brought us salvation from sin instead. (See John 6:25-59). "Oh, taste and see that The Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalms 34:8) Chew on that for a while. :-)

Season for the Reason: Free At Last (The Scriptures, Slavery and The Saviour)

       The Bible includes passages to govern a number of things that at first glance might seem weird and disconcerting to a modern sense of justice. One such scenario includes a number of Old Testament and New Testament verses where The Bible seems to endorse slavery. Read Exodus 21, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15, 1 Corinthians 7 and others in The Bible and you will find a lot of verses that deal with this topic.  I admit that to a Western mode of thinking, specifically an American mode of thinking, some of those Bible verses might sound indeed like an endorsement of slavery. However, there are some things we should remember in reading those passages.

         First of all, there is this question to consider. Did God create slavery or did sin create slavery? In those verses and all the others in The Bible regarding slavery, I don't see any where God is commanding the institution of slavery as Americans know it from the very sad history of American colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade. However, The Lord God does lay out rules to the Israelites regulating how they must operate within the slavery system that already existed. Laying out rules to govern an institution is not the same as instituting it. (A good example for comparison here is when Israel decided they wanted to have a king like other nations, rather than the theocracy already in place with God as their King and Master. It was not God's desire to have this in place- He directly warned them what would happen with an earthly king, but they chose to do it anyway- and so He allowed them to have a king- and they got Saul. And then David and Solomon and then the kingdom split in two. [see 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings and 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles for the history on that.] God gave Saul instructions on what to do in his role as king, but this doesn't mean God initiated the kingship rule in Israel- He clearly gave that choice to the people.) Sin led the Israelites to reject God as their ultimate King and choose an earthly ruler instead just as sin led people to take others against their will into slavery.

        Secondly, there are Bible passages that condemn slavery. (see Exodus 21:16 and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 for some.) When we read The Bible, we must take the totality of Scripture into account. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correcting and rebuking. How does the view of God allowing slavery and even encouraging it square up with all the rest of Scripture where God clearly condemns slave-trading in some verses as I just mentioned and makes clear that we are to "Do unto others as we would have done unto us"? (Jesus says this in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31) Remember also that God repeatedly reminds Israel how He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Surely Israelites of all people would know the misery and horrible injustice of unjustly forced servitude and would not look to inflict such pain on someone else. That would go against the command to love our neighbors as ourselves, both those who are of our family and those who are strangers, as Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:33-34 show.

          Thirdly, we must also consider that The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and it was written primarily to Jews. Thus, it's important to read The Bible in that context and read it in the mindset of Jewish people from thousands of years back. We need to understand the history, geography and culture of the people the Bible books were written to in contemplating its meaning. And it's important in this case to consider the customs of surrounding pagan nations as well. Israel was a stark contrast to the prevailing ideas and customs of its day in that time. What exactly is meant by the word "slave" in The Bible? The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament passages mentioned at the start of this piece is "eved ivri", which had two categories- a robber paying off his crimes and someone selling himself into slavery out of desperation and destitution.

          The reasons for slavery were different than ones Americans might readily think of, in regards to forced servitude against one's will for reasons of pure cruelty and sin. (Something The Bible condemns in Exodus 21:16) It is also significant to note that there is a continual theme in The Bible, moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament, in pushing for freedom from slavery; however, such movements don't happen overnight, but rather over the course of time. (See Leviticus 25, which outlines The Lord's commands for the Year of Jubilee, when slaves were set free in the seventh year of servitude. For a beautiful spiritual comparison, see Romans 6, which talks about being freed from being slaves to sin and becoming slaves to righteousness- slaves to Christ- instead. And then see the book of Philemon where these two concepts- physical and spiritual- come together in the person of Onesimus and Paul's pleadings to Philemon to accept him as a brother in The Lord and no longer as a bondservant- so that he might be both free spiritually and physically. And of course, as Galatians 3:28 tells us, there is no slave or free [or Jew or Greek or male or female]- but we are all one in Christ.)

        This redemptive story of setting physical slaves free reflects the heart of the Gospel in setting spiritual slaves free. We are either slaves to Jesus or slaves to sin. Jesus Christ Himself became as a slave for us, as Philippians 2 says. Though He was God He made Himself nothing and became a slave and humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross! (It's significant to note this because Deuteronomy 21:22-23 and Galatians 3 both say that a hanged man on a tree is cursed. Christ became the curse of sin for us- see also 2 Corinthians 5:21.) For this reason, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name above all names that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. God raised Jesus back up from the dead, as Romans 10:9 says. And by our faith in His completed work of righteousness, He saves us from all our sins and will raise us up from the dead as well to be forever with Him in Heaven instead of hell as we deserve. Praise God for His love! His love reaches to all and desires to save all us slaves from the hopelessness of our own sins and set us all free instead to be forever in His presence in eternal joy in Heaven praising Him! And, as John 8:36 says, He who the Son sets free is free indeed! :-)

(See also these excellent articles that I drew some of the above points from for this writing. This article offers a Jewish perspective on the topic of slavery in The Old Testament. It's from the "Jewish Bible Quarterly" and authored by Dr. Shimon Bakon, Editor Emeritus of the magazine.

Here is also a Christian perspective on this question from Andrew Schmidt, a writer for "The Bearing", a leading Australian evangelical publication for over 20 years from Matthias Media.)

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Heavenly Streets?

       [Note: This is a favorite entry from the archives. It's a treatise of Sesame Street theology! (And yes, Sesame Street is still one of the best shows on television today. :-) There are a lot of things from childhood that still resonate with us and that are common in our experience, no matter the age level. I try to explore that in this blog. As one of my Christian heroes said, "The child is in me still and sometimes not so still." (That's a Mister Rogers quote! :-)) May you enjoy some sunny days where everything's A-okay this week as the Son shines in your life.]

       And because, as I’ve heard it said before, “Everything is theology”, I wanted to share some musings about an unusual place to find theology perhaps- but it’s definitely a great place to learn new things- like ABCs and 123s. You still know how to get there, don’t you?
Nonetheless, lest we forget, can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? :-)
       I was thinking on this a while back- there are a number of songs on Sesame Street that may speak to simple themes, but also in some ways point to a much bigger picture. The name of the show itself is taken from a phrase from the “Arabian Nights”- “Open Sesame” is the phrase Ali Baba learns that the 40 thieves use to open the door to their cave of (stolen) treasures. Sesame Street as a TV show strives to be an open cave full of treasure as well- the treasure of knowledge; the path of wisdom. And is that not the longing we hear expressed even in the very theme song- “Sunny days- sweeping the clouds away; on my way to where the air is sweet- Can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? Come and play- everything’s A-okay. Family, neighbors, friends- that’s where we meet. Can you tell me how to get- to get to Sesame Street? It’s a magic carpet ride- every door will open wide for happy people like you. Happy people like… What a glorious- Sunny day sweeping the clouds away- on my way to where the air is sweet- can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street?”……… Sunny days- where the air is sweet and where the clouds are swept away- that description sounds fairly similar to Heaven where God gives us endless happy days with Him for those who trust Him as Savior- and He wipes away all our tears.  And we meet family, neighbors and friends who have trusted Christ as Savior too. It is certainly glorious there- (Revelation 21-22) And isn’t this the end goal everyone wants to get to- yet everyone is asking everyone else, “Can you tell me how to get there?” And of course, as we seek this wisdom- we seek the right path to God- The Bible tells us that we could never know the way on our own- and that’s why God revealed it to us through Jesus- He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. Proverbs 8 gives us a whole chapter of Wisdom crying out to us and imploring us to seek her and find her. And Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of The Holy One is understanding.” And as we are on this quest, God has given us knowledge of Himself through revelation both in creation and in His Word- and in The Living Word- Jesus Himself. (John 1:1-14) Some of the other songs on the show reveal to me some other theological themes, whether intended or not. These are metaphors that talk of some of the simplest childhood desires and pleasures- but they also reveal something of the “eternity in our hearts” that God has placed in all of us. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
        One of my favorite songs on the show really drives this point home- “Somebody Come and Play”. What a simple invitation but isn’t this the longing we all have within us, both as children and teenagers and adults? “Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and smile the smiles and sing the songs- it won’t take long. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come and play; somebody come and play my way- Somebody come and rhyme the rhymes and laugh the laughs- it won’t take time. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today. (La la la la la la……..etc.) Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today.” I hear this song and just think of Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, which talks of how meaningless toil on this earth is and how a man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. But of course, this too is from the hand of God- we really find no enjoyment without Him. As Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 tells us, even when Solomon denied himself no pleasure, he still found that in all that he had done and toiled to achieve- it was all meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Of course, while Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of a time and place for everything, the entire book reminds us of how futile our efforts at pleasure and work and all that we do on Earth really are- outside of God. The full duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments- He’s the only One who brings any fulfillment in life. We all desire somebody to come and play and be our friend because we all have a longing for companionship. Adam felt it in the Garden of Eden when he realized that none of the trees and plants or animals would do it- thus, God created Eve for Adam because He saw it was not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 1:18)
          And while The Bible definitely tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and a blessing from The Lord- and this is certainly a great way that God has provided for that need in our lives- but we also can’t find full satisfaction in any human being. We are all fallible and we all let each other down. God Himself is the only One who never does that and who is always faithful, loving us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) And ultimately, He is the One we must look to first and foremost to be our faithful, forever Friend and Father. (Psalms 73:24-28)
           What about yet another simple statement that also carries such profound ideas behind it? As Cookie Monster famously sang, “C is for Cookie”- and that’s good enough for me.
Yes, “C” is for cookie. “C” is also for Calvary’s cross and covenant and ultimately Christ- and that’s good enough for me. And He’s good enough for me. Christ is my only righteousness, as I have none of my own. (Which numerous passages make clear- Romans 3:10, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6). This is another incredible idea in God’s Word that we can’t fully understand- but we trust and rest in it- and that is good enough for us. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we are saved by grace alone. Hebrews 9:12-14 says that through Christ’s death and Resurrection, our consciences are cleared when we trust in Him. His righteousness is imputed to us! God no longer sees our sin when He then looks at us- He sees the righteousness of Christ instead! (Romans 5:12-21 explains this beautifully!)
         And then when we realize that gift that God has given us in Jesus and we recognize the life that He has called us to- He should truly become our magnificent obsession, much as Cookie Monster has for cookies. As Colossians 3:1-4 tells us, we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore, we must set our minds on things above, not on things below. Ultimately, we must set our minds on Christ and let Him become our only gain- and count everything else a loss. (Philippians 3- particularly verse 8.) This is a picture of the desire and love we should have for Jesus Christ. As Cookie Monster says- who cares about anything else? C is for Christ- and He’s good enough for me. And what should follow next but naturally a song of praise and thanks to God for being “my very Best Friend- it’s true.” And I can’t think of a song that better espouses this on Sesame Street than Ernie’s classic ode to “Rubber Duckie”. Indeed, Lord Jesus- You’re The One. You make everything so much fun. You are The Meaning and The Inspiration and The Only One who makes something out of my life and life in general. Thank You for giving us life eternal and life abundant. (John 10:10) I’m awfully fond of You, to say the least. (Psalms 73)- Lord, sometimes You aren’t the most overwhelming desire in my life as You should be. Forgive me for those times. Help me to keep You on a pedestal above all else- nothing else in life matters more than You. How could I ever settle for the emptiness of life apart from You? I can’t do anything without You (John 15:5)- I need You, Lord Jesus- every hour I need You, most gracious Lord. Thank You for always being there. But sometimes in this life of faith, that old ugly man of sin rears his head again. It’s a sobering thing when I realize “The Monster in the Mirror” is me. I’m starting with the man in the mirror- I’m asking him to change his ways. But, much as I appreciate Michael Jackson’s directive to start with myself and work on my own plankeye before I try to get the speck out of my brother’s eye, I can’t do it on my own. It is me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. (Of course, we all are, really though- but before I look to criticize my brother and sister in The Lord- I’m going to ask You to cleanse me first.) (Psalms 139:23-24).
         That struggle between the old nature of sin and new nature in Christ rages on- and I am no one to judge anyone else because I do the same things! (Romans 2 and Romans 14). As Romans 7 says, what a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this cycle of sin I keep getting caught in? Thanks be to God- He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
           And before we judge others, let’s seek to do unto them as we would have them do unto us. (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25- Those that we are quick, like Grover, to “wubba” because they “wubba”ed us first- we must learn to love and learn to do good things unto them. We must love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. And maybe we’ll come to realize that the people of low position we look down on in life- all the ones we would never want to associate with- the ones perhaps we would think of as monsters…. We are no better than them- we are the same- all in the same boat. (James 2:10) We’ve all fallen and are in no place to judge. (Matthew 7:1-3) Rather, speak the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15) and love God with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries ever and a powerful man of God- but he never forgot his past as a murderous enemy of God and persecutor of Jesus- just see 1 Timothy 1:15-17 for evidence. But God redeemed even the chief of sinners- and He can redeem any who come to trust in Him. And He has the power to keep us from stumbling (Jude 1:24-25) and keep us from temptation and deliver us from the evil one- we have to trust Him for that and let Him pick us back up when we do fall down. (Matthew 9:6-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:13) The saints are just the sinners who fall down- and God picks back up.
      And perhaps one of the most poignant songs ever recorded on Sesame Street (and of course, it has been performed on The Muppet Show and numerous other places)- Kermit’s swan song. (okay- frog song, I guess. :-)). No, it’s not easy “Bein’ Green”- sometimes I do think it might be nicer being red or yellow or gold- or something colorful like that. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you over ‘cause you’re not standing out from everyone else…. But green’s the color of spring- and green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like a mountain or important like a river or tall like a tree. When green is all there is to be- it could make you wonder why- but why wonder? Why wonder? I’m green- and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful- and I think it’s what I want to be.
       Ultimately, this song speaks to me about being the person that God made us to be. We are all made in His image (Genesis 1:26)- every man and woman. And we are all made to be exactly the person God made us to be. When we can learn to be happy with who God has made us to be, we can learn how to love others better. It is then that we are not comparing ourselves with others and making ourselves jealous and envious of others- rather, we learn to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:9-21). We learn to see The Divine in each other (by this, I don’t mean in a New Age sense). Rather, I mean like what Matthew 25:40 says- when we’ve done any kindness unto the least of Christ’s brethren- we’ve done it unto Him. Feed the poor, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, invite in the stranger, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned. When we can accept ourselves as wonderfully and fearfully made in God’s image (Psalms 139) and know that we are eternally loved by Him (Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 11, Hosea 2:19-20, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8) – we are set free to love others with that same kind of Yahweh love that Isaiah 53 demonstrates.
            And even if we do get lonely in loving and serving Jesus, we know that first of all- He said we would get ostracized by the world because we don’t belong to the world- we will be hated by the world; but remember- it hated Him first. (John 15:18-27, Matthew 24:9) And those who reject us aren’t really rejecting us anyway- we’re just the messengers. It’s Christ they’re rejecting ultimately. But God has called us to be separate in Christ.
(1 Peter 1:13-21 and 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 13:11-14, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Corinthians 7:1) He’s also called us to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
And of course, the color green is the color of growth- and we are continually growing in The Lord until the day of completion and perfection in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6) Be praised for all Your tenderness, Lord, by these works of Your hands. Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land. Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise! I’m happy to be who You made me to be. Keep making me the person You want me to be. Thank You for always working in me and never giving up on me and never leaving me. (Hebrews 13:5)
        And another one of my all time favorite Sesame Street songs really wraps up the ultimate longing we all have inside of us- the longing for Home. And of course, for those who know Christ as Savior, our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we eagerly await the Savior from there to come back for us- The Lord Jesus Christ. One day He will return and will restore all things to what they should be. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21:5) And I think this tender lullaby from Ernie brings out this idea well- ultimately, I want to be Home- and that’s in Heaven with God. No matter where else I might go to try to fill this longing- it doesn’t really satisfy. And that’s why “I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon”.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote (and I’m paraphrasing some here)- If I discover a longing inside myself that can’t be filled by anything in this world, the most probable and logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
      Sure, I’d like to visit the moon and dance on a moonbeam there- I’d like to travel under the sea and meet all the fish everywhere… I’d like to visit the jungle and hear the lions roar- I’d like to go back and time and meet a dinosaur….there are so many strange places I’d like to be, but none of them permanently…. But ultimately, I’d miss all the people and places I love- none of these places are really Home…….. So if I should visit the moon, I’ll dance on a moonbeam and then- I will make a wish on a star (The Bright and Morning Star- Revelation 22:16)- and I’ll wish I was Home once again.
       This is the longing that Christ will fulfill for all eternity in Revelation 21-22. And that truly is the end of all the stories- the term is over and the holidays have begun. The dream is over- this is the morning! :-) And that’s where The Story truly begins- The One that goes on for eternity- and every page is better than the one before!
         And until we reach Heaven’s gates, the most appropriate response I can think of, in gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us and continues to do for us and will do for us- is the simple exhortation to “Sing”. Sing. Sing a song-sing out loud, sing out strong. Sing of good things- not bad. Sing of happy- not sad. Sing- sing a song. Make it simple to last your whole life long. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear-sing- sing a song! La la la la la la! :-)
Sing a song of praise to God! (Psalms 95:1-2, Psalms 100, Psalms 101:1)
My life will be a song of praise to You, Lord Jesus. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)
(And one other cool thing to note about this song- it’s sung in both English and Spanish. What a cool reminder that one day we who know Christ as Savior will be among a great cloud of witnesses- a multitude from every tribe, language, race and tongue and all praising God together forever in eternity! – Revelation 7:9-17 gives us this beautiful picture.) Amen! Praise The Lord! Soli Deo Gloria!

Season for the Reason: Grace and Law- Of Sex, Marriage and Jesus' Word

Note: This blog post entry deals with some issues I've written on before, but takes on some things from different angles. They stem from real conversations I've had regarding the seeming inconsistency Christians have in following all of The Bible, including Old Testament laws that have since been rendered obsolete by the New Testament covenant of grace. (The entire book of Hebrews is a great read for this particular topic.) Thus, there are numerous issues being addressed here and again, it is in the context of a discussion on homosexual sin, regarding the upholding of the moral prohibition on that versus upholding dietary restrictions for the Israelites. To be clear, I don't regard simply having same-sex attractedness as a sin in itself; rather, I regard that as a byproduct of the fall of man, as I don't believe God made any of us to be that way originally. However, acting on lustful temptations (whether heterosexual or homosexual) is indeed a sin. Sex is relegated to a special act to happen between one man and the one woman he's married to for life. Any other occurence of this is sin. (1 Corinthians 7 deals with this, along with a number of other Scriptures.) Lust is sin- period. We must desire to serve Jesus above anything else and that means denying ourselves in the temptations that pull at us. (Luke 9:23)
     
      I see some have some interesting opinions of Paul, but that aside- but seeing as how Paul directly met with Jesus and was called The Lord's "chosen instrument to carry His Name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel." (see Acts 9)- I'd say Paul is trustworthy. (Especially considering that he suffered incredibly for Jesus' Name- including being hunted by the government, shipwrecked, bitten by a viper (and miraculously survived), even stoned- and all still kept alive by God, until he finally died a martyr's death by beheading. And all this is in keeping with God saying that Paul would find out how much he must suffer for God's Name. (Acts 9:16) It's also important to note Jesus' calling for Paul, as related in Acts 26:12-23- Jesus says he is appointed as a servant and witness to the things in which he has seen Christ and to those in which Jesus will appear to him- all for the purpose of opening the eyes of the Gentiles from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.
      Another point to be remembered is that Christians regard the entire Bible (Genesis to Revelation) as the Word of God- as 2 Timothy 3:16 indicates that all of it is God-breathed. The whole Bible was written by people inspired by the Holy Spirit to record "the word of The Lord" (as the prophets often put it in their writings.) Jesus identifies Himself as having oneship with The Father in John 10:30. Another important aspect of Christian belief is belief in The Holy Trinity, a concept seen throughout the entire Bible. (all the way back to Genesis 1:26 this can be seen.) In John 1 and Colossians 1, for example, Jesus is identified as being God- and being there in Creation. All three Persons of the Trinity are in place at The Lord's baptism when we see God the Father speaking about His Son Jesus and the Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit- Three in One- the Triune Godhead.)
       Thus, all of The Bible is Jesus' Word. And all the verses in Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1 all count as Jesus' Word. Of course, Jesus also said, while praying to God the Father, "Father, Thy Word is Truth." (John 17:17) Thus, Jesus validated all of God's Word. Of course, Jesus also prophesied that The Holy Spirit would come after He ascended back into Heaven and He would guide the disciples into all Truth. (see John 16) Jesus even said He had more to tell the disciples then, but they couldn't bear it right then. But He did say the Holy Spirit would come and tell them these things and He's only going to declare what He hears and He will declare the things that are to come. He will glorify Jesus, for He will take what is Jesus' and declare it to the disciples. (Thus, He will take Jesus' Word and speak it to the disciples after Jesus' ascension. How was that accomplished? The Spirit moved upon the hearts of people to write down God's Word via the New Testament letters of Luke, Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude and the dude who wrote down Hebrews (most scholars think it was Paul as well). Thus, the New Testament is also Jesus' Word, as much as the rest of The Bible is as well. (Jesus also speaks to the validity of the Old Testament as God's Word in Luke 24.)
      However, to go back to Jesus' Word in Matthew 19, it is true that He speaks about marriage in the context of answering a question about divorce. Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? "He answered, 'Have you not read that He Who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What God has joined together, let not man separate.' " In quoting Genesis 2:24 here, Jesus upheld God's created order and model for marriage. (It's important to note that this verse is before chapter 3- which is where the fall of man happens. This is before the sin of Adam and Eve that corrupts the entire world. In God's original perfect Eden, this is the model of marriage that God lays out. This is the model that Jesus upholds for marriage. Jesus even goes on to point out that it was only because of the hardness of our hearts that Moses allowed for men to divorce their wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
       There may be people today who have same sex attractions, but from the beginning it was not so. God made people upright, but we've gone off in search of many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
Jesus states that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. The disciples then say that if such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry. Then Jesus tells them that not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." (Matthew 19:12)
(Here, in answering the disciples' shock and conclusion that it was better just to stay single and live a celibate life, Jesus refers to men who have been born with a birth defect [and thus wouldn't be able to marry, in keeping with Jewish law], some who have been castrated by others [and thus wouldn't be able to marry in keeping with Jewish law] and some who choose to castrate themselves and/or live a celibate life for God's kingdom (i.e. much like Catholic priests today.) (Paul also speaks of himself being in the last category in 1 Corinthians 7, where he speaks of his chosen celibacy in order to focus fully on preaching Christ. This is also an excellent passage to consider in thinking about marriage as The Bible defines it.)
       Since sex is only allowed within the bonds of holy matrimony (one man and one woman for life, as Jesus defines it in Matthew 19:4-6) [see Hebrews 13:4 as well], and sexual relations outside of marriage are condemned throughout the Old Testament and New Testament- including specifically by Jesus in His human form in this very passage- Jesus also thereby condemns any other sexual relationship as sin. (In John 8:11, Jesus identified adultery as sin again, when He told the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more." Jesus also called out the woman at the well in John 4 about her sexual relationships, asking her to call her husband to come there. She responds that she has no husband and Jesus agrees with her, saying that she's right to say that because the fact is that she's had 5 husbands and the man's she with now isn't her husband. Jesus had a habit of doing such things to call people out on their sin, as He did a similar deal with the rich young ruler when He told him, since he claimed he'd kept all the commandments since he was a kid, to go and sell all he had and give to the poor and follow Him. [This got to the heart of the matter, as the rich young ruler was unwilling to part with his wealth in order to get to eternal life in Christ.])
      It is true that Galatians 3:28 states, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Of course, verse 29 states, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." What promise is that? The promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ- through faith in His substitutionary death and Resurrection for salvation and forgiveness of sins. Chapter 4 even goes on to berate the Galatians for observing "days and months and seasons and years". The chapter goes on to make the comparison between Abraham's sons (Isaac and Ishmael- Isaac being the one of promise and Ishmael the illegitimate one Abraham had from Hagar) allegorically as a comparison between being under the law and being under grace. All this leads up to a famous verse in Galatians 5:1, which says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." When we keep reading, we find that Christ makes us righteous and that we should not use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love we must serve one another. We are commanded to walk by the Spirit so that we won't gratify the desires of the flesh. First among the desires of the flesh listed is sexual immorality. We are not to indulge the flesh, but rather we regard it as crucified with its passions and desires. 
Galatians 3:28 is indicating our status of oneship in Christ Jesus in metaphorical terms. Of course, race and gender and slave status still exist (the latter to this day in some places, unfortunately), but we don't let them separate us from being one in Christ. We are all Father Abraham's sons [and daughters], as the classic Sunday School song says. :-):-) This verse in the right context would not be indicating God's dismissal of gender and gender roles, but rather a symbolic picture of oneness in Christ.
        And Christ addressed the law as well in Matthew 5:17. But what exactly did He say? "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until Heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from The Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20)
         Now Jesus was addressing His disciples and the crowds who had gathered to hear Him speak. Jesus went on in the Sermon on the Mount to address a number of laws given in the Old Testament and reaffirm and redefine them for us- expanding beyond the limited idea held of them previously. Jesus said that just getting angry with your brother makes you liable to judgment, insulting him makes you liable to the council and calling him a fool puts you in danger of the fires of hell. Jesus said that not committing adultery goes beyond just the physical act; even looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery with her in your heart. Jesus addresses divorce and states that, rather than divorcing for any and every reason, if it's not done on the grounds of sexual immorality, the one who divorces his wife then makes her commit adultery and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Jesus goes on to address oath-taking, retaliation and treatment of enemies and more. It's clear that Jesus did not rescind any of the moral laws of the Old Testament, but rather reaffirmed them and expanded them beyond the original understanding.
         However, what did He say about dietary laws and civil laws for the Israelites? Well, the Pharisees called Him out about breaking some of these laws on various occasions. In Mark 7, the Pharisees bust Jesus' chops about His disciples not washing their hands before eating, thus being ceremonially defiled. Jesus points out that they ignore God's commandments in order to hold to the tradition of men. (Jesus gives the example of the command to honor your mother and father, yet the Pharisees would tell their folks that they couldn't give any money to help their parents because it's Corban (i.e. given to God). Thus, they were making the Word of God void by their traditions.)
Then Jesus goes on to state that whatever goes into a person is not what defiles him, but rather what comes out of his heart. "And He said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He said, 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.' " (Mark 7:18-23)
        Note that verse 19 explicitly states that Jesus declared all foods clean. Thus, He just rescinded all dietary laws for the Israelites, and He also in the same passage addressed ceremonial traditions as well. Also, in John 4, Jesus spoke of a time when true worshippers of God would worship the Father in spirit and truth, rather than on the mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem. (Thus, more rollback of laws regarding worship in the temple.) The entire book of Hebrews is also an excellent companion to reading the Old Testament in light of the new covenant in The New Testament. It explains that the old covenant is rendered obsolete by the new covenant. (see Hebrews 8:13, as well as all of chapters 8-10 particularly.) And the New Covenant of grace calls us to be led by the Spirit (as Galatians 5 tells us), which leads to bearing the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Goodness and self-control would certainly speak to maintaining sexual purity, among other things. Under the New Covenant of Grace, we are still called to uphold sexual purity (see 1 Corinthians 6 for a good discussion on this) along with other other morality commands (prohibitions against theft, murder, slander, etc.). 
        As Jesus summarizes for us in Matthew 22:34-40, the two greatest commandments are as follows, "You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Loving God means obeying Him in all His commandments, as laid out for us in the New Covenant of grace in the New Testament. (Jesus Himself says that if we love Him, we will obey Him in John 14:15. [See also Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7 for even starker pictures.]) Of course, none of us can really keep all of God's commands on our own. (Jesus tells us to be perfect as our Heavenly father is perfect. [Matthew 5:48] This is the standard we must meet for entry into Heaven.) We all fall short on that. (Romans 3:23) Thankfully, God knows this and He sent Jesus to fulfill the Law for us. Jesus met the standard of perfection and kept the Law perfectly, as He stated He came to do in Matthew 5:17. In His meeting of the standard, we are set free from that burden through putting our faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins that we could never atone for on our own.
       And when we become part of God's family (John 1:12), we get Christ's righteousness imputed to us and God declares us righteous because of Christ's completed work. (basically the entire book of Romans.) And we are then set free to do the good works that God created in advance for us to do- not in an effort to earn the salvation He's already freely given us, but in a way of showing gratitude to God by seeking to grow to be more like Him in all we say and do. (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and 1 Corinthians 10:31)

"The Light Has Dawned" (song)

Note: This is the third of three blog posts that are entries that I submitted for my church's Art Exhibit earlier this year and they were first originally published August 5, 2015 in the commemorative booklet detailing all the artists' work. :-) The theme was God's creation.

Man! This may be a low blow, but there is some legitimacy to parody as an art form, I think. (Just ask Elijah in 1 Kings 18 or God Himself throughout Exodus when He sent plagues to parody, in a sense, the pagan gods of Egypt. ;-)) Before you bury your head into your hands in a groan, let me direct you to the One who really writes the songs and everything else good- Jesus Christ.

“The Light Has Dawned”
(parody of “I Write The Songs” by Bruce Johnston, as performed by Barry Manilow; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/13/2015)

(Genesis 1-3, Genesis 3:15, Genesis 18:17, Romans 5:12-21, Malachi 4:2, Psalms 16:10-11, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Romans 10:1-17, Isaiah 9:1-2, Luke 1:76-79, Colossians 1:9-20, Ephesians 1 [especially v. 10], John 1:1-18, Job 38-41, Psalms 65, Psalms 77:11-14, Psalms 89:5-18, Psalms 121:1-2, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 21-22)

He’s been alive forever
And He spoke the very first words
He put the world and the Heavenlies together
In Genesis- it’s right in 1:1

He made the earth and Heavens in beginning
And without God nothing was ever made
1:3 in John; He made Heaven and earth
It’s right in Psalms- 121

Day one- light’s first agenda
The dark’s night and light’s day; uno, dos
Second day- sort out waters and sky
God spoke again- made land and seas- son buenos!

Moving right along- He made plants- all day 3!
Made lights called sun and moon and stars to sing
4^th. day was done; God made birds and fish- day 5
Literal ones or millennia

And on day 6, beasts on (the) land
And in His image, God makes us- man
And He gave us plants for food; earth to subdue
Finished work of art
And it’s all real good- How great Thou art!
It’s for me, it’s for you- it’s from God- what a treat!
It’s a world of creativity!

In six days long, God made the whole world- see?
He rested on day 7- made it holy
He made it good- we made it go awry
And all along, God knew we’d fall

He sent His Son through Abe- the world’s blessing
The Son was slain before the world’s founding
16:10 Psalms- Won’t let The Son just die
Son’s rise means all can get right with God

He is Jesus and He rights all wrongs!

"You and You Alone" (poem)

Note:  This is the second of three blog posts that are entries that I submitted for my church's Art Exhibit earlier this year and they were first originally published August 5, 2015 in the commemorative booklet detailing all the artists' work. :-) The theme was God's creation.

This last one is just simply a hymn of praise to The Lord Jesus Christ for being my All and truly my One Thing I need.
“Purity of heart is to will one thing”- Soren Kierkegaard  
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”- Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:8)
Thank You, Lord Jesus- You are my Everything. I praise You for You are worthy to be praised- You reign above all others!

 
“You and You Alone”

(original poem by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 7/14/2013)

(John 15:5, Psalms 50, Romans 11:35, Job 41:11, 1 Chronicles 29:10-20, Job 42:2, John 3:16-17, Psalms 68:35, Psalms 84:10, Psalms 85:9-13, Psalms 63, Psalms 96, Psalms 98, Psalms 40, Psalms 150, Psalms 45:1, Matthew 5:8, Psalms 100, Psalms 42:1-2, Psalms 139, Psalms 73:24-26, Philippians 1:21 and 3:8, the book of Ecclesiastes)

There’s nothing new under the sun… it’s all been said and done
What can I do that is ever truly original?
Even in asking this, I know I’m not the only one.
All these musings were recorded ages ago by Solomon.
Yet as Thy Spirit moved his quill to pen, Your Spirit moves my pen to do the same.
You are The Inspiration and The Meaning- The Only One that makes Life anything.
You are The Newness we all crave.
Your Word commands us to sing a new song unto The Lord.
Strive as we may there’s nothing really new we can say.
It’s only You who puts a new song in our heart- a song born of gratitude for the legs quickened from the quicksand of miry clay now standing firm on The Rock.
From the New Heart and Spirit You transplant into our edifices,
a new song of praise will flow to The Holy Christ.
There’s nothing I can give You that’s not already Yours.
You who own the cattle on a thousand hills seek the one thing we can give that You gave
but will not reclaim at force- our free wills.
Your will will come through anyway- no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
I am nothing and can do nothing without You.
I give my life and will back to The One who gave it first.
Thy love is enough for me, Lord- You are good enough for me.
As I pray to You, clutching my Bible close like I’m holding a love letter to my heart
Take and make me all Yours- to You alone do I lift up my soul- all praise to You alone!

Season for the Reason: Parenthood- Planned or Unplanned, It's all in His hands

Note: This is another entry that is based on real life conversations and questions raised regarding morality and our responsibility. My post here is based on the following post at Ravishly.com

I am only seeking here to present a Biblical response to the idea of abortion, always remembering that we must speak the Truth in Love and extend grace to everyone in our dealings on these difficult matters.

o    Nice piece of satire indeed. I don't agree with it all, but that's okay. I always get confused about the second point though. Surely there's a bit more to abstinence-based sex education than that, right? I would want students to be aware of safe sex procedures regarding condoms and birth control and so forth-but I also would want to encourage students to reserve sexual activity for the marriage bed alone. (Of course, I'm not naive enough to think everyone will choose to do so, but we can rest assured that it really won't happen if no effort is made to instill this as the best choice for sexual health and the best moral choice. [I know people will have differences on opinion on that second point though- but because of my Biblical view from my faith in Christ, I believe that God designed sexual intercourse to only happen between a man and a woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. Anything else is a perversion of His creation and a violation of His laws.])

Leaving the religious and moral arguments aside though, I think it is simply a matter of logic that should be impressed to students that it is simply not a good idea for teenagers to get pregnant as they are generally wholly unprepared for the responsibility that comes with children and they often are unable to complete schooling and of course, will possibly face ridicule with a reputation as a slut, as the article pointed out. [And I don't think that ridicule is right of course- I don't think we need to have Hester Prynne walking around with that red scarlet letter 'A' emblazoned on her blouse. I would also hold Roger Chillingsworth to that 'A' as well- but it helps neither one to ridicule them and that's not right anyway.]

Teenagers and people in general should certainly have information; as a librarian, I would highly encourage them to come to their local library for such information. The library strongly believes in freedom of information (so this means information from all points of view) and many do offer programs for this particular topic of sexual activity and healthcare.

I would also like to think that there are some men of moral character that, given the possibility of being pregnant, would not be getting abortions like going through a drive-through. (Again, this gets into the issue of the morality of abortion, which of course, is where the contention lies in this matter.)

If Planned Parenthood were simply providing information regarding sex and birth control and sex control while they're at it, along with cancer screenings and health checkups- I would have no problem funding such a program. I don't believe in funding abortion, which is a process that kills babies. I believe murder to be both morally wrong and legally wrong.

The two issues that seem to come up the most are in regards to the definition of life itself and when and where it begins, as well as the rights that men and women have in controlling their bodies. Of course, men and women are already limited in the rights they have to control their bodies. Laws from the government force all people to clothe their bodies on the upper torso and legs and particularly over private parts. Other laws restrict the use of drugs for recreational use in people's bodies. Other laws restrict the sale of alcohol and tobacco products (and thereby intending to limit the use of alcohol and tobacco products as well) in the bodies of minors. There are even some laws in some places that restrict the consumption of particular beverages and food products that are otherwise legal in the bodies of men and women.

Thus, it would not seem inconsistent for the government to issue a law regarding the control of a woman's body, insofar as requiring the woman to refrain from destroying the life placed in her through coitus. It would be great to see the law also require a man as well as a woman to refrain from the act of coitus itself outside the bonds of holy matrimony. However, this would be legislating morality, which I don't particularly believe works anyway, as it doesn't really produce a genuine heart change on the parts of people. (The only One who can do that is Jesus Christ. And I believe He desires people to come put their faith in His death and Resurrection for forgiveness of their sins willingly- and then, as an act of obedience to Him in gratitude for His saving work, in conjunction with the convicting and molding work of The Holy Spirit, willingly choose to follow Him in all His laws, and in this case, particularly the ones regarding sexuality.) And certainly I don't believe that can or should be forced upon non-Christians. I would want people to willingly choose to abstain from sexual contact until marriage and reserve it only for that special expression of love between a man and a woman on the marriage bed, not the cheap and casual thing that so many make it to be, sadly.

However, since many will not choose that, it is necessary to provide sound sexual education.

In that education, it would be good to define where life starts. In a worldview that for many evolution is accepted as that origin point, it is easy to see how the developmental stage of babies still in the womb is disregarded as nothing more than "a clump of cells", as I noticed one commenter referred to the result of procreation. After all, in an evolutionary worldview, human beings themselves were, at some point, nothing more than "a clump of cells" that slowly turned into increasingly progressing lifeforms, both in form and complexity.

This gets to the other question that is so often raised in this matter. It seems very weird, to say the least, that most every expectant mother I have ever known or heard of, most always seems to refer to the growth within her uterus as her baby, rather than her foetus or embryo or clump of cells or "parasite that's killing her", as I noticed another commenter say. [That last one was in the case of a pregancy that was causing medical problems for the mother, I believe.]

Also, seeing that Webster's Dictionary defines a child as "an unborn or recently born person", it would seem that "child" is another fitting term for the union of sperm and egg. [The root word apparently is akin to Goth kilthei [i.e. womb] and perhaps to Skt. jathara [i.e. belly] Both terms would seem to be referring, in ancient terminology, to the uterus.]

That is the moral dilemma that surrounds the matter, as I see it. The government has made its ruling, of course, and as a Christian, I am bound to respect the laws of my country, of course (since God is the one who put the government in power and He's the One who can take it down as well- see Romans 13). However, there is also a call in The Bible to stand and fight for justice to "the least of these" [see Matthew 25 and Isaiah 1:16-20, among others.]. God also states repeatedly that He hates the "shedding of innocent blood". [see Proverbs 6:16-19, Deuteronomy 19:1-13, Deuteronomy 21:1-9, 2 Kings 21:16, 2 Kings 24:4, Psalms 106:36-42, Jeremiah 7:1-15, Isaiah 59, numerous others.] And, of course, there are times when "we must obey God rather than men." [Acts 5:29]

(The account of the midwives refusing to obey Pharaoh's order to slaughter the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt, as related in Exodus 1, is a great example. God dealt well with them and blessed them with families because they feared Him.)

In conclusion, to clarify one other point often raised, let me say that all life is infinitely valuable and eternally loved by God. (see Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 31:3 and others.) This is because all human beings are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-31) And I value and love the lives of not only innocent babies, but also the mothers and fathers who are driven to such extremes that they feel they must make the choice to have an abortion. I always want to consider their plight and consider how best I can help them and love them.

I think the government should seek to support and help all parties involved and provide the resources needed as much as possible, as I have discussed earlier. However, I think the government should also make a stand against allowing the slaughter of human life at any stage of development.

I know this is a very touchy and tough subject for many people and I also want to clarify that I mean no disrespect or disregard for the concerns, feelings and rights of others. This certainly includes those who may vastly disagree with me. I am also called by Jesus to love them as much as I love myself. (Matthew 22:34-40) So let's seek to love one another and come together to see how we can work together to minimize abortions at the least and increase healthcare and support for pregnant women and sexual education for people (something I think most people agree on) and be willing to listen to each other in the conversation regarding the morality of the matter- and how we want to be defined as a people in regards to what is acceptable or not. 

 

When God's Children Suffer

I am so incredibly grateful that The Lord included all these verses in The Bible. We can bring our cares, concerns, doubts, worries, fears, and even anger and despair to The Lord. He invites us to bring them all to Him honestly, since He knows our hearts and thoughts anyway. And one day, though it is painful and sorrowful now, we know that the suffering will come to an end and Christ will return and bring all things to restoration! He will make all things new! We who have put faith in His death and Resurrection for salvation will reign with Him in eternal joy in Heaven! Until He comes, may He continue to use us to be His agents of change on the earth and bring His love to all that changes everything. Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can't heal.

"For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water." (Job 3:24) "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." (Job 7:11) "Does it seem good to You to oppress, to despise the work of Your hands and favor the designs of the wicked?" (Job 10:3) "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not." (Job 14:1-2) "If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?" (Job 16:6)

"Do You work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise You? Is Your steadfast love declared in the grave, or Your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are Your wonders known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O Lord, cry to You; in the morning my prayer comes before You." (Psalms 88:10-13)

        "Vanity of vanities, says The Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2) "For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 6:12)

"All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return." (Ecclesiastes 3:20) "So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:17)

      "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." (Ecclesiastes 7:1-4)

       "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear? Or cry to You, 'Violence!' and You will not save? Why do You make me see iniquity, and why do You idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

         "Righteous are You, O Lord, when I complain to You; yet I would plead my case before You. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; You are near in their mouth and far from their heart. But You, O Lord, know me; You see me, and test my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away, because they said, 'He will not see our latter end.' " (Jeremiah 12:1-4)

       "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" (Jeremiah 8:22) "Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" (Jeremiah 9:1)
           “My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.” (Lamentations 2:11)

 

"Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that He should do wickedness, and from The Almighty that He should do wrong. For according to the work of a man He will repay him, and according to his ways He will make it befall him. Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and The Almighty will not pervert justice." (Job 34:10-12)

"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?" (Job 38:12-13)

“I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2-6)

"Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from Heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that Your right hand planted, and for the son whom You made strong for Yourself." (Psalms 80:14-15) "Then we shall not turn back from You; give us life, and we will call upon Your name! Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let Your face shine, that we may be saved!" (Psalms 80:18-19)

“Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)
“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

"Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if ^[d]you were told." (Habakkuk 1:5)

“I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, The Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:16-19)

“Therefore thus says The Lord: ‘If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before Me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as My mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you,’ declares The Lord. ‘I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.’ “ (Jeremiah 15:19-21)
“O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.” (Jeremiah 20:12-13)

“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of The Lord never cases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of The Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men. To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in Heaven.” (Lamentations 3:19-41)

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

“And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve Him. That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’ “ (Matthew 8:14-17)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34)

“Then the Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham who Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?’ “ (Luke 13:15-16)

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fall at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept.” (John 11:32-37)
“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” (John 11:38-44)

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about Him went out through all the surrounding country. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ “ (Luke 4:14-21)

Who has believed what he has heard from us?^[a]
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected^[b] by men;
    a man of sorrows,^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f]
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;^[g]
when his soul makes^[h] an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see^[i] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,^[j]
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,^[k]
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53)

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit..." (1 Peter 3:18)

“ ‘…You made Him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned Him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet.’ Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him. But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that He, for Whom and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers…” (Hebrews 2:7-11)

“For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

"When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. And He sent messengers ahead of Him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for Him. But the people did not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw it, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to tell fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?' But He turned and rebuked them and He said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people's lives but to save them.' And they went on to another village." (Luke 9:51-56)

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.
         What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:18-39)

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:1-8)

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21)