WORDS

WORDS

Thursday, January 08, 2015

  Words.

  Yesterday I saw on Facebook that my favorite granddaughter made a perfect score on a grammar test. I complemented her and asked “You must have had an excellent grammar teacher?”

  Turning phase and sentence is not a driving force in my life, but I must confess that communicating in interesting fashion is an ambition that I thoroughly enjoy exercising.

  In his youth seeing the importance, there was a person that labored at words all his life. His words played a huge part in his being in critical positions affecting life then and currently. As with old Ben Franklin, many of his words were purloined or altered from phrases of others. How many of us remember quotations from W.C. Fields? But we do remember them and other appropriated expressions from the lips or pen of Winston Churchill.

  Two oft quoted attributed to Churchill:

Lady Astor stating “If I were married to you, I’d put poison in your coffee.”

Churchill responded “If I were married to you, I’d drink it.”

Another Lady told as saying “Sir, you are disgustingly drunk!“

Winston responding “Tomorrow I shall be sober, and you will still be disgustingly ugly.” (This line in a W.C. Fields movie, he saying “crazy”.)

  Words, O’ so important.

  The temple police, lackeys of the Pharisees and chief priesthood, when sent to arrest Jesus, were smart enough to know the distinction. Returning empty handed, but with hearts full, they courageously explained “No human has ever spoken like this man.“ (John chapter 7)

  Words, His.

  What do we read and hear?

EBB4

  

FEARING GOD IS GOOD

FEARING GOD IS GOOD

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Luke [ESV] 12:4-5 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you of whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear Him.

GotQuestions.org Question: "What does it mean to have the fear of God?"

  For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe.
  Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.
  Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.
  Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

Recommended Resources: Knowing God by J.I. Packer and Logos Bible Software.

FEARING GOD

FEARING GOD

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Proverbs [ESV] 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Romans [ESV] 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

  There was a time when describing a person as “God-fearing” was one of the finest things you could say about their trustworthy character. Why has that description disappeared from our language?

  Is it the result of loss of healthy unbiased Word-centered God-honoring thinking? I say yes.

  Solomon wrote that without reverential fear of God in my heart, mind, and function (deeds), I am a silly foolish man. This I definitely believe as proven by personal experience through trial and error.

EBB4

THE VALUE OF CONTENTION

THE VALUE OF CONTENTION

Monday, January 05, 2015

Proverbs [GW] 13:10 Arrogance produces only quarreling, but those who take advice gain wisdom. …

Luke [GW] 14:11 Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored."

James [GW] 4:6 … Scripture says, "God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people."

  As with most people, I dislike contention. For decades I let this dislike stand in the way of opportunities for maturation. This I learned from a supervisor that decided to mentor me. Mr. Robert Brettschneider showed me that contentious employees made him examine in a way that team players did not. At times they brought out problems that team players would not mention.

  The adversity of contention (complaint, strife, conflict, disharmony) can reveal much.  Contention with its companion adversity may have great value as it presents opportunity for personal examination as to whether the root cause is our pride, or not; maximizing probability of objective resolution and edification; or, being mulishly resistant to, maximizing dreadful subjective failure.

  For some of us it is not until we consider possibility of and recognize our pride as cause of disputation that we can consider wise instruction. (Mt.13:9-16) Without such acknowledgment and appreciation we do not respect God, and can expect naught but resistance from Him. (Heb.11:6)

  Indeed God’s grace is free, but there is an essential requirement before reception; humility, a humble spirit.

O Lord, at times I am contentious. I confess that I am a prideful person, often much desiring to be right above being godly and pleasing to You. I thank You for the recognition value of contention, for without it I know I wouldn’t even come close to seeing my pride as You do. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me that I might do good in Your good pleasure and build on the one and only foundation You provide. (Ps.51:10, 18; 1Cor.3:11) 

  For further contemplation, a psalm of David: “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah does not charge iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones became old through my roaring all the day long. For by day and by night Your hand was heavy on me; my sap is turned into the droughts of summer. Selah. I confessed my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgression to Jehovah; and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this let every godly one pray to You, in a time when You may be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall circle me with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you, My eye shall be on you. Be not like the horse, or like the mule, who have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, so that they do not come near you. The wicked has many sorrows, but mercy embraces him who trusts in Jehovah. Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” (Ps.32. Verses 8 & 9 being my life verses.)  EBB4

THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING

THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING

Sunday, January 04, 2015

Exodus [KJV] 3:14… God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM …

Mark [GW] 8:31-38 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He taught them that he would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes. He would be killed, but after three days he would come back to life. He told them very clearly what he meant. Peter took him aside and objected to this. Jesus turned, looked at his disciples, and objected to what Peter said. Jesus said, "Get out of my way, Satan! You aren't thinking the way God thinks but the way humans think." Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples. He said to them, "Those who want to follow me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me and for the Good News will save them. What good does it do for people to win the whole world yet lose their lives? Or what should a person give in exchange for life? If people are ashamed of me and what I say in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes with the holy angels in his Father's glory."

  Would we like to live successfully in 2015, and even for the rest of our life? Do we want our loved ones to be live successfully? And what of our nation? Of course we do!

  Success is measured by profit. But what definition of profit would that be?

  Success by God’s measure is perceptually contrary to unregenerate mankind’s concept of success; there’s constant tension between His wisdom and man’s philosophy of being an accomplished person. And it is a conflict common to all Biblically conscientious people.

  Paul, in writing to conflicted believers at Rome and Corinth, explained that our faith is not to be based on human wisdom, but on God’s; wisdom that is not held, adhered to, taught, or demonstrated by world rulers and/or philosophers. (Example – Acts 26:28) Their being here today, soon gone, replaced with changing measure, whereas Jehovah God is forever constant Eternal King. (Ex.3:14; Rom.12:1-3; 1Cor.2:5-6; 1Tim.1:17; Heb.13:8)

  Reading God’s Word we see many that lived successfully in and by God’s measure, pleasing Him in both pleasance and suffering, and profiting exceedingly; beginning with Abel some faithful disciples living in conflict with mankind’s standard of success paid dearly by man’s determination. (Gen.4:1-8; Heb.11:4)

  Here today in the USA is no exception. Each and every individual, follower of Christ or not, is confronted with the two opposing measures of success. Throughout our history those living successfully by God’s measure were respected, howbeit grudgingly at times.

  This has been altered and continues to change. Those of us living success the King’s Way (Jn.14:6) are increasingly seen as hindrance to otherwise accomplishment. According to those that are anti-Word we present archaic narrow-minded ignorant thinking that is an obstacle to progressiveness; a “Live and let live.” open-minded liberal tolerance with non-judgmental attitude allowing wholesale permissiveness.

  As followers of Christ we have been moved largely from respect to being humored for dollar and vote, from regard to increased ridicule, and now experiencing cases of persecution and prosecution. More than ever before in our nation we are individually and corporately faced with the question of correct and proper successful living.

  What if conditions worsen? What if life in the USA does come to commonplace cruel mockings and scourgings, imprisonment, torture, living destitute . . . will we then live by God’s measure of success? (Heb.11:36-40)  EBB4

IF ONLY GOD WOULD SPEAK TO ME!!

IF ONLY GOD WOULD SPEAK TO ME!!

Friday, January 02, 2015

“… not everyone has believed the Good News. Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed our message?" So faith comes from hearing the message, and the message that is heard is what Christ spoke. But I ask, "Didn't they hear that message?" Certainly they did! "The voice of the messengers has gone out into the whole world and their words to the ends of the earth." [GW Romans 10]

  Once again someone within my hearing bemoaned that if only God would speak (audibly) to them, or at least send an angel to do so, they would be much assured and happy in their faith.

  In response, several points this morning.

  On the “would be much assured” issue:

  There once was “a certain rich man” belatedly believing. He pleaded for supernatural messaging for his beloved family so they would trust God so as not to suffer as he is. (Yes, he is still suffering.) Abraham explained that if they don’t listen to Jehovah God’s voice through the record penned by Moses and the Prophets (Pentateuch, Genesis-Numbers), that even though a recognizable messenger, beggar Lazarus, came to them from the dead, they still would not be persuaded to trust God. (Lk.16:19-31)  

  Then we have another of God’s chosen penmen, the Apostle Paul. In his letter to Christians in Rome he explaining that God’s message goes forth to physical ear, but the sense of His voice is not heard.

  And on the “would be happy” aspect:

  Beginning in Genesis record we see God audibly spoke to individuals and groups. Moses with probably Aaron within hearing, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Hagar, Abram, Samuel, Levi, Mary and then Joseph, John, Peter, Paul, and others. What were their lives like after God spoke to them, delightfully happy?

  All of the above written this morning is portion of what I have thus far heard from God.

EBB4

NEW DAY STILL ONE DAY

NEW DAY STILL ONE DAY

Thursday, January 01, 2015

  It’s New Years Day, meaning what?

  My plans involve daily morning UHC weigh-in and questionnaire, take first meds with others to follow throughout, continue DT waking pondrance and begin keyboarding, breakfast on fruitcake and coffee, complete DT and thrice edit before publishing, fetch and read the early delivery of the Omaha World-Herald newspaper, air (monthly tires topping off) and water (bi-monthly house plants refreshing), communicate with Edna and others, read from one or more of the 15 magazines I subscribe to, complete viewing documentary on USMC unit in Afghanistan, read a bit more from magazines or one of books I’ve got going, enjoy vegetarian lunch (mix of brown rice, corn, tomato sauce, w/side of pickled baby beets) while viewing FOX news, then read a bit more (sometimes involves dozing), do some research, fill in some form blanks of family tree, and a number of other things mixed in including 10pm reading another chapter of one of W.E.B. Griffin’s novel and then falling asleep.

  Maybe, for as I said, “My plans”; I may not accomplish all or even any single item on my list.

  The only certain thing I do know is this new day is still one day that God has made, and I should, I shall rejoice in it. (Ps.118:24; Phil.2:16)

EBB4