GOD IS ABLE

OUR GOD IS ABLE

Daniel 3:15-18; 27-28 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. … And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 

  Just as our plane circled the airport in Madras, India, the pilot made the following announcement: “Any person caught bringing any drugs into India, which is not prescribed in his or her name, will be shot immediately before a firing squad.”

  There was 33 of us and we each had a suitcase full of medical supplies and drugs we had collected for our mission! Some were leftover pain pill narcotics that people had donated!

  When all the other passengers deplaned we formed a circle, clasped hands and prayed! We then left the plane and walked across the tarmac between rows of guards armed with machine guns. We stood silently watching hundreds of pieces of luggage unloaded, opened and thoroughly searched by customs officials. As each of our cases neared these men, they were each pushed on unopened! Not one of our cases had identifying markings, but not one of them was opened and examined.

                                                                                                     God had awesomely delivered us

                                                                                                                              He is able!

Leslie Nivens (12/12/1928-3/1/2020)

GROW UP!

GROW UP!

Friday, August 7, 2020

1Corinthians 13:1-13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [G26ἀγάπη; agapē; ag-ah'-pay From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed thepoor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. [Underling mine]

  It was the late sixties and early seventies, a period of retirements and replacement hiring. A large number of the new young employees kept asking for a psychiatrist or psychologist to be added to the medical staff. The union and management were supportive. So it was done.

  Fresh off the assembly line, the young male psychiatrist was eager to help individuals. The company off-the-record was hopeful that personnel problems would diminish and productivity would increase. The medical department was pleased that their kingdom had expanded and its influence had increased.

  All went well for a few months . . . and then the counselor was struck with a dose of reality. Many of those he was dealing with were blind to the fact that personal decisions involve personal responsibility for adverse results. Example: Lateness is the company’s problem because of their arbitrary rigid rules.

  Eyes wide open, the young doc began telling counselees their basic problem is immaturity, they needed to grow up. Within weeks the medical staff let a fine young professional resign.

  I Corinthians 13:11 Class 101 includes truth that free will is not disconnected from results and responsibility therefore.  

EBB4

PIERASMOS

PEIRASMOS

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Strong’s G3986: πειρασμός; peirasmos; pi-ras-mos'. From G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity: - temptation, X try.

Matthew 6:9-13 … Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into [peirasmos], but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

1Corinthians 10:13  There hath no [peirasmos] taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the [peirasmos] also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

  Thanks to Adam we are surrounded by multifaceted adverse condition, and donate to therein!

  Anxiety weighed heavily in my life decades ago. I didn’t much experience the deliverance Jesus provided and Paul explained. (Jn.8:36;14:27;16:33; 2Cor.1:1-10; Phil.4:4-13)  An early long stride away from angst was to trust the truth of the God’s Word saying I was not a person facing uncommon adversity.

  Another factor somewhere along my lifeline was observation shared by a Christian mentor: There are categories of people when it comes to adversity.

·         Some don’t handle adversity very well at all.

·         Some love adversity. They are greatly stimulated by it. They often join situations involving adversity. They have difficulty with extended periods of peaceful relaxation. (Some of these are accused of having a death-wish when really for them it is a life-wish.)

·         Some love adversity to the point of generating it.

·         Some invest considerable effort beyond Matthew 6:13a in working hard at avoiding adversity.

·         Some accept adversity for what it is; part and parcel of living.

·         Some accept adversity for what it is and as it comes, trust in God’s Will, and thereby don’t just escape, but please their King and mature therein.

  We have been, are, and will be faced with adversity until death delivers us. Until then it is matter of our choosing as to what adversity means and results in during this life and afterward.. 

  Please now consider the stress of our Lord during His last hours on earth: “Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”  (Mt. 26:35-42)

  And then answer what is this way of escape that Paul refers to? Not knowing leaves us with no exit.

EBB4

THE LAW OF ATTRACXTION DETRACTS

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION DETRACTS

  On August 4, 2020 our local paper published the news about a Grand Island woman visualizing and the winning lottery jackpot of $1,000,000. Tammy Van Winkle, no relation of Rip, runs a crystal shop. She says she used the “law of attraction” to visualize the prize. The “law of attraction” has become quite popular in the crystal et al folks. Even some professing Christians use it. But what is it and should the followers of Christ involve themselves?

  Please read and consider the GotQuestions.org essay below, for involvement is a serious matter.

EBB4

"What is “The Secret”? What is the law of attraction?"

  "The Secret" also known as the “law of attraction,” is the idea that because of our connection with a “universal energy force,” our thoughts and feelings have the ability to manipulate this energy force to our liking. According to “The Secret,” our thoughts and feelings attract a corresponding energy to ourselves. If our thoughts are negative, we attract negative things. If our feelings are positive, we attract positive things. The essential message of “The Secret” is that we all have the power to determine our own destiny. We can all create our own reality. Through fully and consistently applying the “law of attraction,” we can be who we want to be and have everything we want to have.
  Is there any truth to “The Secret”? Is there any validity to the law of attraction? As with most other popular ideas, “The Secret” has a nugget of truth that is expanded to unbiblical and illogical extremes. For example, a thesis of the law of attraction is that our physical health is determined by our thoughts and feelings. It has been medically proven that stress and worry are harmful to the body, while joy and peace actually aid in the healing process. The Bible agrees, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones” (Proverbs 15:30). As David was struggling with the guilt of his unconfessed, evil actions, he declared, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long” (Psalm 32:3). Our thoughts and feelings do have an impact on our physical well-being. However, this is due to how God designed our bodies…not because of our connection with a universal energy force and our negativity or positivity attracting negative or positive physical symptoms.
  A second error in the “law of attraction” is its emphasis on money and wealth. The Bible has much to say regarding wealth and the management of money and resources. Proverbs 13:11 exclaims, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Similarly, Proverbs 17:16 proclaims, “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” Our financial success is determined by our decisions, our hard work, and our wise stewardship of what we have. No matter how positive our thoughts and how focused our mind is on wealth, if we have built mountains of debt, the bills will continue to come (Proverbs 22:7). The only impact the secret of “positive thinking” can have on our financial situation is in motivating us to work harder and spend more wisely. The Secret—and its focus on achieving wealth—goes directly against the teachings of the Bible. Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the Bible, observed, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Jesus, who possessed everything, warned us, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). First Timothy 6:10 could not say it any more clearly, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
  With that said, the primary error of “The Secret” / law of attraction is its view, or lack thereof, of God. In the law of attraction, God, if He even exists, is nothing more than a universal energy force that we manipulate by our thoughts and feelings. The law of attraction assumes a pantheistic (God is everything) view of God. The Secret denies the ideas of a personal God (with thoughts, feelings, and emotions) and a sovereign God (omnipotent and omniscient, perfectly in control of everything). The core message of “The Secret” is that we are in control of our own destiny. God knows the truth to be very different, “…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of ancient Babylon and a prime candidate for someone who would know “The Secret,” declared, “Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34-35).
  According to the proponents of the law of attraction, we are all “incarnations of God.” We are all our own gods, able to create our own reality, able to control our own destiny. This lie is not a secret, and it is nothing new. Satan’s primary temptation has always been to obtain knowledge and thereby to become like God, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Genesis 3:5). Satan’s own fall from glory was this same error, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:13-14). The message of “The Secret” is the same message that Satan used to tempt Adam and Eve into sin: “You do not need God…you can be God!” And just as Satan will fail in his quest to be God (Isaiah 14:15; Revelation 20:10), so too will all those who seek to be their own god will fail: “'You are "gods" … but you will die like mere men…” (Psalm 82:6-7).
  The true “secret” is that God is in control. God has a sovereign and perfect plan for us. The key is getting in tune with God, thereby understanding His heart and knowing His will. Rather than seeking after wealth, fame, power, and pleasure (in which there is nothing but emptiness), we are to seek a relationship with God, allowing Him to place His perfect desires in our heart and mind, conforming our feelings to His – and then granting us the desire of His, and our, hearts. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:4-6).

If you have a desire to discover the true secret to a joyous and fulfilling life, please read our article on “What is the way of salvation?”

Recommended Resource: Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado

SANS NEUTRALITY

SANS NEUTRALITY

  Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

  Luke 11:23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

  In addition to his other teachings, Jesus taught the general principle that there can be but two parties in the universe. Neutrality is a lie, for there is never unbiased impartiality. The appearance of neutrality is simply the manifestation of avoidance grounded in veiled status quo; how things stand is a position for or against. Reluctance to be openly involved is inexcusable; judged nonetheless by God.

  Jesus taught the fact that everyone is encompassed.

EBB4

ARE WE THERE YET?

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL; ARE WE THERE YET?

Monday, August 3, 2020

   “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. . . . And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” [Think You have been weighed and found lacking.]

  Daniel chapter 5 is very much on my heart and mind. Hearing USA and world current news how can I not?

  I encourage you to responsibly do the same this day, read it carefully and thoughtfully and consider its parallel applications of our USA “Me, myself, and I.” scene. 

EBB4

CONFIDENCE

GotQuestions.org: "What does the Bible say about confidence?"

  Confidence is a popular subject today. We are told to think confidently, to be self-assured, to live brashly, boldly, and brazenly. In a myriad of ways, the theme of modern society is to be self-confident. Popular religious leaders make confidence the centerpiece of their teaching. Does the Bible agree with this "positive thinking" mantra? If the Bible teaches us to be confident, what should we be confident about? If not, why not?
  The word confidence (or its close derivatives) is used 54 times in the King James Version and 60 times in the New International Version. The majority of uses concern trust in people, circumstances, or God.
  The Bible says there are some things we should not have confidence in. For example, "Have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). Paul wrote these words to counter the claims of those who thought they were acceptable to God based on their heredity, training, or religious devotion. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), and our résumés and geneaologies don’t matter much to Him.

Proverbs 14:16 says that a righteous man departs from evil, but a fool rages in his confidence. In other words, to arrogantly assume that sin has no consequences is a foolish confidence. [Note Psalm 1]
  If we’re going to be confident in something, Psalm 118:8, 9 tells us what it should be: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." Those who trust in government, finances, other people, or themselves will be disappointed in the end. On the other hand, those who put their confidence in God will never be ashamed (Romans 10:11).
  Psalm 16 is an excellent example of a positive confidence in God. David takes no credit for his own goodness (verse 2), nor does he extol his own abilities. Instead, every good thing is ascribed to God (verse 6), and every hope is based on God’s character (verse 1). Because God is unchanging, David can confidently rest in hope (verse 9), despite any hardships he faces in life (verse 10).
  Our confidence comes from our relationship with Christ. He is our High Priest, and through His intercession, we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The apostles before the Sanhedrin displayed an assurance that amazed their antagonists: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
  We can follow God in full confidence in His wisdom, power, and plan. As we obey the Lord, we have assurance of our salvation (1 John 2:3). Also, having a good conscience aids our confidence, for we will have nothing to hide. “The righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
  Paul gives us something else we can have faith in: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Knowing that God promises to work in the lives of His children, Paul was confident that God would help the Galatians stand fast in the truth (Galatians 5:10).
When we put our trust in God and His revealed Word, our lives take on a new stability, focus, and poise. A biblical self-confidence is really a confidence in God’s Word and character. We put no confidence in our flesh, but we have every confidence in the God who made us, called us, saved us and keeps us.

                                                                                                                                        Recommended Resource: Secure Daughters, Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children into Authentic Masculinity & Femininity by Glenn Stanton

PS. Complete 4 page “confidence” study file includes KJV printed verses and International Standard Bible Encyclopedia topic. Want it? Just ask and I’ll provide.