The Sinful Nature Study - Edition #5: Never Give Up Overflowing

July 30th, 2006 – July 31st, 2006

The Sinful Nature Study – Edition #5: Never Give Up Overflowing

A wife concerned with her husband’s driving said, “Dear, aren’t you driving a little too fast?”Her husband replied, “Don’t you believe in a guardian angel? He will take care of us.”
His wife said, “Yes, I do. But I am afraid we left him miles back!”

“Never give up… never surrender.” It’s a great quote from a very humorous movie, but I know there are some things to give up. There are some things that it is OK to surrender. It’s good to give into the good things and not the sinful things. It is good to give up sinful ways.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

1st Chronicles 15:1-7
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Luke 14:25-33
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’”

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Galatians 6:1-10
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Proverbs 1:10
My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

Never give up (doing the will of God)… live a life of surrender!

1st Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1st Corinthians sums it up rather well. I can fight all day long, do all sorts of deeds for my LORD my God, but if there isn’t love within the frame of my heart, then what? I have nothing. I can take care of my family, give all sorts of gifts to everyone I see, but if there isn’t love pumping the blood through my body, I have nothing. It is good to not give into sinful ways, but the best way to make sure that Proverb holds true is to have the love of God in me. How can I be strong and not give in? – Love the LORD my God with all my heart. How can I put everything in this world to second behind Christ? – Love the LORD my God with all my heart. How do I keep strong faith to keep focused? – Love the LORD my God with all my heart and pray continually. The word pray is used 34 times in the book of Acts, by the way. To not give up in being a Christian, there has to be prayer. But there also has to be encouragement, in doing good for others, in lifting others up, like saying “Todd, that was a great message yesterday.” Or “Rozbeh, it was wonderful sitting next to you in service.” Or “Thanks for everyone who serves in the babies class, my son simply enjoys being there.”

Psalms 119:171
May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.

Luke 6:43-45
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

My actions and words will reflect if I am giving up a sinful life. My heart will overflow with praise, gratitude, and servitude. I went visiting a seriously ill friend in the hospital and when I went into his room, he was leafing through the Bible. I asked, “What are you doing?” He replied, “Looking for loopholes.” Although this is a joke, it really does describe, if not ask, does my life reflect a “looking for loopholes” type attitude, or am I overflowing with gratitude and servitude? Do I try to put God in every situation or do I try to rationalize him out? The overflow will speak for itself in if I am giving up in the right areas and not giving up in the others.

Pearls Before Swine

This is the one from the newspaper on Thursday. 7/27

I felt the need to splash it up a bit with some color.

Happy Friend's Day!

Prayer List: 7-26-06

Last Updated: 7/26/06

Prayer List:

1. Parents: financial difficulties.


2. Aunt Roxie: cancer.


3. Johnny: September 19th appointment at Medical School.


4. Ray: health issues.


5. Texas Rangers: to have a winning season, win the division, and a playoff game.


6. Brit White: herniated disk


7. Cancer: Mary Jane Barenthaler, Alex Moreno, Larry Anderson, David Daniels, Jerry Clark, Ed Teague, Ellen Dyke, Erma Rainey, Tony Hernandez, James DeLory, David Stroud, Hugh Duncan


8. Dan Burns: kidney infection


9. Aja Jackson: brain mass


10. Father of Tammy Kelly: acute leukemia


11. Vernal Gautreaux: severe pneumonia


12. Alex Reyes: serious illness


13. Kendall Shephard: liver transplant


14. Natalie Shephard: leukemia


15. J.C. & Joann McDonald: critically ill


16. Pioneer Café Owner to get a new heart (transplant).


17. Christie Sachristie: to be restored


18. Jerry Madole: Tumor on his brain stem


19. Shawn Franzic: Job situation


20. Paula Donato: Serious health conditions


21. Karene Goff and family: passing of grandfather; also parents have cancer.


22. Patty Schuster: herniated disk


23. Laura Kowalski: Grandmother and Uncle both have cancer


24. Charles Merrick’s father: liver cancer


25. Glenda Hall: having tests run


26. Britney Truitt: brain tumor


27. Sean Faminu: health concerns


28. Scott Ehlen’s father


29. Michelle Burch’s mother


30. Linda Griffin: health concerns


31. Brit White: herniated disk


32. Kashara: to become pregnant


33. Lixia’s father: Kidney Disease, Diabetes, and hypertension.


34. Kents: NY Seven (brothers)

Standing Stones

I'm not sure if people are aware of what a standing stone is but you can find out a lot by checking online... different websites will say different thinks, of course. In Israel, the Jews used standing stones as what Americans use as "history markers" on the highway today. Most pass by and just glance, some may wonder "what had happened" and even a few may stop and read. Now, back "in the day" a standing stone didn't have literature on them, except maybe a few in maybe the late, late standing stones... if you were lucky. But most were a sign just to let everyone know that something huge, some historic happened there. And so, I couldn't go to Israel to have my picture taken in front of a standing stone... so I brought one to the "Ballpark in Arlington". Anyway... wouldn't it be great that I could be like a standing stone, that people look and say "what happened here?!" You see, that's what the whole deal of a standing was about.

You see, the Standing Stones, they told about the past. And my life, can not only tell about my past, but it can tell about how a person can change and have a future.

1st Peter 2:4-10

As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for.

Anyway... just thought this way really interesting. To be a living stone, to be that person, to live that life to where someone could look at me and say "WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" and mean that is a good way, of course.

Do Not Covet

July 20th, 2006

Do Not Covet

I’m taking a break from studying. I have quiz software that I programmed questions in and I just got a 100 on the questions. I must say, I did ask some easy and some tough questions alike… more tough question, though. But I did make the test. So it is good to take a break and then go back to it a little later and see I do. It may be different then. Anyway, I had some thought on coveting. The 10th commandment made me think earlier in the class and I thought that the devil must really use coveting in a really big way. I am being tested on the commandments, all of them actually, but this one intrigues me.

Covet (verb):

• To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another’s).


• To wish for longingly.


• To feel immoderate desire for that which is another’s.

Now, to take this a step further, the synonyms for covet really bring the word to life. Here are some synonyms for covet:

• aspire to


• begrudge


• choose


• crave


• envy


• fancy


• long for


• lust after


• spoil for


• thirst for


• want


• wish for


• yearn for

Wow. That’s a bit of a list. And I can take that several different ways. And so can the evil the evil one. I want do something good. The bad boy pokes a stick in side and twists my thinking and all of a sudden I’m taking that good idea in the wrong direction.

James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Interesting… “Resist the devil.” It says earlier in this chapter, actually in verses 1 thru 3: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

And the devil will work with these key words. He’ll work with wrong motives and make them feel right. He’ll make my pleasures seem worthy. He’ll justify my wants and desires. That’s what coveting is all about. The NIV only uses the word “covet” in 8 scriptures. But it’s used enough to know that it’s not a good thing to do. Envy is used 21 times. And I am sure the word “want” used in the context on covet is used quite a lot. I don’t know. I was actually surprised to find that these was only 168 scriptures using the word “want”. I skimmed through some of them, some appeared in context of covet and others weren’t. It would be an interesting study. But alas, it makes me think of what to make of my Christmas list… Seriously though, it is something to think about. I have to get back to studying. Johnny Out.

Side Study - Group Mentality

July 19th, 2006

Side Study – Group Mentality

Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don't know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

You know, in the great country that I live in, the mentality, the society that we have is generally a mentality of survival of the fittest. So here are some thoughts…

Matthew 7:15-23
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

What good does the fruit do for the tree? It doesn’t do squat for the tree. But the fruit is the reflection of the tree and that is an important sign. Fruit isn’t just baptisms, although as a church, people like to see others get baptized. Galatians 5 says the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

2nd Samuel 24:1-17
Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”

So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.

After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.

David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer: “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.”

David is the one who sins, but who feels the consequences? The whole group suffers.

1st Corinthians 12:12
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

We are one group. We are one body. We are one. And we function differently and when one part stumbles, the other part feels it. As a body part, there are nerves that go throughout the body, so the whole body knows what is going on, or at least should know. The only way you can techniquely fool the nervous system is through drugs, and even then, there is reasonable doubt. If the eyes are open, the brain may still be functioning. But my point is this… I AM my brother’s keeper. David counted the soldiers, but you may not understand that this just followed chapter 23, which contained David’s Mighty Men and all the stellar things that they did. Guys jumping in a pit and fighting hungry lions and stuff… guys you don’t walk into a bar and pick a fight with, you know? Of course, walking into a bar isn’t all that bright to begin with, I mean, you should probably walk around the bar. Walking into things tend to sting. So David’s got these “super-hero” type fighters, planting their legs in the middle of fields and knocking off entire armies by themselves. It shows that God is with David. But David wants to know how many guys he has “just in case”. And does God take it out on David? Not directly. He takes it out on the group. As a group, we ARE our brother’s keepers. I need to be saying the opposite of verse 21.

1st Corinthians 12:21
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

It should be my motto. I need you. I need Jenny. I need Ben. I need Mackenzie. I need you. I am my brother’s keeper. What can I do for my brother today?

Answers to the first eleven questions: Joshua, 1st Samuel, Exodus, Psalms, Deuteronomy, Genesis, Ruth, Numbers, Job, Judges, and Leviticus.

Mid-Term Review

Mid Term Review:
What Old Testament Book Is This?

1. Story of Conquest and Division of the Land
2. Story of Israel’s first kings: Saul and David
3. Story of leaving Egypt and receiving the law
4. Songs of thanks, lament, wisdom, praise
5. Second giving of the law
6. Story of flood, Abraham, Jacob
7. Moabite woman becomes a follower of Yahweh
8. 2 censuses, 2 generations, 40 years wandering due to unbelief
9. Wisdom story of suffering and restoration
10. Repetition story of sin, judgment, repentance, and deliverance
11. Rules for sacrifices for Israel’s religious leaders

Three groups of literature in the Old Testament:

1. History
2. Wisdom/Worship
3. Prophets

Ten Commandments:

1. No other God
2. No idols
3. Do not misuse God’s name
4. Keep the Sabbath
5. Honor the parents
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie
10. Do not covet

Who is God?

1. Creator/Eternal/Powerful
2. Good
3. Orderly/Wise
4. Personal
5. Judge
6. Holy
7. LORD/I AM/Yahweh

Who are people?

1. Created
2. Made in God’s image
3. Male and female
4. Managers
5. Good
6. Responsible to work
7. Morally responsible

What went wrong?

1. The test
2. Satan or his agent challenged God
3. Three reasons to rebel/distrust
4. Brokenness with God/death
5. Brokenness with work/earth
6. Brokenness with people
7. Condemned all people

Abraham Covenant:

1. Genesis 12:1-3
2. Land: Partly fulfilled in OT; Joshua
3. Nation: Partly fulfilled in OT; Exodus
4. Blessing; Partly fulfilled in OT
5. Eternal – Romans 11:29; Galatians 3:17
6. Unconditional – Genesis 15:9-12; 17
7. Partly fulfilled in Jesus’ 1st coming; finally fulfilled in last days

Mosaic Covenant:

1. Exodus 19 – Deuteronomy
2. 613 laws
3. Sacrifices
4. 10 commands – Deuteronomy 4:13
5. Conditional – Exodus 19:5-8; Deuteronomy 28-29
6. Temporary – Hebrews 7:12; 8:13; Romans 10:4; Acts 15:5 Luke 22:20
7. Became Old Covenant; Replaced with New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31

Side Study - Odds Are...

July 16th, 2006 and July 17th, 2006

Side Study – Odds Are…

What a rather interesting week it has been… it’s just been a bumpy ride, to say the least… and I had this strange and weird dream, that everywhere I turned, this thing kept popping up letting me know that there was a twenty to one odds. Five percent chance, in some perspectives isn’t all that bad, but in my view point, that’s a 95% chance of loosing… and that’s just not good. But when you look at the “Vegas” style of books, the odds can also look like this = 20:1, or as a chapter and verse… so, I made a note of that when I woke up the next morning… just to see what chapter 20’s in the bible had to tell me…

Genesis 20:1-2
Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

Exodus 20:1-2
And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Leviticus 20:1-5
The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech.”

Numbers 20:1
In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Joshua 20:1-3
Then the LORD said to Joshua: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.”

Judges 20:1
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as one man and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah.

1st Samuel 20:1
Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?”

2nd Samuel 20:1
Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Everyone to your tents, Israel!”

1st King 20:1-3
Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”

2nd Kings 20:1-6
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

1st Chronicles 20:1
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.

2nd Chronicles 20:1-4
After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.

Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

Job 20:1-5
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed. I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply. Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since man was placed on the earth, that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.”

Psalm 20:1-4
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Isaiah 20:1-2
In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it - at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.

Jeremiah 20:1-6
When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple. The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city - all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”

Ezekiel 20:1-3
In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”

Matthew 20:1-2
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.”

Luke 20:1-8
One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John's baptism - was it from heaven, or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn't you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

So they answered, “We don't know where it was from.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

John 20:1-2
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!”

Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

There are 23 books in the bible that go up to 20 chapters. If you merge the 1st and 2nd books of the Old Testament books, then there would only be 20 books. But, if the two were merged, then I wouldn’t have caught the gem in 2nd Kings. I had actually thought of stopping after reading this scripture, but then I thought of the scripture of the quiver.

2nd Kings 13:18-19
Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

I started this chapter 20 thing, and I needed to see it through. These are great scriptures.

The Sinful Nature Study - Edition #4: Carried Away

July 10th, 2006

The Sinful Nature Study – Edition #4: Carried Away

Galatians 6:1-5
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

I don’t get it. I am supposed to carry my own load and other people’s burden’s as well? I find that I have been burdened. I have been stressed some by my burden and I have allowed many to carry that burden outside of just a few. And more than that, I look around and I look at things around my house and I see things that give me that “incomplete” feeling. Maybe it is cabin fever, I am not sure. I just had a weekend where I spent a lot out time outside the apartment, but alas, here I am again. But I see paintings that I never finished, degrees that I never finished, different things that I never finished, and bada-bing – there I am with this feeling. And I think it gets magnified with this “muscle disease” that I may or may not have. So, then love…

1st Corinthians 13:5
…it (love) keeps no record of wrongs.

Wrongs:
kakos
kak-os'
Worthless, that is, (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious: - bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked.

And yet, every time I look around, I am constantly reminded of my shortcomings and failures. Todd’s message yesterday was amazing.

Ruth 1:8; 2:20; 3:10 kindness:
chêsêd
kheh'-sed
Kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty: - favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.

Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I am not sure if Todd had this in his message yesterday or not, about the fruits of the spirit, but I thought that Ruth did a brilliant job of expressing kindness to others, as well as Boaz. In fact, she did a great job on all of these. And as Todd noted, she was a foreigner. She wasn’t even a Jew. Or to put in a language I can better understand, she wasn’t even saved. She was doing the right things, going through the right motions, but she wasn’t apart of the right “people”. She was a FOREIGNER and she had a better heart than the people who were apart of God’s people. I keep wondering, am I apart of the problem or am I apart of the solution. Am I helping to make things better, or am crushing things and breaking things apart? Sometimes, I really don’t know.

Noisome (adj.):

• Causing or able to cause nausea.

Galatians 5:22 kindness:
chrēstotēs
khray-stot'-ace
Usefulness, that is, moral excellence (in character or demeanor): - gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.

Keep no record of wrongs, no record of the worthless things that you have done… my teacher on Thursday had mentioned that Adam and Eve did not understand what death was… I disagree. I believe that they in fact did have an understanding of death. They did understand that death was something not good. And if they didn’t have some understanding, some working brain, Eve wouldn’t have used that as a rebuttal against the serpent. What Adam and Eve did not have an understanding of was pain and negative emotion. And with sin, there comes pain and emotion. And with all the muck and junk, there has to be forgiveness. I keep a record of wrongs against myself, I carry a load that I don’t share with anyone else, or at least with a limited amount of people, and I need to get a grip with some forgiveness with all this stuff…

Matthew 6:9-15
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Matthew 6:12 forgive: (actually, all of them above)
aphiēmi
af-ee'-ay-mee
To send forth, in various applications: - cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

If I omit something, I leave it out. It’s like I forget it… and that is a easier said than done when it comes to my junk instead of someone else’s stuff. I can forget someone else’s stuff rather easily… I don’t have their reminders throughout my house. Anyway… Johnny Out.

A Study on Enoch

July 8th, 2006

Happy Kid’s Day!!!
A Study on Enoch

As if children really needed a day dedicated to them, but evidently there is one available, just in case. You use dial.

Genesis 5:21-24
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Enoch:
chănôk
khan-oke'
Initiated; Chanok, an antediluvian patriarch: - Enoch.

Things I noticed about Enoch’s life.
#1: Enoch lived a perfect circle. 365 years (a stretch), but if you twist it into days, it works into a modern day year, or one rotation around the sun.

Walked:
haw-lak'
A primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively): - (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, + be eased, enter, exercise (self), + follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), + send, speedily, spread, still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel (-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, [way-] faring man, X be weak, whirl.

Lived (verse 23):
yôm
yome
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially): - age, + always, + chronicles, continually (-ance), daily, ([birth-], each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever (-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (. . . live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year (-ly), + younger.

Took:
lâqach
law-kakh'
A primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications): - accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive (-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

Just to restate before the court, the first thing I noticed…
#1: Enoch lived a perfect circle. 365 years (a stretch), but if you twist it into days, it works into a modern day year, or one rotation around the sun.

Now, the second thing that I thought about was the earlier similarity of walking and living, which doesn’t make the similarity in the Hebrew in this particular scripture. That surprises me, but maybe he is the one who set the standard on walking with God and living with God as being an attainable goal. Enoch pleased God so much, he walked with him so closely, that God “took him away.” More poetic ways of saying it would be: swept away, mingled away, carried away… imagine being “mingled” away by God himself. The I AM WHO I AM comes down and merges with me and then, since we’re known for walking, we walk. And we walk for a great deal… such a great deal, that God just decides to take me back to his house to crash. And all of a sudden, I’m no more… maybe that’s what happened to Enoch? Anyway, this tweaked me in class on Thursday. I just love the story of Enoch and I had been thinking about him much of late. It just seemed fitting now that I am doing Old Testament Survey. Johnny Out.

Friendship Study – Edition #16: Is Person B an Apple?

July 7th, 2006

Happy Friend’s Day!!!
Friendship Study – Edition #16: Is Person B an Apple?

It’s been a whole week since I have posted. I do apologize. A friend had once told me that I have quiet times that are like “meat” instead of milk. And if that is the case, these days, it seems like I’ve been having “fast food.” One thing that has really been on my heart of late is that of friendship. I spoke with a brother a few weeks ago who moved in from another city, I guess a year ago, and he’s been struggling quite a bit with friendships. And I was thinking, not necessarily about his situation, but in general, of a social experiment, of where person A is brought into a group unknowingly and is showered with love, attention, and generosity. Person B comes along and is introduced to the group at the same time as person A but is not shown the same experience, but the exact opposite. Person B is ignored, gets little attention, and is greeted only when he makes himself known.

I actually have a diagram to go along with what I am talking about. Person A is welcomed into the “Circle of Friends.” Or I could phrase another way, person A is welcomed into the house, the heart of the people, whereas person B isn’t. And when I made this little “Circle of Friends” clip art or whatever you want to call it, I purposely made it to look like that of an eye, because I’ve heard that the eyes are the doorway to the soul. It’s somewhat poetic.

Oh, and just think… a year from today, it will be a “Perfect Day.” A bit random, but rather interesting… Hey, the date will then be “7/7/07”. I guess there should be a movie called the “Un-Omen”? I don’t know…

I guess I should forewarn you, I am taking an Old Testament Survey class in school, which I am excited about, so look for a bunch of posting to be coming from the old side of things. My paper is going to be on Malachi!

Deuteronomy 32:1-47
Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God - gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. The LORD saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding. For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap calamities upon them and spend my arrows against them. I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust. In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and gray-haired men. I said I would scatter them and blot out their memory from mankind, but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed; the LORD has not done all this.’” They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. “Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” The LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. He will say: “Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter! See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.” Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 32:10 apple:
'îyshôn
ee-shone'
The little man of the eye; the pupil or ball; hence the middle (of night): - apple [of the eye], black, obscure.

Deuteronomy 32:10 eye:
‛ayin
ah'-yin
An eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy a fountain (as the eye of the landscape): - affliction, outward appearance, + before, + think best, colour, conceit, + be content, countenance, + displease, eye ([-brow], [-d], -sight), face, + favour, fountain, furrow [from the margin], X him, + humble, knowledge, look, (+ well), X me, open (-ly), + (not) please, presence, + regard, resemblance, sight, X thee, X them, + think, X us, well, X you (-rselves).

In a relationship, I think it would be good to be the apple of God’s eye, rather than say, the outer limits. Israel, or Jacob, was the apple of God’s eye. In the diagram, the outer limits would be the nose, cheek, or eye brow area… flesh. I would think another way would be worldly, and God isn’t that at all. But still, when I turn my back on God, it would be ME turning my back on HIM, not the other way around. I’m still the apple of HIS eye. In the NIV, the word apple is used ten times. With the word eye in the same verse, it is used four times. The first, listed above, the others (all Old Testament)…

Psalm 17:7-8
Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…

Proverbs 7:1-3
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

I remember thinking about putting God’s word on my heart, because with the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks… but this is interesting. To put God’s teachings as the “apple of my eyes”…

Apple-of-My-Eye (Urban Dictionary):
One’s favorite person; the one you love most.

The urban dictionary went on to explain (and I should note, my wonderful wife did so earlier…) “In Old English, the pupil of the eye (the round, dark center) was called the 'apple'. It was thought that the pupil was a round object much like an apple (a piece of fruit). When you look at someone, their reflection appears in your pupil. So if someone is the 'apple of your eye', he or she is someone that you look at a lot and enjoy seeing.”

So, the question remains: is person B an apple? Or at least, no experiments, am I making that person feel accommodating, am I opening my home up? Am I doing as much as I can to get to the apple of the eye with my friends as God is with me? Because, to be honest with you, that brother that I spoke with, he didn’t sound so good. I’ve been praying for him. Anyway, Johnny Out.

Friendship Study - Edition #15: I Don't Understand!

June 30th, 2006

Happy Friend’s Day!!!
Friendship Study – Edition #15: I Don’t Understand!

UNDERSTANDING, n. A cerebral secretion that enables one having it to know a house from a horse by the roof on the house. Its nature and laws have been exhaustively expounded by Locke, who rode a house, and Kant, who lived in a horse.

His understanding was so keen
That all things which he'd felt, heard, seen,
He could interpret without fail
If he was in or out of jail.
He wrote at Inspiration's call
Deep disquisitions on them all,
Then, pent at last in an asylum,
Performed the service to compile 'em.
So great a writer, all men swore,
They never had not read before.
—Jorrock Wormley

Just to clear this all up, this all came from the source, thedevilsdictionary.com. I had an itch to check out understanding. I want to take just a small part of a verse and take a look at it… and then look at some other verses… maybe. I don’t know. Just want to check on understanding first and see where it takes me…

Romans 7:15
I do not understand what I do.

Understand:
ginōskō
ghin-oce'-ko
A prolonged form of a primary verb; to “know” (absolutely), in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as shown at left, with others not thus clearly expressed): - allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) known (-ledge), perceive, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.

And for the addicts of the world, I am sure this really helps. I mean think of this: I cannot be sure of what I do (or did in the past, for that matter). I cannot speak of what I do. I do not have the knowledge of what I do. I cannot perceive of what I do.

Oh, by the way, the “not” that I had mentioned in a previous post, if I recall in Colossians… it appears to be acceptable to be in the scripture every bit as much as out. Really, more so to be out than in the translations. Like I said, it makes sense either way you read, with or without the not, so no damage done, I guess.

Ephesians 5:1-21
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

I am just going to focus on the last full paragraph. I put the rest in for context. Well, except for the coarse joking… I really want to check that out. I like a good joke and I like to laugh and it pricks my heart every time I read this scripture.

Ephesians 5:4 coarse joking:
eutrapelia
yoo-trap-el-ee'-ah
(meaning well turned, that is, ready at repartee, jocose); witticism, that is, (in a vulgar sense) ribaldry: - jesting.

Ribaldry (noun):

• Vulgar, lewdly humorous language or joking or an instance of it.

Jocose (adj.)

• Given to joking; merry.


• Characterized by joking; humorous.

Of course, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. A clean joke is good, but telling sixty in a row while at work… not looking good for the old job security there. Yeah. Unless, of course, your job is telling jokes, then tell away. I know an old lady who lived in a shoe. She got stepped on a lot. She should have moved. I just made that up. That’s a freebie and being that bad, it shouldn’t cost anything anyway.

“Be very careful how you live, making the most of every opportunity.” How about that statement? I need to make the most out of every opportunity. I haven’t. And it’s been difficult. I’ve been having to make choices of late on whether to decide to do this or that, to give here or there, to serve here or there, to clean this room or that room, to go to school and have pain or to take save a pill and miss school. Understanding. Choices. Making the most out of each and every opportunity. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” Foolish. Therefore do not be stupid… unfortunately, it can be translated that way. How about the seven year old version. Therefore do not be a pooh-pooh head…

Ephesians 5:17 foolish:
aphrōn
af'-rone
Properly mindless, that is, stupid, (by implication) ignorant, (specifically) egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally) unbelieving: - fool (-ish), unwise.

Ephesians 5:17 understand:
suniēmi
soon-ee'-ay-mee
To put together, that is, (mentally) to comprehend; by implication to act piously: - consider, understand, be wise.

A different understanding than from Romans. I was thinking today, which actually led to this whole QT, the problem with relationships, friendships, countries, wars, whatever… a lack of understanding maybe? Could it be that simple? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. Stupid is the equivilant of being rash, rushing into things. Wise is the equivilant of putting things together and comprehending and understanding and consideration. Just an observation. For some this may be the last, so I bid thee farewell. Alas, Johnny Out.