Painting a Picture

November 16th, 2006 to November 28th


Painting a Picture

I have this CD that has a song by William Shatner on it and the song is pretty harsh in the end. It’s a love story gone bad, mainly about how he manipulates the woman who is in love with him. There is a particular line in the song that made me think about things. He said, “You painted me into what you wanted to see.” That made me think about how I paint Christ and God in my mind. How do I picture them? How do I work in my relationship? Do I think of them as angry all the time, thus I have to be submissive or I’ll be treated badly? Do I more or less look at them as rough around the edges? I mean, Christ DID come to serve, so shouldn’t he serve me? Do I look at Christ as a super-Holy person and I walk around in shame all the time because I fall short? Do I look at Christ as though he has some melancholy, calm attitude and should treat everything as though it were not a big deal? All of these questions have good and not so good aspects to them, so this quiet time is going to explore them. And the great thing is there will be some cool pictures to go with them.

The Angry Christ

People think it is a sin to be angry. Especially when they read a scripture like this:

Ephesians 4:25-32
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

But note, it says "IN YOUR anger DO NOT SIN..." and you can just throw the emphasis all over the place except on the anger part and the meaning comes alive in all sorts of places. Now, we know Christ got angry and threw the tables at the temple... but check out this other scripture.

Mark 3:1-6
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus was angry at them, but he didn't withhold any opportunities from them. He wasn't a fiery inferno of laughter looking forward toward their demise. He was deeply distressed.

A Lackadaisical Christ

Is God a "Coke Machine," as my wife has put it, to crank out blessings? Punch in prayer and out comes whatever you ask for, whether you need it or not. Is God the "WHATEVER-MAN" that you envision? God is one of action. How is my faith supposed to be?

James 2:14-19
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that… and shudder.

Now, what if instead of praying, I could just walk up to this vending machine and insert a prayer and it spit out the answer of when, where, etc. of how it would be answered to suit my little brain? Wouldn't that be GREAT?! But what's even better is that it doesn't work that way. If it did, it would take away the faith aspect. There are things out there that already exist that work just like this machine... but I won't say.

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?”

The Unrelatable Christ

"No one can understand how I feel..."

"Christ was tempted in every way, but HE didn't have to deal with the internet (or insert any other modern technology available)..."

"Why is it that I have to go this alone?"

Is God a God who can not relate to these situations? I think not. Think about this... from the very first verse of the Bible, God's been at work.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

So, is it possible that over time, God hasn't seen someone else go through the same experience, trial, or struggle? God created all the stars, planets, comets, gasses, plants, clouds, fruits, birds, cats, dogs, metals, liquids, different types of soils, meteors, and he also knows all the hairs on your head. We lose 100 to 125 hairs a day (normal hair loss for a person), so God is constantly checking in on MY HAIR!

Mark 4:1-12
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”

Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Do I sometimes feel I see but don't get it? Do I hear it and not understand? YES. And so many times in the past I would simple just shake my head with a big fat Yes, I do understand or I do get it or I do agree, when in fact that I don't. I've changed that recently and it has helped me a GREAT deal. And the most amazing thing is that it hasn't caused the problems that I was so desperately afraid of getting into... which makes things so much easier to continue with saying I don't get it when I don't get it.

Acts 3:13-20

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”

Christ knows pain. He knows abandonment. He understands the feeling of grief, loneliness, tiredness, weakness, and having to do things you simply don't want to do, but have to do. Is Christ unrelatable? No.

The Roughed Up Christ

Actually, this picture was the hardest one to play with, simply due to the fact that I was "messing-up" Christ's look. But then as I thought about it, Christ spent a ton of time in the sun, probably had moles, not sure about the teeth, but a lost tooth isn't impossible... I messed up his hair and beard a little and darkened the areas under his eyes (the guy got up before the sun rose to pray...). It really is impossible to say that Christ looked like this or that, but my favorite picture is always the laughing Jesus, thus I used that for this QT (which has now gone over a week - but I've had others during this, so this one hasn't been straight through).

Jesus came to serve. He fed 5,000 men plus their families. And then he fed another 4,000 men and their families. He healed the sick, the bleeding woman, raised a couple of people from the dead, healed someone without even seeing the person, wept with a woman before raising her dead son, spit on dirt and gave someone their vision back, healed a lame guy by a pool so he could walk again, spit out demons from a guy into some pigs... and that's just off the top of my head.

People like being served. Over the last several weeks I have picked up two people and given them rides to places and neither one told me they were ungrateful, but quite the opposite, they were very thankful. All it did was take a little of my time to do it. Christ spent ALL his time serving. Even on the cross, he served his mother and he served one of the other dudes on the cross. Not bad for a guy bleeding to death in insurmountable pain. How do I know that Christ was serving at every opportunity he had?

Philippians 2:1-11
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Maybe the problem in trying to be like Christ trying to be like God and not a servant. I guess I should serve more and more and more and not look for opportunities to be served to... Christ didn't look for opportunities to show how equal he was to God, but looked for opportunities to serve. That's what I should be doing. YATZEE!!!

I wonder if there was a picture, a paint by numbers picture, of Jesus, without any directions on how to paint him, how would he turn out? Would he look anything like those up above or would he be any different? The scary fact of the matter is that somewhere along the lines, my garbage is going to skew the image of what Christ really looks like. But one thing I did check out is this: The word paint (including painted) is used three times, all OT. And all are in reference to a woman putting on makeup. The first usage was when Jezebel was killed (2 Kings 9:30), the second time was used in Jeremiah 4, and here's the third usage:

Ezekiel 23:36-41, 46-49
The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.”

"They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry. You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and oil that belonged to me.”

“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.”

“So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”

Of course, what is abortion? It is sacrificing a child for a better lifestyle. "I can't afford a child right now," is generally what is said or the excuse... and thus it is a sacrifice to the "Money God." That's just what I see there. I can paint myself wrong and pay the consequence. I can paint Christ wrong and pay the consequence. But the only way that this thing can be painted correctly is the right tools. But that's a separate QT all together. Johnny Out.

The Book of Joel

November 27th, 2006

The Book of Joel

The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips. A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white. Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth. Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails. Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people's joy is withered away. Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up. How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering. To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness. Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. The LORD replied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. “I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things! Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink. Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland. See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away." The LORD has spoken. Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!” Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, LORD! “Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow— so great is their wickedness!” Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD's house and will water the valley of acacias. But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood. Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Shall I leave their innocent blood unpunished? No, I will not.” The LORD dwells in Zion!

My Call to Ministry?

What is my call to Ministry?

Seriously, I don’t know. I haven’t aspired to be some big time preacher that people come from all around the world just to hear me speak. If that is God’s will for me, then so be it. I would prefer something on a much smaller scale. But before I go into what I prefer, let me start with what I know what God has already given me for my ministry:

• To lead my wife and make her radiant.
• To raise up my son in the LORD and to not exasperate him.

I have found that I do well in large and small groups; again, I prefer the smaller groups. I helped out on Thursday with the poor and homeless which really helped my heart. It really showed me that even though I don’t have much, I have a tremendous amount that God has blessed me with and that I need to share it more with others. My ministry is to lead my family to make sure that they understand these things. Throughout the year, we receive gifts from God, people fight for toys and game systems, but who is fighting for the homeless?

1st Timothy 6:3-10
If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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.

Do you want more than food and clothes? Then maybe that is a problem for you… The Bible says that the love of money is the root of ALL KINDS OF EVIL. And because of it, it pulls people away from God and into worldly possessions. My call to the ministry is to keep my family focused on God in a nation where churches are beginning to close down one after another as America begins to shut its doors on God and open it’s doors to with welcome arms to sin. I would much rather be “barely making it” and be right with God than have a full bank account and have a household on fire.

Starting Over

1st Corinthians 13 says:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

And then, in 1st John 4 is says that God is love. So then it can be said:
God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

Now the real struggle begins with this. I’m supposed to imitate God in every way, right? Christ is my example, Christ is God, therefore I am to imitate God.

Johnny is patient, Johnny is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Johnny does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Johnny always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Johnny never fails.

There are many things wrong with that paragraph, but I’m working on it. How much did I trust today? Was I self-seeking? Did I rejoice in someone’s misfortune? Did I bring up old issues from the past? Have I given up on hope? Have I stopped trying? Did I allow myself to FAIL? If I answer yes to any these, then I’m saying a big no to imitating God in that area. As my Dad has once said, “you don’t have to wait till January 1st to start things over, you can just start now.” I think that’s a pretty good statement.

Thanksgiving Devotional

This is going to be a big one this year. A throw down... TWO TURKEYS! That would be me and Scott White... seriously, we will have two Thanksgiving Turkeys at this shin-dig, there will be lots of fun and lots of food. For a map of the location of the event, Click here: Map. This is going to be a wonderful and fun thing. I hope to see you there!

The Book of Nahum

November 12th, 2006

The Book of Nahum

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.” The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: “You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile.” Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.

An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. “I am against you,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses- all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft. “I am against you,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?” Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains. You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy. All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater. Look at your troops— they are all women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed their bars. Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork! There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, consume you. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts! You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away. Your guards are like locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day— but when the sun appears they fly away, and no one knows where. O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?

Nahum 1:14 carved images:
Pesel (noun)

• Idol, image

Nahum 1:14 cast idols:
Massêkâh (noun)

• A pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, drink offering


• Libation (with covenant sacrifice)


• Molten metal, molten image, molten gods


• Web, covering, veil, woven stuff

So, I guess this begs the question… what is a carved image or a cast idol (as if the Hebrew definition didn’t define it enough)? I want to check some definitions…

Idol (noun):

• An image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.


• An image of a deity other than God.


• The deity itself.

From what I can gather, an image and an idol are fairly close in name when it comes to cast idol and carved image… both Hebrew definitions show image and idol in them. So you can turn things around and say a carved idol and a cast image, and not be wrong in the slightest. Statues are images, like the Statue of Liberty… Mount Rushmore… Washington Monument… there are images on money… images on a computer… sometimes there are images in windows, like stained-glass windows… there are images on the television… I can create images in my mind when I listen to music… interesting. Things and circumstances can create images that aren’t actually there. For example, a smell can trigger a vision or memory in my mind. I smell bacon, and I think, “I LOVE bacon…” I smell perfume and it reminds me of my wife… I smell cigarette smoke, and I think of all the times that I have smoked over my lifetime… I can touch something and it can remind me of something… a flower can provoke memory. A wrench can provoke hatred. Leather can create a sensation of success.

Now this says: The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him… God is a refuge. He cares for those who turn to HIM and not to sidekick angel next to him. Little me angel can’t do a thing without God giving him the OK. Don’t pray to the angel. The Bible doesn’t say anything good about praying to them. In fact, it says to NOT pray to the angels. And praying to dead relatives doesn’t make much sense, either. I would think those relatives would want you to turn to the one true good thing in this cosmos, God. My great, great grandfather may have been a good man… I don’t know. But what I do know is that he is like me in one easy and simple way: HE’S NOT PERFECT. God is perfect. Pray to God. It doesn’t make sense to pray to someone who can’t do anything for anyone. God is the only one who can. Aunt Jemima can’t. The ghost of Cy Young can’t. The spirit of Babe Ruth can’t. Both of my grandfathers can’t. And when I die, PLEASE don’t pray to me. PRAY to GOD. I’m not perfect, God is.

Sometimes it is good for someone to study their own religion from an outside perspective to grasp the goodness and quality of it, should it exist. Johnny Out.

The Book of Habakkuk

November 10th, 2006

The Book of Habakkuk

The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. “Look at the nations and watch… and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour; they all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on… guilty people, whose own strength is their god.” LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, LORD, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright, but the righteous will live by their faithfulness… indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. Of what value is an idol that someone has carved? Or an image that teaches lies? For those who make them trust in their own creations; they make idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed - but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Were you angry with the rivers, LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

I just want to think about that last part… “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Green Eggs and Turkey

November 9th, 2006

Green Eggs and Turkey

This is something I’ve been thinking and swirling around in my head. School work has really kept me from doing my postings like I would like, but alas… I might just be getting back into the habit of posting again. But then again, I shouldn’t count my green eggs before they hatch (note to Don: I chose the title BEFORE I wrote this one). But one evening I was heading home from a midweek and deep in thought about the lesson, the idea of eggs came to mind.

There are a number of ways a person can eat eggs in the morning, really so many that I couldn’t list them here without sounding like that guy from Forest Gump. But I want to check out four types: Scrambled, Over-Hard, Over-Medium, and Over-Easy.

Now, of course, the eggs are a metaphor for something… and that is, of course, life. The first one, scrambled is a great way to eat eggs. I mean, you can throw all sorts of garbage in there, ham (or turkey), bacon, cheese, French fries, bits of whatever you ate last night, and chances are, it will still taste good. But when I live my life the scrambled way, it doesn’t seem to work out to well.

Ephesians 4:11-16
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I look at this scripture and it just made me think how scrambled eggs and a tossed salad have so many similarities and yet are completely different. When an egg is scrambled, there is no defined shape to it. It’s not in a circular shape, oval, or anything like that… it’s just a “mess of eggs”. I do not want my life to be a mess of eggs.

Well, what about eggs done over hard.

Genesis 27:38-40
Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”

It sure sounds like eggs over-hard to me. And what did God do to the Israelites in Egypt? He broke that HARD yoke of the Egyptians and set them free…

Now, I don’t mind having eggs over hard for breakfast. It’s pretty tasty, actually. You can do a lot with that type of egg-style. You can put it on toasted bread, mayo, and lettuce and you have a wonderful breakfast sandwich. And with the semi-circular shape, it generally fits onto the bread quite well. For a sweeter taste, add butter to the bread and let it melt a little before putting it together…

So, instead of a scrambled or messed up lifestyle, I have a lifestyle where I choose to do it the hard way. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms defines “The Hard Way” simply as learning things through bad or difficult experiences. Should I live a lifestyle “over-hard”, that would mean I would simply push through those experiences on my own.

Eggs over medium… a lot of goop in the middle, but if it’s still warm and housed just right, then it’s OK. I just hate it when it makes a mess of the plate. Have you ever taken a egg yoke cooked medium and plop it in your mouth, still warm? It’s just great to taste…

I tend to think of an “egg over medium” mindset as someone still trying to do the “hokey-pokey” in a Christian walk. They’re putting themselves in and out, in and out, and shaking all about… it’s a mess all over the plate. A “over-medium” egg is like an egg that couldn’t make up its mind when it was cooked… part hard/part easy – it’s a double minded egg.

James 1:2-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

An over-medium lifestyle isn’t worth poking around in (pun intended). Seriously, trying to do the part-easy/part-hard isn’t going to do me any favors. I can’t live a medium lifestyle because medium is still part HARD, but the thing is, with medium, the lie in the lifestyle is that you’re in and out so much, you’ll just dance yourself into the ground trying to cover up your tracks… very tiresome keeping on the Christian game-face when the game is in intermission.

I’ll be straight up and honest: I don’t like my eggs over easy. There’s just too much GOO! The guts of the egg are splurged right out onto the plate and that’s when I started to think about eating them. The yokes giggle like a bowl full of jelly. And they don’t look a thing like Santa Claus. They do have one saving quality about them, though. My wife makes this “birds in a bucket” or whatever its called (way off on the name, I know… ask her next time you see her) and it requires that the eggs be over-easy. And I’ll eat that little breakfast dish.

But as far as a lifestyle, off these four, this is the one to go with… JC takes the hard yokes, the scrambled ones, even the medium ones… and makes them easy. Well, maybe I’m reading a little into it, but it does say that HIS yoke is easy, and if I send my stuff to God, pray to him, give him all my garbage, struggles, and burdens… then I will have rest. And that’s a promise from JC himself.

Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

So, the moral of all this is: EAT EGGS OVER EASY

Sorry Don, nothing about turkeys in here… except for maybe me, but we already knew that…

The Book of Haggai

November 6th, 2006

The Book of Haggai

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’”

Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.

Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”

The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’

“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on… consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.’
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”

The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his comrade.”

“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

A Meaningful Passage

Introduction

There are sixty-six books of the Bible, and of those, I’ve read just about all of them. There are countless scriptures, many touching the being within me, the pull-strings of my heart. The idea of having a favorite passage and sticking to that same passage throughout a lifetime is a wonderful thing. With that being said, I have found it as situations and trials come into play during my life, some passages carry more meaning and impact. The scripture this essay will be focusing upon is James 1:12-15 which says:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

This essay will look into this scripture in its Greek meaning; it will give background information on the writer on what was happening during those times; and it will show why it is so personal to my life right now.

Searching the Scriptures

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.” Before I even start to look at something in the Greek, I like to check things out in the dictionary first. A trial, in this context, is an affliction or trouble or someone going through a distressing or painful state. And with that in mind, the word peirasmos can not only mean trial, but temptation, experiment and prove. The last word, prove, would be unusual verbage in the scripture, but would make good sense and add good light to what is being said which is about a person’s character through a trial. That character is to show how genuine I am by what it is that I do.

Since peirasmos is a Greek word that means both trials and temptations. It is used in the chosen study verse and shows that God does not lead me into sin, but my own sinful desire to do so. When James switches to “tempted” in the next few verses, he doesn’t use peirasmos, but peirazō which means “to test”. God doesn’t me with sinful desires. I do that and it is when I let my sinful desires takeover my life falls apart.

The Bible speaks of three types of situations in what causes a trial. Job experienced a trial which was a testing by the devil. God gave permission for it to happen, but Job was going through some difficult times. Job went so far as to curse the day he was born in Job chapter 3, just to get the book started.

In Ecclesiastes 8:14 it says, “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve.” The good guys get the bad stuff. The good guys get the struggles and the persecution. The bad guys don’t.

In Hebrews, there is a good deal of talk about discipline. In chapter 12:4-11 is a wonderful passage about discipline. It is also a great passage about a trial of perseverance. In verse 6, it talks about if God receives me, he flogs me. And flogging is a trial, at least in my mind.

And so, we have this at work, these three trials: trials brought on by Satan to test me, trials brought on by everyday life, and trials brought on as discipline. And this actually leads into the next part:

Background Information

It is important to note the audience to whom James is writing. He’s writing to a struggling people, though united in Christ and having trust in Him, they have difficulties. A good deal of James’ writing is very, very interesting to me, if not poetic. So when it is noted that James uses aphorisms in synonymous couplets, it makes sense for the feeling of poetry. These are mostly used in the Old Testament, such as Proverbs and Psalms; James would use them sparingly in his book. The verse in question uses this.

Step-sayings are another technique that James’ utilizes. A step-saying is much like taking a number of dominos and standing them on edge and then knocking them over: A leads to B which leads to C then leads to D and so forth. You see this in verse 15 and also in verses 3-4 of Chapter 1. I remember reading other passages in the Bible and seeing similar step-saying patterns. Knowing this will bring those scriptures into a new light when I read them again in the future.

A debate-saying comes in the general formula of: a) ‘Do not say’; b) a quotation; c) a refutation “for” statement. Debate sayings are found in the Old Testament and in my recollection spoken by Jesus in the gospels quite a bit. In the Old Testament, debate-sayings can be found in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. Similarly, Jesus said debate-like-sayings in all four of the gospels using such phrases as ‘why do you’ followed by a generally same formula.

The man that is James is a very interesting person. I’ve studied him on and off over the years. I know he was known by many to be a man of prayer. He would stop and pray constantly and drop to his knees, hence the nickname “Camel-Knees”. The nickname is due to his callused over knees from dropping so hard.

James is the half-brother of Jesus, but in the opening statement it humbles me how he calls himself a servant to God and Jesus Christ. I think about how hard it must be to know that your half brother is the son of God, and yet James was a strong man in the faith. James’ execution was started as a stoning, but then ended up being clubbed to death. His heart for others is so compelling. He died praying for his enemies shortly before the siege of Jerusalem.

There are various arguments as to what sources James used in his book, if any. Some sources say that James is a full account of the Sermon on the Mount out of the book of Matthew, while others say that it doesn’t pull from the book at all and that its source is completely “Q”. Personally, I think there is a strong case for both. James is the half-brother of Jesus. I’m sure he did learn a few things from him growing up since Jesus was the oldest, which would make sense to me for an obvious “Q”. And the Sermon on the Mount, there is obvious similarities between the two when comparing scripture.

Personal Meaning

I’ve had a hard road over the last eight years. My health has come and gone and come again and it really has been tough, to say the least. And I have turned to scripture for comfort for each trial that I have faced. Friends have held my weary arms up. I am reminded that I have a weak body now, but it will be raised with power. Rejoice in the Lord always! My attitude should be that of Christ Jesus. All these scriptures have helped me through my trails and struggles.

James 1:12-15 provides me comfort now, along with the other scriptures. And with the trial that I am currently going through, this pain issue from my toes, legs, arms, and more, I have found that it is important to know that trials are a joy, due to the growth from which they bring about in a person. That’s part of it in my mind. Trials do more than just that show growth.

I’ve learned that trials show what type of relationship I have with God. It exposes that out of me and allows me to either change that in my character or to continue to wallow within myself. This also goes for sin, should sin be involved. I’ve found that when I’m going through a trial or hardship, I have a choice between two basic things:

a) Do I want to draw closer to God for strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?
b) Do I want to turn away from God and turn to something else for possible strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?

These are questions asked generally in the back of my mind, in my subconscious, but the character of my being does ask them.

I’ve read that there is a war going on in this world. There is a war going on in America. In fact, there is a war going on right here on the campus of Dallas Baptist University. The war I speak of is the battle between good and evil and it is raging ever so much today as it was yesteryear. But the strange thing is that evil is a person’s sinful nature. I create many of my trials. Other trials are given to me specifically from Satan. Still other trials are trials by “facts of life”. And I almost forgot about the “Pruning Trial”, where I am disciplined as a child of God.

The response to the first trial is the same as the last. The response to all of the trials is one and the same and that: Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8). And when this happens, no matter how I or you or anyone feels, it makes easier to be joyful in the heart.

In Closing

James is a solid soldier, a solid writer, and his scriptures that he added to the Bible are impacting to my heart. It was great to study back into the Greek, checking into trial and tempted. Seeing trials from different perspectives in scripture was eye-opening. Learning about his poetic writing style, the synonymous couplets and such, captures his audience then as it does today. His book and the verses within it help me through my tough times. His book gives me hope that even though my life may feel bad and tomorrow may not feel any better, God is still here with me. That’s what matters to me.

Trials

Ecclesiastes 8:14-15
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Job 3:11-13
“Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest.”

Hebrews 12:4-11
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

A Study on James 1:12-15

James 1:12-15
“Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”

James is writing to people who are struggling. Although they are united now to Christ and learning to trust Him, their lives are full of difficulties. How do should they go through their trials as Christians? This is the question James seeks to answer for them, and for us as well.

In the preceding section, James deals with the rich and the poor. Our perception is that the rich, by definition, are immune from trials. James indicates, however, that riches will fade away, they offer no real healing or solution to our trials. We cannot look to wealth as the answer to the trials that we face, though we are tempted to.

Now James returns to the thought with which he began his letter. “Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.” This is parallel to vv.2-4 “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials...”

We certainly do not feel blessed in the midst of trials. In fact, we may wonder if we are cursed. We may wonder in the midst of a trial if it is ever going to end, if there is any real hope that it is going to turn out okay. In v. 12, as earlier, James reminds his readers that there is an end to this time that will be far more glorious than we can imagine in our present circumstances. To endure, like counting it joy, is not something that we do by sheer will power. To endure is to continue to turn to God as our only source of life. It is to count on Him to give us His presence and His peace in the midst of whatever we are facing. And it is to live as if He is working His transforming and redeeming will through this current suffering. It is to wait on Him to give us wisdom and light when all we seem to have to offer Him is our darkness.

Yes, James assures his readers--there is an endpoint. We endure not for the sake of the current chaos, but for the promised resolution. God will bring good out of this, and we count on Him to do this. We await the crown of life which is the same as being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”(v.4)

Sometimes when we are in a trial, we are ambiguous about God. In fact when James speaks of being "double-minded" in vv. 7-8, he could mean our being in two minds about the character of God. We may be tempted to say that since God got me into this mess, it is His fault if I sin. In fact He is tempting me to do evil by leaving me in this difficult circumstance. We are tempted to think that God is double-minded about us! God both promises to help us and tempts us in our difficulties.

James deals with our temptation to see two sides to God here in this passage. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one...”(v.13) When we are in a trial, we are tempted to doubt God’s word and to take matters into our hands. We are tempted to find our meaning, purpose, identity and life elsewhere than in our heavenly Father. But, James assures us, God is never the one tempting us. His purpose in allowing us to walk through the trials of living in the broken world is never to tempt us to not trust Him. Rather, He plans, in spite of it, to enable us to more and more receive the transforming grace He is pouring on us, to make us truly His children.

James leads his readers to see that to say that it is God tempting them in their trials is to misunderstand or misrepresent the very nature and character of God. God is not the tempter just because He chooses at certain times not to be. No. God has no relationship with evil at all. God is never tempted with evil Himself. There is not “dark side” to God. And “he himself tempts no one.” We can be assured that God is consistent, He is not “double-minded” about us. Whatever we are going through and whatever temptations we face, it is wonderful to remember that God is never the one tempting us to see if we will step away from Him. He always and only intends our ultimate good.

So then where does the temptation come from? Who is to blame? James goes on to say that it is our own desire. We are “lured and enticed” by our own desires--our desire to be secure, or free of pain, or well-liked, etc. These desires can lure us to be tempted to find a “quicker” or “more efficient” way to meet those needs and wants that does not come from God or lead to God’s best for us. My desire to be well-liked can tempt me to be deceiving. My desire for security can tempt me to ill-advised moves financially. God of course, wants to meet our desires in the deepest ways, but we are tempted to look elsewhere when we don’t want to wait for God’s best and right solution.

But merely going ahead and acting on a particular temptation presented by our desire is not the end of the story. James wants to show his readers that just as trusting God with our trials leads to perfection, so our succumbing to temptation has an endpoint as well: “desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”

James is warning his readers not to be deceived. Going ahead and succumbing to a temptation now has consequences that go on and that we cannot control. It is interesting that James uses the picture of birth and growth here. There is a development to whatever we do. There are ongoing effects. We do not just live a series of isolated incidents. Our actions have consequences. And the direction that our temptation will take us is eventually death. Now that’s something to ponder. It’s so easy to take lightly our little sins. We fail to see where they will lead us.

James wants to emphatically point out that no one and no other way can give us our identity or our lives. Only God can. The other options out there are not just other forms of slightly lesser lives—no, they all lead to death, non-life.

I have certainly seen the wisdom of James's words in my own life many times. When I have not taken the time to wait on God and be reminded of His character so that I can respond in faith, the end results are never good and often horrible.

As in previous passages, James points us to the truth of God's good and gracious character. He is enabling us to focus again on Him so that we can hand our present circumstances back to Him. He is never toying with us when we are struggling. It is great to remember that God has only one mind about us--He is, as Paul says, totally and completely with his whole Triune being “for us.” (Ro. 8:31)

Found at http://www.trinitystudycenter.com/james/james_1-12-15.php