Deep thoughts from the well spring of life
It appears many have eaten from the tree of knowledge and by so doing they have been banned from the tree of life which produces wisdom. Worldly knowledge leads to death while the wisdom that comes from God leads to eternal life. Pick which fruit you wish to partake of.
But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Gen 2:17 (GW)
Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training. They do it to win a temporary crown, but we do it to win one that will be permanent. 1 Cor 9:25 (GW)
Thursday September 9th was the kick-off of the 2010 NFL football season with the Saints and Vikings taking to the field. The Saints easily handed Brett Favre and company a 14-9 loss, as the Vikings showed a great deal of miscommunication on the field. There were many missed passing patterns, and mental errors leading to a number of penalties from which the Vikings could not recover. Favre looked rusty, or old depending on your perspective, as he labored behind center not able to connect with receivers. Play was lumbering and appeared un-rehearsed, which as it so happens was the case.
It’s hard not to think Favre’s late arrival is at least in part to blame for the Vikings’ stagnancy. And because he is nearly 41, it seems inevitable that it will take him more time to round into form. But after Thursday, it’s fair to wonder if Favre can get back to the form that generated perhaps his greatest season instead of regressing to the kinds of seasons that spelled his departure from Green Bay and the Jets after just one year.
During the off-season Favre was nursing the damaged ankle he sustained in the N.F.C. Championship game for which he has said he is receiving regular lubricating injections to get through the season. He missed all the off-season and training camp and barely appeared in the preseason, and it showed Thursday night. He was rusty and wildly off target, and if he didn’t go down as often as he did in the championship game, he also didn’t come up with as many of the jaw-dropping plays that keep Favre, and fans, coming back for
Favre finished 15 for 27 for 171 yards, with one interception and one touchdown. It wasn’t the way anyone imagined a rematch of last year’s high-flying National Football Conference championship game going. Some of Favre’s passes were so far from their intended targets that the incompletions could be chalked up only to a lack of practice, but the Saints entered the game with a simple plan: make Favre dink and dunk his way downfield, which broadens the opportunities for a mistake.
Success is more likely to arrive after intense preparation. When you have done all you can then it is time to enter the competition, not if you only half-heartedly participated in the practice drills.
The Saints on the other hand looked like a finely tuned automobile hitting on all cylinders and they ended up winning the game.
As Christians we are also engaged in a win or lose fight to the finish. Our adversary has played this game for a long time and is highly developed in his tactics and defenses. He is looking to exploit any weakness he sees in our game plan and will stop at nothing to end our lives not to mention our game. As a result we are instructed to be well prepared to enter the game of life with the full knowledge of what obstacles we must face and overcome. Unlike Brett Favre we are not left to our own limited abilities because we can call upon the strength of the Lord to come to our aid.
“Proclaim Liberty throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof”
This inscription can be found engraved upon the Liberty Bell housed in Independence Square, Philadelphia, Pa. This bell formerly known as the “Province Bell” rang out on July 8th 1776 as the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence took place. This inscription was taken from Leviticus 25:10 proclaiming the year of jubilee for Israel.
Later in the book of Isaiah we read these words: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)
The liberty bell toiled good news that liberty was being proclaimed from Philadelphia, and Isaiah was prophesying of a time that was yet to come when liberty would again be proclaimed in Israel. That time came with the arrival of Christ. Luke chapter 4 verses 16-21 recounts the story of Jesus standing in the temple and reading from the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah and then proclaiming on that day the scripture was fulfilled. What better time to proclaim liberty throughout all the land then on independence day? The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 by men willing to give their lives for this great nation, established a national freedom to all citizens of these United States of America.
Yet there is another declaration of liberty that was declared by Christ, signed with his blood, and enacted by his execution, that bought our spiritual freedom. Freedom comes with a heavy price. The signers of the “Declaration faced possible charges of treason against the British crown. But sign they did. Christ signed our spiritual declaration of independence with his own blood.
It was for freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 (RSV)
These words from Galatians ring as clear as the Liberty bell did in 1776 when liberty was proclaimed throughout the colonies. Today marked the 234th birthday of our nation and once again men need to stand up and proclaim liberty throughout the land. The tyrannical bonds of King George III needed to be severed in 1776, and today I am afraid we are seeing another tyrannical government arising to enslave the people of these great United States. Let us first remember that our freedom comes from the Lord, and by remembering the heights from which we have fallen perhaps we can find our way back to the arms of a forgiving savior.
Proclaim liberty to the captives. Proclaim a year of jubilee. Let us pray our debts to one another are forgiven as we forgive those who are indebted to us. This after all is what Christ came to do. He came to forgive our sin debt. The Levitical law proclaimed all debts were to be forgiven once every 50 years in the year of jubilee. We are long overdue for a year of jubilee don’t you think? So let us once again with one accord proclaim liberty throughout the land.
“For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” 2 Cor. 3:17
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Insight from the Journey across the Sky
Heb 12:26-27 (GW) When God spoke to your ancestors, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the sky.” The words once more show clearly that God will change what he has made. These are the things that can be shaken. Then only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.
Are natural disasters signs of the “end of the age” spoken of in Scripture, or simply just natural occurrences? Would it be proper to associate the apparent increase in seismic activity, and volcanic eruptions with an ‘angry God’ punishing the earth? Or are these just the start of more to come? Is it possible to tell the ‘signs of the end’ from day-to-day occurrences? Is there a difference?
In the past several years we’ve seen many significant natural disasters in many places across the globe. For thousands of years there have been earthquakes, famines, and plagues which have brought havoc to mankind.
Are the events of these past few months breaking new ground (forgive the pun) in the global shaking that has increased over the past century? Is there really more seismic activity or are we just more aware of them because of the nature of the news cycle? Could it be the 24 hour a day news programs are adding to the perception that the world is crumbling at the seams?
There have been doomsday prophets for as long as time existed. Since the first century after Christ’s crucifixion there have been those who said the world was coming to an end even before we got to the 21st century. Yet the world still remains. Does this mean Christ’s return is never going to happen? Should we simply ignore these earthquakes or is there something we can learn from all this?
As we witness the groaning of creation, are they the literal birth-pangs of the “Day of the Lord” or just a wake-up call for Christians to be ready for the coming harvest? As things grow increasingly more confused and more lives are affected by one natural disaster after another I can see a great need arising upon the Earth for something more dependable. As the very foundations are shaking beneath the feet of many, there remains a solid rock upon which we can place our hope and trust, that rock is Jesus Christ, the only sure foundation.
As fortunes fall and the earthquakes of life challenges continue with greater frequency the world is becoming ripe to solutions, something real. They have heard all the lies and have trusted in others only to see their foundations shaking and their lives crumbling. Are we ready to offer something other than ‘just words, just speeches?” Is there a place of refuge for those whose lives have been shaken? Is there a place of rest from the constant uproar of the world around us? Is there a safety net for those falling into despair and panic?
The answer to all the world’s needs is the same as it has always been. No matter how hard man tries to remove God from their lives He is still a force that needs to be reckoned with. Accounts need to be settled, debts need to be paid, a man’s choices need to be judged, evil dealt with. As our scripture reference explains, there is coming a shake-up from God, the purpose of which is to shake everything that can be shaken so that the only thing remaining is that which can not be shook. And that sure foundation is trusting in the Lord thy God.
As the great architect of all things, God is the only one capable of mapping out an exit strategy. Trust in the Lord and you will be able to withstand the shakin’ that’s goin’ on. So is it going to be the ‘Rock’ or do you prefer to roll? The choice is yours, I however say along with the Psalmist:
Psalms 62:6-8 (NKJV) He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)
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Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.
See, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Be then as wise as snakes, and as gentle as doves. Matt 10:16 (BBE)
The short answer is no. The longer answer is tolerating evil is sin and is condemned byscripture. Perhaps it is time for the church to take a stand and stop being so wishy-washy in their dealings with evil. For too long the church has been taking a passive roll in the world and we can see the results of this passiveness. Far too many Christians, I believe, have handed over their God ordained role as care taker of the world (take dominion over) to Satan just like Adam did in the garden.
He said, “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News.” Mark 1:15
Jesus calls people to repent: to change their way of thinking about the Kingdom of God as being some far off place. What Jesus was trying to impart was the truth that wherever God’s people reside, that is where the kingdom of God now is. We are to be the salt and light of the world. If we loose our focus, if we neglect our duties, then by default we allow the Evil one to take command and dominion over that which we were called to watch over.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it …Gen 1:28 (NKJV)
It was Adam’s failure to subdue the serpent which enticed Eve and eventually caused him to sin against God. His first sin was failing to take charge over his environment. He was not diligent in ridding the garden of the influence of the serpent. Adam permitted the serpent to operate in the realm of his authority which eventually was stripped from him. Adam and Eve where removed from the realm of Godly influence and forced into a world absent the authority of God. They had to now live without the protective hand of God. The whole world became the devil’s playground and all future generations would have to deal with the residual effects of Adam’s poor stewardship. His failure to subdue the earth forced him to become a sub-servant to the earth.
By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat until you return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and you will return to dust.” Gen 3:19 (GW)
If the kingdom is at hand, we need to adjust our way of life and join in the joyful, painful mission of reconciliation of the world back to God right now, ASAP!”That after all is the great commission. That is the work we are called to engage in. We are being given the authority from God once again to subdue the earth, to till the garden, to watch over and take responsibility for that which God has entrusted into your care. Our families and our communities. Continue reading “Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
Helping Christian Men Follow Jesus in the Second Half of Life
"...that where I am you may be also." Jn.14:3
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
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"Come and hear, all you who fear God. Let me tell you what he has done for me." - Psalm 66:16
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