Transparency, worry, trust and hope in God . . .

Worry, when you stop and think about it, never accomplishes anything. It is one of the most destructive forces in the universe. “Which of you by worry,” Christ asks, “can add a single hour to your life (Matthew 26:7 NASB)?”

So, “Why worry? Be happy!” as the song goes. That may not be Bible but it is good advice, and illustrates that even commonsense dictates that worry is a useless enterprise. So, again, why worry?

Worry, for the Christian, is a sure sign of mistrust. What it says in acts speak louder than words is that God is not to be trusted. His grace, of course, depends on you doing your part. We cannot blame God for our foibles, nor our lack of faith. Yet, some do. “Why me, God?” is the usual mantra. This you hear over and over again when around a doubter. It’s their comfort food, mentally. They nourish on it. The problem is, it’s poison to the soul.

Doubts are like a secret whisper campaign put on by the Devil, and when that takes full effect a crippling worry sets in. It weakens us until we become so lethargic spiritually that we are a drag not only on ourselves, but on others as well. No one likes to be around a grump, even the grump himself.

Like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh nothing is ever right, or at least not up to his expectations. Doubters slump around second guessing, everything and anybody, including God. The glass is never half-full, and what little water that is left in it is slowly leaking out through some imaginary hole.

Now, I am not talking about reality here, it all imagination. We must be realist. Realists, however, take positive steps to remedy the problem. When that is not possible, then they stand on the promises of God. Paul in that vein said, “after you have done everything to overcome, to stand firm (Ephesians 6:13).” Nothing wrong with that kind of stubbornness. It beats doubt and worry any day.

One may look at a rose bush and see roses, another the thorns only. The choice is ours. As Chuck Swindoll once said, “Life is all about attitudes. Pick a good one!” The beautiful part about an attitude is that a choice is always there, even for a crusty old codger or a persnickety old lady. The choice is there. The spiritual whines are not the answer—that’s for sure!

To cloak doubt and worry in a prayerful whine will only acerbate the problem. God’s not really interested in your whines. He much prefers your worship. As a matter of fact, worship will generally take care of the whines.

Worship is therapeutic. It cleanses the soul. Washes the dirt of doubt and worry away. Refreshes us in ways that really, as Paul said, are beyond our comprehension. So, pray. Pray in the spirit. Such prayer is medicine for the soul (Romans 8:26-27).

So, may I encourage us, as Paul encouraged Timothy, to not neglect the gift that is within us (Ephesians 4:14). The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was given to us primarily for just this purpose.

Transparency is good, so in light of this I must say that this was written in the middle of a good cry—yes, nothing unmanly about crying, standing vulnerable before God. Old age is not a game for sissies, and when you get my age and look the grim reaper in the face of that prospect as you struggle through the snares of old age, helplessness can set in. That’s a fact. His promises, however, are for strength for the day, and hope in the face of uncertainty.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Now, have a blessed and cheerful day!

 JimR_/

A flozzie as a poster child . . .? Enough is enough!

Often in the course of history God pulls back the curtain and shows all who dare look just how rotten a nation is. Certainly, this was the case for Israel, time and time again. I believe America is at that juncture right now.

The “me-too-ism movement” is caught between a rock and a hard place, morally. Stormy Daniels is no victim, except in the broadest sense of the word, and yet she is made out to be some kind of heroine since she is willing to expose her alleged, and filthy shenanigans of a 60-year-old married man who happened to be later elected President of the United States. How one ounce of good can come out of any of this is beyond me.

So, let’s call it what it is: debauchery at the lowest, and one might say, highest level of our country.

For some floozie to expose her freakish silicone injected breast and blow kisses to a crowd of clambering photo frenzied reporters to be elevated to a First Amendment poster child is flabbergasting, to say the least. Yet, it is taking place right before our eyes—thanks to modern technology and an eager media to make it so.

The webs of sin and lies like a finely woven spider’s web have ensnared our country as never before, since Water Gate; and there seems to be no end to the entanglements that lay before us.

All is not well in Zion, and the sooner we wake up to the fact, as a nation, the better. If not, the consequences are unbearable to imagine.

The answer? Personally, I have none, except to say, in words of Scripture that,

“If God’s people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, then will they hear from heaven, and He will forgive their sin and will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).”

Otherwise, there is no hope this side of Heaven. So, my hope is that the pulpits of our land will echo a challenging call to repent and abandon that “other Gospel (Gal 1:6-9)” of which Paul speaks. Shall I name some of them? Let’s start with “feel-good-ism,” then move on to the pseudo spiritual magic of “get-rich-ism,” followed by “once-saved-always-saved-ism,” and last but not least, I would call “hallelujah-praise-the-Lord-spizzerinctum-ism.”

The “feel-good-ism” doctrine is based on how well one feels once they exit the church service following a pep talk on how great they are; “get-rich-ism” is something that has long since been debunked, yet it lingers—this is commonly known as the prosperity gospel; and lastly, the “hallelujah-praise-the-Lord-spizzerinctum-ism” gospel is based on how high you jump, and excited you can get in a good old rip roaring Pentecostal service. None of these is the Gospel. All are false, other gospels, which must be shunned.

 I am yours for a better tomorrow,

 JimR_/

Some of my favorite sayings . . .

Some of my favorites . . .

The image of God in man is effaced but not eased.― Unknown

God's grace co-operative, not just operative.―  Unknown

The Gates of Hell are locked from the inside.― Unknown
C.S. Lewis

Good works works protect good faith. ― Karl Keating, Catholic apologist

Fundamentalism says miracles stop at the death of the last Apostle. Secularism says miracles never happened in the first place. The Bible says miracles never ceased. ― Karl Keating, Catholic apologist

Seek a convenient time to attend to thyself; and reflect upon the benefits of God to thee. Let curiosities alone. – Thomas à Kempis

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” ― Thomas à Kempis

Everywhere I have sought peace and not found it, except in a corner with a book.― Thomas à Kempis

“If God were our one and only desire we would not be so easily upset when our opinions do not find outside acceptance.” ― Thomas à Kempis

“The more humble and obedient to God a man is, the more wise and at peace he will be in all that he does.” ― Thomas à Kempis (The Inner Life)

“Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility, for it thinks all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible” ― Thomas à Kempis (The Imitation of Christ)

“Every time I catch myself trying to figure out other people's motives, I'll stop and ask myself: "What did I say or do that prompted the action? Why did I react to it as I did? Does what happened make a major difference to me, or am I making something big out of a trifle?"― Thomas à Kempis

Leave off that excessive desire of knowing; therein is found much distraction There are many things the knowledge of which is of little or no profit to the soul.”
― Thomas à Kempis (The Imitation of Christ)

“A book has but one voice, but it does not instruct everyone alike.”
― Thomas à Kempis

“All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.”
― Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

As long as you live, you will be subject to change, whether you will it or not - now glad, now sorrowful; now pleased, now displeased; now devout, now devout; now vigorous, now slothful; now gloomy, now merry. But a wise man who is well taught in spiritual labor stands unshaken in all such things, and heeds little what he feels, or from what side the wind of instability blows.” ― Thomas à Kempis, (The Imitation of Christ)

“Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good.
By itself it makes that which is heavy light;
and it bears evenly all that is uneven.
It carries a burden which is no burden;
it will not be kept back by anything low and mean;
It desires to be free from all wordly affections,
and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity,
or by any adversity subdued.
Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble,
attempts what is above its strength,
pleads no excuse of impossibility.
It is therefore able to undertake all things,
and it completes many things and warrants them to take effect,
where he who does not love would faint and lie down.
Though weary, it is not tired;
though pressed it is not straightened;
though alarmed, it is not confounded;
but as a living flame it forces itself upwards and securely passes through all.
Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient, faithful, prudent, and manly.”
― Thomas à Kempis

Anxiety and Worry

Personally, I love to collect proverbs—you know those short, pithy statements that make us think about life in general. Here are a few of my latest ones:

• The first one is by an unknown author, who said, “Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.” 

• Then there is one by Charles M. Schulz, the cartoonist of Charlie Brown fame, who said, “I've developed a new philosophy... I only dread one day at a time.” 

• Here’s another good one, I think. It is by Katherine Paterson the author of Jacob Have I Loved. She said this: “ To fear is one thing.  To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”

• What about this one by Glenn Turner? He said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” 

• I also like the old Swedish Proverb that says, “Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.” 

• Or the German Proverb that says, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”

• Then of course there is famous one by Mark Twain, the author and humorist, who said: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.  “

• Finally, I like the one by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American essayist and poet who write with such profound insight when he penned these words, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  

A man called Cephas . . .

A man called Cephas . . . 

Question: Pray tell me what does Matthew 16:18 mean?

Answer: To answer this, I shall leave this up primarily to one who is revered by Catholics and Protestants as well, St. Augustine (A.D. 354—A.D. 430) Bishop of Hippo is without a doubt, in my opinion, the greatest theologian since the Apostle Paul. The renowned church historian William Jurgens makes these laudatory comments about his importance— 

If we were faced with the unlikely proposition of having to destroy completely either the works of Augustine or the works of all the other Fathers and Writers, I have little doubt that all the others would have to be sacrificed. Augustine must remain. Of all the Fathers it is Augustine who is the most erudite, who has the most remarkable theological insights, and who is effectively most prolific (William Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers (Collegeville: Liturgical, 1979), Vol. 3, p. 1). 

Fortunately, however, we do not have to make that choice. Had we, it is doubtful that the erudite luster which surrounds his contribution to theology would have been possible. The truth is that much of his of his theology rest on the shoulders of his predecessors, as well as that of many of his contemporaries. This is not, however, the time or place to discuss or defend that assertion, although I feel certain of the conclusion. Therefore, let us continue to think of the unity that must rest upon the foundation of the pillar and foundation of truth the church of the living God. 

In that regards Christ’s reference to Peter as the petra or rock upon which he was to build his church is a hotly debated passage of Scripture; albeit, central to our discussion. In his interpretation of this passage of Scripture — which is found in Matthew 16:18 and repeated in The Gospel of John 1:42 that St. Augustine had this to say—

"Because thou hast said unto me, 'thou art the Christ the Son of the living God;' I also say unto thee, 'Thou art Peter.' For before he was called Simon. Now this name of Peter was given him by the Lord, and in a figure, that he should signify the Church. For seeing that Christ is the rock (Petra), Peter is the Christian people. For the rock (Petra) is the original name. Therefore, Peter is also called from the rock; not the rock from Peter; as Christ is not called Christ from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. Therefore he saith, 'Thou art Peter and upon this rock' which thou hast confessed, upon this rock which thou hast acknowledged, saying, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' will I build my Church' that is upon Myself, the Son of the living God, 'will I build My Church.' I will build thee upon me, not myself upon thee . . . For men who wished to be built upon men, said 'I am of Paul; and I am of Apollos; and I of Cephas,' who is Peter. But others did not wish to be built upon Peter, but upon the Rock, said, ‘But I am of Christ.' And when the Apostle Paul ascertained that he was chosen, and Christ despised, he said, 'Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?' And, as not in the name of Paul, so neither in the name of Peter; but in the name of Christ.; that Peter might be built upon the Rock, not the Rock upon Peter." (Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956, Volume VI, St. Augustine, Sermon XXVI.1-2, p. 340)

The primary consideration of St. Augustine’s interpretation is found in the phrase,

“Therefore, Peter is also called from the rock; not the rock from Peter; as Christ is not called Christ from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. Therefore he saith, 'Thou art Peter and upon this rock' which thou hast confessed, upon this rock which thou hast acknowledged, saying, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' will I build my Church' that is upon Myself, the Son of the living God, 'will I build My Church.' I will build thee upon me, not myself upon thee …”

Now, let's use a little commonsense here. What if Simon Peter had answered: "Thou art a French bull dog." Would that have made any difference? Well, certainly not in who Christ is, but a world of difference in what Peter thought he was. So, the strength of Christ's assertion rest in the revelation, that is the confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Therefore, it is an inconvertible truth that the truth lay in Peter's confession, and the Rock of that confession was Christ. 

The claims of the papacy must, therefore, rest on something else and not Matthew 16:18, in my opinion. 

 JimR_/

Gun control? Is there a practical solution?

Just for the record, I have never owned a gun, or intend to own one. That does not mean, however, that I have no thoughts about the current epidemic of assault weapon killings in America. To begin with, why in the name of common sense would anyone want an assault weapon unless it was to kill someone? You cannot by law use them to hunt animals, so what other use is there for them. Protection? I think not—at least, not primarily so. Machoism and murder is at the core of America's fascination with these weapons. That is not to say that our brave police and military forces should not have them—they should; otherwise they should be not only outlawed but confiscated.

Now, having said that, let me add that I do believe our Second Amendment does allow us to protect ourselves. The truth of the matter is, however, when is the last time you ever heard of someone using an assault weapon to protect themselves? A handgun, or perhaps a rifle or shotgun, yes; but an assault weapon, I simply have no recollection of that. Do you?

At this juncture, I must interject, that a practical solution to the problem is impossible—not just elusive, but impossible. Why do I say this? I say this because there are just too many assault firearms out there in the hands of criminals, idiots, and lunatics to confiscate them all. Confiscating some—particularly, those in the hands of known criminals, the mentally disturbed, and placing age limits on owners, would no doubt make a dent in the statistics. So, I say, let’s make the attempt.

We all know that the real problem lies in the heart of the perpetrator, and all the anger in the world will not change that unless God intervenes. Conversion is a solution, but hardly the practical answer for an incorrigible and rebellious society. If you believe that it is; then try to reform the Devil and see how far you get. So, let’s get real. Tough measures must be taken to fortify our schools and other soft-targets with practical solutions.

Without delineating those practical solutions, allow me to suggest that we should begin with holding parents accountable for the wonky actions of their children. Not just the children but also the parents. Let them prove that they “raised up the child in the way that they should go, so that when they got older they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).”

How’s that for starters?

The bottom line is that these children did not just, for the most part, get mean all on their own. Mom and dad, played a part, also. Now, as with most generalizations, there are exceptions, but I don’t think we can deny that this is a good starter.

So, I say band the assault weapons, place age limits on gun ownership without parental supervision, and educate our children to “rat on” those they suspect of potential violent behavior. Further, it is my considered opinion that agencies responsible for monitoring our society should be held accountable for negligence, as for example those individuals who recently allow the Lakeland’s shooter’s profile to slip by without hardly a second thought.

Now, as far as arming teachers goes, I think that is a personal choice. Just like any other citizen the teacher has a right to own a gun and use it when necessary. We should, however, not depend on our teachers to be both police officers and teachers at the same time. Let’s let teachers teach, and police officers protect. In closing, I must say, school gun free zones are just a bunch of hooey, criminals will never pay any attention to that anyway.

Normally, I don’t like to mix politics and religion, but at times it is simply unavoidable, particularly in a democratic society.

Again, may God give us both the wisdom and the will to do that which is right. So, take care, and walk softly before the Lord, and by all means let us pray for our president, and those in responsible positions.

I am yours for a better tomorrow,

 JimR_/

Fake news a sign of the times?

Data communication will eventually destroy America, if we do not repent as a nation. This I say because data is only as good as its source. So, when data is received without first filtering it through a truth grid, then we are in big trouble. And, friends, this is precisely what fake news is all about. Lying is accepted as the gospel truth by-in-large, it seems, by a substantial segment of our society, then acted upon—that is, either regurgitated by the liberal press, or by godless activists out to deceitfully destroy what little moral structure we have left.

One of the great challenges that we as a nation face is sifting through all the digital information that is communicated over the internet, and figuring what picture has been cropped, or data distorted, or purposeful lies spread just for the sake of misinforming the public—either for fun, or because some hacker is bored, or for a more sinister unpatriotic and treasonous reason, or for some partisan advantage.

The Bible speaks not only against telling a lie, but also against “he that maketh a lie (Rev. 21:27 KJV).” And, boy is the Devil at work twisting the news with made up stories to spew out his distortions! Problem is, about the only way to check it out is through more internet, or fishing around to find some network that will stay honest long enough for you to trust it. Biased reporting, liberal, conservative, or otherwise, is not reporting at all—it is simply some reporter pushing their agenda. So, running down truth over internet or through media outlets is an endless conundrum, and frustrating to say the least. So, unless and until we get enough honest people controlling the media we are in deep trouble.

Scriptures speak against those who choose to believe a lie, and delight in doing so (2 Thess. 2:12; Rom. 1:18-32). God forbid that we who have been sanctified by the Spirit ever indulge is such nefarious practices (Thess. 2:13).

Now, once again, may God give us the wisdom and strength to resist evil, and cling to that which is good.

 Take care, and walk softly before the Lord,

 JimR_/

Meekness is most certainly not weakness . . .

It has been my experience down through the years to see some Christians walk around with an air of humility, cocksure that they are humble by the way they conduct themselves—the way they dress, beverages they do or don’t drink, the pious smiles on their faces, or in a thousand and one other ways. 

All in all, the point is, they are living miserably under a set of self-inflected sanctimony of do’s and don’ts that adds absolutely nothing spiritually to their standing before God; and, as a matter of fact, distracts from pure holiness. Self-imposed piety is, of course, the simplest form of self-delusion, as well as at times sheer hypocrisy. The Bible certainly speaks against such “voluntary humility” or “self-imposed piousness (Colossians 2:18)”—that’s for sure!

Regarding this, I am reminded of the story told of a young priest, who was considered as the first living candidate in history for sainthood. When the clerics came to interview him to affirm such a distinction, the first thing the chief interrogator said was: “Young man, we have come to affirm your sainthood.” “Yes,” the sanctimonious priest answered, “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?” At that, the old priest in charge, replied: “Well, son, let me put it this way, it is obvious that we didn’t wait nearly as long as we should have.” And, with that the committee of clerics left the room. As they, of course, should have. 

Humility, which is an expression of true holiness comes naturally to a real saint. It is not something that is forced, voluntarily or otherwise. One is either humble, or one is not. However, neither humility, nor meekness—which is the outward form of humbleness, should never be confused with weakness. A humble and meek character is a strong character, settled in confidence, and solid thru and thru. Neither needs to force an issue, either. One that is meek and lowly always gets their way, for that is what meekness and humility are all about. 

During this post-reformation anniversary year, we would do well to remember that, as Luther discovered, we are saved not by our works of righteousness, but rather thru faith in God’s promises to effectively work that miracle in us (Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-6:24).

Now, friends, I have no particular group in mind—the principles apply to all. Mennonites, for example are no more or less holy than others. The same goes for tongue speaking Charismatics who rejoice in a façade of exuberant worship, either—since only God knows what true character of spirit lays beyond that. The facts are, we should not expect a godly pat on the back because of what we eat or drink, or on how often we attend church, or whether we go to church on Easter or Christmas, or any other Christian habit simply because it is the thing to do. True holiness does not work that way. Meekness and humility come from the inside out, not the other way around.

When it comes to holiness, as expressed in meekness and humility, we all could take a good lesson from grammar. Yes, grammar. We are to be holy—not simply act as if we are. Being is a matter of character, an essence, our true nature. So, when Peter reminds us that God has said that we are to be holy as He is holy, he is talking about holiness in the very core of our nature (1 Peter 1:16)—the very essence of who we are. Façades of holiness are never pleasing to God, now or ever.

Personally, I have never met, nor expect to meet, a man or woman who champions their holiness, that really is holy. Holiness, meekness, humility, and all the other attributes that spring out of the spiritual core of a true saint are what they are in both the sunshine and the rain, in dark times as well as the bright. Through it all, His loving kindness endures forever (Ps 136:1b), and when we are rooted and grounded in Him, so does ours.

May God give us the wisdom to see the difference,

 JimR_/