The Christian Box – Part Two

If the Earth were a giant caldron, our Lord Y’shuaJesus came to make sure it was well stirred. Take a look at the following selection from The Book of John.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”

John 5:5-10

Israel-People001 — Invalid at the wall
Jerusalem Old City, Israel
Photo by Wil Robinson

This invalid spent thirty-eight years waiting to be helped to the healing waters. Lord Y’shuaJesus comes along and says, in essence, “If you want to be healed, break the rules of the Sabbath that say you can’t carry any load.” What would you do? Would you refuse, because you follow the rules? Would you question the Lord, try to find out why you were to break the rules of the Sabbath?

G-d made the Sabbath rules in the first place (Jer_17:21; Neh_13:15; Exo_20:8-10). Why did Y’shuaJesus command the invalid to break them then? “It may be answered, wrote Albert Barnes (1798-1870):

“1. That the Son of man was Lord of the Sabbath, and had a right to declare what MIGHT be done, and even to dispense with a POSITIVE law of the Jews, Mat_12:8; Joh_5:17.
“2. This was a poor man, and Jesus directed him to secure his property.
“3. The Jews extended the obligation of the Sabbath beyond what was intended by the appointment. They observed it superstitiously, and Jesus took every opportunity to convince them of their error, and to restore the day to its proper observance, Mat_12:6-11; Luk_6:9; Luk_13:14; Luk_14:5. This method he took to show them what the law of God really “permitted” on that day, and that works of necessity and mercy were lawful.”

The religious community got it wrong. Lord Y’shuaJesus made the rules, and set about trying to show people there is some depth to them, some principles behind them.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Christian Box

Is is just me, or do you feel as though we, as Christians, are placed into a particularly small box, confined to a narrow set of behaviors considered “Christian”? Take the following scripture and Matthew Henry’s own comments on it as an example of how it all starts.

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

Matthew Henry commented: “The servant of the Lord must not strive, 2Ti_2:24. Nothing worse becomes the servant of the Lord Jesus, who himself did not strive nor cry (Mat_12:19), but was a pattern of meekness, and mildness, and gentleness to all, than strife and contention. The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all men, and thereby show that he is himself subject to the commanding power of that holy religion which he is employed in preaching and propagating. – Apt to teach. Those are unapt to teach who are apt to strive, and are fierce and froward. Ministers must be patient, bearing with evil, and in meekness instructing (2Ti_2:25) not only those who subject themselves, but those who oppose themselves.”

My dispute with Mr. Henry isn’t that we, as followers of Y’shuaJesus, are not encouraged to not stir up strife. And, certainly, it behooves us to be considerate in all our dealings with all people. No, my dispute is that this places us into a small, confining box. By this commentary upon the Words of G-d, we are confined to fulfilling only one roll, utilizing one tool, in our daily living.

Let’s take a look at our example of what a true believer is to be. Let’s look at Y’shuaJesus as he appears to his disciples.

And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

John 2:13-17

In the English Standard Bible Version, verse 17 concludes with “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This public display certainly shocked the disciples who had been with Y’shuaJesus for some time. Those disciples saw his first miracle, at the wedding where He turned water into wine. These disciples had seen His gentle ways, His meekness. Now these disciples witnessed the first public display of our Lord Y’shuaJesus. What part of gentle, meek, and mild is that display? What do we learn from it? We learn that “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?
And [Y’shuaJesus] said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Matthew 22:36,37

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

A Golden Retriever’s Trick or Treat

Here’s a simple story that I find lots of truth: A Golden Retriever’s Trick or Treat By Terence P. Jeffrey

In other news conservative commentator Glenn Beck says it’s time for conservatives in America to leave liberal states. He sites Israels Babylonian exile as an example of how a people who are exiled can build, prosper, and bless others.

Gotta Run. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

American Election Day

Today is America’s Election Day. For months now candidates have made great efforts to gather support, thereby enough votes. As this day approached, a lot of people speculated who would be the next president of the United States. Yet, American voters, according to a variety of polls, are evenly split between the incumbent president and his primary rival as we go to the voting polls.I read an article that outlined what to look for today as the voting progressed. We can predict the outcome early. We seem to want to know, now, and not wait. Oh, well, that’s not really unusual; we want to know what’s going to happen. Then thing we need to remember is that we just don’t want to take it too far, like King Saul did.

“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreamsor by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”

1Samuel 28:5-9, 11-19, NKJV

King Saul inquired of the Lord. Then, not hearing an answer, inquired of a witch. Not a good thing to do. While I’ve never inquired of a witch, that I know of, I know that I’ve prayed about something and before hearing an answer, gone off and mentioned something to someone, who wainting to be helpful, gave me some answers that I acted upon. Later I wondered if I’d done the right thing.

Learning to wait. Wait upon the Lord. Let Him bring answers to us as He desires.

This pray comes to mind today again. “. . .Lord direct your hearts into the love of G-d, and into the patient waiting of Messiah.” [2Thess 3:5] Also, Lord Y’shuaJesus Bless you, Keep you, and Shine upon you always.

Finally. . .

. . . a song came on XMRadio’s The Message that used the Lord’s Name, Jesus.

Jesus, Your Presence is Heaven to Me, by Israel & New Breed surprised me with it’s frequent use of the Name of Jesus. Check it out here. Here’s a link to some other of Israel & New Breed videos on Yahoo!

A Deeper Level (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And read the lyrics here.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Why do preachers wear all black clothing?

There’s a group of men and women that shoot real and replica guns from the late 19th Century. It’s called Cowboy Action Shooting. There are matches at one of the local ranges. The participants must wear replica clothing, to resemble cowboys, outlaws, lawmen, card sharks, and ladies of the west.

Some years ago I joined one of the associations that promotes this type of shooting, and when asked for a name to be known by at events, like Black Bart, or Trader Joe, I gave Montana Preacher. I did it out of respect for my great-grandfather. He and his wife owned and lived on a ranch in western Montana for a time around the turn of the 19th Century. On my first deer hunt I carried the Winchester he’d had on the ranch. Anyway, I finally got around to thinking about clothing to make my appearance at a Cowboy event at the range, and thought I’d cut the belt loops off of old dress trousers, wear my Ariat Roper boots, and trim the collar on a shirt that looked like it might fit in well. I have a hat and braces (some call them suspenders) that would work nicely, too. I did some research online to see what some western preachers wore. I found there were many circuit preachers that rode from town to town holding church services. The pictures showed them all wearing black, just like so many preachers and all Catholic priests. The problems is that my boots are light brown, the trousers dark brown, and the shirt beige.

So, why do preachers wear all black clothing? When I looked for an answer online, here’s what I found at answer.com:

im not sure, why anyone wears all black!
in the 70’s it was witch covens that wore black
in the 60’s it was beatniks
i heard sinbad (comedian) talk about people who wear black were vampires
i saw a show called “in search of” with leonard nemoy, about those witches and now HE wears all black.
one person told me its about “respect” which is a Sin in the bible.
i think people who wear all black are antichristian and christians wear black to go along with the secret combinations and do not know it is against christ.
others say wearing all black is a form of protection against evil. witch Paglini of the genisarian clans teaches this
ive heard that Judges wear black robes because of the worship of saturnia. even someone said that the earth used to orbit around saturn or jupiter and they could see saturns rings.

my simple opinion is that it is about power and witchcrafts or sorcery. i have never met a person that wears all black and at the same time be a saint or even trying to be a saint. to me they all look like terrorists and anarchists.

Got any ideas?

Have a lovely fall day! Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Human Kindness

This morning I was thinking about kindness. Actually, I was thinking more on the lack of it. It’s not just in other people with whom I come in contact, but it is with me, too. I just don’t feel truly kind anymore, like the irritability I often feel saps it from me. Maybe it’s a sign of these Times, like love waning, becoming cold. Maybe it’s just me getting old and grumpy.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

A quick web search on Biblical Kindness, the kindness of the Lord Y’shuaJesus, came up with an interesting article at Bible Study Tools. The article points out that the word kindness is but one of many terms that overlap in meaning. Like the word mercy as used in Hosea.

“Human Kindness The Scriptures also teach that divine kindness is to be reflected in the human experience. Indeed, expressing kindness to other human beings is more important than performing ritual sacrifice to God ( Hosea 6:6 ; Matt 9:13 ; 12:7 ). Thus, we are to love kindness ( Mic6:8 ) and to be children of the Most High, exhibiting his kindness and mercy ( Luke 6:35-36 ). Even more direct is the simple injunction to be kind ( Eph 4:32 ). Kindness often finds a place in the lists of Christian virtues ( 1 Col 13:4 ; Col 3:12 ). Paul can take the injunction a step further and claim to exemplify kindness in his own life to a degree that commends his ministry as authentic ( 2 Cor 6:6 ).

“Yet human imitation of God’s kindness does not come naturally. In fact, ultimately no one is kind ( Psalm14:3 ; Rom 3:12 ). It is only as the fruit of God’s Spirit that kindness can be a consistent part of the believer’s experience ( Gal 5:22 ).” (from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology.)

So I can see that in truth, it’s not that I’m becoming unkind through my irritability, it’s that I’m unkind in my inhuman nature. It’s probably “normal” to be irritable and unkind. To be truly kind, my ministry must be authentic, my works pure, and the fruit of the Spirit will create in me the kindness I lack.

Lord, create in me a clean heart, bringing me to an authentic life in You, that I might display Your kindness to all with whom You allow me contact. AMEN.

And to y’all. . . Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . . creating in you, too, a clean heart to be filled with the Peace of the Lord Y’shuaJesus. AMEN.

The Finished Pantry

Between various landscaping projects, hauling a lot of top soil, and chauffeuring teenagers, I finished the pantry. The shelving [part of one wall is seen in the photo] is espresso-colored, melamine-coated particle board, mounted to double brackets that fit into a wall bracket that allows them to be adjusted up or down, as needed. There are five main brackets mounted directly into studs. Should be hefty enough to cram even more stores. I had to go to four different big-box “lumber yards” to get enough of them to do the job. Either the shelves are popular, and stock is low, or they aren’t and stock is minimal.

You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.

Leviticus 26:10

Knowing we’d be doing the pantry, we haven’t been shopping in a while. Having the food out of the pantry during the rebuilding process provided the opportunity to sort through everything. As it went back in, older stock at the front, we also added a lot of things to a shopping list. I think I’ll be making a CostCo run very soon. I’ve written about preparing for emergencies by having a well-supplied pantry, a deep larder. I don’t think I’ve given any Biblical reference for it. But Moses recorded some of G-d’s advice for daily living, and said that we should eat old store, making ready for new. I’m sure there are a lot of life applications one can take from this scripture, but in simple, practical ways, we eat what what is stored, storing what we buy. It’s nice that our Heavenly Father provided guidance for everyday life.

ASIDE: Okay. No, we don’t store greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We eat some things freshly purchased. Weekly we buy some produce, cheese, and a few other things. But the basics of our meals are taken directly from the pantry or the well-stocked freezer.

Time to get to work. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Remodeling Flaws Add Character

Ants in the Pantry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thinking more about the various flaws in my work in the pantry, I have to confess that even while I wrote that “It’s only a pantry,” it worried me that I wasn’t doing it well enough. I really did try to get it to look right. In fact, when doing some closets, replacing old metal shelving with wooden units, I worked very hard to get the wall smooth and the paint lines clean. Despite this, there remained areas that were less than perfect. I admit that in the pantry I was in a hurry and didn’t want to get sanding dust all over the kitchen. I used a coarse sponge only dampened to smooth out the final coat of drywall mud. I used only one coat of primer, and one coat of paint, too.

Yesterday, with the paint having sat a day, I walked into the pantry and the walls look pretty good. I’m ready to start the shelves. Even the small, noticeable spots that aren’t perfectly smooth look good. They add character. Really, they do.

In relation to flaws, I wrote about David asking G-d to examine him, and how hard it is to do the same for myself. I talked of G-d cleaning up some of our flaws that might cause bigger problems if left unattended. But what about the other flaws? As I thought more about them, I wondered if some flaws don’t add character, too. Additionally, there may also be some benefits to some flaws left un-repaired. Think about Paul, and what he wrote to the church at Corinth.

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Some say Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was problems with his eyes. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Paul came to understand that the “thorn” was beneficial to his walk with the Lord. Perhaps Paul’s “thorn” could be said to give him his unique character.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

Remodeling Flaws

Among the projects this week is remodeling a pantry. It’s not too large, and had metal closet shelving installed along two walls. First, I tore out the shelving, then removed the hardware. Next, I filled all the large holes that were left when the hardware was removed. There were a lot of holes, too. I got by with two coats of drywall/sheetrock compound (mud) one each hole. The first coat filled the holes, the second blended the area in with the wall. After one coat of primer it looks pretty good. There are a few places that could have been sanded smoother, but, hey, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just a pantry after all.

There is an new hardwood floor in that pantry. While painting, as I cut along the base board, I could see small imperfections in the joints of the boards and in the new shoe molding. I could feel, too, some nail heads that weren’t put in all the way. Most of the flaws were beneath where the old shelves had been. Hidden. I’m sure the hardwood floor installer said the same thing as me. “It’s just a pantry.” And even with all the shelves out, the walls repainted, any flaws are hard to see until I get right down on my knees, and look real hard. Basically, walking into the pantry things look great, floor and walls. There’s one flaw, however, that will need to be repaired. It’s a tiny sliver of flooring protruding upward. It’s likely to be caught on a dust mop, and the splinter will come off. It still won’t be too noticeable, but will leave a small gap that will trap dirt. Eventually, left untreated, it could trap moisture, which will cause issues to the surrounding wood. A spot of glue will take care of it. Like the saying goes, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Spiritual Lessons Abound. So I’m thinking about what David said to the Lord:

Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Psalm 26:2

First of all, David has guts. He’s basically saying, “Get down on your knees and look real close!” I feel reluctant to echo David’s prayer. There are too many things I’m aware of, so there must be lots of hidden flaws. Yet if I’m willing to say, like King David, “Examine me, O LORD. . .” here’s what I think will happen. The Lord will find the flaw that will cause me trouble if left without repair. The Lord will bring it to my attention. From there

I can confess it and accept His forgiveness for it. And then He’ll glue me back together. Hopefully metaphorically.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .