Herrin Daily Thoughts

Thursday, March 23, 2017

The End of Mark: Difficult Verse 9

Difficult Verse #9
by Pastor David Stogsdill

The End of Mark
Mark 16:9-20 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

These verses set off a firestorm among the different denominations of Christianity. First, there are those who believe that this portion of Mark does not even belong in the Bible. They cite the “experts” who say that these verses do not appear in the “earliest copies” of the Greek New Testament, namely the two copies that are used for every modern English version of the Bible. The Greek New Testament Text of modern versions comes from a combination of these two texts that were out of circulation for more than 1,000 years, they are different Greek Text that was used to create the King James Version of the Bible. One was found in the Vatican and the other in the city of Alexandria. From this combo there are 5,604 differences when compared to the KJV. There are 1,952 OMISSIONS; 467 ADDITIONS and 3,185 CHANGES. In these 5,604 places there are 4,366 more words included, making a total of 9,970 Greek words that were involved. This means that in a Greek Text of 647 pages an average of 15.4 words per page are different from the Received Text, which is the name of the Greek Text the KJV was translated from. So that’s the first difficulty to overcome. The KJV is based upon over 5,000 manuscripts or texts, and while they may not be the oldest around, they were the ones that were in use rather than being hid away and not used for 1,000 years. We believe that the 5,000 are more reliable than just 2 manuscripts, which are 2 copies, old but still just two. So we believe that this portion of Mark is Scripture.

Secondly, the difficult portion of this Scripture is found in verses 16 to 18. There are those that confuse the Bible and the topic of salvation by teaching one of two erroneous thoughts about verse 16. One that teaches salvation by baptism and the other that the baptism referred to here is not water baptism but baptism by the Spirit. First, it is water baptism. There is no baptism by the Holy Spirit, but rather Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of God is the element not the administrator of baptism. So if it is water baptism then what is meant by this verse? To understand it is very simple, the emphasis is on belief not baptism. He that believeth versus he that believeth not. If you believeth not then you are damned, it does not say if you are not baptized then you are damned. The charismatic crowd believes that these verses teach a Spirit baptism that will give you the “gifts” of tongues, miracles and healing for today. History shows something different. These signs were given to the earliest Christians, on the day of Pentecost and a few other times in the NT tongues were used as a means of preaching the Gospel, the Apostle Paul was bitten by a deadly snake and felt no harm and we read of these early disciples raising the sick, but the key to understanding their use is found in verse 20. They were used to confirm the preaching and once the Bible was completed here on earth these signs faded from use by our Lord. There are no records that any of these signs have continued, though there are claims that they have started up again within the last 120 years. But we do not believe the modern movement is of God.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Safe Genocide

Safe genocide! What do I mean by that?

Genocide is intentionally killing large numbers of people. It has happened many times in history, especially to the Jews, but the most notorious case of genocide was in the Nazi concentration camps. There was barbarity there, but some with a semblance of a conscious developed a method of safe genocide.

Dr. Sigmund Rascher of the Buchenwald concentration camp bragged that he had planned and supervised the gas chambers there, and was responsible for the use of prisoner guinea pigs for medical experimentation. Capt. A. Payne Best said this about that subject:

"Obviously he (Rascher) saw nothing wrong and considered it a matter of expediency. As regards the gas chambers he said that Himmler, a very kind-hearted man, was most anxious that prisoners be exterminated in a manner which caused them the least anxiety and suffering and the greatest trouble had been taken to design a death chamber so camouflaged that it's purpose would not be apparent, and to regulate the flow of lethal gas so that the patients might fall asleep without recognizing that they would never wake... Rascher said they had never quite succeeded in solving the problem caused by the varying resistance of different people to the effects of poisonous gases and always there had been a few who lived longer than the others and recognized what was happening." (Bonhoeffer; Eric Metaxes; Thomas Nelson publisher; page 509).

This conversation between Capt. Best and the killer Rascher is an example of what I call totalitarian safe genocide.

First off, the activities at concentration camps were hidden from the general public. They had been duped into believing that those were merely prisons, even though they realized because it was a Third Reich policy that the deformed and insane could be euthanized.

"'In October 1939, Hitler himself initiated a decree which empowered physicians to grant a 'mercy death' to “patients considered incurable according to the best available human judgment of their state of health.' The intent of the so called 'euthanasia' program, however, was not to relieve the suffering of the chronically ill. The Nazi regime used the term as a euphemism: its aim was to exterminate the mentally ill and the handicapped, thus 'cleansing' the 'Aryan' race of persons considered genetically defective and a financial burden to society." (https://www.ushmm.org/learn/students/learning-materials-and-resources/mentally-and-physically-handicapped-victims-of-the-nazi-era/euthanasia-killings).

You see, the general public was quite aware of the mercy killing as a matter of convenience. The reason that the government gave was that soldiers were in need of the resources being used by the defective people. In effect, their life had no importance, and as such, they were easily sacrificed. No one raised much of a stink because it wasn't them! After all, it was now non-revocable law.

The killing factories were built far removed from the population centers to disguise what they were. There, even the stench of burning flesh could not be smelled by civilized (sic) society.

Heinrich Himmler was the Reichsfuhrer of the S.S. That was the special death squad which was part of Hitler's regime. He committed suicide at the end of the war rather than face the death sentence for crimes against humanity. Rascher saw him as "a very kind-hearted man". Buchenwald's gas chambers were constructed so as to kill innocent people - Jews, Christians, atheists, and fellow Germans, as humanely as possible. Of course some who took it in their own hands murdered callously because hearts were hardened as death became more acceptable. Some even delighted in being part of the death of others!

It bothered Rascher that he could not completely solve the problem that some of the so-called patients realized that they were dying. He failed at his job because he tried to allow them to die without ever realizing that they were dying. That, my friends is safe genocide. It's killing without pain, and preferably dying without even realizing it!

Now for my point: This is an example as to how low human beings can be, and rationalize their depravity by making it humane!

Right after the war, the American liberators forced the German public to tour some of the death camps. They were appalled, even though they knew it was going on, and they did nothing to stop it. Even so-called Christians, it was said, just sang a little louder! Civilized societies said, it must never happen again.

Well, here we are: It is happening again! The deaths of the innocents still occur each day by the thousands. It's not the S.S. with safe genocide, but Planned Parenthood with their safe abortions!

I saw an interview of the executive vice-president of Planned Parenthood with Tucker Carlson. Some of it went this way:

"In an interview with Tucker Carlson about proposed cuts of half a billion dollars to the abortion giant in the American Healthcare Act, Planned Parenthood executive vice president, Dawn Laguens, made it clear again just how important the fetus is to their success. Fetus, of course, the Latin term meaning “an unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular an unborn human baby more than eight weeks after conception.” When asked specifically what she thinks a fetus is, Laguens explained that a fetus has a magical ontological status, which depends entirely on what each individual woman decides that it is." (National Catholic Register; http://www.ncregister.com/blog/cgress/tucker-carlson-schools-latin-loving-planned-parenthood-vp-in-the-art-of-pla).

Reichsfuhrer Laguens seemed to be a very kind-hearted woman, just how Rascher described Himmler. Actually, she smiled and explained that the fetuses are not human at all, and would never answer whether she ever considered that life was being destroyed. You see, death must have calloused her heart. She sat there and smiled although she is responsible for millions of deaths in the abortion death camps which they camouflage as health centers. Even more disconcerting is that they hide their death camps mostly near and in the inner cities to destroy those most defective; to wit: the black race. Yes, abortion is mostly about the safe genocide of the black race because it is aimed at them! Abortion, they say, must be safe and legal. Genocide was done safely they said, and it was legal.

In Planned Parenthood facilities, they take great care in concealing the fact that they are death facilities. Even sonograms are discouraged because viewing the life inside them might make the women uncomfortable. Ms. Himmler, I mean Ms. Lauguens, doesn't want any discomfort on the part of the mother's they deceive!

Now for the safe abortion itself: We are told that Planned Parenthood offers health care services. The government even finances them - you do the financing as a taxpayer! However, they make millions off their abortion services to rid mothers of the inconveniences of the parasitical sub-humans (sic) living inside them. The reason can even be that mothers-to-be are feeling a little stressful, a little inconvenience you might say, just as the Jews were.

The death camps for the Jews were part of Endlösung, or the Final Solution. It sounds like end of the song does it not? To rid Germany of the Jewish problem, euthanasia was the way to do it, and killing safely was the way to do it. They even had mobile death wagons for convenience. Death came to the Jews, they didn't even need to go anywhere. How convenient!

There are many parallels, and I could share them, but sensitive people should have the picture by now: No one can be safely killed by abortion or by genocide! The safeness was and is only to calm the conscious of those doing the killing. After awhile they learn to kill without remorse. Heinrich Himmler and Dawn Laguens are both examples of that. Civilized people don't murder their most brilliant race of people. Civilized people don't murder the most innocent in society. Civilized people don't murder at all!

America is uncivilized. Some of them were before that, but the American Reichstag - the United States Supreme Court, upheld crimes against humanity with Roe v. Wade in 1973. Only twenty-some years after we said it will never happen again, it happened again! Harry Blackmun played the role of Heinrich Himmler. The name Blackmun must be held in the same contempt as Himmler is now! He is guilty of crimes against humanity. Laguens is as well. So is the current Supreme Court for allowing it to continue!

What is worse than that is that civilized people applaud safe abortion. Even Christians just sing a little louder so they can't hear the screams of injustice. It is hard for me to even consider that my friends and neighbor might be the German-minded citizens who condone such barbarity. Even worse that the liberal church, akin to the Reich Church, supports abortion! What has this nation come to? Read the account of the days of Noah; that is where we are.

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Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Beatitude: Those Who Mourn

Beatitude: Those who mourn.

Mourning is grieving. Grief can be because of the lost of a loved one, economic hardship, injustices of some sort, or even grieving because the person fails to measure up to God's expectations. Many of us mourn for other people who are destined for eternal persecution.

Mourning for the physical condition is not what I see as the emphasis here. For instance, being down because the person does not have material things does not result in bliss. In fact it's self-centeredness, and is not trusting God. God never promised us earthly treasures, but did our needs. If you are alive today, thank Him. You don't deserve to be!

On the other hand, mourning the loss of a loved one can be selfish or generous, and maybe even both. For instance, perhaps mourning because a loved one has died is noble because it's associated with loving others. On the other hand, mourning because one will miss the departed person is more self-centered. Of course it is a natural human response, but it's really feeling sorry for oneself.

If the departed was a lost sinner, because the person may be in hell, is a cause of mourning. That is a loving reaction. God will honor that.

Mourning because of the condition of the world is one of justice. Injustice is because the world has turned against God. Mourning for the world is noble because just as God so loved the world, we must too. Mourning for the world is noble. Noah mourned for the world when those on it died. Abraham mourned for the world when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. It was just in both cases, but the injustice was the world's disobedience.

The issues of abortion and same-sex marriage right now are on the hearts of many. Both are an injustice to mankind. Christians should never hate them for their views, but mourn for them. Why? Because their injustice can lead to eternal death.

Killing the Jews was unjust. Even though most of them were sinners, as we are, Hitler had no authority to cleanse the earth. It was unfair to those Christians, Jews, and even unbelievers that National Socialists destroyed because many of them were deprived of their personal decision to be born-again. Taking life is always injustice, and it's noble to mourn the loss of life.

At this point in time, even Christians are ignoble because as many of the unborn are dying, as people were during the holocaust, they just sing a little louder. Their song is a merry one which takes their minds off injustice. We are not blessed when we fail to mourn. The same goes for racial injustice, although that justice does not include liking diverse cultures and religions. We should treat everyone the same, but respect for them is limited by what they believe.

I mourn for me. Each and every time I sin, I mourn for me because I am weak. We must all do that because we all are weak. When I fail God, I know that I deserve death, but realize that I am totally dependent on God to forgive me. I can't restore myself, but must depend on him. I mourn sometimes because I try to forgive my own sins, and fail to depend on God for deliverance.

The old adage, before God will forgive you, you must forgive yourself, is hogwash and heretical. We have no authority to pardon our own wrongs,, and the presumption that we can trivializes redemption.

True forgiveness can only be obtained when we realize that only God can truly forgive.

I not only mourn when I sin, but also when I'm presumptive enough to think that I can change things myself. God honors my mourning, I'm certain, because I recognize my human frailty, and understand that I don't deserve anything! He knows that I mourn, nor for me, but because I neglect Him.

Mourning is tightly knit to attitude. If we mourn because of the things of God, we are blessed. If we mourn because our own self is trivialized, then mourning is not a blessing.

Even mourning for the dead is a good thing because it shows a loving attitude. I even fall short there. Since we're all destined to die the first death, seldom can I truly mourn for the deceased. Because I am poor at empathy often I do not mourn for those who lost the loved one. When I do mourn for those things, I am elated because mourning is a good thing, and expected. We can never trivialize the value of human life because God loves all of those who have died.

God even loved Stalin and Hitler. That seems unfair, but God so loved the world, included dictators too. God surely even cried because they died and went to hell, and we should too. Of course, God cried hard when they were committing their atrocities because God so loved the ones who were being killed and denied their right to longevity. I still think on the mindset of the German people, and mourn for their falling for deception.

I hate the condition of the world and what the church has become even though I criticize them vehemently. Why? Because they are lost, but God want's that none should perish.

Mourning is the display of caring. I mourn for myself when I realize that I don't care. Apathy is the inability to be mourn. When people reflect on the plight of others and the emotions of God, that's a good thing. It's a sign that we care, and if we care, we mourn. Mourning if done as God wills, will result in God's blessings. Of course we can't fake God out, or mourn just to receive blessings. Mourning must be heartfelt, not just done out of duty.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Unfruitful Fig Tree: Difficult Verse 8

The Unfruitful Fig Tree

by Pastor David Stogsdill

Mark 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

Mark 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

Mark 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

This episode is a great lesson about the frauds within Christianity. 1. Those who follow the sign and know nothing of the substance. 2. Those who have opinion but not faith, creed but not credence. 3. Those who have talk without feeling. 4. Those who have regrets without repentance. 5. Those who have resolve without action. Jesus is the Judge that condemns those who have “Doctrine without Practice;” “Leaves without Fruit;” “Profession without Possession” the difficulty from these verses comes from the belief there can be salvation without a changed life. But salvation changes a life, so we can rest assured if there is no change then there has been no salvation. You will not remain fruitless if you are saved. Jesus Christ, the Almighty God, expects a befitting and appropriate nature from the being He has endowed with salvation. This story teaches that God expects a proportionate quantity of fruit from each person. Luke 12:48 …For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Pastor David Stogsdill

Grace Bible Baptist Church

The Compromised Church: Creeping Heresy

The mantra from liberals or those naïve is that we must compromise. Of course that demand is most often used when the other party is in charge! Compromise is the demand for bi-partisanship, and usually, that means doing things the liberal party's way, or all hell will pay.

Compromise is a way of settling differences by making concessions. Let's tear this construct apart for just a few minutes: A & B are two divergent positions. For agreement to come about, compromise is the way to do it. Both parties A & B believe their positions are right. One or the other is right, and one or the other is wrong. Sometimes both are wrong, but seldom are both right.

In order to compromise one or both parties must concede something. Those concessions are pried away from party A's or party B' positions of correctness. Compromise means one or the other party intentionally does what is wrong to come to agreement. If both parties digress from their original position, both parties agree to do something that they believe is wrong. Because agreement to do wrong is reached, doesn't make the wrong right. The world is full of wrongness because of compromise. The secular world looks at compromise as a good thing, but it is in reality, terrible!

Left-wingers are masters of compromise. Their motis operandi is to compromise because it's a winner for them. Creeping socialism depends on compromise, and it's merely a delaying tactic to achieve their agenda. Liberals propose a position, let's say a proposed law, so far out that they have zero expectations that it will ever become law. They have no problem with compromise because after their concessions, they have what they wanted all along. They do that one bill at a time over a period of years. Their liberal media has made compromise a beautiful thing because it eventually gets them what they wanted in the first place!

The Church's position is that their doctrine is truth. Of course, that's the true church because some denominations intentionally teach falsehoods because their agenda differs from God's will. (Yes, all denominations have agendas). Right-wing fundamentalists have an agenda which endeavors to persuade everyone to believe in Jesus. Their desire is that everyone do God's will so that all can be saved. They are honest about that, and are inflexible and dogmatic because truth can't be bargained away, in their view.

Liberal denominations have compromised. They even brag about their open-mindedness and complain about the narrow viewpoint of fundamentalists. Unfortunately, liberal denominations have traded God's will for the doctrine of men for various reasons: (1) Societal pressures, (2) government intervention, (3) power, (4) membership, (5) pride, (6) social justice, (7) weakness, (8) scientific theory, (8) fear, or (9) because they aren't true believers. All are excuses, and as such, are wrong reasons. Scripture tells Christians to stand firm in the faith.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

It takes a strong person with unshakeable faith to stand firm. It's more like, be men! Standing firm in the faith is to be uncompromising. For instance, one reason that abortions are still legal is because either there are few Christians or because Christians compromise their beliefs. Those are the same reasons we have same-sex marriage and various other perversions.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."

The traditions in this passage are those things which Jesus taught the apostle's about his will. Those traditions are divine truth. Most denominations have not stood firm as this passage stresses; they have compromised. The list is many. Society and their own organizations refer to them as mainline churches. They are policed by the secular witch hunters, and bow to their wishes. Unchristian mobs define mainline denominations, and those organizations compromise what they once believed for secular approval. Hence, mainline denominations are state religions because they do as the state demands, and their doctrine more closely resembles the law of sin rather than the law of God. They have crept away from tradition, and have become the anti-Church.

That is creeping heresy. The buildings in those denominations are dens for thieves because they have stolen God's word and replaced it with their own. Scripture says that they will be destroyed in God's time. I won't be in one when that happens!

Mainline churches are the spiritual equivalent of socialism; they hold the same doctrine as godless Marxism, but just won't admit it. Because they use Jesus's name, doesn't mean that they do his will.

Matthew 7:21 (ESV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven... 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

This is the condition of the compromised church! It is no church at all! Rather than doing God's will they do what is right in their own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:8).

Like the politicians who compromise their principles to develop governmental hogwash, the liberal mainline churches have done the same. Liberalism in the churches encourages autocratic wrongs in the government. One reason Christians countries have had totalitarian governments is because their churches crept toward liberalism. They are the Compromised Church to the extent that they are anti-Church. They are religious, but not Christian. Rather than the old time religion of Christ, they are the antiquated religion of the golden calf.

Commercial time: Look for my new book, The Skull of Adam" on Amazon and the bookshelves of Barnes and Noble and Christian bookstores. I think you'll be enlightened with God's Plan for mankind.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Letter to Editor: LGBTQ and F

Letter to the editor to Ernie Ezell's support of the so-called Fairness Ordinance of this morning's Bowling Green Daily News:

RE: TREAT FAIRLY - Ernie Ezell

"There is nothing new under the sun!" said the wisest man who ever lived. Times are not changing. The world has the same old problems: people rebel by disregarding God's will.

Mr. Ezell's view is the doctrine of the anti-Church. First off, A she God has been around as long as Astarte. It is heresy, and the church has always condemned it.

The true Church are those people who profess the God of the bible, and confess him as their Lord. Mr. Ezell presented the case for a new truth - his version. It appears that his foolishness is self-worship in that he seems to know more than the God he misrepresents.

God did use a cookie-cutter (Ezell's words) at the creation. He created man in His own image. Only with the advent of sin, did diversity and adversity enter the world. Alternate behaviors are the various mutations of the original cookie (sic).

Christians are to love LGBTQ's and XYZ's, but on God's terms, not theirs! What is it that God expects? A new creature from the old! We're to be like the original cookie from which we were cut!

Passing off the old deception as the new truth, has been around a long time. Let us love LGBTQ's and F's, but not their in-your-face quest for acceptance. (F's are fools, Mr. Ezell).

Beatitude: Poor in Spirit

Beatitude means being in a state if utmost bliss, according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary. Well here is a list of utmost blissfulness from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5 (ESV)

The Beatitudes:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Today's thought are on those poor in spirit. Each day a different beatitude will be examined. Of course the idea is for you to have a daily blessing!

Of all these blessings, most are for those whose countenance is down or are focused on others. You see, Christians are to be Christ-focused, with their eyes either on Jesus or others,

Those poor in spirit are those who are not content with life's situations. Perhaps life hasn't went well for their family, or the times are trying. Perhaps the forces of evil unfairly attack them when they endeavor to live right.

I don't believe those poor in spirit include those selfish people who feel badly because they don't get what they want, or feel sorry for their position in life, although it may include those who know they aren't deserving of God's grace.

When I sin, I feel guilty because I am. That guilt that I feel is from God, and it's his way of calling me back to right living. Guilt is because of his grace, but the guilt-ridden person is poor in spirit. That poorness of spirit is a pre-requisite for repentance.

Matthew 4:17 ESV From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Luke 5:32 ESV I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Those who are poor in spirit are called by Jesus Christ to repent. Grief - poor in spirit, leads to repentance, the necessary ingredient for forgiveness. A forgiven person, because of God's grace, is blissful. In fact his forgiving grace is the utmost bliss!

It would seem that those poor in spirit are focused on themselves. Indeed, they are, but it's the case when they know that they don't measure up to God's expectations. I am often disappointed in myself, and my spirits are down. Stop at that, and I'm just self-centered, but with repentance, Jesus lifts me up. James spoke on this very issue:

James 4:8 "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

If this verse is examined it essentially says: If you are poor in spirit, let the Lord lift you up. His exalting those who mourn and weep is one case of a beatitude.

We don't lift ourselves out of wretchedness - Jesus does! It's not what we do, but our attitude about God. A right attitude leads to a beatitude. Being poor in spirit isn't a negative thing because it leads to blessings.

This poor in spirit doesn't shake well with positive Christianity. Thinking positive thoughts doesn't change those poor in spirit. Turning to God does!

I've old this story before, but it is worth repeating. It's about Jack and Sandy.

Jack was an army colonel married to Sandy. They lived in Kentucky. With the counseling of positive Christianity they said positive things. When asked, How are you doing? each would answer: Terrific!

I heard that so many times that I called them Mr. and Mrs. Terrific.

One day I saw Jack in Lexington. I inquired about Sandy. Jack replied, "We're divorced now." I then asked, "How are you doing, Jack?" Of course he responded positively: "I'm terrific!"

About six months went by. I saw Sandy in Lexington. I inquired about Jack. She told me her version of the divorce. I asked her, "How are you doing?" "I'm terrific!" she replied. "How about Jack?" She looked forlorn. "He's dead."

"What happened?" I asked. "Jack committed suicide." Jack wasn't as terrific as he said he was. He was depressed and poor in spirit.

Jack wasn't so terrific, and neither was Sandy. Jack was dead and Sandy was poor in spirit. Neither had been terrific, but they had always been poor in spirit.

Being poor in spirit is not the time for self-pity. It's a time to let Jesus lift you up!

The entire Book of Job is a lesson on being poor in spirit. Job was tested when God allowed Satan to test his spirit. During the test, Job was poor in spirit. Nothing went right for him, but then the Lord lifted him up, just as he says he will.

For those poor in spirit right now, rather than wallowing in self-pity, consider your circumstances. You are ripe for an utmost blessing! Things can get better! This situation has been a test. Groan and weep when you're tested, but turn to the Lord and let him exalt you.