Thin Skin

     "The flesh" is mankind's problem: "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom 8:8). It seems that "the flesh" is what alienates mankind from God. Of course, "the flesh" is much more than skin, it is the desires of the heart. Many of them are pointed out by Paul:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

     Paul defined indirectly "the flesh" by describing the "works" in which the flesh manifests itself. "Works" are things people do. They require action, lack of action (apathy), thoughts, emotions, and pride. "The flesh" is people doing what they want to do (Deut 12:8). The "original sin" was Adam and Eve eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil although God commanded that they not under threat of death. They ate despite the warning because they did not understand that death is more than living in this world.
     Those things are "the works of the flesh" because the human body is the receptor of pleasure. The soul doesn't want to do those things but the body desires them (Mat 26:41). Sinners don't truly want to sin but they do so anyway. Apathy is when sinners cease considering good and evil, and do the desires of their hearts. That apathetic condition is called "reprobation". Because they just don't care, they damn themselves. It is not God who damns; people damn themselves and then blame God for it. When they are convicted of their foolishness, there are three possible responses: (1) suppress their guilt, (2) confess their guilt, or (3) deny guiltiness. Only one response is acceptable to God and that is heartfelt confession.
     Those who suppress their guilt are thick-skinned. They can take a great amount of denial. Their fortress is the wall which they have built between themselves and God. They can take much threshing without ever yielding. Those with addictions are thick-skinned because their god is extremely strong! Of course, they are their own gods but the flesh is their idol. Addictions appease their idol to the extreme that rather than revering God, they look forward to more and greater works of the flesh. The world asks, "What is your pleasure?" and the thick-skinned sinner says, "more of the same but more intense pleasure and of longer duration."
     Those who confess their guilt are communing with God. They are neither thick-skinned nor thin-skinned but malleable. God convicts, they are convicted and feel sorrow, repent, and decide to do God's will. That state of mind is wisdom. Why so? Because malleable people know they can't dishonor God so they succumb to His will. That is where God wants us - as His!
    Satan is cunning. He uses truth to deceive. Malleable people must pay close attention to who is doing the molding. Discernment is necessary to distinguish between truth and falsehoods. Let's take a look how to beware of the Devil and discern God:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (Jam 4:4-10).

     Friendship with the world is in the flesh. The world provides the lustful things. God does provide one thing which people should lust for: eternal life. The things of the world are temporal, and people do trade their souls for lustful things. If anyone considers temptation, if it is against the Word in Scripture, they are in the flesh. God does not tempt; temptation is always from Satan (Jam 1:13), but allows Satan to tempt to see how thick the flesh can be:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Cor 10:13).

     God allows Satan to tempt to see how thick your skin is! Those who are malleable to God are thick-skinned, just as the addicted sinner is. The difference is to whom is one's skin is thickened! When Christians are tempted God allows it. When He sees that the skin-depth is not enough, God steps in and thickens the Christian's resolve. Part of the new person is allowing God to be their "skin" because he bears temptation for them.
     Thin-skinned people display anger when they are wrong. As I have written many times before, I call that  condition "worlds colliding". Thin-skinned people cannot take criticism from others nor from God. Anger is their defense mechanism to keep their false reality intact on Planet Them. Usually skin-skinned people, rather than using logic, depend on war. That is when world's collide!
     The weapon of skin-thinned people is anger, usually expressed by name-calling, gossiping, intimidation, and the like. Those are how thin-skinned people hate others. Hatred is the nature of thin-skinned people. When confronted by God, they are intimidated and their little world fights back against God of the Universe. Who do you suppose will win?
     They know they can't win the argument with the God of the Universe so they attack God's people. They war with other little worlds. I had one man do that with me, and much to my chagrin, I was humbled. That man provoked me at every chance, and I failed God. I called that sinful man a filthy name. Satan won the battle that day. I was thin-skinned and my righteous world was deflated. That's when God stepped in and thickened my skin. He convicted me, I was humbled, and repented. God took away my thin skin, remolded me to be nearer the image of Him, and made my spiritual "flesh" thicker. In other words, I was humbled! Those with spiritually thick "skin" are the meek.
    Almost everyone, even Christians, are thin-skinned. We know that we should not sin (see the list above) but do it anyway. That is double-mindedness and is instability (Jas 1:18). Believing in righteousness and sinning anyhow is not hypocrisy; it is double-mindedness. It's a state of confusion Satan's emissaries use to create instability in the Christian.  Too much sinning with the full knowledge of its sinfulness is psychologically speaking "cognitive dissonance". When confronted that they are sinners, they become so stressed out that they must deal with it. The most extensive dissonance may lead to self-destruction.  That's what Satan wants. The less disruptive is spiritual psychopathy; just giving in to the law of sin and living as one pleases. That relives the stress of guilt but the guilt remains.
     Thick-skinned people become calloused: "After thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom 2:5-6). Thick-skinned sinners can be detected by their calloused or hardened hearts. The sin of choice is their stronghold. Even those convicted of sin still sin, although they may even prefer to not! Most people have strongholds. They become impervious to guilt. When confronted, those thick-skinned people suddenly become thin-skinned as they defend their fantastical little world.
     You get the idea. Thin-skinned people cannot take conflict. They explode. Thick-skinned or hard-hearted people can explode and quickly become thin-skinned upon confrontation. What are those people - all of us - to do? Relinquish the skin altogether. Crucify the flesh so that it can't get in the way of serving God: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal 5:24).

The Way to Paradise

     Sometimes people are short-sighted. They can only see what is near. God had cut a deal with Abraham. It required maintenance of faith and fidelity to God, and the two rewards were: (1) the promised land, and (2) a return to Paradise. Ironically, they were most likely the same rewards! God issued instructions to Moses and the Jews after the exodus from Egypt (the land of sin) and before entry into the land of milk and honey:

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. (Exod 23:20-22)

     God was seemingly fulfilling half of his promise. Finally, after all those years the Hebrew people were being safely delivered to "Paradise". The promised land was to become the Kingdom of David in a few years. As the navel of the world, it was to be in its center, the medi-terranean (center of the earth; midst of the world). At the same time, God fulfilled the second reward: a return to Paradise!
     Scripture points toward the earth being Eden and Israel its Garden. Israel is eastward in the world, and Jerusalem in the midst of the Kingdom of David. (His Kingdom went from the sea to the Euphrates and from Egypt to what is now Turkey. That will all be God's Kingdom on earth someday as it was before!)
     At that time (of the verses above), the Hebrews were entering what would become the Kingdom of David. Guess who went before them? "An Angel". It is capitalized for a reason; it was God Himself going before them manifested as a Messenger. God's Messenger is what John called "the Word" who was Jesus (John 1:1-14). Never forget that God manifested to mankind is always Jesus! According to the Plan of God, Jesus was delivering them to their salvation. (Jesus means "Yahweh delivers").
     It seemed that they were being led to a land of nourishment and safety. That was what the Garden of Eden was like. The Angel went before them to "keep thee in the way". Guess what Jesus's identity is: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). We know the Way; it is to follow Jesus and trust Him for salvation. That's what the Hebrews must do to enter into "paradise".
     Remember, the gate to the Garden was guarded by cherubim? They served a great purpose:

So he drove out the man (Adam and Eve); and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen 3:24)

     Look at what the cherubim were doing: guarding re-entry to the Garden - the one and only Gate for entry. It was by "the Way of the Tree of Life". God is the Tree of Life (Rev 2:7) and Jesus is the Way to eat of that Tree!  In order to eat of its fruit everyone who does must be peculiar people:

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)

     The Hebrews, the chosen people, were blessed that day and unbeknownst to them, God was speaking of a later event as well. He was referring to the 144,000 Jews who would be saved in the end (Rev 7). Those were God's chosen people who were sealed by the Abrahamic Covenant. God will keep His promise to the Jews in time. Moses knew that! The prophets knew that. The Hebrews didn't but trusted the Lord to deliver them to safety wherever safety was! Exodus 23 is Hebrew salvation, and like it or not, Gentiles are included in the Abrahamic Covenant as well. When the Hebrews returned to Paradise back thousands of years ago, they were making the Way for the world to be saved as progenitors of Jesus.
     Note what the Angel was doing: bringing them to a place which God had prepared for them. God had prepared Israel. It is the Kingdom of God, and in the midst of His Kingdom was the Tree of Life. Well, Jesus provided passage to the heavenly kingdom as he died on his "tree" (the cross). God's Name - Jesus - was the password to the cherubim who guarded the Way. The Hebrew people re-entered Paradise by God's Name. At the end of days, it will be by the same Name with which they enter into the heavenly Paradise! According to God's Plan, Jerusalem, after it is purified, will return to the earthly Jerusalem is now the harlot Babylon!

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Rev 21:1-3)

     God was preparing for the Hebrews a "place". That "place" is described in Revelation. It was indeed the Kingdom of David, but also the Kingdom of God; it was two promises filled in one!

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (John 14:2-4)

    Israel and Heaven are the same place! God didn't promise to prepare two different places. He's God; both places are the same place. Jerusalem, means "foundation of peace". That locale is the place where the Garden once was! Jerusalem, after purification, will be brought back to its foundation!
     Well then, who and where were the cherubim guarding the way?

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Num 13:32-33)

     If you remember, the "giants" were the sons of God who married the daughters of men back in the days of Noah:

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Gen 6:4)

     What am I implying? That the hybrid cherubim-mankind were guarding the gate preventing the Hebrews from re-entering paradise! Only the Angel (Jesus) leading the Way to re-entry could they return to paradise. Just as God provided, Jesus was the password for re-entry. You see, for Scripture to make sense, the Kingdom of David must be the garden of Eden! I like to know that because that's where I will be spending eternity. I have a warm place in my heart for Jerusalem, the present city of Babylon, because the harlot will be destroyed just as in the days of Noah, and a new earth will be fashioned once again.
     God told of the Way in Exodus 23 which I repeat: "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries." That is another way of saying the Third Commandment: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
    Examine that last passage: God's Name is Jesus for that is what He is called. Jesus is the Way; therefore his purpose is salvation because by no other Name can anyone be saved (Acts 4:12). Everyone must believe in Jesus's purpose to be saved, and not take God's sacrfice of His only Son frivolously. Look at the penalty: they shall be guilty! Guilty Hebrews did not enter into Canaan, dying in the wilderness, and neither can they enter into Heaven!
    God was giving the Hebrew people the gospel message. Moses and Joshua knew that but I bet that you didn't! Whenever God spoke to the Jews as the Word, He was speaking to the Gentiles as well through His Word Jesus. What applied to them, applies to us. 

Insurance

      My wife just bought a "new" car. The first thing anyone must do is buy car insurance. The automobile cannot legally be on the road without it.  Insurance is expensive. People are willing to pay, not only for damage to their automobile, but injuries to themselves, and even for death. We worry about our things, our physical condition, and most certainly our own deaths! Drivers can opt out of self-insurance but liability insurance for others is not optional.
     Consider insurance closely: The insurer bets that you will not be in an accident, be injured, nor die. You bet that you will! Of course, the reality is that there are dangerous drivers out there on the highways. The reality is that you may also may be a dangerous driver because we all can make mistakes. No driver is perfect, and the probability that collision with something will occur. Thus, people insure their vehicles because they may not be financially capable of repairing or replacing it. Likewise for injuries. Their health insurance may not be enough although it is also now mandatory. Insurance also pays for distress. People don't like to be hurt and perceive that those at fault pay for their pain!
     In the case of death, insured people are betting that they will die. The insurer is gambling that they won't. Ironically, if you "win" you lose because you will never receive the award. You do it for the benefit of others. Even though you will be dead and not savvy to their discomfort, you still care about them while you are alive. I never bought personal life insurance because I didn't like the losing proposition of insurance. I cared about my loved ones, but gambled that I would not die. Now they are all adults and provided for, and I won the gamble! I am one blessed individual. "Fate" decided that I would not die, and that I would win the gamble. "Fate" is non-existent. I don't believe in abstract faculties to guide and protect me. I believe that everything is for a purpose. I believe that I exist and am healthy for a reason.
     I don't put my trust in any type of insurance. Sure, I may feel more secure with insurance, but I will need to suffer to collect any money, I had dogs chase my bicycle and cause me to wreck. I suffered four-ribs and an ocular bone broken, a facial gash requiring several stitches, and a brain concussion. Homeowners insurance of the dog owner rewarded me for my pain and suffering. I already was insured as well.
     I had paid for my own insurance and others had as well. The insurance companies thus were paid twice for one pay-out. Naïve people pay for insurance twice quite often, and insurance companies make money off people who pay doubly. Insurance is based on the idea that you will pay for an award which you will never obtain! People are foolish; we pay for what will never be received because we are concerned about our well-being. Of course, I would never purposely smash my face against the pavement again for any amount of award! I hate pain.

     "Spiritual regeneration" is insurance against perishing forever. It is free insurance but most people don't buy into it. Why? Spiritual insurance is no different than physical insurance. In order to receive the award, one must change. Even with a hefty insurance policy, because people prefer safety to injury and life to death, they still endeavor to drive safely. Likewise, with spiritual "insurance" God requires safe "driving".  Toward what destination is everyone driving? Eternal life or eternally dying. On what highway must the "driver" traverse? The "Way of Christ". The "ramp" onto it is straight and the "way" narrow, but few drive it, but people drive safely there. They have spiritual safety because, corny as it is, God is indeed their pilot!
     I just declined under and non-insured motorist insurance on my vehicles. The probability that an uninsured driver will collide with me is not likely. Also, even if they do, I am covered elsewhere. Insurance is not for profit but people expect it to be so. They want to make money off their injuries and death. They pay for insurance which they may never need.
     On the other hand, everyone needs spiritual insurance. At an early age, we all discover the reality: I will surely die! That was a sad day for me, but all the insurance in the world will not prevent physical death. The only people in our future who will never experience the sting of death are those who are safe when the Insurer comes to bring them to salvation. He will say, well done good and faithful "driver". 
    For the rest of the people, the majority, they will experience the sting of death. There is no insurance for that travesty! We must all face the reality that death will be suffered. We all dread that day, and no words can comfort us. Most people have a false security: They either (1) remove thoughts of death from their minds, or (2) pleasure themselves as they live false realities. I know that I am going to die, think about it, and know that in spite of pleasure, I will still die.
     There are two deaths: spiritual and physical. No insurance can prevent the first, but there is Insurance that I not experience spiritual death. Most insurance costs money. Insurance companies are paid by the insured to provide comfort from what may not happen. Spiritual insurance is for free and it gives comfort that each person does not experience eternally dying. Unlike physical death which is a "sting" of short duration, spiritual death is eternally dying.
     The spiritual insurance policy is merely trusting the Insurer that he can provide the settlement for the claim; that He has the Power to save from calamity, and the will to do so. The Insurer has paid the security under the Law of God. The insured must believe that, and treat the Insurer with love and respect. The Insurer doesn't want money for insuring but demands love and respect. He has already paid for the policy - everyone's - and all the insured need to do is sign the policy. The agreement is by faith, and the safety is secured by trust. God insures and the insured, rather than sacrificing any flesh, merely circumcises their hearts. They give to the Insurer their devotion. The "deal" is clinched with baptism as the insured commits to safe living. They reject their old "driving" habits with safe-driving according to the rules; no less than your insurer expects of anyone!
     Insurance companies have resulted in onboard monitors to check driving habits; how safely the driver drives and how cautiously the driver handles the curves and stoppages. God does that too, but not as a penalty to cancel the insurance but that His children drive more safely.  Knowing that we all are reckless at times, God had his own set of controls just as the driver's education instructor does. As we head toward calamity, God takes control of our "vehicles". The driver is safe throughout the Way until that inevitable "sting" is felt. That is when spiritual insurance kicks in: Shall this driver live on or die forever? All of us must choose our destination. Someone must pay for good insurance. Jesus already did that. He redeemed everyone by his own death, and all anyone needs to do is sign on the dotted line that we trust and accept God's insurance policy.
    Part of my rejection of uninsured motorist insurance is that I trust God for safety. I still buy insurance because I'm not foolish. I may need it someday or I may be destroyed. I buy into God as well because He is my only chance for eternal life. Buying into "God insurance" is as pragmatic as buying into accident insurance. I suggest that drivers buy car insurance and sinners buy spiritual insurance although not everyone drives but everyone sins.

     By the way: Those who refuse eternal life insurance gamble that they won't need it, but the Insurer KNOWS it is required for certain.

Time Compression; Not Reversion

     Time is the measurement of existence. Time is the currency of life; time spent cannot be unspent. Now is an instant which will be gone immediately. The future never exists because as it is approached, it zips past the present into the past. Thus, existence was only in the past.
     Existence cannot be rewound because the time is gone, never to be reclaimed. Life cannot be repeated and deja vu is a false reality. There is no past because it is gone. There is no future because it can only become the present, fading as quickly as it arrives. Now is the time for everything. Nothing happens in the past nor can it in the future.  Now is reality, the past is only memories, and the future is fantasy.
     Einstein's General Theory of Relativity gave some hope that the past could be relived. Gravity can bend time but the past can never become the present. Even if living matter could exceed the speed of light, time could only be compressed; reversion to the past cannot happen! The time of the past is time already spent. Each moment of the past was lived for the moment, and after each moment is spent it is gone. Time can be slowed but it cannot be reversed. Irreversible transactions are non-isentropic and the energy spent yesterday can never be reclaimed.
     If a person could travel the speed of light, time from instant to instant can be reduced, but cannot return to the instant before. As the future becomes the present, that event can only happen sooner. Time can only be shortened, never lengthened. Thus time is indeed  running out. 
     There is no hope in waiting. Wasting time increases its value but it only gets spent faster as the end of life comes nearer. As a child, time was taken for granted because there was plenty of it! With age, time becomes more valuable than gold because each breath measures life. Gold is always gold but physical life is extinguished. If only one day of life is left, all the gold in the world cannot buy the next as the value of gold diminishes with the extinction of remaining time. Thus, time is more valuable that anything!
    Children don't worry about time because they fail to understand its value. I have always worried about time! I always understood that each moment spent is each moment gone, never to be begotten again. From my youth, the fear of non-existence encompassed me; that time would someday run out and I would cease to be. The acknowledgement of limited time is disparaging. If limited time is dwelt upon it is depressing.
     I know the maximum number of seconds that I have remaining. That time is easily calculated form mortality schedules. The only time available to me is the present. I am not certain of the future because it is merely an assumption. Thus, the time for everything is now, yet people wait for some time later that may never come.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecles 3:1-8)

     All the those things must be done now. There is no opportunity to do them yesterday, and waiting until tomorrow just changes the now. Now is always the opportunity. Solomon, it is supposed, was in despair when this was written. He was recognizing the value of time! He had everything else but his time was limited. Kingship didn't shield Solomon from the expenditure of time. He said, a time to every purpose under the heaven. I don't understand how he planned on getting time, except for one way - by God. Any day spent losing time is wasted time, as he rightfully said.
     There is a time to heal. Perhaps that is why he wrote about time! To be healed, requires that something has been killed. Life is the death of time. Adam and Eve killed time the first time they sinned. As God promised, they would surely die (Gen 2:7).
     Death was unknown before the first sin and Adam and Eve were immortal. Sin stole time from the two! Since then, time has been limited for most people, and eternity is compressed into what's now about a maximum of one-hundred twenty-years. I just spent some of that time typing words which many will not read, and correcting typing errors that no one will ever know about. I waste time making corrections but spend my productive time wisely. I am doing my job assignment - dressing and keeping the Tree of Life and those other "trees" surrounding it (Gen 2:15)!
     My life has two purposes, one dependent on the other. I desire to have eternal life (unlimited time) but can only obtain that by denying myself. He is the Tree of Life whom I must worship and to worship any other tree is fruitless. Time spent appeasing myself is for naught because it gains no time. Indeed, time is shortened since unlimited time is available, but appeasing me may compress my time.
     I find it ironic that my god (me) wants to live forever but only God can provide that. In order to extend time, I must diminish myself and elevate God. To preserve me, I must destroy me (Rom 12:1). To gain time, I must pay for it. I am the payment - my little weak "god" for Almighty God. I did that. I must continually do that. Salvation is not in the past. It lies in the future. I was born-again when I diminished me and elevated God. That is in the past. It can be the present for those who have yet to be born-again. That event resets the time available: the clock's hand moves from temporal to eternal when we trust Jesus for our time. He bought time for us with his own blood.
     Time has value. God's own blood was the most valuable asset which He had to give. That is the redemption currency. God bought unlimited time by crucifying Himself. Most scoff at that, and attempt to appease the limited time of their god by pleasure. Examine the last instant in life: What will be your pleasure? Shall it be lusts of the eyes, flesh, or the pride of life, or will your pleasure to be for a longer life? I'm not speaking of mortal death. That is only a sting (1 Cor 15:55) and will shortly be over - an instant on the eternal clock. As anyone dies what they shall want most is eternal life. I suggest that none desires extinction unless they fear judgment! To have hope fear must be dealt with!
    Death is the instant in time when salvation is fulfilled. One moment in time defines how eternity will be spent. Satan cannot hurt those who are dead who trusted Jesus. Salvation is when the Devil can no longer harm:

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.(Rev 12:10).

    Salvation is in the future because eternal life provides the future. From the day when one first believes until that time is called "hope". Regeneration (rebirth) provides hope that the day of salvation will come (1 Thes 5:8). With each moment, those redeemed by the blood of Christ are nearer the time of their salvation than when they first believed:

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Rom 13:11)

     The time not believing is soul sleep. That is not the waiting period after one dies until in Paradise; it is the period in which we could be doing things to elevate God but just as the apostles on the Mount of Olives, Christians use there time merely wasting it. The apostles slept while Jesus was in agony, ironically his agony was for them!
     Those who do not serve God waste the present. The past is already wasted and the future has yet to arrive. They were with Jesus but were "asleep" to the idea that he would be gone soon. They failed to understand that God would even die!
     You will die a mortal death. Even God did that! Because God was resurrected, you can be too. Now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2) not because you will be saved today but that you can be born-again to be saved when the Devil is destroyed.  That must be done now because tomorrow may never come, at least for you or me!
     Those who have steadfast faith and serve God willingly have the assurance of salvation. Regeneration is as if time has been compressed and the day of our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Unprincipled

     Those with high principles stand up for their beliefs. Unprincipled people have beliefs but fail to stand up for them. Like it or not, those who protest and use mob violence are highly principled people. Of course, the tactics they use to "convince" are unconvincing because of hatred, foul language, intimidation, and violence. On the other hand, few Christians have as strong principles as the nearly insane zealots we see on the news.
     God picked at least one zealot. Take a moment to guess which apostle was the zealot. I hope that you said Paul. Before he converted, Paul was Saul the zealot who chased down and killed Christians because his beliefs were so strong that he just had to support his beliefs (Acts 7). Paul was out there: he made the news because we read about him to this day! Paul, as Saul, was principled. Upon his conversion, Saul was renamed Paul because he was humbled. The zealotry in him remained but his zealous methods changed. He went from advocating violence to advocating love.
     Jesus chose Saul because he was a man of principles. Jesus used Saul's zealously for Paul's enthusiasm. Indeed, enthusiasm is the trait of highly principled people. How many Christians do you know who are enthusiastic enough to defend Jesus and the Law of God? Every January there is a life chain in support of pro-life. It lasts one hour but yet few Christians are principled enough to stand for life, even for one hour!
     Jesus told the apostles that he was about to die. He went to the Mount of Olives to pray:

And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. (Luke 22:39-46).

     When Jesus was in agony for mankind, what did the apostles do? They went to sleep! When Christianity is in peril, what do Christians do? They go to sleep!
     The army of Satan never sleeps. They constantly stand up for their "principles". Yes, the children of the Devil are principled and devoted to him. They hit the streets for his causes all the time: racial division, abortion, homosexuality, sexuality, and aberrations of all sorts. Of course, most do not know what they do but are devoted to their behind the scenes leader. Presently, George Soros is the mind behind it all, and most in the mob don't even know who he is or his power. However, he is not the only one because if anyone is for Christ, they are not against him (Luke 9:50).  The flip-side of that is those who are nor for him are against him. Most people are against God, and zealously against Him!
     It stands to reason that since we see little of Christians, they are apathetic to the extent of unprincipledness. For instance, Hollywood is against Christianity and us. Most Christians still go to movies without regard to the actors, message, language, and visual temptations. Christians are to be set apart from the world but because they do not have the moral code of Christ, they do as they wish. Christians are unprincipled for the most part because in wrong places they are there and right places they are not!
     Millions will die spiritually. Christians should be abhorred. They are not. They go about their daily lives as if the world is all okay. It is not! They are not even principled enough to protect life! Christians, in mass, should be hitting the streets, using our corporate voices to testify to the truth that all life is precious. Christians don't care enough for life to protect it, and they don't care enough about eternal death to prevent it! We as a group stand idly by even watching our own children go to Hell!
     Principled people are not afraid of truth. They care little what the world thinks but cherish what God wills. God's will is that none should perish. That is intended to be our will as well. Christians aren't principled enough to do God's will. Christians have turned their children over to the world. That is unprincipled. Rather that raising children according to God, they are educated by the entertainment industry and educators whose motivation is to remold young minds. The educational system teaches their principles to our children and scream like cry-babies when even one principled Christian objects!
    We have the world telling us that God is too weak, or non-existent to create, while Christians stand by and allow that. They have been easily molded themselves, thus allowing their children to be molded in the image the world demands. Christians don't demand anything but allow the world not only to demand, but obtain whatever they desire. Don't you think the world is more principled than most Christians? I do.
    Christians are to go unto the world and tell them about Jesus. That is the Great Commission and our job assignment. Rather than that, we allow the world to come unto the Church and deny God. Unprincipled Christians even applaud those who bring homosexuality and transgenderism into the Church. God help us! We know what they do and yet still allow it!
     Christians are so unprincipled that they still buy the products of those who hate us and God. God cries for our foolishness. Peter denied God thrice. Christians of today deny God continually. Peter died on an upside down cross so as not to be irreverent of Jesus. Christians cannot even hold God's Name in reverence. They think, the Law no longer applies! The Pharisees at least had principles. They kept the Law of God although they thought it efficacious. Today's Christians are not even interested in the Law although that's how we are to show God our love. We are pitifully unprincipled people yet God still loves us. How gracious can God be, and how foolish are we going to get?
   

Shiny Objects

     Admittedly, I may be watching too much television. However, I do spend about two hours each day with Bible study and commentary. I really don't care that much for T.V. but I do want to spend time with my family. I do find some of the "entertainment" entertaining but more of it borrriiinnnngg.
     Most people go stark-raving crazy over contemporary music. At best, I find some of it mildly entertaining but much of it pathetic. For instance, when I watch kids or young adults dancing in hip-hop fashion, I think of all the time it takes to learn and do that. Surely they are skillful at fancy moves. I also question whether using that much time to dance is efficacious. How many hip-hop dancers make it to fame? I would think not many. Being an engineer, I continue to ruminate: What could they have been if they had put that much effort into a productive vocation? In short, I think the typical young person puts too much emphasis on their "artistic" abilities. (That is in quotes because it doesn't seem to artful to me. Why not? Because I don't enjoy the rap nor the moves.)
    Not to pick oon rap, I have the same notions about many things. I enjoy good sleight of hand. However, if the typical teenager spent all his time on magic tricks, there is a great chance that he or she would not excel and could end up without a profession.
     One of my young students in Sunday school said that he was going to be a professional football player. Was that a reasonable goal? No. He wasn't even going to go to college. Not many recruiters select their star players from dirty sofas! Unless he was willing to give up a career, he would never be a professional football player. Time indicates he wasn't motivated to do much of anything!
     Why all these words about entertainment? I believe that almost everyone places too much emphasis on entertainers and entertainment. The amount of entertainment available today is excessive to the extent that people forget their priorities. Their attention is on the "shiny objects" of which entertainment is the shiniest!
     Last evening I watched a rock group perform. Their act was at best mediocre but their set and flashing lights were overwhelming. Because the audience saw the shiny objects they missed the lackluster performance. With all the bells and whistles, this mediocre group received a standing ovation, screaming cheers, and adulation. The crowd was hypnotized with the shiny objects. Some technician made ordinary men as gods. The crowd roared approval and praise as if these ordinary men were gods. People, even Christians, don't do that at church although many do at concerts. They see the shiny objects in deference to reality.
    God is reality. He is without Name because he doesn't need one except in special circumstances. God is Existence. There are no bells or whistles or shiny objects. God is what He claims to be: Creator, Miracle-worker, Savior, and Comforter. In the quiet of one's mind, God reveals Himself as He is. If people accept the death of the God of Truth as justification for their own sins, they are born-again. That's straightforward and non-enhanced. Eternal life should be a time for elation but we hear little adulation when it happens. For a short time some are adoring. Satan squelches that by taking peoples' eyes off Jesus and onto other things. Satan provides all types of shiny objects, the most effective which is entertainment. While people are entertained, the Titanic is so slowly sinks that no one is aware until it's too late!
     The world is the "Titanic". It is sinking, and as people are entertained, the world is heading toward destruction. That's Bible (Rev 21). Of course, some entertainment is fine as long as it's clean and not disrespectful to the Law of God. What that means is that Christians must be peculiar people. We must select our entertainment using God's Word. What would God think about the entertainer, the entertainment, and the amount of time and importance one places on entertainment?
     Admittedly, I like the sleight of hand and quick-change acts. I admire them for their talents. However, I merely enjoy the acts; I do not adore nor idolize the performers. I can appreciate their skills but I like to think, they poop too! They are not gods and I waste my time if I adore them when I could be adoring God. I can, with little effort, turn off the television at any time. I am not devoted to entertainment although I do enjoy some entertainment. Being a Christian does not mean being a fruit-cake but good stewards of our time. Each second is given to men by God's grace and He expects people to tithe of their time.
     We should make time for God but shiny objects always interfere. Scripture confirms: people do what they want to do! People have lusts of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Those desires are the "shiny objects" which hypnotize people. I say aloud, "Great shot!" at basketball games. Do I say that in church for Jesus? On occasion I do say great shot when I say Amen! If we get excited in the world we should be excited more to be not of the world. Others consider me boring but I'm just short of the brown side of the sod. God is so much important to me than are the shiny objects because He is the Light of Life! My eyes are focused on Him but Satan keeps trying to dim God's Light. He uses shiny objects to do that and pleasure is his foremost tool. I refuse to fall for his hypnotic suggestions or even look too long at his shiny objects. That indeed is peculiar, but peculiar people are not to look at shiny objects to long.

Does Love Mean Acceptance?

     As I watch Angel City Chorale on America's Got Talent, it makes me wonder: Don't those people understand God? The choir director, Sue Finch, explained their acceptance of everyone: "Take a look around our choir: We are old and young, gay and straight, rich and poor, a mix of ethnicities. We have Republicans sitting next to Democrats, atheists next to ministers, immigrants and native-born, skilled musicians and neophytes."
     That attitude sounds ameliorating. Indeed we are to love everyone. On the other hand love does not mean acceptance. For instance, ministers sitting next to atheists without a desire to convert them, is not God's idea of love. God so loved the world that he wanted that none should perish. If those ministers are sitting there next to atheists without converting them, they have not love. If straight people sit next to homosexuals, who are far from "gay" by the way, they are condoning sin unless they tell them about eternal punishment.
     The quote by Ms. Finch above does not transmit the emotion she emitted on AGT. Her comment was inclined toward belittling Republicans when she said that. It was as if Republicans normally would not fit in with this group because many are evangelicals. Indeed, most would not because diversity of lifestyles is not the Way of God. Although Scripture teaches unity, it is unity under Christ. To unify in any other way is certainly not angelic but more demonic. Of course, in typical fashion what Ms. Finch said sounds right but is it?

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14 KJV)

     Ms. Finch was bragging about the yoke between righteousness and unrighteousness when she commented about ministers and atheists and abnormal and normal people.  Her lovingkindness is noble but for her own cause.

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals." (1 Cor 15:33 ESV)

I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Cor 5:11 ESV)

     I am the messenger. Ms. Finch may label me a "hater". I am not; I so love them that I do not want them to perish. Acceptance is more than accepting behaviors and false beliefs. It is accepting that those persons perish forever! I refuse to accept that.
     Some will respond that Jesus ate with sinners. He did (Luke 15:2). We must look at why he ate with sinners? Do you suppose it was to harmonize under their director? Jesus explained with a parable and made his point:

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:6-7).

     Why did Jesus eat with sinners? Because he loved them so that he wanted that none should perish. He didn't eat with them in acceptance of their sin but in spite of their sins. He wasn't condoning sin but providing a way out of it! What do you suppose Jesus was saying when he was eating with sinners? Was it: Your own lifestyle is your own business. Or was it: Your unbelief is okay. I'm okay... you're okay.
     My bet is that Jesus was convicting them that they were sinners and needed his salvation. That is the good and only reason to unite with sinners. Of course, those who did not repent, Jesus still loved them but it was under his terms, not theirs. His will was that they become new creatures - righteous ones. That entails change. Those who continue in their sins are rebellious. That's what sin is all about: people doing their own will, and not God's.
     My wish is that those ministers sitting next to atheists would reprove those atheists. My wish is that those "straight" people tell others they aren't really "gay" but could be joyful. My wish is that the Republicans would tell the Democrats that taking innocent life is not God's will; that murder is hatred. My wish is that immigrants of other faiths accept the true faith. My wish that those of different ethnicities all become peculiar people of faith. My wish is that skilled musicians play their songs for God. My wish is that neophytes become theists who know God inside and out! Is that hatred? It certainly is to the world. Scripture is all about hating sin and loving the sinner. If anyone teaches otherwise, it is a different doctrine they teach!