Doing Good IS Evil

Humanism is doing "good" without God. It would appear that humanists DESERVE to go to heaven as their reward for self-sacrifice, charitable nature and kind heart.

"Humanism is an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems." (Google.com).

By definition humanism is non-theistic. Their attempt at "goodness" is from the "self" and not from God. As such it is "secular humanism" since it has no spiritual basis. In fact what is "good" is subjective and decided by each individual, although because of herd mentality, followers accept what is "right" from the leaders of that movement without even being aware from whence it came.

"Political Correctness" is what the influential secular humanists dictate is "good". It has no basis other than influential people determine what's "right" and "good". The entertainment industry seem to always be first to set the standard, and although they profess non-theism, or their own concept of Christianity, many of them are influenced by karma, being the actions (works) they do in this life or another which  effects their eternal destiny, called "nirvana", the end of their own cycles of rebirth. Buddhists don't believe in heaven nor hell and eventually their existence blends with nothingness after a time of "self-actualization", to use Maslow's term.

As such secular humanism is patterned after Buddhism and all the "good" they do is not really for others, but their self. Rather than "humanism" it should be "selfism"; "doing what's right in their own eyes". When people do "good" without God it's the "self" they are minding. It's their own knowledge, wisdom, understanding which is important to them. The deception, which is always there, is that "goodness" is really for "self" under the pretense for being for others! Think not? Challenge a humanist's motivation and watch the anger erupt! It is all about them. What they think and say is the end of the conversation. When confronted it's their own self that they defend.

Because God is left out of the equation in their belief system, the politically correct are offended that God should get any credit for "good". It's they who decide what's "good" and "right" and to credit God offends their nature. Their god of self is diminished if the One True God is revered.

"Political Correctness" comes about when secular humanists agree on moral standards. (This philosophy, by the way, is the State Religion for us and many other countries!) Their version of rightness becomes the law. In fact one can say that the politically correct do a fairly good job of the last six of the Ten Commandments!  However, they deny God who is to be honored by the first four! That is "wrong" for two reasons: 1) They deny God's existence or make him into a god of their liking and 2) they fail to discern that the last six commandments are how we show God that we love Him as well as other humans1 They attempt to do "good", but it's their version of  good and not God's:

Judges 17:6 "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

When we read this we think that there is no monarch in Israel as there was in other nations. That is true, but the value in this statement is that there was no KING in Israel, meaning the Lord God! Rather than doing what was right in God's eyes, as they should have, they did what they wanted to do! In fact sin is "doing whatever you want to do without regard to what God wants"!

Deuteronomy 13:18 "When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God."

Therefore the standard for "right" is God, not the corporate selves.  Whereas God's will is for the good of mankind, what's right in the eyes of non-theists is what's right in their own deceived eyes!

I like what Groucho Marx said: "Are you going to believe me or your own lying eyes?" Our eyes will lie to us because we are easily deceived unless grounded in scripture. Since humanists and the politically correct are not theists they are easily deceived, failing to even realize that they have met their god and it is them!

Deuteronomy 11:16 "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them..."

Nobody is truly non-theistic! This is truth. They may follow "other gods" unknowingly even, but in the end, their god is their own self. They feel validation because in their eyes they have done "good". However, Jesus said "only God is good" (Matthew 19:7). Since only God is good, the "good" done apart from God is foolishness:

Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

In plain English "all the 'good' you think is so beneficial doesn't impress God because he knows that by doing "good things" it's for your own god of self". Maslow would say that after you "self-actualize" that is followed by a "peak experience" where you are "enlightened". "Aren't I good?" you come to realize after being deceived! Truly you have become "as gods" in your own eyes (Genesis 3:5).

It's seems unfair, but all the "good" which you do rewards you with eternal death, whether you are a theist or not. YOU may have decided that God "Is Not", but God says "I AM". He doesn't play by YOUR  rules as you expect everybody else to do!

In all fairness, much that secular humanists try to do is good. It's their motivation and methods which are damning. It's because they disclaim God and do it their own way for wrong reasons.  God doesn't force people to be righteous! It's what we are to do because we love him!

John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Like the Pharisees,  humanists do a fine job of doing "good" things, but it's not to love God. We are all commanded to love God as well as others. By merely having a façade of loving others is not loving God. Doing 'good' without God is sin and merely "Doing Good IS Evil"!

How to Pray

My typical prayer:

"God, thank you for all that you have done for me. Please give me more of the same. In Jesus name. Amen."

I'm slightly exaggerating, but not by much! In effect this is oftentimes my prayer. It is "what's in it for me"! God has competition for our adoration. For me it's "me". For you it's your "me".

There are several things which may be wrong with this prayer:

1. It may be a mere routine without emotion.
2. I ask of the right person, God, in the name of the right person, Jesus, but they may be mere words or even "commas". What I mean by that is their names are not magical. The use of them is not the incantation to get what I want. Some people even insert "God", "Father" and "Lord" when they take a breath. It sounds holy, but the prayer must be sincerely directed toward a Holy God and his intermediary Jesus Christ.
3. It's short. That can be good, but not if it's said hurriedly.
4. It may be a mere repetition one time to the next. Our prayers are not to be a ritual, but a conversation.
5. Prayer is to be a two-way conversation. In this one I merely spew forth religiously correct (RC) words. Praying is listening too. We are to wait for God to ask us "Is this what you think my will is?" "How does this prayer show love?"
6. This prayer is more about me than God. We don't actually say "give me more of the same", but that may be our expectation.
7. The prayer fails to ask for forgiveness (with sincerity) for the sins not yet forgiven. We can't forget that for prayer to be effectual, it must be with a clear heart. We are to make things right before we ask of God or even serve him. That also means animosity between each of us and another!
8. It's not specific. God has been generous to most of us. It's best that we thank him for the prayer which he answered. "Thank you, Father, for giving me hope!" "Thank you for forgiving my hateful remark!" You get the idea! It's more than about food too.
9. It may be too casual. Yes, it's okay to pray as the day goes by, but eventually sometime during the day, prayer should be in a quiet place and in reverence to God. It could be on the knees or eyes to the sky, but it must be reverent.
10. Prayer is most effectual if something is sacrificed to the Lord. Of course it's "me" he wants. That means that I am to sacrifice something important before I pray. Fasting is the most effectual. That is taking the "EAT" (the "e")  out of "feast" and make it "fast".

Jesus told us how to pray:

• Matthew 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye:
• Our Father
• which art in heaven,
• Hallowed be thy name.
• 10 Thy kingdom come,
• Thy will be done in earth,
• as it is in heaven.
• 11 Give us this day our daily bread.
• 12 And forgive us our debts,
• as we forgive our debtors.
• 13 And lead us not into temptation,
• but deliver us from evil:
• For thine is the kingdom,
• and the power,
• and the glory,
• for ever.
• Amen."

I put bullets by each phrase because each phrase is a point made by Jesus. This is how he would have us pray! Verse 9 tells the reader that our prayer should be similar to what follows. The "manner" is not only the words, but the emotion in which we are to pray because prayer is talking to our most Holy Creator. Think this "I am in the presence of the One who created the universe and everything in it. He made me. He deserves my respect!" and with that talk to God as if he is holy because he is!

"Our Father": Yes. He's that! He made us and we are to honor him. He commands that. We are to acknowledge his rightful position. Calling him "Father" and meaning it, is reverence.

"Which art in heaven": God is more than a person. There is no word complex nor dignified enough to describe who he is! God is existence. His name is "I AM". He is who always was and always will be. So rather than "who" it's "which" because "who" narrows his existence while "which" widens his majesty. "Which" allows for "the Glory of God" which is his magnificence. 

His Glory has a place. It's in heaven. That's not the name of where he is, but a condition in which he lives. His divine mind has a throne on the River of God in paradise. That is the center of the kingdom of God. It's where there is no sin. It may be without size nor time, because God is not constrained by those. It's where we will be if he is truly "our Father"!

"Hallowed be thy name": God is without name. He just "IS". For our limited ability to communicate "I AM" is described by JHVH the tetragrammaton of Hebrew for "I AM THAT I AM". We pronounce "I AM" "Jehovah". Saying that doesn't make us a cult, so we can call him that!

Because he just "IS" we can use titles. He is our Father being our Creator. We can call him that too. We can call him "God" because that is his position. Indeed he is our "Lord" or should be if not. When he hears us speak to him he knows who we mean. He loves the fragrance of being revered. Use his name always in reverence. When saying casually "OMG" or "Oh My God" or "Oh My Gosh" it's in vain. Save that for when it's not! That's when worshiping him. Prayer is one way we worship God.

When it says "hallowed be thy name" that's to what is being referred.  That means to honor what God is called because he is holy. He's much more than an emotion or a cheer! When praying the person is praying in a holy place: in the presence of God. Honor his name!

"Thy kingdom come": This is more than the destruction of Satan and the place of eternal life. It is a request that your heart be made righteous. That's the time when sin is displaced in your own heart by the loving will of God. Yes, God's kingdom is eternal life in paradise, but once a person submits to him, a visa is issued. It's "hope". When we seek to do God's will, it is his kingdom we approach. Our desire is for our comfort to be now in preparation for later!

"Thy will be done in earth": This phrase compliments the first. Doing now what shall be done in heaven starts now. We aren't to wait until we're dead and in his kingdom to do his will. It starts now! Each day with every move, it is to be done with our eyes on God's will. Sin is not anywhere in his will. We are in effect praying for purity in our own lives and in the lives of everyone. God wants us all to be righteous, albeit he knows we won't be. We don't have to sin and his will is that we make the conscious choice not to sin.

"As it is in heaven": This complements "thy will be done in earth". The pattern for kiving here is how things are done in heaven. There is no sin in the presence of God and that's what we are to strive for here. "Heaven" is the model we are to pattern ourselves after.

"Give us this day our daily bread": This is a staple. This is the minimum food we need to sustain ourselves. We are to pray for what we truly need. No "wants" are included here. 

Our "daily bread" is manna from heaven. It is communing with Jesus. He is the bread of life. We are to pray for closeness to our Savior. Sure, we can pray for our basic needs, but we know that Jesus is more important than food!  Only one time did I pray for "things" which I wanted. God ignored that prayer because he knew that it wasn't a need. I no longer pray for gain, but for sustenance. God is not a socialist nor a genie. He will provide for us if we are right with him. He made that deal with Abraham for all his seed. I prosper not because I expect it, but because God blesses me without asking. I am thankful that he does that, but that's not the focus of my prayer.

When we ask him to "give" to us, even our own works are of him! Everything comes from God and all that we have is a gift from him. We need to thank him for his generous giving. We deserve nothing. That "giving" is God's grace.

"And forgive us our debts"; Jesus died to redeem us. He paid the price for our lavish spending! How we spend is called "sin" . We are borrowing what is not ours. We use pleasure to appease us, but there eventually payment must be made. We can't pay for those sins ourselves so we ask God for his forgiveness. In effect this is "forgive us our sins".  Jesus paid the price and all that we owe him is contrition and love.

"As we forgive our debtors": This complements "forgive us our debts". It is an unfair metric to ask God to forgive us when we fail to forgive others. Scripture is simple: before we come to God to offer our sacrifice (us), we are to make things right with others... whether we are in the wrong or not! In fact forgiving others when we are in the right is more gracious than forgiving others when we're wrong!

"And lead us not into temptation": Temptation is not yet sin, but leads to sin. We need to stay away from those things. God doesn't tempt! However, he allows Satan by his rules of the game to tempt us. How we please God is when we turn our backs on temptation of our own volition. Adam and Eve stood under the forbidden tree. Thereunder was temptation. God didn't lead them there. Satan did. What we pray to God is for strength and discernment to stay away from the poison of sin. He will keep us if we only ask. This prayer is asking!

"But deliver us from evil": This is tied to temptation. By protecting us from Satan and his tempting, we are delivered from doing wrong. If we are heeding the word of God, Satan will flee from us. Scripture is the sword which makes him flee and when we are in communion with God, we wear his full armor! Satan doesn't stand a chance if we are in God's will!

"For thine is the kingdom": That's what was explained before. We enter the kingdom of God when we learn to trust him. That trust is called faith. When we have even a little faith, we inherit his kingdom. When we have much faith we endear ourselves to God and Satan is even more helpless. Great faith is putting on the whole armor hanging in God's armory, his kingdom!

"And the power": That describes the armor. The power is in God's word and The Word is Jesus Christ. There is power in the blood. Faith in Jesus us using God's power and denying that we have any power beyond that!

"And the glory": Glory is whatever God IS! He is the focus of it all. He is truth, perfection, love, eternal and such. All these admissions are praise. It's giving God his due. Prayer is more praise than asking. It's more praise than even thanking. It's magnifying God! My feeble prayer at the beginning said little about God's divinity nor did I even praise him. That's the spiritual aroma God wants to smell. That's our burning of the incense to him It pleases him!

"Forever": Time describes God who is timeless. "Forever" admits that God just "IS". He's the alpha and omega. The beginning and the end! It's part of his glory! "Forever" is his name because being eternal is just "being". That he "IS"!

"Amen": This means that what I say is true! It's not merely to appease God, but it comes from the heart. He knows your heart before you pray, yet he wants to hear it too!  He wants your prayer to be true, and "Amen" allows you to evaluate what you just said. I do that sometimes and say aloud "God, strike that. That's not what I meant. I am being true in what I'm saying."

Praying is a way that we praise God. These are examples of how to and how to not praise him. We can all do better than what we do and my commentary is an attempt to examine how to pray how God wants us to pray; and to be reverent and honest in our praying. The Lord's Prayer is lavish sounding, but ours can be common. It's not the words, but it's the heart. The meaning of the prayer is more important than the words we select. That's God's omnipotence. He understands what we mean before we express it!

Talk to God as you would anyone who you love. Lavish words are for our understanding, but it's our heart he really hears. Our words are to be a true reflection of what we feel for God. Amen!

I'm Adopted

My parents are Elston Herrin and Lela Agnes Van Hook. My DNA is of Edward Herrin who died in 1789 Chatham County, North Carolina.  Although his family was from England our DNA is of the Scottish people.  Edward's, Dad's and my DNA is from Adam as is yours! We are children of the flesh in two different fashions: 1) Adam is our ancestor, and 2) we have inherited his mutations. Our flesh is contaminated by sin and it's inherited from Adam.

Before we can live eternally we must die in two different ways: Our bodies must die, but before that our flesh must be sacrificed!

Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

This "body" which we sacrifice is our "self". Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac to God, we must be willing to die for God.

 Galatians 2:20 ( ESV) "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

We don't commit suicide nor have someone crucify us, but we, when we believe in and trust Jesus' sacrifice for our own sins, we crucify the flesh. As such our uncleanness is cut-off and cast aside. Part of presenting our "self" as a living sacrifice is "change". The old person is hung on that cross and a new person is born. This experience is being "born-again". It's when the old self is no longer tantamount to God, but Jesus is the Way!

Sometimes in life a child loses parents and becomes orphaned. At other times children are abandoned by neglectful parents. Either way, those minors are put up for adoption, which is when a couple accepts a child as their own. As such part of that child ceases to be and he or she becomes something new, forged in the pattern of the loving couple who loves the child as their own. The adopted child is a new person who now has comfort and hope!

We are assured of our salvation when we change. If there is no change in us, the Father may have tried to adopt us, but we may have been rebellious children who want to stay in the orphanage because the life there is more attractive!

When a child of the devil becomes a child of God, he or she is adopted just as any orphan would be. It's a new beginning! It's a new start.  That old life ceases to exist and the new person has comfort and hope! The minute a person of any age relinquishes the old self to Jesus Christ as the old self dies on the cross, he or she is adopted by God. This process is "spiritual adoption"! The born-again person become a child of God because that's what was promised to the seed of Abraham:

Romans 9:8 (ESV) "...it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. "

God made a promise to Abraham and now that promise is fulfilled. When "the flesh" is cutoff, we inherit the promise which God gifted to mankind way back when! It's available to all for God's will has always been that we become his children:

Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) "In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..."

It's a simple matter. When we love God's son Jesus enough to give our "self" to him, then we become sons of God. As such God adopts us and he becomes our Father in heaven! It's as simple as believing in the name of Jesus and receiving him that we are adopted:

John 1:12  (ESV) "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."

People miss the two parts of this promise. It's not only "believing " interpreted to be "trusting" him, but also to be adopted we must "receive" him. That's what makes the path so narrow. People believe as the demons do, but they fail to trust and receive Jesus. Reception is making the living sacrifice of the "self" and becoming a new creation. New creatures in Christ, who claim to be children of God, obey their heavenly Father.  When we are adopted we are just as his children and we love our Father twofold: 1) as God and 2) as our adoptive parent!

No wonder the commandment says "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12). We are to honor our adoptive Father just as we are commanded to honor our natural parents. With each there is a promise. With our natural parents, if we honor them, our physical life shall be long. If we honor our adoptive Father we shall live forever!

I always recommend that when we read the Old Testament that we put it all in a spiritual context because as our Father, it's not our body which concerns him; it's our soul!  Just as in the Abrahamic Covenant there exists two promises: 1) prosperity and 2) salvation; there are two promises in this command! As such adopted children are to honor their Father! That's what obedient children are to do!

The problem of many "Christians" is that they claim to be children of God, but live for the devil. They serve two masters and by doing the will of one, essentially the devil, they are hating the new parent they claim. All types of filth and desires come from the mouths of babes in Christ. As adopted children, we are to "grow up"! We are to pattern our lives after our Father! Part of being adopted by God is putting away our old father the devil. That's the gratitude an adopted child should have!

Hiking the Pilgrim Pathway

Paul Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress, a fictional account of walking the path leading to heaven. It's the second most read book ever written. As Christians we indeed walk a path. There is, by the way, no "stairway to heaven" although by our own volition we make the path steep!

I am reminded of the Christian walk because of my own 14 mile walk yesterday. Whereas the Pilgrim Path is a solitary walk, mine yesterday had friends enduring the same course. We hiked the Overnight Trail at Falls Creek Falls in one day. It was tiresome, but at the end we felt accomplished... as well as a little sore!

Matthew 7:13 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

"The narrow way" is the path to eternal life. It leads to paradise where hope is the prize. 

Philippians 3:13 " Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

If a person wanders off the way, there are things out there which are destructive. This past winter, my friend Steve and I wandered off the path and became lost out in the cold. I prayed and so did Steve. Our faith led us back to the right path,  but it was better if we had never lost the way. What caused that? We thought we had found a better way. We deceived ourselves! I don't credit Satan because he merely desired that we become lost. We are responsible for our own failures!

After we got off the path, the way was broad. We could walk in any direction, but most were wrong. As such, I just stood still with my trust in God and he led me back to the right path. Steve detoured a little, but trust brought him back as well!

Why did we desire to stay on the right path? Other paths led other directions, but the object of our desire was safety. We didn't want to spend a cold winter night by ourselves in places unknown. We wanted and cherished comfort. As such "finishing the course" was the prize because where the path ends was safety. When we found the narrow path again we continued on our safe journey. We now were safe because we were traveling right and not again veering off to the right or left because our eyes were on the prize! In this case it was the car which would take us safely home. Once we found the car we were no longer "safe", but saved! That had been our hope all along because safety is the present, but "saved" is after the fact. We weren't saved until the path was walked to completion. That was our hope all along!

We never had hope in safety although that was quite reassuring. We had hope that the course would be walked and that upon receiving our prize we would be saved! We could have taken the broader path and arrived there late; long after our car had been towed. As such we would have missed out on the prize and it's likely that we would still face the cold isolation of failure to get our prize although we walked longer and harder on the wrong path. The wrong path is much harder work because we are prone to wander because things are deceptive. The right and narrow path is a gift and we are wise if we accept what is given!

Fourteen miles is a long trip! We had the opportunity several times to take a ride and get there by easier methods.  That's not the legitimate way to hike. Scripture refers to this as "the strait gate". It's doing things the right way and taking the path specified by Jesus. In the case of our hike, there would be little joy if we had merely hopped on a truck and let it carry us there. It had to be accomplished as prescribed. We got there safely because we took the right course. We never looked for a back way as people are prone to do! It was a hard trip and we could have taken a shorter route. We didn't! We stayed true to the end.

2 Timothy 2:12 (ESV) "If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;"

For Steve, Stan and me; we endured the course! Out prize was the car. It was our way home. We had sore feet and were stiff, but we got there. We were safe all the way and when we got there we were saved! We went home!

Be assured, that at the start we knew that we would finish. That is faith. However, we could have gotten lost or given up our hope, but the path would never change. It was there for our taking and a high gate or tree blocking the way would never be on that path. It was narrow, but safe!  It would be to our own lacking that we would try the broad way or just give up. That's what weak people do. We stayed strong and were rewarded. Our safety was in our own trust, but it was on the Promise whom we trusted, not ourselves!

Life is not a walk for entertainment and health. It is a walk for eternal life. I don't mean to trivialize the walk which we must take, but merely make a point. Sometimes Christianity seems hard, but when it does, it's the Holy Ghost who walks with us, guiding the way and Comforting us as we go! He is there to see that we claim the prize and are saved!

Things

"Things" are the core of what "the self" desires. "Things" are what's owned or what people do. "Things" are the objects of one's desires. "Things" are with what vain people surround themselves. "Things" are the currency of success. "Things" are truly the opiate of the people! "Things" are what surrounds and own us. "Things" are your regimen. "Things" are mere "things", but they can control us. "Things" are desires which interfere with communion with God:

Mark 4:19 (ESV) "...but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

"Things" are desires which choke out the world and steals the fruits of the Spirit which are the truly good "things" in life:

Galatians 5:22 (ESV)  "... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In contrast to good "things" are the bad. Those "things are what controls us!

 Galatians 5:19 (ESV) "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Yes, "things" are more activities and behaviors than material objects, but includes things made.  "Man-made things" can be impure, we can idolize them, we can strive to get them,  we can be angry because we fail to have them, we can compete for more of them, they can interfere with relationships, and so forth. Some weird people  even have impure thoughts with "things". And scripture says there are other "things like this" and people are in danger if they "do such things". You see evil "things" are impurities which diminish our communion with God.

Adam and Eve had all the "things" they needed. None were evil. The "thing" which was most precious to them was "communion" with their Maker. After taking whatever "thing" from the tree that had appeal, the "things" that they received were twofold: reason and death. Their hope was stolen for a time!  Innocence is life. Reason leads to death because rationale can lead to false "things"; things which are not truth. Since God is Truth, "things of the flesh" are those items and behaviors which seem to provide pleasure, but are painful in a divine sense.

Right this moment I sit in my new home; half the size of the one before it! It's a new "thing" which was desired by our hearts. Inside this "thing" are more "things". Wherever I look I am surrounded and cluttered by material objects; all these "things" which we possess. We can determine our desires by what we have because we were attracted to and procured all these "things". They dominate our world and are our mask which conceals the heart. When people see our "things" it's comfort and happiness which is most apparent, but right below that is discontentment because when one has "things" there are more "things" which are desired.

Right now I am dwarfed by "things". I have "things" which have no value to me, but yet here they are! They sit here deaf and dumb, but scream loudly, "I am a representation of you. Love me I demand!" I'm smothered by "things". There is no true love for "things"; they are unrequited love. I can love them, but they'll never love me back! They are my world, but I don't love them. They are a mere nuisance.  These "things" which are mine are from God. It's my attitude which determines who my God is:

1 John 2:15 (ESV) "[ Do Not Love the World ] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

I have "things", but I don't love them. They are for my use, but belong to God. Think not? Look at to whom they belong when I'm gone. I must thank God for their use. They have brought comfort, but not love. They are "things of the world" and "the things of my desire", but yet they are not really mine. How ironic that all the "things" I have are not even mine. I don't worship them, but some  delude me into doing just that!

My heart tells me "I love that T-bird". The truth is that it's a false love. It's a "thing".

My heart tells me "I love those beautiful fountain pens in my collection.", but the truth is, they provide little happiness. They cannot even love me back!

My heart tells me "I love this new home. It's a comfortable thing!", but yet my soul is not consoled by this "thing".

There is a "thing" which comforts, makes me joyful, keeps me safe, and causes me to love. That "thing" is hope. It's not tangible, but it's valuable.

 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) "...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ah! It's hope in being with the Lord Jesus which is "the thing" which is critical. That's the "thing" which I have, but many don't. I met a man yesterday who seemed to have no hope. I had a "thing" which he had not, but I could tell that's what he wanted. I told him about my "thing" which made life bearable. I saw restrained tears, not that they dripped, but it was the look of pain as they were held back. Perhaps he will consider "things" and get the one "thing" which truly matters!

Heard This Before?

Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Have you heard this before, or should I say "read it before?"Maybe we should look first at what it means.

We are to seek, before anything else, "the kingdom of God". There are many ideas what that is, but my own belief is that since God resides in heaven, and that Satan is Prince of this world, that the kingdom of God is the place where those dead, but alive in Christ go at their demise. It is described as heaven or paradise.

However, that's full citizenship. When we are "born-again" by faith we are promised citizenship in God's kingdom. That is our hope:

 Lamentations 3:26 "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."
1 Thessalonians 5:8 "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."

When we are "born-again" it's "hope" that we receive.

 Romans 8:24 (ESV) "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

As such "hope" is our "visa"for entry into that kingdom: "is a conditional authorization granted by a country (kingdom) to enter and temporarily remain within, or to leave that country." (Wikipedia; parenthesis mine).

When people become residents of another country, they pledge to obey the laws of that country. With the kingdom of God, the Law is "righteousness". That's loving God (the King) and his subjects so well, that the resident endeavors to make no trespasses against them. (i.e, to live as free of sin as humanly possible). That's "righteousness".

Living within the kingdom and following the laws of the kingdom results in full privileges offered by the King. It's not a right,  but a privilege to obtain what the King has to offer. Its rewards are conditional, based on being faithful to the King.

Therein is the covenant the King makes with the born-again resident of this kingdom. "Seek to please me and I will prosper you!" says the King. Have you heard that before?

Genesis 12:1 (ESV)  "Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."

"Let me rephrase this: "Go to my country which I show you, and I will bless you." Sound familiar? We find out later that this Abrahamic Covenant is conditional. The Hebrews were to have faith and trust in God and signify it by circumcision. That is righteousness!

God's "nation" is the kingdom of God of which Israel is symbolic. The faith of Abraham is God's righteousness and faith was accounted to Abraham by his works. The "blessings" which the citizens of that nation were to receive are "these things" to be added to them. They were to be blessed by receiving citizenship in the land of milk and honey, symbolic of Paradise.

It appears that the Abrahamic Covenant is symbolic of  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

You see God had a plan! It was the same for Abraham as it is for us. Abraham understood what he was doing would come about because he had faith in what  The Word told him. The Abrahamic Covenant was spoken hundreds of years later on the mountain! Words spoken to Abraham is where you've heard it before!

The Value of Time

Last evening my wife and I watched the movie In Time. I don't watch many movies, but this one intrigued me. I'm not a Justine Timberlake fan, but the movie should make one more aware of what is valuable in life.

Without going into detail which you can find on Wikipedia, the premise is that everyone when born is perfect and age until they are 25. At that age they cease to grow old and have a one-year internal clock which starts. At the end of the year they time out and die. However, since the currency is "time" they can "time-share" or"time-steal". Their currency is "time". In essence purchasing power is "time-money". As each one approaches "zero" on their clock, which is displayed on their forearm, they began to panic. For loved ones they can share, they pawn their possessions and even borrow time at the "time bank" where extravagant interest is charged. The richest get more time and seek to live forever. The poor lose their time as prices are inflated at the whim of the rich.

You see, life becomes all about "time" because it's the clicking of the clock of which all are always aware! Time has become the most valuable asset and even wealth is focused on time! We don't think of it often, as we should, but each of our lives are time-centered. How so? From infancy humans think of themselves as invulnerable with a never-ending clock. That's not the case! It seems that our clock has been set at 120 years. Some believe that God limited mankind's days to 120 years according to the passage:

Genesis 6:3 "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

In context that was the number of years until humankind, save Noah and his family, had to live before the flood. However, scripture is full of parallels. This may be one, for eventually all our days became numbered.

I became a "time-watcher" very young when I learned about death from watching Dralley Hart die. He had kidney disease. My family visited him on his deathbed on occasion because he was my uncle's brother.  I learned that we are all doomed to die!

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment..."

When I came to realize what life was all about, I became accountable for my own destiny. This is called "the age of accountability". For those in the movie, it was 25 years of age. Jews believe it to be twelve. For me it was about five. My clock started right then. Whenever things were quiet it was my destiny of which I thought, and I have never stopped thinking of my biological clock.

My own belief is that I am the "god besides God". My sole purpose in my life is to keep my flesh from dying. It's not that I care about God, it's me that I care about. You are no different so face the truth: "You" become before God. He realizes that because he is your Creator. You weren't born that way, but Adam when he came to the time of accountability, his clock started ticking!

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..."

Their clock started right then! Before they sinned Adam and Eve were born immortal. Like the movie they had perfect health, but unlike the movie, they were immortal.. Those in the movie sought 1,000,000 years. Adam and Eve had infinite time; neverending life! Then because they failed to love God, as they should, disobedience changed things. They died that  day. Their clock started ticking until their time to die! However, because if grace their clock could be reset to infinity:

1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The medium of exchange was not time stolen from another, nor borrowed, but gifted. It's currency is blood!

Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God..."

Unlike the movie In Time we can't borrow blood from another, buy it nor steal it. The blood must be from Jesus and it's free of charge and for one "loading"! What must we do?

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Of course it's not the immersion which saves; it's still his blood! The baptism is the testimony to others that you have everlasting life! Those who failed to get the gift of time are damned! They still live for ever, but it's in torment. It's the second death and it starts the minute the clock runs out on the first death.

When a person with limited time witnesses a baptism, they are looking at infinite minutes added to the believer's life. They should want to add time to their life clock as well! Few do! They merely continue to deny reality, and think only of tomorrow and instant gratification, just as the wealthy in the movie, who for practical purposes shall have longevity and think little of their final destiny!

"Believing" is trusting. No longer should the believer watch the ticking of the clock, but by faith they know that death is merely the extension of their time clock. Rather than dreading our clock running out, it's something that we ought to look forward to, but because there always remains some doubt, we dread the final unwind of our clock. If we just believe we shall never die, that ticking clock of which we all are aware, will no longer tick out loud. Sure, it silently passes the time, but those whose eyes are on Jesus neglect their other god and look toward him! When the time finally comes for the clock to stop, Jesus rewinds it forever. That's what those in the movie sought and that's what the believer will get!

John 11:26 "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

If a person works to buy a new car, assuming that person earns $20/hour and the car costs $30,000, the person trades 2.1 months of his limited time for the car. It doesn't seem a vast expense, but consider this: What if that time was off THE END of your life? Would you value that car more than time? We must realize that material things take away time from our limited mortal clock. Is it worth it?  In the movie every purchase had to be evaluated in that manner. Sometimes people had to walk rather than ride because their time clock was running low. How low do you want your time clock to be? Is that new car worth it?

I'm not much on movies, but that one crossed my path. While watching it, my mind was on eternity and how much I appreciate an eternal clock timing life without end. That's hope! None of those in the movie really had eternal hope because when 1,000,000 years ends, eternity is just beginning! In Time was a movie about despair. Everybody in that movie must die. The lifespan was inequitable, but all had to face that reality. For me, I can look to eternal life in heaven. Where's your hope?