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Crazy Man’s Last Country Tune
Try and picture, if you can, the crazy man of Gadara as a Country Western singer. Imagine him running through the cemetery wearing nothing more than chains around his wrists and ankles, a belt with a buckle half the size of Texas, and of course, a huge black cowboy hat. Sorry for the visual.
Maybe that’s what opened the door for him to be filled with demons! Too many Honky Tonks and not enough smarts. Hey, we all make dumb decisions, don’t we?
The words below match up with a country-like tune I have in my head. I was thinking about how someone might sound if they truly believed they had things worse than everyone else.
Which, you have to admit, is a great beginning to a CW song.
So, pour yourself a glass of root beer, lean back in your favorite chair, and plant those boots firmly on the table. Feel free to come up with your own tune; just make sure it has that nasally, country whine.
Listen as the Crazy Man sings his last country tune.
Crazy Man’s Last Country Tune
Verse 1:
My head is a-hurtin’,
My stomach’s a-churnin’,
Misery and pain’s got me blue
My hands are a-shakin’,
My hope’s down and fadin’,
Every time I try to win, I lose.I’ve seen the headlines
I’ve read the story lines
All those hi-def pictures make me cry
But I’m just a mad one
Pain-filled and undone
Yet no one will dare tell me why.Chorus 1:
‘Cause nobody knows
The trouble I’m in
The dangers without,
The demons within.
Hated and maligned,
I’m like trash on the floor
When will I find release
From this life I abhor?Verse 2:
Starving kids and lost pets
Don’t compare with regrets
Like the ones I have each and every day
If only I could be free
But no one tries to help me
These dev’lish imps seem to have their say.Don’t feed me your sad line
I just ain’t got the time
I’ve got enough worries of my own
If you pray, say one for me
Though it’s okay to let me be
I’m really much better off alone.Chorus 1:
‘Cause nobody knows
The trouble I’m in
The dangers without,
The demons within.
Hated and maligned,
I’m like trash on the floor
When will I find release
From this life I abhor?Bridge:
Hey, look! Here comes the One
My demons scream, “it’s time to run”
But my heart sings like never before.
The Son, He speaks to me
“Come out of him!”, the demons flee
Praise God! the One named Jesus is Lord!Chorus 2:
‘Cause Somebody knew
The trouble I was in
The dangers without,
The demons within,
His pow’r set me free,
This One I adore,
My hope is renewed,
My life is restored!I believe the former crazy man left country western music and began leading praise and worship over in the Decapolis region. Last I heard he was doing well and giving music lessons.
You know, Jesus can free anyone from anything! Yep, even someone who’s possessed by country demons (and rock, classical, rap, etc., demons).
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.
The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region (Mark 5:1 – 5:17 ESV)
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Will You Rise When He Comes?
Instead of beating around the proverbial bush, I’m going to come right out and say what I believe.
Not every “believer” in Jesus will go in the catching away of the church.
Unfortunately.
Do I have your attention?
Why do I believe such a thing? Not every believer is “listening” for the voice of the Lord.
Allow me…
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 5:11 ESV)
Paul writes to people who don’t need anything written to them. Odd? But don’t forget, he also wrote to you and I. He said the day will come like a thief in the night. Sneaky, hidden, quiet, unannounced. Under cover of darkness.
Paul also wrote that the believers aren’t of the darkness, or of the night. He said the day shouldn’t take us by surprise. We’re of the day, so let’s walk like it. Let’s not allow ourselves to be drunk with the cares of the world. In essence, that’s the word to us…
“Act like you’ve been brought up” – in Christ.
So, if Paul felt the prompting of the Spirit to write the word of admonition, doesn’t it make sense that people of the day CAN act like people of the night? People of God just might possibly become drunk with the cares and affairs of this temporal life? It’s not advised, but it IS possible, right?
And IF they CAN become insensitive to God’s voice because they’re enamored with the world, HOW will they hear Him say, with the Voice of a trumpet, “Come up here” (Revelation 4:1)?
This word isn’t a word to scare you. But we all need to consider this question:
“If I’m living in such a haphazard communion with my Lord that I can’t discern His leading or His voice, how will I discern the trumpet of the Lord?”
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Hey, we could be like those who heard God speak but thought it was only thunder.
No, there are too many verses warning the believers to wake up, live soberly and righteously, be led by His Spirit, and love the Lord with ALL our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will DEPART from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared. (1 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV)
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV)
And remember, each of the churches Jesus addressed in the second and third chapters of Revelation were admonished to “hear what the Spirit was saying”. That is, if they were capable of hearing.
Are YOU able to hear the voice of the Lord? Can He lead you in the everyday affairs of life? Or are you thinking you can live your life as YOU please and when it’s time for the trumpet you’re all ears?
Remember the 10 virgins? Remember Lot’s wife? She was on her way out BUT turned around; her heart still entangled with the voices of her world instead of the words of the angels.
People are all over the spiritual map in regards to when they think He’s coming back. I personally believe it is soon; that I’ll live to see it happen. But many disagree.
Whatever happens and whenever what happens, happens…
“Lord, help me keep my ears open and my heart captivated by only YOU. And help me continually sound the alarm – it’s time to wake up!”
So…how good is YOUR hearing? Are you listening?
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Another Normal Day?
It was a day like any other day. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened; not since Noah started building that monstrosity of a thing he called an “Ark”. That was, let’s see, at least ten years ago. Back when there were a lot more trees in the area. Before the animals started acting goofy, hanging around Noah’s acreage like it was some kind of a zoo. His whole side of town looked like some strange menagerie.
Everyone thought the world of Noah and his family; until he started with his “God talk.” I mean, we didn’t mind him doing his own religious thing. Whatever tripped his trigger was fine with the rest of our town. Hey, we even volunteered to help him with his Ark. But none of us could stand to hear him preach.
Apparently he had some sort of visitation from his God or something like that. He started talking about this thing he called grace, and floods, doomsday, and that thing he said he was to build.
On and on he’d talk; yammer, yammer, yammer. God this, God that. Evil this, evil everything. You know, he was really getting under our skin. He’d ruined the neighborhood with his “calling”, and his holier-than-thou attitude was ruining his long time friendships.
I’ve never said this to anyone else, but for a while his preaching made sense. I could almost feel as though his God was trying to communicate with me, encouraging me to believe what Noah was saying. But then he’d mention the thing he referred to as judgment; it would make me mad and I’d walk away.
Hey, nobody likes to be preached at!
I’d be the first to admit I’ve got a wild side and my language isn’t the cleanest (though I do try and clean it up when I’m around women and children). I don’t chase after women, but there’s no harm in checking out the market, is there? I’m an adult, and all adults should have the freedom to act like they want to, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone in the process.
Now there ARE some really big and bad dudes around. HUGE men! Men that are a good 2-3 cubits taller than most men. And UGLY; my are they ugly. They do anything they want, to whomever they want, whenever they so please. I’m really afraid of them. I just hope I never have a run in with them. They LOVE to smash heads, break legs and arms; even kill people just for “fun”.
At least I’m not THAT bad.
Like I said, it was a day like any other as I walked down the street towards Noah’s place.
Funny thing, though. Where there were usually tons of animal noises, hammering, barking of orders; now almost complete silence. Kind of an eerie feeling, if you know what I mean. Everywhere else I looked, things seemed normal. Stores were all open, with people buying and selling as usual. But not over by Noah’s place. No animals could be seen, and neither were any of Noah’s family out and about.
The one thing I did notice was the Ark’s huge door closing on its own; as though an enormous, invisible hand was pushing it shut.
Yes, it WAS a day like any other until I began to feel the earth shake and quake under my feet. All around me buildings were reeling and rocking, falling in ruinous heaps in just moments. People were running without a destination; just running, trying to escape from something, anything.
Then it happened. With a force I’d never witnessed before, tons and tons of water came bursting through the ground. Mud and debris began flying everywhere, and there was no place to hide.
This wasn’t supposed to be happening! Noah couldn’t have been correct! Every one of my friends knew he was a kook. Fanatical, nutty Noah is what we called him. This COULDN’T be happening!
Then the skies seemed to open, as a deluge of water started dumping upon us with such intensity, no one was able to stand. The earth was being inundated as water from beneath and above pronounced the Day of Judgment’s arrival. Doom’s Day had come.
The last thing I remember thinking, on that day no longer called “normal” was, “I was wrong.”
“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:37 – 24:44 ESV)
Thank you for reading this post. Please comment, I’d love to hear what you think. For more posts and a weekly newsletter delivered to your email address, please go to http://eepurl.com/PaJK5 and sign up. Thanks.
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Coming Home (introduction)
As I sat listening to others share prayer requests the other night, the Lord deposited a “word” into my spirit. My heart rate didn’t increase when the word came, and I didn’t see any flash of lightning. What I heard was a very quiet, but clear, “This is the year of the prodigal’s return.”
Like I mentioned, nothing dramatic took place as his word dropped into my spirit. But I caught it. It was so clear; and when I heard it I immediately believed it. It was a word wrapped in the gift of faith. It’s about all I’ve been able to think about ever since that evening.
I have started writing a book about prodigals, and their return home. And, the part we have to play in receiving them.
This is just one chapter. I plan to finish the book in a month or so, and make it available as an EBook. If you’re interested in receiving a copy when it’s finished, please comment as such in the comment section of this post. Thanks.
Here we go…
A Dad and his Boys
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. (Luke 15:11-13 NLT)
The father had two sons, not just one. The number two is important. Why? Because there’s something to learn from both boys, not just the “wild” one.
I wonder what made the younger son think about getting out on his own? Really, when it comes right down to it, it’s natural for a young man to want to be on his own. So I wonder if maybe he’d heard stories from his high school classmates (you just KNOW he went to a “Christian” school) about life on the far side of the world. Life in the fast lane, perhaps.
Maybe he’d heard of all the opportunities available for a guy like himself. Just because he wanted to be on his own didn’t mean he was rebellious. Sure, he could have been. But Jesus never mentioned it. He DID say the kid wasted his inheritance in the distant land.
Let’s discuss the inheritance the younger son asked his father for. Asking for the inheritance wasn’t out of line for people of that day. The father typically would divide his inheritance while he was living, and give his heirs an opportunity to learn financial responsibility and integrity while he was alive to assist them. Did you notice the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons? In other words, both sons received their inheritance. Both sons, not just the younger one.
If you are a parent with more than one child, or if you have a brother or a sister, you’ll know that no two kids are alike. Just because they’ve been raised in the same house, by the same parents, doesn’t mean they will have the same dreams, values, or motivation. They are unique in almost every sense of the word. And although they can be so hard to understand and even harder to raise, their uniqueness is really a very beautiful thing.
Scripture doesn’t reveal if the father was a strict disciplinarian or a push over. So, let’s just say the father was just and fair. It doesn’t appear that he tried to persuade his younger son from leaving. Some might consider that as not caring about his son enough. Maybe, maybe not. I like to think that the father was proud of his son for going after a dream.
Our Heavenly Father had his son stand in front of him one day and say,
First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. (Hebrews 10:8-10 NLT)
Jesus left heaven and moved to a distant land. Not as a prodigal, but as someone committed to doing God’s will. He came to seek and save that which was lost.
Maybe that’s what the younger son was thinking. Maybe he had good intentions at the beginning. You know, sort of like Lot when he eyed the land before him, as he and his uncle were separating. Perhaps, I say perhaps, Lot felt the call to go to Sodom and Gomorrah to tell them about El Shaddai, the God of Abraham. Maybe. Or, perhaps.
Sometimes, even people as spiritual as you and I get sidetracked and moved away from our original plan. Right?
It’s not clear at all as to why the younger one left home. As the younger, maybe he was tired of living in the shadow of the older, and perhaps, the first born. Think about family dynamics for a moment. With at least two kids in the family, it’s natural to at least mentally compare one child with another. At times the “mental” comparisons can lead to “vocal” comparisons. “Why can’t you act like your brother?” Yeah, right.
Not to besmirch the father of this story, and understanding he can be representing our Father God’s love and patience, the truth of the matter is the father IS NOT Father God. So I doubt if this father was as perfect as everyone believes. There COULD have been some friction between the younger son and the father. Or there could have been words between the older son and his younger brother. Nothing is said of the older son and what he did with his portion of the inheritance. There’s a reason for that which we’ll look at a bit later.
There are a number of reasons why people launch out on their own. Good reasons. Natural, God designed and God blessed reasons.
I like to believe the younger son left home because he had a dream. A dream which couldn’t be fulfilled until he left home, venturing out on his own.
By the way, God loves a dreamer.
And God doesn’t mind if you and I give this younger son, and each other, the benefit of the doubt.
What do you think?
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More Than A Melody
The wind of the Spirit began to gently move among the people assembled to worship and praise the Lord Almighty. As the musicians played softly, the singer began singing, “seek the Lord while He may be found…”It was as though the Lord joined us in singing and dancing that night. When we began playing the second song, it seemed like there were extra instruments playing, extra voices singing, and a supernatural ability to play and play. A well of untapped joy suddenly opened in my spirit as I praised and worshipped my God.
Yes, God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise and worship invites Him, welcomes Him, to make Himself at home in our midst, and in our individual lives. And He thoroughly enjoys doing just that.
Worship seemed to carry us to new heights; as though we were translated from the dingy gray of earth to the brightly illuminated throne room of God. How could this be happening? After all, we were just singing songs. Nothing special about the melodies, except they were being sung by our hearts. The instruments were simple, nothing fancy at all; other than they, too, seemed to be one with our hearts.
I love to imagine what worship is like in Heaven. I think the Lord gave us all a heavenly glimpse that night.
Lord, help our hearts to always worship you, even when the band isn’t playing. For the thing which moves your heart isn’t the complicated chords we may play on our instruments, but the harmony our hearts make when we join as one voice to worship the One True God.
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Exchange
A word came to my heart. A word of action, and requiring action. A word of liberty, and yet a word allowing someone to own you. To be owned by love; overwhelmed by love. The word? Exchange.
Exchange one life for another. Is it possible? Can it be done? What if one life is practically destroyed, used up, ridden hard and put away wet?
It’s beyond possible. It’s promised.
How can it be?
What does your life consist of? Are you just flesh, blood, and bone? Oh no, you are more. Much more!
Exchange.
Exchange your emptiness for God’s fullness; your sorrow for his joy. Your thoughts can be in harmony, in agreement, with his thoughts.
Exchange your way of reasoning with his way of believing.
Exchange your skepticism for assurance in your heart. The jealousy, envy, and bitterness which has all but consumed you can be exchanged for his everlasting love and peace that passes all understanding; beyond comprehension, but not beyond experience.
Exchange your past with all its sordidness and inordinate affections. Exchange it with someone who gave his perfect life for you.
But how? Where?
Exchange by recognizing your need; your absolute inability to raise yourself to the new life offered by God Almighty, through his son Jesus Christ.
Exchange at the cross of Christ. The place God the father met his son that dark day on Golgotha’s hill. There he accepted his son’s offer and now grants eternal life to all who believe and receive.
And he proved it when he raised Jesus from the dead.
His resurrection is your resurrection!
Exchange your empty future of hopelessness for his glorious and blessed hope.
What have you got to lose?
Everything!
What is there to gain?
Everything, plus more than can be imagined!
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The Know-It-All
Know-it-alls really bug me! All except for one, that is.
Am I jealous? Possibly a bit. But the world has many, MANY, people who are much smarter than this average joe. So I really don’t believe jealousy is the issue.
I don’t mind smart people, not at all. I can learn from people like that. Lord knows, and I know as well, I need all the help I can get. So yeah, I enjoy conversing with people smarter that I.
Remember a guy named Ken Jennings? He is the all time game show winner, winning Jeopardy 74 times! One smart dude!
I wonder how many possible topics there are in the world to discuss. Do you know? Thousands, maybe millions? More?
So how can any one person know everything? And, really, how can any one organization, age group, church, or country know everything?
How can mankind as a whole think they can know everything?
And what about people who try and figure out the God who is beyond comprehension?
Sure, sometimes I may act like I know it all (but I really know better, and so do you). But I have learned something, even if it’s not much. I’ve learned I can not out think, out smart, or out maneuver the Lord Almighty. His ways are past finding out, and He is beyond my ability and our collective ability to define.
Like I said, there are a lot of people smarter than I. People who are:
News reporters, journalists, preachers and masons,
Teachers, Rock Stars, policemen and handmaidens,
Computer geeks, farmers, soldiers and brokers,
House builders, swimmers, even some marijuana smokers.Politicians, machinists, trash collectors and nurses,
Waiters, waitresses, and poets who write verses,
Taxi drivers, skin divers, and college professors,
Accountants, designers, misters and misses.Tall folk, short people, black and multicolored,
Asian, African, Norwegian and others,
Rich people, poor folk, worried and care free,
Are just some of the folks who are smarter than me. (Should have been “I”, but it didn’t rhyme. Sorry)I know I don’t know it all. In fact, I know just enough to make me dangerous.
But, just in case you forget to ask me, I’ll tell you what I DO know:
I know that my Redeemer lives. I know Jesus came to give me, and everyone else, life; abundant life.
I didn’t have to memorize the facts, I simply had to receive them by believing them. Hey, everyone believes something about God; whether you’re smarter than the average bear or not.
I know that in His house are many mansions. I know He has gone to prepare a place for me, and since He went, He will come again and receive me unto Himself.
This I know. More than I know anything else.
I know I am born of God, filled with His Spirit, surrounded by angels, and blessed going out and coming in.
I know God has placed me into His Body, and anoints me with gifts and abilities as He sees fit.
I know I have an enemy, an adversary referred to as the devil. I know that when I submit to God and resist the devil, he must flee.
I know God is faithful and just to forgive me of all my sin; past, present and future. Even when I act like a “know-it-all”, if I confess my sin He forgives me and cleanses me of all unrighteousness.
I know my wife is the only woman in the world for me. I don’t have to wonder, guess, or call Psychic Suzy. I don’t have to shop around using internet chat rooms.
I don’t know it all, but I know what I know. I learned that from my dad. Yes, I DID learn a couple of things from him.
Yes, know-it-alls irritate me. I bet you feel the same way about them, don’t you? Yet, like me, YOU are convinced that what YOU KNOW is correct, right?
But did YOU know that God Almighty wants YOU to know HIM? Personally, intimately?
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9 ESV)
Maybe you’re not as smart as Ken Jennings. Perhaps you’re a rocket scientist and only believe what you can reason out.
Sorry, God doesn’t make sense, and His gospel does seem too good to be true.
But the smartest thing you will ever do in this life is plan wisely about the next. And in order to do that, you’ll need help from the One who really is the Know-It-All.
Let’s talk about know-it-alls who bug you. Are you bothered by pesky Christians, always acting like they know more about God than you? Do you know what it is about them that irritates you so much?
Come, let’s reason together…
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World Peace? Is It Possible?
What do you think it would take to see true peace come to the Middle East? Or is it something we should just give up on?
World Peace. Is it possible? Who has the answer? Do you?
World peace. Seems impossible to some, and an easy fix for others. I guess it depends on your world view, eh?
For instance, someone who doesn’t care about collateral damage would “bomb the hell out of the bad guys, and let God sort ’em out! They’ll soon come around to our way of thinking.”
Um, nice.
As for the Middle East, there’s a mixed bag of answers. The Palestinian would agree with those wanting to trim Israel back to the country’s pre-1967 war borders. Those are fighting words to the Israeli. Both sides, ALL sides, believe their answer is the best.
Who will broker the peace treaty of a lifetime? I have an idea. Wanna hear it? No?
What about the Bear? Can Russia be trusted to be nice and peaceful? We all know Putin is only looking out for the best interest of the Russians living in Ukraine. Absolutely.
Is it about to awaken from its
hibernation? Should they be trusted to honor their words of “peace”? Are they genuinely concerned about world opinion? I wonder what a bear in a china cabinet would look like?Speaking of China, who will be the one to light their fuse? With one-fifth of the world’s population, we probably ought to know what makes them tick.
Don’t you wonder about all the strife and contention within our own borders? Between Canada and Mexico is a Nation of States, united in name only. States “rights” are being swallowed up by the Federal Government, which spends about 22% of all money spent in the country each year. $3.8 trillion dollars. Imagine writing a check for that amount of money. You’d have to practice, that’s for sure. It would look like: $3,800,000,000,000. To try and understand how much money that is, let’s say a rich uncle gave you that amount of money. You were told you had exactly 80 years to spend it all. In order to spend that much money, you’d have to spend over $130 million EACH and EVERY DAY! FOR EIGHTY YEARS!
There’s roughly 314 million people in the United States. That means the government spends over $12,000 per person, including every little child. Incredible. But the government is always ready to send billions of dollars to places like Russia, China, and other countries who aren’t exactly allies. Why? Humanitarianism? Maybe they don’t want to fight.
Quite frankly, I don’t either. But throwing good money after bad, as the saying goes, won’t fix anything. Our economy cannot take it much longer. The States can’t take it much longer. People can’t take it much longer.
There are “preppers” in every state, and around the world. Google “Prepper” sometime and you’ll be amazed at how many people are preparing for a worldwide catastrophe. For instance, check out this site –
The initials stand for: “Stuff” Hits The Fan Plan. That’s not exactly an acronym for a world peace organization.
People are clamoring for peace. But they’ll settle for delusion and call it peace.
The world is ripe for a world leader; someone who’ll fix everyone’s problems. Maybe you could be the one to rally the nations to throw down their arms, and unite once and for all.
Could be.
So, if you were running things what would you do to bring about world peace? Would you use “religion” to bring people together, or would you abolish religion altogether? Do you believe God has an answer for world peace? Or is he the problem?
Maybe you think the devil ought to have an opportunity to be in charge. Do you?
Some people happen to believe that God has NOT been in charge of things, though He has tried. There’s a group of people who ascribe to the idea that the devil HAS been running things, stirring up nation against nation, color against color, republican against democrat, and man against woman for about 6,000 years. Are you connected with THAT group?
I am.
Tell me what YOU’D do. No matter how bizarre or out of the box it sounds, put it down in writing. Who knows, someone may try it. You might find yourself winning a Nobel Peace Prize. Or something.
Or, you may not.
Regardless, let the world know what you would do, if YOU were running things.
Me? I’d rid the world of its hellish influence. Which, by the way, IS going to happen some day.
Yes, I see peace on the horizon. But I’m nobody’s fool. It’s not going to happen until the darkness gives way to the rising Son.
Count on it.
Thank you for reading this post. Please comment, I’d love to hear what you think. For more posts and a weekly newsletter delivered to your email address, please go to http://eepurl.com/PaJK5 and sign up. Thanks.
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Reincarnation? Please!
Reincarnation: the idea or belief that people are born again with a different body after death.
I’ve been a Christian for a lot of years; almost 39. I’ve never believed in reincarnation once I became born again, and still don’t. But every lie, for it to sell real well, needs to have an element of truth in it. Maybe there’s something I’ve overlooked where reincarnation is concerned. Well?
My understanding of the subject is limited, I must confess. Here’s the extent of my knowledge.
Let’s say, for instance, I am a vacuum cleaner salesman. The job sucks, but that’s what I am. However, in my previous life (my most recent life) I was a homeless person. I made my living standing on a busy street corner with a “Need help. God Bless” sign, and my three-legged dog.
Before that, I was a ballet dancer in Vienna.
As the belief goes, my “karma” determines what I’ll be in my next life, and how well I’ll be treated. And I guess, according to the belief system, I keep getting reincarnated until I reach a level of perfection, at one with the Brahman (supreme being); Nirvana.
One thing I don’t understand: nirvana means different things to different religions. To some, it means to be blown away, or blown out; like a candle. The end of all suffering, is what others believe it to mean. Other interpretations, from what I can gather, seem to indicate nirvana means “at total peace” and “total calmness and liberation from cravings, lusts, and evil desires”.
I haven’t a clue how many lifetimes it may take to reach Nirvana. Part of me even wonders if it’s worth the effort!
Like I said before, I don’t believe in reincarnation. I have never been someone else. I have never had a past life. Not in a “reincarnation” definition of past life. Not going to be anyone other than who I am. In this body or out of it, I am me, only and forever.
But here’s the “element of truth” I referred to earlier. I am born again. I will have a new, different body after death. I won’t “come back” as a dog, or butterfly, architect, or even a televangelist! In fact, I won’t come back as a community organizer, a lawyer, or a politician; even if I’ve been real bad.
I will be back, though. I’ll be back with Jesus’ heavenly host as mentioned in the book of Revelation.
“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14 ESV)
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV)
I am born again, and the life of God is in me.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3-7 ESV)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36 ESV)
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 ESV)
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
I will have a new body when I die. But it will still be me, in my eternal body.
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened – not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
(2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV)“I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:23 ESV)
I have only lived once. I never existed before I was conceived back in 1954. I never was once a fly, a fish, or a loon. I’ve been called a pack rat before, and also an ass; and even though I may have acted like one, it was still just good old me. No one or nothing else.
The same is true for you. You have never been a monkey, no matter how many times you’ve acted like an ape. You’ll never be a dragonfly, or a talking horse. You’ll always be you. One life. You begin with your physical body, and when that fizzles out, you have another one already prepared.
It DOES matter what you do in this life, but not because of “karma”.
Karma has nothing more to do with where you spend eternity than Caramel Corn has to do with how a movie will end.
Your eternity depends on who is the Lord of your PRESENT LIFE when it’s time for you to check out.
He who has the Son has life.
“…it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
(Hebrews 9:27 ESV) -
Clothed and Rubbed
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion –
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV)Isaiah, the prophet, heard these words in his spirit about 700 years before they were quoted by Jesus (in Luke 4):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ”And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21 ESV)
“Today this Scripture is fulfilled…”
The Spirit of the Lord God, as referred to by Isaiah and Jesus, is the power of God to change lives. Also called “The Anointing”, the Spirit of God opens spiritual eyes and ears to understand the good news; the good news of God’s availability to mankind through the finished work of his Son, Jesus Christ. The work of his Son includes mending broken hearts, deliverance from demonic spirits and influences, physical healing, forgiveness, and the hope of eternity with him.
God desires to “anoint” his people today with the power of the Spirit of God. He speaks of being “anointed” by the Spirit like one would talk of putting on clothes.
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 ESV)
Also, to “anoint” is to rub, or rub into (kind of like rubbing Ben Gay into a sore muscle).
I’ve met people who seem to think “the Anointing” is for everyone who asks. Do I agree?
Uh, well, yes and no.
No one can earn the anointing, that’s for sure. And God DOES want to fill everyone, and clothe everyone with his “power from on High”. But their is at least 2 requirements to living an anointed, God-filled life.
Requirements?
The first is rather simple. An easy “hoop” to jump through. Actually, Jesus did the jumping for us. Receiving Jesus as our Lord and Master is our first requirement.
The second one is where a lot of potential candidates seem to drop off. If you’ll look back over Isaiah’s account, you’ll read in verse three, “that he may be glorified”. So the second requirement has to do with our motive, our focus, our character.
Why does HE want us clothed with power? So HE will be glorified. And HE receives glory, or is glorified, when righteousness and justice prevail in and through a life.
When the spirit of generosity drives out the spirit of selfishness, God is glorified. As hearts are mended of emotional hurts and scars, God is glorified. When the hopeless begin to understand their life isn’t over, and their dead hopes and dreams can be resurrected, God is glorified.
The writer of Hebrews quoted a psalm in verses 8 and 9 of Hebrews, chapter one.
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” (Hebrews 1:8-9 ESV)“You have loved…and hated…” Motive, focus, character.
The words you and I say, the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, and the hands we use to lay on others; they’re either clothed in power, or caked in our selfish desires. We’re either desiring his “kingdom come”, his “will be done”, or we have some other motive.
If we don’t love what he loves, and hate what he hates, how can we truly say we want him to receive all the glory and honor?
How can he be glorified when we’re really the one living in the spotlight?
“…Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29 ESV)
Well, what are YOU clothed in? Are you being “rubbed” by the Spirit of God?
Did I just rub you the wrong way?
Thank you for reading this post. Please comment, I’d love to hear what you think. For more posts and a weekly newsletter delivered to your email address, please go to http://eepurl.com/PaJK5 and sign up. Thanks.
Jan Grace
adding God's Word into my world…
