12/6/11

Too "smart" to be "skinny" or "believe it or not"





Interesting story; never heard that one before!!!  Garfield has quite a vivid imagination, but we all know the truth; either you have a medical condition that causes you to gain weight or face it, you just eat too much.  Sometimes truth is a hard thing to come to grips with and often people will do anything, say anything to avoid it.  Not only is this true today, but it was 2000 years ago when Jesus walked this Earth.  Here is a prime example from the book of Matthew...

WEB: Matthew Chapter 12

[22] Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. [23] All the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?” [24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”

[25] Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, "“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. [26] If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? [27] If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. [28] But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. [29] Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

[30] “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. [31] Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. [32] Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

[33] “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. [34] You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. [35] The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. [36] I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. [37] For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”"

Jesus did something the Pharisees could not accept; he healed someone.  So, because Jesus' power didn't fit in with their concept of what should be done (and they considered their understanding to be correct because THEY knew the Scriptures) they reasoned it must be of evil.  Jesus tore their reasoning apart and showed them the TRUTH.  They were committing an ETERNAL SIN!!!  Just goes to show you... no matter how smart you think are; God is always right!  Best thing to do is to just accept the TRUTH for what it is and go from there.  "Reasoning" from wrong motives is destructive; both Garfield and the Pharisees needed to learn that little lesson.  Still, the picture is cute... I especially like the slippers; they remind me of the bunny costume in "The Christmas Story".  Garfield being Garfield, I doubt if he gets beat up by his classmates, though.

I have always set the Lord before me by Mark Copeland

http://executableoutlines.com/text/ps16_8.htm

An interesting lesson from the Psalms...Gary