Hard to believe

You are driving along and suddenly you see a tire passing your vehicle; hard to believe isn't it? However, one day I was in my father's "plumbing truck" and as we were going down second avenue in Troy, N.Y. a tire suddenly appeared ahead of us on the passenger side. I wouldn't have believed this picture unless I had actually seen it myself; but it happened. A situation occurred in the New Testament that has some similarities. This passage from the book of John tells the story.


John 20:19-31 Complete Apostles' Bible
(19) Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace to you."
(20) And having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
(21) Therefore Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! Just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
(23) If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
(24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
(25) The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will by no means believe."
(26) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been closed, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"
(27) Then He said to Thomas, "Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand here, and put it into My side. Be not unbelieving, but believing."
(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
(29) Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
(30) And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
(31) but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.


The concept of a bodily resurrection is a hard thing for some people to accept, but since there were many, many, witnesses, I say let the evidence speak for itself. There are so many things in this world we accept by faith, why not do the reasonable thing and accept the witness found in the Bible? Oh, I didn't tell you... the tire that passed my father's truck was HIS FRONT TIRE;He saw that immediately and VERY SLOWLY APPLIED THE BRAKES. I didn't argue with him, I just accepted it as fact. Good example to follow.

This picture sort of describes my current situation. The storm happened and now the clouds seem to be clearing (I think). Hopefully, this post will be OK and the new, simplified blogsite will be better. These computer problems made me think of a passage in the book of Romans.

Romans 8:28 Complete Apostles' Bible
(28) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


So, maybe everything will work out fine. I just don't understand the "why" yet.

Transformed!

And you thought transformers were only in the movies; well, here is a real one. Transformers have been around for years, we just called them by a different name... convertibles. The concept of taking something and making it something else is found in the Bible too. John tells us...

John 2:1-11 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
(2) Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
(3) And when the wine had given out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
(4) Jesus said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come."
(5) His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He may say to you, do."
(6) Now there were six stone water jars standing there, according to the purification rites of the Jews, each holding two or three measures.
(7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the water jars with water." And they filled them up to the top.
(8) And He said to them, "Draw out now, and carry some to the head steward." And they carried it.
(9) Now when the head steward tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the head steward called the bridegroom
(10) and said to him, "Every man first sets out the good wine, and when they have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
(11) This beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

the difference between the wine mentioned in John chapter 2 and either "transformers" or convertibles is that Jesus fundamentally transformed water into something new... wine. He did this by his innate power, not clever manipulation. He wasn't showing off, for the text says his mother suggested that he do this. Small thought here... I wonder how she knew to ask Jesus?? The only thing I can think of is that she had seen him do such things before in private. So, we have a new view of Jesus, from a mere man into something more, something both miraculous and amazing at the same time. That new appreciation of who Jesus is will transform even the hardest heart, but first we have to really look in order to really see. When we do this, our lives will never really be the same again; zap, YOU ARE TRANSFORMED!!!

The desire for a little fire!

Now this is a car! What a fire breathing monster this must be! I doubt if it even gets 10 mph.. Although I love to look at it, its not exactly built for someone who has my round build, so I don't think it would do me any good to even THINK of owning this. But I bet this puppy would really go fast! When I saw this "flame of fire" corvette I thought of the following passage from the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 1:1-8 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) God, who in various ways and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
(2) has in these last days spoken to us by the Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
(3) who being the effulgence of His glory and the exact expression of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
(4) having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
(5) For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him for a Father, and He shall be to Me for a Son"?
(6) But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."
(7) And on the one hand he says to the angels, "He who makes His angels spirits and His ministers flames of fire."
(8) But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.

OK, I admit I am pushing the comparison of a corvette to an angel, but both really fly! Both are very powerful and do the will of their master. The context of verse 7 shows that Jesus is far greater in power than even the angels (who are awesome flames of fire). Jesus could have called legions of angels to bring him down from the cross, but he didn't because his sacrifice needed to be made in order that righteousness could be enjoyed by all those who follow him. I just thought of something.... will there be corvette's in heaven? Probably not, we can just hitch a ride with an angel in case we have the desire for a little fire!

Flexibility

This picture reminds me of what it was like to be a young child; limber and flexible in all things, open to new ideas and courses of action. Unfortunately, as we become older we lose some of these things, some by choice and others just by growing older. I don't think I can ever be as flexible as I was at say, age 8, but I can be open to the views of others and a healthy examination of my own life. This is what I think is the thrust of Romans 14. Its a long passage, but worth the reading.

Romans 14:1-23 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) Receive one that is weak in the faith, not for disputes over opinions.
(2) One indeed believes that he may eat all things, but another, being weak, eats only vegetables.
(3) Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
(4) Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or he falls. And he shall be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
(5) One indeed judges one day above another; but another judges every day the same. Let each be fully assured in his own mind.
(6) He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. And he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he that does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.
(7) For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
(8) For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
(9) For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
(10) But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
(11) For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
(12) So then each of us shall give account concerning himself to God.
(13) Therefore let us no longer judge one another, but judge this rather, not to put a stumbling block or an offense before our brother.
(14) I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself; except to him considering anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
(15) But if your brother is grieved on account of your food, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food the one on behalf of whom Christ died.
(16) Therefore do not let your good be slandered.
(17) For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(18) For he that serves Christ in these things is well pleasing to God and approved by men.
(19) Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
(20) Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but are evil for the man eating with offense.
(21) It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or becomes weak.
(22) Do you have faith? By yourself, have it before God. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself in what he approves.
(23) But he who doubts, if he eats, has been condemned, because it is not of faith; and everything which is not of faith is sin.

In the ancient world, meat that was sold in the market place may have previously been offered to idols and some early Christians were sensitive to that possibility and therefore would not eat meat. Others, who were converts from Judaism would want to celebrate special Jewish holidays. What do you do? Become flexible in your understanding of liberty is the answer. I think the key is found in verse 1 of this chapter; and that key is opinions. There are certain facts about Christianity that are absolutes, such as Jesus being the means of our salvation and the existence of God the father and The Holy Spirit. So liberty concerns itself with opinions, period. The fundamentals of Christianity are not open to debate, just matters of opinions. As far as I am concerned, the girl in the picture can wear whatever color outfit she wants on Monday, no problem. I am learning to be flexible about Monday; Tuesday is another matter altogether. I guess I need to work on my flexibility some more.

You may see more than fire!

I can't explain it, but somehow over the past few years sunsets seem to capture my imagination. This one is entitled "fire in the sky" and the name says it all. The name made a natural association with the following passage from Thessalonians and as you read you will see why.





2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) We are obligated to give thanks to God always for you, brothers, and rightfully so, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all increases towards one another,
(4) so that we ourselves are boasting in you among the churches of God about your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
(5) which is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which you also suffer;
(6) since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
(7) and to give you who are being afflicted rest along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels,
(8) in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) These shall pay a penalty--eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might,
(10) whenever He comes, in that Day, to be glorified among His saints and to be marveled among all those having believed, because our testimony among you was believed.



Jesus will appear in flaming fire. Says so, must be. Payday, someday, for those who oppress and oppose either Jesus or his own. Comfort to some, concern for others. No, I don't know when and I am glad I don't; would probably do me no good to know. Knowing is NOT NECESSARY, being on the right side of judgment, IS. Until this event occurs, keep looking up, you may see more than fire!

bliss

When I saw this cat today, I smiled. For two reasons: first because a smile tends to cause another one and second because it made me think of my friend Marge, who loves her cat sooo much. Why do we smile and can we be happy without smiling? The first part is easy... because it is a perfectly natural thing to do, but the second is a little harder. Lets read from the Sermon on the mount in the book of Matthew for some insight.


Matthew 5:3-12 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
(6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
(7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
(9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(10) Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) "Blessed are you whenever they revile you, and they persecute you, and they say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
(12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Some translations translate "blessed" as happy, so I guess we are on the right track. I think its a little more accurate to say "Oh, the blissful state of the person" followed by the beatitude. So, a smile is more than just something we do or a natural response; it is a reflection of an inward state of the person. This makes sense to me, because if one is in tune with the will of God, even unpleasant things like those mentioned in verse 11 really can't change your happiness. I don't imagine that enduring those things would bring a smile, but everyone is different, so I guess it is possible to be happy and not a have smile on your face. If Marge were here, she would tell you that a cat is all you really need. Of course, his name has to be Max! By the way, did you hear the one about the difference between "bird flu" and "swine flu"? See below for the answer.







You get a tweetment for the first and an oinkment for the second.