Pray Without Ceasing and Happy New Year

1 Thessalonians 5
17 Pray without ceasing.

What does this mean?

1 Timothy 2
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Looking back, my number one theme for 2008 was the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ. For 2009, the main theme was the Church of Christ on Earth. I think, for 2010, the theme will be Prayer Life.

I took time off from work to do some reading. Google "The Way of a Pilgrim."

Baptism

John 3
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

This may not be Biblical but....

I have come to believe that you must be baptized of water, immersed, and you must be baptized of the Holy Spirit. When you are baptized of water you become reconciled to the Church. When you are baptized of the Spirit you becomed reconciled to Jesus - transformed and purified.

When you receive both of these baptisms you are prepared, ready to enter the Kingom of God.

About Reconciliation From Colossians 1
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight....

Merry Christmas

John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Merry Christmas, Jesus....

Simple Truth

Ecclesiastes 12
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

So ends my reading of Ecclesiastes. And, in conclusion....

No matter how much we study, no matter how much we increase our knowledge of God, we must not lose sight of simple, simple profound truths and basic principals. Above are the basic simple truths. Every passage we read, every thing we do during a day should reflect this passage. Fear God, live righteously. And, you will be judged by God....

Children's Song
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so....
The truth does not change, from childhood, to adulthood, to our end here on earth....

The Days of Old

Psalms 77
5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

I do find meaning in the days of old - and not in the days of now. I don't have much use for purpose driven anything, or current political issues, or TV evangelism or radio evangelism, or whatever.

More From Psalms 77
11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

The days of old when men of God walked the earth.

Profoundly Conservative

Ecclesiastes 8
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

Here the advice is accept the authority of the king even the wicked king. Suggests commandments from the king come from God. And, goodness flows from sovereign stability. I see that same acceptance of sovereignty in the New Testament (Romans Chapter 13). So, the question, for me, is what are the Christian concerns about politics. No answers today.

More From Ecclesiastes 8
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.

Wicked refers to kings. The judgement of the wicked king rests with God....

Eat, Drink And Be Merry

Ecclesiastes 8
15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

I know the accepted meaning of this passage, accepted by Christians (tranquil enjoyment of God's temporal gifts that you earned). But it just does not read right to me. I see two interpretations. Either it's Solomon, sitting at the head of a huge, well-supplied banquet table, with hundreds of his courtiers. Or I see a bunch of young adults, revelling at a bar, after a long, hard day at work.

More From Ecclesiastes 8
17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

God's Mysteries

Ecclesiastes 3
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

God's vast, grand work, God's law, cannot be completely understood. And this, should give us a fear-filled, profound sense of humility in everything we say and everything we do....

The Goats of Solomon

Song of Solomon 41 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

This is the verse that finally convinced me that Song of Solomon is alegory. For the Jews, between God and Israel. For the Christians, between Christ and the Church. On the other hand, I don't just warm up to the man-woman imagery.

Matthew 25
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Dancing with the Devil

Romans 1
28 ....God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful....

This is directed to the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the gentiles.

If you are not being righteous you are dancing with the devil. For example, sitting in the back yard with family, BBQ'ing, drinking beers and talking loud and telling stupid jokes and watching Nascar. I don't think this type of behavior is necessarily a sin, then again, this type of behavior is not righteous and this type of behavior does not please God, the way, let's say, the burnt offering pleased God in the days of Leviticus....

Galatians 5
21 ....revellings....

Inching Toward Salvation

Matthew 6
13 Lead us not into temptation....

In this prayer, we ask our Father, who art in heaven, lead us not into temptation. This is odd. That he would indeed lead us into temptation. But he does. Alot, as does Satan. God tests us, like he tested Abraham and like he tested Job. God testing us daily is inherently part of life.

On the other hand, He is always there to help with our trials and tribulations.

More From Matthew 6
13 ....but deliver us from evil....

Somehow, all the decisions I've made in life did not lead - straight to perdition. Jesus was always there, not leading me straight to salvation. No, he was always inching me, ever so slowly, toward the gates of heaven......

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I Am Not A Great Man

Romans 5
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As great men read the Bible, they find deep, profound and complex truths. They find justification, sanctification, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption, regeneration, reprobanion. I have no doubt whatsoever that these are indeed profound biblical truths. To the extent I understand them.

But me. I'm not a great man. I'm a simple man. And, the more I read the Bible, the more simple truth becomes. Jesus died for our sins. We are saved - born again - by faith. We must live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,meekness, temperance.

Softly And Tenderly

I've always loved hymns. And now, with the internet, I've discovered so many inspiring stories about those who created them.

Story From www.cyberhymnal.org
When the world-re­nowned lay preach­er, Dwight Ly­man Moody, lay on his death bed in his North­field, Mass­a­chu­setts, home, Will Thomp­son made a spe­cial vi­sit to in­quire as to his con­di­tion. The at­tend­ing phy­si­cian re­fused to ad­mit him to the sick­room, and Moody heard them talk­ing just out­side the bed­room door. Re­cog­niz­ing Thomp­son's voice, he called for him to come to his bed­side. Tak­ing the Ohio po­et-com­pos­er by the hand, the dy­ing evan­gel­ist said, "Will, I would ra­ther have writ­ten "Soft­ly and Ten­der­ly Je­sus is Call­ing" than an­y­thing I have been able to do in my whole life."

The Hymn
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He's waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Almost forgot. No posts without an appropriate Bible verse. Everything you do, everything that happens, should have, an appropriate Bible verse.

Revelation 14
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

More On Hebrew Women

Isaiah 4
4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Here, the theme of the daughters of Zion is continued. And here, they seem to be assigned a central roll in the fall of Jerusalem.

For these passage on the Daughters of Zion, I have only questions. What is God's message to Hebrew women? What was God's message to Christian women in Jesus time? What is God's message to modern women? And, finally, any message here for men?

And no answers....

Hebrew Women

Isaiah 3
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

And
16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

Here is the Lord's judgement upon the Daughters of Zion. The Lord's anger is evident in this passaage. These women appear to have important positions in society. Makes you wonder about our own women leaders - senators, congressmen, Executive Office cabinet secretaries, govenors.

It's odd. I can think of no analogous New Testament passage. No special, specific message for our women leaders in the New Testament. I guess the lesson for Christian women is: live humbly and righteously by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Which, is the same lesson for men....

More On The Daughters Of Zion From Isaiah 3
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Rashi On Youth

Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Rashi From Chabad.org
Reflect upon three things.  Remember your Creator that you will give an accounting and reckoning before Him; and remember your pit, your grave, a place of earth, maggots, and worms; and remember your well, the well that flows from its source: that is the putrid droplet of seed and semen.

One regret in life. Somehow I wish I had truly understood this verse thirty years ago. Then again, now, this passage is loaded with thirty years of meaning....