Greatest Love of All

April 28, 2009

Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 13

Of course, we all know 1 Corinthians 13. That whole chapter on love that just makes you feel gushy all over.

Before I became a Christian, I knew all about this chapter. After I became a Christian, I read it for the first time. I was convicted to the point of tears. I thought about all the times that I have loved, or said that I loved someone. I had to face the fact that my love wasn’t the unconditional kind. I always wanted something in return, or something.

True love is something that is rare. Those that know love of any kind know how difficult that it can be when two different people “hook up”. Very few have actually known what it is like to truly be loved unless they behave in a certain manner, which isn’t really love at all, honestly. Even fewer have actually given this type of love to others.

This makes the reading in 1 Samuel a weird pill to swallow. It begins with a story of Hannah, a woman who feels unloved. In actuality, it sounds like her husband Elkanah loves her more than his other wife. I’m going to ignore the polygamy issue here and focus on why the heck poor Hannah felt less loved than the other, Peninnah.

I guess she just really wanted a son or something, who knows? My point is this: I’m not certain that Hannah showed the true love exemplified in 1 Corinthians 13. Maybe she isn’t supposed to, I’m not certain.

After all, what the heck does the story of Hannah exemplify? If you are jealous of your husband’s other wife, then you should pray to God for a son? How about this: if you have a son, give him to the Lord? No offense, but Hannah, your part in the story is over. When your son needed your love, you weren’t there.

I probably shouldn’t be critical of Hannah, and what she did, because she has a place in the story. Something tells me if Hannah hadn’t given up her son, Samuel would never be Samuel, and then David would never be David. I suppose 1 Samuel would be a book about some kid who came out of a polygamous marriage.

What I am trying to say is that Hannah may not have shown perfect love, but you know what? I’m betting that you don’t either. However, here’s the deal. God’s plan includes people who don’t love perfectly, get with it.

However, wouldn’t it be nice if, in the grand scheme of things, we are the ones who showed that perfect love? Man, that would be awesome. This would be a good part to play. If fathers were perfect examples of love for their sons and daughters.

Ruth's Dating Practices

April 27, 2009

Today's Reading: Ruth 3-4 and 1 Corinthians 12

The other day, I mentioned how God tends to use very unconventional ways. Today, I would like to talk about how God uses relationships.

Yeah, is this the devotional where I talk about sex and dating? Man, I hope not. I have seen way too many things in the Christian world that deal with sex and dating. Of course the reason is obvious. The Bible specifically talks about how premarital sex is wrong, but the world today just doesn’t seem to be down with that.

I suppose this is where I could talk about how your body is a temple, and you should avoid the appearance of evil, and blah blah blah and yadda yadda yadda. Of course, you have probably read enough of my blog to know that I am not down with that.

So for those who were looking forward to “the sex and dating” entry, here it is. It might not be what you are expecting, though.

Our reading comes from the Book of Ruth. Some of you might know it, as I suppose it is the best example of the romance genre in the Bible. However, this romance kind of breaks a lot of Christian tradition.

Take a look at how Ruth presents herself to Boaz. It is after a night where Boaz had been drinking and had been in “good spirits”. I remember reading this and thinking: “so he was drunk, then?” I would probably look that up in Strong’s Concordance, but it is on the other side of the room.

Yeah, I don’t like keyword studies.

Anyway, Ruth goes to see Boaz while he is sleeping, and then asks him to “spread the corner of your garment over me”. And then they all lived happily ever after.

Now, you ask any Christian about dating, and they would probably never recommend that a Christian woman do what Ruth did. As a pastor, would you recommend any woman in your flock to approach a man sleeping with an amorous proposal? Especially after he has had too much to drink. Then to ask for him to cover her with a garment?

Honestly, isn’t that just opening up the door to sexual temptation? What if Boaz had covered Ruth with a blanket, and then they have sex?

I am assuming that didn’t happen, because the Bible doesn’t say it happened that way. Even if it did, does that change the fact that Ruth and Boaz eventually sired a line of kings.

In other words, Ruth and Boaz might not have gotten together perfectly, but they did get together, and a great destiny was made because of it. So Christian, think twice the next time to condemn a cohabitable couple, a child born out of wedlock, or some other union that doesn’t seem godly. Who are we to say what God can and cannot do with a couple.

Heads up on what matters

April 26, 2009

Today's Reading: Ruth 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 11

You ever read the Bible and discover things that don’t make much sense? Personally, I see verses in the Bible that I break every day. I would imagine that there are some ladies who break it periodically.

Apparently, women are not allowed to prophecy with their heads uncovered. However, I have been to churches, seen women prophecy, and many of them have their heads uncovered.

You want to know what is really a hoot? There is this verse saying that men should not have long hair. However, in most productions of the Jesus story that I have seen at churches, the man himself is always sporting long hair.

In fact, I recently went to an Easter production, and found that one of my Pastors was playing Jesus. He normally has short hair, but the make-up department added hair extensions. He ended up looking like Mel Gibson’s William Wallace in Braveheart.

Isn’t it funny how these customs in Christian circles arise, and then are quickly broken? I’m sure there was a time when Christian Rock was considered of the devil, assuming this time still doesn’t exist.

Sometimes you have to wonder how many things of the Bible need to be followed and how many things are up to us. The Bible says that we can “judge for ourselves”, and I am assuming this only applies in some instances. After all, I just mentioned just yesterday why the time of judges was so bad, because everyone did what he or she thought was right.

You know, I just don’t believe that God works in ideal conditions. If you look at the life of Ruth in today’s reading, Naomi and Ruth lived in a time of poverty. Not only that, Ruth lived with her mother-in-law. How weird is that? I’m sure that would probably turn some heads if she mentioned that at a party.

Can you imagine that: “you live with your mother-in-law”? Man, you must be some sort of loser.

If you look at a lot of situations, they are done by completely unconventional means. Abraham was given a son even though he kind of cheated a bit by making certain Hagar conceived one for him. Moses killed a man before the voice from the burning bush. David was hardly brought up in the house of a king or a priest.

This is why I never judge any book by its cover. Granted, you have to take time to read the pages within, but if you have patience, you may discover the story of how God truly works.

Breaking the Cycle of Sin

April 25, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 20-21 and 1 Corinthians 10

Today, we reached the end of the book of Judges, and what a sad ending it was. It all began when a Levites concubine was gang raped and then killed. Apparently, the Kitty Genovese effect was occurring.

Some of you may have heard of this case, a tragedy that occurred in 1964 when a woman was killed in a public area, while people in their homes were watching. No one called the police until after Kitty had died. For those of you who are comic book fans, Kitty Genovese was the reason why Walter Kovacs became Rorshach in Watchmen (now a major motion picture).

I’m not certain why people didn’t want to get involved when there was a life at stake, and that must have been the case as this poor concubine was raped, tortured, and killed. The sad part of this is that the assailants actually wanted men.

The Levite who had this concubine chopped up the body, and then sent it to the corners of Israel. Man, did this get people angry! As a result, the whole tribe of Benjamin was ostracized from the community.

Can you believe the mountain of iniquity that has been built up here? Neither do I. As usual, the sin just brings in more sin until it is an endless food chain of hurt. The situation was so bad that there was no ruler in Israel, as everyone did what is right in his or her own eyes.

I can’t imagine any system of justice working that way, as everyone really has differing definitions of right and wrong. Sadly, this is what Israel had become, a nation of nihilists and anarchists.

I think it is odd that this happened. As Paul said, all of the Israelites had been through the Sea, eaten spiritual food, drank from the rock, and most didn’t make it. Dang! Why is this? Are the basic qualifications for being a Christian just too hard?

The truth is that if you look at the population of heaven versus the one in hell, I just can’t imagine less people in the flames. Seriously. This is a very sick fact: it is a hell of a lot more difficult to get into heaven, and sadly, not everyone will make it, all because of a simple choice not to accept Jesus for their sins.

Yes, this is a terrible tragedy, and yes, it doesn’t have to be this way. The sad part is that we are doing things to keep it this way. Is there any stopping it?

I’m choosing it. Now. The cycle ends here.

Not willing to fight to the Death

April 24, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 18-19 and 1 Corinthians 9

I’ve read the Bible a few times, and I always get stuck on Micah. Sometimes when you read the Bible, there are some stories in which characters really exemplify Christian virtues, and we can learn a valuable lesson from them.

Take David facing Goliath, teaching us an obvious lesson in courage. That or Abraham, whose willingness to sacrifice his son teaches us the importance of trusting in God. You could say that Ruth teaches us about love and hope.

I have a problem with the story of Micah. The issue I have with that story is there doesn’t seem to be any sort of moral or anything. In fact, it doesn’t really have any plot structure.

I mean, here’s the deal, Micah gets an idol, then he gets a priest. Then one day, some army comes and takes away his idol and his priest. Micah gets ticked off, and that is about it.

I suppose that if there was some story about how Micah chased down the guys, kicked their butts, and claimed his idol and priest back, then maybe we could pass this off as a revenge story or something. Of course, I honestly don’t want Mr. Micah to get his idol back, because I think the Bible forbids idols, you know that.

Maybe he could get his priest back, and then say: “you know what, you really shouldn’t be doing this whole idol thing”. I’m not going back to you. Then Micah learns his lesson, the priest learns his lesson, and voila, you have the “feel-good movie of the year”.

Yeah, I don’t see Hollywood adopting Micah’s story into a movie anytime soon. There is no drama, hardly any story, and nothing really happening. It would definitely feel like one of those independent films with no drama, hardly any story, and nothing ever happening.

I guess Micah shows what in the world that we humans find worth fighting for. It has some reverse resemblance to what Paul says when he says “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”.

Paul is willing to suffer in the flesh for his faith, and did. Micah, he was not willing to suffer at all, from what it sounds like. I might be misinterpreting this story, though.

Perhaps I can pull this moral out of it. Be willing to fight for what is worth fighting for. There are some things in this life that I will fight and die to keep, like my family or my faith. Everything else, I guess I could let go. Maybe that is the lesson that Micah learned, assuming that anything can be learned here.

What Possessed Him?

April 23, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 16-17 and Psalm 3-4

I remember when I was working for someone, specificially, “the Man”. Now I made a mistake, and “the Man” felt need to remind me of it. I believe “the Man” said: “what possessed you” to do this.

Sadly, I explained why I made my mistake. I wish I could have said something like “the devil”. Not that the devil possessed me or anything, but people should ask “what possessed you” unless they expect some sort of demonic answer, really.

In all honesty, I don’t think anything can possess me. Yeah, I’ve heard that story about people being possessed by the devil, and it is not that I don’t believe them, but if the devil or some demonic power can somehow remove the freewill from my brain, then honestly, I just don’t want to live with the general feeling of helplessness that will last through the rest of my life.

Yeah, I would prefer to think that all the dumb things that I do in my life are a result of my own actions. I realize it would make me less accountable if I say “the devil made me do it”, but unless the devil is me, that just isn’t true.

So yeah, all the stupid things that we do in our own lives are pretty much our own fault. I’ve been writing a lot about people doing stupid things lately on this blog. I really should write about people doing smart things next time.

But Samson, he does the most stupid thing that I know of. His wife constantly nags him to give away the secret of removing his strength, and he keeps lying to her. Finally, he tells her the truth.

I can’t imagine why he keeps leading her on. Why he isn’t the least bit suspicious. Does he think that she’s trying to be some sort of dominatrix? Maybe he thought that he was invulnerable, because he was, really.

But seriously, Superman doesn’t go around and tell everyone where to get kryptonite, does he? Did Samson love Delilah so much that he was blinded to the fact that she was a double agent?

Man, this sounds like a bad spy movie, one where the audience can easily tell what will happen next. So what does possess this strongman to do such a dumb thing? Nothing. It was pure volition. He had no one to blame but himself for his actions, and neither do we.

With Great Power Comes Great Stupidity

April 22, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 13-15 and Psalms 1-2

I’m going to talk about something that I really like to talk about: superheroes. I used to read comic books as a kid, and I still try to keep up on what the heck they are doing with comics now. Just so you know, they haven’t really come up with a decent idea in a while, and the just love to re-tell the stories of the great superheroes.

Samson is really the first super-hero, in the comic book sense of the word. He has the strength of Superman, but doesn’t have any of the altruism that the man who stood for “truth, justice, and the American way” has.

In fact, Samson’s origin is more like Spider-man. When Peter Parker got his powers, he turned from a target of bullies to someone who would be willing to exact his revenge. In fact, he becomes so much of a jerk, that he pays a price for his arrogance. He could have stopped a criminal who later kills his uncle and legal guardian.

Personally, I think that comic book heroes are partially male power fantasies. You know, the idea that if someone is beating you up, then you have supernatural powers that more than level the playing field.

In all honesty, I can see why God does not allow this concept of a super-hero to exist. We all know what happens when someone ordinary gets power: they do stupid things.

Spider-man became a jerk, and I’m surprised that I can’t recall a story from Clark Kent’s early years where he didn’t just up and become a bully that is more powerful than a locomotive.

Maybe it is because, as the Psalms say, the Lord does reward those who don’t travel with evil company. And wicked, they just lose. I suppose this is the comfort that many see in comic books, even though many heroes have that dark thing going on with them.

In other words, a person with super-powers would abuse them, and there is no guarantee that he or she would eventually use them for good.

Look at what Samson did. He was a complete jerk. I mean, here’s an example: he takes 300 foxes and ties them together in pairs. Okay, I don’t know how this works. Does he put them in a big cage for this? Wouldn’t the foxes fight each other? Okay, so he puts them all in individual cages. I suppose he could put them on a big platform and carry it around with them. Of course, he would have to bungee it down, right? Then he would have to tie these guys together, and I don’t know how he did it without them biting him. Then he tied the torch in there, lit it, and repeated the whole process 150 times.

Is it just me, or is this just stupid? I talked yesterday about how people do stupid things, and this one probably takes the cake. I mean, all this power given to Samson, and this is what he uses it for?

People do Stupid Things

April 21, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 11-12 and 1 Corinthians 8

I’m sure that you already know this about the human race, but they are pretty stupid. In fact, they do things that are completely nonsensical.

First of all, Gilead slept with a prostitute. That was a dumb thing, yes. What’s worse, is the son of this union, Jephthah, was kicked out of his family for pretty much no reason other than being born.

Second of all, Jephthah makes a promise that really shouldn’t have been made. He asks the Lord for victory, and promises whatever the heck comes out of his door will be sacrificed.

Okay, what happened here to Jephthah and his daughter was a tragedy, but it seems like one of those tragedies that could be easily prevented. Sort of like the guy who slips on a banana peel and accidentally falls into traffic. It just seems like it could be easily prevented. It’s not like it was a car accident or anything.

What in the world was Jephthah hoping for here? Did he have a dog that greeted him every time? Jephthah’s daughter (whose name is never mentioned) was his only child, and would probably be the most likely one to walk out of his door, really.

I hate to be irreverent to Jephthah, but you know the title of the blog. What he did was really stupid.

You want to hear something more stupid? Some people died because they weren’t able to pronounce the word “Shibboleth”. Man, who would have thought that not being able to properly say the “sh” sound could kill you. Not only that, 40,000 people died that day. What the heck?

You want to know what is funny? The New Testament reading says something about how “knowledge” puffs up, love builds up. I believe that this Scripture is referring to how easy it is to build up intelligence and justify doing bad things.

Yes, there is always a way that Christians can be mean to other people. I think the key is to have a lot of smart and a lot less heart. I would imagine that the Christians that had the gaul to pull off the Crusades or the Inquisition thought they were doing the coolest thing.

As I can see, it would appear that we as humans don’t really have much to offer as well as knowledge. This makes me wonder how in the world is capable of doing something nice at all.

Because we really a lot of stupid things really. Look at racism and reality TV. Completely stupid.

Every Tree has a Fruit

April 20, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 9-10 and 1 Corinthians 7

In the book of Judges, a man by the name of Jotham tells an odd story. I believe it is supposed to be some parable of some type, but to be honest, I’m not really certain what the heck the point of the story is.

It reminds me of the last scene of the movie No Country For Old Men. For some odd reason, Tommy Lee Jones tells this story about some dream he has. The story doesn’t seem to have anything with anything in the story that we have seen up until that point, honestly. In fact, when the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but think “what”?

I really don’t like it when a film ends on a “what”? I mean, a film should end with “that was awesome” rather than: “what the heck did I just see”?

In the same way, I really honestly don’t see the point behind Jotham’s story. It’s like he’s talking about trees or something, and it relates to the promotion of Abimelech as king. Apparently, none of the trees wanted to be king, because they felt the things they do (give figs, grapes, etc.) was completely diminished if they were to be Lord of the trees.

In the same way, Paul has something to say to the Corinthians when he said “each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him”.

Yes, I suppose that every person should do whatever it is that he or she is born to do, right? Now, if only every person knew what the heck they were supposed to do.

Oh, I hate that. It’s not like we are all trees and bear one particular fruit in particular. If anything, we have multiple fruits that must be shared depending on the circumstance.

Did you ever feel like things in life just sort of push you in a direction that you do not belong? Say, for example, you are in a job, and you realize that eventually it will take you to a career that you never wanted in the first place?

This happened to me a while ago, and I had to just leave behind the job I had. Yes, there is some stuff that I regret leaving behind, like security, but I had to be who I had to be: a writer.

Sometimes you have to be who you have to be! Yes, I realize that it is the moral of every Disney animated movie ever made, but darn it, it is still true.

The Few, the Faithful, and the Stupid

April 19, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 7-8 and 1 Corinthians 6

In the book of Judges, Gideon has quite an army to do his work of liberating the land. Apparently, this was not good enough for the Lord, who apparently wanted to see an underdog army beat an entire empire.

Let me put it this way: in the original Star Wars (1977 version), there were about six or seven X-wings that audience saw approaching the dreaded Death Star. It was a case of the few versus the many, and it seemed like that Rebellion didn’t have a chance.

This was changed in the revised edition 20 years later, when computer graphics gave a view of an entire fleet of X-wings attacking the Death Star. I suppose this was changed because special effects improved to make the cool pan shot that George Lucas originally wanted for this. Not only can the audience thrill at the shots of the renegade starships, but they can see the pilot moving around in them.

Wow. Except there is just one thing: seeing a fleet of X-wings gives me way too much hope that the rebels will win. Not that I don’t know that they will win, but I much rather preferred a small army, otherwise I won’t think that the Force was with them.

In the same way, God preferred a 1977 version of the rebellion against Midian. Not only does he bring the army down more, but he brings them down even further. Does anyone think that the test of how the men drank their water would make them more worthy of battle?

If anything, I would have chosen the people who used their hands to drink the water to be the ones I would have picked. The guys who drank it with their mouths like dogs would be the ones I would have found slovenly. I don’t know if I’m even using that word correctly.

What makes the “lappers” more worthy of battle? I heard that Caleb means “dog-like”, so maybe the ones who are “dog-like”, licking up the water, are more like the hero Caleb. Yeah, I don’t believe it either.

Isn’t it odd that God uses these people who you wouldn’t expect to do great things? I don’t really know why. Why does God use these people who would be deunces to do things like “judging angels” as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6.

Is it possible that this is all that God has to work with.

Proud of the Wrong Things

April 18, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 5-6 and 1 Corinthians 5

Of course, pride is considered a sin by the Bible. However, I would think that there are certain things that are good to be proud about. It is probably good to proud that you are saved, and that you can talk to God. There is a difference between simple pride and bragging. I’m pretty sure I covered this in another entry.

Today’s reading had some interesting things to say about what we should be proud of and ashamed of. I’ll start with the Old Testament.

Gideon starts a rebellion against the Midianities. He is afraid to rebel, and apparently, everyone else feels the same way. For when Gideon tears down an idol of Baal, the people don’t exactly rally to his cause. Instead, all they can think about is the terrible things that are going to happen to them as a result of this. It’s nice to know that the people realize that there are consequences to their actions, but this is really one of those times when you have to do the right thing and say “to hell with the retribution”.

Instead, all they do is get hostile. I got to give kudos to Joash, Gideon’s Dad, for having a great say in the matter: "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”.

In other words, he was saying: “Just whose side are you on, for crying out loud? Do you want Baal to be worshiped here? Is this how you would have responded if he would have trashed the temple? Seriously.”

I’m sure you can see my point. Paul discovers an interesting thing in Corinthians. Apparently, someone was having sexual immorality with his father’s wife, and according to Paul, the people were proud of this!

I wonder how this guy played this. “Hey, everybody! You know those sections about sexual relations in Leviticus? They don’t apply now because of the death of Christ? This is how a lot of sexual immorality has been justified over the years. (Here’s where most Christians would go into detail about how gay people are doing too much recently, but I really am not in the mood.)

In short, it’s like society has been completely flipped, and we are proud of the things that we ought to be ashamed of, and shamed of the things we should be proud of.

How did we get so 180-ed? Who knows, but I intend to do things that I will be proud about later, and shun the things that I would be ashamed of.

Sometimes it takes a pawn

April 17, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 3-4 and 1 Corinthians 4

Have you ever felt powerless? Like when you are trying to make it in the world, but it seems like everyone who you need to please is somehow above you, and impossible to get to.

Don’t believe me? Call me. Then after we talk, go ahead and try and call the president. I guarantee that unless you got something that is truly worth his while, he won’t want to talk to you, and you will probably one of thousands of messages left for the Commander in Chief.

I suppose there are times when we all have felt insignificant. It’s like if life were a chess board, we would be the pawn. Well, truth be told, the pawn has just as much power to take out the king or queen as a rook, bishop, or knight.

This is principle works in the Bible. Take Ehud, just an ordinary Benjamite. I’m not certain how he got to see the king, and why they didn’t suspect anything when he said he had a secret message. Yet this southpaw took out the king with one swift stroke.

We see this again with the story of Jael and Sisera. Clearly, Sisera must have thought that Jael was just a lowly housewife of Heber, but she had him pegged from the start! Yeah, that’s bad Jael and Sisera joke, and here’s some more: Sisera’s last words were: “That wasn’t the type of steak I wanted”.

Oh, oh, I got another. What was the last thing that went through Sisera’s mind before he died? Give up? A tent peg!

Okay, I can’t think of any more Jael and Sisera jokes. My point is that sometimes that little guy has a way of taking out the big guy. So the pawn isn’t just a pawn after all.

In fact, Paul says in the today’s reading in Corinthians that we are actually kings. We may have been weak before, but God, He has made us strong. Strong enough to take on just about anything, or anyone.

So, if you are ever feeling powerless at all, then know this: you aren’t. Whatever opposition that comes up against you will be stopped by a killing blow that Jesus has already delivered to the devil.

Then you will discover that you are not as powerless as you once thought. You have a lot things that you can do, whether you know it or not. Sometimes, all it takes is just a simple small step.

Wanted: Leadership

April 16, 2009

Today's Reading: Judges 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 3

Since we are now starting the book of Judges, I’m sure you are probably wondering why Israel had to go through this phase. I mean, why is it that no successor to Joshua was ever raised up, as Joshua was raised up during Moses’ time? Did Joshua just “never get around to it”. Quite a costly mistake if that was the case.

Maybe he (and I am talking up either God or Joshua here) did not think the people needed a leader. After all, how much does America need a leader. I’ve lived through several administrations, and each one feels the same. None of them have had to deal with a real great war in over half a century. No wonder why Tom Brokaw calls the World War II generation “The Greatest Generation”.

Perhaps America has experience so much relative stability in the past few decades that no real leadership is required, but only a public servant whose main duty is to make certain that the country remains as stable as the last term.

This is not to bash on the presidency, but to illustrate that a country who has “peace over the land”, as it was at the end of Joshua’s days, does not really need a ruler per se. I suppose in the transitional times of Moses leading the people out of Egypt and Joshua conquering the lands on the other side of the Jericho, the Israelites needed to see one of their own leading.

However, I believe that the original plan from the beginning (and I am talking Eden here) was to have God rule. He was supposed to be the leader, not a judge, and most certainly not a king.

I believe that God is probably pretty upset that we don’t really have a true Theocracy in this country. I would imagine that God feels a lot like Paul when he talks about why he has to give “spiritual milk” to the Corinthians.

Paul believed that the Corinthians should be past the point of spiritual milk, that there is some growth program of Christianity that the Corinthians need to get with.

So why aren’t we there yet? Part of it is this belief that we are in control of our life, that we are the “master of our fate”, like a certain poet once said.

No, God is in control, and always is. The sooner we will submit to that, the happier that we will be.

Getting the Last Word In

April 15, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 23-24 and 1 Corinthians 2

It would appear that Joshua is about to die. In all honesty, if I knew I was about to die, I would probably say the best thing that I could think of to my family and friends before I pass on.

Not Joshua. He does almost the exact opposite. He doesn’t tell them: “you did an awesome job serving the Lord, so keep it up”. Instead, he says: “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins”.

Dang! He tells it how it is, doesn’t he. Maybe he’s got a military mindset. You know what I mean, the kind where the superior officer always has to talk down to the inferior. “You are a disgrace, private” or “This is the worst battalion that I have ever seen”.

Or maybe he is telling it like it is. As I recall, Israel had a lot of trouble serving the Lord after Joshua died. These words made him a prophet. Of course, I don’t know about the part where he says: “He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

Isn’t that amazing. Joshua is saying that God will completely waste us, but only after he has been good to us. The implication is that we haven’t been good to the Lord. Of course, we really should be good to God, because He has been really super-swell to us. Not really fair to Him, is it?

Yeah, these last words of Joshua, and they sound like a guy who wants to get the last words in on an argument. You know the type: “And that’s the last I want to hear of it”, and slams the door.

Truth be told, Joshua was really telling it like it is. He knew that the land was not as peaceful as it seemed, and dark times were still ahead. The people had to be ready for them.

In the end, Joshua wanted to know the same things we want to know: did our life make a difference? Not only that, but is everything going to be all right without me? The only way we can know the answers is to “test” the people around us before we go, even if it isn’t really a good way to spend our final minutes.

Split up? No problem!

April 14, 2009

Today’s Reading: Joshua 21-22 and 1 Corinthians 1

The other day I talked about divisions in the church, and how they are slowing us down. It wasn’t really worth talking about, really. After all, is it really necessary to discuss how terrible church splits are? It’s sort of been done, really.

Yeah, I’m not really certain what keeps the church from seeing the church as a united entity rather than a group of cells. I suppose this is because the Christian church does not have a singular human leader that covers all denominations worldwide. So while there may be several churches in any given town or city, they will only work together if their leaders choose to.

Physical separation of churches can prevent some serious problems in having them work together. This also was a problem back in Joshua and Moses’ day, when three tribes wanted to split off from the rest of the group and establish on the other side of the Jordan. Man, this almost started a war. I think I may have covered this particular part of the Bible on another entry.

Another controversy began in Paul’s time. Paul talks about how some people were saying things like “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos”. A few people had it right and actually said “I follow Christ”.

Doesn’t make much sense, does it? No, Paul didn’t think it did either. Of course, this was probably the beginning of the church with names. It might even have been the start of denominations.

Why do we have those, anyway? Who knows. Actually, I’m sure there is a wonderful explanation, but I just don’t really feel like writing down all the inane history at this point in time.

Rather than spending time concentrating on the differences in whatever churches are around today, shouldn’t we concentrate on the similarities. Namely, the fact that they all have an idea of Jesus, who died on the cross for them? Of course, but I hate to say it, the only thing that a lot of us see in common is a similar culture.

In short, we are a church united, but what are we united around? Hymnals, stained class windows, pews, sermons, and other things that aren’t really in the Bible.

Sadly, this is what most people see when they look at a church. What if they saw more than just a cross, but the one who died on it. Now that would be pretty flippin’ cool.

Causing Divisions

April 13, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 19-20 and Romans 16

This is one of those days where it was really hard to find something to write about. I mean, the Joshua reading was all about dividing out borders. Then the last part of Romans was Paul asking people to greet other people. It was like he was giving a speech for the Oscars, but he didn’t thank the Academy.

Of course, he does say something about the people who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching that we learned. In all honesty, I don’t really know many people who wake up every day and say: “Today, I’m going to cause division in the church”.

No, just like a lot of things that we do in life it starts subtly and ends up becoming a lifestyle. Chances are, those people who end up dividing churches or putting obstacles probably think that they are totally doing God’s will. These are the people you really got to look out for. Man, these people will continually go against God’s will and never quit because they believe they are doing God’s will.

I remember when I was first going to the church that I go to, and a lot of people that I met said it was a cult. They were wrong, and they will never know that they were.

Has anyone ever been involved in a church split? I never have. I remember one speaker who once said: “When a church of 1,000 people splits up, you don’t get two churches of 500. You get 100 people who go one way, 100 who go the other way, and 800 who say ‘if that’s what church is like, then I’ll go my way.’”

I once heard a story of church that split up over a picture of Adam. Apparently, the artist didn’t want to put the fig leaves higher and conceal his navel, but it caused a major split. Yeah, I’m sure you have heard this story before. One version I heard had one side coming to the church with a chainsaw and taking their half, by force.

I don’t even know if this story is true. I’m sure there are a lot of stories going around pulpits everywhere that are completely false.

The question remains, should I start a church that doesn’t teach dumb stories? Sometimes I worry that this blog will teach division and obstacles. If this is the case, then I would like stop it. If anyone has stumbled because of me, let me know.

What to talk about?

April 12, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 17-18 and Romans 15

Have you ever been in a situation where you meet someone for the first time, and for some odd reason, there is a terrifying awkward silence between the two of you. I mean, here it is, you meet someone who you have never met before, and you can’t think of anything to talk about! I mean, there are so many topics, books, movies, TV, family, weather, politics, your life, for crying out loud.

It kind of makes me wonder what Paul would talk about. I would like to think that he had higher standards than your average John Q. Christian. If he ever met anyone, he was somewhat limited in his conversation. Paul said in today’s reading that “he will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done”.

So, in other words, Paul did not venture (risk) talking about anything except that which God had done for him. What if we took this vow. How many conversations can we possibly have? I would hope it would be a lot.

I know the evangelical world would say: “you got to tell somebody what Jesus did for you”. In all honesty, I would hope that the subject of what Jesus has done has already come up in everyday conversation. Not only that, I discovered that when God is really working in the life of someone, they don’t have to say anything.

So what are we supposed to talk about. Sometimes, when I am sitting in a coffee shop, and I inadvertently overhear someone’s conversation, I find it quite odd at times. Especially ones where it makes no sense without a frame of reference. It’s like in a movies, where a character hears part of a conversation and thinks the wrong thing. Most of the conversations that I overhear are full of swear words, nothing to do with what God can do in someone’s life.

But if every conversation that we had was about what God has done for us, just think of how much happier we would be. We would talk about what we should be talking about, instead of how crappy or illogical the world is. The world already does a good job of that as it is.

So let me start by telling you that Jesus has saved me, and workin’ in my life right now quite well.

Subjective Faith

April 11, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 15-16 and Romans 14

I remember at one time that I was in a situation with a group of Christians, and someone said something that offended me. Now, at church the I go to, we are serious about taking care of aught with each other.

I went overboard with it, and generally, any time I saw any person who offended me, I would generally come up to them and talk to them about it, even if it was not necessary. I think it was because I was angry at a lot of people, and I wanted to stop before I got angrier at people.

Never did feel right about it. Usually I hate going up to people, because sometimes they didn’t understand. In the end, I’m not certain what way is right to proceed with this.

Especially one day, when I approached another Christian with some problem I had with his bad self. I am being sarcastic, by the way, this other Christian guy probably didn’t do anything wrong. In all honesty, if it was so important, I probably would have remembered it.

As it is, all I remember is him mentioning that I had a “weak faith”. Paul uses this expression in Romans 14, discussing those who have certain customs that they use. At the time, I didn’t know that. In fact, I think I left that aforementioned conversation more offended then before, but still not enough to be filled with any rage or indignation.

I remember leaving that conversation with a revelation that really wasn’t. Maybe you have had a similar experience. I thought it was odd that the Christians who had more conservative customs in the Bible were described as “weak faith”, but I always felt that “strong faith” was a better term. After all, I’m sure you probably know one or two Christians who succeed in living life ahead of the curve, and might fill you with conviction. In fact, you might even hate them.

I remember when I was first saved, that God was showing me that I would meet a lot of Christians with all kinds of weird customs that I wouldn’t understand. That has most certainly come to pass. I have met Christians who don’t believe in church, and those who will say that you can’t be a Christian unless you attend church every week, maybe twice.

I have decided that it doesn’t really matter how a Christian lives to me, but to let God worry about that. Yes, that does risk someone’s salvation, but I really don’t want to be the jerk who has to dish out the conviction, especially when it is not necessary.

We are not supposed to judge Christians. That tolerance thing that the world supposedly believes in applies to Christians all over the world.

Still Spiritual After All These Years

April 10, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 13-14 and Romans 13

Joshua and Caleb were pretty amazing men. They didn’t believe the other ten spies, who were frightened of the competition on the other side of the Jordan. Instead, they saw an opportunity to get some large grapes. They understood that success wasn’t going to come without sacrifice.

As his reward, Caleb received some land. It sounds like it was some extra land was given to him, and he said something that was very interesting. He says that “just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.”

So, while all these battles were going on, was there an 85-year old man on the battlefield? Man, that would have been a sight to see, especially if you were on the other side. Can you imagine a giant guy saying he was beaten by a senior citizen? Oh the shame!

Seriously, you have to admire Caleb. I can honestly say that the day that I got saved, I was pretty full of it. By it, I mean I felt full of Christ. This was especially true after I got water baptized. Back then, it seemed like a lot of the problems that I faced in my life were wrapping themselves up.

Then life started happening, and it seemed like no matter what I did, I could never get the joy of being born again back again. These days, I don’t really care about getting certain feelings back, because I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how you feel, it matters what you are. The fact is, I am still a Christian after all these years, and it has been about twenty.

Still, I admire Caleb’s claim that he has the same “fire” that he had 40 years ago. Christians talk a lot about the “fire”, and they usually mean something…actually, I don’t know what they mean. I think a lot of Christians equate this term to a feeling, which we should never count on.

If a feeling is the symptom of something genuinely spiritual, then that’s good. But if we go to Christianity because of a feeling, then there isn’t much difference between Christians and the world.

Trophies

April 9, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 11-12 and Romans 12

In the Twelfth Chapter of the book of Joshua, the normally action-packed chapters take a breather as it lists out a group of kings who have one thing in common: they’ve all been smoked.

Yeah, it read like a grocery list of conquest. You would have to ask yourself why this section is here.

Do you even need to ask? Why does an athlete put his or her trophies on a shelf? I suppose it is a pride thing, and you have to ask whether God values the idea of being proud of our actions.

Well, when you serve a system that says that humanity is basically evil, there is nothing to be proud of. I mean, there really isn’t. Even those award shows like the Emmys or the Oscars or all the athletic awards in the world won’t gain access into heaven. Then again, that is true of any legitimate altruistic action. Yeah, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.’s cool stuff didn’t do anything, afterlife wise.

Yeah, keeping trophies is not a good idea when the Bible warns us not to think ourselves any higher than we ought. I never did like talking to someone who brags. It’s like there is a challenge to “out-do” the next guy. It’s really pathetic, actually.

I always thought the Bible was pretty clear about not boasting. Man, it would be a totally stupid if Jesus boasted about his stuff. Can you imagine sitting around the table in heaven to find that Jesus was the guy who is saying: “Yeah, and then I was raised from the dead”.

This is a rule I live by: don’t ever say that you are the greatest, even if it is true. I suppose Ali probably was, but when it comes to being the greatest Christian, do you really want to enter that contest? It doesn’t mean anything if you win. It’s like trying to win a humility award. The more you think you are worthy of it, the less you are.

However, the things that God has done for us deserve to be celebrated. In all honesty, the best memories I have are the times when temptation has come up to me and I have said no. That, or when I do something completely unselfish.

Sometimes, it takes years to see the fruits of your labors. I’m sure it took years of losing money in his garage before Steve Jobs and Bill Gates became billionaires. I suppose that they could boast.

So yeah, don’t boast about nothing, but for those who make good choices and do Christ-like things, celebrate!

Domesticated Bravery

April 8, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 9-10 and Proverbs 31

As usual, the Old Testament and New Testament readings don’t really have anything to do with each other. Joshua is all about doing a lot of fighting, and he was so victorious that he actually stopped the sun! Then the gear shifts into Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31 is one of the most often quoted chapters of this book. It is probably the most unified. After all, most areas of Proverbs usually discuss things like “a wise man does this, but a foolish man does something else”. Been there, done that.

Proverbs 31 talks about a woman. I have no idea if this is supposed to be a real woman, but a lot of women’s Bible study groups seem to equate this as the feminine ideal. In fact, many books have been written about this, as the Christian reading audience, mostly women, love to hear about this, apparently.

You want to know what is sick? I once heard a song called “Proverbs Woman” that discusses this, and it was to the tune of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”. Yeah, that is sort of pathetic.

There are a lot of verses in Proverbs 31 that discuss the typical “woman of the home”. I’m pretty sure that June Cleaver daily lives by these precepts. She’s probably got them cross-stitched somewhere in the two bed master bedroom.

You will notice that combat training, politics, writing, and other things that had to be overcome in the feminist era are not listed. Real shame, that one. I’ve always wondered what the godly man version of this would read.

It would probably say something like: “he fights a cool battle, he so totally rules, blah, blah blah. You know, stuff that is all in the book of Joshua, which is kind of a male centered book, if you look at it. I wonder what Freud would say about the whole javelin thing? Oh, you don’t want to go there and I’m sorry that I hinted at doing so.

You see my point. Is the Bible anti-feministic. In all honesty, it is really us to assign the values of masculine and feminine to work.

You see, Proverbs 31 also says something that belongs to both men and women. In verse it says: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”. Joshua did this when he fought for the Israelites, and the “Proverbs woman” who does her domesticated chores is just as brave.

I mean, I see my wife, and I am amazed by her. One time, I saw her reading to a group of children, and realized that I couldn’t do that. She is as brave as ten of Joshua’s men, and as far as I am concerned, she stops the sun everyday.

So, what is bravery, strength, and honor? They are demonstrated every day by those who we don’t think have it.

Joshua's Arm Cramp

April 7, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 7-8 and Proverbs 30

Yesterday I discussed the possibility of what would happen if all those armies of the Israelites didn’t keep their mouths shut as they walked around the walls of Jericho.

Most of us like the aspect of doing something for God and God does something for us. It is a nice dependable system that we can bank on. Unfortunately, I’ve found that God has a lot of grace and gives something to us even if we don’t deserve it. Not only that, doing good things is no guarantee that we are going to get anything either.

There is something that happened today in the book of Joshua that I found interesting. It occurs when Joshua and his armies win the battle of Ai. Part of the victory seems to stem from the fact that Joshua held out his javelin, and this seems to turn the tide of battle into a complete slaughter.

What isn’t said in this story is the story of Hallah. Hallah is a good guy, who sadly believed the other ten spies and had to walk forty years with the rest of them. In this time, he and his wife had four kids. He was always faithful to his wife, and his oldest daughter is about to have her first child, his first grandchild.

Hallah spent some time marching with the Israelites when the walls of Jericho fell. He saw some action after the walls fell, but it was pretty easy to win the battle after that. There was a rush of adrenaline mixed with fear, and it happened again at Ai. Hallah was one of the lucky ones that survived, despite of what Achan did.

Then, the second time he was on the battlefield at Ai, an enemy soldier blindsided him with a spear, and Hallah faced his death on the battlefield. He was mourned by his wife and four children, and his first grandchild was born shortly afterward in a bittersweet moment.

Who is Hallah? Where is he mentioned in Scripture? He is not there. I just made him up.

So how did Hallah die? Oh, at one point, Joshua got a little tired and relaxed his arm that was holding his javelin. As a result, there was a “hiccup” on the battlefield. It cost poor Hallah his life. It is similar to what happened in the one battle where Moses had to hold up his arms to win the battle. Fortunately, Aaron and Hur were there to hold up his arms, and so the tide of the war was turned. Sadly, many lives were lost in that interim period.

So what is my point? Perhaps that there are occasions where giving into the desires of the flesh for an instant can cost a life, or many lives. Hopefully, you won’t be put in that position for too long, but please give you full strength when that time comes.

Six Days of Silence

April 6, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 5-6 and Proverbs 29

Well, I suppose we all know what I’m going to write about this time. It’s pretty hard to ignore one of the most well-known Bible stories.

I’m sure we all know the set-up. God tells Joshua that the walls of Jericho will fall down, on one condition. The children of Israel have to walk around them for seven days, six of those days would be spent completely silent.

Even though the army was not able to talk during that time, the ones who had the horns were allowed to blow it.

Now, if I were these guys, I would want to talk. It’s like when the teacher leaves the classroom alone. There is no way in heck that all the students are going to remain on task.

Of course, when the students talk to each other, generally the teacher can get them to shut up. If students are allowed to talk, class can’t continue.

The question that I am wondering is: what if the Israelites had talked while they were walking around Jericho? Would that have “broken the spell”. Would the scream not have been as effective?

Who knows. There doesn’t seem to be any report of anyone breaking this vow of silence. I mean, since the seven times around the walls caused them to fall down.

The truth is we may never know what happens if we are disobedient, and perhaps it is better we don’t know, because then we negate the good thing that happens when we are obedient.

You know that old story about some guy who arrives in heaven and sees all those wrapped up gifts with his name on them? He then asks the Lord: “Lord, what’s up with these gifts, why did I never get these in my lifetime?” The Lord says: “You never asked for them.”

Usually this is used as a story stressing the importance of prayer, but I personally think that it shows the withholding of blessing. I’ve noticed that there are several blessings that God just bestows on us no matter what our behavior is, like breath, food, shelter, and other things that we just take for granted.

In other words, there is some blessing that God can hold back, because of our actions. All we need to do is stop doing them, and maybe God will restore those blessing. Of course, there isn’t any guarantee of that. Talking during the march around Jericho could have turned the tide.

The Monument of Rocks

April 5, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 3-4 and Proverbs 28

In the book of Joshua, an event occurs which has actually happened before, but only two people remember when it happened the first time. This time, it was the river Jordan, but last time, it was the Red Sea.

I guess seeing a major body of water part really is a once in a lifetime experience. In all honesty, I wish that I could see it just once. I would be remiss in my faith if I were to say that I would never see it. You never know. For all I know, I could see the whole ocean part.

I’m sure that if I ever did see some giant body of part, I would want to make a monument for it. Apparently, God was the one who had the idea of a monument, because it was he who wanted people to carry stones to make something to remember the occasion.

What I find the most interesting is the plan for the descendents, saying “what do these stones mean?” And then there is something that you are supposed to say afterward. You can then say how much God has done this.

There is one problem: where are these stones today? Seriously, I don’t think you can go and see these stones now. I mean, I heard that you can visit the spot that Jesus Christ was born (supposedly), and I think they have the traditional tomb of Jesus.

However, I’ve been looking up the place where the Bible says these stones are, which is called Gilgal. I can’t even find where the modern day location of Gilgal is.

In other words, I can’t find where those stones are, so how am I supposed to say this great inspirational thing that I am supposed to say? Why would God tell people this? Didn’t He preserve these twelve stones?

Who knows if those stones are still there. They apparently don’t have a metal placard on them, and I’m guessing they aren’t surrounded by velvet ropes.

Maybe it isn’t important that we go and see these things like a tourist. Do we really have to see it in order to remember this great event? I think it is just enough that we know that it happened.

We may never see it again, and it isn’t important that we do. In the end, the stones at Gilgal are just a bunch of rocks. They only have value because God and us assign value to them. They don’t have to be put on prominent display in a museum, or something like that.

The Inspirational Speech

April 4, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 1-2 and Proverbs 27

At last, we are past the books of Moses. I’m sure that I have mentioned this before, but they are just really boring in some places. Reading Joshua, Judges and all the books until the Major prophets is going to be a thrill, like a movie.

In fact, the beginning of Joshua sounds a lot like a movie, like an action film. It even has the part of the movie that practically every action film has: the inspirational speech.

Come on, you know the scene. It is the one where all the men are feeling down, because they are about to face a huge obstacle. Suddenly, one leader character steps up and gives the inspiration speech that raises the men’s hopes, and they are now itching to fight.

For example, the scene in Independence Day where Bill Pullman does that speech about how humanity “we celebrate our Independence Day!” There was some hint of this in Return of the King and 300, but that is because they pretty much knew they were dead.

I used to think that “The Inspirational Speech” scene had its roots in Henry V, a Shakespeare play which predates any movie ever made. There was a cool version of Henry V staring Kenneth Branaugh where Henry talked about “Saint Crispin’s Day”. It was parodied in Mystery Men.

It is clear that the beginning of Joshua was the first Inspirational Speech. Joshua tells his troops all the cool stuff that you see in action films. I would imagine that his men were feeling pretty afraid of what comes next. After all, the whole reason they were wandering around in the first place is because they could not face the giants on the other side. Fortunately, forty years of complete boredom has a way motivating someone to do something, even if it is the stupid or the wrong thing.

However, Joshua didn’t just give the inspirational speech, he had to get the inspiration from God Himself. How could anyone not go into the jaws of death without some sort of divine inspiration.

Seriously, I’ve always wondered what makes soldiers go to the area where bullets are being fired, or why firemen rush into buildings people are running out of. What makes people risk death for some greater good?

I honestly don’t know. I think that life is really about giving of yourself, even if your life is to forfeit. Is there a limit on this? I don’t know, honestly. Perhaps there will be a moment in my life where I may need to give it, and then only God could give me the inspirational speech.

The Body of Moses

April 3, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 33-34 and Proverbs 26

It would appear that we are at the end of the five books of Moses, and it chronicles his death. Something tells me the last part of this was probably ghost written.

Seriously, though, there is some interesting stuff to note when Moses reached the end of his life. It wasn’t like he died, and a mortician or coroner had a look at the body, pronounced him dead, and he went to the funeral home and then the graveyard. No, God took care of all that.

I always wondered why it played out that way. Why did God hide away the body of Moses? Was He afraid that the body would be mobbed, like at the funeral of the Ayatollah Khomeini? That was some weird stuff.

As far as we know, Moses still lies resting in some unmarked grave somewhere. Imagine what would happen if it were dug up today. Maybe somebody would be trying to build a shopping mall at Sinai, and they uncover this body. I’ve heard that if a body is found during a construction site, then the historical society can declare it a national site, and construction grinds to a halt after that. I imagine a lot of tycoons have lost money that way.

Still, if we found the body of Moses, how would we know that it was Moses? It’s not like we have a picture of him or anything. For all we know, Moses didn’t have that great full beard and hair that we see in the artistic interpretations of him. We also don’t have any DNA method of Identification. Maybe if that “God Rod” was buried with him, there might some sort of indicator.

In short, if Moses’ body was found, it would be seen as just an ordinary skeleton, just like if someone unburied our bones after a few thousand years. Now, I’ve heard that when a dead man fell on Elisha’s bones, he was raised from the dead. I suppose this is a best case scenario for a dead body of a Holy man.

It is a real shame that there isn’t a tomb or something that we can visit for Moses, like there is for Lenin. Then again, it really is just a dead body. Not much more can be done with it, honestly.

Still, if Moses had a grave marker, it would have said a mouthful about how great he is, or was. It is a reminder about what we do in life matters, but after we die, who cares about the body?

Last words

April 2, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 31-32 and Romans 11

It would appear that the books of Moses are about to come to a close, as is Moses. As he is about to be buried at Mt. Nebo, he probably wants to know what everyone wants to know at the end of his or her life.

I know if I discovered that I was about to die, I would want to know if my life meant anything to anyone. Assuming that I started something that was long-lasting, who would maintain it while I am gone.

I believe that Shakespeare said in Julius Ceasar that “the evil that men do oft lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones”. In other words, mafia leaders and dictators always have some worse guy who wants to take the bad guy’s place, but really good people don’t always get the luxury of a successor.

I would think that someone like Moses would have a lot of people saying a lot of good things at his funeral. Things like: “I would still be a slave if it wasn’t for you”, or “I still remember when the Red Sea was parted”.

Do you know what God tells Moses? The people will eventually fall away. I mean, he tells Moses that all the work you did to help make the people holy is just going to be in vain.

Boy, you know what that reminds me of? The Green Mile. There is a scene where a prisoner named Delacroix who is about to be sent to the chair, but he is worried about his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles. The jailers, who really have this man’s best interests at heart, tell a white lie about sending Mr. Jingles to “Mouseville”, a theme park in Florida for mice. Delacroix feels better about going into the hereafter, but then a nasty man named Percy tells Delacroix, while he is about to die, that Mouseville is just a big lie.

Man, is that a slap in the face or what? I would like to think that God would give Moses a compliment like: “These people will forever follow the Lord thanks to your example”. No, God tells it like it is.

Yeah, there really is no guarantee that our lives, lived well, will result in the betterment of others. We would like to think that our death might result in some great event happening, like at the end of Gladiator, but most of the time, it just means: “Okay, he’s dead, now we don’t have any righteous example. Let’s party!”

Sad but true. I didn’t say that isn’t always the case, and we should still live our lives in as much of a Christ-like example as possible.

Saved at Last

April, 1 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 29-30 and Proverbs 10

I can’t help but wonder why I never brought up the subject of salvation before on this blog. I suppose it is because other devotionals probably bring it up way too much. Most people say that the gospel is salvation, but a lot of people believe that salvation is only the beginning of Christianity.

I realize that by definition, I take an irreverent take on all things godly, and I suppose that salvation is one of those things that I could take an irreverent take on. However, I just don’t think that I can.

I think the idea that we can all go to heaven is something that everyone wants, right? All of us could use that fire insurance. I mean the Bible actually says that if you believe Jesus is Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.

Can we really take this to the ultimate degree? In other words, can we just sort of forget about life, since death and the hereafter is all “covered”. Interestingly enough, whoever trusts in God will not be put to shame. I would like to think that little rule applies for stuff outside of the afterlife.

I think the problem with salvation is once we have it, we take it for granted. We then start worrying about life so much that we forget that it actually has, for the most part, been taken care of.

It reminds me of the reading in Deuteronomy, when God tells the Israelites that in all their 40 years of sojourning, their shoes never wore out, nor did their clothes. I wonder why God reminded them of that. Is it possible that they never even noticed this blessing? No, chances are, they probably were remembering the “you ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink”. In short, they never realized the blessing they were given in the midst of a hard life.

Such is the same for all of us. I remember when I was in college, and I got a D on a test. I felt really bad, and a friend of mine said “in ten years, it won’t matter at all”. You know what, she was right. In fact, in ten months, I had almost forgotten the incident. Still, that advice did not minister to me at the time, because I want my life to matter in the next ten years.

The thing is that our lives do matter, and because of that, our death does matter with God controlling where we go.

Cursing a Curse

March 31, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 27-28 and Romans 9

The reading in the book of Deuteronomy talked about all these things with blessing and cursing. I believe there is a similar section somewhere else in the first five books of Moses. Not the parts with “Amen”, though I would like to see the parts with “Blessed” because I really don’t like to see cursed too many times.

Yeah, there is something about a curse that just makes me wants to…curse. A curse is just one of those things that you just don’t want to be under.

I recently had a friend of mine come to me and discuss some weird sights and sounds that were in his house. Yeah, it was like his place was haunted or something. It made me want to call the Ghostbusters, but I couldn’t find a Christian version of them. The situation was made right by praying in the name of Christ, and counter cursing it essentially.

When this person told me about his situation, I couldn’t think about how I didn’t want to be in it. Whether or not you are living in a cursed home or have a curse on yourself, it’s just something that you just don’t want to be under.

I can think of some serious curses that I could be under. You ever heard of Tantalus, a guy in Greek mythology that had a bucket of ripe fruit always above him that was just out of reach? I think he also had water just below him that would disappear every time he tried to take a drink.

That’s just the Greek version of hell, also known as Hades. I can only imagine what the hell is in store for the cursed in hell. The idea of eternity in flames that burn you without any eventual death involved is just not good whatsoever.

In fact, Romans 9 discusses something odd. Paul wishes that he were cursed for the sake of his brothers. In other words, if there was some deal where Paul’s brothers could go to heaven, and Paul could go to hell in their place, he would take it.

I couldn’t do that. Seriously. I don’t know about you, but the idea of hell just sounds like hell. Why would I willingly take a curse? Then again, this is what Jesus did, and I’m told he spent a few days in hell. I always wonder what those days were like. I imagine they were probably hell for the Son of God, but was it hell for the minions of hell?

I mean, just picture the stinkiest place in the world (on purpose), and then some guy who smells like flowers shows up. Is that a curse for someone with a curse?

The Greatest Love Story

March 30, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 25-26 and Romans 8

Today’s reading in Romans 8 contained more positive energy than anything I have seen in a long time. The positive slime emanating from it could make the Statue of Liberty walk, like in Ghostbusters II. Yeah, I know how obscure a reference that is.

After all, there are a lot of positive things here about being more than a conqueror and all that, but I would have to say that my favorite part is when Paul says that God has given us the Spirit of Sonship, and that we will cry out “Abba, Father”.

Maybe it is because I grew up without a father after the age of 10. I know what it like to want that sort of role model there and not have it. To be told that God is the one who is going to be that father figure makes me feel just fine.

This is the type of love that I try to give my kids that is more powerful than all the trials that the world will bring. Truth be told, there are times that I fear what the future is going to bring. Am I going to have to raise my kids through a depression, a war, or some sort of zombie/robot attack? I was kidding about that last part, but I won’t be laughing when it comes down to scrounging for food, and no place to live.

It is worth the present sufferings that we face in this life easy to live with considering the cool stuff at the end. Sometimes I believe that it is worth that all as long as you know that you are loved. Isn’t this what makes most romances worth watching? The idea that you would do anything, go through hell itself, just to be with someone that you love?

It is quite easy to see why people like the idea of Christianity. It is nice to fight the good fight, and know that you are loved in it all. In a way, Christians are living the ultimate fairy tale, but it is all true.

In perspective, it would be like living Luke Skywalker’s life, but we are learning the ways of Christ and not the Jedi. Then we are trying to rescue people trapped in the Matrix, and hoping for the day the ring of evil power is destroyed.

It’s a pretty nice deal, but it is not without its drawbacks. After all, everything has a downside, doesn’t it. I suppose that is the reality factor.

Divorced from the Law

March 29, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 23-24 and Romans 7

The reading in Deuteronomy discusses how a man has the right to divorce a woman who is “displeasing” to him. The description for what is displeasing is pretty vague, but in Moses’ time, it allotted for a lot of interpretation.

As a child from a divorced home, I can’t help but disagree with that law. Nowhere in that law does it say who gets custody of the kids, or what to do with the kids’ anguish when their parents are splitting up.

No wonder why Jesus completely dissed that law when he was on Earth. I think there is a part where the Pharisees or someone asks him about the divorce law, and Jesus said: “Moses wrote that law for you, not for God” or something to that effect.

Romans talks about this law a little, and then mentions that if a divorced woman marries, it is just as good (or bad, in this case) as an adulteress. Paul uses this to illustrate that the law was once something that we were married to, but Christ’s death killed it. It isn’t the law that really died, but Christ’s rebirth raises us above the sinful nature.

The rest of Romans Seven seems to read very confusingly. At first it seems clear, by saying that the sinful nature is dead, and we can rejoice in the fact that we are free. Everything looks all good until Paul gives the whole “Oh, wretched man that I am” shtick. I’m not certain whether he is describing his life before Christ or after Christ.

Personally, I would like to think that any marriage to sin that was dissolved by death. I mean, if sin was my wife, and she was a heartless one, I would glad to be get rid of her. If I had to divorce this “wife of sin”, metaphorically speaking, it just wouldn’t be the same.

So, is the last verse of Romans Seven talking about a divorce of sin, or the death of sinful nature. For me, I would prefer having the sinful nature dead, and in the ground. I don’t want to have to pay alimony to it, or be dragged out in a court battle. As a married man with kids, I don’t want to have anything to do with divorce.

No, let’s make it a clean break. I don’t want to have God and the devil playing tug-of-war with my soul as the rope. I have picked my side, and I am removed from the sinful nature.

Behaving before the King

March 28, 2009

Deuteronomy 21-22 and Proverbs 25

One of the things about living a godly life is that is difficult is the idea that God is watching you. There is a name for people who think that someone is always watching them: paranoid.

Some of you might remember that song in the 80’s by Rockwell with the chorus: “I always feel like somebody’s watching me, and I have no privacy.” Actually, I believe that Michael Jackson sung the chorus.

That song came out in 1984, which turned out not to be the age of Big Brother after all. Perhaps that was the reason why that song was such a hit back then, because we all fear a time when someone is watching us, constantly.

For me, I can’t stand it. It’s like having your boss micromanage you. And this is probably why most people don’t become Christians. Does anyone want to be micromanaged 24/7?

I think that all of us probably act differently at home than we do at work. Some of us might act differently in private than we do in public. In all honesty, a lot of sin usually happens during this time.

That is the sad part about humans. We all act differently in front of people that we are trying to impress. It really is sad. The sad part is we start to wear different faces for each person of authority.

So how should we behave if the president were to come over. Would we honestly be on our best behavior, or would we act completely different? Could we just have freedom to be ourselves?

Perhaps I think we all know that we have lives that we have to hide from the public. Maybe this is why we in America buy expensive houses, because we just have to have some place of refuge where we shut out the rest of the world so nobody sees what it is we are doing. We can have our secret lives and not worry about intruders.

Yeah, it’s wonderful to live in a democracy instead of a dictatorship. We don’t have to worry about people watching us all the time, unless we really get out of line.

Proverbs talks about how we are to treat the king. We don’t just go up and sit at his table without permission. Instead, we wait for the king to call on us, rather than let us be embarrassed.

Of course, books have been written about how to act in front of kings or other important heads of state. You probably won’t see me taking my shoes off and putting my feet on my table during a Presidential Dinner.

Do you realize that if we all behaved as if God was in the room, how about…normally.

The Wisdom House

March 27, 2009

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 19-20 and Proverbs 24

Proverbs says that “by wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, and it is through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures”.

In other words, if we could somehow materialize our wisdom, coupled with our knowledge, than it would become a house.

I believe that Jesus makes a similar comparison when He talks about how “In His Father’s House there are many rooms”. This has spawned many to believe that heaven will be a place where everyone has a house, some people translate this as “mansions”.

I suppose this is the American Dream projected into Christianity once more. The idea that we can have something material in heaven has a lot of appeal in a society that recognizes “the house, the kids, and the dog” as part of a life everyone should have.

It’s sort of the appeal of a lot of online programs. I’ve been noticing that a lot of them require this sort of personalization that include a picture and a template. Gone are the days when you can just visit a site and use its resources anymore. No, you have to have a username and password, and then set up some nice environment for yourself.

Sort of like this one program known as “Pet Society” on Facebook. The program is all about becoming an anthropomorphic character and making a house of your own, with furniture that you buy with coins that you obtain by doing nice things for other Pet Society members.

In other words, nice works help make your house. Some houses on Pet Society have six rooms that are brimming from the floor to the ceiling with stuff. My six-year-old daughter absolutely loves this program and will spend hours on it.

Someone needs to design a wisdom house software, so the more you know, the bigger your house is. Actually, that sounds like some idea for some kids software. I’m seriously wondering why I wrote that, because it’s kind of cheesy now that I think of it.

Still, can you imagine what would happen if getting wisdom and knowledge really got us a nice house? I’m not talking about the smarts that will win you big money on Jeopardy, but the Solomon kind.

I’m wondering if my wisdom and knowledge translated into a house, I would hope that I would not be in the house that I am in now. (It’s small, by the way.) I would hope that my wisdom house would be on Beverly Hills.