June 9, 2009
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 9-10 and 2 Corinthians 11
Today’s reading is about Elisha going to a man named Jehu, and he anoints him to be king. Sometimes this doesn’t go well. Saul was the man who hid from the anointing of God, but Jehu takes it to the other extreme.
In fact, he makes certain that anything that is touched by Ahab is completely eradicated. He knocks off seventy heads for gosh sakes, then he goes for the entire family. Then he goes for Baal worshipers, and takes out a whole temple full of them.
Jehu says that he has “zeal for the Lord”, but it really isn’t. You see, zeal is willingness to go all the way for God, and this man did not. Jehu left the golden calves of Jeroboam at Bethel and Dan active.
Isn’t that just the way? Have you ever done a job for someone, like your employer, and then they say “it’s not good enough”. Yeah, I have had that happen to me before. It’s always “we love your work, but we need some more of it done”.
Of course, but here is the thing about doing works. We can never do enough of them. This is why it is so interesting to see Paul boasting about his works. Actually, he wasn’t really boasting, but more as laying out a bulleted list about the things that makes him weak. Don’t ask me why he does this. Maybe it’s because Paul knows how useless works are.
Not only that, we have a way of doing all of the wrong things. Haven’t you ever noticed that on a day where you have a ton of things to do, you end up doing the things that often have little to do with your to-do list?
Yeah, that happens to me, a lot. Life is too darn short, and you just can’t do a lot of stuff in the time that you are allotted, seriously. I suppose you could give up, and not try, but that really isn’t what you want to do.
The point is to keep track of what works are really important, and don’t try to do them all at once. God knows how limited life is, and He will be there. Now, God is really great that way, knowing what we have to do in our life. It’s all planned out, and there is nothing we can do about it. So, we should do as much as we can, and don’t get frazzled that we can’t do enough.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
That Whole Economy Thing
June 8, 2009
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 7-8 and 2 Corinthians 10
These days, everyone is talking about the “huge financial crisis”. I suppose this is the thing that makes it hard to find a job for many, including myself.
I suppose that I could let this whole economy thing put me down, and I suppose that I could use it as an excuse for not bothering to look for work. I’m sure there are a lot of people who are using the present economy as an excuse for many a thing now.
There has probably never been an economy as bad as the siege of Israel from the nation of Aram. Man, if people had to sell a donkey’s head or a cup of bird poop in order to keep fed, than there is a serious need going on.
So here comes Elisha who says that food will be at record low prices by the end of the day. Sometimes I don’t know what is worse, the prophet to says there will be bad times when things are good, or the prophet who says there will be good times when things are bad. Elisha was the latter guy, and a certain officer of the king hated him for it.
Then the next day, four lepers dare to approach the enemies camp. They find out that the Aramities have left, for some odd reason. I actually think it was a huge miracle that they left, by the way.
So then what happens? The Israelites discover that they can raid all the Aramite treasures, and that officer that can’t stand Elisha gets trampled. I suppose you could call that a happy ending, for most of the characters.
I suppose that we would like to see this type of ending for the current economic crisis, sudden and full of riches. If there is one thing that I have discovered about life, it is its unpredictability. One day everything looks hopeless, and in the next, suddenly everything is okay.
This is why I don’t worry about the “economic crisis”, and this is not because I have a stable job is always in demand. It is because you never know how things are going to turn around. This is why you don’t put a gun to your head and pull the trigger, because fortune could very well be on its way.
So hey, you don’t want to completely lose it over this whole economic thing. Sure, you can prepare, but things have a way of turning around.
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 7-8 and 2 Corinthians 10
These days, everyone is talking about the “huge financial crisis”. I suppose this is the thing that makes it hard to find a job for many, including myself.
I suppose that I could let this whole economy thing put me down, and I suppose that I could use it as an excuse for not bothering to look for work. I’m sure there are a lot of people who are using the present economy as an excuse for many a thing now.
There has probably never been an economy as bad as the siege of Israel from the nation of Aram. Man, if people had to sell a donkey’s head or a cup of bird poop in order to keep fed, than there is a serious need going on.
So here comes Elisha who says that food will be at record low prices by the end of the day. Sometimes I don’t know what is worse, the prophet to says there will be bad times when things are good, or the prophet who says there will be good times when things are bad. Elisha was the latter guy, and a certain officer of the king hated him for it.
Then the next day, four lepers dare to approach the enemies camp. They find out that the Aramities have left, for some odd reason. I actually think it was a huge miracle that they left, by the way.
So then what happens? The Israelites discover that they can raid all the Aramite treasures, and that officer that can’t stand Elisha gets trampled. I suppose you could call that a happy ending, for most of the characters.
I suppose that we would like to see this type of ending for the current economic crisis, sudden and full of riches. If there is one thing that I have discovered about life, it is its unpredictability. One day everything looks hopeless, and in the next, suddenly everything is okay.
This is why I don’t worry about the “economic crisis”, and this is not because I have a stable job is always in demand. It is because you never know how things are going to turn around. This is why you don’t put a gun to your head and pull the trigger, because fortune could very well be on its way.
So hey, you don’t want to completely lose it over this whole economic thing. Sure, you can prepare, but things have a way of turning around.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Naaman wants it his own way
June 7, 2009
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 5-6 and 2 Corinthians 9
We have all heard that expression “beggars can’t be choosers”. In other words, if a person receives help, they cannot choose what form the help comes in.
Take Namaan, for example. This was some big shot commander in Aram, who just happened to have leprosy. Now I’m sure that having this disease was a real burden for this guy’s position, and he probably didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a leper colony.
So along comes Elisha, who says he can cure him, but Naaman assumes that it will be done in a certain fashion. In fact, he expects Elisha to come to him. Instead, Elisha wants Naaman to come to the Jordan river. I suppose that I could get an atlas and check out how far these places are on the map, but I’m certain it was quite far. No one had any cars or phones, so it probably took months of correspondence before these two could be in the same room.
I’m not certain why Naaman didn’t see fit to visit Israel and get this healing going on. I think Naaman thought his river was better than Israel’s river. Either way, I have to admit that yeah, God could have healed Namaan from any river.
The issue is would Namaan have it if it wasn’t his way. I mean, we have all been in positions where we needed help. The other day, I had a terrible problem with my teeth, and I couldn’t stop the pain. I wanted help, and I wanted it in a particular way. Sadly, God did not answer my prayer.
I had to do some things to help make the tooth pain go away. God didn’t make it go away on my terms, which would have been right away, in some act of God. No, He decided to use people called dentists. I’m still not “out of the woods” as far as this problem is concerned, by the way.
Why is it that whenever we receive help, it is always in a form that doesn’t seem to help us? It just doesn’t seem to work that way. Do you want to know why? It is scary to be in a place where you need help. Very scary. Especially when you are a Christian, because technically, we are the ones that should be helping people.
However, we need to accept whatever help that comes from wherever. We have to be willing to be helpless, no matter how scary it is. Don’t try and make stipulations about how the help comes, just take it.
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 5-6 and 2 Corinthians 9
We have all heard that expression “beggars can’t be choosers”. In other words, if a person receives help, they cannot choose what form the help comes in.
Take Namaan, for example. This was some big shot commander in Aram, who just happened to have leprosy. Now I’m sure that having this disease was a real burden for this guy’s position, and he probably didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a leper colony.
So along comes Elisha, who says he can cure him, but Naaman assumes that it will be done in a certain fashion. In fact, he expects Elisha to come to him. Instead, Elisha wants Naaman to come to the Jordan river. I suppose that I could get an atlas and check out how far these places are on the map, but I’m certain it was quite far. No one had any cars or phones, so it probably took months of correspondence before these two could be in the same room.
I’m not certain why Naaman didn’t see fit to visit Israel and get this healing going on. I think Naaman thought his river was better than Israel’s river. Either way, I have to admit that yeah, God could have healed Namaan from any river.
The issue is would Namaan have it if it wasn’t his way. I mean, we have all been in positions where we needed help. The other day, I had a terrible problem with my teeth, and I couldn’t stop the pain. I wanted help, and I wanted it in a particular way. Sadly, God did not answer my prayer.
I had to do some things to help make the tooth pain go away. God didn’t make it go away on my terms, which would have been right away, in some act of God. No, He decided to use people called dentists. I’m still not “out of the woods” as far as this problem is concerned, by the way.
Why is it that whenever we receive help, it is always in a form that doesn’t seem to help us? It just doesn’t seem to work that way. Do you want to know why? It is scary to be in a place where you need help. Very scary. Especially when you are a Christian, because technically, we are the ones that should be helping people.
However, we need to accept whatever help that comes from wherever. We have to be willing to be helpless, no matter how scary it is. Don’t try and make stipulations about how the help comes, just take it.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Not like ours
June 6, 2009
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 3-4 and 2 Corinthians 8
I believe that there is a saying that “you’re ways are not like mine”. I will have to say that is completely true. Sometimes it is comforting to know that God has this plan for my life which concludes with a great eternity in heaven. And sometimes, that just confuses the hell out of me.
There are times in which God asks for things, and it doesn’t make sense to do them. Worse yet, we are usually asked to do it anyway. Take the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. Their armies were all assembled to meet with the armies of Moab. Nobody knew what to do, and people generally tend to call out for God in desperation in times like these.
So naturally, people turned to Elisha. What happens then makes little sense when it happens, but crescendos into quite a conclusion. First of all, Elisha calls for a harpist, which is just odd. I guess that worked for Saul.
Then, during the music, Elisha has a great idea: there is going to be water. Granted, they were out in the desert, and water is a concern, but it there was some armies due to arrive and quenching your thirst should be the least of your worries.
So what do they start doing? Elisha orders them all to dig ditches. That would make sense in trench warfare, but that hadn’t been invented yet. Can you imagine all the soldiers who probably thought they were dead because their leaders don’t have a plan. It’s like the workers who are worried that the business is going to go under.
Well, they didn’t strike oil, but they got water. And it was not just any water, because when the sun hit it, it looked like blood. And then this blood was enough for Moab to let their guard down, because they thought the armies had destroyed each other.
Then the Israelites yelled “surprise” and just attacked and won. Now, how in the world did a simple digging of ditches win a battle. From what I can tell, there didn’t seem to a plan beyond the ditches for Elisha.
There wasn’t the planning scene like in Independence Day, where the heroes know the stage of their plans. Then something goes wrong, and the heroes have to improvise. No, this entire plan was based on improvisation.
At least on the heroes part. God tends to work like an Author, building suspense and taking the characters to the limits of themselves for one of the most exciting endings.
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 3-4 and 2 Corinthians 8
I believe that there is a saying that “you’re ways are not like mine”. I will have to say that is completely true. Sometimes it is comforting to know that God has this plan for my life which concludes with a great eternity in heaven. And sometimes, that just confuses the hell out of me.
There are times in which God asks for things, and it doesn’t make sense to do them. Worse yet, we are usually asked to do it anyway. Take the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. Their armies were all assembled to meet with the armies of Moab. Nobody knew what to do, and people generally tend to call out for God in desperation in times like these.
So naturally, people turned to Elisha. What happens then makes little sense when it happens, but crescendos into quite a conclusion. First of all, Elisha calls for a harpist, which is just odd. I guess that worked for Saul.
Then, during the music, Elisha has a great idea: there is going to be water. Granted, they were out in the desert, and water is a concern, but it there was some armies due to arrive and quenching your thirst should be the least of your worries.
So what do they start doing? Elisha orders them all to dig ditches. That would make sense in trench warfare, but that hadn’t been invented yet. Can you imagine all the soldiers who probably thought they were dead because their leaders don’t have a plan. It’s like the workers who are worried that the business is going to go under.
Well, they didn’t strike oil, but they got water. And it was not just any water, because when the sun hit it, it looked like blood. And then this blood was enough for Moab to let their guard down, because they thought the armies had destroyed each other.
Then the Israelites yelled “surprise” and just attacked and won. Now, how in the world did a simple digging of ditches win a battle. From what I can tell, there didn’t seem to a plan beyond the ditches for Elisha.
There wasn’t the planning scene like in Independence Day, where the heroes know the stage of their plans. Then something goes wrong, and the heroes have to improvise. No, this entire plan was based on improvisation.
At least on the heroes part. God tends to work like an Author, building suspense and taking the characters to the limits of themselves for one of the most exciting endings.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wiped Out by God
June 5, 2009
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 1-2 and 2 Corinthians 7
Imagine if you knew that today you were going to die. I suppose the next obvious and most often asked question is: “what would you do that is different”. I’m certain that some of us, including myself, would probably repent as much as possible. However, I wouldn’t really have to if I truly repented in the first place.
I suppose that I could talk about Elijah, because he actually knew when he was going to die. However, he never really experienced death, did he? He was carried aloft by some whirlwind. He is only one of two people known that went to God without dying.
No, I’m talking about the fifty men who came to see Elijah and were incinerated. I can imagine that the soldiers who had come to get him probably thought: “well, fifty men to get one guy, this is overkill”. Of course, the only overkill that happened was with the men.
I can’t help but wonder what the second group of men were thinking when they went to get Elijah. Did they think: “Fire from heaven? Right. Let’s just go get these guys and make fun of the guys that didn’t do it right the first time.” And then they all died.
So we have, what, one hundred lives that were lost all because Ahaziah fell down and wanted to consult someone. You know, if he went to Elijah in the first place, this never would have happened. But he didn’t, he went to consult Baal-zebub. Isn’t this the same as Beelzebub? So, instead of going to God, you go to the devil?
I suppose there was some sort of complication with this, and why Ahaziah chose to go to this ungodly counselor is not mentioned. Fortunately, there was one wise leader of fifty men who begged Elijah to come with him.
I feel sorry for this guy. He probably wanted to do his job, but he didn’t want to get torched in the process. At least, he had to beg for help.
And let’s talk about the boys who made fun of Elisha’s bald head. Bears came and killed forty two youths who were just doing what most boys would do. Now the toll is up to about 150.
Sometimes I wonder how God can see fit to sacrifice lives in his plan for humanity. I suppose that one hundred men is probably a small fraction of all humanity, but it certainly feels like a terrible price to pay for it.
The lesson here is: don’t disobey the Lord. If you think it won’t lead to death, maybe you’re right. It may not lead to your death, but man, be mindful as it leads to others dying.
Today's Reading: 2 Kings 1-2 and 2 Corinthians 7
Imagine if you knew that today you were going to die. I suppose the next obvious and most often asked question is: “what would you do that is different”. I’m certain that some of us, including myself, would probably repent as much as possible. However, I wouldn’t really have to if I truly repented in the first place.
I suppose that I could talk about Elijah, because he actually knew when he was going to die. However, he never really experienced death, did he? He was carried aloft by some whirlwind. He is only one of two people known that went to God without dying.
No, I’m talking about the fifty men who came to see Elijah and were incinerated. I can imagine that the soldiers who had come to get him probably thought: “well, fifty men to get one guy, this is overkill”. Of course, the only overkill that happened was with the men.
I can’t help but wonder what the second group of men were thinking when they went to get Elijah. Did they think: “Fire from heaven? Right. Let’s just go get these guys and make fun of the guys that didn’t do it right the first time.” And then they all died.
So we have, what, one hundred lives that were lost all because Ahaziah fell down and wanted to consult someone. You know, if he went to Elijah in the first place, this never would have happened. But he didn’t, he went to consult Baal-zebub. Isn’t this the same as Beelzebub? So, instead of going to God, you go to the devil?
I suppose there was some sort of complication with this, and why Ahaziah chose to go to this ungodly counselor is not mentioned. Fortunately, there was one wise leader of fifty men who begged Elijah to come with him.
I feel sorry for this guy. He probably wanted to do his job, but he didn’t want to get torched in the process. At least, he had to beg for help.
And let’s talk about the boys who made fun of Elisha’s bald head. Bears came and killed forty two youths who were just doing what most boys would do. Now the toll is up to about 150.
Sometimes I wonder how God can see fit to sacrifice lives in his plan for humanity. I suppose that one hundred men is probably a small fraction of all humanity, but it certainly feels like a terrible price to pay for it.
The lesson here is: don’t disobey the Lord. If you think it won’t lead to death, maybe you’re right. It may not lead to your death, but man, be mindful as it leads to others dying.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
How Micaiah Avoids Groupthink
June 4, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 21-22 and Psalm 27-28
When I was in psychology class, I learned a lot of odd words that are quite applicable. For example, the concept of groupthink. I suppose the meaning of this word is pretty self-explanatory, as it happens in business board rooms and church meeting places all the time.
This is when there is a feeling amongst a group of people that there is a majority rule on a certain issue, despite the fact that there hasn’t been an official election. When it comes time to make that decision, those who are undecided or even those who are opposed to the perceived way the crowd is turning vote for it and not against it.
I am told that this is how the space shuttle Challenger was pushed to launch despite the doubts NASA had about its left thruster. Of course, who really wants to scrub a launch date for a problem that “probably isn’t there anyway”. Of course, we all know how that ended up.
This is the sad state that a lot of us live in. We just sort of go with the crowd and are afraid to make waves. I’m betting there have been a lot of great decisions that have occurred simply because of groupthink. We would like to think that all the Nazis hated the Jews and wanted to seem them in concentration camps, but I think the literal truth would be that some of the Germans were horrified at what they did to the Jews, but they felt they were under orders.
I wonder if groupthink works for good decisions as well. I’m sure most of us would say that the Declaration of Independence was a good thing (for America, at least). I wonder if any of those founding fathers just signed because George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were doing it.
Such is the case with Macaiah the prophet. This guy has a lot of conviction and will only say what the Lord tells him, and he has to be the one who tells everyone that there will be a lying spirit in the prophets. Man, how would you like to be the bearer of that news?
Well, you all know how the story goes: Macaiah was right. I suppose the lesson to be learned here is to be a wave-maker, but hey, is that any guarantee that you will be right. Of course not. However, Macaiah proves that sometimes being the guy who stands up in the crowd can be a good thing. You have to like the calm way Macaiah stood up. He just said what God put on his heart, and had no self-righteousness about him. This is how you go against the flow, if you need to.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 21-22 and Psalm 27-28
When I was in psychology class, I learned a lot of odd words that are quite applicable. For example, the concept of groupthink. I suppose the meaning of this word is pretty self-explanatory, as it happens in business board rooms and church meeting places all the time.
This is when there is a feeling amongst a group of people that there is a majority rule on a certain issue, despite the fact that there hasn’t been an official election. When it comes time to make that decision, those who are undecided or even those who are opposed to the perceived way the crowd is turning vote for it and not against it.
I am told that this is how the space shuttle Challenger was pushed to launch despite the doubts NASA had about its left thruster. Of course, who really wants to scrub a launch date for a problem that “probably isn’t there anyway”. Of course, we all know how that ended up.
This is the sad state that a lot of us live in. We just sort of go with the crowd and are afraid to make waves. I’m betting there have been a lot of great decisions that have occurred simply because of groupthink. We would like to think that all the Nazis hated the Jews and wanted to seem them in concentration camps, but I think the literal truth would be that some of the Germans were horrified at what they did to the Jews, but they felt they were under orders.
I wonder if groupthink works for good decisions as well. I’m sure most of us would say that the Declaration of Independence was a good thing (for America, at least). I wonder if any of those founding fathers just signed because George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were doing it.
Such is the case with Macaiah the prophet. This guy has a lot of conviction and will only say what the Lord tells him, and he has to be the one who tells everyone that there will be a lying spirit in the prophets. Man, how would you like to be the bearer of that news?
Well, you all know how the story goes: Macaiah was right. I suppose the lesson to be learned here is to be a wave-maker, but hey, is that any guarantee that you will be right. Of course not. However, Macaiah proves that sometimes being the guy who stands up in the crowd can be a good thing. You have to like the calm way Macaiah stood up. He just said what God put on his heart, and had no self-righteousness about him. This is how you go against the flow, if you need to.
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Superhero in fear
June 3, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19-20 and Psalm 25-26
I have a confession to make: I have always wanted to be a superhero. However, the lack of radioactive spiders, gamma bombs, cosmic rays, and all other pseudo-science has been absent in my life. Granted, I have had some tragic things happen in my life, but my parents divorce has never driven me over the edge to motivate me to get into a spandex suit and fight crime.
I think the appeal of superheroes is the power of God in the hands of man. Of course, if there is one thing that comic books have taught us is that having power isn’t easy. Sure, you may be able to take out the ordinary bad guys, but there is always a limit. Just like Superman has a Kryptonite, I’m pretty certain that most super-powered good guys would not stand a chance if all the villains in the world ganged up on them.
In fact, that was happening with Elijah. I mean, this guy made fire fall from the sky like he was some Human Torch, then he outran the king to Jezreel like the Flash. And before that, he made oil multiply. Man, I don’t know any superhero that could do that? If there was one, I would imagine he would be pretty popular right now with oil prices going up and all.
Okay, that was a stupid contemporary commentary, I admit it, but I couldn’t believe the reading today when Elijah was afraid. Man, he had done some pretty amazing stuff, and now he was scared? I mean, this is the guy who had ravens bring his food.
Then Elijah learns a valuable a lesson as God sends earth(quake), wind, and fire on that mountain that Elijah was dwelling in. Then there was the whisper, a voice of God that was more powerful than powers.
By the way do you know what happened to Elijah? As far as I know, nothing. In fact, the story seems to go away from Elijah after he finds an assistant. Yeah, I know, he’s probably going to be killed, and he gets a secondhand man. Man, that’s like Batman getting Robin after the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin put out a hit on him.
So, what can we learn? Problems are never as bad as we think, and even if they are, then God will give us the power we need to get over them. Until then, we need to remember who we are, and that we can do some pretty cool stuff.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 19-20 and Psalm 25-26
I have a confession to make: I have always wanted to be a superhero. However, the lack of radioactive spiders, gamma bombs, cosmic rays, and all other pseudo-science has been absent in my life. Granted, I have had some tragic things happen in my life, but my parents divorce has never driven me over the edge to motivate me to get into a spandex suit and fight crime.
I think the appeal of superheroes is the power of God in the hands of man. Of course, if there is one thing that comic books have taught us is that having power isn’t easy. Sure, you may be able to take out the ordinary bad guys, but there is always a limit. Just like Superman has a Kryptonite, I’m pretty certain that most super-powered good guys would not stand a chance if all the villains in the world ganged up on them.
In fact, that was happening with Elijah. I mean, this guy made fire fall from the sky like he was some Human Torch, then he outran the king to Jezreel like the Flash. And before that, he made oil multiply. Man, I don’t know any superhero that could do that? If there was one, I would imagine he would be pretty popular right now with oil prices going up and all.
Okay, that was a stupid contemporary commentary, I admit it, but I couldn’t believe the reading today when Elijah was afraid. Man, he had done some pretty amazing stuff, and now he was scared? I mean, this is the guy who had ravens bring his food.
Then Elijah learns a valuable a lesson as God sends earth(quake), wind, and fire on that mountain that Elijah was dwelling in. Then there was the whisper, a voice of God that was more powerful than powers.
By the way do you know what happened to Elijah? As far as I know, nothing. In fact, the story seems to go away from Elijah after he finds an assistant. Yeah, I know, he’s probably going to be killed, and he gets a secondhand man. Man, that’s like Batman getting Robin after the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin put out a hit on him.
So, what can we learn? Problems are never as bad as we think, and even if they are, then God will give us the power we need to get over them. Until then, we need to remember who we are, and that we can do some pretty cool stuff.
Crossing the Unbuilt Bridge
June 2, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17-18 and 2 Corinthians 6
Some of you might remember a certain scene in X-men where the villain Magneto forms this bridge by taking tiles from the wall and making this makeshift floor in front of him. It’s a two-second special effect that is worth the price of admission, but it left me wondering about why the heck Magneto didn’t make the entire bridge and then walk across it.
I suppose that is what faith is, leaping and then looking. I find it odd that Elijah just goes up to Ahab and makes a challenge. I mean, it is pretty simple: If God is God, worship Him, and if Baal is lord, worship him.
I guess he was sick of the generations of faithful kings and then evil kings that had come before him. I can’t say that I blame him. Who really wants this kind of inconsistency?
Needless to say, it is the matter of Elijah’s challenge which interested me. There doesn’t seem to be any point before this scene where Elijah spent time with God to see if that is what He wants to do.
No, it appears that Elijah came up with this plan all by himself, and took steps to implement it. Not only that, it seems to have worked. Fire fell from the heavens, and really humiliated those prophets of Baal.
Can you imagine if Elijah did this, and it turned out that God didn’t back him up? Man, all that trash talking would have been in vain, and it would have been really sad. I’m not certain what would have happened if Baal and God didn’t answer.
I can’t help but wonder if God likes it when we just do stuff like that. After all, wasn’t it Peter’s idea to walk on water? And Jesus was the one who just said: “yeah, go ahead”.
However, most of us don’t really take this sort of initiative with God. We don’t just say: “Hey, you guys don’t believe in God, just watch as I walk across this river. Then you will believe.”
Have you ever tried that? Me neither. Maybe it is because I don’t want people thinking that I am completely nuts after I fall into the water after the first step. Yeah, I’m guessing that would probably happen.
But what if it didn’t? Man, that would be something. Of course, there is no guarantee that the people that you are trying to win over with the gospel won’t think it is some sort of trick.
Still, when was the last time you put it all on the line for God?
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17-18 and 2 Corinthians 6
Some of you might remember a certain scene in X-men where the villain Magneto forms this bridge by taking tiles from the wall and making this makeshift floor in front of him. It’s a two-second special effect that is worth the price of admission, but it left me wondering about why the heck Magneto didn’t make the entire bridge and then walk across it.
I suppose that is what faith is, leaping and then looking. I find it odd that Elijah just goes up to Ahab and makes a challenge. I mean, it is pretty simple: If God is God, worship Him, and if Baal is lord, worship him.
I guess he was sick of the generations of faithful kings and then evil kings that had come before him. I can’t say that I blame him. Who really wants this kind of inconsistency?
Needless to say, it is the matter of Elijah’s challenge which interested me. There doesn’t seem to be any point before this scene where Elijah spent time with God to see if that is what He wants to do.
No, it appears that Elijah came up with this plan all by himself, and took steps to implement it. Not only that, it seems to have worked. Fire fell from the heavens, and really humiliated those prophets of Baal.
Can you imagine if Elijah did this, and it turned out that God didn’t back him up? Man, all that trash talking would have been in vain, and it would have been really sad. I’m not certain what would have happened if Baal and God didn’t answer.
I can’t help but wonder if God likes it when we just do stuff like that. After all, wasn’t it Peter’s idea to walk on water? And Jesus was the one who just said: “yeah, go ahead”.
However, most of us don’t really take this sort of initiative with God. We don’t just say: “Hey, you guys don’t believe in God, just watch as I walk across this river. Then you will believe.”
Have you ever tried that? Me neither. Maybe it is because I don’t want people thinking that I am completely nuts after I fall into the water after the first step. Yeah, I’m guessing that would probably happen.
But what if it didn’t? Man, that would be something. Of course, there is no guarantee that the people that you are trying to win over with the gospel won’t think it is some sort of trick.
Still, when was the last time you put it all on the line for God?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Living on the Sine Wave
June 1, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 15-16 and 2 Corinthians 5
For those of you who aren’t familiar with a sine wave, then you might want to find some sort math-lete who understands y=sinx. The graph is a curve that goes up and down, which is very similar to the collective morality of Judah and Isreal.
I don’t know if there is any record of the Annals of the Kings of Judah or the Annals of the Kings of Israel, but the Bible certain refers to this source a lot. I guess so we can see more of their daily activities other than mentioning of the high places.
But hey, there is nothing worse than someone who is good one day and then bad the next. Man, could you just pick a side and stay with it, please? In fact, for all those good people who occasionally dabble in evil, can I just say one thing? Just be evil! I mean, don’t fool yourself, you can’t be both. By the way, don’t listen to what I said, I don’t want you to be evil.
Still, it’s sort of like what Jack Sparrow said in Pirate of the Caribbean: “You can always count on a dishonest person to be dishonest. It’s the honest ones that you have to worry about, because you can never tell when they will do something absolutely stupid.”
Yeah, I would say that out of all the nations in the world, it is probably Israel that probably did the stupidest stuff, really. I mean, all the other ones like Babylonia or Egypt can at least claim ignorance.
However, I can’t claim any degree of superiority. The other day, I began to notice habit patterns that I was falling back into about twenty years ago. Man, did I feel like a huge prize chump that hadn’t changed one bit. I began to wonder why the heck I went through the last twenty years for if I had learned nothing.
Yeah, I think we all fluctuate, and we just don’t ever really settle down on any particular alignment unless we are really forced to. However, given our own fickle selves, we generally will fall for anything since we stand for nothing.
Perhaps this is why 2 Corinthians 5 tells of us of how we groan and long to have a heavenly dwelling. I suppose in heaven we won’t be tempted to fall into old habits, or any bad new ones, for that matter. However, if I am going to enter heaven, I would really like to leave everything else behind me.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 15-16 and 2 Corinthians 5
For those of you who aren’t familiar with a sine wave, then you might want to find some sort math-lete who understands y=sinx. The graph is a curve that goes up and down, which is very similar to the collective morality of Judah and Isreal.
I don’t know if there is any record of the Annals of the Kings of Judah or the Annals of the Kings of Israel, but the Bible certain refers to this source a lot. I guess so we can see more of their daily activities other than mentioning of the high places.
But hey, there is nothing worse than someone who is good one day and then bad the next. Man, could you just pick a side and stay with it, please? In fact, for all those good people who occasionally dabble in evil, can I just say one thing? Just be evil! I mean, don’t fool yourself, you can’t be both. By the way, don’t listen to what I said, I don’t want you to be evil.
Still, it’s sort of like what Jack Sparrow said in Pirate of the Caribbean: “You can always count on a dishonest person to be dishonest. It’s the honest ones that you have to worry about, because you can never tell when they will do something absolutely stupid.”
Yeah, I would say that out of all the nations in the world, it is probably Israel that probably did the stupidest stuff, really. I mean, all the other ones like Babylonia or Egypt can at least claim ignorance.
However, I can’t claim any degree of superiority. The other day, I began to notice habit patterns that I was falling back into about twenty years ago. Man, did I feel like a huge prize chump that hadn’t changed one bit. I began to wonder why the heck I went through the last twenty years for if I had learned nothing.
Yeah, I think we all fluctuate, and we just don’t ever really settle down on any particular alignment unless we are really forced to. However, given our own fickle selves, we generally will fall for anything since we stand for nothing.
Perhaps this is why 2 Corinthians 5 tells of us of how we groan and long to have a heavenly dwelling. I suppose in heaven we won’t be tempted to fall into old habits, or any bad new ones, for that matter. However, if I am going to enter heaven, I would really like to leave everything else behind me.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Unknown Soldier of God
May 31, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 13-14 and 2 Corinthians 4
I never did understand this story between Jeroboam and this mysterious man of God that the bible does not name. He tells King Jeroboam that Josiah will come to destroy all the priests of the high places. By the way, that actually happened.
To confirm that this was going to happen in the future, there is something that occurs in the present. The altar that Jeroboam was worshipping at splits open spontaneously. Then Jeroboam’s hand just up and shrivels up. The king prays for healing on his arm, but I don’t think he prays for deliverance for the things to come.
Maybe that’s why the king invited this prophet to dinner. I’m not certain why God did not want this prophet to accept a gift from the king, or anyone else for that matter. And some guy comes to this prophet later and says: “hey guess what? I am a prophet too, and God told me to take you out”.
And so, God took out the prophet. Really sad. I mean, how was this prophet to know that this man was lying? Of course, I always feel sorry for people in the Bible that die stupidly. Okay, I suppose the prophet sort of brought it on himself, but what is the point of this story?
I mean, I feel the main “meat” of this story is the meeting between Jeroboam and the prophet, and then it should just go on to something else. I mean, if the Bible was a novel, that’s how I would write it. As it is, the darn story goes to this prophet that doesn’t have a name, to meet up with a guy who doesn’t have a name. The story just gets a little boring compared to the action that happens afterward. By the way, Jeroboam does not listen to the prophet, apparently.
Of course, I didn’t write the Bible, and real life doesn’t play like book. It plays like an independent film that is really boring and is so lifelike that you realize that you could have not wasted two hours of your life watching a film, and could have just lived life for that kind of inaction you just observed.
Of course, life is not directionless. Our life seems like one city street, but we don’t realize without looking from a overhead that we are part of a huge grid. It would be stupid of us to assume that we know our place in this world, because until our life is done, we don’t know our life’s work.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 13-14 and 2 Corinthians 4
I never did understand this story between Jeroboam and this mysterious man of God that the bible does not name. He tells King Jeroboam that Josiah will come to destroy all the priests of the high places. By the way, that actually happened.
To confirm that this was going to happen in the future, there is something that occurs in the present. The altar that Jeroboam was worshipping at splits open spontaneously. Then Jeroboam’s hand just up and shrivels up. The king prays for healing on his arm, but I don’t think he prays for deliverance for the things to come.
Maybe that’s why the king invited this prophet to dinner. I’m not certain why God did not want this prophet to accept a gift from the king, or anyone else for that matter. And some guy comes to this prophet later and says: “hey guess what? I am a prophet too, and God told me to take you out”.
And so, God took out the prophet. Really sad. I mean, how was this prophet to know that this man was lying? Of course, I always feel sorry for people in the Bible that die stupidly. Okay, I suppose the prophet sort of brought it on himself, but what is the point of this story?
I mean, I feel the main “meat” of this story is the meeting between Jeroboam and the prophet, and then it should just go on to something else. I mean, if the Bible was a novel, that’s how I would write it. As it is, the darn story goes to this prophet that doesn’t have a name, to meet up with a guy who doesn’t have a name. The story just gets a little boring compared to the action that happens afterward. By the way, Jeroboam does not listen to the prophet, apparently.
Of course, I didn’t write the Bible, and real life doesn’t play like book. It plays like an independent film that is really boring and is so lifelike that you realize that you could have not wasted two hours of your life watching a film, and could have just lived life for that kind of inaction you just observed.
Of course, life is not directionless. Our life seems like one city street, but we don’t realize without looking from a overhead that we are part of a huge grid. It would be stupid of us to assume that we know our place in this world, because until our life is done, we don’t know our life’s work.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Just How Does This Happen?
May 30, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 11-12 and 2 Corinthians 3
I think we all know stories about rich heiresses or heirs of families who have all the money that they will need, and just squander it on a life of nothing but lavish living.
It is odd that Solomon eventually became one of these cases. He started off so well as the son of David, one of the most spiritual figures of Israel.
God even came to this man and asked what he wanted. Oddly enough, Solomon did not ask for money, and I believe this is because he probably already had some. He then asked for some wisdom, and apparently this helped him when he met with Sheba.
You have to wonder what went wrong here. God even appeared to this man a second time, and he was warned not to get involved with the wives with the other countries and other faiths. So what happens? Solomon does the very thing he stood against. There is no explanation as to how this happen.
I get the feeling that if there was a Solomon movie, there would be some scene where we would see Solomon making a choice to marry his first wife, and this would probably be the first step on a downward spiral stairwell.
Why didn’t Solomon just rest in his riches, and use his wisdom to rule the kingdom justly. Surely this is all we really want from our rulers, and if anyone did this at peak capacity, we would probably just call it “normal”.
However, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines! Man, if he spent the night with one of each of these women every night, it would take about three years before a woman would spend the night with him again.
I’m certain that there got to be a point where Solomon was just taking in wives, and lost track of how many he had. Perhaps he had a wife committee made up of some of his more treasured wives, whose sole duty was just to bring more wives into the spousefold.
Even though Solomon’s father had seen God’s works firsthand, he really should have known better. He reminds me of Homer Simpson, who is often told and shown the right path, but still manages to head down the wrong one with all deliberate speed.
Solomon is proof that just because you have everything, it doesn’t mean that you are going to keep it or stay there. Inversely, I believe that those who start with nothing can achieve something. However, we need to keep the faith.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 11-12 and 2 Corinthians 3
I think we all know stories about rich heiresses or heirs of families who have all the money that they will need, and just squander it on a life of nothing but lavish living.
It is odd that Solomon eventually became one of these cases. He started off so well as the son of David, one of the most spiritual figures of Israel.
God even came to this man and asked what he wanted. Oddly enough, Solomon did not ask for money, and I believe this is because he probably already had some. He then asked for some wisdom, and apparently this helped him when he met with Sheba.
You have to wonder what went wrong here. God even appeared to this man a second time, and he was warned not to get involved with the wives with the other countries and other faiths. So what happens? Solomon does the very thing he stood against. There is no explanation as to how this happen.
I get the feeling that if there was a Solomon movie, there would be some scene where we would see Solomon making a choice to marry his first wife, and this would probably be the first step on a downward spiral stairwell.
Why didn’t Solomon just rest in his riches, and use his wisdom to rule the kingdom justly. Surely this is all we really want from our rulers, and if anyone did this at peak capacity, we would probably just call it “normal”.
However, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines! Man, if he spent the night with one of each of these women every night, it would take about three years before a woman would spend the night with him again.
I’m certain that there got to be a point where Solomon was just taking in wives, and lost track of how many he had. Perhaps he had a wife committee made up of some of his more treasured wives, whose sole duty was just to bring more wives into the spousefold.
Even though Solomon’s father had seen God’s works firsthand, he really should have known better. He reminds me of Homer Simpson, who is often told and shown the right path, but still manages to head down the wrong one with all deliberate speed.
Solomon is proof that just because you have everything, it doesn’t mean that you are going to keep it or stay there. Inversely, I believe that those who start with nothing can achieve something. However, we need to keep the faith.
You May Know More than Solomon!
May 29, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 9-10 and 2 Corinthians 2
I’d like for you to imagine the meeting of Solomon and Sheba like it was an interview between Barbara Walters and one of her celebrities.
Sheba: So, Solomon what is the meaning of life.
Solomon: Seriously, you are asking me that? You can ask me anything, and you chose that of all things? I would think that the answer to that is pretty obvious.
Sheba: Well, it is obvious to you, so if you could make it clear to me, I would appreciate it.
Solomon: Since I believe in God, I am believe that we are to live for Him.
Sheba: This God, who is he.
Solomon: Guy who created the entire universe. Once he got the planets down, along with the animals, he apparently wasn’t satisfied being alone, and created man. Then he wasn’t satisfied with men being alone, so he created women.
Sheba: But where is He now?
Solomon: Once upon a time, God, man, and women lived together in harmony. Since God did not want them to be automatons, so he had to give them a choice of whether they would follow him or not. So he created a Tree of Conscience.
Sheba: Conscience?
Solomon: That inner sense that we have between right or wrong. Humanity never had need of a conscience with God around. There was no need of the words “right” or “wrong”. It was a different story once humanity decided to eat of the tree. Yes, there was a temptation that they gave into, and since matters were in their own hands, we still feel the effects.
Sheba: Why should future generations suffer for the choice of their ancestors?
Solomon: God is one of those guys who is perfect. He’s not so perfect that he cannot stand our presence, but it is like being in the same room with someone with a fatal disease. You can’t ignore that the disease is there, even if it won’t kill you. You have to do something about it.
Sheba: So what can you do about it?
Solomon: Go to the Temple, give animal sacrifices of blood for our sins.
Sheba: What if you don’t have any animals?
Solomon: I guess you borrow them from someone else. God will probably provide them.
Yeah, I suppose these are the answers that Solomon the wise would have given the royal Sheba back then. I mean, how difficult were her questions? Chances are, that was as difficult as they would get, and I’m guessing a lot of Christians could answer these questions much better than Solomon. I mean, the king didn’t know a thing about Jesus.
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 9-10 and 2 Corinthians 2
I’d like for you to imagine the meeting of Solomon and Sheba like it was an interview between Barbara Walters and one of her celebrities.
Sheba: So, Solomon what is the meaning of life.
Solomon: Seriously, you are asking me that? You can ask me anything, and you chose that of all things? I would think that the answer to that is pretty obvious.
Sheba: Well, it is obvious to you, so if you could make it clear to me, I would appreciate it.
Solomon: Since I believe in God, I am believe that we are to live for Him.
Sheba: This God, who is he.
Solomon: Guy who created the entire universe. Once he got the planets down, along with the animals, he apparently wasn’t satisfied being alone, and created man. Then he wasn’t satisfied with men being alone, so he created women.
Sheba: But where is He now?
Solomon: Once upon a time, God, man, and women lived together in harmony. Since God did not want them to be automatons, so he had to give them a choice of whether they would follow him or not. So he created a Tree of Conscience.
Sheba: Conscience?
Solomon: That inner sense that we have between right or wrong. Humanity never had need of a conscience with God around. There was no need of the words “right” or “wrong”. It was a different story once humanity decided to eat of the tree. Yes, there was a temptation that they gave into, and since matters were in their own hands, we still feel the effects.
Sheba: Why should future generations suffer for the choice of their ancestors?
Solomon: God is one of those guys who is perfect. He’s not so perfect that he cannot stand our presence, but it is like being in the same room with someone with a fatal disease. You can’t ignore that the disease is there, even if it won’t kill you. You have to do something about it.
Sheba: So what can you do about it?
Solomon: Go to the Temple, give animal sacrifices of blood for our sins.
Sheba: What if you don’t have any animals?
Solomon: I guess you borrow them from someone else. God will probably provide them.
Yeah, I suppose these are the answers that Solomon the wise would have given the royal Sheba back then. I mean, how difficult were her questions? Chances are, that was as difficult as they would get, and I’m guessing a lot of Christians could answer these questions much better than Solomon. I mean, the king didn’t know a thing about Jesus.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Necessity of the Temple
May 28, 2009
Today's Review: 1 Kings 7-8 and Psalm 23-24
Today's Review: 1 Kings 7-8 and Psalm 23-24
I think I have mentioned this before when we were discussing the Tabernacle, but why is it that we need a Tabernacle, much less a
However, you have to admire the idea of a
Who doesn’t like the idea of a place where all the action happens. I mean, at one time the presence of God was so thick that no one could (or dared) enter in the
Even Psalm 24 is supposed to be some sort of declaration of getting into the
And yet, just before this Psalm is the famed Psalm 23. It declares that we really have all that we need with the Lord on our side. We really don’t need a big
Even Solomon acknowledged this, that no house can house God. God is just too big to be put under four walls, but this is how we treat churches. Come on, don’t tell me that most people don’t act differently when the arrive at church. Granted, people do this for the wrong reasons.
I can’t help but wonder if we couldn’t use some sort of
Man, what I wouldn’t give to see that
Is it any wonder why God promises that he will restore the
God’s Prefab Construction
May 27, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 5-6 and Psalm 21-22
Years ago, when I was taking a Bible class (think of it as a young Christian initiation course). I was told that when Solomon’s
These days it seems like all building is done by pre-fab. When I was a kid, my parents bought a new house that was essentially built within a day. The basement was a strong concrete foundation, but all of the other walls and floors was just pieces that arrived by semi trucks and assembled like gigantic puzzle pieces.
Even Legos have gone into pre-fab, but this has worked against it. Some of you may remember when Lego Castles were a bunch of seemingly random bricks, but they eventually became these playsets with tower-shaped blocks that sadly can’t be used for any other projects.
Who knows how these bricks were taken to the temple, and what happened if one of them was out of place. I wonder if this is supposed to be some sort of metaphor of what it is supposed to be before we get to heaven.
Yeah, sometimes I wonder if God wants us to be completely perfected by the time we get to heaven. If so, then I am so boned.
Okay, I don’t really know that. I believe that we are supposed to walk in whatever conviction or enlightenment that we know about. The other day, I was watching some movies online, and remember that the last time I watched these films, I felt like I had to repent. Today, I watched that same film and enjoyed the experience. Is this a sign that I have grown as a Christian?
I don’t know, but there are some things that I did in the name of God way back when that I wish I could undo today. I see no reason to bang the Bible over the head with everyone that I knew, as all I created was alienation. I think about all the times I thought people who played role-playing games were ungodly, and now I think I was ungodly for putting a spotlight on these gamers and saying they were nigh Satanists.
In short, I suppose we could be perfected before we reach heaven, but honestly, that would require me to be as perfect as possible before I die. Could I do that on a daily basis? I think I could.
Monday, June 15, 2009
A Re-telling of Solomon and the Two…ahem…working girls
May 26, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 3-4 and 2 Corinthians 1
This is a Transcript of “Prostitute vs. Prostitute”
Judge Officiating: Solomon the king
Date: The first year of Solomon
Baliff: Here is the issue. Woman 1 woke up with a dead son. She claims woman 2 switched babies and while the other was sleeping.
Judge: Oh, for crying out loud, you are just a bunch of hos!
Baliff: Sir?
Judge: I’m the king, dang it! Don’t you think I have better things to do than officiate over a matter like this!
Woman1: Please hear me out! I want my son back.
Woman2: You mean my son.
Judge: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Wait a second, this reminds me of a dream that I had last night. I saw that the promises in God are “Yes” and “Amen”. I saw the words 2 Corinthians amongst them.
Baliff: What does that have to do with anything?
Judge: I don’t know. Oh wait, God also showed up to give me some wisdom. Wait! I know what to do. Bring me a sword.
Baliff: Why.
Judge: So I can cut all of your dang heads off. No, I’m just kidding. I mean, not that I couldn’t, but I just want to cut this bas…this baby in half.
Baliff: How do you want it cut?
Judge: Did you actually think I wasn’t kidding about that! Well, I wasn’t, so good job! I was thinking down the middle. No, not down the waistline middle, but from nose to toes middle! That way, each of them get equal portions, unless that tyke’s got a birthmark.
Woman 1: Wait, give the baby to the other one. At least he will live.
Woman 2: Fine, who cares.
Judge: Okay, that first lady is the real mother. After all, guess who was willing to sacrifice for the sake of their own.
Woman 1: Thank you, my liege.
Judge:
Solomon was willing to put it all on the line for one thing, a breakthrough! I’m wondering if he was the one who coined the term “think outside the box” because this is the most outside the box that I have ever seen.
I wonder what other solutions to our problems are just waiting to be solved through a little creative thinking. Sometimes you have to risk cutting a baby in half to get that breakthrough, but it is worth it.
Who knows what atoms are waiting to be split?
Small Histories
May 25, 2009
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 1-2 and Mark 16
Today's Reading: 1 Kings 1-2 and Mark 16
Anyone remember the election of 2000? How could you forget? I mean, Bush Jr. and Gore were going at it, each one saying that they won.
I always thought that was the most ridiculous thing to happen to
I would imagine that something similar occurred during the days Adonijah. Yet I can’t really imagined how it occurred. I mean, when Solomon was born, did David make some sort of proclamation saying: “Hey, everyone, I believe my son Solomon will be king instead of me. So if I’m ever on my deathbed, and you’re wondering who is next, don’t pick some other son, pick Solomon.”
Okay, that was a stupid slogan, but you get my drift. Had David made some sort of formal proclamation, or had put it on a certain stone tablet, then Adonijah would never have been able to set himself up as king. And yet by some sort of technicality, this guy, whose ambition was as great as the whole kingdom, apparently, was almost the next Solomon, with or without the wisdom.
Yeah, who knows, maybe Adonijah may not have fallen into the bad soup that Solomon eventually went into, but if you have to win by some technicality, then that is pretty pathetic. I’m sure there are a lot of George W. Bush fans who are really ticked off by now, but hey, history don’t lie.
Yet history is all about little things occurring. I mean, does anyone think that it is odd that the ultimate salvation of man came in the form of some carpenter from
And yet some empty tomb that could have gone unnoticed is
So how is it that anything ever happens, anyway? I mean, in all this world of seemingly important happenings, sometimes the simplest of things become grand enough to change the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)