For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:7-9 NKJV).
My schedule for the summer has made it difficult to write so I have tried to share some thoughts from some other thoughtful people. Here is another quote from Elton Trueblood:
If this is really God's world, then we are really under His care, whether we live or whether we die. If God is, and if He is like Christ, then the problem of evil, instead of being principally a barrier to faith, becomes one of the chief reasons for believing in the conscious survival of personality after the death of the body. Since many are unfairly treated here, then it is evident that God's goodness is frustrated and defeated unless there is a beyond. But we cannot believe that His goodness is permanently frustrated and defeated. Therefore there must be a future life, beyond our human ability to visualize or even imagine, in which God preserves and purifies that which here He only begins.
What a wonderful, reasonable hope we have in Jesus Christ!
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14b NKJV).
Not many people play such a pivotal role in history as queen Esther---and yet maybe we do. What would it mean to your children if you acted courageously to save your marriage? What would it mean to your country if you acted courageously to defend the Constitution? What would it mean to one unborn if you acted courageously to protect life? What would it mean to the hopeless if you courageously shared legitimate hope in Christ? What would it mean to the average to be an example commitment and excellence?
Often we do not see ourselves as playing a pivotal role in history but . . . for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. For such a time as this, you are the nail! You do play a pivotal role in history!
I have said all this to introduce another quote from Elton Trueblood's The Life We Prize:
The owners of nightclubs and motion picture houses profit greatly by the failure of men and women to find meaning in their lives, since, as is generally known, a people who have a sense of meaning feel no conscious need of constantly being entertained or amused.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Not many people play such a pivotal role in history as queen Esther---and yet maybe we do. What would it mean to your children if you acted courageously to save your marriage? What would it mean to your country if you acted courageously to defend the Constitution? What would it mean to one unborn if you acted courageously to protect life? What would it mean to the hopeless if you courageously shared legitimate hope in Christ? What would it mean to the average to be an example commitment and excellence?
Often we do not see ourselves as playing a pivotal role in history but . . . for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. For such a time as this, you are the nail! You do play a pivotal role in history!
I have said all this to introduce another quote from Elton Trueblood's The Life We Prize:
The owners of nightclubs and motion picture houses profit greatly by the failure of men and women to find meaning in their lives, since, as is generally known, a people who have a sense of meaning feel no conscious need of constantly being entertained or amused.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Saturday, July 17, 2010
THE DANGER OF MODERATION
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15,16).
While rereading and old book of mine, THE LIFE WE PRIZE, by Elton Trueblood, I came upon a few lines that I had underlined many years ago. It is still good enough to share with my devoted readers:
The dangers of moderation are, paradoxically, greater than are the dangers of excess, because the wholly moderate person is so likely to become balanced on dead center, and consequently to accomplish nothing.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
While rereading and old book of mine, THE LIFE WE PRIZE, by Elton Trueblood, I came upon a few lines that I had underlined many years ago. It is still good enough to share with my devoted readers:
The dangers of moderation are, paradoxically, greater than are the dangers of excess, because the wholly moderate person is so likely to become balanced on dead center, and consequently to accomplish nothing.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Monday, July 05, 2010
LIBERTARIANISM--AN UNREFINED THOUGHT
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; but through love be servants of one another (Galations 5:13).
Often I think about things as I write. This is one of those times when what I write is unrefined and is sort of "raw meat" that needs a little cooking.
The 5th of July is the official 4th of July holiday this year. Today I have a little time to think about liberty and what it means to Americans.
Liberty is a gift to all, yet it must be defended because it can be lost; laziness in its defense leads to learned helplessness which leads to dependence which leads to bondage. That is the slippery slope we are on.
According to the Declaration of Independence each person is equal under God and has been given by Him the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No matter what station of life a person is in--the poorest, most handicapped person or unborn person is entitled to the same protection of the law as the richest, most educated, and powerful person in the land, or vice versa. Every one's freedom is diminished when that is not true.
True liberty can only be established under law. If there were no law then law of "might makes right" would rule; the weak would be the victim and/or slave of the powerful. God's character is the basis of all true law; any law that is ungodly is not Law.
Love is God's character, law and liberty are expressions of his love. God has never forced people to obey his law. We are free to make our choice of obeying him or not and then living with the logical and legal consequences of that choice. To allow a person to be free means that he is free to be stupid, and make bad choices.
Many of our drug, alcohol, tobacco and coming food laws, are based on the assumption that people are too stupid to make the right decisions for themselves so there needs to be a government "nanny" to restrict them. This restriction amounts to a very real loss of freedom. If there is not a freedom to be stupid, there will be no freedom.
Real freedom is in Jesus the Christ. He has established the worth of each human being and has paid the price of each one's liberation from sin and its penalty. Even in Christ there is the freedom to be stupid, and there are many Christians who do stupid things. In Christ there are those whose decisions are based on the desires of the flesh rather than upon the leading of the Spirit.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Often I think about things as I write. This is one of those times when what I write is unrefined and is sort of "raw meat" that needs a little cooking.
The 5th of July is the official 4th of July holiday this year. Today I have a little time to think about liberty and what it means to Americans.
Liberty is a gift to all, yet it must be defended because it can be lost; laziness in its defense leads to learned helplessness which leads to dependence which leads to bondage. That is the slippery slope we are on.
According to the Declaration of Independence each person is equal under God and has been given by Him the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No matter what station of life a person is in--the poorest, most handicapped person or unborn person is entitled to the same protection of the law as the richest, most educated, and powerful person in the land, or vice versa. Every one's freedom is diminished when that is not true.
True liberty can only be established under law. If there were no law then law of "might makes right" would rule; the weak would be the victim and/or slave of the powerful. God's character is the basis of all true law; any law that is ungodly is not Law.
Love is God's character, law and liberty are expressions of his love. God has never forced people to obey his law. We are free to make our choice of obeying him or not and then living with the logical and legal consequences of that choice. To allow a person to be free means that he is free to be stupid, and make bad choices.
Many of our drug, alcohol, tobacco and coming food laws, are based on the assumption that people are too stupid to make the right decisions for themselves so there needs to be a government "nanny" to restrict them. This restriction amounts to a very real loss of freedom. If there is not a freedom to be stupid, there will be no freedom.
Real freedom is in Jesus the Christ. He has established the worth of each human being and has paid the price of each one's liberation from sin and its penalty. Even in Christ there is the freedom to be stupid, and there are many Christians who do stupid things. In Christ there are those whose decisions are based on the desires of the flesh rather than upon the leading of the Spirit.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
Saturday, July 03, 2010
COMMUNION MEDITATION
It follows that anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of desecrating the body and blood of the Lord. A man must test himself before eating his sare of the bread and drinking from the cup. For he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgement on himself if he does not discern the Body. That is why many of you are feeble and sick, and a number have died (I Corinthians 11:27-31).
This morning I was reading I Samuel 6 about the return of the Ark of the Covenant from the possession of the Philistines. When the Philistines took the Ark as a prize of war it brought plagues and calamities on them so after a few months they decided the return it to the Israelites. They put the Ark in an ox cart drawn by two cows with unweaned calves. The calves were penned up. The Philistines reasoned that if the cows were released on their own and they found their way back to Israel then it must truly be Divine providence, but if the cows only wanted to stay with their calves they were simply the victims of bad luck. The cows did leave their calves and found their way back to Israel. When the people of Beth-shemesh saw the ark they rejoiced at the sight of it. It is important to note that verse 19 says this: But the sons of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the rest of the men of Beth-shemesh when they welcomed the Ark of the Lord, and he struck down seventy of them (I Samuel 6:19 NEB).
It is my belief that the entire Old Testament is a type, or forshadowing of the New Testament, so every story is significant. The Ark of the Covenant was symbolic of God's redemptive work on behalf of his people. To not rejoice in its return--to not care whether it came back or not--was a slap in God's face; an insult to him. Could it be that our take-it-or-leave-it attitudes about the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, the feast of thanksgiving is an insult to God? Like the Ark, it speaks of God's work of love and redemption on our behalf. Could it be that some of our illnesses and deaths have come as a result? Without a word from the Lord on specific cases it is impossible to know, but the principle is established in his word. Each observance of communion, no matter how often, should be with joy, gratitude and wonder that he should love one such as I.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
This morning I was reading I Samuel 6 about the return of the Ark of the Covenant from the possession of the Philistines. When the Philistines took the Ark as a prize of war it brought plagues and calamities on them so after a few months they decided the return it to the Israelites. They put the Ark in an ox cart drawn by two cows with unweaned calves. The calves were penned up. The Philistines reasoned that if the cows were released on their own and they found their way back to Israel then it must truly be Divine providence, but if the cows only wanted to stay with their calves they were simply the victims of bad luck. The cows did leave their calves and found their way back to Israel. When the people of Beth-shemesh saw the ark they rejoiced at the sight of it. It is important to note that verse 19 says this: But the sons of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the rest of the men of Beth-shemesh when they welcomed the Ark of the Lord, and he struck down seventy of them (I Samuel 6:19 NEB).
It is my belief that the entire Old Testament is a type, or forshadowing of the New Testament, so every story is significant. The Ark of the Covenant was symbolic of God's redemptive work on behalf of his people. To not rejoice in its return--to not care whether it came back or not--was a slap in God's face; an insult to him. Could it be that our take-it-or-leave-it attitudes about the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, the feast of thanksgiving is an insult to God? Like the Ark, it speaks of God's work of love and redemption on our behalf. Could it be that some of our illnesses and deaths have come as a result? Without a word from the Lord on specific cases it is impossible to know, but the principle is established in his word. Each observance of communion, no matter how often, should be with joy, gratitude and wonder that he should love one such as I.
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
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