Spirit of Truth/The Bible on Trial

TMI Factor~ At any time in a conversation with another person, all of a sudden, and without notice that person can say something that is so personal and so shocking that so socks you  that you cring, look at them and say, "TMI" (Too Much Information"). There are some things that just should not be shared with anyone, that are so gross or embarassing that their expression stretches credulity. When the TMI Factor rears it's ugly head it can cause you to nearly gag in response, and question the sanity of the person who says it. There are some things that we just don't want to know, nor do we want to hear. There are some things that under certain circmstances in under certain conditions we may not want to hear, but need to hear in order to save our lives. Sometimes this feels like TMI. No one likes to hear that a break job for your car is going to cost $500, money that you don't have and can't afford. But in order to be safe you figure out a way to pay for it, and do it anyway. You do it because it could save your life.  No one wants to hear these words from your doctor; "You have cancer1" (I know this from intimate personal experience.) This is never a good thing. The initial response can often be that this is just TMI, and you don't want to deal with it. It is emotionally TMI. But you can't ignore it and hope it goes away. You MUST deal with it, and do everthing you can to fight it so you can at least have the possibility that you will live. And in the spiritual world there is no such thing as TMI. If you are given information that has the potential to save your eternal life and you ignore it because it seems as if it is TMI, then you risk something a lot more important than the safety of your car. Your very life is in the balance. Learning the Truth about salvation can never be TMI.

Inoculation~ Wouldn't it be nice is there was a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus? Or better yet, an inoculation for the common cold and flu? There are lots of people that believe that vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases that they are designed to prevent, but there is one thing that is certain, and that is the child killing diseases of the past, such as whopping cough and polio, are literally a thing of the past because of the inoculations for these types of diseases. The other thing that is certain with respect to disease prevention is that not getting a particular disease is the surest form of prevention. Now I know that this statement is kind of like saying that 'we all find whatever we are looking for in the last place we look'. It is a self-evident identity; who among us would keep looking for something after we have found it. Yet there is something profound vis a vis our ability to gain Salvation and Eternal Life, given the understanding that right now EVERYONE has that terminal disease that prevents us from gaining that impossibly lofty goal; sin! Wouldn't it be nice if there was an inoculation against sin, that would be so effective that everyone that was given this vaccine would be able to gain Salvation and Eternal life? Good News, there is! Once you have taken this 'magic pill' you are (from then on) assured of an eternal home in Heaven. How much would you pay for this spiritual medication? What is your life worth to you?  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." Matt. 24:35 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 12:17. If the words of Jesus are in you, you cannot die! AMEN!

Threats or Promises~ A few days ago a U.S. Senator made threats against two specific Supreme Court Justices, if they didin't vote on an issue before the SCOTUS they way he demanded. The Chief Justice excoriated this Senator, and said that all SC Justices would vote for or against any issue before the High Court simply based on the Law and the merits. This is as it should be. This Senator was WAY out of line, and we will have to wait to see what happens to him (probably nothing). When I was young my mom would tell me to do somethng, and if I didn't do it she would state that if I didn't do it there would be a commensurate punishment. She then would emphasize that demand by saying, "This is not a threat, it's a promise!" There is a huge difference between a threat and a promise, in that a threat is often not carried out, because it is spoken in the heat of the moment, and without due consideration for the consequenses. A Promise, on the other hand, is almost always given as a future fact. An example of a promise is the 'Wedding Vows'.  Laws are demands placed on a body of people that state that an activity is either 'lawful' or 'unlawful', with a future reward or punishment tied to that activity. Laws contain both 'threats' and 'promises'.  When God gave the LAW to His Kingdom at Sinai (His Covenant of the Kingdom-the 10 Commandment) He gave the instruction that the people must choose as a body to be obedient to those Commands. If they did there was a Promise of a glorious reward AND an ignominious fate. God gave Israel a clear instruction:  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live". Deut 30:19. This was NOT a threat, it was a Promise. That Promise still applies today. So Choose Life!

Fear Factor~ I was talking with Rick Sterling after yesterday's program (Feb. 28, 2020) about the Covid-19 virus that is (by MSM news reports) spreading like wild fire around the world. The show notes for yesterday titled 'Panic'  garnered a bigger response than any other that I have published. People are either terrified of the possibility of getting the Covid-19 virus, or they are not. What is the difference?  Rick is a RN (Registered Nurse) who specializes in the operations in the cardiac catheterization lab environment, and has taken the training that applies to the use of medical face masks. Rick pointed out that most people have no idea about how to use the N-95 face masks that they are buying in a panic, and these masks actually don't help prevent any transmission of a virus. The people that try to use them for this purpose are fooling themselves into believing that they are 'safe' from getting a cold or the flu. He pointed out that the only way a face mask could prevent this kind of transfer would be if you have a 'soft seal' around both your nose and mouth, such as with a respirator type mask that has the proper filters. People are responding to this situation out of fear, because they don't understand how viral infections work, and how to prevent them. Humans have a tendency to fear that which they don't understand. So if you become fearful about something make an effort to understand it. Knowledge and Understanding eliminates the Fear Factor from any area of our lives. The reason Jesus came to earth was to take away the fear of the unknown. He came to reveal how God works in the salvation of mankind, and that if we are obedient to His Commandments and hold to His testimony we need not fear for our eternal lives.  Jesus said, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Matt. 14:27.

Panic~ The level of panic has risen this past week in relation of the Covid-19 virus outbreak in China. The hardware store where I work has almost run out of N-95 face masks, and our suppliers can't get any more. Yesterday we had a lady come to the store and buy $250 worth of masks, which basically cleaned us out. We do have a few single use masks, and we are selling them at our regular price, but with a limit of 10 per person ($7.99 each). Our stock will not last through the day.  Yesterday, a young family came in with their baby and asked me if we had masks that would fit their child. The young mother was almost in tears when I told her that we did not carry child sized masks. I tried to reassure her that if they were heathy and took care to wash their hands regularly that they should be OK, but this family has bought into the idea that there is a pandemic happening, and that they are facing iimmanent death.  The issus here is that the media is playing to the fears of the people when there is truly no need to panic. There is NEVER any need to panic. But what we are seeing is an uninformed populace taking the word of and uniformed media, and placing their trust in the words of people that don't know what they are talking about.  So let's move this situation over to the spiritual side of things. The 'peepul'  have been told by their pastors and teachers that salvation is the free gift of God, and that all you have to do to be saved is claim Jesus as their savior by FAITH through Grace. When this is shown to not be true, panic will set in, because these people will be forced to choose a path that they do not know, and cannot see. They won't know who to turn too for the truth, because they have learned to believe a lie as if it is the truth.  The world is drowning in lies. The 'lifesaver' is the truth, the gospel of the Kingdom.

Melting Pot~ There are a variety of uses for a melting pot, otherwise know as a crucible. In olden days when candles were the primary source for light in a house, used candles were put in a melting pot so that the left over wax could be melted down and reused to make new candles. A blacksmith would use a melting pot to melt left over iron for reuse. A jeweler would uses a melting pot to purify gold or other precious metals with which to make jewelery. This was termed  "gold refined by fire" in Revelation 3:18. In order to make hardened steel, iron ore is placed in a crucible (melting pot) and heated in a blast furnace that removes the impurities, poured into forms and cooled. Then this iron ingot is reheated, hammer forged into a useful form, water cooled, and repeated until the result is a form of steel that is much harder than the original iron taken from the ground. The result is a strong building material. The purpose of a melting pot is take 'like' elements and join them together, heat them to the melting point, and then use the result to accomplishe the purpose for which the result is to be used.  It does no good to put candle wax in a melting pot with iron ore or gold to try to make either better. It simply makes them worse, unusable for any purpose.  In John 17, the pastoral prayer of Jesus for His own disciples, Jesus prayed to His Father that His disciples with be unified in the truth. Jesus knew that they were not all in the same place, and that He would need to bring them to the place of unity in the truth through His words. This would make them strong and useful in building HIS Kingdom of the heavens.  The crucible of the fire of the Words of God are what makes the structure of the Kingdom of God strong enough to withstand the trials to come. Trying to join lies with truth only makes truth into a lie.

The Past is Past~ One of my passions when I was a young(ish) man was golf. And though I no longer play the game (for a variety of reasons) I still loosely follow the game on TV when I can. I was reminded this morning of an old expression by one of the morning commentors on the Golf Channel that one of the things that makes a great golfer is that they can instantly put the past behind them when they make a bad shot; The Past is the Past. And as trite as this sounds it applies to nearly every aspect of our lives, and can benefit us in unlooked for ways, if we let it. When I was teaching band I used a modified version of this expression in dealing with 'clinkers', which are very loud and embarrasing wrong notes, usually played by inexperience student players at a time when the mistake is right out in the open where everyone can not only hear it, but everyone knows who did it. In preparation for these instances I conditioned my band players to be willing to instantly forgive themselves, and play on, not missing a beat. As with golf, and band, no one likes making mistakes, but EVERYONE makes them. It's not that you will not make mistakes, it how you behave when you do. There is a huge difference in making a mistake and moving on from it, or knowing about a mistake that you have made, acknowledging it, and  then deciding to make it anyway. Now you are doing is no longer a mistake, it is a deliberate activity where you tell yourself that doing wrong no longer matters to you, and you will do it anyway no matter the consequences. This is The Big Lie that has been placed on the Christian church by a false apostle that has clearly said in his writings that the Law of God no longer matters in dealing with salvation. The past is past. He says that "Where there is no Law, there is no violation" (Rom. 4:15). So don't worry about your mistakes, you are saved anyway.

Practice Makes Perfect~ Have you heard the expression "Practice makes perfect"? If you have taken music lessons in any instrument or voice, or lessons in any sport that requires finely tuned motor skills, then you have certainly heard this expression from your teacher or coach. There is just one problem with this aphorism - it is a complete and utter lie. It is a lie because it is missing one simple word to say, but one difficult word to accomplish. The word is PERFECT. Add this word to the front of this expression and you turn a lie into the truth. "Perfect practice makes perfect!" Teachers want their students to get better at what they need to learn in order enjoy the experience more thoroughly, and even be able to someday make a living at what they enjoy. When you practice a mistake it is VERY difficult, often impossible, to overcome the inertia of that mistake. How you practice dictates the result. If you practice something three times wrong then your brain automatically thinks that what you have practiced is correct, and it takes ten times practicing it perfectly to overcome that mistake, and change the way your brain makes your body react to what you have mistakenly learned. This is why when you hear a lie over and over, and believe it to be true, your brain rebells against trying to change that lie into truth. This is especially true in spiritual matters related to how salvation really works in moving a person toward eternal life. Learning HOW to practice is difficult but not impossible; which is why God sent His Son Jesus, to this earth to "testiy to the truth", and show His bondservants the WAY to practice TRUTH, in order to overcome and remove the lies that lead to death.  "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:21)

Tsumani~ On coastal plains or islands tsunami's can occur after a strong earthquake. During an earthquake the sea bed is lifted, then it drops back down, and the resulting motion affects the water above it such than it creates a surge of water that if it reaches a coast or low laying inland area can bring devastation that is horrendous. We have all seen video of a wall of water moving inexorably through a village or town, and watch helplessly as it destroys all in it's path. It is safe to say that without an earthquake preceeding there would be no tsunami. This morning I was thinking as to how this would play out with repect to Truth. What causes Truth to be made known in the world. Is there a warning that comes before the Truth is known, that says "Something uncomfortable is about to happen, and I better get prepared." Is Truth easy to find, and does it come to us in a way that makes us cheerful and happy? Or does Truth slap us 'up side of the head', say 'here I am, now what are you going to do about it?" Recognizing Truth in anything is painful, if what you believe before that revelation is not true. When we "believe a lie as if it is the truth" that lie IS the truth for us; and it is very difficult to let go of it.  For most of us, to let go of 'our' truth, and to be able to recognize that what we now believe IS NOT Truth is one of the most difficult things that we have to do in life. And most of the time it takes a psychological or spiritual 'earthquake' to get us to realize that we have been fooled into 'believing that lie as if it was the truth', because we don't want to hold ourselves accountable for learning truth, we want to go along as before and believe what makes us comfortable. When Jesus came to this earth to "testify to the Truth."  He is the earthquake, Truth is the Tsunami.

Choose Life~ Daniel Daly, a double MOH (Medal of Honor) winner, was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army that fought in the battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918. Just before he and his men charged a German gun emplacement he is reported to have yelled one of the most iconic and memorable statements in the annals of military history; "Come on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" I wonder how many of those young men that were behind the baracades getting ready to go 'over the top; wanted to yell back, "YES!"  True bravery has been described as 'being scared to death, but doing IT anyway'. All of those men that followed Sergeant Daly were brave. They had a choice to make. They made it, and stepped into history. God always gives us a choice. God gave Israel the same choice thousands of years ago, as illustrated in the following texts; "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; Ex. 30:15 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants. Ex. 30:19. In the case of the Kingdom of the Heavens the choice truly is between the LIFE ROAD or DEATH ROAD. Just as with Ancient Israel we today must choose either life or death, blessing or curse. A time is coming when no one will be able to sit on the fence and try to decide to make no choice. So WHAT is that choice, and HOW do you make it. The choice is between keeping what you BELIEVE to be true, or learning and deciding to search for truith so you KNOW what IS TRUE! This is a decision that is just as difficult and just as consequential as was the decision of those men to follow their Sergeant into battle. More so, because our choise is an ETERNAL decision.  Do you want to live forever? Choose well!