Spiritual

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS…


Spiritual Blog - Blood of Jesus

Genesis 9:4-7 – “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. 

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”  NKJV

 

This command was part of the first commands given to Noah after the Flood.  Have you ever wondered why God would command, EAT NO BLOOD?  We find a clue in Leviticus 17:11 where the commandment against eating blood was, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”  The emphasis was EAT NO BLOOD because the life of the flesh resides in it and it is used for atonement.

Have you ever considered that the Bible declares that the “blood of Abel” cried from the ground calling for vengeance and the violence and corruption of mankind brought about the flood in Noah’s day?  If God did not spare judgment in Noah’s day do we think He will do so in our day when millions of innocents are slaughter before their birth and the other violence in our world?  Recall what Jesus said concerning the last days in Matthew 24:37, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  One day, and I believe soon Jesus will return to put an end to the reign of terror on the earth and cleanse the world by the judgment of the Tribulation of which the Flood was a type.  He will then bring a kingdom of peace on a renewed and cleansed earth.  The Blood will cleanse!

Even a cursory reading of Scripture would suggest that God deems blood sacred because in it is LIFE.  Life is in the blood not the flesh of God’s creatures and that is an important distinction.  God permitted man to eat FLESH (animals) but it had to be WITHOUT BLOOD.  God was insistent and incredibly clear on that point.  In Leviticus 17 we find, “it is sin to eat any manner of blood.”  I know we are not under the Old Testament Levitical Laws but also realize that some things transcend the Mosaic or Levitical Law but in Acts 15 we have a record of the first Church council in Jerusalem where Paul and Barnabas appeared. They had taken the Gospel to the Gentiles.  Many within the Jewish community sought to impose on these new believers circumcision and keeping the Law.  Paul went to Antioch after much dispute and reported to the Gentile believers, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls saying, You must be circumcised, and keep the Law: to whom we gave no such commandment.”  (v.24)  He continued in vv.28-29 saying, “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from BLOOD, and things strangled, and from fornications.” 

             Why no blood today?  I have learned that God’s commands are never arbitrary but logical and reasonable.  He has a purpose in what He commands.  There are many potential reasons for abstaining from blood including health and hygiene, but the two paramount reasons, I believe are:  The Life is in the blood and Life is sacred.  Follow me, if you will.  Since life is in the blood and flesh is lifeless without the blood God is demanding that we respect life.  Therefore, to eat blood, is to insult the life of God because, “the life… is in the blood.” 

You may choose to argue that point but if you carefully examine the directive of Scripture I believe you will concur that God considers life and blood sacred and so should we.  Thank God for the Blood of Jesus. 

            Blessings as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

THE BLOOD OF JESUS – A Further Look…


Spiritual Blog - Blood

Hebrews 2:14-16 – “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”  NKJV

 

Attempting to guard against going into something deeper than I should I want to address a few more things about the blood of Jesus and His relationship to Adam’s blood.  Jesus, the Bible declares, was “born of a virgin”.  He was man without sharing the blood of Adam.  That in itself is incredible.  Had he been the child of Joseph and Mary He would have shared Adam’s blood and been a partaker of all that Adam was or the depravity of man.  Therefore, Jesus had a human body but blood for a separate source. 

In the text verse we read the word “children” which clearly is human children.  Those children are said to be partakers of FLESH and BLOOD.  Then it speaks of Jesus and says that He himself likewise took part of the same.  The word “took part” as applying to Christ is completely different than the word “partakers” as it refers to the children.  The word, “took part” implies “taking part in something outside one’s self.”  The Greek word for “partakers” is KOYNONEHO and means “to share fully.”  Therefore all of Adam’s descendants or children share fully in Adams’ flesh and blood.  Then we read that Jesus “took part” and the word used is METECHO which means “to take part but not all.”  The children took both flesh and blood of Adam but Christ took only part.  He took the flesh part where the blood was a result of a supernatural conception.

Jesus, therefore was a perfect human being after the flesh.  He was the seed of David according to the flesh.  Adam’s body was made of the dust of the earth and God breathed the breath of life into him which added the blood and man lived.  Adam’s blood was corrupted in the fall and since God made of one the blood of all nations, the human race was tainted.  Of course, we are all accountable for our sins and not charged with the sins of our parents but in the Fall, depravity set in and man had a bent toward evil, came under the domain of darkness and needed a deliverer to cleanse him via the “Blood of the Lamb”.  He needed divine justice to be satisfied, Satan’s legal claim to be negated and become a New Creation in which we have the Blood of Christ applied to our souls.

Do you remember the confession of Judas in Matthew 27:4, “I have betrayed the innocent blood”?  That is powerful if you think about it.  Sin made human blood corruptible and because of sin death began its process in human beings and in death decay or corruption.  Remember that it was said of Jesus that His body would see no corruption.  It could not because it was not tainted blood in his veins.

If you are a believer and have received Jesus as your personal Savior you now have the benefit of the Sinless Blood of Jesus applied to your soul.  You have passed from death unto life and death has lost its sting.  Remember the words of Romans 5:8-9 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having been JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”  (Emphasis mine).   It is through the Blood.  What can was away my sins nothing but the Blood of Jesus!  What can make me whole again, nothing but the Blood of Jesus!  Oh precious is that flow that makes me whiter than snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the Blood of Jesus!

May you walk in the purity of His precious blood all the days of your life.  Blessings!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

THE BLOOD…


Spiritual Blog - Blood

Leviticus 7:26-27 – “Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.'”  NKJV

 

The Bible is a book of blood and those who seek to eliminate the Cross, suffering and the blood from the gospel message do harm to the truth of God’s word.  The Bible clearly declares that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission”.  (Hebrews 9:22).  We used to sing, “There is Power in the Blood” and there is for in it is the very life and power of the Gospel.  The Bible is a “living” book and it lives because of the Blood of the Lamb.

Hebrews 4:12 declares, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”   The Word of God is Alive!  In the KJV the translation is “quick” which means “alive” or “living”.  When we read the Bible we are not just reading words on a page but that which we read is ALIVE.

Leviticus 17:11 declares, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”  Life is that mysterious thing that scientist have never been able to fully and completely explain, define or fathom.  While scientist seek to define it, God declares it is “in the blood” and flesh is alive because of “the blood”.  I am not a scientist, chemist or medical doctor so what I say is strictly from a layman’s understanding and research.  The human body is nothing short of amazing and we are told that it is made up of many different types of tissues.  Some of those are defined as muscle, nerve, fat, gland, bone, connective tissue, etc.  All tissues have a common denominator, they are fixed cells and microscopically small having specific and limited function.  The Blood on the other hand is not fixed but mobile and is not restricted to one part of the body but is free to move throughout the body and if it ceases to flow to various parts those parts die.

The blood is incredibly mysterious for it is composed of many different elements, compounds and strange chemical bodies many of which are still not understood and their function not truly fathomed.  The Blood of Jesus is also essential to the Body of Christ.  The life of each member depends on His blood and is dependent upon it for life.  His blood brings nourishment, carries off waste (cleansing) and enables the body or cells within the Body of Christ (people) to grow and develop.  We are all one by the Blood of Jesus!  We are all related by the blood of Adam but that blood was poisoned by disobedience and now we need a complete “exchange transfusion” removing the poison of Adams’ blood and replacing it with the life of the blood of Jesus.

The virgin birth was necessary because of the pollution of man’s blood through Adam’s disobedience.  If Jesus were to be a son of Adam and yet a sinless man he had to be born of a virgin.  Jesus was “born of a woman” (not man) and as a result could be a perfect human being because he did not have one drop of Adam’s blood flowing in his veins.  The entire plan of redemption rests upon the power and authority of the Blood of the Lamb.  The blood is unlimited in its movement within the body and is the only tissue that is not fixed.  There are other fluids in the body but they are not tissue, they are secretions. The blood is the only liquid tissue that can reach every single cell in the body and all the members of the body are united through the blood.  That is true in the natural and in the spiritual.

I mentioned something earlier about Adam’s blood and Christ and desire to expand on that briefly.  Medical science teaches, the blood that flows in an unborn babe’s arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the fetus (baby).  After the sperm enters the ovum and a fetus begins to develop does the blood appear!  It is completely unnecessary that a single drop of blood be given to the developing embryo in the womb of the mother.  The mother provides all the nutrients required for the baby to develop and produce its own blood and as a result not one single drop of blood passes from the mother to the child.  If you doubt this it can be researched and in Howell’s Textbook of Physiology, Second Edition, pages 885 and 886 we read:

“For the purpose of understanding its general functions it is sufficient to recall that the placenta consists essentially of vascular chorionic papillae and from the fetus (the unborn child) bathed in the large blood spaces of the decidual membrane of the mother.  The fetal and maternal blood DO NOT COME INTO ACTUAL CONTACT.  THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER by the walls of the fetal blood vessels and epithelial layers of the chorionic villae.”   The words in capitals should sufficiently explain.

When God created woman He made her so that no blood would be able to pass from her to her offspring.  In the initial creation God was looking forward in time to the birth of Jesus and providing a “sinless savior” for mankind.  Born of a woman and yet without blood contaminated by the sin of Adam.  That does not fully explain His sinlessness but hopefully will inspire you in your appreciation of the Blood and its power!

We will address this more in the next devotional.  But for now we pause and say, “God bless you richly as you go through this day”.  Blessings!

 

0 CommentsLeave a comment

YOU CAME TOO LATE TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE…


Spiritual Blog - Fearfully and Wondrfully Made

Psalm 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  NKJV

 

It is impossible for me to consider the human body and not believe in a creator and creation.  It is impossible for me to consider the function of the human body and believe in the theory of evolution.  When I consider what we know from medical science about the human body’s makeup and function I find it beyond my ability to believe in chance.

When I consider the human body as a finely tuned precision machine I only have to go to the heart to stand in awe.  It is estimated that the human heart beats 103,689 in a single day and the blood travels 168 MILLION miles each day.  We are told that the digestive system processes 7.8 pounds of waste and our lungs take in 438 cubic feet of air daily.  That is nothing short of incredible.  We are told that our bodies have over 200 different kinds of cells and there are 5 trillion cells overall.  Then, when I take the knowledge that it all began with a single cell, a fertilized egg, no larger than a small dot.  That cell becomes two cells, then four, eight and so on.  Each cell or group of cells performs a specific function and produces tissue, bone and all the parts of the human body.

The heart pumps the blood, the liver (which has over 500 functions) helps to rid the body of poisons, stores vitamins and the brain interprets the electrical signals and functions as a light speed computer sending commands throughout the system.  The human body has the capacity to self-heal if provided the right fuels and care and like no other creature on the planet functions, communicates and creates.

To ask me to believe this all just happened is more than I can muster faith for.  I believe the Bible that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.  I believe that God designed our human bodies and Adam was created from the dust of the earth and became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him.  I believe that God spoke the worlds into existence, hanging the stars, sun and moon in place, aligning the planets and determining the perfect planetary orbit for earth to cause it to be conducive for life and human existence.  I believe that God knew and determined what I would look like before my parents copulated and conception occurred.  When did I begin?  I began in eternity past in the heart of God and will live eternally in His presence. 

Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully MADE or CREATED we did not just happen.  We live and move and have our being through Him.  Some scoff at my simplistic view of man and attempt to tell me that science does not validate my beliefs but I challenge you to consider the human body, all the works of science and the Bible.  I believe that if you do you will have much the same experience an atheistic Russian scientist who accepted Christ.  When asked what caused him to believe in God.  He replied, “My thumb.”  He went on to declare that the function of the thumb was beyond his ability to explain away and was so absolutely perfect he could see not possibility but a creator.  You may scoff at that too but if you seek to dissuade me from believing in God and Creation you have arrived too late.  For, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded…

            God bless you as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

THE CHRISTIAN ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY…


Spiritual Blog - Entitlement 1

Luke 17:5-10 – “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 

6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?  8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?  9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.  10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'”  NKJV

 

I have heard well-meaning and well-intentioned Christians and some preachers speak of God being obligated to them because of their faith or obedience.  This passage is problematic to that view and while I am not suggesting that God does not commit Himself to us we should never develop the attitude that He owes us anything or is obligated to our directives.

The request was “increased faith” and in responding to that request Jesus went far beyond what one would have thought and addressed what I call a “Christian Entitlement Mentality”.  He spoke of the seeming smallness of faith but illustrated its power and potential.  He then addressed something that is often overlook regarding faith and that is “obedience”.  Jesus addressed this in the Centurion whose servant the LORD healed.  The Centurion demonstrated his understanding of authority and the chain of command and in response to that Jesus said, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”  That is powerful.

Here he speaks of a servant after having done his daily chores and labors who coming in from the field.  The servant was being obedient doing what he was supposed to do.  Jesus asked if they thought the master would say to that servant, “Come at once and sit down and eat?”  He did not wait for their response but informed them that this would not happen.  The master would tell them to prepare him something and after he had eaten they could eat.  He concluded by asking, “Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.”  He then says, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants.  We have don what was our duty to do.” 

Spiritual Blog - Entitlement 2

Some have made this message about the impossibility of man living before God without sin but He did not say “sinful servants” rather “unprofitable servants.”  We have earned nothing in our service.  We have not established a heavenly bank account from which we withdraw at our choosing.  If God blesses us it is “unmerited favor” not because we deserve it or have earned it.

God does not “need” our service, He chooses to allow us to participate in the Kingdom.  Our ability to live and perform His commands and our assignments is by Grace.  When we do what is right we are simply doing our “duty” not “earning” favor with or obligating God.  The best service we can offer is mingled with imperfections and we continually come short but God in His incredible grace and mercy will bear with us and He chooses to lavish His good things on us because of love not because we earned it.

Please avoid a Christian Entitlement Mentality it will pervert and destroy our relationship with God and tends to create an elitist mentality that is counterproductive to the Kingdom of God.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

GOD DIDN’T CREATE A FICKLE FRAGILE PLANET…


Spiritual Blog - God Fickle Fragile Planet

Job 38:4-7 – “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding.  5 Who determined its measurements?  Surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it?  6 To what were its foundations fastened?  Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”  NKJV

 

So much of what I hear today from politicians, newscasters, activist and even Christians regarding man destroying the planet is reflective of an attitude toward God that, in my view, is non-biblical.  God is either God or He isn’t.  God either knew what He was doing when He created everything or He didn’t.  I do not believe God created a fragile or fickle planet and it has survived a long time and will be here after most of us, if not all of us are gone.

God challenged Job to explain the creation of the earth knowing Job was completely incapable of such an exercise.  When I hear politicians, newscasters and even those in the scientific community attempt to explain or define the planet, atmosphere, greenhouse gasses, carbon and so much more I hear something that almost always discounts God.  God hung the stars in place and determined the orbit of the planets.  This is God’s creation that we are standing on and He has declared that when it is destroyed He will be the one initiating it not man.  I know, I know some say it will be nuclear war that destroys it and while God might allow that to be a part He does not have to have any help from man to do what He does.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’s, and its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.  For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.”  God did that, not man.  I have encountered the Grace of God and in my heart He lives, therefore I believe Him.  On most things, the scientific community is in disagreement.  Some of the attribute things to chance and man and others recognize the work of design and a designer.  You can find some scientist to support almost any theory you want to advance.  I had someone lash out at me recently because I believe in Creation not Evolution.  They asked how I came to that conclusion and sarcastically said – PRAYER?   Well, I base my belief on the Bible, factual evidence in science and the many unconnected dots required to believe in evolution.  So, if you believe we evolved from a single celled amoeba, crawled out of the ocean or our ancestors were tree swinging apes be my guest.  I do not, I believe the Bible.

I fully believe that God knew exactly what man would produce in technology and industry.  I am confident that when He created this planet and the universe He took into account EVERYTHING!  That is not to say that I do not believe we need to be good stewards with regard to our planet and pollution or the environment.  Litter is offensive to me for many reasons and while we can and should do things as good stewards living in fear of man destroying our planet is, in my view, a slap in God’s face and questioning of His power and ability.

If I can believe He can keep my soul and give me eternal life believing He can maintain the planet is small in comparison, at least in my mind.   God bless you and enable you to fully enjoy life to the full.  Blessings!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

WHEN YOU FEEL FORSAKEN…


Spiritual Blog - Forsaken

Psalm 22:1-2 – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?  2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.”  NKJV

 

I’m sure those words are familiar and you recall them as the word of Jesus as He hung on the Cross, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?”   The Bible translates that for us as, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”  Upon crying out those words our Lord breathed His last and died.  The devil and much of the world thought it was over and despair hung over many of His followers.

Jesus had wrestled with His assignment in the days and possibly years prior to this event.  We find it recorded in the Gospels how in His agonizing in prayer in the Garden that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.  The greatest suffering Jesus could endure was the Father turning His back on Him as He became sin for mankind.  It was not turning His back on Jesus but turning His back on sin and that momentary separation was almost unbearable for our Lord.

I have experienced being forsaken by people and the pain was excruciating.  I have had times that I felt my prayers were nothing more than words falling from my lips unheard and unheeded by God.  The pain that results emotionally and physically is beyond description.  It was in those times that I had to hold firm to my confidence that God’s word is true and God is a keeper of His promises.  I could not feel Him and could see no evidence of His presence or concern but my heart and mind refused to relinquish my grip on His promise and in due time He responded.

When you are or feel forsaken that sense of hopelessness never leaves, day or night.  You are emotionally drained, relationally impaired and often find that it affects your physical body.  Sleep is often impossible.  You find yourself incapable of concentration and productivity.  The feeling or sense of isolation and abandonment is with you 24/7 as an unshakable tormentor.  It is in those times that you must determine to maintain your confidence and trust.  That is possible providing you have established a spiritual bank account from which to draw in your time of barrenness.  How do you do that?  You maintain a steady diet and habit of communing with the LORD in prayer, praise and worship as well as your intake of spiritual food from the Word of God.  You also draw from the strength that has been infused into you by the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter.

I am not saying you will experience a time when you feel forsaken but IF YOU DO remember.  Do not cast away your confidence.  Having done all to stand, STAND!  He will never leave you nor forsake you.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

TRUST – We All Do, but in Whom or in What???


Spiritual Blog - Trust

Psalms 20:7-8 – “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright.”  NKJV

 

I had a person tell me once, “I have no faith in anything.”  I thought they were joking and laughed.  My laughter inspired such anger and it was then difficult to communicate and educate as to the fallacy of that statement.  We all have “faith” or “trust” in something or someone and none are totally devoid of faith or trust, as his statement suggested.

I have experienced losing faith in someone or something but every day I demonstrate faith and trust.  I trust the chair to hold me up when I sit down.  I do not think about it, I have experienced the dependability of the chair or chairs and now trust without question.  I trust the restaurant in which I order a meal to prepare it properly, maintain a certain level of cleanliness and sanity.  My trust may be and has proven to be misguided at times but my overall experience allows me to trust without giving it a second thought.  This is true in many areas of life.

I know some who are so distrusting of banks and other financial institutions they have literally buried their money or hidden it at home to insure its safety.  I know some who have become so cynical and distrusting of people they are unable to develop any meaningful relationships in life and are lonely and miserable.  I know some who are so trusting they are frequently taken advantage of but continue to trust time and again exposing themselves to hurt.

The Psalmist raised this issue that some trust their ability or possessions (chariots or horses) and the result is that things and self can and often do fail us.  The contrast was that rather than relying on the arm of flesh those of faith TRUST by remembering the Name of the LORD and rise and stand upright in the midst of difficulty and triumph.  The issue is not “Do We Trust?”  The issue is “Whom or What Do We Trust?”  God created in us the ability to trust otherwise we would never have turned to Him and received His mercy and grace.

Trust is easy to offer but once violated it is incredibly difficult to regain.  The words, probably Solomon’s in Proverbs 25:19 are applicable.  He says, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.”  I am sure that most have experienced a foot or other portion of their body which has become strained or sprained as well as having a toothache.  Those are incredibly painful experiences.  If you have a sprained foot or ankle walking is most difficult and if you have a toothache you can focus on almost nothing else.  Likewise placing confidence in someone who is unfaithful, untrustworthy and unreliable brings disappointment that is almost unbearable at times.  Man will fail but God will not.

So “who” or “what” do we trust?  I pray that we become like the Psalmist and remember the name of the LORD our God and place our confidence in Him.  God is completely reliable and has promised to NEVER leave or forsake us.  If He says it, He will do it.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

BEING THANKFUL… But to Whom…


Spiritual Blog - Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  NKJV

 

             I have been concerned about the mindset of people, especially in America, for some time.  I read something recently that caused me to, once again, examine America as a Christian nation or as a nation that is truly thankful to God.  I still believe that the majority of Americans believe in God, the God of the Bible.  I do not know what percentage actually serve God with a whole heart but I do believe that based on what people believe, America could still be called a Christian nation.

I love history and value books like they were gold mines from which I can glean nuggets that are priceless.  Reviewing our American history I find that our first President, George Washington acknowledged his thankfulness and confidence in God unashamedly and without castigation by those demanding the mythical separation of church and state as a constitutional mandate.  In 1789 he proclaimed a “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” and implored the heavens to “pardon our national and other transgressions” while urging the citizenry to practice “true religion and virtue.”  He would probably be impeached and most assuredly censored today for such a proclamation and request.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln urged Americans to set aside the last Thursday of November as “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”  Imagine that proclamation today and consider the outcry from the media, the leftist and activist.  Lincoln would have been ridden out of town on a rail but he was unabashed in his willingness to acknowledge God’s hand in the affairs of this nation and our need of His help.

President John F. Kennedy said, “More than three centuries ago, the Pilgrims, after a year of hardship and peril, humbly and reverently set aside a special day upon which to give thanks to God.  They paused in their labors to give thanks for the blessings that had been bestowed upon them by Divine Providence.”  He then quoted the Bible saying, “It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.”   That was America of old, the America of my youth and I long for a return to that attitude in this nation, in our churches, homes, businesses and world.

I do not own, nor will I, this book but it is used in schools to teach our children about Thanksgiving.  The title is “The Very First Thanksgiving” by Rhonda Greene.  One review of the book said, “This is a beautifully illustrated picture book for young children about the original Thanksgiving feast but there is one caveat, this book nowhere mentions God, who is after all the reason for the holiday.”  The author carefully avoids mention of God in the presentation which is perfect for the politically correct who want to dismiss God from society.

Today we are witnessing an assault on the Christian faith and while we just celebrated Thanksgiving my question is to whom or what are people giving thanks?  Children today are told to be thankful but God is not mentioned in the equation.  It is time that we return to the basic principles of our faith and teach those under our care whom we are to be thankful too!  Sadly, we are, by our action or inaction, giving thanks to everything but God and that is tragic and disastrous.

God bless you as you go through this day!

0 CommentsLeave a comment

SEX CHANGES – Transgender and God…


Spiritual Blog - Sex Changes

Psalm 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  NKJV

             I am troubled with the hoopla over Bruce Jenner deciding he was truly a woman and going through the extensive effort to become one.  Truthfully, he cannot be a woman for his chromosomes remain the same before and after.  I heard a psychologist say that people who engage in this behavior have a mental health issue and I would not argue that.  This whole “transgender” fervor and the overt and covert declarations that God blew it in creating people troubles me deeply.

The question I have and until now have given it little public expression is:  “What will people like Bruce or Caitlynn Jenner say to God when they stand before Him?”  Will they tell God He blew it?  Obviously they believe He did so how do we square this type of behavior with the Bible?

David declared in Psalm 139 that man is “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that God knew our members, parts, gender, etc. before we were even conceived.  If we believe that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent how do we reconcile the suggestion that He screwed up in creating us?   Bill Gothard said years ago that those particular physical characteristics in each of us were marks of ownership and a recognition that God did not make mistakes.

I guess if we press this to the limit we would have to question other cosmetic attempts to fix what God created in our human bodies.  Honestly, I do not know how to answer these questions although I have an opinion.  I have not thought, researched and prayed it through to the place of have a core conviction regarding some things.  I know in my own heart that since I am a Creation of God and God is Perfect I have to believe that He knew what he was doing in creating me flaws and all.  He made me a male, gave me the particular physical traits that I have and since He knows the end from the beginning I believe that He did or allowed it for a reason.

I was not created 6’5″ and while each of us undoubtedly, as some time, have questioned why some part(s) of our bodies were created as they were.  I have found in this inquiry that I understand some of them and others I simply accept.  Why are some members of the same family able to dip into the gene pool and have a full head of hair and others given to male pattern baldness?  There are so many physical traits that we could delve into but if we accept what God has created and focus on Him not some perceived deficiency in us we will be ahead in the game of life.

I am convinced that if I lament the abundance or lack in a particular physical aspect of my physical frame I will open the door to the devil to create an unhealthy condition in my heart.  I will be prone to question God in all things not just those particular things.  I will miss the reality and truth that I am ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ and my frame is His design as is my gender.

I really would not have the audacity or courage to stand before God and say “Sorry Father, but you blew it when you created me.”  We are told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and if we do not like the temple can that spill over into not liking the architect of the temple?

I find myself looking at this matter and although I probably won’t give it a lot of time, I sense that we are going to be dealing with people in church and life who have questions that we need to have answers for.  I would ask that you examine your heart, search God’s Word and prepare to give answers to those who challenge and honestly inquire.  We are to be ready to give answer to every man for the reason of hope that is in us.  Know what you believe and why?

God bless you!

0 CommentsLeave a comment