JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

¹ Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

² “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? ³ Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. ⁵ Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? ⁶ What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone ⁷ as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

⁸ “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, ⁹ and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? ¹⁰ For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores.
¹¹ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’

¹² “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? ¹³ Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? ¹⁴ As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. ¹⁵ The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

¹⁶ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? ¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? ¹⁸ Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!

¹⁹ “Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? ²⁰ Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? ²¹ But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!

Job chapter 38, verses 1 thru 21; from the New Living Translation (NLT)

Just who do you think you are? Maybe it was your Mother or Dad that asked you that question. Perhaps it was a spouse. Maybe a co-worker or boss. Or that know-it-all teenager living under your roof. Does God ask, or has God ever asked that question? You bet your sweet bippy! He did to Job, and still does today! Look at verse 2 again: Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? In other words, Just who do you think you are?

Anyone who uses that horrendous phrase The Patience Of Job is obviously ignorant. They haven’t really read his story. More than likely they heard someone read his story and blindly accepted their conclusion that Job was the quintessential model of patience. If you will carefully listen to Job’s comments and replies, as well as those of his who-needs-friends-like-these, well. . .there’s not much patience, if any at all. Job is, call it, upset, even angry with God. And who could blame him. Job, and those 3 alleged friends make the same critical error. They assume they know what God does and doesn’t do.

Enough about Job for now. What about today? Are there people out there who think they know exactly what God does, and exactly what God wants? In other words–Are they as smart or smarter than God? YOU BETCHA’!!!! And at this point, it would be easy to point out how Progressives fit the bill. No doubt, they do! But it’s not just the Progressive Crowd that does it. I find that at any point along the theological pendulum, one can begin to assume they know exactly what God thinks.

The results are that people begin to define what is what isn’t sin, rather than the Bible. People begin to assume, with great authority I might add, what it is that God wants us to do here on the third rock from the sun. And the arrogance appears when they believe that anyone who disagrees with them is wrong! And that they aren’t doing what God wants and aren’t believing what God wants them to believe. Today’s manifestations of the Job and his three friends mentality is leading us further away from the Kingdom. And further away from God’s heart.

We need the Bible because it and it alone reveals who God is and what God expects from us. What I mean is that we need the Bible–not interpretations of what it means. And we have to look at the Bible from the Big Picture, from beginning to end. It requires due diligence to see how it’s connected together. And to remember that some things we may not be able to understand, or cannot comprehend. Those times are when we simply trust the power and goodness of God that He would not allow something false to be in This Book.

When Scripture is not taken in its totality, when we insert our alleged wisdom, we are in vain trying to remake God in our image. Fact Time: We don’t know as much as God–we are not even in the vicinity. God knows this from experience. Think back to the Garden of Eden. What was Satan’s promise to Adam and Eve? YOU can be a god yourself! Without the Bible, every person is free to define “God” for themselves. And the result is chaos, confusion, and bondage. And it brings out the sarcasm from God: “Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!”

Advertisement

A HOUSE OF CARDS!

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 thru 27; from The Message (Msg)

Think about this:  We Get To Choose Our Own Morality!  This is important; very important.  We get to determine what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior.  Now, there are some who declare that you cannot legislate morality!  But yes you can!  In fact, it has been happening for eons and it will continue to happen until time ends.  Legislation, or the term laws if you prefer, is by definition establishing morality.  Someone may disagree with me here, but they would be wrong.  Every law enacted is a declaration of what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior.

And now this question demands to be asked:  Who or what determines morality?  And this is where the problem began.  Everyone has an opinion about this.  And those opinions are as varied and different as the people who form them.  Quite the conundrum, wouldn’t you say?  Many want us to accept that everyone should be free and allowed to form their own morality.  Yet society cannot exist unless there is a single source that is consistent throughout for determining what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad; what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior.  Without that single source, the guaranteed result is chaos, hate, anger, and all of their cousins and in-laws.  Look no further than the United Methodist Institution, or Washington D.C.

Progressive (or as I call them: Pro-Aggressive) theologians and thinkers want to dismantle the tried and proven true morality of The Bible.  Just flush it all down the toilet.  Well, all except that part about love.  They see love as God giving us permission and the empowerment to determine our own morality and call it good–as long as you love.  They tell us that Jesus came to show us how to love.  Well, I can’t dispute that.  But that’s not all He came to show.  Case in point:  this parable about house builders.

This particular lesson is best presented in the rawness and bluntness of The Message translation. The very idea, and then acting upon it, that God has given us limited in thinking human beings the power and authority to determine what’s right and what’s not right in The Bible is. . .is. . .is. . . like building a house of cards. Listen again to what Jesus said: “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.“ And at this point I must add this thought: Those of you who can quote and throw Bible verses out like throwing rocks, you haven’t reached the standard that Jesus set. We have to work these words into our thoughts, attitudes, words, AND actions. Listen again to the rest of His words: But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach.

And for those who have flushed down the toilet the Morality of the Bible for a more pleasing-to-you form of Morality, you are building that proverbial house of cards. All it takes is a good sneeze to blow it down. And the problems of life are much more than a sneeze. But we, the followers of Jesus, cannot change others view about Morality by our words. They must see it in our day-in-day-out life. Denominations that have adapted to the world’s Morality continue to be in decline. The solution to this morass we are in will not be found by hanging the 10 Commandments in government buildings, putting Bibles back into classrooms, and opening each school day with prayer, and having prayers to Jesus in public events. This is akin to using watered-down paint to cover over graffiti. No–we need to build the Morality of the Bible into our day-to-day life. After all, that’s what Jesus did!

CUPCAKES!

 “You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”

Matthew chapter 12, verses 34 thru 37; from The Message (Msg)

Cupcakes! We are living in a world of cupcakes! No, not the kind one sees at parties! It’s people I’m talking about. When I was young, I often wondered why “old people” were always so. . .so blunt. They didn’t mince or sugar-coat their words. And now that I’m old, I understand. As I get older I know that my time here is getting shorter and shorter. Thus, my opportunities to speak the truth are becoming fewer and fewer. I realize that I just don’t have the time to draw pictures to explain the things that are really important. It seems my ability and talent to be snarky has come into full bloom. I define snarky as a mixture of satire with a heavy dose of sarcasm. But here’s the thing–I don’t use it very often. Some may say otherwise, but they’re wrong. I refrain from using my snarky more times than Carter has little pills. (You have to be from the south to know what that phrase means!)

My previous post brought out my snarkiness. And as snarky tends to do, I offended at least one person. (click here to see the post) Someone thought my insights worthy of passing along to several people via email. And I am humbled they thought so. Apparently one of the recipients did not like my blunt honesty. And had this to say about my post: “It’s insulting and immature to speak to grown people who can think and decide for them self. To point I think it’s low class to say suck it up buttercup.”

Allow me the kindness to pull out one part of that comment for further reflection: “It’s insulting and immature to speak to grown people who can think and decide for them self.” Yes, people can think and decide for themselves. Got no problem with that premise. Our problem as a church, culture, and society is HOW people think. I.E.–people are all to quick and easy to be offended–especially with The Truth. It goes beyond the insane concept of political correctness. It’s rooted in how people respond. And the United Methodist Institution is an excellent case study.

People are so afraid of hurting someone’s feelings that it has become more important to be nice than it is to be truthful. Somehow it has become mean and ugly and hateful to be truthful; that somehow if we disagree with someone that we can’t and don’t love them. Where did this idea come from? I KNOW! I KNOW! From the heart and mind of Satan! Yes, Virginia, there is a Satan even if you think there isn’t. Nowadays the only way you can love someone is to approve, bless, and sanctify how they think. And if you can’t–well you are just plain ol’ mean and insulting.

I sigh a deep sigh when I think that it’s more important to make people feel good than it is to be truthful. Did you notice how Jesus responded in the passage I opened with this morning? You have minds like a snake pit! Did I miss something here? If Jesus said that today, people would demand an apology from Jesus! And IF Jesus was present like He was then, then by their views, Jesus should have said afterwards: “Oh, I’m so very sorry I offended you. And so that you can feel better about yourself, I renounce those words and I agree with you. Feel better now? Good! Here’s you a cupcake.

WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING???

⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

Romans chapter 8, verses 6-7; from the New Living Translation (NLT)

Recently I had a conversation with a fellow United Methodist clergy on Facebook. It was focused on a post this individual had made. It was surprisingly civil (up to this point)–still, I couldn’t help but think: What are they teaching now in United Methodist Seminaries? Here’s the screenshot of that comment:

This person compared understanding Scriptures to a 3-legged stool. The top is the Scriptures and the 3 legs are tradition, reason, and experience. Thus, without tradition, or reason, or experience, one cannot adequately understand Scripture. The primary (and often times “sole determining factor”) way to understand Scripture is through tradition, reason, and experience. Now, before you call me that dreaded “fundamentalist”, hear me out. We do not study the Scriptures in a vacuum. There are traditions. We all have experiences. And God created us to be able to reason, or think if you prefer.

But it seems that many of our clergy are using reason as the final determining factor. In other words, if it doesn’t make sense to us, or if the culture tells us something contrary, then we are free to change or ignore what the Bible clearly teaches. This is what many seminaries are teaching. Not all of them, mind you; but enough of them are and the result has been the dilution and devolution of the power of Scripture to guide us and form in us the life of Holiness demanded by God for His Image Bearers. Go back to the writer’s analogy of that three-legged stool.

The writer is correct in stating that for a three-legged stool to be secure enough to sit on, it needs all three legs. And, by implication, those 3 legs need to be the same length. Otherwise it is unstable. But do not overlook the other implication–that Scripture (the seat of that three-legged stool) cannot safely support us until all three of those legs are the same length. In other words, Scripture is to be formed by OUR traditions, experiences, and reasoning.

Can I be frank with you? I know, my name is Randy. But I need to be FRANK with you this morning. Using the writer’s analogy of that three-legged stool, when those who are supposed to be our Spiritual Leaders are taught that human reasoning overrides the Scriptures and that we need to change our beliefs about anything in the Bible, then the result is the chaos and soon to follow destruction of the United Methodist, and any other church that follows the same primrose path. And to my fundamentalist friends, if you allow your traditions to determine your beliefs about the Bible, then your three-legged stool is just as unsteady.

Hear me out! Yes, reason, tradition, and experience are helpful tools when it comes to understanding Scripture! But they do not determine what is THE TRUTH! The Truth is set by the Bible for all matters of faith, life, and conduct. But none of them gives us the permission to change The Standard clearly set in The Bible! From my perspective, many seminary professors took a bite of that apple Satan offered Eve and Adam, and unlike Eve and Adam who recognized the shame and mistake, they “reason” that the apple is good, and that Satan was right. Is there any doubts now as to why the United Methodist Tribe is imploding? It looks like that three-legged stool analogy doesn’t work after all.

it’s exam time!

¹ Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit.  You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God.  For there are many false prophets in the world. ² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God:  If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God.  Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

1 John chapter 4, verses 1 thru 3; from the New Living Translation

The days of business as usual for what is commonly called “the church” are over.  Truth of the matter is, those days have been gone a long, long, time.  But People Still Are Trying To Operate The Mission And Ministry Of Jesus As “Business As Usual”.  Some may not be happy with me that I am bring this up.  But I would rather they be unhappy with me because I’ve brought this up—than for God to be unhappy with me for NOT bringing it up.

There is a game that has been and is being played by a lot of folks.  It’s called “Kick The Can Down The Road.”  Some have been intentionally playing the game, and even more have been playing it because they haven’t been told the truth—or have simply ignored the truth.  And here’s the 2 things we need to know right now about that can: 

1. The Can That’s Been Kicked Down The Road Has Been Disintegrated By All That Kicking It Down The Road.  Piece by piece, atom by atom, the can doesn’t exist anymore.  Ever noticed how a can will eventually cease to exist?  Either by wear and tear or rust?
2. Even If There Was Any Can Left To Kick Down The Road, There’s No More Road Left To Kick It Down.  All roads end somewhere.  And this road has reached that end!

We did not reach this moment overnight.  It didn’t happen because of the past few months, years, or even decades.  It’s been generational.  We can also say that it’s been happening ever since The Koinonia came to life.  But now it seems to me that it has intensified.  Maybe it’s because it’s happening in my time.  But for generations now we have neglected John’s Most Important Words For The Future Of The Koinonia:

You Must Test Them To See If The Spirit They Have Comes From God.

False teachings have been a part of what you might call “the church” and what I love to call “The Koinonia” ever since its inception.  Satan is at the root of it all because he knows that The Koinonia is all that is standing between him and the people in the world.  And now for generations, he’s been having a party—at the expensive of human lives.

This Season Of Discernment May Well Be Your Last Opportunity To Discern What Is Being Promoted And Taught.  And to discern exactly what you are going to do!  You have to “test the spirit” of those who want to lead you in a different direction from where you started.

It’s interesting that in writing his letter, John chose the Greek word “dokimazō (dah-key-mah-zo)” that’s translated “test” or “try”.  It means:  “To Test, Examine, Prove, Scrutinize (To See Whether A Thing Is Genuine Or Not), As Metals.”  If someone offers to sell you some gold jewelry, are you going to buy it just because it’s color is gold?  I don’t think so.  If you would, then see me tomorrow after the Dollar Tree opens, and I will be glad to sell you some gold jewelry.

The only accurate way to test a teaching—is to compare it to The Bible.  And all of the Bible.  For hundreds and hundreds of years, people have misused and misapplied the verses of the Bible to support their own positions.  I’m talking about using the whole Bible. 

Those in our Tribal Leadership are promoting ideas and a life that contradictions thousands of years of the teachings in the Bible.  They are leading a movement that in essence—and at its core—is saying that God has been waiting for a long time for some people to finally get the Bible right.

Now, if you’re OK with that kind of leadership—or if you believe that leadership—then there’s no need to discern anything.  However—I said However!!!—if you think and believe that God’s Word is true and reliable, then you must discern whether you can follow God and align yourselves with their leadership. From the very beginning—I’ve been very clear.  This Is YOUR Decision About The Future Of This Place.  It’s not about me.  It’s not about the decision Debbie and I have already made. 

It’s About Discerning—Testing—Trying—The Teachings Of Your Leadership To See If It’s Really Of God Or Not—And If You Can Live Under That Kind Of Leadership. I can say so much more—but this morning is the time for you to seek, ask, and yes, especially pray.  And I want to leave you with some words from Paul.  This is why it’s necessary that NOW you determine which way you will go—Because The Way You Go, Determines The Future That Awaits You.

⁶ I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.  You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News ⁷ but is not the Good News at all.  You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. ⁸ Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. ⁹ I say again what we have said before:  If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

Galatians chapter 1, verses 6 thru 9; from the NLT

RIDICULOUS!

It’s a crazy, crazy world! Or is it? Looking at the above snyonyms I am forced to conclude that it’s NOT crazy–but Ridiculous! I mean, how preposterous is it that good olf fashion science has been replaced by feelings? Yet this current culture wants to emphasize feelings over reality! Isn’t it ludicrous to ignore eons of scientific advance in favor of how one feels? How silly is it to abandon the facts of biology and pursue a life built around how one feels? It’s absurd to even contemplate that human beings are more capable to make important decisions based on feelings rather than scientific fact. It’s just plain

We see and hear this every day with increasing frequency! Even the truth can’t be told today without being accused of being mean, vicious, ugly, phobic, and full of hate. Here’s just one example from many that bears this out: Gender! Eons of biological facts have testified and verified that if one has a penis they are male and if they have a vagina they are female! (What? A preacherman using the words penis and vagina? Ridiculous!) This is the way it is–with the rare exception of a genetic abnormality of hermaphroditism, being born with both genatalia. It’s estimated that 1.7 percent of people are born with this condition. This can be blamed on Adam and Eve–along with tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and a plethera of natural disasters. Not only did Adam and Eve fall, so did all of creation! Oops, I am off-track. Back to my original thoughts.

Now days the number of genders has grown beyond two! One site on the World Wide Wacky Web says there are 72 different genders. Now, let me be very, very clear on this point I am making. I do not blame any of those who identify with any of those 72 alleged genders. If anything, my heart breaks for them. You see, they have been lied to! They are being told to ignore basic scientific law and replace it with how they feel. I blame those who promote and encourage this pseudo-science–all in the name of trying to make people feel better about themselves. And this attempt has utterly failed and created a culture of unhappy people that want to and actually blame their misery on us who just so happen to believe in the science and The Bible. (Yes, Virginia, you can embrace both factual science and The Bible.)

So, what are we to do? We who embrace the science and The Bible? We cannot afford to be silent–for the sake of the misguided. We can’t allow being called homophobic, xenophobic, mean, and hateful stop us from speaking the truth–In Love! Face the truth, some people are ugly and hateful towards the deceived. And this must stop IMMEDIATELY! There are ways to be both gracious and truthful–firm and loving–at the same time. Don’t allow their hate to make your hateful. And don’t allow their anger create anger in you! Feelings will never trump truth. Never!

THE HIGHEST FORM OF

Did you see or hear it? I’ve been on a self-imposed hiatus from national news. Turns out, I was in a self-imposed exile. And exile is never a good thing–because I almost missed it. President Biden, and on board is Canadian Furhrer Trudeau, is saying it’s time for a New World Order. So that you know I’m not repeating what the empty talking heads are saying, here he is in his own words:

The first President Bush used this term in the context of the fall of the Soviet Union. But this latest attempt at resurrecting this term is in a completely different context. It’s not about how to reorganize after the collapse of a major government–it’s about taking away control from ordinary citizens and giving it to an elite group of people whose vanity makes them think they know what is best for the rest of us. The Revolutionary War happened because of this very thing: a select few determining what is best for the rest of us. Self-determination as a nation was frowned upon then, and it seems to be happening again.

And my question this morning is this: “Who is willing to oppose this move away from our representative republic?” It is the epitome of arrogance, oppression, and ignorance for any one or any group to think they are more qualified to think for the rest of us. And note, I didn’t ask who was willing to go along with the new world order. I didn’t ask that question because those who go along with this new world order do not have a will. They have surrendered over to others their rights and freedoms. Those who follow such deranged ideologists are dim-witted and imbeciles.

Will this great representative republic conquer these asinine ideas, or will it fall to that new world order? Time will tell–but it’s imperative that we counteract this movement starting now at the ballot box. Otherwise…there might be another American Revolution.

DENSE FOG ADVISORY

Dense Fog Advisory! Sometimes this warning shows up on our weather app; sometimes the local meterologist tells us that; and sometimes–well–it’s obvious! Am I right? Do we really need an app or the local weather person tell us this when it’s so obvious? Are there really people out there who don’t know there’s dense and dangerous fog out there unless an app tells them? (Heavy, heavy, heavy sigh here) It grieves me deeply to say this–But, Yes! Absolutely there are people out there who don’t know there’s a dense fog out there unless someone tells them! There was a season when this thought made me angry. And now? It makes me sad and literally breaks my heart.

It’s not just the weather fog people cannot see–there’s a denser fog out there that’s more dangerous than the fog those apps warn us about; it fact–there’s a myriad of fogs that will cause bigger crashes that the fog on the highways. There’s the political fog that is so dense and many cannot see the danger right in front of us. I’m not singling out “a” political pary–it’s ALL OF THEM! Then there’s that cultural fog where people think they can think for themselves, resulting in norms that are twisted beyond intelligent reasoning. There’s that moral fog that deceives the person into thinking they can do whatever they want and escape the consequences. There’s what I call the family fog–where parents want to be their kids friend rather than their parent–where fathers and mothers are missing in action. I could go on, but hopefully (unless you are in a dense fog of your own) you see my point.

Where do all these fogs come from? Glad you asked this question because I have the answer. It’s that Spiritual Fog! People will disagree about anything and everything. One sees one thing and another sees another thing and another sees yet another thing and–it goes on ad nauseam–and the fog gets thicker and thicker and thicker. Imagine, if you will, morning commuters driving in a dense fog at the same speeds as a bright, sunny morning. The dense fog doesn’t seem to phase them. But sooner or later–more likely to be sooner–what they don’t think is in front of them–IS in front of them–and the chain reaction wreck begins. More cars and trucks plow into the mess–and when the fog clears? Carnage and devastation appears.

Without a set in stone foundation for our lives, what happens on highways and interstates happens to people, families, communities, and corporations. But we do not have to live in a spiritual fog because we have God’s Word, otherwise known as The Bible. Every issue of life is addressed in The Book! But more and more have turned their backs on The Book. Why? Well, The Book tells us why–THE BOOK that so many think is irrelevent and unreliable. The Book tells us in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 12–“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (NLT) The Message makes it even clearer: “There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again—it leads straight to hell.” When we think we know everything, WATCH OUT! And when you recognize the dense spiritual fog all around–there’s an app for that–we call it The Bible. Turn to The Book! Run to The Book! And ask The Teacher (The Holy Spirit) to help you–and He will!

they happen on Tuesdays, too!

My “Oh Lord, It’s Monday” post talked about how Interruptions get in the way of life the way God intends. Well, guess what? A Monday can happen on a Tuesday…and it did to me. Sunday night Debbie, my wife, got that blessed “stomach bug”. I prayed for her to get over it quickly–but I didn’t pray for it to stay away from me. Another “Guess What?” for you this Thursday morning: Tuesday afternoon that “stomach bug”–I prefer the term “Spawn Of Satan”–hit me, too. I hope this isn’t too graphic for you–but my mouth revisited everything I had eaten the past 2 years, or so it seemed. About 2 hours later, Satan’s Spawn decided I needed to visit the Porcelain Altar again until it was sure absolutely nothing remained in my stomach.

And that got me to thinking–OK, so I’m one of the few who can get a lesson from a “stomach bug that’s really Satan’s Spawn”. The lesson is this: What The World Offers Us Comes Back On Us, And It’s Never Pleasant. The food I had enjoyed so much, that tasted so good the first time it was on my palate, tasted horrible the second time it was on my palate. (Again, I hope this wasn’t too graphic for the “delicate” folks out there.) That’s the nature of Sin! It always does!

Yet we go back to it again and again. The outcome is always the same. Progressives who teach that some sins are no longer sins bear proof of this axiom. People who live by their “insights” that parts of the Bible are wrong continue to be miserable. And so they blame us Orthodox folks for their misery–that if we would just accept their views, the misery would disappear.

Sin always tastes worse when it comes back up when we least need it to. That’s why God tells us to avoid it! Not to make us miserable–but to keep us from being miserable! How long will you and I keep going back to the Porcelain Altar regurgitating the effects of sin and keep believing one day it will taste as good the second time as it did the first time? Be confident of this–that Sin will always come back up on you. I’m not asking you to be honest with me–be honest to yourself! Think it through, people! Do you still need more convincing?

The man described as the wisest man ever, Solomon, tried to live his life outside of God’s design–in other words–in SIN! He wrote a book about it; we call it Ecclesiastes. And in the very first chapter, he lets us know what it’s like living without God’s guidance. He wrote in Verses 16 and 17–I said to myself, “I know more and I’m wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I’ve stockpiled wisdom and knowledge.” What I’ve finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind. I would say, “It’s like kneeling at the Porcelain Altar rehashing what I thought was good–but it ain’t!” For 2022, why not give up thinking that sin will ever taste good the second time around? And Solomon would agree with me–It’s never as good the second time as it was the first time!

7 Things God Finds Disgusting: A False Witness Who Pours Out Lies

¹⁶⁾ There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:
¹⁹⁾ a false witness who pours out lies

Proverbs 6:6, 19 (New Living Translations

And it seems like I’ve come back at a time when–well a time when I am the most guilty one. I promised I was back–and not leave again. Well, it seems I did–and Solomon’s words hit me square between the eyes. Excuse me, I need to wipe the blood off my face and get a couple of stitches.

OK, I’m back from God’s Mercy Emergency Room. This started out as the things that God finds disgusting; and I might as well finish it before I start off on another tangent of my (in)famous random thoughts. And the next detestable thing God hates is what I did–rather what I didn’t do. The sting I feel from this disgusting thing comes from the word Solomon used for lies. It is kāzāḇ and here is the meaning: “untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing”.

Let’s do a high school biology dissection of this word–and on yours truly broken promise of using this gift and passion of writing that God has given me:

1. Untruth: My intentions were to keep on writing. But the reality is I stopped. So my actions reveals that statement to be UNtrue. Intentions do not reveal the truth. It takes actions! Strike one against me!
2. Falsehood: The Hebrew word for falsehood is šeqer and on of its meanings is: “in vain”. My promise to write was in vain, and there can be no justification for my lack of character to keep that promise. Strike two against me!
3. Deceptive Thing: It was this part of the word that really got to me. For the few of you who enjoy my writing, I deceived you. Deception is–well deceptive–it describes trickery and betrayal. And for this, I humbly and contritely ask for your forgiveness. Strike three! I’m out!

Some people intend to tell lies; but not all of us intend to tell lies. Yet, it is what we end up doing. Intentions doesn’t soften the hard blow of reality–if we are truly seeking to be a Disciple and Follower of Jesus. If anything, it makes the blow of Truth, the very value we ignored, hurt even more. We can thank this to the Holy Spirit. He does excellent work in this area–speaking from my experiences.

So, what can I do, since I have done this detestable thing to God? I have two options:

1. I can believe Satan (who is full of lies) that I’m so messed up that I might as well give up.
2. Or I can believe God, who says “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me.” (Isaiah 1:18-19)

I think I will believe God. Take it from the one who knows how it feels when we become deceptive–Keep those commitments and promises; whether you make them to another person or to God, Himself.

I’ll see y’all tomorrow–and THAT’S the Truth! God helping me.