Commentary - John 1:14

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Perhaps the most important single statement in the entire New Testament. “The word (God) became flesh, and dwelled among us...” John’s metaphor states the parameters of God’s intervention. Jesus came into the world as a human being, no more and no less with the same feelings, emotions and energy that you and I experience when things go right or wrong or in any one of the thousands of variations that come along every day including all forms of diversion and temptation.
Another point that must be made is that according to John, Jesus brought with him into this world no supernatural power whatsoever. Jesus came as human flesh. Most Christian theology proclaims that Jesus came as a God Man, fully God and fully man. John said that Jesus came as a man.

In the second part of this verse, John acknowledges that a distinct difference does exist between the begotten son of the Living God and those of us who are the sons of mere humans. As we proceed through the book, many of these differences will become apparent. John's reference here to “grace” and “truth” reflect John’s admiration for Jesus’ style and appearance. Jesus must truly have been a striking individual with remarkable mental clarity.

A Book for a Book

How important is it for Christians and Moslems to talk? I personally don’t believe that the world can make the progress necessary for survival unless the Moslems change their theology. Of course, they probably would say the same about me and other Christians, and if either side is right, the answer is the same: talk, conversation, theological study, even compromise. Both sides must be willing to walk away from tradition, give up dogma and seek the truth, a very difficult assignment indeed.

The obvious place for Christians to start is the Bible, and for the Moslems, the Koran. How can we possibly hope to play as a team and seek solutions for the world’s problems when both sides insist on playing with a different rule book? I am not suggesting that we should not read the bible or the Koran or any thing else we choose to read, I am merely saying that dogma, set in the stone of the written word is very difficult to get beyond.

The issues are peace and progress and mutual understanding. Would it not be worth compromise, not on truth, which is bigger than Christians and Moslems and all other forms of religious thought, but on dogma? World progress is a very serious business.

God's Responsibility

God has no interested at all in taking responsibility for the decisions of human beings. We were created to run the world and we are obligated to do it on our own. The Holy Spirit came to live within us and give us comfort and insight and even wisdom, but The Spirit did not come to take responsibility for our decisions or the repercussions thereof. If one human being wants to kill another, that individual has the power to do it accept of course when God is protecting a particular individual for God’s reasons which only God understands for sure.

Have you ever been in conversation with someone when a decision was close and all of a sudden the conversation came to a close, because the other person said, “I have got to go pray about it?” That comment did a number of good things for the person who wants to pray. 1 It removed all pressure to make an immediate decision at that time. 2. It gave them time to think, pray or whatever they do under such circumstances. 3. It put them in control of the conversation. 4. It added another dimension (God’s Will) to the conversation.

The question is, was it fair? And was it appropriate? The implication of the person who took control of the conversation was that God, the Creator of the World, was willing to give direction and therefore take responsibility for the decision in question, which of course is not true, and I have to believe that God resents being used in such a manner.

From time to time an individual will make reference to their “call to preach.” There is no doubt that they are sincere and that they have had an experience with God, but the idea that God picked them out of the crowd and told them to go preach is not reasonable. Such a calling would make God responsible for their actions, and we all know of terrible things that preachers, etc. have done. If would be more appropriate to say that The Holy Spirit pointed out for them the opportunity to preach, probably along with several other opportunities. God does not jerk people around and tell them what to do nor does God take responsibility for their failures. At this time I know at least three people who were "called to preach" who are not preaching. Did God make a mistake? Of course not, and these people were not "called to preach." Let me quickly point out that all three of these people are marvelous Christians and I am sure have a strong relationship with God, but the word "call" is too strong to be used in this setting.

Why Did Jesus Come?

Why did Jesus Come?

It had to have been a very difficult thing for Jesus to leave his world in heaven, which must be a marvelous place, and come to the earth which he created and live as a human being. One has to ask, why he did it? I am going to offer below for your consideration three reasons.

1. God’s creation and especially God’s human creation was not making the progress that God felt it should. People were not being as creative as they were created to be. Other than in the Roman Empire where the economy was driven by slavery and the plundering and pillaging of their magnificent army, the standard of living around the world was low and not improving. The major inventions that had to happen in order for the world to rise above the problems which were being created by an ever increasing population, the spread of disease and the motivations of greed and power were not even close. Progress in farming was almost nonexistent. The Hebrew nation, which God had hoped would provide leadership for the rest of the world had failed and only continued to exist as a temple community.

In order to better understand the problem, God decided to take a closer look. God wanted to experience life as we do; to see what we see; hear what we hear; feel what we feel and experience the joys of progress, acceptance and success as well as the agony of rejection. God wanted to experience life from a human perspective. It was not God’s intent then or now to run the world. That is what human beings were created to do, but God was very interested that humans would succeed and make the world go forward. Jesus wanted to experience what humans experience so as to better determine just why they were not getting the job done.

2. Jesus came to introduce to the people to The Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God. One thing that God needed was a more efficient method of communicating with human beings. Speaking to the people through the prophets as God had attempted to do in the Old Testament had not worked well, mainly because the prophets had their own language and their own religious perspectives. It proved to be impossible for God to break through their religious dogma and their historical jargon. The Hebrew people came to see God as the source of all happenings, be they good or bad, and they blamed God for all tragedies and set backs, which of course was inappropriate and counter productive.

The Kingdom of God which Jesus came preaching (Mark 1:14) offered hope, self reliance, and the opportunity to live a better, more productive life through the leadership and support of The Holy Spirit. Those who were born into this kingdom could live higher and produce more from that day forward. The Holy Spirit would know each individual, the problems they faced and the types of things they could do move their life forward.

3. Another reason for which Jesus came was to rid the world of the highly sophisticated, very motivational but irrelevant and destructive sacrificial system utilized by the Hebrew people. This system had been created by human beings for the benefit of human beings and it needed to be removed. Time and again God had tried to speak through the Hebrew Prophets to tell the people that the sacrificial system had no value (Micah 6:6-8, Isaiah 1:10-11) but they would not hear the words. The system continued. It was only the human sacrifice of Jesus, The Man without sin, God in the Flesh, that could create the change.

It is fair to say that the overall reason Jesus came to walk with human beings in this world was to make our world better. God was willing to get involved and help the people of the world to turn things around. The challenge was, how? The world that God has made runs on a cause and effect operating system. It is a good system. It works, and it would neither be in God’s best interest nor the interest of society for God to break into this marvelous system, at least not so much that people would begin to doubt the system and depend more on God than gravity, or good nutrition or gun powder or love or even in common sense. God does not want to assume the responsibility for things we are supposed to accomplish. But Jesus came to help, and he brought with him The Holy Spirit.

Commentary - John 1:10 - 13

John 1:10 - 13
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came to his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John seems to have believed that there was something about Jesus’ personality and his style and that should have made it obvious to everyone that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This presumption says a lot about John’s spiritual optimism, but it was not to be. John recognized Jesus as did Andrew, James and Peter, probably with John’s help, but most people did not.

In verses 11 & 12, John tries to make it clear that the Full Gospel of Jesus, the new birth, the abundant life is available to all people. He first addresses those who did not recognize Jesus and then the Jews who ignored him and finally by implication the gentiles and all people everywhere. Obviously, there are some people who couldn’t care less and others who are just mean, but most people are just ordinary folks who need a savior, and anyone who has the slightest interest in the things that are holy; anyone who believes in God even in a casual or legalistic manner has the opportunity to experience the “new birth” and become one of Jesus’ special people; one of the “chosen” whom John called “sons of God.” They are not there yet, and most, because of the nature of things, will never get there and never know the experience of an intimate relationship with God, which of course is a tragedy, but John makes it plan, they have the opportunity. Regardless of race, creed or economic status or any other possible deterrent, all interested people have the opportunity to become son’s of God, although it must be noted that people caught up in restrictive creeds and dogma, either because of birth, geographical location or personal commitment have a more difficult road. Communication with God is not easy under any circumstance.

John also makes the point in v.13 that human beings can not make it happen. The “new birth” is an act of God. Human beings can prepare themselves in various ways as they think best, but the decision as to who gets in and when and under what circumstances is Gods and Gods alone. John specifically spells it out. Not of blood (The Kingdom can not be entered through intimidation, violence or the threat of violence.) Nor of the will of the flesh (The new birth will not happen because of lust, sex or natural reproductive methods) Nor of the will of man (People cannot buy their way in or utilize some religious hoop or ritual). Jesus chose his twelve disciples and Jesus chooses, for reasons known only to himself, those who will be on his team and part of his family.

Comentary, John 1:6-9

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world.

Jesus did not come into his position because of his power. In the natural sense, Jesus had in no way earned the right to recruit followers or expect people to listen when he spoke. Jesus came on the scene all of a sudden. John looked, and there he was. Had Jesus’ arrival been as other religious and political leaders, through years of work and performance, he would have needed no witness. Those he served, entertained and motivated would have would have helped him tell his story. But such was not the case. Jesus began his ministry as he did everything else, when he chose and for his own reasons. Therefore, Jesus needed a witness, someone who knew him and understood at least to some extent the theology of his presence and one who was willing to direct the attention away from himself and toward the true light. John, a recognized preacher with a following of his own, was the one.

The point that John the evangelist and writer of the Gospel wanted to make clear was that this person, Jesus, who was on the scene to provide supernatural leadership, instruction, and protection for selected believers was also the one who created all people and provided the principle of life for everyone. All people are special. Every human being, the atheist, the criminal, the leader of a competitive religion, has value. And that value exists because of Jesus and the role he played in the creation of the world.

John 1:4-5

Jo 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The life of which John speaks is a life of freedom, safety, comfort and fulfilment. It is a life completely outside the experience of most individuals and far beyond what most people can understand or relate to. It was the sole purpose for which Jesus came (John 10:10). For those who walk therein, this abundant life is filled with opportunity and love and fellowship with God and other people of “like - precious - faith.” For those who participate, this life is literally light. They can know the values with which to govern their existence, They can know with whom to partner. They can know what projects they can best preform to further the cause of the Kingdom of God. They can know these and all the other essential things that make life worth living.
The word shine comes from the Greek word phaino which suggest that the shine is bigger than the darkness through which it shines. The darkness can ignore it or avoid it but it cannot stop it. The light is there and it will not go away. It will make no adjustment. The light is real regardless of the darkness or the fog or the pain or the confusion. The light is always there and it is always available for those willing to walk therein.
The word for comprehend is katalambano, which means to take hold of, to seize, to apprehend. To comprehend is not a good translation. This is not about understanding. This is about control, and the light that shines cannot be controlled or intimidated by any outside force. One gets the sense that John is talking about the struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness, between faith and fear, between what will work and what won’t work, between what will contribute to the Kingdom and what will work in the other direction. And John wants to be clear that it is the enemy that must adjust. The light will shine no matter what even if there is no one there to see it.

A Commentary - John 1:1-3

I am going to begin a commentary on The Gospel of John. This was in my judgment the most spiritual book ever written, and I want to provide the world with my take on John's story of Jesus. It may be that this commentary will never get finished, but at least we have a start.
Thanks for reading.

John 1:1-3

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John had arguably the most intimate relationship with Jesus that any human being ever had. On five different occasions John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” And probably, John was not only one whom Jesus loved but one he trusted and could talk to and one with whom he felt free to share the mysteries of the Kingdom. No doubt, Jesus had talked to John extensively about his role in the world including the part he played in the creation process . John obviously believed that he had a unique perspective; a story that he had to tell. The world just had to know that Jesus did not happen on the scene as the baby of Mary and Joseph. He had been here from the beginning. Jesus thirty plus year sojourn on this earth was only a very small part of his existence.

It is interesting to consider the title John gave Jesus. He chose not to use any of the Old Testament titles such as The King of Kings, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor or the Prince of Peace or any of the New Testament titles like master, teacher, advocate or Lord, Son of God or Son of Man. John’s title for Jesus, The Logos, encompassed all of the above and a lot more. John was saying that in the beginning all the good things that make up the world such as music, medicine, science, mathematics and even more modern things like aerodynamics, electronics and computer graphics as well as the energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and love it would take to make them work came through Jesus.

There are scientist who believe that the world was created as a result of a “Big Bang,” an explosion of matter and energy that propelled the stars and planets into space. John may have had a similar thought, the only difference being that in John’s mind Jesus was there. Jesus was the one who pulled the string or pushed the button or did what had to be done to set the process in motion. It was Jesus, The Logos, who not only caused the “big bang” but controlled it.

Was Jesus Premature?

One of the more interesting and even confusing New Testament scriptures is John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be to you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you: 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive you the Holy Ghost:

The most obvious question is why? Pentecost was only a few days away. Why would Jesus feel the need to personally baptize these close friends with the Holy Ghost at that particular time and in that setting? I am going to list below a few reasons that come to mind.

1. Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy of John the Baptist (John 1:33). Even though the Holy Spirit would make a spectacular entrance at the appointed time, Jesus wanted to deliver the Spirit personally to these his inner circle who would carry the burden to deliver the Spirit to believers all over the world.

2. It might be that some of these disciples would not be at the particular Pentecost Celebration where The Spirit would come and would miss the show. There was a lot going on. I wonder if perhaps John himself was not there. After all Jesus had instructed him to take care of Mary, Jesus’ mother, and John may have been with her. If this were the case, it would certainly make it even more important for John to tell this story in his Gospel.

3. It was really not an issue. The Spirit had always been available to these people as The Spirit was available to the “heroes of Old Testament” and would certainly soon become a permanent part of their life. They would soon be “born of the spirit” in any case. As John points out in Chapter One, Verses 12 & 13 of His Gospel, “they would be born not of the will of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” and I might add, in God’s own time and place, as it did in fact happen.

The important thing is that The Spirit of God, the promise of the Book of Hebrews (11:39) and the promise of Jeremiah (31:33) became a part of the their very existence and that that same Spirit will become a part of the lives of believers today if and when God so chooses.

A Little Theology for a Friend

My very good friend, Gene Redlin, likes to write about Heaven as though he has been there, which may well be for all I know. Paul got a glempse (II Corinthians 12:2-5) , maybe Gene did too. He used the following text as part of his most recent blog, so I wanted to clear things up for his benefit and perhaps others.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The people of whom the writer of Hebrews was speaking were the same people John described in the prologue to his Gospel of Jesus as “sons of God” (John 1:12).” Matthew calls these people the “chosen” (Matthew 20:16). These are the most fortunate of all human beings, who are born of the spirit and who live every moment of every day with God, the Creator of the World, living within them. As John went on to point out, these people did not obtain this marvelous status by jumping through some man made hoop. They were chosen by God for reasons known only to God and in God’s own time.

The Holy Spirit was always available to them as The Spirit was to the people in the Old Testament, from a distance, but when The Spirit entered into their body and became their life time companion, the relationship became much more intimate. The Spirit of necessity does what these people do and goes where they go. The Spirit is therefore taking a great chance.

It is of little wonder that God would make no attempt to bring them back into the fold, if they choose to depart. As Hebrews 6:6 points out, “they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” The issue is not Heaven or Hell. The issue is fellowship with the Spirit and The Abundant Life. Chances are that the end will be unpleasant, but what is worse than that is that a life of joy, service and contribution to the Kingdom of God will be lost.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

The Excitment of The Spirit of God

I am reacting to a blog by one of my favorite people, Gene Redlin . You can read Gene's blog at http://northerngleaner.blogspot.com/

The last two days Gene has written about the need to attract men (all people of course but especially men) to the gospel. I made a comment which you can read on Gene's blog to the affect that excitment attracts men. The Gospel of Jesus should be exciting because Jesus brought to us the Holy Spirit, God, to live within us and do for us and through us exciting things, maybe not big things except as they are appropriate but exciting things, personal things that most people will not even recognize as gifts from God.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

One Way to Communicate with The Spirit of God

When good things happen it is reasonable to assume that God was involved. God has a vested interested in your progress and is therefore always willing to do things to assist, some large and some small. As with any relationship small things are important, but small things are particularly important when the there is a communications barrier. I know there are some people who say they can communicate directly with God anytime, and actually hear God’s voice in English, and I don’t doubt this. God does as God so chooses and all people are different so it makes sense that some people have a more open and more verbal relationship than others. In my case however, I have never heard God speak in the English language, which is the only language I understand. God and I communicate every day in various ways, but the communication is not verbal, and is therefore more difficult, which makes the little things that God does for me even more important. They keep me aware of God’s presence.

In response, it is very important that I be grateful. There again, the response of gratitude is a way to communicate. When some good thing happens and I thank God for it, the doors of communication are opened, and the light of God can come through. As God lives within me in the form of the Holy Spirit, it is very important that we talk - a lot. In my case this non-verbal conversation can sometimes begin with a good thing that happens and a sincere thank you to my friend and constant companion, the Holy Spirit.

Keep the Faith,

The Promise - Hebrews 11:39 - 40

If the “better thing” promised in v. 40 has to do with eternal life, the implication would be theat the Old Testament Heros did not make it to heaven, because they did not receive the promise, but that just can not be the case. These were people of God and the kind of people Jesus would certainly want to be around through-out eternity. It seems more reasonable to me that the promise had to do with The Holy Spirit. Jeremiah made reference to the promise (31:33), and it seems to me that his comment also had to do with the Holy Spirit.

We had a marvelous Sunday School class yesterday discussing the concept of the Promise. Some class-members made some amazing comments about their personal experience with God. I think that we made some progress.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

The New Testament Advantage

There is a text in the book of Hebrews that offers for those of us seeking spiritual power both a challenge and an opportunity. The writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks of the Heros of the Faith in Chapter Eleven. These were people of power. The writer then implies that we too can be people of power if we will but walk in faith as these people did. Actually, the writer points out that the work these people started could never be completed except by us and only then because we have an advantage I have recorded below the two very significant verses from Hebrews; 11:39 & 40.

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

The issue that can provide great help to us in our search for the Abundant Life is, what advantage do we have? What is the “promise?” What is the “better thing” that God has provided for us? There can be no way that we can fully understand the Old Testament, nor can we complete the work that these people started until we undersand and utilize this New Testament Advantage.

A Bad Day

I had a bad day yesterday. waisted time, spent money foolishly, made some poor decisions and and confused some people who were looking to me for leadership. How can this happen? How can one who is filled with the Spirit of God and who lives in, continual fellowship with God have a bad day?

The Question

It is not God’s intent to run the world. God created human beings to do that and God has no desire to remove from them that responsibility. God will however, through the Holy Spirit, help out. The Holy Spirit came to support, encourage, protect, comfort, teach and even make believers aware of opportunities to contribute. The question every human being should ask themself and God is “how can I best position myself to take full advantage of the support the Holy Spirit freely gives to those The Spirit lives within?

A Unique Relationship

Yesterday our pastor, Dr. David Benson, preached a great sermon on I Kings 17:8-16. There can be no doubt that Elijah, the prophet, had a unique and powerful relationship with God. I am convinced that the reason Jesus came to this earth to live and die as he did, was to make possible a similar type relationship to all believers, at least the ones whom God chooses.

The Christian Religion is about a relationship. The first thing that Jesus did when he began his ministry was recruit some people. It is obvious that Jesus wanted people around him and he spent the next three years training and grooming these people so The Holy Spirit could bring this relationship into fruition at the Feast of Pentecost. From then on the world has never been the same, at least not potentially. This unique, powerful and productive relaitonsip, open only to the few in the Old Testament became available to all.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

The Spirit of The Living God

Most Christians use the term God interchangeably between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is a one size fits all title that can refer to any or all members of the trinity, and a lot of other things as well. Jesus in John 14:26-27 is trying to get the people to see The Spirit as unique, one who would pick up where he would leave off, and one who could come into your life and enable you to see the big picture and live your life “more abundantly.” Jesus after all was human. He could only reach the people who were within the sound of his voice. He actually had very few people (12, 20, 100 ?) with whom he could talk and council and be close to. The Holy Spirit on the other hand has no limitations. The Spirit can be close to any individual The Spirit chooses, any time, any where and all at the same time. .
Note again the words of Jesus:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter (The Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

The Holy Spirit is much more qualified to add God’s one on one presence to the world, because of The Spirit’s very nature, that of Spirit. The Holy Spirit can actually live within those believers with whom The Spirit chooses. The Holy Spirit is real, just as real as was Jesus, and The Spirit is approachable. Wherever you are, the Spirit is, and the Spirit is always available. The fact that one can not see The Spirit is irrelevant.

The Holy Spirit has always been present in this world, but at the Jewish Feast of Pentecost shortly after Jesus had ascended into heaven, The Spirit took on a new role. The Spirit actually entered into the heart and life of Human beings, and became available to live within believers and to assist believers to live successfully and progressively in this society. Remember the words of Jesus from John 14:16, “You know him, (The Holy Spirit) for he abideth with you and shall be in you.”

Recorded below is the complete story of The Spirit’s initial actions in the Spirit’s new role. We pick the story up with the words Jesus spoke to his disciples just before he ascended into heaven. Carefully consider this story from the book of Acts. This was without a doubt the most important event in human history, at least potentially. `Remember, Spiritual Power, the power available to live within you by faith, trumps all other forms of power.

Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, [Jesus] commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, you have heard from me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

And it happened just as Jesus said that it world.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

The Holy Spirit entered into the hearts of human beings and from that day forward, human potential has never been the same. The Book of Acts records several other incidents where believers were filled with The Holy Spirit. On one occasion Peter and John made a short trip to Samaria to extend the power of the Spirit.

Ac 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

Right after Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road and Jesus turned his world around, The Holy Spirit entered Paul’s life.

Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to you in the way as you came, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

On one occasion, Peter was used by The Spirit as a means to enter the lives of believers who were also Gentiles. Notice below that this was a shock to Jewish Christians, but as we know now, the Spirit of God is available to all people.

Ac 10:44 While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Paul introduced The Spirit to some believers he just happened to run across in Ephesus.

Ac 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said to them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said to him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.

The Holy Spirit was a major part of the early church as were miracles, conversions, the laying on of hands, large crowds, etc. One can just feel the excitement. The church was on fire. Life was good.

The Holy Spirit is for you, however you might have to wait awhile. The Spirit knows things about you that you don’t know about yourself and the Spirit will come and occupy a place in your life only when the time is right. There is nothing that you can do to force the issue. God wants to know for sure that you are real. When the Spirit comes inside you and takes up residence The Spirit is making a major commitment. From that moment on, the Spirit goes where you go and does what you do. The Spirit will never leave nor back away under pressure. The only way to get rid of the Spirit is through blasphemy, which by the way is the one sin that will never be forgiven.

While you tarry as did the disciples, take comfort in the knowledge that the Spirit is always with you and can do good things for you even though The Spirit may not be in you as of yet. And you can relax. If you truly want the Spirit to be apart of your life, it will happen, and the Spirit’s presence will make your life complete. Jesus relates a story below in which he makes the point that God in the form of the Holy Spirit very much wants to be a part of your world.

Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Keep the Faith,

Earl

The Arm of God

Jesus came that we might have a personal relationship with the Creator of the World. It was that relationship that could turn the world around and make it work. The Holy Spirit is the Arm of God which can for some whom God chooses make that relationship functional and of course productive. There are people in the world who can invent great things and do great things, but it is only those filled with the Spirit who can move the world forward.

When one is filled with the Spirit they will never be alone. There is someone readily available who will be closer than any human being ever could, someone who will give comfort, strength and courage. The Holy Spirit will teach The Spirit's chosen people all things and provide them with the supernatural power necessary to keep their life under control. It is the Holy Spirit who is the Prime Minister of God's Kingdom and the administer of God’s Program of Abundance.

The Holy Spirit can be a remarkable companion. The Spirit brings no baggage and will make no demands. The Spirit will never attract attention to itself and never be intrusive. The Spirit will not interfere with any other relationship. Actually, The Holy Spirit will make all other relationships better.

When John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world, he made the statement, “I baptize you with water; but he (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8), and that is exactly what Jesus proceeded to do. It didn’t happen immediately, and he did other things along the way, but some three years later during his final days on this planet, Jesus made it plain to his disciples that there would be someone to take his place, someone who would assist them to do for themselves and for the world the same types of things, that he did during his three years of ministry and actually as Jesus pointed out a lot more.

Note below some words taken from the Gospel of John that Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit. Notice too, that there is no caveat against miracles. These people were expected to utilize the power of the Holy Spirit to do for the world the things that Jesus would have done had he chosen to stay.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (The Holy Spirit), that he may be with you for ever, whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him. Ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16)

The Holy Spirit has existed on this planet since the beginning of time or even before. It was The Spirit that divided the waters of the Red Sea so Moses and his people could avoid the Egyptians. It was the Spirit that caused the walls of Jericho to fall down. It was The Spirit that directed the flight of the stone that David slung to destroy Goliath, the Philistine warrior. It was the Spirit that kept the Lions away from Daniel. The Spirit has always been available to do things to move the world forward, but in the Old Testament the relationship was not personal. The Spirit was available but always at a proverbial distance. The Writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote it very succinctly. Hebrews 11:13 These (the heros of the Old Testament, i.e. Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc.) all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off...The promises to which the writer referred include the promise of personal relationship with the Spirit of God. Jesus made it plane that The Spirit was coming to take his place and thus relate personally to believers.

Note again the words of Jesus. “These things have I spoken unto you, while [yet] abiding with you. But the Comforter (helper), [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you” (John 14:25-26).

Jesus is pointing out that He and The Holy Spirit are on the same team. They are actually one in the same, both part of the mind of God. “I and my father are one.” Jesus said. The same could be said for The Holy Spirit. The only difference between the two is form. Jesus is flesh and blood and The Spirit is spirit. Another difference of course was that Jesus was leaving and The Spirit is coming into a new role, to live in believers and provide the help, protection and supernatural power to make you and other believers successful.

One can recognize from the words of Jesus above just how important it was to him that his disciples and others make the transition from the confrontational, in your face type person to person relationship, that Jesus had with the disciples and others, to a relationship with The Holy Spirit. Jesus’ time on earth was over. He would lead them no more. He would heal no more disease, calm no more storms, preach no more sermons or tell no more teaching stories. The time had come for Jesus’ followers to move out and do good things on their own. They could no longer rely on the leadership of a person with whom they could walk and talk and have fellowship. Soon the only resources the disciples would have at their disposal would be their own strength and ability plus their relationship with The Holy Spirit, whom they could neither see nor touch nor talk to, at least not in the same way they had talked to Jesus.

The transition was not easy for the disciples nor is it easy for most believers today. It is much simpler to pray to Jesus as one we can visualize than to attempt to communicate with The Holy Spirit for the obvious reason that The Spirit is Spirit, unable to be seen, heard or even imagined.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

The Light of the World

You probably want to ask, “Why me? How can I help? What can any individual like me possibly do to affect the progress of God’s world?” These are very legitimate questions, and there is one simple answer. Just be yourself. God is not looking for a superstar. God needs people who will demonstrate the Kingdom by living successful, happy and progressive lives. Your job is just to do the things that you usually do and trust God to work through your life to protect you, empower you and enable you to experience the kind of victory that demonstrates to the world that God's marvelous creation can actually work. God is willing to actually live within you in the form of the Holy Spirit and give you supernatural support.

God is not calling you to be a missionary or a preacher or to join the Peace Core. God is not even concerned that you be a philanthropist and give money to build churches or hospitals or feed the poor, unless of course your giving reflects who you really are and a cause in which you believe. One cannot buy God's support. It is not even important that you put a “honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker on your car.

God Just wants you to be yourself. Note below the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matt hew 5:13). The only way for salt to demonstrate its preservative nature is by being salty, just doing its thing. Salt just has to be salt. There is nothing else that salt can do that will have any positive effect whatsoever, and the only thing that Jesus wants from salt is saltiness. The only thing that Jesus wants from you for you to be yourself. Do your own thing and trust God to keep your world smooth and successful.
Note again the words of Jesus.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

The point of this parable is exactly the same. The only way for a candle to accomplish its purpose and give off light is by burning, being real, doing what candles do, which is exactly what God wants from you. That you just be yourself and do your thing. When your world functions smoothly by faith, God’s world is working.

God wants you to demonstrate how God's world is supposed to work, and God is willing to do wonderful things for you to help make it happen. God will protect you. This does not mean of course that you can put yourself out on the edge by driving down the wrong side of the freeway or seeking sadistic thrills by playing Russian Roulette, but you wouldn't do that, because that would do nothing to advance God's cause. Jesus makes it plan that one should never tempt God, but if you live in a normal somewhat restrained and purpose driven manner, you can be sure that you are safe in the hands of the ever present Holy Spirit.

God will also protect you against disease. You don’t have to worry about the things most people struggle with such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke. God is your protector. You can live free from disease. The caveat of course is in your lifestyle. You must live within the reasonable parameters of exercise, which is a cross for some, a balanced diet, which is a cross for others, good work habits and restraint from the kinds of activities that produce disease such as smoking and the uncontrolled pursuit of pleasure. Assuming however, that you live with normal restraint, God will honor your effort with complete protection regardless of where you are or what you are doing.
Remember, Spiritual Power trumps everything else. God wants this world to work, and God will reward you and others who are trying to make it happen with good health and protection and many other wonderful things as well, all by faith of course.

God will also protect your family and friends. There are limits of course, because some people are just not interested, but their health and protection are also important to God. When any one of the people you love experiences life threatening hardship, it affects you and your ability to function. God therefore wants these people to remain healthy and will use supernatural power to that end.

The abundant life that you live by faith demonstrates God's love and God's ability to make this wonderful world work. Keep up the good work.

Earl

God’s Program of Abundance

You are a very important person. There are ways that you can advance God’s program that are unique to you and completely beyond the reach of all others. You can do things for God that no one else can do. God has groomed you and has a vested interest in your progress. It is, therefore, very important to God that you be happy and successful and that your life run smoothly.

Several years ago when my grandson Andrew was two years old, my wife Patricia ordered a large green truck for us to give Andrew as a Christmas present. The truck came in November in a big box. The picture on the outside of the box showed the whole truck, so we assumed it was assembled and didn’t think anything about it until we opened the box on the Friday night before Christmas eve, which was on Saturday. It was then that we realized that the truck was in thirteen different pieces and had to be assembled.

The next two hours Patricia and I worked vigorously to put together Andrew”s toy truck. Actually, the process was a lot of fun, and when the job was done and the truck was fully assembled, we stood back and admired our handiwork. It was a marvelous moment, until all of a sudden we realized the project was only half completed. The other half depended on Andrew. Would he like it? Would he play with it? Would he share the toy with his sister and other friends? Would he take care of the truck and use it safely. The success of our two hour effort that Friday evening did not depend on the truck at all but rather on the two year old boy for whom the truck was assembled. If Andrew and his sister fought over the truck or if he destroyed it if a week, or even worse, if Andrew pushed the truck in front of a moving automobile our two hour effort and the money we spent would have been colossal failure.

And so it is with God and this wonderful world that God created. “God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, even after thousands of years, the people for whom God made the world can’t make it work. Families breakup, children are abused, poverty is blatant, and new technology often creates more pain than progress. The world just isn’t working the way it should.

God created a marvelous world. The creation process must have been a stretch even for God. God’s number one priority is that this wonderful world work the way it was intended to work. God wants more than anything else for God’s creative effort to prove successful. God wants people to be happy, to get along with each other and work together as a team to solve the preconceived problems generated by an ever increasing population and an expanding society.

The reason God is willing to be a part of your life and give you supernatural support is very simple. God needs your help. This is not a weakness on God’s part. It is merely a testimony to the interdependent nature of the world that God created. It will never work as it should unless people work together to make it happen. God made a world which was by design dependant on the people who live in it.

Without changing the cause and effect system on which this world operates, God can only work through the lives and activities of human beings. Only human beings can create an atmosphere of peace and progress and teamwork. Only human beings can provide the labor, the technology and the leadership required to keep the world moving forward, and only you can make your small part of God’s world work. The tripe phrase, “Jesus has no hands but your hands” is very true, at least in your personal world.

God’s success as a creator is totally dependant on men and women just like you. If the people of this world cannot obtain a level of civilization where people live in peace and work together to solve the problems that arise, then God’s creative effort will have been wasted. God will have been a failure.

Everything depends on you and other believers, and the scary thing is, that the growth of negative influence is such that time could be running out. This world cannot forever sustain an ever increasing population and the continuing growth of poverty, crime, disease and violence.

Are you beginning to understand the nature of God’s program and just how important you really are? God made for us a wonderful world, but it isn’t working very well. You and others like you are the only hope that God’s marvelous experiment may yet prove successful, and that most of the people of this world might yet have a reasonable opportunity to experience happiness, purpose and fulfilment.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

Abundance Now

One reason people have difficulty accepting this view of the abundant life is that it seems unrealistic. God probably has the power to change things, but the age of miracles has passed. Sure, God could intervene and change things, but that is just not the way things happen. Our world is more civilized. What we need to realize is that miracles were not common in Jesus’ age either. The other people who came on the scene as messiah pretenders were rejected because they could not preform miracles. Had Jesus not done the great works that he did, he would not have been accepted even by the few.

The Gospel of Jesus was a gospel of miracles. Jesus controlled circumstances. And he used his awesome power to make the lives of the people he met more abundant. Note the words of John the Baptist when he introduced Jesus to the crowd of people gathered on the banks of the Jordan River. “There cometh one after me who is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have indeed baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7-8). In other words, there is one coming who processes a level of power, which is beyond my comprehension, and he is coming to share that awesome power with each of you through the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist was a very strong man with great influence. People came from miles around to hear him preach. He baptized thousands, and his deeds were recorded by Josephus, the Jewish historian. But the power that John demonstrated was common to all of us, in varying degrees of course, but we all have it. Natural power is the ability to do natural things. It involves energy, intelligence, resourcefulness, etc. But the power that Jesus brought to the table was supernatural, over and above the things that normally give strength and from a source outside the realm of the natural. And Jesus came to extend that power to you.
Jesus didn’t take over the world or become a ruler of people as he very well could have, because that just wasn’t what he was about. In spite of the thinking of our Muslin friends, God has no interest in this world or any part of it becoming a theocracy. Jesus used his marvelous, supernatural power then as he does now through the Holy Spirit to affect people and enable them to move beyond negative circumstances. Jesus healed sick people, usually with just a word. He made some who were lame to walk again and caused blind people to see. On one occasion, he fed a large crowd with five loves and two fishes (Matthew 14:15-21). After the feast, and the five thousand plus people were well fed, the disciples actually picked up twelve baskets filled with leftovers, and all from that one small box lunch, a simply amazing demonstration of supernatural creative energy, and how Jesus used his Supernatural energy to make the lives of the people he met better.

Jesus lived and demonstrated the abundant life everyday. He used his miraculous supernatural power to affect the circumstances of those around him and make their lives more abundant. He relieved the fear of his disciples when he stilled a storm at sea. He simply spoke three words, “peace be still.”(Mark 4:35-41). On one occasion Jesus went to the aid of a friend named Lazarus only to find out that he had been deceased for four days, so long he actually “stinketh.” Jesus removed the anguish of Lazarus’ family and again used only three words, “Lazarus come forth,” and Lazarus did so, no longer dead but alive (John 11:1-44) and “bound hand and foot with grave clothes.” Jesus said “loose him and let him go.”

This marvelous ability to preform spontaneous miracles was a very important part of Jesus ministry. In spite of what some would have us believe, Jesus was more than a good teacher, even more than the blood sacrifice offered in atonement for our sins. Jesus was very much a man of power. He dominated the world around him as no other human being ever has. Note Jesus response to a question from John concerning his authenticity. “Go and show John again the things which you see and hear. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear” (Matthew 11:4).

Even the night that Jesus was betrayed and taken prisoner by a group of soldiers he was in complete control. The entire army “drew back and fell to the ground,” (John 18:6). No army in history, regardless of its size could have taken Jesus that night or any other night, had he chosen to resist. Note that none of his people were arrested. I wonder why? The spiritual power of God will always trump the natural material power of human beings, even political power. Those soldiers did not realize just how lucky they were.

God wants you to experience abundance, and Jesus came to empower you and give you the ability to make it happen.

Note again the words of Jesus. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father (John 14:12). Jesus did not use the word greater to mean bigger. He wasn’t saying that you will be called on to still a more violent storm or feed a larger crowd of people or heal a more deadly disease. Jesus was speaking of the effect that the supernatural power of God can have on nitty, gritty things that happen every day, things greater to you even though they may seem unimportant to the world.

The “abundant life” is the transfer of the power of Jesus into your daily experience. It will give you the ability to control your own destiny and to dominate events and circumstances as Jesus dominated the circumstances of his day. As Jesus did not go out of his way to solve the problems of others, probably neither should you. Life today is different, In all likelihood you will never be called upon to heal sick people or call back to life those who have passed away. However, the abundance you will experience will prove to be exciting, satisfying, productive; secure and laced with opportunity.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

An Abundant Life Illustration

It Happened Last Spring.

The abundant life is a relationship. I am going to illustrate with a personal story how this relationship can work. The illustration will appear trivial, but there is nothing trivial in a relationship. When a guy opens the car door for his sweetheart it is not trivial. When she cooks his favorite meal or they hold hands while walking through the park, these are not trivial acts. They are relationship in action.

One night in the early Spring, I went with my spouse to watch my grandson play baseball. The temperature was in the low fifties, and there was a strong breeze; certainly not baseball weather. When the game ended, Andrew was cold and hungry, and my wife and I took Andrew and his sister Anna to a restaurant for some hot food. It just so happened that this was a Saturday night and the restaurant was full as was the parking lot. This, however, was the place we all wanted to go, and we decided to proceed and trust that God would make the way smooth (Luke 3:5). As we drove our automobile into the crowded lot we noticed that a car was backing out of a parking place , which just so happened to be right in front of the door to the restaurant. We took that place, which was very fortunate for us, because none of us had jackets. After all, we had been to a baseball game.

When we walked into the restaurant there were several people sitting around the front, so we gave the hostess our name and asked how long the wait. The hostess replied with a smile, “I have a booth that has just opened. If you will give us a minute to clean it, you can have it.” As the old gospel song states, Spiritual Power will “make the crooked straight and bring the high places down.” It certainly happened for us that cold Saturday night in the early Spring.

I know that the above example in no way compares with the problems people face when raising a family or running a business. Besides, most readers will believe that the convenient parking place was no more than a coincidence. And it well may have been. Some would say that we just experienced a bit of good luck? You bet we did! But believers who are living the abundant life experience a lot of good luck. In fact, this is God’s style. As someone has said, “Great art conceals the artist,” and God is an artist at doing good things for believers and making their life more abundant. Every time you utilize Spiritual Power, most of the good things that happen to you will seem like “good luck.”

Spiritual Power is never obvious, but it is always possible and always appropriate. Even though a parking place in the close proximity of a restaurant on a cold Saturday night is totally unimportant on the grand scheme of world affairs, it was very important to me and my family, and God could have been involved. Just as God could be involved in preventing a believer from catching a cold when a friend sneezes a bad time or when a believer drives his/her automobile onto the freeway and narrowly misses a drunk driver coming down the wrong side of the ramp.

God wants to be involved in the life of believers. As we shall discuss in a later blog, “Gods Program of Abundance” functions best when God is continuously allowed to play a part. The abundant life that God wants believers to enjoy is actually little more than the extension of God’s love in a very practical and helpful way. You can expect to experience good luck in little things and also in big things. God wants to keep you free from all of the negative distractions that can make your life appear perplexed and unproductive.

When God does something for you, be it great or small, life changing or totally insignificant, you will probably never know for sure that God was involved. It is not like God to draw attention to God’s self. For example, just look at this marvelous world that God made. It has all we could ever need; light, gravity, resources and beauty in every direction, and yet some very intelligent scientists sincerely doubt that God even exists. God made the world and did it so well that many people actually believe that it just happened on its own or from some “big bang.” As mentioned above, “Great art conceals the artist,” and God can do anything God chooses to empower believers, and no one even suspect that God was the least bit interested.

Keep the Faith,

Earl

Spiritual Power - The Last Great Frontier

Living the Abundant Life

I have great news for you. Your life can be less encumbered, more productive and a lot more fun. You can experience success at a level you never dreamed possible. In fact, you can become an entirely new person; stronger, more confident, better balanced, more energetic and far more resilient. At long last, your life can be the source of power and inspiration you always knew it should be. You can have every thing you ever wanted and a lot more through Spiritual Power, The Last Great Frontier.

If you are like most of the people I know, life is sometimes a bit of a struggle. There are good times of course and good people, and family, and you probably would not change things even if you could, but every day or so you face circumstances in which you labor to maintain control. Perhaps the kids seem less than happy, and their frustrations/demands/needs, etc. can be very stressful. It could be that there are more bills to pay than there is ready cash, or it may be that the workplace is just no fun any more. Whatever the nature of your struggle, you can join the proverbial club, because there are hundreds and thousands of others who walk a very similar path. You feel like you should be thankful, and you are, because there are good things happening and you are certainly much better off than some, but all to often, life is a drag. It just isn’t going the way you thought it would.

Well, you can stand up and shout for joy, because there is a better way. Life doesn’t have to be nearly so frustrating. Your day can run smoothly again, and at the same time be very productive. In fact, you can make of your life a beautiful and progressively successful experience, not only for yourself but for all the others who share your world; your spouse, children, friends and associates. Each day can be pleasant, filled with fun and excitement. I know this seems far out, and you are probably thinking that this sounds like a vitamin commercial. You may even be wondering just what it is that I am trying to sell, but the answer is not in food supplements or drugs or any other consumer products. The answer is what Jesus termed “the abundant life.” I call it Spiritual Power.

The abundant life to which Jesus made reference is a lot more than mere luxury. Abundance includes good friends and positive relationships, safety and good health as well as financial independence. The “abundant life” means freedom; the freedom to come and go and do this or that or whatever you please to do; freedom from negative surprises such as a debilitating accident or a life changing disease.
The “abundant life” puts you in control of the daily circumstances that affect your life. You can stop worrying. Your family will be O.K. Each of your loved ones will come home safely from work or school or wherever they happen to be and in a timely manner. The relationship with your spouse, even the emotional moments will be warm and positive. You can drive your car without fear of the ineptitude of other drivers. And the list goes on and extends by faith into every circumstance of your life, even the weather. This “abundant life” is wonderful. It is not necessarily about luxury or big money, although money can certainly be a part of your success. As Jesus said,” The laborer is worthy of his heir” (Luke 10:7), but it is about something far more important: the power to rise above the fray and live free from intimidation in all forms; the power to stay in control.

Tomorrow I will illustrate the abundant experience.

Keep the Faith,

EGD

The Abundant Life

This Blog is about The Abundant Life, which is what Jesus was about. The Gospel writer Mark said that Jesus “came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God,” which is just another way to say “The Abundant Life.” The Kingdom of God and the Abundant Life are merely two sides to the same coin. How could it possibly be otherwise? Jesus prayed, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” One who is walking in the center of God’s Will must surely have opportunity to experience the abundant life.

Actually, the phrase “the abundant life” is not used in the New Testament. Jesus said in the parable of the sheep, “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), but that is not quite the same.

As some people have obviously misinterpreted what Jesus meant by abundance, and as The Holy Spirit has helped me to determine the definitive answer, I must share what abundance is and how it can make a difference in your life and in the world, which was the Gospel of Jesus. I trust that if you are interested, you will read these blogs. Please respond if you so choose. Should you disagree with some concept advanced in this material, please feel free to share your view. By it we will all grow toward the truth.

You may wonder what background experiences I have that give me the confidence to write on such a profound subject. Of course, there are many, but none are relevant. The truth that I share stands on its own as does all truth. Neither education nor experience can create truth. Some events may bring it to light, but truth needs no documentation. Truth is truth and does not depend on what I learned in school or what happened to me yesterday afternoon. I have often said that “truth is truth no matter who said it, even if they were drunk at the time.

Truth has its own parameters. I share with you what I know to be true. If you know something different and you take the time to respond and share you insight, then my knowledge might expand or perhaps yours will, because as Ayn Rand said in Atlas Shrugged, There are no inconsistences. If we disagree one of us and perhaps both are wrong and should change our thinking, because it is only truth that will set us free and the pursuit of truth is the most important of all endeavors.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow, I will write on the abundant life that is possible by faith for those who have been “chosen.”

Thanks for thinking with me,

Earl G. Donaldson