Who Saw What?

Jesus was the Messiah and miracles were His stock n’ trade. They were His credentials for those wondering who exactly this man was. They weren’t His only credentials, but for those who only believed what they saw, the miracles were reason enough to be persuaded.

Once in the town of Bethsaida, where Jesus had done many miracles, some people brought a blind man to Jesus for healing. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and walked him out of the city. Then Jesus put some spittle on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him and then asked the man if he saw anything. The man said, “I see men like trees, walking.” (Mark 8 ) Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes again and the man saw every man clearly.

Why would Jesus put His hands on the man twice? And why didn’t he do the miracles in the town of Bethsaida? Matthew 13:58 answers why, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Jesus chose to do this miracle in stages, possibly to show the disciples that some healing would be gradual instead of instantly or to demonstrate that spiritual truth is not always perceived clearly at first. Regardless, before Jesus left, the man was healed completely. The probation of Bethsaida as a community was ended. Jesus would still show mercy and love to individuals! Many still ask is this so? When you “see” Jesus face-to-face, then you can ask Him to “clear” things up!

Bottom Line

Lack of faith blinds people to the truth and robs them of hope.

I'll Take tweets and Twitters for $1,000, Alex!

Could This Be the Very First Rainbow?

Do you know exactly what a brain cell looks like? Yeah… approximately. Do you know exactly what the very first brain cell looked like? Well…no. When Adam and Eve were skipping through the Garden of Eden, everything was pure and perfect. The air, the ground, the animals, all the vegetation, the birds of the air; all perfect. Absolutely perfect! Then that wily serpent approached Eve and after a brief discussion, sin entered into Paradise. Then everything changed.

God saw his creation contaminated in the blink of an eye. All the work that went into planning, layout, and creating—it was all gone in a moment. Was God a little upset you think? It was probably just day one and suddenly it was ‘switch to Plan B’! Immediately God made some changes. Genesis chapter 3 tells us that the serpent (who started the ball rolling) was cursed ‘above’ all the other animals. The woman was told she would experience much greater pain in childbearing. Adam didn’t escape any wrath either. The ground he tended while in the Garden would change drastically. From now on it would produce thorns and thistles. Ouch! Everyone will now eat plants from the field brought on by the sweat of his brow. And, as an added bonus, the very dust of the ground Adam and Eve came from; to that very dust they would return!

The Winning Word

Scrabble is one of the most popular board games of all times! Suitable for everyone, young and old, it’s a ‘play on words’. Selecting letters at random, one creates words by using what’s available to achieve a higher score. Webster’s dictionary defines the word scrabble to scratch or grope about with the hands. It’s similar to a disorderly haste. You take what you already know, and whatever others have provided, and within a short time frame, you attempt to achieve more than your competitors, before the game ends.

One might look at the above description and draw a parallel between the game of scrabble and the game of life. Playing by the rules, working with totally random events, building on your past experiences, learning and taking advantage of others work, and slowly accumulate enough good to be placed in a winning position. There’s pressure, uncertainty, the opponent’s skills, and opportunity working for, and against, your efforts. You become intensely focused, looking to increase your luck or skill, looking to reach the point when your opponent is no longer a threat.

One tiny difference we tend to overlook. One’s a game and one’s for real.

We’ve been given a life to do with as we please. We’ve also been given an afterlife. The first is similar to a game, preparing us for a position of comfort or suffering in the afterlife. You may think you have played by the rules, and gained every advantage and figured out the winning word. You’re on notice now—the winning word isn’t ADDICTION. It’s salvation! These two words have the same number of letters but a big difference in meaning. One’s a winner and one’s a loser. How are you playing the game?

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

A Whale's Tail Tells a Tale

Everybody in America’s book of “Who’s Who” has heard the tale of Jonah in the Bible being swallowed by a whale. And if they haven’t – how can you tell Who’s Who? A synopsis of the most prominent Americans should tell us who’s Biblically illiterate and who’s not. Tell us no tales!

The Bible shows us the character of people that God has to deal with. In God’s Book of, Who’s Who, some are humble, some are belligerent, some are social climbers, and some are self-preservationists! In the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah is told by God to go to the city of Nineveh, about 500 miles northeast of Israel, and preach to them (the last place Jonah wanted to go). Remember your history? Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s brutal and longtime enemy! Jonah took a boat going the opposite direction! But he could not run from God. Running got him into worse trouble. He was to warn Assyria of judgment and to declare that the people could receive mercy and forgiveness if they repented.

The Bible tells us God prepared a “great fish” to swallow Jonah (Jonah 1:17). God’s fish did his job, and after three days and three nights in the great fish, Jonah did his job! One could tell, by the direction of the great fish’s tail, that Jonah’s tale would be a whale of a sell. Sound fishy to you? Smell fishy?

Jonah’s hatred was so strong that he didn’t want Nineveh to receive God’s mercy…but, everyone is entitled to God’s favor. Jonah’s disobedience to God endangered the lives of the ship’s crew. His refusal to obey God put others in harm’s way and jeopardized their lives. The crew knew someone was responsible for their troubled weather and they cast lots to find the guilty person and the lot fell on him. Jonah submitted. What happened? God spared the sailor’s when they pleaded for mercy. God saved Jonah when he prayed from inside the fish. God saved the people of Nineveh when they responded to Jonah’s preaching. Once again, it’s a God win-win-win situation.

Some say it’s just a tall tale; no one lives after being swallowed by a whale! Right?! Turn your computer on and search for Mr. James Bartley, a whale hunter on the ship; Star of East. Both he and the prophet Jonah had a fish tale to tell.

Welcome Please Take A Seat!

Ever get the feeling you’re walking into a trap? That the game is rigged and you’re the mark being roped in to be fleeced? That tingling sensation may be your conscience telling you to prepare for that ‘fight or flight’ response they talk about in psychology. Chances are, its past experiences warning you.

This experience happens to many people. It often takes place on a car lot, in a casino, any governmental office, and during interviews. It may feel like you’re on the “hot seat”, but take heart, you’re not the first one there. There was one before you, and he not only endured, but triumphed! Because of his experience, we don’t have to be afraid of our common enemy.

Who was the man who came before us? He was Elijah; an Old Testament prophet. He was harassed, threatened, and pursued and yet persevered to do great things for the kingdom. God was so proud of his life, and how he lived his faith, that he called Elijah to come home personally. God sent a chariot of fire and horses of fire and a whirlwind took Elijah up to heaven! (2 Kings 2). Elijah was taken to heaven without dying. He is the second person mentioned in Scripture to do so. Enoch was the first (Genesis 5). The only other person taken to heaven in bodily form was Jesus after his resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:9).

Don’t be afraid of the unusual, that’s how God works. If, you’re going to be afraid of anything, be afraid of that other everlasting tormenting fire. Now that’s a real hot seat. Revelation 20:15 says plainly... 

 

Is There a Forensic Scientist in the House?

Television has countless shows featuring doctors, scientists and criminologists. Everybody’s an expert complete with jargon to look the part. Skeletons are turning up at an alarming rate, and as writers would have it, each has complex multifaceted secrets found only by the technologically advanced super-sleuths whiz-bang space-age gizmos. We can all rest easy knowing that bones, hair strands and liquids can tell their story, no matter how complicated.

But wait, 600 years before Christ, the prophet Ezekiel saw an entire valley of dry bones! What was their story? Who speaks for them?

Ezekiel was asked by God, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel was wise enough to say, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The Lord said to Ezekiel, prophesy to these bones, that the Lord will attach tendons to them, make flesh onto them, cover them with skin, and breathe life into them.

Baby's Not Ready Yet!

Everybody who has had children knows the fundamentals of feeding da baby! Every baby starts off with mother’s milk or processed milk of some type and formula. There’s plenty of vitamins and nutritional value in milk to get the young one growing. The next change to come along is vegetables processed into a slurry, creamy and yet easy to swallow. Every parent at one time or another holds their child when it’s time for the parent to eat. Then what happens, yep, the little one sees the parent eating and wants some of the parent’s food! It’s an easy decision for the parent; you give the baby a “taste” of soft foods. Maybe it’s a bite of mashed potatoes, apple sauce, or a cracker to gnaw on.

The tricky part comes when the baby wants a piece of your T-bone steak or chicken breast or maybe that spare rib. They don’t ask for it politely either. They demand it with full lung capacity and uncontrollable squirming! All your efforts might end with pouting, crying and refusing to eat anything. You have to make a parental decision, give them the smallest part to gum on, or say no and face their wrath. The baby wants everything but is equipped to handle almost nothing. The adult must do the responsible adult thing—make them wait until they’re ready. One characteristic all children share is that they all want to be in control and to grow up—to be like big sister or brother or like their parents. When we are born again we become spiritual newborn babies. If we are healthy, we will yearn to grow in the ways of the Lord and take His nourishment.

The writer of the book of Hebrews faced the same problem. New Christians wanted everything on the menu. They wanted patience immediately; wisdom now; and understanding yesterday! In chapter five the writer tells the young Christians that they have been slow to mature, and that they should be teaching others, but because of their maturity level, they need milk not meat! Christian maturity involves time, growth in the Word, and experience in discovering between good and evil.

Do these terms make you uneasy or give you comfort…justification, sanctification, propitiation, prophecy, eschatology, creation?

Bottom line

1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” This milk and Word is the knowledge of The Son—when we know this, then, we will grow and mature in our Christian walk.

What Are You Waiting For?

 

Taking that first step into the unknown is downright scary, especially if its shark infested waters. The first day of school, your first kiss, starting the new job, your first time flying, giving a speech to your peers, walking down the aisle and saying—I Do. Fear is a powerful thing to contend with and overcome. For a writer it may be that blank page, for a student it may be an unexpected pop quiz, for a surgeon it may be an unforeseen complication on the operating table. Take all your savings and bet on the certainty that it’s different for each and every person.

In Matthew 14 the disciples are sailing on the Sea of Galilee during the fourth watch of the night (from 3-6 A.M.) in the dark morning, and they’re exhausted from rowing. When they look across the water’s surface they see a figure on the water. They see Jesus walking on the water towards them! Everyone is amazed beyond belief and seeking desperately to make sense out of what they are witnessing. No one can just walk on water, that’s impossible, yet here is Jesus walking on top of the water towards them. The Bible reports they were terrified. For a moment in time the disciples are convinced that up is down and everything they know to be true—isn’t! What other explanation could there be? Are they seeing a ghost or a hallucination? Are they sleepy, are they having a dream? How can this be?

Satan or Chameleon

Satan can take many forms. In the Garden of Eden, Satan approached Eve as a crafty serpent with a smooth calming voice. He convinced Eve that she could eat the forbidden fruit without any consequences. Was Eve really conscious of her decisions? Couldn’t she see that the argument the serpent was presenting was contrary to God’s instructions? Did she deliberately choose not to see the truth? Don’t be so quick to judge Eve, we all choose to be deceived every day. Why? Because our sinful desires out-weight our good sense. God wants to guard humanity from the lie that they could decide good from evil on their own- apart from him. We cannot! God still gives us choices, and we, too, often choose wrongly—hence we cause ourselves much pain. How easily we believe that we can have our own way without any consequences. In our pursuit of happiness, we only choose to see what we want to see. The truth usually lies underneath the obvious. Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” Genesis 3:13. And Luke tells us in chapter 21:8, “Watch out that you are not deceived.” We have a responsibility for situational awareness. Don’t try to get away with sin by always blaming somebody else. You need to change. Don’t adapt to Satan’s sinful colors, and attitude, rather follow the Lord God who says, “I the Lord, do not change” Malachi 3:6.

Look in the mirror and ask yourself: What do you see? What do you want to see? What do others see? Do you see a cute little Chameleon choosing a colorful suit to deceive? Can you see Satan in disguise choosing what mayhem to deliver? What shall it be today; war—famine—pestilence?

Can an Inflated Ego Be measured

As history recorded, there are great men that do great things. However, there is the flip side of the coin. Great deeds are sometimes accomplished by great egos! And sometimes the egos are so great the deeds look mediocre.

In the Book of Daniel, there was an individual that we commonly refer to as a megalomaniac. Nothing was too good for this individual. If it was possible he would command the sun and stars to revolve around him! The tide would ebb and flow at his whim. He really thought that people should worship him as a god, with a capital G! Nothing should happen or nobody should do anything without his tacit approval.

The day came when his ego reached inter-galactic proportions. He ordered a statue built. This was no monument to modesty. The statue was to be ninety feet tall and nine feet wide set on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Was the statue a likeness of himself? Probably not, but it definitely represented his power and position when he ordered everyone to worship the statue. Did we mention that the statue was an image of gold?! Like everything, all good things must come to an end—sometimes, abruptly!

This individual was King Nebuchadnezzar. God had enough of his ego and decided to remove him from the pedestal he clung to. Daniel 4 records how God reminded King Nebuchadnezzar; it was the Most High that was sovereign over the kingdoms of men. Nebuchadnezzar’s illness was boanthropy (imagining himself to be like an animal, and then acting like it); only it happened. It was a bad transformation.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

“TEE HEE” Many apes--including orangutans—tickle each other. Tickling seems to be a universal way of making someone laugh or smile.

The publication Readers Digest says so and the American Medical Association says that laughter is healthy. Laughter can be a tonic when the situation appears hopeless. Can you see the humor in certain situations?

You know the story of David and Goliath. A young shepherd boy asks why the Israelite Army doesn't do something about that profane Philistine Goliath. The army tells him, while laughing, that he’s welcome to do something himself. Goliath was over nine feet tall, had a helmet of bronze, wore a coat of scaled armor also made of bronze, his legs were covered with bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung over his back. He was a monstrous figure of a man. But in God’s eyes, however, he was just a man. David sizes things up and decides to face the Philistine, who’s clad in full armor, with nothing but a sling and five small stones. You know that David flung a stone from his sling and struck the giant in the forehead and dropped him prostrate. If you think that’s funny, do you remember what happened next? David saw what happened; the stone sank into his forehead and knocked him down—but not out! The young David must

Let There Be Lights?

In the book of Genesis, where everything is created, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light! It’s interesting that light was created on Day One, and the sun was created on Day Four. So what kind of light are we talking about here? Obviously there was a fixed light source outside the earth. The Bible talks about Abraham’s offspring being like the stars in the sky. How many stars are there? Have you counted them lately? Anyone surprised? The cosmos has millions and millions of galaxies, and each galaxy has millions and millions of stars. The Hubble telescope has taken thousands of pictures of galaxies near and far, and from what NASA tells us, the universe is—Expanding! Is anything impossible for God? Anyone surprised?

These things we know: It may be difficult to understand, but we know that anything is possible with God. One thing you may not be aware of is that all these stars in the heavens, seen and unseen, are all different! How do we know that, easy, the Bible tells us each star has its own name! Billions and billions of stars with billions and billions of names! Anyone surprised?

Big Dreams

Some want to grow up to be a sports star, a policeman, a business mogul, a doctor, a lawyer or some other profession. Abimelech, he dreamed big. He wanted to be King of Israel! He was one of the sons of Gideon, born to a slave-woman concubine in the town of Shechem. Abimelech got the support of his fellow Shechemites, and got the crown he always wanted. This was after killing all but one of his brothers, Jotham, who escaped by hiding. For those who forget, Gideon had 70 sons! Much blood was on Abimelech’s hands. Obviously, he wasn’t much of a family man or father. He was just a killing machine on his way to the top.

God doesn't let that kind of crime go unpunished.

He had something special in mind for Abimelech. The Lord caused some residents of Shechem to turn against Abimelech, causing a minor civil war. In one battle, Abimelech chased people from every town of Thebez into a city tower. His plan was to burn the tower and everyone in it to the ground! Then something strange happened, a “God Thing” if you will. Abimelech was carrying a torch to set fire to the tower, while at the same time a woman on the roof dropped a millstone on his head! Ouch! It didn’t kill him though, but it cracked his skull!

Knowing he would die, he asked his armor-bearer to draw his sword and finish him off, so they wouldn’t say, ‘A woman killed him!’ His servant ran him through, and he died. This poignant story is found in Judges 8 and 9.

Gideon’s position as warrior and judge had placed Abimelech in an environment of power. But once the process began, the disastrous results were inevitable. A person’s thirst for power is never satisfied when he gets power—it only becomes more intense. Abimelech no longer had power—power had him! You can have big dreams, but don’t keep your head in the clouds…it may be raining millstones!

Bottom line

It’s good to be known for milestones and legacy but not millstones and lunacy.

A Mystery No Longer

Egypt has the pyramids. England has its Stonehenge. America has Roswell, New Mexico. Every country has a mystery that just cannot be cracked open.

The prophet Ezekiel records a bizarre vision in chapter one. Ezekiel was in his thirties, in the country of Babylon when he beheld a vision unlike any other. He saw a tremendous windstorm coming from out of the north with a giant cloud flashing brilliant lighting from a center reflecting metal. And in the midst of that glow, Ezekiel saw four ‘extraterrestrials’ or living creatures. Each of these creatures resembled a man that had four faces and four wings! Each had the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, with feet like polished brass in the shape of hooves! Some used their wings to fly and some used them to cover themselves. They glowed like fire and traveled back and forth like lighting. There was a wheel on the ground beside each creature that looked like intersecting wheels with eyes on the rims! Above their heads was an aura that sparkled like ice and it-was-awesome!

Above their heads Ezekiel saw a tremendous throne of sapphire and high above the throne was the figure like that of a man. This image looked like glowing metal on fire and a brilliant fire surrounded him. Then the image spoke to Ezekiel!

“And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” Ezekiel 1:14

People have called these appearances UFO’s and speculated for centuries exactly what these visions of Ezekiel’s represented. Looking through the prism of history we can say with some assurance that these special creatures were not little aliens from another planet traveling in their spaceships. We can now identify them as Cherubim—an elite order of angels—sent from God. Period! Problem solved.

Is It Elementary My Dear Watson?

Adam and Eve spoke the same language, they understood each other. God and the angels spoke the same language, they understood each other. The serpent in the Garden of Eden spoke the same language, with the exception of speaking with a forked tongue. Although the language was common, the serpent was skilled in the art of deception and lying. Similar to crafting a question designed to elicit an answer in favor of the questioner.

Every language has words for laughter, leadership, death, pain and suffering. Not every language has a word for compromise, deception, irony and risk. Politicians and business moguls have had their own language for centuries. The language of power and money has always been understood by those with unbridled ambition. They cross-communicate with one another with the efficiency of a surgeon doing heart surgery.

Language is essential to spread the Bible’s message of the good news. Language is so important that God established a way to communicate the plan of salvation with only one-syllable words. God so loved the world and gave His son to die for us on a cross. That kind of language searches a scholar or a peasant. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:10. The message and the method of delivery are elementary. But the consequences are vast.

Living H to O

Rowland Howard, in 1876: “You never miss the water, till the well runs dry.” Throughout the Bible, water plays a pivotal role. While a baby, Moses was floated on the Nile in a basket, to where Pharaoh’s daughter would discover him. Moses led a nation of millions out of slavery, on dry ground, while the Red Sea parted its waters. At Maribah, the Israelites complained to Moses about the lack of water. Moses struck the rock and water gushed out, providing water for all. That one act prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land. (He was supposed to speak to the rock—not strike it.) Moses was a larger than life character and water only enhances the memory of his exploits.

Jesus’ life was magnified by his association to water, too. He began His public ministry by being baptized in water. He calmed a raging sea by merely speaking to it. He walked on water, and encouraged Peter to do the same! He told a man to wash in a pool of water and be healed. While in Samaria, outside the town of Sychar, Jesus met a woman carrying water from a well. When he asked her for a drink, she was puzzled that a Jew was talking to her; a Samaritan! (Jews and Samaritans did not associate with each other) Jesus told her about the living water that He had and she asked Him for some of the ‘living water’! What happened then…

Jesus gave — she received — she shared — the whole town was quenched!

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Bottom line:

Leave it to Jesus to bring his own water to the well!

Where's the Beef

Raise your hand if you remember the Wendy’s restaurant burger chain’s advertising campaign “Where’s the Beef”?   In 1984 “Where’s the Beef” was an attention-grabbing marketing campaign in which an octogenarian grandmotherly type bellyached about the stingy amount of meat on her sandwich.  Actress Clara Peller in a TV commercial looked despairingly at the hamburger she ordered, doesn’t see the full meat patty and asked the counter person, “Where’s the Beef”?  The commercial spot became famous.  Fact is, we were red-blooded Americans and, by Gosh, proud and vigorous, with a hearty appetite for red blooded all American beef!  Clara Peller tugged at the hearts and souls of all Americans, tugging for something fundamental in the American psyche and diet; good old USA prime USDA approved beef and she wanted what she paid for.  Perhaps, she felt beef really lies at the heart of our cuisine.  Would that wash today?  Not sure.  Other countries including our own make do with appetites of fish, rice, vegetable stir-fry, snakes, insects, organs of a variety of animals and many other food sources.  Gulp!

Where's the Beef?

So where is the beef?  Some of it is still on the cows in the field, some is hanging in the slaughterhouses, some is in your grocery, some is in your freezer, and some is in millions of restaurants.  The meat of the matter today goes deeper than a mere beef patty.  Shouldn’t we ask “Where’s the Beef” when we see our very own government politicians serving us gross deception?  Shouldn’t we question the practices of big government, the IRS, NSA, foreign embassy destruction, loss of human life, drone surveillance, trying to by-pass our Constitution, the list is in-depth, on-going and extremely dangerous.  When the Supremist Court gives us legalized abortion without showing any precedent, we should call out, “Where’s the Wisdom”?  When our leaders serve up same-sex marriages in highly public venues shouldn’t we call out “Where’s the Leadership”?  When Congress gives monies to farmers—not to grow crops—we should call out “Where’s the Money”?  When our leaders blatantly deceive us with untruths on national TV about what’s best for us medically, shouldn’t we call out “Where’s the Truth”? 

Envious Angels

The Bible says that angels do not experience redemption, but long to know what it feels like to be saved. Angels being the unfallen ones, of high intelligence, who serve God in holiness, and dwell in the light, even they see how great human salvation is and they desire to experience it. Shouldn’t those of us, who are the objects of this mercy, shouldn’t we diligently pursue it also? Do you take your salvation for granted? You shouldn’t! Consider 1 Peter 1:12, whose theme is “the sufferings of Christ”, and the “glories that should follow them.” Peter also says, “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” “Them” refers to the searching prophets. They are the human authors of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the divine author. God the Holy Spirit revealed to the human authors what to write. The word “revealed” means unveiled. God unveiled himself by revelation. These Old Testament prophets were not writing simply for themselves but for you and me, and future generations. Peter says, “Even angels long to look into these things.” And these things are: the sufferings of Christ, the great mystery of redemption and salvation by Christ, the doctrine of the Gospels in which the glory of grace, wisdom, righteousness, truth, and power of God is displayed. These things angels are delighted with; take pleasure in the contemplation of, desire a greater knowledge of, and want to acquaint themselves with. Our salvation is even the subject of angelic speculation. Our salvation is envied! Our salvation is great! And to think, salvation is all ours.