Opus 2025-319: Mommy, Kiss It

One of my recurrent areas of contemplation and meditation is based on the principle that I Corinthians 13 gives us an idea of what it means that God is love.  Today I was thinking about, what we call forgiveness and my mind went to that last phrase in verse five.

1 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB95) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

Notice the different understanding that the modern translation and paraphrase give that last phrase.  If my theory is correct, then that last statement tells us that God does not keep a record of our sins.  Now when we think about forgiveness we have no trouble with that but I’m thinking that it also reflects that God does not keep a record of our outstanding sins.

It isn’t a matter of ignoring them, or forgetting them.  It’s a matter of not needing to keep a list.  God knows that we are born in original sin and He knows that we have all sinned as Paul says,

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

For God to keep a tally of our sins would be like us going down to the ocean and continually checking to see how wet it was.

This is where the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross comes in.  We are forgiven by the free choice of God, call it grace or mercy, we are not forgiven because we have gotten enough merit to deserve it.  He makes that decision based on our believing that the sacrifice of Jesus was enough to pay for our sins.  It’s hard for us to comprehend this because we want to believe that bigger sinners are harder to forgive, and that we are just a little sinners so we are more deserving.  Not so.  We all fall short, and only God’s free, active forgiveness, enabled by the blood of Jesus, is enough for us to have salvation.

If the suffering Jesus went through and His passion were not so extreme we could almost think of it as something simple like how Mommy’s kiss heals our booboos.  He offers us the free gift of salvation and is waiting to heal us not because of how big the list is but because it’s the only chance we have.

That gives me a reason to rejoice this morning.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-305: From Desperate to Hopeful

As I was reading in Psalm 13, I came across a sense of desperation and desolation in David’s heart and mind.  Consider this verse,

Psalms 13:3 (KJV) Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Sounds pretty desperate to me.

That made me think about how positive I am right now and how much I have to thank God for and how blessed I am and I ask myself have I ever felt this desperate?  When I think about it, the answer is, “Yes”.  I have known times of financial distress.  I’ve known times of emotional turmoil involving family and friends.  I’ve been in war zones.  I could make up a list if I wanted to, but unless I go digging for them, they remain buried in my past.  I know they’re there, but I don’t dwell on them.

From there I got to thinking about how often in different family relationships, and friendships we resort to forgiveness.  I got to thinking about how forgiveness is an expression of love, but then I ask myself, “Is forgiveness mentioned in the Love Chapter?”  My first answer was,  “No”.  But then I thought about it a little more.

The word forgiveness is not used, but there is a phrase that approaches it.

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB95) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

I used a modern translation because the Authorized Version does not reach the depth of meaning here.  What it declares is that love does not keep accounts.  It does not have a profit and loss statement.  It doesn’t carefully document every output and input.  Love moves on.  You can think of this is a type of forgiveness but there is a subtle difference between classical forgiveness and love chapter forgiveness.

The difference I think is that in I Corinthians 13 forgiveness is not asked for, it is bestowed as a principal.  When you set things aside and move on, and don’t dwell on them and harbor them and respond based on how you have been wronged, it is a stronger form of forgiveness than just making a statement, “I forgive you.”

Classical forgiveness would involve a dialogue where two people get together and interact.  It might involve confession and asking for forgiveness.  It might involve admission of wrong and repentance.  I think of it, possibly as a conversation.

One of my thoughts on this chapter is that it needs to be considered in the context of the statement by John that “God is love.”

This chapter when it defines love defines attributes of God.  Think about how it starts about love being long-suffering.  What a perfect example of how God responds to us.  He is patience personified.  God putting up with us is the definition of long-suffering.  Think about how long he put up with the rebellion of Israel each time before He would lash out with punishment.  So God in a sense does not keep records.  We have verses that seemed indicate that God takes our sins and buries them someplace where He doesn’t refer to them anymore.  That is a good thing.  How well does it compare to the idea of forgiveness?

I’m thinking, and it’s just my thinking, that God has two levels of responding to our failures in our sins.  On one level are the every day shortcomings that we can’t seem to avoid.  I think of those moments of losing our temper in traffic or glaring at the crack in the sidewalk we tripped over.  I think that possibly God just kind of doesn’t keep an account of those.

On the other hand, we have the major sins of our lives, the open rebellion.  We have those times where we look at the known will of God and we consciously go the other way.  I’m speaking here hypothetically.  I’m sure none of us would ever do that.  However, when it happens, God is willing to restore us, but it requires repentance and confession.  It is not automatic.

So just as my mind wanders on this idea of hard times and suffering and moves to forgiveness, I try to define how God deals with us.  I am quite comfortable talking to God in the morning knowing that my behavior is not perfect.  I know that He accepts me.  I also know that I have a heart that has been touched by the Holy Spirit, and does not have any rebellion resistant to the world of God.

I hope it remains that way.  I hope you can say the same.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-385: The Wrath of Kind

One of the rabbit trails I follow in my thinking is that if God is love then I Corinthians 13 and its definition of love should give us some insights into God and His actions.  It starts off well then you get down to the verse, that says that love is patient.

(1Co 13:4 NAS77) Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

Patient is literally defined as long suffering, which is how the KJV puts it.  It’s not just the idea that you have a one in three chance of hitting something you throw a baseball at, so you keep throwing until you hit it.  It is not waiting for the water to boil.  Those are superficial examples.  No, long-suffering means that you put up with things far beyond what they deserve and what anybody could expect.  God is long-suffering.  He sets the example for us.  Think of how He was going to destroy Israel.  He was that angry with them.  Think about the flood.  God is capable of wrath.  Instead, he usually extends mercy, grace, long-suffering, and the second word in this list, “kindness”.

We take words like “kind” and put some kind of warm, fuzzy bubble-gum-wrapper emotion around it, and somehow it works out as something you extend towards wiggly puppies or new babies.  That’s true perhaps but that is not what Corinthians is talking about.  As I was contemplating this, it occurred to me that the opposite of kindness, when we’re talking about God would be expressed in His wrath.  We know that God has the potential to destroy, to obliterate, to sweep away that which is in His way which you had expressed often in the prophets.  We see what He did to Pharaoh’s army as they were trying to sneak across the Red Sea.  We see what He did to the Korah and the ones that were swallowed up.  God is capable of some pretty nasty actions.

But they’re only nasty in our eyes.  God has His side where He allows his wrath to be exercised, but it’s not wrath in the sense of losing your temper.  It is a controlled expression of the holy fire of His character against evil, disobedience, rebellion, spit-in-your-face behavior.  God does not extend his wrath lightly.  He does not sweep people away as often as they deserve.  His patience, long-suffering, is incredible.  But when He does respond, He does respond.  And to be honest, if God‘s wrath touches you, you have one of two results.  Either you are destroyed, or you were invigorated.

Let me give you an illustration.  When I was working in the Sequoias one summer I listen to a park ranger talk about the bark of the redwood tree.  I don’t remember exactly what he said, or claim to be totally accurate but the point he was making was that the bark of the redwood does not burn.  He said when you see the big scars on the side of a redwood tree, it’s not because the bark burned away, but because the wood behind the bark was turned into carbon by the heat.  The bark peeled away later.  It does not burn.

OK.  Now supposing you were to go into a redwood forest with a torch and you were to come across a pile of leaves that were supposed to been raked and removed.  Someone had not done their job.  And it’s your job to clear out the forest.  You take your torch, apply it to the pile of leaves, and they immediately burst into flame.  They are consumed.  You take that same flame over to the redwood tree and apply to the bark and nothing happens.  When I personify things, I tend to think that the redwood bark kind of stretches his arms and says “Oh, that feels good.”  If you move on all is good.  If for some reason you hold that fire to the redwood bark, the bark itself is not affected.  For that which is behind it though it’s another story.  My point?

I’ll keep in mind that this could be total heresy, it’s my opinion, but I think that God’s wrath is quite capable of striking down the rebellious elements of society and letting His people stand unaffected.  I was watching a video on volcanoes, and although it had a lot of nonsense in it, at one point it showed how in the middle of a lava flow there would be a little islands of green life.  That’s because when the lava flowed down the mountain there was an elevated spot where it just flowed around it, and it consumed everything in its path but let that little island survive and do quite well.  I think that’s the way it will be with God’s wrath.

Just a few thoughts on how first Corinthians 13 and love reflects the character and actions of God.  I’m sure there will be more some other time.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-335: Divine Esperanto

As I was talking to the Lord this morning, and trying to find the right word to express how He has extended the hand of Providence to me and blessed my life, I found that the words I came up with were the best I could do but were so inadequate.  You have been there.  If you haven’t, I hope you reach that point someday.

At that point, I started wondering if in heaven will we speak the language of angels?  This thought is based on a verse of scripture that came to mind,

1 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

I’ve often wondered what the language of Angel’s was.  I think of Pentecost when Peter and the disciples were standing up and declaring the word of God.  Many people think that the speaking in tongues that they were involved with had to do with what they were saying.  My read on it is that it was a miracle of hearing rather than speaking because each person there heard them in their own language.  Check this out,

Acts 2:6 (KJV) Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Am I wrong?  These people came from all over the known world.  They did not all speak Latin, or Greek.  In fact, it says in their own language.  I suggest the gift of tongues at Pentecost was the disciples speaking in the tongues of Angels.  You don’t don’t have to agree with me.  Just don’t call me a heretic.

So perhaps, when we get to heaven, we will be speaking in the tongues of angels.  When I say that I want to ask the apostle Paul some questions it would be something we hadn’t thought about but what language would we be speaking other than speak English?  I don’t speak any of the languages he knew.  And yet I believe that we will be able to communicate.  I want to sit down with my guardian angels and express my gratitude and asked some questions about whether it would have done any good to leave cookies out for them.

There are so many historical figures that I will enjoy interacting with.  Of course, that will probably come after a couple million years of just sitting around the throne in the ecstasy of being in the presence of God and singing with the heavenly hosts.  What language will be singing?  I have a feeling it won’t be English.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-093: Divine Arrogance

As I was contemplating the miraculous and mysterious, my mind bounced over the definition of love given in the Bible.

(1Co 13:4-8 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth:...

One of the thoughts I think I have already shared is that this definition of love helps us understand what the Bible means when it says “God is love”.  It demonstrates what it means when we read “For God so loved the world...”  But I had trouble relating not vauntething itself and not being puffed up.  The NASB translates those as “arrogant” and “not bragging”.

In thinking about love, being non-arrogant, and non-bragging I realize that perhaps this was talking about the relationship within the trinity.  The ideas involve some kind of puffing up that is all hot air and no substance.  How could the source of all things think too highly of Himself?  Some of the chapter talks about us as humans but others relate better to God.  Or maybe it’s better to say that while all of it relates to us as humans some of it relates very well to God.

The Trinity postulates three persons.  It would take a God-sized love to exist as one for eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-012: Reminders

I am often reminded of my unworthiness.  Sometimes I see it myself and beat myself up.  Other times I am told about my failures, time and time again. And the problem with that is not that I was a failure, but that the reminder is given with such glee and joy. The purpose of the reminder is to drag me down and to destroy me.

When God reminds me of my failures, and inadequacies, it is for an entirely different reason. It is to encourage me to improve. It is to make me want to do better. God’s reminders are from love not from hostility.  That makes all the difference in the world.

You can come at this from different directions but they should all start with I Corinthians 13.  For those who missed that Sunday School class, it is the love chapter.  Here is is from the NASB:

(1Co 13:4-8a NAS77) Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails...

Some of the words that might apply are rebuke, correct and reprove.  They all have to do with pointing out errors but they are to be guided by the love described in I Corinthians.  They have a purpose:  Not to tear down but to build up.

Scripture does that for me.  I am aware of my unworthiness before God.  When I meditate on His attributes there is no other way to come to it, but as I read verses describing those attributes I come across the statement that God is love.  Being unworthy is not the issue.  That is a given.  The other side of that coin is I am worthy of God’s love and worth Jesus dying for.  What an uplifting way to look at my failures.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-276: Dark Thoughts: Different Endings

As I sit in the dark on the front porch, I talk to God and listen for replies.  So far I have had not verbal response but I do seem to find that my mental tangents and rabbit trails get me thinking about topics I would never have when trying to decide which apples to pick from the bin.

I got off to thinking about eternity.  When you interact with an eternal God who promises us an eternal destiny that topic comes up a lot.  What will come to us after death?  Is it all over when the body fails?  Is there something more?  Most religions have answers to this but they are radically different.  My mind ran to the three major religions that I know anything about and I started comparing.  Keep in mind that I am a Christian and not a Buddhist or Hindu.  My knowledge of those two religions is limited but I am trying to be as objective as I can.  All three religions have answers for what happens after the body dies.  All are radically different.

Christians believe in an afterlife that in the common vernacular is called “heaven”.  Although there are some issues in the misuse of this word it gets the point across.  In heaven we will live eternally and there will be no suffering or pain.  We will be in the presence of God and enjoy Him forever.  The there are two key differences I want to point out that are different from the other two religions I will consider.  First, we are aware and filled with joy.  We never lose our personhood.  Existence and reality are not something that we escape but something that we embrace and explore.  Second, we are not gods.  There is only one God and we are His creature.

A verse that comes to mind about this is,

(1Co 13:12 KJV)  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Buddhism also believes that we go on after death.  Instead of once it is a cycle of deaths that move us up or down.  If we move up then we eventually escape the physical world and achieve what we commonly call Nirvana.  You cease to be aware of your personhood and are absorbed into the cosmic whole, the Force of Star Wars.  Life is miserable and the goal is to escape.

Hinduism seems to believe that you can achieve godhood.  There is also the cycle of reincarnation but the results seem a bit different.  You might become unaware of your personhood.  I don’t understand that part but it is a good type of not knowing.  I found an interesting statement about this in reading one of the books by Vivek Ramaswamy, Nation of Victims.  He made this statement at the end of the second book.  He had made numerous statements about being a Hindu.  One example he gave shared how the Hindu saints would often go out into the wilderness and achieve such enlightenment that they would deliberately starve themselves to death.  I think this is the state that he later calls mahasamadhi,  and explains it thus,

“That’s the state when a yogi experiences their oneness and unity with their true self, or God, since in Hindu theology those are one and the same.” page 241

To my way of thinking this is an enlightened mindlessness but notice that the true self is God.

From my point of view the answers to the big questions they find usually come out of their cultural experience.  The Bible is different in that it takes us beyond what we might experience and gives vistas that are not part of our thinking.  I have been searching for the quote by Hugh Ross about space/time dimensions but have not been able to find it.  I remember reading how he converted to Christianity because in reading the Bible he saw an awareness of many more dimensions than the four that are common knowledge.  

Death comes to all of us.  It is something we need to think about.

Ramaswamy, Vivek.  Nation of Victims.  New York:  Center Street, 2022.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-185: Trash Philosophy

We need to be cautious when trying to figure out motive.  Contemplating an unlined trash can opens the door to becoming a philosopher.  You seek truth if you can stop seething long enough.

I approached the kitchen sink, not being aware that I was on the verge of an existential battle.  The trash had been taken out but the liner had not been replaced.  I stared in disbelief, just as I had the multitude of times it had happened before.

My first response was irritation.  It was based on the suspicion that they are waiting for me to do it.  The ire began to build.  Who do they think they are?  Are they too good?  Am I the servant here?

My second response was understanding.  How often have I gotten distracted and not finished the job?  That is a question you do not need to answer.  It often helps to pause a minute, calm down and do some application of love.  

(1Co 13:5 KJV)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

So, instead of stomping away I quietly pulled out a new bag and put it in the can.

Am I a good boy or what?

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-081: Dark Thoughts: Comprehending the Uncomprehensible

As I sit in the dark thinking about God my mind rebels at the concept of eternity.  I cannot comprehend it, but that is the nature of a temporal creature trying to grasp the eternal.  It brings to mind concepts like infinity, holiness and all the omni words.

God is eternal, He is outside of time.  I don’t think we are designed to understand what that would be like.  Is that part of what we lost when Adam and Eve rebelled against God?  Will we ever enter that mode or will time be kept for our benefit?  How deep will our understanding be of what God is like?  Will learning be part of the adventure?  There are so many questions I don’t have answers to.

My understanding of eastern religions is that existence is an eternal wheel, thus the Buddhist idea of the Wheel of Life.  It is eternal because you go through eternal cycles.  One example would be the idea of reincarnation.  The ultimate goal is a mindless state in Nirvana.  The human mind can grasp those concepts.  That is one indication that those religions do not have a clue to the eternal.

The Christian understanding is that existence is linear and eternal, or spacial in the sense that it would extend in all directions.  It does not rinse and repeat.  That is a concept that is a bit harder to grasp.  In fact, I am of the mind that it cannot be grasped, at least in our current perishable existence.  Perhaps that is why Paul said this,

(1Co 15:53 KJV)  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

In the resurrection Christians believe we enter into a new level of existence.  There will be enough of the old that our individual beings do not cease to exist.  When Jesus came back they were able to recognize who He was and He ate food to demonstrate He was real.  At the same time he walked through walls.  

Or a little earlier in his discussion of the meaning of love he writes this,

(1Co 13:12 KJV)  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

I cannot wrap my mind the God of the Bible.  I can, however, wrap my arms around Him as I have learned through knowing Jesus.  I am looking forward to the adventure of eternity and all of the colors, smells, concepts and depths of reality that will be revealed to explore.

I hope to see you there.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-291: Assumptions

I was praying for my friends and their children.  I found myself making assumptions about where they were in life.  There is a good chance I was spot on but I need to be a bit more careful in thinking I know how God is dealing with people.  

What brought this into focus was a passage of scripture I recite daily, I Corinthians 13.  It is about love, how it is defined, how it operates, what it looks like.  What jumped out at me this morning was the last phrase of verse 4.

(1Co 13:4 NAS77) Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

It occurred to me that my view of the spiritual needs of people I had not seen in years, based on second hand information, was little less than arrogant.  It quickly become a matter of judging, in the bad sense.

Judging is necessary in life.  We must make decisions.  We never have all the information.  We must give it our best shot.  That is judging.  The Biblical condemnation is toward the kind of judgement based on arrogance.  The KJV translates it “puffed up”.  That might have the idea of looking down on others instead of looking for the best.

Pray with love.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-194: Games: That’s Cold

We play a lot of games that infringe on our radar only a tad.  One of those is the game of Refrigerator Dominance.  It may be a mutation of Male Refrigerator Blindness (MRB) which can be either a game or a condition.  It is similar in that it involves both men and women.  It is also the same genre because it can be played other places such as the kitchen cupboards.  

Refrigerator Dominance is about how different containers are placed in a refrigerator.  The naive observer might suggest such things as availability or frequency of use as conditions for location.  Not so.  The chief qualification is the sense of entitlement dominating the placer.  There is a feeling that objects they feel are important should be given primary placement.    

My things get moved to a lower shelf.  I would open the door, reach for a jar in the spot I left it and come up empty handed.  Well, not empty, but the contents are not what I expected.  I had a small spray bottle of artificial butter that I used several times a day.  There was an empty spot that I had been filling and making useful.  Suddenly, after months of routine, my bottle was down a shelf and a bottle of ketchup had been relocated.  

How do I respond?  My first response is to shrug my shoulders, act like an adult and get used to the new location.  I am willing to do so because I Corinthians 13:5 says love “does not seek its own, is not provoked.”  It does not become a problem until the playoffs begin.

The playoffs are when it becomes a public issue.  It seems it is not enough to move my stuff to the bottom shelf.  Suddenly comments are needed.  It seems that the entire refrigerator is dominated by my stuff.  Who would have known?  I didn’t know until it was announced to visitors.  It is hard to understand how a jar of pickles takes up more space than two jars of mayonnaise, a jar of Miracle Whip and a bottle of ketchup.  That may just be a symptom of MRB.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-059: The Long Suffer

As I was worshiping this morning my mind turned to people that are hard to love.  That brought me to the glorious Biblical explanation of love found in I Corinthians 13.  There is a reason it is called the Love Chapter.  There is also a reason why our culture ignores what it teaches.  One of the verses forced itself through my self deception to strike a blow for agape.

(1Co 13:4 KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Charity does not mean donating to the Salvation Army at Christmas.  It is translated “love” in the modern translations and represents the Greek word agape.  That wasn’t my point, just a bit of background if you don’t get to church much.

I like the KJV translation in the sense that it uses the phrase “suffereth long”.  Modern translations translate this as “patient” which it is, but it doesn’t get the way in which love is involved.  The Greek word, if you need to know it or even if you don’t, is makrothumeo.  It has two parts.  The first is makro.   We are familiar with this in English where macro is contrasted to micro.  It means big or long.  Whatever it is that love does it doesn’t do it small.

The second part is thumeo which has the idea of passion.  This is where we get the idea of calling the suffering Jesus went through before and during the crucifixion His passion.  It has the idea of fierceness, indignation and wrath.  It is not easy or pleasant.

Put aside the idea that the patience of love is lounging at the coffee shop, sipping your favorite version of coffee and waiting for your wife to show up for dinner.  It is not sitting with a benign look on your face and being nice for a few moments.  Love being patient means that it endures through a lot of long hard times.  It is the reason why genuine love is so necessary for marriage and raising children.  It endures.

As Christians we are called to love our enemies.  That is totally incongruous with the popular ideas of love that you find in the card section of the store.  It has nothing to do with romance or warm fuzzies.  It involves the long haul where you want the best for the other person.  It doesn’t matter what they have done to you.  In our present case “long” means at least four years.

How does this relate to us today?  We are hearing the man installed as president call for unity and then turn around and condemn us to reeducation camps.  Our job is to love him and his supporters.  It will not be easy.  It will not be what we want to do.  At the same time that does not mean that we become door mats.  It does not mean that we line up for the box cars.  Love does what is best for them and for the country.  That is where the decisions get hard.  We cannot just sit back, smile and say, “Step on me again.”  

No one said it would be easy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-389: On the Street: Invisible Tragedies

Word came yesterday of the children of friends who have suffered the agony of a miscarriage.  It doesn’t help to know that miscarriage is more common than people think.  It does nothing for the pain to know that they are young and will be able to have more children.  It is a loss and my heart goes out to them.

It is just a reminder that people are often going through difficult times that we are not aware of.  It is why we are told,

(1 Corinthians 13:4 NAS77)  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

We do not know what struggle, loss or failure is dominating the thoughts and emotions of people we meet.  It could be that the clerk in the store is not really surly, they may have just heard they have cancer.  The guy cutting you off may actually be going to a fire. 

As a follower of Jesus it is my responsibility to give the other guy the benefit of the doubt.  It is why we are told to answer softly, go the extra mile, forgive and love our enemies. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-263: Headlines: Love in Inaction

The first characteristic that the Apostle Paul gives in trying to define love is patience. 

(1 Corinthians 13:4 NAS77)  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

There is a reason for that.  People of virtue need to be patient in order to see any progress in our culture of law suits and crony capitalism.

It is a characteristic of the battle between good and evil.  When we compare the battle against terrorism we note that we have to win every time, they only have to get lucky once.  When we look at the battle to reclaim our country we face the same obstacle.  A case in point is the recent article in the Washington Times.  Once again you get the impression that the state officials of Texas have suffered a big defeat in their quest to rein in sanctuary cities.  When you read the article it isn’t that bad but it is bad enough.

In an effort to curtail a long court case...

“Hours after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the anti-sanctuary law, SB 4, Attorney General Ken Paxton went to a court and asked for a preliminary ruling that it was constitutional.”

In a perfect world that would have ended the matter but we have a problem.  The judge they went to was appointed by H.W. Bush and probably has ethical issues that made him step aside.  It was similar to Jeff Sessions stepping aside in the issue of a special prosecutor.  It is probably the high ground but sets back the forces of law and order.

So what did the Bush appointed judge do?

“But U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin rejected that move, saying courts aren’t in the business of giving advisory opinions.”

And guess who appointed the judge that will hear the case?  Bill Clinton.  Do you think this new judge will have the same high standards for law as Judge Sparks?  Somehow I doubt it.

Will we win in the end?  We will if we persevere long enough.  There is a reason why the King James Bible translates “patience” as “long suffering”.  It is.  I am getting old and beginning to doubt I will see how this works out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-296: Thanks Thoughts: Turnabout Is Fair Play

I may have touched on this before but it came home to me again this morning.  Alistair Begg was talking about agape/love and forgiveness.  He was sharing how God will remember our sin no more.  I was reminded of how the definition of love in I Corinthians 13 is not just a lesson in how we should love but a reminder of how God loves.

My wife and I have been married 41 years.  It has not been easy.  The word “divorce” has been heard.  Yet here we are.  Much of it comes from the application of God-given agape, the ability to love.  I have been wronged.  I have been sinned against.  I have been victimized.  Yet I keep coming back for more.  I am sure that my wife could say the same.

God himself has modeled this behavior.  I am thankful for that.  It would have been so easy, and so deserved, for God to throw a few lightning bolts, generate a bit of leprosy, cause a building to fall on a few heads or not allow that car to miss me.  Yet He hasn’t.  He demonstrates love.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NAS77)  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

Thus I am called to forgive in marriage.  I trust I have done so.  I assume I will continue to do so.  Any time I start thinking I have reached the end of my rope I should be reminded of how often God has thrown up His hands at my behavior. 

But He keeps hanging on.  Thank you, Lord.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-103: Love and the Balance Sheet

Learning to love is a lifetime effort.  For the longest time I have been focusing on the beginning lessons.

(1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

In modern language that deals with patience, kindness, jealousy, bragging and arrogance.  I still need a lot of growth in these areas.

I am finding that after 40 years of marriage the advanced studies are just as important.

(1 Corinthians 13:5 NAS77)  does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

I can act patiently but it is hard not to keep a balance sheet of how many times I have been wronged.  It is such simple things as I noticed this morning.  When I leave a dish on the counter it is like I have held a Woodstock festival in the kitchen with all the trash involved.  When my wife leaves a growing pile of stuff in the sink it is because she is so busy and tired.  I have learned not to comment on things like that.  I am trying to learn not to keep a record in my soul.  Petty but real.

One reason this is so important is that we have a natural tendency to be super sensitive to our pain and callous to the pain we cause.  God knows this so He tells us to stop keeping a balance sheet.

Love does not act like an accountant. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-236: On the Street: Helps to Happiness

I saw a billboard that said, “Money can’t buy you happiness, but a good bank will help.”

Funny.  I enjoyed it.  Then my mind went on a tangent.  I got to thinking about the old Beatles’ song, “Can’t Buy Me Love”.  I tried it in the billboard caption and banks can’t help in that area.  Then I wondered if the Beatles were right.  Maybe then, but I am not so sure now.

I would suggest in our current culture, money can buy us love and the reason is that our society has adopted a perverted, watered down meaning of “love”.  It is possible that one of the first strokes in that dilution was a cartoon series that declared, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”  In reality that is the opposite of what love is.

Most popular uses of “love” today would not change their meaning if you substituted the words “lust” or “sex”.  Love today is a response to someone who gives us gratification.  This is not really new, but it has been accepted as the standard.

In our Western culture the real definition of love used to be rooted in the Christian concept of love.  The supreme Biblical passage is found in I Corinthians 13 which is called the love chapter.  It contains this verse in which “charity” means “love”.

(1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

If you have never read this chapter in the Bible, try to get around to it.

Money can buy 21st Century love.  What it can’t buy is 1st Century love.  The word in the Greek is agape.  It is one of five words in Greek for love and it was adopted by the Christian church to express the self sacrificing nature of God that we are expected to demonstrate in our lives.

Money can buy you love but it can’t buy agape.  Agape is a decision powered by the grace of God and the support of the Holy Spirit. 

Agape can change the world.  All love does is break and mend hearts, sell candy and inspire songs.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-112: The Revival of Paganism, part 4 of 7, Pagan Lite

Modern pagan gods have been modified by Christian concepts so they are a bit more palatable.  We don’t really like the pagan gods.  We have gotten used to Christian ideas expressed in the Love chapter.

(1Co 13:4-7 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

We like that.  Since we like it and it isn’t found in paganism, we have grafted it onto the old gods.  I keep trying to find fantasy authors that I can enjoy.  Some tell good stories and gradually introduce magic and sorcery as they move through a series.  That means in a series of five books I can make it through two and a half before I give up.  I notice that they use terms like, “church” and “sin” while trying to gild it onto the polytheistic superstitions that they are constructing.

It is kind of like anchovy paste.  A tiny amount enhances flavor and brings out subtleties.  It very quickly gets to the point that it overwhelms the other ingredients.  A better example might be giving someone a pint of B- blood when they are B+.  It may look the same and be similar in so many ways and yet it means death.

Paganism will do that to the American culture.  The virtues we enjoy did not come from any source but the Bible.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-104: On the Street: New Wisdom

Have you ever had someone share an age old bit of wisdom as if it were a new truth. 

Recently my friendly neighborhood philanthropist was excited about a book he was reading.  It was the story of a lady born in China who had come to the USA and developed a successful life.  It sounded interesting.  She shared the secret to her success:

“The bamboo is strong because it bends but does not break.”

Okay.  This is not a new concept.  I pointed out that it was true of all trees but he was still in awe of this bit of “new” wisdom.  Good for him.

It reminded me of the time that a young man shared with me a bit of poetry his girlfriend had written him.  He thought it was really beautiful.  It started off like this:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal....”

In case you don’t recognize the words, they come from the Bible, I Corinthians 13:1.  It is commonly referred to as the Love Chapter.

So you never know when someone will be impressed by old truth.  Keep telling the stories of the Kings New Clothes, The Little Red Hen and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  Who knows?  Maybe you will cause someone to think because they are impressed with this new thought.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-79: Book Review: When Bad Things Happen to Good People, part 7 of 7

I think that the last two chapter titles sum up the point, or lack of point of the book.

     Chapter 7, God Can’t Do Everything, but He Can Do Some Important Things

     Chapter 8, What Good Then, Is Religion?

Ultimately the answer to the last question is, “Not much.”  He gives the conclusion he has come to.

“Let me suggest that the bad things that happen to us in our lives do not have a meaning when they happen to us.  They do not happen for any good reason which would cause us to accept them willingly.  But we can give them a meaning.  We can redeem these tragedies from senselessness by imposing meaning on them.  The question we should be asking is not, ‘Why did this happen to me?  What did I do to deserve this?’  That is really an unanswerable, pointless question.  A better question would be ‘Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?’” page 136

Although I don’t disagree with his positive spin as an alternative to despair, I am curious about how he concludes that the entire meaning of life and the big questions comes down to us having a positive attitude and pulling ourselves up by the boot-straps.  Notice that the meaning is imposed by us and has no relation to the eternal.  God having a purpose is rejected.  This is a curious position for one who is employed full time as a Rabbi who is supposed to be a minister of God and teach about the things of God.

Contrast this Old Testament leader with the message of the New Testament.

(Romans 8:28 KJV)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

(Philippians 1:6 KJV)  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

(1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV)  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

His position seems to me to be a total rejection of the God of the Bible.  It substitutes the belief that man is the pinnacle of evolution and stands on his own two feet.  It is up to you to amount to something.  God is just a side-show for the weak and foolish.

Okay.  I am weak and foolish.  I have read the book and I have read the Book.  I prefer the one that teaches about an eternal, all powerful, loving, holy, personal, God. 

Kushner, Harold S.  When Bad Things Happen to Good People.  New York:  Schocken Books, 1981.

homo unius libri