Opus 2024-250: Tradition

One of the traps that we can fall into has to do with tradition.  Much of what we believe, declare and practice is based more on tradition than actual truth.  This applies to both the Bible and the Constitution.  That can be a problem or it can be a blessing.

Some tradition is simply taking old habits and rituals and continuing to apply them because that was how it was always done.  This does not have to be evil but it can be if it replaces the clear teaching of scripture.  Tradition in a good sense does not conflict with what the Bible says; it enhances it.

Other traditions are made up out of whole cloth.  They have no substance behind them and again they can be either beneficial or damaging depending on how they’re applied and how much you build using them as a foundation.  Traditions should be decorative and enhancing not foundational.

Then there are those traditions which are clearly the manipulation of carnal men try to make the Bible say what they wanted to say.  These are the traditions that Jesus spoke out against.  These are the traditions that Paul responded to.  We need to be careful about these kind of conditions because the odds are that they have nothing to do with the Bible and in fact are often contrary to what the Bible teaches.

Let me say it again, our foundations and our theology should be based on the clear teachings of scripture not the interpretations of theologians or scholars or, worst of all, heretics.  When it comes to the Constitution you can substitute “lawyers” for “heretics”.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-249: Honing Your Brain Palate

I was enjoying my oatmeal this morning and being thankful for the presence of honey in it.  I realized that this was rather mundane and ordinary, compared to being thankful for the incarnation, and the crucifixion, and the resurrection and so forth.  Yes, it was still gratitude at the blessings God gives.

From there my mind went to how do I tell the difference between the honey and the artificial sweeteners I have used which are made up of chemicals and additives.  When all I had were the chemicals in additives, it was quite adequate.  Once I went to the honey, I could tell the difference.

This brought to mind the old illustration of how do you bank tellers know the difference between genuine money and counterfeit bills.  The answer was not that they knew all of the attributes of counterfeit money, but they knew what the real thing felt like.  So much of our life we fall short in because we have never experienced the real thing.

To be honest, some people never can experience the real thing.  I think of how taste buds are actually different, how some people taste bitter, and others taste nothing.  We even taste sweets differently.  It is literally a genetic difference.  There is nothing they can do about it.  Then you have limitations like bad eyes.  Some people can correct their vision totally either with glasses or some type of surgery.  Others like myself have a bad eye which is just a bad eye there is nothing to do about it.  You learn to live with it.  You’re aware of the problem but you get on with life.

In many areas, we can develop an awareness of the differences.  I think of politics.  The elites that try to manipulate our thinking, and are doing everything they can to destroy the country know exactly what to tell us.  They know how to get inside our minds and warp are thinking.  If we are not alert and aware they can do a very good job.  The best antithesis to phony thinking is being aware of the real thing.  The many different branches that lies can take can never be kept up with.  However, if you have actually read the Constitution, then you know when they are feeding you bogus nonsense.

I find the same true when it comes to such phrases as “Islam is a religion of peace.”  That sounds really good.  People want to believe it.  You can quote the Quran in such a way as to make it sound like that’s what it teaches.  However, if you have read the entire Quran, you find that is a nonsense statement.  When you know the real thing, it’s hard for the lies to sneak by you.  It can still happen.  We need to stay awake and keep our boloney meters turned on.  But we can tell the difference.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-248: Differences

The first place that it really came home to me that everyone is different was when I was in the early stages of admitting I was diabetic.  I saw how diabetes strikes different people in different ways, and often it seems to have nothing to do with what they have actually practiced.  Obviously, there is a correlation between lifestyle and type 2 diabetes.  At the same time, for reasons I certainly can’t figure out, two people can do the same things and have different results.

Where that is coming home to me currently has to do with answers to prayer.  Some people are healed.  Some people aren’t.  We recently had a man in our church who went through triple bypass surgery.  He is the picture of fitness.  Slender, active, walking 45 minutes today, and yet, one of his arteries what is 100% clogged.  Go figure.  He survived and is doing well.

Where this is leading is the thought that crossed my mind that these kinds of differences reflect upon the nature of God.  God is not a machine where you punch a button and get a candy bar.  According to the Bible, He is a living being.  He feels anger.  He feels disappointment.  I think He experiences the gamut of emotions.  That means that He is free to respond to us as individuals based upon what He says needs to happen.  We don’t have the big picture.  He does. We don’t have the final word.  He does.  We are not God.  HE is.  Yes.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-247: Iron Versus Gold

Bible tells us the iron sharpens iron.  The concept is that when we get together with other spiritual and intelligent people we can run our thoughts by them and they can help us to get a sharper edge.

I think of honing my knife with the honing rod I have.  That is the picture here.  I use it on a regular basis.  I’m wondering if it would still work if the steel of the rod was smooth instead of rough.  Probably, but not as well.

I’m also wondering if it would work at all if the rod we’re made of something soft like tin or Gold?  

There is a fine balance between being too abrasive and too mushy.  When we deal with others it is a hard row to hoe.  We were always aware of it when we were raising children.  Now, as we learn the grandparent role, the learning curve stays steep.  As a part of the church I find I must always reign in my love of a good argument and consider whether I will confuse the issue or clarify it.

Pay attention.  Seek out people who can question you and your assumptions.  If they are right they will endure and be strengthened.  If they are slightly out of line they can be corrected.  If you are flat out wrong they may lead to growth.

Growth can be painful but the end result is glorious.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-246: The Law of…

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 19.  It has a lot of encouraging thoughts in it.  One of them is this, regarding the law,

(Psa 19:7 KJV)  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

As I was reading it today, I noticed that the verb used at the beginning of the verse in the NASB was “restoring” rather than “converting”.  I checked other translations and that seemed to be a common difference.  The law gets a lot of bad press.  In the New Testament the apostle Paul is regarded by the theologians and their clones as especially anti-law.  Not so much king David.

I noticed that here the phrase used is “the law of the Lord”.  Often we talk about the “law of Moses”.  What we seem to be ignorant of is that most of the time what people are actually talking about is the law of the Pharisees.  While the law of the Lord and Moses are probably the same, the law of the Pharisees is a perversion of the original.

The intent of the law was not to bind us in legalism.  Re-read the verse above.  If you have time go to the 19th Psalm and check it out.  The law is there to make life good.  It is there to enrich you.  It is there to lift you up to new heights.  Try to take the word of God in the sense in which it is offered and not the way the theologians tell you what it means.

Being citizens in a country that was established with a belief in the rule of law, and that the rule of law gave us liberty to live our lives, we should be very careful about throwing the law of the Bible out the window.  We get our sense of the rule of law because we believe in a God who believes in the rule of law.  Of course, both are interpreted and applied with mercy and grace.

Make it so when your life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-245: Left Face

I’ve heard others observe and I’ve also seen it.  All organizations and groups of people tend to drift toward what we would call the “left”.  The Democrats have jumped off the deep end and left their life preservers on the edge of the pool while embracing lead weights in their pockets and their hands.  Republicans, the party of stupid, seem to be intent on following that leadership.  I have not read it yet but I understand that the Republican platform removed any mention of abortion.  Who do they think has held them together?  Who do they think has been the most loyal constituency?  How many of us are there who are only Republicans because the Republicans have taken the highroad on moral issues?

Why the drift?

The answer is given in classical Christian teaching.  It comes down to something variously called original sin, depravity or the carnal nature.  In fact we believe that all nature groans under the burden of sin.  If you are not an orthodox Christian you may reject the terminology.  You may find answers in psychology or sociology.  You still have to admit that there is something that needs to be fixed.  Let the Christians try their methods.  You go ahead with yours but don’t try to cripple the efforts of anyone you disagree with you.

When our children were small and we were home schooling them we would often have people express concern that our children were not being socialized.  I was teaching in middle school in the public system at the time and my answer was that if what I saw in the public school is what they call being socialized then no thanks.  I was willing to let them raise their children as they saw fit.  I just wish they would return the courtesy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-244: So Many Theories, So Few Facts

Or perhaps it should be summarized the opposite way.  Have you ever had the feeling that there is so much to know that could be interesting and you just don’t have the time or energy to get into it?

As I was meditating on God being eminent, which means he is involved in our day-to-day lives in an intimate way, the term “chaos theory” popped into my mind, and so I did a little search and some simple reading about what chaos theory involves.  I thought thought chaos theory was trying to make sense out of the chaos in the universe.  In reality it’s simply another form of behaviorism or Calvinism, which says that everything is predetermined.  OK, that sounds good.  I disagree with it but it sounds good.  It doesn’t mix well with the idea of an almighty God created man in his image and gave them free will.  Of course those are my beliefs.

Then I got to thinking about this idea that has been expressed that you can’t know both the location and the speed of particles in space.  That’s a crude summary but you get the idea.  Then you add that this idea that by merely observing something you change it.  I don’t understand how those concepts could work with chaos theory.

The popular summary of chaos theory involves the idea that a butterfly flapping his wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Kansas.  That is close to how it is stated.  The idea is that if the butterfly flaps its wings differently then the tornado is changed.  That seems to be the source of the chaos.  However, if everything is predetermined, the butterfly will not flap its wings differently, therefore, there is no chaos.  All is well and perfectly predetermined.  In the real world, there will be other butterflies, making decisions or grasshoppers, deciding to jump or not to jump.  In the real world that would be so many different possibilities that deterministic analysis will be impossible.

There are times when I wish I could sit down with a cup of coffee or a refillable, soft drink, and go at these ideas, tooth and nail with someone else.  I don’t think it will happen, but I can always hope.

homo unius libri