Purity 295 12/19/2020
Good morning!
Today’s photo is from the familiar vantage point of my kitchen window “down
by The River” that I took yesterday afternoon that displays the aftermath of the
Wednesday to Thursday snowstorm and the magnificence of the sun blazing in the
sky and reflected on the Hudson.
This vision reminds me of the theme of “Fire and Ice” that is sometimes
played out in dramas like in Rankin and Bass’s “The Year with out a Santa Claus”
holiday special, in the persons of the “Heat miser” and “Snow-miser”, or at parties
where Fireball and Rumple Minze or other drinks that run hot and cold may be
served.
While I might suffer through the Rankin and Bass special again, I choose
to avoid the potent potables of the past but sometimes “Fire and Ice” make
their way into your life without your choice, and we can only deal with the consequences
when they come.
Wednesday evening, as I was mentally preparing for the snow to come, I
received the news that there was a fire at my previous residence and that my
ex-wife was staying at my stepdaughter’s house. It was mid-evening when I got this news, and I
didn’t know what to do at the time. I called my ex but only got her voice mail
as I later discovered her phone was lost in the fire. With the snow on the way, I didn’t feel
running over to the old house was wise and decided to wait and see.
As part of our divorce, my ex and I have agreed to sell the house, but she
could stay there until she is ready to sell it, provided that she pays the
mortgage. The circumstances of our agreement and the financial realities of the
situation left me to face the fact that I will see little or no money from the
sale of the house, causing me to take a second job last year and to make a plan
to get out.
The Lord blessed my socks off the first six months of this year in ways
that were difficult to understand but I followed His leading and it resulted in
my exodus to my new home “down by the River”. So my kids and I, and all our possessions, are
safe and sound in the home the Lord provided.
My ex-wife contacted me and admitted that the fire was caused by a
cigarette butt left burning in the master bedroom. She luckily was downstairs when the fire
started but by the time, she discovered it, the fire had spread and was too big
for her to put out. She called the fire
department and they arrived quickly and doused it. She describes the bedroom as “gutted” and is
in contact with the insurance company to put in a claim and have the damage
repaired.
I thank God that she is safe and that she is taking the necessary steps
to deal with the situation. I advised her that I would sign any paperwork,
offer assistance, and recommend contractors if she needed it. She said that she would pay the insurance
deductible and would be in contact when she knows what she is going to do.
Before I knew all this, I was anxious about what I was going to have to
do and what role I should take in fixing this mess that I didn’t know any details
of. I went to the Lord in prayer and I
felt in my spirit that I was to offer help when asked, but to not jump into
things like I normally would when a problem comes – taking all the
responsibility myself to fix things. So,
we will see how this all plays out as the days progress.
This situation reminds me of times in the past, where after becoming a Christian,
I would encounter people in need and would rush into help only to find out that
the people in need were mostly victims of the consequences that they had put
into motion. I remember several
instances in which the church I attend, other brothers and sisters in Christ, or
I, myself, have poured time, resources, and money into our attempts to help
someone in need only to watch all those efforts go “up in smoke” as the person eventually
rejected our fellowship or further assistance when they had received the
material things we had to offer.
One person I attempted to help seemed to mentally create a “wish list”
of things they “needed” when I offered to help out. I discerned that they had
been taking from people most of their lives and as soon as I had suggested changes
in their lifestyle, I quickly found out that they were only interested in “the
things” that I might give rather than any help to change their course.
I don’t suggest that my ex-wife is like this. In fact, one of the things
I admired about her in the beginning was her strength and independence. I am hoping that this crisis will cause her
to plan for the future and perhaps put the house on the market after the
repairs are done. Regardless of what
happens, I am glad she is safe, will allow her to choose her course (as our
divorce has been final for quite some time), and provide the help she needs if
she requests it.
But I do think that we, as Christians, have to be careful and discerning
when we get a “feeling” to rush in and help someone in crisis. Sometimes the
Lord causes trials in our lives to allow us to grow. I know that has been the case for me!
Reading a Jay E. Adam’s commentary of the Bible, I recently saw this
note for John 12:27 which said: “Jesus did not follow feelings but acted
according to His responsibilities”.
I thought it was a keen observation of Christ’s example that we should
follow.
As my old patterns give me the “feeling” to rush on in and “save the day”,
my responsibilities are no longer where they used to be. So I will wait and see
what the Lord calls me to do in this situation.
Scripture advises to help a fallen brother, but to be careful not to
fall down yourself while you are trying to help them up. So tread lightly, my friends.
Keep walking and talking with God and He will see you through with
wisdom and grace.
(There is More at the restricted blog). Follow me on Twitter, MeWe, or
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Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)
This morning’s
meditation verses were:
Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall
live by faith."
There is so much in these verses! First – no, we are not to be ashamed
of the gospel of Christ! We have to identify
as Christian. This story of the son of
God sent to be born of a virgin and to die for our sins only to raise from the
dead, and to literally fly off to heaven to later return to remake the earth in
the heavens is our story!
As ridiculous as it may seem to modern man who is perishing, we know
that it is a true story and that it has the power to save us! We also know it is available to everyone (Jews
and Greeks), but the catch is that they must believe it too in order to be
saved. The gospel of Christ gives us new
life and life eternal.
So we are not to be ashamed of it
– and that means we admit to believing it and we endeavor to tell others that
it is true, and that it is powerful.
Verse 17 says that “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith”
- what does that mean? It means that God’s
righteousness will be displayed in us as we grow.
Yes, our faith is progressive – I start by having faith in the gospel, I
believe. Then as I read the word, I have faith that this book, the Bible is
actually the word of God and is true.
Then I have faith that God has given me the power, through the Holy Spirit,
to actually live it! From faith to
faith to faith! We grow in faith as we
continuously follow Him and learn more of the word of God and apply it to our
lives experientially! Our faith is alive and continuous, if we follow.
So we believe it and then we live it – that is what “the just shall live
by faith” means. Christianity is not
just a set of beliefs but is God’s truth lived out in our lives here and now.
Our faith becomes alive when we “believe” and actively choose to apply
those beliefs to our lives in all that we do. We are to forsake the ways of the
world that lead to corruption and death and embrace the ways of God that are
wisdom and life!
Today we continue chapter 7 of Anderson & Baumchen’s Finding Hope
Again, where the authors discuss the roots of helplessness and ways to overcome
helplessness, beginning with the suggestion of proper food and rest and dietary
supplements.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and
encourage all to purchase Anderson’s books for your own private study and to
support his work:
Roots of
Helplessness
Most learned helplessness is the result of early
childhood experiences. Lacking the presence of God in our lives and the
knowledge of His ways, we learned how to survive, how to defend and protect
ourselves.
Many people have felt defeated from the
beginning because the messages they received from the world were often
negative: "You can't do that, you'd better let me do it";
"You're not big enough or smart enough"; "You'll never amount to
anything"; "It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, so be careful and
watch your backside." Upon hearing these kinds of messages, it is no
wonder that we start to believe in our own helplessness.
It has been estimated that 95 percent
of the world's population is pessimistic by nature. Even the weatherman says,
"There will a 35 percent chance of rain tomorrow." He never says
there will be a 65 percent chance of sunshine. The news anchors don't tell us
about the good things that happened that day, they only tell the bad news.
Three news helicopters and 25 policemen will follow a fugitive in a car pursuit
for hours, but nobody follows the good guys who set about their day encouraging
others. That cannot help but give the general population a distortion of
reality.
Blessing snatchers can be found
everywhere. "Oh, I see you bought that brand of car. I bought one once,
and it was a lemon." Even in churches, people are prone to point out the
imminent dangers and the sad state of affairs in the world, rather than to
encourage one another to live above difficult circumstances by having great
confidence in God. "I heard that you have just become a Christian.
Congratulations—now you have an enemy you never had before!"
Overcoming
Helplessness
Proper Food and Rest
We mentioned earlier the research by Dr. Henn (as reported
by Papolos), which concluded that just as neurochemistry affects behavior,
changes in behavior affect neurochemistry. In such cases, a physical
intervention may need to take place to jump-start the process of recovery. Such
may have been the case in the Bible account of the prophet Elijah, as he fled
from the wicked queen Jezebel.
Elijah showed incredible confidence in
God and was even recognized by the king's men as the "man of God" (2 Kings 1:9, 11, 13). Elijah had
witnessed the incredible power of God displayed against the prophets of Baal
(see 1 Kings 18).
But when Jezebel heard of it, she responded, "So may the gods do to me and
even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow
about this time" (1 Kings 19:2).
Elijah was afraid, and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba, in Judah,
he left his servant there while he went a day's journey farther into the
desert.
Why did Elijah flee? This great man of
God believed a lie, just as any one of us can. Then he cried out in despair,
"'I have had enough, Lord,'...'Take my life; I am no better than my
ancestors.' Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep" (1 Kings 19:4,
5, NIV).
Elijah was exhibiting all the classic
signs of depression. He was afraid and fatigued, and felt that he was a
helpless failure and all alone. That can potentially happen to the best of
us—especially after a mountain-top experience. We are most vulnerable when we
are brimming with confidence but our energy is sapped from victoriously
fighting the good fight. That confidence in God could easily turn to
self-confidence when we let down our guard. "Therefore let him who thinks
he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).
Back to Elijah, in the midst of his
depression: "Behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him,
'Arise, eat.' Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake
baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down
again" (1 Kings
19:5, 6). God in His mercy prescribed some food and rest for His
discouraged servant.
When our electrolytes are depleted and
our body is malfunctioning for lack of nutrition, then we need to address these
deficiencies through good nutrition, rest and exercise.
What
About Diet Supplements?
Many health-food experts recommend supplementing our
diets with amino acids for depression. The most common is DLPA
(DL-phenylalanine), which is available in capsules at health-food stores. It is
nontoxic, but it may increase blood pressure. Authorities usually suggest
taking DLPA along with vitamin C, vitamin B6 and fruit or fruit juice about 45
minutes before breakfast.
Taken on an empty stomach, DLPA is
absorbed into the blood, then the brain, which uses it to synthesize more of
the neurotransmitters that increase wakefulness and energy. Another amino acid,
L-tyrosine, has a similar effect on brain chemistry.
A common herbal treatment for
depression is St. John's wort. Researchers have shown that this herb can
improve the mood and the quality of sleep in depressed people. It can be bought
over the counter, but we recommend that you consult a nutrition-trained doctor
or health-food expert for proper dosage.
God created many fruits and vegetables
that were intended to be cultivated and harvested to preserve human life. Isn't
St. John's wort created by God? Probably many other natural cures were created
by God that are waiting to be discovered. Because of the pressures of living in
these last days, the proper balance of rest, exercise and diet is even more
essential. Couple that with the fact that the soils that produce our grains are
becoming more and more depleted of their mineral content. Thus it may be more
necessary than ever to supplement our diets with vitamins and minerals.
Another nutritional remedy that should
be considered for depression is vitamin B12. A B12 deficiency is notorious for
causing a variety of changes in the way our nervous system functions. This
deficiency can be corrected in some patients through a B12-rich diet or
nutritional supplements, but often this will not be sufficient. That is because
the deficiency is frequently caused by the person's inability to absorb the
nutrient in the intestines. So the vitamin needs a more direct route into the
body through monthly injections, which have helped many people who had symptoms
of depression. Blood tests can verify B12 deficiency if they are specifically
asked for.
Finding Hope Again: Overcoming Depression.
------------------------------more on Monday-------------------------
God bless
you all!
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