It’s NOT all about ME? – Finding Center by Looking Up - Purity 587

 

It’s NOT all about ME? – Finding Center by Looking Up - Purity 587

Purity 587 11/27/2021  Purity 587 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of another 2021Thanksgiving Day sunrise comes to us from the Inlet Community Church’s FB page with the warm reminder that it is important to be “thankful to the Lord for the simple things… like a new morning.”  They also shared a portion of scripture to back it up with the word of God indicating that the hope of a new day is God given as the Lord’s “mercies are… new every morning” from Lamentations 3:22-23. 

Today’s Saturday but as I have to work today, I am grounding myself in thankfulness for the small and big things as a remedy to ward of any feelings of discontentment or outrage that “I”, MT Clark has to suffer the injustice of being the victim of circumstance of somehow drawing the short straw of having “MY” Thanksgiving weekend disrupted by work!

Never mind the vast multitudes that had to work on Turkey Day, Black Friday, today and tomorrow, “I”, as in ME, MYSELF, AND I have to WORK, TODAY!

Sure I have I had off Wednesday to compensate for my “end day”, aka having to work Saturday, and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with some of my future in-laws and a peaceful somewhat lazy Friday yesterday, but TODAY, I HAVE to WORK!!! WHY, OH WHY ME???  

Okay, although I used caps on the blog and may have raised my voice on the podcast for dramatic effect to convey that I was a little miffed at the idea of having to work today, I am happy to report that I rarely get offended and angry at the circumstances in life to this extreme extent any longer.   

Since coming to Christ and discovering the fact that in Christ all the problems of life are adequately put in their proper place, I have learned to manage my experience and filter my perspective with a higher view, most of the times… or eventually.     

I no longer look at life, for long anyway, as an opera singer where everything is about “Me, Me, Me, Me… Me!”  No, when I am flustered by the circumstances of life, by others’ attitudes or actions, or by my own personal failings or errors in judgment (Why do I do that!), I find my peace in the truth of who I am in Christ and the fact that I am accepted, significant, and secure because of Him.   

So when I face disappointments I remind myself that God’s mercies are new every morning, meaning that because I am in relationship with Him because of my faith in Christ, every day is a brand new start and it is built upon the fact that the Lord has blessed me in the past and chosen to give me a new day to rejoice, to share His love, and to work through any present difficulties by leaning on His guidance and strength.  

When we shift our focus off of our personal pain, sufferings, or perceived or real injustices and focus on who we are in Christ and our life giving relationship with the Lord, there is really nothing we can’t endure, walk through, and eventually overcome. 

The term “finding you center” is one used by yoga enthusiasts all over the world and is described as “connecting with your spirit by allow yourself to dwell on your innate goodness. Your center is that intangible place located within your core that is the best you possible.”    

While I would describe the process as “finding your center above” by someone who has not received spiritual life through faith in Christ to really be a “soulish endeavor”,  I will admit that employing simple relaxation techniques and meditating on positive affirmations can result in moments of profound peace and clarity.   

The problem is that “finding YOUR center” is a SELFISH practice that is centered in DECEPTION.  YOUR “innate goodness” doesn’t exist.  While God has written His law upon our hearts and it feels good to do good and “be good”, our sin reveals the true proclivity that we have for depravity and our innate “badness”.  

Meditative practices and exercise can make you feel good while you are doing them. You could be such a faithful practitioner that your life would be one exemplified as one being free of conflict and full of circumstantial peace.   

But if you find peace within and by YOURSELF, you have probably disconnected from others in your life in profound ways by manipulating your emotions or interactions and you have certainly separated yourself from reality and the very real and very personal God that created it.    

The practices of peace that men employ only last while you are practicing and without faith in Christ result in eternity in hell.  

While the Christian faith consists of many practices that the enemy will use and counterfeit such as prayer, meditation, service, and contemplating truths that the Lord put into His creation, it promises peace with God through one means and one mean only: faith in Jesus Christ.  

While other religions and philosophies stress working for peace with God or attaining a godlike status through spiritual attainments that will make you one with the universe (doesn’t that belong to God?), Jesus Christ reconciles men to God because of God’s love for us and through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins.  

While we could manufacture peace in the moment by focusing on the positive and thinking happy thoughts,  the only true happy thought comes from a relationship with God through faith in Christ where you are assured of life’s meaning because of your salvation and coming to find your purpose by being reconciled to the Creator of all things who will sustain you and guide you for all eternity.  

So find the peace that lasts forever by being reconciled to the “Center” and Creator of all things, the Lord God Almighty.  Jesus didn’t come so we could enjoy a day of exchanging presents.   Christ came to reconcile us to God and to give us an eternal life of meaning and purpose that starts the moment we accept Him as Lord and Savior when we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and receive spiritual life. From that point forward we can have peace as fruit of the Holy Spirit, a peace that will last forever.

So “center yourself” on the word of God, the truth of who you are in Christ, and on the purpose that God is calling you to.  When you do that it becomes less about “ME” and more about “We” – as you are eternally connect with God who never leaves you or forsakes you and who will continually guide and strengthen you to discover His mercies that are new every day, even on the Saturdays when you will have to work.  

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT2)
⁷  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

 

Today’s verse speaks of the care that the Lord has for us and commands us to lay our burdens down at His feet.  

From the time that we are children, we are assured by loving caregivers that “everything is going to be all right.”   More often than not those assurances are true. We somehow avoided suffering from whatever caused us to worry and we somehow survived and may have even felt silly about our anxieties after we had emerged to the other side of whatever we were worried about.  

The care and love that our parents or caregivers provided was fundamental in how we viewed the world. If their assurances of safety worked out to be true we viewed the world as somewhat logical and secure provided you “did everything right.”   

Even Bob Marley assured us that the world could be a happy place when he sang about how “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”.  Marley died of cancer, melanoma, in 1977 at the age of 36.  So yikes. 

As well meaning as our loved one’s assurances of safety and security may be, the reality of sudden death and disease can make them liars and cause us to have a more grounded view of how “everything is falling apart” or “everything is dying”.  

While these harsh statements are true, God stands above those realities and has eternal kingdom that is unseen and will eventually manifest in our experience with the return of Jesus Christ.  

“Everything is Gonna Be Alright” for those in relationship with Christ.  Today’s verse is written to Christians specifically.  Christians should give all their worries and cares to God because due to our relationship to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, He cares for us.  

While God loves all of His creation, His care comes to and is completely fulfilled to those who put their faith in Christ.  Christians are assured of their eternal lives of acceptance, significance, and security because of Jesus.  

So as Christians we can give all our worries and cares to God because we know that no matter what we face there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love and His eternal plans of good for us.  

So keep walking and talking with God. Cast your cares and worries on the Lord and be sure to walk into your purpose of declaring the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all you encounter as you go. 

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

D. How You Can Escape Eternal Suffering

Personal suffering throughout eternity can be avoided by understanding and accepting 4 vital truths in God's plan.

4 Points of God's Plan

#1. God's Purpose for You... is Salvation.

• —What was God's motive in sending Christ to earth? To express His love for you by saving you! The Bible says ...
      "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)
• —What was Jesus' purpose in coming to earth?
  To forgive your sins, to empower you to have victory over sin, and to enable you to live a fulfilled life! Jesus said ...
      "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

#2. Your Problem... is Sin.

• —What exactly is sin? Sin is living independently of God's standard—knowing what is right, but choosing what is wrong. The Bible says ...
      "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17)
• —What is the major consequence of sin? Spiritual "death"... eternal separation from God. Scripture states ...
      "Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God.... For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23)

#3. God's Provision for You... is the Savior.

• —Can anything remove the penalty for sin? Yes! Jesus died on the cross to personally pay the penalty for your sins.
      "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
• —What can keep you from being separated from God? Belief in (entrusting your life to) Jesus Christ as the only way to God the Father. Jesus says ...
      "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

#4. Your Part... is Surrender.

• —Give Christ control of your life—entrusting yourself to Him ...
      "Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross [die to your own self-rule] and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?'" (Matthew 16:24-26)
• —Place your faith in (rely on) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and reject your "good works" as a means of earning God's approval ...
      "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The moment you choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior—entrusting your life to Him—He comes to live inside you. Then He gives you His power to live the fulfilled life God has planned for you. If you want to be fully forgiven by God and become the person God created you to be, you can tell Him in a simple, heartfelt prayer like this:

Prayer of Salvation

"God, I want a real relationship with You.
I admit that many times I've chosen to go my own way instead of Your way.
Please forgive me for my sins.
Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.
Come into my life to be my Lord and my Savior.
Change me from the inside out and make me the person
You created me to be.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen."

What Can You Expect Now?

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, look at what God says about you!

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Question: "Isn't salvation unfair?"

Answer: Yes and no.

• On the one hand, salvation is unfair because no one deserves to be saved.
• On the other hand, salvation is fair because it is offered to everyone without discrimination. Because everyone is guilty of sin, no one is condemned unjustly. Therefore, the only "injustice" is that sinners can be saved at all ...

"Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)

 

Question: "If God is really a forgiving God, why doesn't He just forgive everyone?"

Answer: God offers to forgive everyone—but not everyone is willing to receive His offer of forgiveness. Justice requires that a penalty must be paid for our sin, and the penalty for our sin is separation from Him (spiritual death)—"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

• Since Jesus paid this penalty by dying on the cross for sins, all who place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ receive full forgiveness of their sins.
• God will not force anyone to receive His forgiveness. Therefore, the choice is up to each of us ...

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

 

Question: "If Jesus is God, why did Jesus have to suffer?"

Answer: Jesus is our Deliverer, our Encourager, and our example ...

• Through His suffering, Jesus made possible your victory over sin and your spiritual healing.
      "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
• Through His suffering, Jesus showed you how to keep from growing weary or losing heart.
      "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.... Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:2-3)
• Through His suffering, Jesus showed you how to endure unjust treatment and to entrust yourself to God.
      "It is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.... To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:19, 21-23)

 Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

A Black Friday Door Buster Deal Like No Other – The Free Gift of Peace - Purity 586

A Black Friday Door Buster Deal Like No Other – The Free Gift of Peace - Purity 586

Purity 586 11/25/2021 Purity 586 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of sunrise on Thanksgiving Day 2021 from the vantage of point of a “retired” friend’s backyard barn which is presumably somewhere in Otsego County in Upstate NY. I say presumably because our retired friend doesn’t advertise their current address on FB and their retired life is far from sedentary as they have been known to share the sights of their travels to various NY State parks, the Adirondacks, and “their cabin” up in Maine.  They also have been known to share photos of various work projects that lead me to believe that the term “semi-retired” is more appropriate because I can’t imagine anyone doing the work they do, repairing chimneys and doing roofs, to be a hobby.

It's Black Friday, that day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas shopping season begins in full force.   It’s a day that quite a few of us will have off to decide whether we want to spend it relaxing at home with Thanksgiving leftovers or to decorate for Christmas, or perhaps to take to the roads to see new sights on an extended weekend trek, or to brave the commercial wasteland of doorbuster deals.

For me, I’m not quite sure yet what the day holds specifically but I know that I won’t be chasing down the latest fad toy like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle all the Way. My adult children are past the age where I may have deemed that to be necessary and I have matured to understand how limited material items are in their ability to satisfy. Running into the chaos of a holiday shopping melee just isn’t on the menu anymore as I take more joy in the reason for the season than the hoopla of the holiday.  

So as we enter into the Christmas season, I pray that all my friends remember the Prince of Peace for whom the holiday is intended to celebrate and to consider that He came to earth to give us rest and his entrance into the world came with angelic tidings of peace on earth and good will toward men.    

So whether you decide to use the weekend to decorate for the upcoming holiday, to fight the good fight of claiming your share of some holiday shopping deals, or just decide to rest after the stress of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to include some contemplation of the reason why we celebrate and why we are here.  

God sent Christ to earth to reconcile mankind to Him and to save us from ourselves.  Our selfish and sinful lives are in opposition to the peace, love, joy, and goodness that the Lord would have us experience through the fruit of the Spirit. 

While sinful man would encourage us to buy our way into happiness, the Lord calls us to accept the free gift of salvation that we can’t buy, work, or fight for.  

The Lord calls us to stop striving and to stop trying to earn the peace and joy that is only possible through a harmonious relationship with Him.  He calls us out of the darkness of the world system and our own efforts to humbly acknowledge our need for rest and peace with Him. 

So connect or reconnect with the Prince of Peace. Know that in Christ death has lost its sting because He gives everlasting life to all who place their faith in Him.  When we know our future is assured to be good, we can enjoy the present. So keep walking and talking with God. His gift of salvation is not for sale on Black Friday, it comes through faith in Christ alone and the burden of a life with Him is light and He will give you rest and peace forever more.

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Psalm 37:5 (NLT2)
⁵ Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

 

Today’s verse speaks of the spiritual reality that God will indeed help us but it indicates there may be some conditions to meet to receive it.  

Our Heavenly Father isn’t a genie in a bottle.  Our Lord is a personal God.  He loves us and cares what happens to us and how we live our lives.  So while just about everyone would gladly take whatever blessings and help that the Lord could offer them, we should understand that typically the help we receive from the Lord is proportional to the relationship we have with Him. 

I often refer to Romans 8:28’s promise of God’s working all things together for good but am quick to emphasize that the promise is for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.   That verse, like today’s verse tells us that God will help us but like today’s verse it also indicates that a relationship with God is required.  Romans 8:28 tells us that the promise for all things being worked together for good is conditional on the recipient loving God and being called to His purposes.  

Today’s verse assures us that God will help you but that help comes to us when we commit everything we do to the Lord and that we trust Him.  

Committing everything we do to the Lord is the disciple’s path where we decide to live according to God’s way by trusting that the word of God can teach us how to live our lives and that we trust God enough to actually apply the Bible’s teachings to our lives on a continual basis.  

The help we receive can include miraculous instances of divine intervention or by being the recipient of God’s providence as His hand influences the “normal” circumstances of time and space to result in favorable outcomes for us.    

But the help we receive from the Lord can also be the result of the consequences of good choices that are made based on God’s word.  By following the Lord’s wisdom for living from the Bible, we can be said to “be those who help themselves” by aligning our hearts and our actions with God’s will for our lives.  

Rather than a disconnected religious recipe of meeting all the conditions of prayer to manipulate the Lord to bless us,  our faith should be seen and lived as a dynamic relationship with Him where we demonstrate our trust and love for our heavenly Father by living as He instructs, seeking His presence, and listening for His guidance. 

God will help us.  So trust in Him and commit everything you do to the Lord  by placing your faith in Jesus and living like one of His disciples.

 

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

E. What Is the Problem of Evil?

The very presence of evil in our world presents a major problem to many people who acknowledge God and His involvement in the world ... people who know the claims about God—that He is morally perfect, all-powerful, and all-knowing. The premise is that evil cannot coexist alongside a good, all-powerful, and all-knowing God because they are mutually exclusive of one another. Therefore, skeptics conclude that the presence of evil in the world negates the presence of a good, all-powerful, and all-knowing God. The problem involves 3 components and 3 assumptions:

If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does He allow evil?

• There are 3 components contained in answering this classic question.
• #1 God is all-good.
• #2 God is all-powerful.
• #3 Evil is present in the world.
• The 3 assumptions are...
• #1 If God is all-good—He would want to prevent evil.
• #2 If God is all-powerful—He could prevent evil.
• #3 If God is all-knowing—He could anticipate evil and therefore stop it!
• If any one component is missing, then you don't have a problem.
• #1 If God is not all-good, the problem vanishes. God is a "cosmic demon" who causes evil.
• #2 If God is not all-powerful, the problem disappears. God is too weak and powerless to stop evil.
• #3 If no evil is present in the world, the problem evaporates. Evil (sin and suffering) is mere illusion.
• However, all 3 components are true, based on the Bible...
• #1 God is good... and He gave people free will, which is good.
      "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." (Psalm 92:15)
• #2 God is all-powerful... and He can do anything that is logical, but it is illogical for Him to both grant free will and constrain it.
      "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:10-11)
• #3 Evil and its effects (sin and suffering) are present in the world... because people chose to exert their God-given free will and disobey God.
      "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Macy Day’s Parade and the Brand New Hope on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Purity 585

Macy Day’s Parade and the Brand New Hope on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams –  Purity 585

Purity 585 11/25/2021  Thanksgiving - Purity 585 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of the boat launch at the Martin Dunham Reservoir in Grafton NY comes to us from yours truly as I went “off road” for a moment on Monday to capture it and to experience the peaceful stillness of being alone in nature right in the midst of a busy workday.  

Today is Thanksgiving and while most of us will be gathered with friends or family to enjoy a holiday meal, my thoughts turn to those who will be flying solo.  I have a friend who did just that and is enjoy their solitude at a resort in Aruba where the fare is more likely to be jerk chicken than Tom Turkey.  But I also know of others that will be in solitary environments today that will be far less tropical and exotic.   

While we can surround ourselves with others, or choose to be isolated with all our familiar comforts, or take it on the road to some tropical resort to manipulate the conditions to give us peace and happiness, unless we have peace within and can maintain it regardless of circumstances we are apt to experience depression despite our best efforts.  

We can also choose to overindulge with food or alcohol to try to comfort ourselves. With the legalization of marijuana in NY state, you even have the option of making Thanksgiving a “green day” with a freedom that was unavailable in the past.  

As a “Christian with a past”, I can testify that I tried all of the above with zeal but can tell you that all my “experimentation and research” has concluded that substances, no matter how elicit or benign, do not provide lasting satisfaction or fulfillment. Substances will not make you happy and are literally a dead end and many will lose their lives today because of the direct effects of substances or due to their influence on one’s health or decisions.   So be safe.  

I have Green Day on the brain this morning, not because I am going to “blaze up”. But because as I started to write this I was thinking of two of their songs.   

As I contemplated those who will be alone this Thanksgiving I thought about the lyrics from Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and how I once thought that they adequately described my life when the song came out in 2004. They say:

“I walk a lonely road

The only one that I have ever known

Don't know where it goes

But it's home to me, and I walk alone

I walk this empty street

On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Where the city sleeps

And I'm the only one, and I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk a-

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me

'Til then, I walk alone”

It’s a great song, but the problem was that I wasn’t walking alone. I had a wife and a family at the time, a good job at least financially speaking, and didn’t want for anything.  But regardless of the promise of the American Dream to bring happiness, those relationships and all the things I had didn’t bring fulfillment.  I still felt alone.

I also didn’t have a relationship with God as I had suffered through some traumatic losses and chose not to believe in a personal God.  Even though I said I didn’t believe, I was trying to find peace in Eastern Mysticism and Monastic practices that sought to control my experience through meditation and changing my perspective.  Even though I found a measure of peace through those efforts, it was a lonely road and even though I would have never admitted it at the time, my searching and working for peace and meaning were evidence that I really wished that “Someone out there” would find me.   

It being Thanksgiving in 2021, I also thought of Green Day’s Macy’s Day Parade and its somewhat prophetic, melancholy but hopeful lyrics.  The song starts out declaring that:

“Today's the Macy's Day parade

The night of the living dead is on its way”

With the dystopian reality that is present and increasing in the “land of the free”, with:

·        “areas of mandatory, and truly useless, PPE”

“Do you feel lucky, punk? Well do ya? Better mask up!”

I thought Covid was over?

It’s never over! Unless we say it’s over!

·       and now with the mandates that will force people to receive medical treatments to retain employment, by our government and those faceless but oh so politically correct corporations who in the Spirit of Nazi Fascism are making Americans truly understand that “freedom isn’t free” and that your personal choices can and will affect where you can pursue your financial happiness.  

With all of that and the political divide in our country going on it does indeed feel that the “night of the living dead is on its way” and if we consider the disengagement of people who are captivated by their cell phones we could make a case that – the night, dawn, and day of the dead has already come.  

But before I get too grim on “Turkey Day”, too late?, Let’s move on to the more hopeful parts of Green Day’s Thanksgiving Holiday song that could inspire us to look past the present days of confusion and past all the things that the world tells us will make us happy. The song goes on to say:  

“Give me something that I need

Satisfaction guaranteed

'Cause I'm thinking 'bout

A brand new hope

The one I've never known

'Cause now I know

It's all that I wanted”

The Brand New Hope, who is Jesus Christ,  found me in my darkest days of walking down the boulevard of my broken dreams as I walked “alone and now I know that my wish for “Someone out there” to find me has been granted. 

Because of the reality of life and death, the only satisfaction that is guaranteed is going to have to be one that goes from here to eternity. That guarantee is found in John 3:16, that says:

John 3:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

When you put your faith in Jesus, you receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and your everlasting life begins.   In Christ, you are forgiven of all your sins and are reconciled to God.  In Christ, we become adopted sons and daughters of the Creator of all things and receive meaning and purpose for our lives as we are called to represent and serve God’s kingdom through sharing His love though good works and by making disciples.   

It's Thursday, and I shared today’s photo because it features a pathway of sorts and I do that to encourage people to get on the path of Christian discipleship that starts with faith in Jesus Christ and continues into God’s will and purpose for our lives.  

So as we gather together to give thanks for all that we have in life today, or if you find yourself alone, remember that in Christ you are never alone for God will never leave us or forsake us when we decide to walk with Him.  

Whether you are in Christ or are just wishing that “Someone out there” would find you, I encourage you to keep seeking the Lord because the peace that God wants you to have doesn’t lie in substances to consume, things to accumulate, or even in our earthly friends and family.  

Ultimate satisfaction that is guaranteed requires a search for the Truth, the Way, and the Life that God has provided.   Christ came to save us and make us new.  So keep walking and talking with God and He will show you where to go and when you find your place in his kingdom you will realize that you have found all that you wanted.  

God bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Romans 11:28-29 (NLT2)
²⁸  Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
²⁹  For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

Today’s verses speak of the harsh spiritual reality that the very people that received the word and blessings of God the Father have turned a blind eye to the Messiah’s coming and that “outsiders” like you and me, us Christians, have benefited from it.  

However, the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still loved by God and the word of God indicates that all the true spiritual sons of Israel will see the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and make Jesus their Lord and Savior someday,  the ones that will live anyway.

Yeah, Revelation paints a disturbing picture that reminds us that only those who stand with Jesus will stand for all eternity and scripture indicates that we must be spiritually born again through faith in Christ to become the children of God.  

That’s enough end times for now. Let’s focus on the good news for today. Although Christ’s return is the best news, the future fulfillment of His coming kingdom and turmoil and devastation that will usher it in may make us lose our appetites this Thanksgiving. 

Instead let’s focus on the thing that can sustain us today and everyday until the day of the Lord: the love of God and the fact that His “gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.”  

When we make Christ our Lord and Savior, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence as children of God.  Nothing we do will change our relationship with God, we are forgiven of all we have ever done or will do, and nothing can separate us from His love, even when we fall into sin or make other colossal errors in judgement.

But enough about me, ha ha, God’s gift of salvation to us is guaranteed and His call on our lives to be fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ is continuous.   So let the love of God rule in your heart and mind to give you peace and to empower you to courageously offer the truth of the gospel to others and to discover and to answer the Lord’s call for your life.

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

D. What Does "Theodicy" Mean?

If it is true that "Life is full of suffering, and then you die," what is the purpose of living at all? This life, however, is but a fleeting training ground for the life to follow—eternal life that will go on forever. God will use the sufferings in this life for our eternal good if we choose to rely on Him.

While this is not the best of all worlds, it is the way to the best of all worlds! Only by giving control of our lives to our Lord and Savior in this life can we be given the next life God has prepared for us.

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

• The word theodicy is a theological term used in apologetics (a defense of the faith) to vindicate the goodness, justice, and existence of God in the face of all the evil and injustice in the world. Those who are convinced that God is absolutely just know that His reputation is not at stake and can state with absolute confidence...
      "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." (Psalm 89:14)
• The Greek word theos means "God," and the Greek word dike carries the idea of "justice." As you increasingly come to know the Lord God, you increasingly have confidence in the character of God.
      "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• Theodicy is a logical defense of the goodness of God despite the existence of evil in the world. Because logical reasoning can be effective in presenting truth to those who have not heard the truth, we are told...

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship