We should not boast…

Please read the following scripture carefully and think about what these words mean to you. Where have you come from? Who are you now? Who is working in you daily?

Eph 2:4-10  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John, the author of a blog called “My Word Like Fire” wrote a post called “Homosexuality in the House of God“. In that post he says…

When will we remember that we too were unsaved sinners?

Do not think all homosexuals are full of hate towards you. And do not make them the object of your wrath, as if you are God. You are not.

But don’t sit there doing nothing (I speak to myself) as this spirit enters the church.

This is so true. I was in conversation with a friend yesterday and we discussed this very thing. We must remember where we have come from. From the seed of Adam, then reborn in Christ as a new creation. We must approach the unsaved humbly and not bash them over the head with self righteousness. After all, it is not in our works that we boast, but in the works of Christ Jesus and the cross.

John, thanks for your post. And thanks for the timely reminder, it is much appreciated.

Filed under: Christianity, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

A brilliant essay on Arminianism and Calvinism

I really enjoyed the essay called ‘Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Arminian’ by Roger E. Olson. So I thought I would share it with you. This essay is balanced and pretty much represents how I feel about Calvinism and Arminianism.

Enjoy…

Powell was concerned about my rather firm Arminian beliefs. One day he took me aside and said, “Roger, you should know that Arminianism has usually led to liberal theology.” Like many Reformed theologians, he believed that an Arminian emphasis on free will grants too much power to humanity and therefore contains a humanistic impulse. While I appreciated his implicit admonition, I knew from my own experience that this was not entirely true. Ever since, I have strived to prove that Arminian theology and an evangelical cutting edge can be combined comfortably.

Filed under: Christianity, Church History, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

Last night…

I had a pretty bad headache last night, so I went to bed early hoping to shake it off. Unfortunately, the headache was there in the background for the whole night and my sleep was not very deep because of it. All night pretty much I had a voice saying Hebrews 6, Hebrews 6 with special emphasis on Hebrews 6:6 which I have highlighted with surrounding text for context. So this morning I read the following…

Heb 6:1-20  Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things–things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,  so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,  saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.  For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

I am just leaving this post as it is for the moment, as I want to read the whole book of Hebrews and do a bit of praying about it and ask the Lord for clarity concerning this part of scripture.

Filed under: Apostasy, Christianity, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Gnosticism, Hebrew, Judaism, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment, mysticism

Proclaiming >>> Assuming >>> Denying

Heb 10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh

The article I am going to post about today hits the nail right on the head — smack bang, right in the middle! It points out that the gospel should ALWAYS be pointing to the cross first and foremost. Movements should not assume this but continue to proclaim this Truth, otherwise there are clear dangers that assumption can lead to denying the very heart of the gospel. It explains what the gospel is and how it should affect the individual personally and collectively within the whole Church Body…

Filed under: Apostasy, Catholicism, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Church History, Dominionism, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Globalism, Gnosticism, Philosophy & Religion, Political/Christian, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

Blue Letter Bible courses – FREE!!!

Just thought I would share something that is quite valuable for those who want to study what the bible says about God. These articles ranging from Christology through to Truth on Origins are written by some really good teachers. David Hocking, Roger Oakland and Chuck Smith are just three that I really like.

Each section has either articles that open up in PDF file or you can listen to them in mp3 format.

Some of the titles included in the Christology part are:

1. The Preexistence of Christ
2. The Angel of the Lord
3. The Messianic Claims of Christ
4. The Deity of Christ

And there is much, much more under each section that you can access.

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Resources, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment , Biblical Studies, Theology, Theology Resources

Resources for the inquiring mind…

You know me, I love to be able to pass on some sites that I have stumbled on that are resourceful. This is one such site. Please note, that I do not necessarily agree with every article posted on this site, use your own discernment. This site has a wealth of information to study and you may want to check it out…

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Resources, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

Why Did Jesus Die?

I thought that this was a very good and thoughtful inspirational testimony…

“Why Did Jesus Die?” A former agnostic wrestles with some of Christianity’s most basic issues By Alan Scholes “It’s fun to debate with Christians because there are so many contradictions in the Bible.” That was my feeling during my years as an agnostic high school and college student. I never called myself an atheist. I felt that anyone who said, “I’m sure that God doesn’t exist.” was being arrogant. How could anyone know whether or not God existed? So I considered myself to be an open-minded agnostic. I loved to argue with religious people–partly because I just liked to argue (with anyone) and partly because they seemed like sitting ducks. I liked to bait them about the problems that I saw in the Bible. But, you know, it was as I found out more about these “problem areas” that I learned what the Bible is all about.

• Read how this former agnostic was challenged at – Why Did Jesus Die?

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

A wonderful article called – Postmodernism and the Uniqueness of Christ

Postmodernism and the uniqueness of Christ

The articles speaks about

1. postmodernism’s pendulum swing and distrust against meta-narratives
2. postmodernism’s relativism and how it deconstructs all manner of truth
3. philosophical pluralism and how it demands a universalism and belief that ALL paths lead to truth

Succinctly it shows how postmodernism is the antithesis of biblical knowledge regarding the uniqueness of Christ and His Truth set out in His Word…

What do we mean when we say “the uniqueness of Christ”? And what are the implications of His uniqueness for a contemporary culture that denies truth and deifies self?

Q. On what grounds can Jesus claim to have unique authority?

A. Jesus taught as one with authority, not like other people. Mark 1:27, Luke 4:36. His authority to speak, His authority to act, in short His ministry and life all derive from who He is.

Q. Read John 5:16-27Where does Jesus authority come from? What sort of authority does He have?

This article goes on to explain how we are to speak about a truth in a way that can be known to a world that pretty much denies that truth can be known in any absolute way…

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Resources, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment , Absolutes, metanarratives, Philosphy, postmodernism, relativism, story of God, Theology, Word of God

These sites seem pretty informative for Christians

bethinking.org aims to bring together the best possible resources for thinking about and communicating the Christian faith. Its goal is to help to prepare all Christians to provide an answer to those who deny the truth of Christianity. Whether that’s answering the attacks of Richard Dawkins, discussing our faith with a Muslim colleague or chatting about the latest episode of Dr Who with a neighbour, bethinking.org aims to provide you with talks and articles that stimulate you to think about your faith and its relation to the world and culture around us, and then to show how Christianity is not only true, but provides the answers to life’s biggest questions.

The technical term for all this is ‘apologetics’. Whether you are a student, at home or at work, we want bethinking.org to help you to talk about your Christian faith in a way that is relevant, attractive, true and culturally aware.

And this one…

Theology Network exists to equip you with top quality theological resources- both articles and audio talks. We believe that Christian theology is the most exciting thing possible since it’s simply about knowing God better.

Both of these sites have some really good articles.

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Resources, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment , Absolutes, Bible, metanarratives, narratives, philosophy, postmodernism, relativism, Theology, Word of God

What about those who’ve never heard the Gospel?

I have actually been asked the above question, have you? Would you know how to answer it biblically?

I really liked this article, it explained things really well…

You may have experienced it yourself. You’re in the middle of a good discussion about gospel issues with a friend. It seems that they understand the main points and are even beginning to grasp the implications for themselves. But just when things seem to be going really well, they wrinkle their forehead and say, ‘that’s all very well, but what about people in remote tribes that have never heard about Jesus? Surely it’s a bit unfair if God’s going to send them to hell?’ What should you say?

Find out how to answer the question…What about those who’ve never heard the Gospel?

Filed under: Christianity, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

The ESV Study Bible, it looks really good!

Thinking about purchasing the new ESV…

The ESV Study Bible was created by a team of 95 outstanding evangelical Bible scholars and teachers. They were chosen, first, because of their deep commitment to the truth, authority, and sufficiency of God’s Word; and, second, because of their expertise in teaching and understanding the Bible. The team of contributors comes from 9 countries, representing nearly 20 denominations and more than 50 seminaries, colleges, and universities.

List of Features: 2,752 pages, 2 million words, 20,000 notes, 80,000 cross-references, 200+ full-color maps, 40 all-new illustrations, over 50 articles, and more than 200 charts The ESV Study Bible was created to help people understand the Bible in a deeper wayto understand the timeless truth of Gods Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality. To accomplish this, the ESV Study Bible combines the best and most recent evangelical Christian scholarship with the highly regarded ESV Bible text. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever publishedwith 2,752 pages of extensive, accessible Bible resources.

Find out more about this bible at – Home | ESV Study Bible | Crossway

Filed under: Christianity, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Resources, Spiritual Renovation, Theology

Genesis 1:1 Richer and deeper than you think…

I continue to love this blog…

C’mon Peter, write the book, you know you want too!!!

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the beginning of my study of Genesis 1:1. When I first began studying Genesis 1:1 in the ancient Hebrew, I remember being amazed at how after 2 months I had yet to exhaust the remarkable wisdom and revelation contained in this one seemingly simple verse.

The one-year older and one-year wiser me now realizes that, even after a year, I still cannot wrap my head around all God has packed into those seven little Hebrew words. [source]

Peter has spend a year in this one verse examining it from every possible angle and has come up with some amazing posts which go into great detail about the ancient Hebrew pictographs.  Each word in this verse is dissected into separate letters. When these letters are presented as their original pictures, the salvation story starts to emerge. A revelation of the whole gospel starts to present itself not just in a collection of strung together words, but as pictorial letters that beautifully illustrates the obvious inspiration of the Hebrew language itself.

I find myself looking forward to Peter’s discoveries as he dissects each word, and each letter which is intrinsically linked to a picture [literally] of the gospel.

Filed under: Christianity, Hebrew, Judaism, Midrash, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

What woman will you choose?

Two must reads…

THE DEATH OF THE SIMPLE
Part 1

A Warning Against Sexual Sin

By: Pastor Bill Randle
“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice. And saw among the simple, I perceived among
the youths, a young man void of understanding. Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the
path to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.” (Proverbs 7:6-9)

The book of Proverbs is God’s psychology. It is startling in its relevance to our current situation, because all
true wisdom is timeless. This story in chapter seven is as current as the Internet and yet as old as the hills.
Wisdom here is personified and is the witness to the destruction of a young person described as both “simple”
and “void of understanding”.

 

and the other…

 

THE DEATH OF THE SIMPLE
Part 2

An Eschatological Warning

By: Pastor Bill Randles

The book of Proverbs like all scripture, is multifaceted, it goes beyond being God’s psychology, as I noted in
the previous post, although it is indeed that. It is also more than a collection of divine maxims, the teaching of
morality, people skills, and practical insights for daily life. It is all that and more, it is in fact prophetic, it is an
eschatological revelation.
Consider the similarity in the structure of Proverbs and the book of Revelation. Both of them have the theme of
choosing between two rival women. The book of Revelation features the vision of the woman in labor, beset by
the beast, sheltered by the Lord, carried away to safety on eagle’s wings. It culminates in the vision of the Bride,
pure and holy, made ready for her heavenly husband, the Lamb.
She has a counterpart in Proverbs, the virtuous woman who fears the Lord. She cries out in the streets to
admonish the simple, she prepares a feast of bread and wine to those who heed her call, and the Proverbs ends
with a celebration of her virtues – gladness that it was she who was chosen and not the other.
But the theme of Revelation features a second woman from beginning to end, the Harlot. She is called “That
woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and teaches my servants to commit fornication…”(Rev 2:20).
She is also seen sitting upon a beast, drunk on the blood of saints and having a brazen headpiece with
blasphemous names written on it. For a little time she is given great power and influence, but ultimately
judgment comes upon her at the end.
She has a counterpart in the book of Proverbs as well, the strange woman. We are told that the words of
Proverbs are given:

“To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; which
forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth to death
and her paths unto the dead. None that goeth unto her return again, neither take they hold of the path of
life.” (Proverbs 2:16-19)

Both are brilliant, certainly something that needs to be heard during these last days!

Filed under: Apostasy, Catholicism, Dominionism, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Globalism, Gnosticism, Judaism, Midrash, New-Age, Occult, Philosophy & Religion, Poetry, Prophecy, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment, mysticism

It’s all about ME, isn’t it???

The first one from Carla called An Absurd Thing.  She quotes one bible verse from two very different bibles.  The first is the KJV:

Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (KJV)

The second is from The Message:

…Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self…

Right??? The paraphrase from The Message is completely off, way off.

Let him deny himself – Απαρνησασθω may well be interpreted, Let him deny, or renounce, himself fully – in all respects – perseveringly. It is a compounded word, and the preposition απο abundantly increases the meaning. A follower of Christ will need to observe it in its utmost latitude of meaning, in order to be happy here, and glorious hereafter. A man’s self is to him the prime cause of most of his miseries. [Adam Clarke]

Then I meander over to Sola Dei Gloria blog and she has a guest poster by the name of Mrs Bucket; she writes an absolutely beautiful testimony of how God can be found in The Hard Places. Of this she writes as her mum struggles with great sickness in her life…

Have you ever really thought about the fact that in order to come into his Temple in the old Testament, his dwelling place you needed to make a sacrifice?

God can heal, God can perform any miracle that suits him but maybe, just maybe your blessing is in something hard, difficult even. Maybe if we stopped looking for a way out we could finally get into the holy of holies, really see his face and his desire for us.

Then she quotes…

Oswald Chambers said “Our Lord’s teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of man, His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure.”

Can you see the difference, The Message is a humanitarian message, it says you must find YOURself, your true self. Yet the gospel is clear in saying that we must sacrifice OURself in order to find a new created Christ-like self:

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children…”

1 Thessalonians 1:6 “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord…”

Doing this is something that comes with spiritual maturity I think, and I am having a little giggle to myself considering my morning with a certain family member; I lover her dearly, God Bless her. 

Can I say…It’s not all about US! We have to grow up and step out of our own little universe.  We can’t be babies [or teens] for the rest of our lives now can we!

That is my morning musing…

Vee

 

Filed under: Christianity, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, RENOVARE, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

Lifehouse’s Everything Skit

This five minute skit is one of the most powerful things I have witnessed in a long time. It brought me to tears. Please take five minutes to watch this amazing video

more about “Lifehouse’s Everything Skit“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: Audio & Video, Christianity, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

Examining the whole body in light of Apostasy!

1Co 11:18-19  For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it. Of course, there must be factions among you to show which of you are genuine!

1Co 11:23-25  For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you-how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed,took a loaf of bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, “This is my body that is for you. Keep doing this in memory of me.” He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me.”

Examine that night when Jesus was betrayed…

Judas the betrayer shared the Lord’s Supper, Jesus examined and then He subsequently brought to the attention the one who betrays.

1Co 11:27-29  Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy [irreverently]manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Yes, we have to examine our selves in light of the Lord’s Supper first and foremost… but have we missed something important… are we to discern the whole body of Christ as a whole which will in turn create the needed factions to show who is genuine.

Do we have in this scripture, a typology of NOT sharing in unclean food and wine that these last days are offering us.

What do you think, I’m curious?

Filed under: Apostasy, Catholicism, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Dominionism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Gnosticism, New-Age, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment, mysticism , Apostasy

The Bride is getting ready to present herself!

I have posted heaps on the division of the Church in regards to the Todd – bam, bam – Bentley fiasco who is endorsed by the totally heretical and unbiblical Elijah – occultic – List. Of that, most of the readers of this personal blog are painfully and prayerfully aware of the Churches sad condition.

Some, unfortunately, are going along with unbiblical practices which have never been part of the faith that was once delivered to the saints — biblically speaking that is. To endorse their unbiblical practices you will find that most refer to the ‘desert fathers’ and Catholic mystics who practiced a form of contemplative/centering prayer often called Lectio Divina. In doing this they have crossed the line and have now stepped outside of biblical boundaries that have been clearly set out for us in the New Testament.

Jud 1:3-4 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

On another front is the issue of ordaining gay bishops in the Anglican Church. This again is causing a separation of sorts within Christendom. This separation being witnessed is horrific as it is not a pretty sight to see any form of amputation, but perhaps it is God sorting out his House because He wants His bride as pure and virginal as she should be.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?

‘Heretic’: The first openly gay bishop is pilloried in the pulpit by a long-haired heckler

Last updated at 02:03am on 14.07.08

Add your view

The world’s first openly gay Anglican bishop was heckled last night as he gave a sermon at a church in London.

The Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the American churchman whose appointment as Bishop of New Hampshire triggered a devastating split among Anglican leaders, was branded a ‘heretic’ by the lone protester.

The long-haired heckler repeatedly jabbed his finger and shouted ‘repent, repent, repent’.

He said the bishop ‘preached the Gospel but departed from it’ and claimed it was he who was behind the schism.

The bishop had to halt his sermon as a slow hand-clap by members of the congregation began in response to the heckling.

• Here you can find the article called – ‘Heretic’: The first openly gay bishop is pilloried in the pulpit by a long-haired heckler| News | This is London

Here is a poll; you can leave comments of up to 4000 characters.

• The Gay Gene and where it may lead

IceRocket Tags: Todd Bentley,Anglican Church,Apostasy,ElijahList

Filed under: Angel Worship, Apostasy, Catholicism, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Dominionism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Gnosticism, Midrash, New-Age, News, Occult, Philosophy & Religion, Political/Christian, Religion, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment, mysticism , Anglican Church, Apostasy, Elijahlist, Todd Bentley

Cardboard Testimony « SamE’s Bible Thoughts

You simply MUST go over to SameE’s blog and watch the eight minute youtube called ‘Cardboard Testimony’… it is one of the most praise worthy youtubes that I have seen in a long time…

Thanks SameE for finding this

To watch the video go to… Cardboard Testimony « SamE’s Bible Thoughts

Filed under: Christianity, Spiritual Renovation , Christian Living, Christianity

YouTube – REAL REVIVAL – 2 of 4 – Asbury College 1970

This video is the second part to something very special that happened in Asbury College back in 1970.

After watching all 4 parts of this video I found that most amazing thing about this revival was how it came about. The Holy Spirit moved upon each one them as one student after another gave their personal testimony.

This revival’s emphasis was never the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but rather the need for repentance of their sins and to get right with God in their own personal lives.

At this revival there was repentance and it was noted that amazing restraint was exercised by the students as the Holy Spirit dealt personally and intimately in each persons life. The students continued to articulate their justification from their sins as they spoke their testimonies and it was then that the wonderful counsellor, the Holy Spirit, began His work on others.

The Holy Spirit interacted personally with each one of them in regards to their continuing sanctification in the grace and forgiveness that can only come from Jesus Christ. They were made humble before a Holy Lord. There was even a sense of fear and awe before the Holy and Righteous God Almighty.

The chapel meeting which should have only lasted 50 minutes, instead it lasted 185 hours non-stop, 24 hours a day; there was no leader of this meeting to direct it, obviously the Holy Spirit did. From there the students travelled far across America to give their testimony which sometimes took less than five minutes. It seemed that the less was said, the more the Holy Spirit spoke.  Conviction continued to break out as truly humbled hearts were broken ready for the Holy Spirit to repair and make new.

This is the type of revival that I pray for.

IceRocket Tags: Revival

Filed under: Christianity, History, Spiritual Renovation, Theology, discernment

I have to get butter…

This is a highly personal blah, blah, blah post.

Today, I feel like my throat is about to explode from the heat because of a throat infection. I feel sick, and my whole body aches. And just yesterday, I found out that my blood test had an abnormal count which was tested for rheumatoid arthritis as well as full body inflammation. The doctor asked if I had any other joints that ached and for how long etc… HAhahaha [as I laugh manically]… I thought I was imagining all of these stinken symptoms.

Obviously NOT!

There may be light at the end of the tunnel though. I have to have more tests because whatever it is I have, may well be viral, [how many more times can I say have in one sentence??? Okay, the word is looking stupid to me now]. So we have to [crying now] monitor my progress by having blood tests to see if they read at the same level or have dropped. My next one is around 6 weeks. I hope it is viral, coz, I am NOT a fan of these aches and pains I am currently feeling.

I feel …. well ….

Tired and sick, and sick and tired of myself.

Blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I was reading some stuff in my email that I receive and this week for Jewish people they have been learning about Aaron lighting the menorah and the significance of it for their daily lives.

How does this relate I hear you ask???

Well just let me quote you something…

This week’s parsha describes how Aaron, the high priest, would light the Menorah every day in the Tabernacle. The verse emphasizes that “Aaron did as was commanded” (Numbers 8:3). The commentators point out that this was a special praise of Aaron, in that he didn’t divert from the prescribed method of lighting the Menorah.

Nachmanides explains that the praise of Aaron is that even though the job could have been delegated to someone else, Aaron always did it himself – throughout the entire 40 years in the desert.

The Sfas Emes says that beyond this, Aaron lit the menorah, day in and day out, with the same degree of fresh enthusiasm. The same task always appeared in his eyes as new. Now that’s truly deserving of praise!

Think about your own life. We all have tasks that we perform on a daily basis: meeting with clients, dinner with the family, even saying the Shema. The question is: Do we fall into a habit of rote, where the joy and meaning has somehow dissipated into a whirl of mindless motion?

So really this week is about obligation, and how we all have some form of obligation…

Human beings are pleasure-seekers. Most people seek pleasure in careers, vacations, cars and homes. In our generation, many people grumble about obligations as unpleasant aggravations. Perhaps that’s why many today wait so long to get married. Imagine being tied down with responsibilities and children to support!

This is a shallow view. It may be difficult to fulfill obligations, but there’s tremendous pleasure in getting done what has to get done. You’re actualizing your potential. That’s real meaning, real pleasure. It’s energizing.

Today, I have to get butter, we are scraping the bottom of the tub [as am I]. I am obliged to do this. I don’t feel like doing this, but butter doesn’t get itself from the shop into my fridge. I just wonder if in this obligation I can feel energised — and am I actualising my potential? Or maybe by doing this, my family will be soooo happy and I will find them jumping for joy that they can have a sandwich or a piece of toast, and in their happiness, I should be happy too!

Okay…sarcasm noted…

I’m sick, let me wallow!

Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.

It’s hard sometimes isn’t it?

Filed under: Christianity, Hebrew, Judaism, Midrash, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Spiritual Renovation, Theology