DanL

Attention, people of Worthy. Chocolate Cream Pie (with a graham cracker crust) has already been duly nominated and voted upon by the chatters of Worthy. This election, while not exactly adhering to all the miniscule details of Roberts Rules of Order or a true Democracy, is complete legit. Any attempts to oust the venerable CCP will be considered seditious, heretical, and, well, just plain crazy by myself and possibly Steve. (If I can talk him into a totalitarian Pie State.) DanL

I have written a petition on the White House's "We The People" website. This site lets anyone petition the Obama Administration. Right now, it only has one signature. (Yes, mine) It will not be visible to the American public until it gets 150 signatures. If it gets 100,000 signatures within 30 days, the Obama Administration will respond to it. (They don't have to actually do what the petitions says, but they will respond.) Please click the link and if you agree, sign the petition. I feel this is incredibly important for our nation. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/call-time-national-humility-fasting-prayer-and-repentance-seeking-face-one-true-god/Tk45c8r4 I do not do facebook or twitter, so if you would like to post the link on those sites or any other site you feel is appropriate, please do so. Thank you and God bless! DanL

Insomnia Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.(Daniel 6:18 ESV) The National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 Sleep in America poll showed that 58% of adults in the U.S. experienced symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week or more. It’s something we’ve all experienced at some time or another and something I used to have a problem with. I praise the Lord that I can now talk about it in the past tense, because it is God who blesses me with a good night’s sleep. I have found the following prayer very helpful: (It’s not always exactly the same, and this is just how I pray for sleep. It doesn’t mean you must pray in exactly this way.) “Lord, I praise you and I worship you. I bless your Holy name Lord, and I thank you for all the wonderful gifts you have given me. (Go ahead and mention as many as you can think of.) I am in awe of the majesty of your creation. (Be still and think of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets you have seen, the night sky filled with stars, the time you saw the Grand Canyon, the beautiful bird you saw in your back yard, a lake in northern Minnesota, or whatever comes to mind as beautiful, peaceful, and awesome. Let the majesty and the beauty of the Lord fill your soul.) Lord, I thank you for your Son, Jesus, and I confess my sins now. (Search your soul and confess anything which bears any guilt to Jesus. Make sure you forgive anyone who has sinned against you.) I humbly ask your forgiveness, Jesus. I thank you and I praise you, my Savior for cleansing me of all unrighteousness and removing my sins as far as the east is from the west. Thank you, Lord Jesus! (Know that your sins truly are forgiven!) Lord, I ask that you would help me to fall asleep quickly and that you would protect me from evil while I sleep. (I find this a good point to ask protection for loved ones also.) Lord, if I must dream tonight, please grant me holy dreams. Help me to sleep peacefully and soundly. Help me to wake up renewed and refreshed and ready to serve you. Help me to wake up in the morning with a song of love for you in my heart and words of praise for you on my lips. Amen.” If you continue to have trouble after praying, go back to praise. Remember that honest and true praise of God is something the enemy cannot tolerate. It’s a simple prayer and waking up with praise and worship for the LORD in your heart is a wonderful feeling. Oh, and don’t feel bad if you fall asleep before you finish the prayer because that is like falling asleep in His arms. I hope this helps you and blesses you! Oh, and remember that God gave us many excellent and blessed health care professionals. You should see a doctor about serious sleep problems. Do you have a prayer that helps you sleep? Today’s Praise. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 ESV)

If God didn't want us to remember Jesus' birth, why did he give us that beautiful account of it in Luke 2?

I should have added to the original post that there is much, much more to it than just keeping us humble. So, go ahead, there is indeed much more to be said than I have written.

Why does God not heal all? We know the Bible says Jesus healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, and even raised the dead. We know Jesus said with faith we can move mountains and that whatever we ask will be given to us. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” So, why are so many of us still afflicted with disease, illness, pain, and all sorts of maladies? If you ask a dozen Christians, a hundred Christians, a thousands Christians, “How many of you are completely healed of every physical and mental illness?” there will be silence. No one, Christian or not, is 100% healed of everything. Surely, God could heal us, so why not? Yes, sin and death entered the world at the fall, but didn’t Jesus pay for all those sins on the cross? Is our healing only spiritual? Did God stop healing when Jesus rose? Yes, our sins are paid in full. No, our healing is not solely spiritual. No, God still heals. An often-quoted verse on this subject is Paul’s writing on the “Thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The first verse in this section should catch our attention, as it contains the same phrase twice—“lest I should be exalted above measure.” The Bible does not repeat itself without reason. In fact, the sentence begins and ends with that same phrase. That phrase in the original Greek is “ὑπεραίρωμαι” and it means “to raise oneself up, to become haughty, arrogant.” The ESV uses the word “conceited” in this passage. So, Paul begins the discussion of his malady by clearly giving us the reason he has such a thorn in the flesh—to keep him from becoming arrogant. In other words, the thorn keeps him humble. As we look through the Bible, not once does God ever associate pride with something desirable in His people. Proverbs 21:24 A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride. Ezekiel 7:10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; The rod has blossomed, Pride has budded. On the other hand, God speaks of the humble in this way: Psalm 147:6 The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. God tells Paul His grace is sufficient for him and His strength is made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul follows that verse with two verses saying he will gladly brag and enjoy his sickness and everything that bothers you and I for the sake of Jesus!—and that doing so will cause the power of Jesus himself to rest upon him! And, then, there’s that verse that is so hard to figure out—“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” What!?!?! How can the weak be strong? How can a crippled or blind or lame or drug-addicted or thieving or murdering or poor or stuttering or mentally ill person be an effective witness for Christ? Because the best witnesses are those who have received the greatest grace—forgiveness where there was condemnation, peace where there was turmoil, faith where there was doubt, and love where there was none. We are they.

I would like to change my position on OSAS. In my first post on this topic, I related a personal witness and concluded that we could never know if OSAS was true or not because we could never know the heart of any individual to know whether they were truly saved to begin with. While I continue to maintain that only God knows the heart for sure, I now believe that OSAS is incorrect. And, I most certainly agree with Romans 8:38 & 39: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. All things listed in that verse are external forces. The verse does not negate our free will. I now believe, given the volume of scripture that cautions us to fight the good fight, put on the full armor of God, resist the adversary and many other admonitions, that it is possible to walk away from God even after being saved. Indeed, scripture implores us to be vigilant that we do NOT slip into sin and lose the precious gift given us. If this beautiful and precious gift of salvation required no maintenance, if it came with no personal responsibility for its care, would it be as valuable? God is perfect and His plans are perfect. While it is possible for us to slip away, stumble, fall, and make fools of ourselves, Jesus is always there holding out His hand, ready to lift us up and out of the crashing waves. Let us always keep our eyes on Him. Be blessed, oh ye saints.

You know, when I woke up this morning, it occurred to me that all of our questions on this topic are answered in the parable of the prodigal son. Yes, we can walk away at any time, take our inheritance and fritter it away. (Yes, we have free will.) If we do that, we should not be surprised if we end up in a really bad situation that causes us to reconsider the consequences of that decision. (Note that this is not God sending lightning bolts. It's the natural consequence of letting sin rule our lives.) But, our Father will not only take us back, He will come running to welcome us home. So, is it okay to just run off when ever we want and do whatever we want? The father in that parable answered the jealous son that while the other son had run off, he was dead. Dead and feeding pigs? Not so much, thanks.

Okay, after 52 pages, at what point do we find ourselves straining out the gnat and swallowing the camel? Let's try a simple experiment: (Note: Use of male pronoun a personal choice based on number of letters to type. Not significant to discussion.) Suppose you meet someone who is a new believer. He believes Jesus is Lord. He believes His death on the cross as a holy and spotless lamb of sacrifice paid for all his sins. He has confessed his sins, repented, and believes his slate clean. He knows in his heart he will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. He openly thanks God that this salvation is a free gift of grace and not of his works or intelligence or anything he could take credit for. And he asks you, knowing that you are fellow believer who has studied God's Holy Word more extensively than he, "I won't lose what I have been given, will I?" I, or one, would have no problem assuring that new believer that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ--neither height, nor depth, nor anything. Our almighty, omniscient Father is more than capable of preserving us unto salvation, and He lets none slip through His hand. I would not say, "As long as you're a good boy and always clean your plate." Then he says, "But what if I mess up and sin again?" Easy answer: "Oh, that'll happen for sure. But, God loves you and His mercies are new very day. Forgiveness is there for the asking. As you grow in your faith and your walk with Jesus, you will find it easier to resist temptation and you will grow closer to the Lord over time. Remain in the word. Pray continually. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Our obedience is an offering of praise, not some carrot and stick deal. Yes, the Lord disciplines those He loves, but to teach them in love to grow and produce fruit. (Please ignore the carrot and fruit mixed metaphor.) Then, he asks, "So, I can do anything I want and God will just forgive me everytime?" I would want to say, "What? Are you 13 years old?" but I wouldn't. I would hope I'd say, "Is that how you think we should return God's love? If all things are permissable, are all things beneficial? By no means!" Then what if he said, "Well, what if I decide after awhile that I don't like it anymore and want to go back to the way I was?" I would also have no problem telling that new believer that God would never strip anyone of their free will. And, then I would think to myself that because he asked that question, everything he told me about how much he believed was a lie--For what fellowship has darkness with light? Do you see the line in the sand with the questions? The first (concern with a loss of salvation) is a legitimate question, though based on a lack of scriptural knowledge. The inflooding of love and mercy and the joy that comes with it could surely cause our human weakness to fear its removal. Assurance and love is called for. The second question is also legitimate. (Dealing with sin after salvation.) It's born of a genuine concern with pleasing God who has just saved this person. Guidance and scripture are called for. It's the same answer we give the back-slidden seeking return to the fold. There is often great heartache. It's not uncommon for a genuine believer to say, "I know God can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself." That's the adversary at work and requires much healing. The third question (sin more that grace would increase more) is just being a smart-aleck. It shows a readily apparent lack of real faith. It mocks God and deserves a short, correcting answer. (If asked in chat, I would anticipate the boot within one or two sentences following if apologies were not made.) The last question (going back to a life of sin and rejection of salvation) is something a troll would ask. Would a man dying of thirst in the desert offer to give you back the drink of water you just gave him? Would a starving man give you back your loaf of bread after spitting out the first bite? No offense intended, but some of the debate here seems more of an intellectual ping-pong game rather than an effort to lift up, support, and encourage fellow believers--or, more importantly, equipping each other to save the lost.

Shiloh, I agree. And, have you ever seen any process in your life (or anyone else's, for that matter) that took place in a straight line? Are there not always peaks and valleys? God sees the book already written. All of eternity is laid out before Him and He knows it all. We're on page 3 somewhere. Well, I am anyway.

1 Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (emphasis mine) When we are saved is it our flesh that is saved? Or, does the devil attempt to use the flesh that remains to confound and render ineffective those who are saved? (fallen televengelists duly noted) If nothing can snatch us from His hand, and the adversary knows that, isn't his best tactic then to extinguish our light? Ephesians 4: 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Putting on the new man sounds much more like a process than an instantaneous change.

Good point alien. I really should have made it clear that sometimes God does heal for His glory and in mercy. The thing that struck me is how no one is completely healed of everything. That's saved for heaven.

The other night in chat, someone suggested I write on the topic of “healing.” I serve on a call-in Christian radio prayer line, and I can tell you the number one prayer request is for healing. The conversation went on for a bit and I got to thinking about all the Christians I meet who have something within them that they would like healed. I don’t remember my exact words, but I asked a question something like, “How many in the room right now are completely free of anything that needs healing?” Dead silence. Out of at least a dozen people actively participating in the conversation, not one was completely free of the need for healing. So, if we serve a mighty God--an omnipotent, loving, Father who could heal every affliction of any kind in the blink of an eye, why was every believer present still in need of healing? 2 Corinthians 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Now, that’s a common verse to quote to the suffering, but it’s often cold comfort because it can be so hard to understand. Why in the world would Paul tell the Corinthians that when he was weak, then he was strong? What? I think it becomes clear when we look at the whole of what Paul said. Paul starts out with “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations…” That phrase “lest I should be exalted above measure” occurs twice in the same sentence. When scripture repeats itself, you can be sure a point is being made. Paul wrote a huge chunk of the New Testament. Today, he certainly is “exalted above measure.” Cities and churches around the world are named for him. (As is the capitol city in my home state of Minnesota.) Prior to becoming an apostle, Paul had been of the ruling class of the Jews, a Pharisee. This is how he describes himself in Philippians 3: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But, look at the very next verses following: 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Quite a contrast, right? And the phrase that jumps out of that paragraph for me is “the fellowship of His sufferings.” So the thorn in the flesh, sent by Satan to buffet him, is not taken away by God who explains only “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” We know grace is God’s undeserved love and mercy. God is right. Surely His undeserved love and mercy is enough for any of us, because that grace means we are forgiven and will spend eternity in heaven with Him. But how can His strength be made perfect in our weakness? Throughout the Bible, God chose the humble to do His work: Moses, the son of a slave and a murder, of whom the Bible says, “Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) David, the youngest son of a sheep farmer and a mere boy when he was anointed king of Israel. The disciples: common fishermen, a tax collector, regular guys. Look what Mary sings to God when she learns she is to bear His son: 46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” And what does Jesus say of Himself in Matthew 11? 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Again and again, the Bible clearly shows us how much God values humility over pride. Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate Psalm 25:9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. Psalm 69:32 The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live. Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Matthew 18:4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven So, this is why Paul says, Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. It is our very weakness that brings glory to God because we are not perfect. We are not kings and rulers and people of high position with perfect bodies and perfect cars and perfect homes and perfect spouses. No, we are ordinary, lowly folk given the greatest gift in all the universe: 2 Corinthians 4:7 New International Version (NIV) 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Yes, we are jars of clay--fragile earthen vessels easily fractured, carrying the best gift ever given to humanity: the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ! And, in our weakness and all that humbles us and afflicts us and brings us low, we are equipped to minister to others! We can understand the suffering of others because we ourselves have suffered. We can support, lift up, and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ precisely because in all those infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, and distresses we are equipped to minister to fellow believers and witness to the lost. We can weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn. We can lead them to the light that is Jesus Christ that they will no longer stumble in darkness. We can show them where there is water they can drink that will well up in them so that they will never thirst again. When we realize that we will never have perfection in these earthly bodies and learn to praise God for those imperfections, we can guide others to the peace that passes all understanding precisely because we are not perfect people. And in serving others, we realize that we are not put here for ourselves, but to love God and love each other. That is the power of Christ in us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT!

"The devil has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all" I recently heard a preacher say the adversary has only one weapon--his lying mouth. Both statements can be true. And, yes indeed, it does mean a nagging, argumentative wife is like a dripping faucet. I'm sure there's a corresponding verse somewhere about a cheating, lying, drunken, no-account husband.

Excuse me for coming in on the tail end of this-much debated topic. Many of you have a much greater Biblical knowledge than I, but I can witness what God has done in my life on the topic: I know I was saved at a young age. I believe it was a Vacation Bible School and I could not have been more than 9 years old. I clearly felt the presence of Jesus. I know I believed. I was filled with light and warmth and even as a youngster it changed the way I looked at things and lived my life. Yes, I felt born again. Yes, there was a renewing of my mind and spirit. Later, in my teens, the death of my mother and the lure of drugs drew me into a sinful lifestyle. At one time, I even called myself an "agnostic." I openly stated no one could know for sure God existed. But, even I was living that sinful lifestyle, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit was there saying, "You know this is wrong." Eventually, everything came crashing down. I was camped in a tiny tent in South Dakota when a tornado passed over me in the middle of the night. There are no atheists in fox holes and there are no agnostic hippy druggies in pup tents under a tornado at 2:00 AM in Murdo, South Dakota. I prayed that the LORD would save my miserable life. I made promsies about quitting drugs and going to church. As I drove my motorcycle past the Stuckey's Truck Stop with its missing roof, eastbound on I-90, I thought to myself, "Man, there is no way you're going to keep those promises you made to God." And I numbed the nagging feeling I had with more drugs. One day shortly there after, after a night of drinking and drugs and throwing up, I looked in the bathroom mirror and saw a piece of garbage. I could no longer run from the lies or cover them over with dope. Within two years of the promises I made in that pup tent, I was sober and attending church. That was 28 years ago and the LORD has not stopped changing me every day. So, is my security in Jesus eternal? Absolutely! The Bible says so. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” As far as I can find, God never says "I promise.." in the Bible. Oh, many times His promises are spoken of. Everything God says is true. Everything he says, He will do. He does not have to say, "I promise" because everything he says is most certainly true. There is no need to assure us that this particular statement or intent to act is anymore likely to happen than another. God does everything He says He will do. Now the hard question: In my witness above, was I saved once and always saved? Or, when I denied God existed with my mouth and my actions were not those of one living in gratitude for salvation, had I given up my salvation? Let's say I had died in that tornado BEFORE I called out for Him to spare my life. Does being saved mean going to heaven when you die? Would I have gone to heaven? I belileve the answer is "yes." Remember, in my heart I knew what I was doing was wrong. Even when I called myself an agnostic, in my heart I still believed. I only claimed to be an agnostic to numb the guilt of a lifestyle I knew was wrong and justify it. It was a lie and my heart knew it. I will concede this fact: Had I died in that tornado and stood before Jesus, I would have had some esssplianing to doooooo. We are accountable for our actions. Consider the thief on the cross: Luke 23: 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” There it is: The thief had lived an ungodly life. But he admitted he was sinner, believed Jesus could save him because of who He was, and confessed Jesus as Lord. And, unlike us, he did it before Jesus rose from the dead! Now, does this mean we have no free will? That God makes us be saved whether we want to or not? Not at all. Consider Jonah. God called him to witness to Ninevah. Jonah didn't want to and ran in the opposite direction. Did God pick him up and deposit him in Ninevah? No, God "persuaded" Jonah to do the right thing with three days in the belly of a great fish. (Please, please let's not go down the fish vs. whale debate.) Is being persuasive a negation of free will? Even David excersized free will with Bathsheba. We are not puppets with God pulling the strings. Adam and Eve proved that. But, if God has a plan for your life, remember His promises are always true. Prepare to be persuaded. When I was doing drugs, I thought it was good. I thought it was fun. I believed lies. God dropped the truth right in my lap and, like a wet St. Bernard, there was no denying it. (Okay, not so much a Biblical reference.) God's omniscience does not negate our free will. So, why would God allow me to believe the lies of the drug culture? Why would my soul be put at risk? Was my soul ever at risk? Because, having been there, I am now better equipped to minister to those who are caught in the same lies. Because, having been pulled from the slimy pit, I can help pull others out. Because, what the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good! As for whether my soul was at risk, I do not know. Certainly my soul was ill. Was it ever in danger of hell? Only God can answer that. And as for whether people who claim to be Christian and engage in non-Christian behavior are saved and back-sliding, being trained to minister, or have thrown their salvation away, I don't know that. Because to know that, I would have to know whether they were truly saved to begin with, and to know that I would have to see inside their hearts and only God knows the heart. Yes, yes, Jesus says you will know the tree by its fruit and you will know his followers by their love. The world has gotten awfully good at producing wax fruit and artificial love. We can tell the difference, but it took me about a half-century to achieve anywhere near 50% accuracy. Whatever the case, I know I was not put here to serve myself. I was put here to serve My Lord Jesus Christ and my neighbors. And, because of what He has given us in His Word, I can assure all those who seek the Lord that He will never negate their free will, nor let them slip from His hand.

The other night, the subject of anointing with oil came up. This intrigued me, so I did some research. The Bible mentions anointing with oil over 50 times. And, as with everything in the Bible, the use is consistent. Anointing with oil marks someone or something as consecrated or “set apart” for God. To me, it’s synonymous with a lavish outpouring of love which marks someone or something as God’s own. Olive oil is not a cheap oil now, nor was it in Biblical times. It takes over 40 pounds of olives to make a gallon of olive oil. (Anointing oil is always olive oil.) God even went so far as to give Moses a recipe for a special anointing oil for the temple in Exodus 30: 22-33: “22 Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, 24 five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lamp stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy.[a] 30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 31 “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’” In Psalm 23:5 we read: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” So, when confronted with enemies all around and even walking through the valley of the shadow of death, our God, the creator of the entire universe, marks us as His own with a lavish outpouring of love. What greater protection and love could we experience than that? Then, there’s the verse in James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Now, to be clear, the oil in the verse is not a magic potion that heals disease. It’s the mark of a lavish outpouring of God’s love and protection. Just as the anointing oil in the Exodus verse marked the temple as holy and set apart for God, so too is the oil in the verse in James. Scripture tells us our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit, so the anointing with oil in James anoints a temple in the same way the oil in Exodus does. It means we belong to God. We also know the word “Christ” means “The Anointed One.” Anointing was done to mark priests and kings. Christ is our High Priest and King of Kings. Now, the part that got really interesting to me was when I looked up the ingredients in the recipe in Exodus. We all know the word “Christ” means “the anointed one” and He is our High Priest. Obviously, we all know what cinnamon smells like, so it’s not hard to imagine that. Cassia also smells like cinnamon. Sweet-smelling cane—hmmm—must smell sweet. And as for myrrh, I found it’s made from the resin of a thorny shrub and it smells a lot like a balsam tree. So, what would the smell of cinnamon, sugar, and evergreen make you think of? That’s right, Christmas—when we celebrate the birth of The Anointed One.

What an intriguing question! I thought about it all day, and put my thoughts down in the lyrics to a song. Now, I

A. I am the LORD your God. I AM. b. YES! C. Every thing ever investigated about the Bible turns out true. Evolution is a lie. The history is accurate. Jesus does indeed live in my life and in me. d. Wow! How would it change your life if I threw myself under a bus for you and in doing so, won eternity in paradise for you? Okay, that is answering a question with a question. Jesus saved me from death and hell. I owe Him all and I can enevr ever repay it and I DO NOT deserve it. (grace) He loves me with a love so deep and wide and tall it is beyond my comprehension. Devoting my life to HIm and Him alone is nothing in comparison to what he did for me. Dan Jones.