Unclean spirit, the renewing of the mind....

Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but does not find it.  And [there is] like a high wall in his own imagination.  For as he thinks within himself, so he is.  [But] do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 

Proverbs: The Boy and The Apple.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

Proverbs 16:8 

Consider the Baby and The Apple.  

He visited his grandmother, and saw a delicious red apple sitting on her table as the two of them talked together.

As they spoke, he began to lust for the apple, not unlike Eve and the Fruit from the Garden of Eden.

Then his grandmother stepped away to answer her telephone--

--and that was his chance.

He snatched the apple while his grandmother's was turned away from him, and she asked the lad where the apple went.  He of course said he hadn't seen anything, and didn't know what had happened to the apple.

The rub was that she didn't look away much later, so that he didn't have time to steal away a bite of his secret treasure.

So he couldn't enjoy it.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

James 1:7

Get it the right way, my friends, and then your conscience will allow you enjoyment.

The sportsman and his bold but sacrificing spirit.

"A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease." - Ecclesiastes 6:2

Raul, a professional baseball player, had always given his all to the game. He played every season with dedication and passion, never wanting to miss a single game. But this year, his team's performance had been disappointing, and they weren't going to make the playoffs.

One loss had made all the difference. Raul was dejected, thinking to himself, "I won't take days off; I'll play every game if I can. I'll be there, trying to make a difference for the team. I won't 'take my eye off the ball' again."

The righteous are bold like a lion... - Proverbs 28:1

Truly, he is blessed who lays down his life for his friends. - Jesus

Raul's determination and perseverance inspired his teammates, and together they finished the season with a renewed sense of purpose and unity. Though they didn't win the championship, they had learned something more valuable: the importance of never giving up and always striving to be better.

From Memorial Day 2024, and Charles Spurgeon on the worker's day of rest.

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand… (Romans 14:4)

Every man's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.(Proverbs 21:2)

A day past the soldier's holiday, or the soldier's day of remembrance, we come to our work with tools in hand, and bread in our basket, as Emerson or Thoreau said.

I was thinking of something Charles Haddon Spurgeon said about these holidays, and famously, Boxing Day, in response to talk of the holiday being silly and pointless.  He said something to the effect that he did not begrudge the workers of the nation a day of rest, and likewise, the citizen soldier of the free world, contesting for peace by means of threat of violence, getting their own day of gratitude and remembrance.

We remember and we say "rest easy, good soldier"--soldiering being that most difficult of employments, undertaken by anyone able-bodied, for the sake of the most important of causes: those so often fresh-faced young adults sent into the meat-grinder, charnal churn and moral uncertainty of warfare.

 

On the Flower Moon posting that wasnt, and the concept of the Three Year Ministry.

God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  [His Son] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

The sluggard surely does not lay up his nuts, and assuredly Christ packed thousands of years of ministry into his three year stint, as what some say, not only the Savior of the World, but a rabbi at Capernum.

It has been a week: each week, our own three years of ministry.

We appraise and assess our efforts, even still,

while we also rest up and recharge for the week to come.

For so many hours during a few days of the week, I was auditing some of the Internet Missionary efforts, where and how to get most profound expression of the Gospel.  Would I preach to the saved?  Would you preach “what we have heard”?  Would I venture into uncharted space to deliver the Good News to those that had never heard?  Would I do both?

Case in point, the Southeast USA had a full moon a few days ago.  I had a nice AI image of the moon and a canned explanation of the significance of the May full moon.  I went in circles for two days thinking about posting that or not, and if so, where to post it?  X? Facebook?  Telegram?  

I was nearly frozen into total inaction by my own questions.

And finally, whatever enthusiasm I had for the effort drained to nil, and the final result was a meme and short sentence about the Flower Moon.

Awake to righteousness, and sin not.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Neither fret nor worry.

"Do not fret.

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for you body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.

For nothing will be impossible with God."

-an interpretation taken largely from Matthew 6 in the NASB.

A contradiction? Neigh, I say, a clarification.

The theologians and biblical scholars will sternly point out that no scriptures in the Bible are contradictory.  There is the "faith versus works" pseudo-controversy(as a Theology student, my entire class wrote essays about why faith and works were not at odds, the doctrines of Paul and James, respectively).

Take this for example.

"If God is with us, who could be against us?"

"We are slain all the day long for the sake of Christ."

"We are more than conquerors."

It seems we're protected, maybe?  Not protected?  At the mercy of an enemy?  Or as in the book of Job, under a "hedge of protection" administered by God.

Such arguments are cheap, no matter the source material--and inevitably we ignore the truth or the context and substitute with cheap points--rhetorically not going to the jewel chest, but to the inconspicuous brown paper bag.

"..more than conquerors.."  borderless emissaries of Christ.

"..slain all the day long.." we face tribulation, as even Paul had the thorn in the flesh.

"..who could be against us..." Satan, and those with darkened hearts or darkened understanding--in other words....

a part of the population of the earth that is yet to be saved by the Gospel message--in the early spectrum, this is the slayer....

"....all the day long..."

A world that doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand, in the earthly realm, is the adversary.

Predicatment of Temperament.

It was the message all along, that we strive to grab hold of a closer relationship with God, even as Paul said, an apostle, "not that I have attained...". 

Its ongoing, this thing, "sanctification", maturation in belief, growing in faith.

Not quite road rage it was the other day, but a cause that precipitated some salty language in the vehicle.  Got mad; temper stove up.

Immediately after the words came out of the mouth, embarrassed and ashamed at the lack of self-control that would cause a lot of composure in my person.  There was one mistake by another which costed me inconvenience.

My task would be to forgive, and if possible, help the offender.

But what did I do?  I popped-off verbally like a cherry bomb.  I was ashamed, and all the while, I could feel the neurochemicals retracting back to a more calm setting, the anger melting away.

"..not that I have attained..."

Not perfect, I am not perfect at all, but working towards being a better emissary of the Lord, working towards my own barrel of hair and so forth, my own turmoil of a sin nature inherited.

"...but I press on towards the high calling...."

Remember the cause for hope; pray for those in harm's way.  We are not leaders of nations, but humble people--let us exalt in God.

as a voice calling out in the wildnerness: John the Baptist.

An ancient version of imposter syndrome, they put the question to him, by whose authority did he baptize....

He was a sort of "mountain man", in a camel-hair cloak, hanging-out by the river, proclaiming the Lord God.  "Why, John?"  "Who told you to do that?"  "Are you worried about getting sued?"

"Not of my own works, but of my Father, in heaven, from whom comes every good thing."

It was to repent of sin, and later to confess, shed sin, and ask forgiveness, as of the ministry of Jesus.

He worked through the Father, and the Father worked through him; he told them of the Father, and called them to a new way.  He was a pony, the color of the sun, and ours, Christians, not because he said so, but because he brought us the love and forgiveness of our Lord.

And in our hearts, we chose him, but culturally, what of the other lay people?  Was he an Orenthal James Simpson?

He was a menial, living a life of self-denial in service to the ministry, like a glorified administrative assitant, and still, despite his personal sacrifices, they questioned.  This should make it evident enough that those of us who have a "lay person" life are more convenient targets for questions and doubts.

In his service, there was not just he mark of a man devoted to our cause, but the mark of a lesser than perfect man, accepted of God.  

Not made perfect, but valued.  We fall so often into a trap of false-righteousness, a sort of personal security and pride, a trapping of reputation, and we forget: but not as I would, as he would--we are worms and the Lord is our apple.  We are plain enough and unappealing on our own: we need the cheddar cheese, grilled onions and bacon that is Father Son and Holy Spirit.  The only way.

Lest we forget the love and forgiveness of God: the hope, the mercy, the sacrifice of Christ.

"O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people."