THE OLD and THE NEW

THE OPERATING MANUAL SAYS

Whether one believes the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God or fiction does not diminish the importance as a guideline and explanation of mans nature and dealing with societal and personal situations.  It does affect the trust and belief we put in those writings.  As a Reborn Christian I am under the New Covenant and believe the New Testament and the teachings of Christ to be all important in how I live my life.  The Old Testament shows the sinful nature of mankind, The New Testament shows Gods forgiving and loving nature towards man. 

The Old Testament does give us some examples of acts of forgiveness, such as the Prodigal Son, and Josephs act of forgiveness toward his brothers but it is more helpful in showing us the repercussions of excluding The Father God from our lives.  The New Testament shows the pathway to Heaven through atonement and forgiveness.  If we use the Old Testament as a study of the pitfalls that will separate man from God, or in the case of non-believers, separate man from the good in life it maps a way of life that puts our feet on a better path.  Going through the Old Testament one can find almost every failing of mankind and the resulting consequences.  One other thing it points out very emphatically is the result of wrath when used against humanity.  Not a very pretty picture and it points out the fact that without an escape plan mankind in total would face a disastrous finality. The New Testament explains the need for, the how and the why of forgiveness.  Through Christ’s words we are able to cross reference to the Old Testament and see the affects of the seven deadly sins (Pride, Lust, Anger, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Greed) and how virtue can overcome these. We have been given the tools to counteract and avoid the consequences.

Chastity - overcomes the sin of Lust.

Liberality (Generosity) - overcomes the sin of Greed.

Temperance -overcomes the sin of Gluttony.

Brotherly Love -overcomes the sin of Envy.

Meekness -overcomes the sin of Anger.

Humility - overcomes the sin of Pride.

Diligence -overcomes the sin of sloth.

Oddly enough these tools are all attributes of those most appreciated when we find them in others with whom we associate.  These are also the traits of some of our most successful humans.

FORGIVENESS and JUDGING

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

This is a very good question.  It should precede all of our everyday actions as well as  those of monumental proportion. 

We have been shown in the New Testament what Christ intended in the case of judging the actions of other people.  It is not mans’ place to judge other men in the spiritual sense of things.  “Judge not lest ye be judged” and “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” are His words meant for us to live by. 

Leopards can change their spots, but not on their own.  God is our creator and He does have the power to do all things.  God the Father could not only change the leopard’s spots but if he chose to do so, He could change this carnivore into a confirmed vegetarian.  Our responsibility toward the sinner is not to abhor the person but rather the activity.  We have a further responsibility for forgiveness and prayer directed to the healing of the afflicted party through God, not through our judgments.  It might also be added that we are to do this in our own silence not in the clamor of gossip.  No one on this earth could cast even the smallest pebble based on the words of Christ.  JOHN 8:1-11

As you are busy casting the stones of unforgiveness, gossip and self-righteousness, the Lord is busy writing your name and your sins in the sands of time. Christ was aware of the woman’s sins.  That is a fact that cannot be questioned.  Christ was also aware of the sinful nature of mankind, and of the individual sins of each of those in that crowd.  Christ did not ask them to turn a blind eye to the sins of the woman.  He did advise through His actions and words their time would be better spent in self-admonishment and correcting their own weaknesses.  Christ Himself did not condemn the woman.  He did offer her forgiveness and direction to “go and sin no more”. JOHN 8:11

We have the opportunity on a daily basis to use the lessons taught through the Gospels.  Christ’s words are as meaningful today as when first spoken.  There is not one action that cannot be discerned by His words and the example shown in His life.  The Gift of His existence here on earth is God’s way of giving evidence that love and forgiveness are very high on His list of attributes.

Nothing made God give us a redeemer. A lamb to sacrifice for mans’ cleansing, forgiveness, and total retribution for our sins.  Nothing made Him show us the extent He would endure through His Son’s anguish to make things right between mankind and their God.  When you stop and think about Christ’s pain being correlated to the sins of mankind for all time, it is truly unimaginable. 

Nothing outside His nature made Him show us His ability to forgive. He shows us through Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension that He has the power to raise man from the depth and death caused by sin.  Even in our weakness as mere man, we might live again as Christ did.  Christ’s return from three days in the depths of Hell. His appearances to the Apostles and His eventual Ascension into Heaven are all there to show the power that God possesses over death, in both the spiritual and the physical world.  The fact that all this was done for mankind even in the face of our sinful and rebellious nature speaks to the ultimate act of forgiveness.  Nothing made God do any of this except His own nature, that of a loving, compassionate and forgiving being.  We as reborn Christians are instructed by Christ to emulate these very attributes.

a DONKEY'S TALE

This is a re do of a posting on facebook.  It made me think and this is my take on it. Arbee

One day a farmers’ donkey fell down into a well.  The animal cried piteously for hours until he alerted the farmer to his plight.  The farmer studied the situation and decided that it would be pretty expensive excavate the well and get the animal out of the deep hole it was captured in.  The farmer called together a committee of the neighboring cities smartest politicians and together they decided that the donkey was just too old to spend money on, and that the best solution was to bury the problem and the donkey together so that no one else would know a problem ever existed.

Because the wise people of the committee had suggested this action the farmer agreed to give up his mule, even though it had been faithful and productive, and he had to hire a bunch of laborers who were hanging around the feed store, to help him bury the donkey and fill in the well.  As the laborers continued to shovel dirt the donkey quit crying for help.  Eventually curiosity got the best of the farmer and he looked into the well and was amazed at what he saw.

There was the donkey as calm as he could be, shaking off the dirt that was being thrown in an effort to bury him.  The faster they tried to bury him the quicker he would shake the dirt off, and the farmer noticed that the faster they shoveled the faster the donkey seemed to be closer to getting out of the fix he was in and pretty soon the donkey was able to step out of the well on his own.

Now there are a couple of different morals to this story with more than a few thoughts to ponder.  Here are a few to think about:

1.     Every once in a while we will find ourselves in a hole and usually we get there because we didn’t pay attention to where we were going.

2.     If we are in a bad situation it doesn’t hurt to let those who care know that we could use some help

3.     Everyone gets dirt piled on them in life and it can be used as something that will bury us or as something that will put us in a better position. 

4.     If politicians decide how to solve a problem the odds are they never realize the hidden effects of that decision.  Sometimes they get lucky sometimes they don’t.

5.     Don’t give up on yourself.

6.    Don’t trust the government to solve your problems

THANKSGIVING 2012

Thanksgiving, for me, has evolved over the years and it seems that it’s not the same as my life travels through the different phases of life.  Memory recall is something I have in poor quantity but it seems that food and smells seem to increase the aptitude.  I remember during grade school Thanksgiving was not so much about eating as it was about drawing turkeys, learning about the Indians taking care of the pilgrims and showing my new acquired knowledge to my parents.  Then there was the era of high school, away from home and old grade school friends.  My thanks being measured in how soon and for how long I could be back home for the holiday.  At that time in my life the meaning of Thanksgiving was measured more in what was to come than what had occurred during the previous year.

It is the high school period Thanksgivings that I am able to recall (not vividly) but at least not from hearsay memories alone.  I can remember the bus rides home to Portland and onto Arlington unless the holiday celebration was at Grandma’s house in Portland.  I remember the most thanks in my mind at that time was the reprieve from what seemed like an incarceration and an exile from the familiar.  I wasn’t as much that I was thankful as it was just happy for the break.  I do remember it as being a time of family gathering, a time for extended family to spend time together.  Thanksgiving and most other holiday gatherings were spent at my Aunt Louise and Uncle Johnny’s place.  Their house was the only one that could take care of the numbers.   Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa’s child producing years, I had no shortage of uncles and aunts to relate stories of the past, and no shortage of cousins to spend time with.  I wasn’t nearly as thankful then as I am now recalling those times.  Like most things in life we tend to overlook the sweetness at the time and fail to give it full value.  I’m not really sure that is a universal fact of life, but at least it speaks to my own.

The main thing I am gleaning out of this token bit of recall is that Thanksgiving has had a lot of different meanings for me.  I’m not sure of the exact timing of when I started to understand the meaning of sincere thanks and its’ relationship to the holiday.  I am sure today that understanding of things comes in two general ways, an “ah-ha” moment or a metamorphosis from child to adult.  Mine was apparently the latter.  It seems to me that thanksgiving requires the loss of narcissistic tendencies and the emergence of compassion and awareness of conditions.  This year, the year 2012, has seen a lot of things occur both personally, for family and friends, and for our country. Not everything has been gentle and sweet, but all are cause for Thanksgiving and this is my thanksgiving statement and prayer for this year.

I am thankful for: For a wife who loves me and shows it daily through kindness, caring, friendship and laughter; Family and friends that have held me in their minds and hearts regardless of my warts and differences of opinion; My (our) God who has faithfully covered me, through all the trials and tribulations, in ways not even known; The growing understanding that good is hiding in everything that happens in life if we are patient and prayerful;  The roof over my head, the clothes on my back, the food that feeds my body, the forces of the Holy Spirit that feeds my soul.  Thank you Lord.