Revelation Chapter 17:
1-4 The Harlot = personified corrupt religious system; a women- a great prostitute sitting on the beast (Antichrist). Compromises truth for worldly power.
waters = nations (vs. 15). “a woman” = symbol of a great city (18).
5 Babylon = Jeremiah 51; Isaiah 13 & 47;
All idolatries originated in Babylon (Babel = Genesis 10.8-10; 11.1-9 tower of Babel).
True Messiah = city Jerusalem with the Bride
False Messiah = city Babylon with the Harlot Represents true and false religion.
Satan’s plan is to have man worship him and not God. (2 Thess 3.3-12).
6 John wondered with “great admiration” (wonder).
7 “…will tell thee the mystery of the woman and the beast that carried her” - woman = Babylon, city religion; the beast = Antichrist.
8 beast = “that was, is not, yet is—shall ascend out of the bottomless pit”.
9-10 7 heads of religious world = 7 mountains (kingdoms).
11 of 7 = comes 8th (Antichrist) “goeth into perdition.” perdition = n. L perdo, to ruin, entire loss, utter destruction of the soul.
12-13 10 kings reign with the beast for one hour = kingdoms around Israel – Psalm 83.
14 War against the Lamb. “…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7).
15 Waters are nations.
16 10 kings (horns) “hates the whore” (religious system) and destroys her.
17 “God hath put in their hearts to fulfil His will” – the kings will give their kingdoms to Antichrist. God’s vengeance.
18 “…the woman is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation chapter 18: Time of the Gentiles come to an end.
1-3 Religious and commercial Babylon of Satanic world system.
“Babylon the great is fallen, fallen” (Isaiah 21.9).
4 “come out of her my people” – Today: II Corinthians 6.14-18.
5-8 “her sins have reached unto heaven” – reward her double.
“in one day” she is destroyed.
9-19 The kings of the earth wail and lament her destruction.
20-24 Heaven rejoices. “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets.” A just revenge.
How we are to live our lives in the age of Grace:
Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy).
Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another.
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceable with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Will prick the conscience and heart may be turned. Quoted from Proverbs 25.21-21)
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:9-21
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
April Dreams
Daffodils
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, --
A host of golden daffodils
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I, at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company;
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft, when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. -W. Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, --
A host of golden daffodils
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I, at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company;
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft, when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. -W. Wordsworth
Thursday, March 26, 2009
God Is Able
" our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers ...not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (II Corinthians 3:5,6)
"...God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency is all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21).
"...our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" i.e.those who contradict or dispute (Titus 1.9).
God is able.
God has made us able.
This is encouragement for our every circumstance.
"...God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency is all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21).
"...our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" i.e.those who contradict or dispute (Titus 1.9).
God is able.
God has made us able.
This is encouragement for our every circumstance.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Spring
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long. You come too.-- Robert Frost: The Pasture
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long. You come too.-- Robert Frost: The Pasture
More Ayn Rand
Though Ayn Rand's advocacy of genuine, long-term self-interest and opposition to self-sacrifice...her most important insight for our times--that attempting to force the human good is "like an attempt to provide a man with a picture gallery at the price of cutting out his eyes." And:
To me, Rand's work translates to a message of freedom of self-determination without the infringement of egalitarianism (equal rights for all).
To me, Rand's work translates to a message of freedom of self-determination without the infringement of egalitarianism (equal rights for all).
- From the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Wednesday, March 18, 2009:
I'm reminded of the passage in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified," (I Corinthians 2:2), and in his second letter, "But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness," addressing the correction that these Corinthians believers needed ( 2 Corinthians
2:2). Self-determination is the undercurrent of freedom of the gospel, and the basis of all of our freedoms. Is to force the human good, even good? If God forced us to love Him, would that be love? No, of course it would not be love, it would be a sham and a tyranny of the strong over the weak, for who could resist the power of God.
My siblings and I visited Sweden, the birth country of our father, this past autumn. We connected with our first cousins way north in Skelleftea, just inland of the Baltic Sea, with a reception at their local, country church. This church was nice, and seemed to be used and comfortable, with wonderful dark wood and stained glass windows. We visited the church cemetery where father's family was buried, Einer, Anna-Lisa, Stina, Carl, Joseph, mother Esther, father Jonas. The grounds were beautifully kept with live flowers growing on every grave. I felt reprimanded as I thought of the grounds in Michigan where my brother and father are buried, when try as we do, the grass is sparse and the deer eat every shrub we cultivate.
As we traveled by car through rural Sweden, in every town there was a beautiful Lutheran church, freshly painted, with meticulously tended grounds, but as I subsequently found out, all are subsidized by the Swedish government.
The churches are empty, including on Sundays.
As we toured the church where my father was baptized and confirmed, sister Lois started singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to breath some life into the beautiful relic. Then cousin Roland took us to the small adjacent section of the churchyard where stood a village of two-story rooms, all connected in rows. It seems that by law the families of this district had to come to church at least once a month, so they built these six-by-six rooms for their family to sleep in as they traveled from far distances to be able to fulfil their church obligation. Our family has purchased one of these rooms and our two cousins had us all in and served a delicate sandwich cake, and lots of stove-boiled coffee.
The force of the human good over self-determination produced cold legalism which destroyed the soul and drained the natural response to God. No, give me our well used, baby crying, amening, church over that cold beauty.
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Corinthians 3:18). "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Galatians 5:1).
I'm reminded of the passage in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified," (I Corinthians 2:2), and in his second letter, "But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness," addressing the correction that these Corinthians believers needed ( 2 Corinthians
2:2). Self-determination is the undercurrent of freedom of the gospel, and the basis of all of our freedoms. Is to force the human good, even good? If God forced us to love Him, would that be love? No, of course it would not be love, it would be a sham and a tyranny of the strong over the weak, for who could resist the power of God.
My siblings and I visited Sweden, the birth country of our father, this past autumn. We connected with our first cousins way north in Skelleftea, just inland of the Baltic Sea, with a reception at their local, country church. This church was nice, and seemed to be used and comfortable, with wonderful dark wood and stained glass windows. We visited the church cemetery where father's family was buried, Einer, Anna-Lisa, Stina, Carl, Joseph, mother Esther, father Jonas. The grounds were beautifully kept with live flowers growing on every grave. I felt reprimanded as I thought of the grounds in Michigan where my brother and father are buried, when try as we do, the grass is sparse and the deer eat every shrub we cultivate.
As we traveled by car through rural Sweden, in every town there was a beautiful Lutheran church, freshly painted, with meticulously tended grounds, but as I subsequently found out, all are subsidized by the Swedish government.
The churches are empty, including on Sundays.
As we toured the church where my father was baptized and confirmed, sister Lois started singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to breath some life into the beautiful relic. Then cousin Roland took us to the small adjacent section of the churchyard where stood a village of two-story rooms, all connected in rows. It seems that by law the families of this district had to come to church at least once a month, so they built these six-by-six rooms for their family to sleep in as they traveled from far distances to be able to fulfil their church obligation. Our family has purchased one of these rooms and our two cousins had us all in and served a delicate sandwich cake, and lots of stove-boiled coffee.
The force of the human good over self-determination produced cold legalism which destroyed the soul and drained the natural response to God. No, give me our well used, baby crying, amening, church over that cold beauty.
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Corinthians 3:18). "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Galatians 5:1).
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Psalm 6 Through Grace Eyes
Psalm 6 A Psalm of David - BC 1034
O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.
1 Corinthians 11.31.32 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
Self-judgment avoids chastisement. If neglected, the Lord judges us, and the result is chastisement, but never condemnation to those “in Christ”.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but Thou, O LORD, how long?
2 Thessalonians 2.16-17, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”
How long can we endure? In this age of grace we have everlasting consolation, and continuing good hope through grace.
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for Thy mercies’ sake.
Ephesians 1.6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 2.7-8 “That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
God has (past tense) accomplished salvation for anyone who puts their trust in Him, as a gift of His wonderful grace.
For in death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?
The contrast is between the grave or life on earth. It is not speaking about the conscious life after death of the body but simply stating that only the living can publicly give thanks to God here on earth.
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
Scripture connects these verses with our Savior. Many of the Psalms allow us to look into His inner being as He walked this earth. He is the GOD-MAN which we cannot fully understand. Being God, yet being tired and hungry, feeling the pain of rejection and poverty—Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)
Hebrews 5.7, Christ, “Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in the He feared;”
Hebrews 5.7 is the key to understanding many of the Psalms, i.e. Messiah suffering and identifying with His people. Always follow Hebrews 5.7 with Hebrews 12.2:
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
God does hear our groaning. 2 Corinthians 12.9, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
We can be confident that the Lord hears our prayers and He has promised grace sufficient for our every need.
Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
I Thessalonians 5.3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
Judgment and justice is coming to this world. No one will escape. Today is the day of grace and peace, it is the day of God holding back His judgment, it is the day of salvation. May we all by faith have taken God’s mercy and grace and so will not be under His judgment.
Psalm 6 is a wonderful song. May it bless your soul.
O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.
1 Corinthians 11.31.32 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
Self-judgment avoids chastisement. If neglected, the Lord judges us, and the result is chastisement, but never condemnation to those “in Christ”.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but Thou, O LORD, how long?
2 Thessalonians 2.16-17, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”
How long can we endure? In this age of grace we have everlasting consolation, and continuing good hope through grace.
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for Thy mercies’ sake.
Ephesians 1.6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 2.7-8 “That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
God has (past tense) accomplished salvation for anyone who puts their trust in Him, as a gift of His wonderful grace.
For in death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?
The contrast is between the grave or life on earth. It is not speaking about the conscious life after death of the body but simply stating that only the living can publicly give thanks to God here on earth.
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
Scripture connects these verses with our Savior. Many of the Psalms allow us to look into His inner being as He walked this earth. He is the GOD-MAN which we cannot fully understand. Being God, yet being tired and hungry, feeling the pain of rejection and poverty—Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)
Hebrews 5.7, Christ, “Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in the He feared;”
Hebrews 5.7 is the key to understanding many of the Psalms, i.e. Messiah suffering and identifying with His people. Always follow Hebrews 5.7 with Hebrews 12.2:
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
God does hear our groaning. 2 Corinthians 12.9, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
We can be confident that the Lord hears our prayers and He has promised grace sufficient for our every need.
Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
I Thessalonians 5.3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
Judgment and justice is coming to this world. No one will escape. Today is the day of grace and peace, it is the day of God holding back His judgment, it is the day of salvation. May we all by faith have taken God’s mercy and grace and so will not be under His judgment.
Psalm 6 is a wonderful song. May it bless your soul.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Heart and Logic
"[The Christian religion] teaches men both these truths: that there is a God of whom we are capable, and that a corruption in our nature makes us unworthy of Him. It is equally important for us to know both these points; for it is equally dangerous for man to know God without knowing his own wretchedness, and to know his wretchedness without knowing the Redeemer who can cure him of it. Knowledge of only one of these points leads either to the arrogance of the philosophers, who have known God and not their own wretchedness, or to the despair of the atheists, who know their wretchedness without knowing the Redeemer." -Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher. His religious thought emphasizes "the reasons of the heart" over those of dry logic and intellect.
His most famously quoted line, "The heart has reasons that reason cannot know," is usually used to follow one's heart instead of one's logic, but I'm reassured by the above quote that he did not dismiss logic and that his faith was grounded in the sound reasoning of God's call:
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher. His religious thought emphasizes "the reasons of the heart" over those of dry logic and intellect.
His most famously quoted line, "The heart has reasons that reason cannot know," is usually used to follow one's heart instead of one's logic, but I'm reassured by the above quote that he did not dismiss logic and that his faith was grounded in the sound reasoning of God's call:
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bugs
I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
The religion of Pantheism believes that human beings are one with all things, and that God is in all things. In pantheism the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent.
Now, whether Mohandas Gandhi included God in his brotherhood of all things or not, it immediately brought to my mind the verses in the Bible where rebellious man changed the glory of God into the image of a bug.
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (bugs!)." Romans 1:21-23
We've all hear the saying, "familiarity breeds contempt".
"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn (scorn) God?" (Psalm 10:13)
In the Body of Christ, we have a familiarity with God as "sons," but let us always be careful to give Him due praise and always realize that He is outside of His creation; He is God and we are His creation.
The religion of Pantheism believes that human beings are one with all things, and that God is in all things. In pantheism the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent.
Now, whether Mohandas Gandhi included God in his brotherhood of all things or not, it immediately brought to my mind the verses in the Bible where rebellious man changed the glory of God into the image of a bug.
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (bugs!)." Romans 1:21-23
We've all hear the saying, "familiarity breeds contempt".
"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn (scorn) God?" (Psalm 10:13)
In the Body of Christ, we have a familiarity with God as "sons," but let us always be careful to give Him due praise and always realize that He is outside of His creation; He is God and we are His creation.
Monday, March 16, 2009
YouTube - milton friedman
YouTube - milton friedman: Milton Friedman - Greed
In his book 'Capitalism and Freedom' (1962) Milton Friedman (1912-2006) advocated minimizing the role of government in a ...
In his book 'Capitalism and Freedom' (1962) Milton Friedman (1912-2006) advocated minimizing the role of government in a ...
Selfishness
One of the books that had a big impact on my life coming out of high school in the mid-sixties, was Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". (Ayn Rand was an atheist and rejected Christ sacrifice for sin because it did not make sense in her worldview. She could not comprehend the love of God offering Himself.)
It seems, even in the sixties, altruistic collectivism was passes on to us from church and school as a high goal to which we should attain. The "we" of community as a means of survival did incubate me in the safety of the group, where I could mature in relatively sheltered obscurity, but it also prevented me from thinking for myself, as to go outside the group would disturb the harmony of the same group. No,it was much safer to just go along.
I still can feel the shock of Rand's "individualism" and her championship of "selfishness" after reading Atlas Shrugged. It went against all my religious and cultural upbringing.
Even today after viewing Milton Friedman's You Tube on the goodness of greed to the health of the financial system, the inward me cautions that it might be an opposing view of following Christ. But is it?
Individual interest is crucial to our eternal state, is it not? How often is it stated that you will not enter heaven on your mother or father's faith. No, we have to individually make the choice to accept that Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary, paid for my sins .
Then as we "work out" the salvation that God has given us, we again have to individually choose to allow the "new creature" to rule our lives or to follow our "old creature" whose default settings are naturally embedded in the hard drive of our lives.
We will all someday, individually, have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and individually we are instructed to care for our own or we are "worst than an infidel."
I'm not entirely sure of my footing on this matter as it pertains to all of life, but it seems to me that the "ism's" of this world's collectivism produces bondage and tyranny, while self-individualism produces freedom of choice.
Each individuals most pressing choice is to freely choose God's provision of forgiveness and eternal life, offered to all who put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.
It seems freedom of individual choice is the highest of God's gifts to mankind.
It seems, even in the sixties, altruistic collectivism was passes on to us from church and school as a high goal to which we should attain. The "we" of community as a means of survival did incubate me in the safety of the group, where I could mature in relatively sheltered obscurity, but it also prevented me from thinking for myself, as to go outside the group would disturb the harmony of the same group. No,it was much safer to just go along.
I still can feel the shock of Rand's "individualism" and her championship of "selfishness" after reading Atlas Shrugged. It went against all my religious and cultural upbringing.
Even today after viewing Milton Friedman's You Tube on the goodness of greed to the health of the financial system, the inward me cautions that it might be an opposing view of following Christ. But is it?
Individual interest is crucial to our eternal state, is it not? How often is it stated that you will not enter heaven on your mother or father's faith. No, we have to individually make the choice to accept that Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary, paid for my sins .
Then as we "work out" the salvation that God has given us, we again have to individually choose to allow the "new creature" to rule our lives or to follow our "old creature" whose default settings are naturally embedded in the hard drive of our lives.
We will all someday, individually, have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and individually we are instructed to care for our own or we are "worst than an infidel."
I'm not entirely sure of my footing on this matter as it pertains to all of life, but it seems to me that the "ism's" of this world's collectivism produces bondage and tyranny, while self-individualism produces freedom of choice.
Each individuals most pressing choice is to freely choose God's provision of forgiveness and eternal life, offered to all who put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.
It seems freedom of individual choice is the highest of God's gifts to mankind.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
ON LOOKING UP BY CHANCE
ON LOOKING UP BY CHANCE AT THE
CONSTELLATIONS
You’ll wait a long, long time for anything much
To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud
And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves.
The sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch,
Nor strike out fire from each other nor crash out loud.
The planets seem to interfere in their curves
But nothing ever happens, no harm is done.
We may as well go patiently on with our life,
And look elsewhere than to stars and moon and sun
For the shocks and changes we need to keep us sane.
It is true the longest drought will end in rain,
The longest peace in China will end in strife.
Still it wouldn’t reward the watcher to stay awake
In hopes of seeing the calm of heaven break
On his particular time and personal sight.
That calm seems certainly safe to last to-night.
- Robert Frost
Ah, yes, it seems that if the Lord tarries, we can “go patiently on with our life.”
CONSTELLATIONS
You’ll wait a long, long time for anything much
To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud
And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves.
The sun and moon get crossed, but they never touch,
Nor strike out fire from each other nor crash out loud.
The planets seem to interfere in their curves
But nothing ever happens, no harm is done.
We may as well go patiently on with our life,
And look elsewhere than to stars and moon and sun
For the shocks and changes we need to keep us sane.
It is true the longest drought will end in rain,
The longest peace in China will end in strife.
Still it wouldn’t reward the watcher to stay awake
In hopes of seeing the calm of heaven break
On his particular time and personal sight.
That calm seems certainly safe to last to-night.
- Robert Frost
Ah, yes, it seems that if the Lord tarries, we can “go patiently on with our life.”
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