Get Your Own Dirt!
In addition to the snow we still have on the ground, we gained a hoary frost from heavy fog in the wee hours this morning! Father, Your handiwork simply cannot be matched! All praise to our Creator God!
John 1:2-3 (<<click here to read the passage)
This is an oldie but a goodie!
God was once approached by a scientist who said, “Listen, God, we’ve decided we don’t need you anymore. These days we can clone people, transplant organs, and do all sorts of things that used to be considered miraculous.”
God replied, “Don’t need me huh? How about we put your theory to the test. Why don’t we have a competition to see who can make a human being.”
The scientist agrees, so God declares they should do it as he did in the good old days when he created Adam.
“Fine,” says the scientist as he bends down to scoop up a handful of dirt.
“Whoa!” says God, shaking his head in disapproval. “Not so fast. You get your own dirt.”
Now I have the utmost of regard for scientists and so much of what their God-given talent and ability have brought into the world, however, that joke can give you a bit of a chuckle.
But the mentality at which it pokes fun is not just made up to bring a smile to our face. It most certainly exists. And it applies to a great cross-section of humanity…not just scientists. It has been around from pretty much the very beginning, but it seems to be a big part of the modern mindset.
We don’t need God. That kind of stuff is just a crutch. We can do whatever we want when we want! Humanity has accomplished all kinds of things. We can take care of ourselves! …sound familiar?
My study Bible* provides a very pointed statement.
When God created, he made something from nothing. Because we are created beings, we have no basis for pride. Remember that you exist only because God made you, and you have special gifts only because God gave them to you. With God you are something valuable and unique; apart from God you are nothing, and if you try to live without him, you will be abandoning the purpose for which you were made.
Seeking that “purpose” is what drives us. Many may not attribute any of it to God, but He is most definitely at the core of it all. Unfortunately for many, that acknowledgment will not come until we stand face-to-face with our Creator on that great and mighty Day of Judgement.
Lord Jesus, we might just need to take a hard look at ourselves. Our world breeds self-sustainability. We give ourselves credit far too often when we should give credit to where credit is due. You are the Creator, and we are Your creation.
He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. John 1:2-3 AMP
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Feb 4th, 2021, Thurs, 7:26 pm
WORD!
It felt a little off-kilter getting back to school after a weekend and two snow days all in a row. But Father I am grateful for Your watch-care over us all. Roads this morning were not in the best condition, but we had no accidents, and no one got stuck. All praise to You!
John 1:1 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’m not sure how to even ask this but have you ever heard the term “word” used as a slang addition to a statement? It’s been around for a few years. A couple of examples would probably be helpful.
It can mean okay or just to acknowledge that you heard someone.
“I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” “Word.”
“I’m going to the store; I’ll be back later.” “Word.”
It can also mean cool, like:
“I got an A on my test.” “Word.”
I realize for many of us its use is a little strange but it’s a part of our culture. From a little reading I did “word” is actually a shortened form of the phrase: “my word is my bond”. Eventually, it was shortened to “word is bond” before becoming simply “word”. It basically means “truth” or “to speak the truth.”
In one more thought from verse 1 of John chapter one, let’s look at what John meant when he used the phrase, “the Word.”
Right off, he didn’t use it to communicate “okay” or acknowledgment and he wasn’t trying to be cool. But…he was most definitely expressing truth. In fact, he was proclaiming the Truth, as in the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) Jesus Christ Himself!
One of my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation’s notes on this verse reads,
What does John mean by “the Word”? The Word was a term used by theologians and philosophers, both Jews and Greeks, in many different ways. In Hebrew Scripture, the Word was an agent of creation (Psalm 33:6), the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets (Hosea 4:1), and God’s law, his standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). In Greek philosophy, the Word was the principle of reason that governed the world, or the thought still in the mind, while in Hebrew thought, the Word was another expression for God…To Jewish readers, to say this man Jesus “was God” was blasphemous. To Greek readers, “the Word became human” (John 1:14) was unthinkable. To John, this new understanding of the Word was the Good News of Jesus Christ. [If you’d like to read any of these passages just click on them.]
In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. John 1:1 AMP
And that, my friends, is the Good News proclaimed! Word!
Feb 3rd, 2021, Wed, 7:14 pm
A Friend Like No Other
Lots of vigorous exercise today – two rounds of shoveling from two days of snow (totaling 9 ½ inches!) to clear from our driveway, has made me weary but jubilant, as well. Pounds lost is always a benefit! Thank You, Father, for the beauty and the opportunity to get in better shape!
John 1:1 (<<click here to read the passage)
Throughout my growing up years, we moved quite regularly. The longest we ever lived in one place was about five years. I was a PK…a preacher’s kid. For whatever reason, I took it all in stride. I didn’t focus on what I was leaving behind but focused on what I would find before me.
I can still remember many names of childhood friends. I made lots of friends over those years but not until middle school, did I start having “best” friends – individuals with whom I spent a lot of time beyond school. My middle school best friend was Richie. (I can still remember he was doing an experiment by keeping two eggs in their shells in a coffee can with the lid on They had been there for a long time and you didn’t dare break them!} My high school best friend was Rob. (With him, amongst many things, I learned about crepes, wassail, J.R.R. Tolkien – Hobbits and Gandalf, and the joys of RISK! I remember when the fair was set up in town, spending an entire evening running around in the pouring rain. We had a blast!)
Try as I might I have never been able to reconnect with Richie. But Rob and I, though we saw each other when we were in college, managed to find each other on Facebook and though we don’t have the relationship we once had, I care for him and his family deeply.
The Apostle John had a very special Friend – and they had a very special relationship. He and his Friend spent three and a half years together, along with eleven other good friends and the thronging multitudes of Israel.
They weren’t just passing acquaintances but truly became eternal friends. Though towards the end of that three and a half years, his friend’s life would be taken, it did not take away from their friendship. It was aided tremendously by the fact that though His life was taken, He was resurrected on the third day! John followed Jesus will all his heart from the first time they met. He carried the truth of who Jesus was forward, leaving us his writing about Jesus’ life and the resulting Good News of that life and impact upon the world.
All told John wrote his Gospel, three short letters (epistles) to encourage the faithful followers of Jesus and the Book of Revelation.
John in his writing shows clearly that he is speaking of Jesus (see especially John 1:14)-a human being he knew and loved, but at the same time the Creator of the universe, the ultimate revelation of God, the living picture of God’s holiness, the one who “holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17). *
In Jesus, John found a friend like no other. Toward the end of his life, John was exiled on an island, but he never lost his faith in his Friend and Savior. Through the ups and downs of his life, his Friend never left his side.
It reminds me of an old, old song…
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
~ What a Friend We Have in Jesus written in 1855 by Joseph M. Scriven
Jesus readily extends His hand of friendship to all. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Feb 2nd, 2021, Tues, 7:57 pm
Outside of Time
The beauty of freshly fallen snow has brightened my day, Father, regardless of the lack of sunshine. I find it encouraging to see all the brown and seemingly dead views covered in radiant white! In You, all old things are made new!
John 1:1 (<<click here to read the passage)
My son, Massey, recently received his doctorate in Aerospace Engineering. It was a huge accomplishment. And by no means was it a walk in the park. Because things got switched up on him, and by no choice of his own, it was a grueling six-year endeavor. It involved innumerable hours of blood, sweat, and tears. But we are so proud that he came through it victoriously. We had faith that that would be the case for him but honestly, it was totally up to him. If he had decided that enough was enough and thrown in the towel, that would have ended everything for him. It was his effort and heart and “stick-to-it-iveness” that got him through to the end.
Accompanying him along his journey was his advisor, whom we all came to refer to as Dr. G. Now Dr. G oversaw Massey’s progress from beginning to end. He saw the big picture of what needed to happen. He was over Massey and could be an encouragement…and in some cases a discouragement depending on what was said and what was expected. He communicated his will, such as it was, but it was not up to him to make it happen. He oversaw all that took place, but he did not do the work. That was Massey’s responsibility. He sat outside all the blood, sweat, and tears.
Many of us have been in similar situations – in school, at work, maybe even at home. Now I want to make one thing very clear, the fact is that in no way does Dr. G. or any of us come close to being the One to whom our passage refers. I just wanted to get our minds going in the right direction.
We must understand that the Apostle John was not writing a biography of Jesus, but instead, it was a thematic presentation of Jesus’ life. * He, John, was establishing the unarguable fact that, yes, Jesus was man but he was also God.
It’s a lot to wrap our minds around but regardless it is the truth. John begins his Gospel with the statement, In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ)…
You see the Word that is Christ (which means Anointed One), who we know as Jesus, in the beginning, and the Amplified Bible expounds saying, [before all time] was. The Word was…
What I was trying to help us to understand is the fact that Jesus is eternal. He always has been, and he always will be. He exists outside of time. (Now that’s a tough nut to crack!) Before all time Jesus was and when time ceases to exist, Jesus will be.
He sees all that has transpired with His creation. He sees us – individually – amid all the joy and heartache. He sees us in the throws of our blood, sweat, and tears. He is not so above us that He cannot understand all we go through but He sees the big picture. He sees us smack dab in the middle of eternity. Truly a speck of dust in the vast cosmos of it all. Yet…though we may be inconsequential, smaller than small, and of extremely little worth, He does not see us that way. To Jesus, we have the utmost value. To Jesus, we are held in high esteem and though we have decided enough was enough and thrown in the towel, in essence irreparably separating ourselves from Him, He sacrificed His very life so that He could bring that separation to an end.
Lord Jesus, help us to see us in Your eyes. We are of so little value that it might as well be no value at all but because You see us as valuable, we are valuable. Enable us to embrace that worth. For when we begin there, we can then start to move onward and upward. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Feb 1st, 2021, Mon, 5:16 pm
Can You See Them?
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
….He freed me from all my fears.
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
….no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:4-5 NLT
*******
Shortly after I had acquired my driver’s license, oh so many years ago, I had a very tragic experience. I hit a rabbit… Many wouldn’t have given it a second thought, even if they had realized they had done it. But I did. I didn’t pull over and fall apart or anything like that, but it definitely gave me a jolt. I don’t think I had ever killed anything up to that point in my life.
Just this past week, as I drove my route, I saw the remains of a rabbit just off the right side of the road. It had been hit by a passing vehicle and had not survived the encounter. Did the assailant realize their act? Did it sadden their heart? Was it done maliciously? Did they do all that was within their power to bring that life to an end? Only God knows.
How many people do we go past throughout our day have been struck and injured and left to die or survive…maybe? The assailant(s) not caring and possibly even relishing in the fact that they contributed to the victim’s downfall.
Unlike the poor rabbit by the roadside – which was obviously dead – how many of us are the walking dead…and I’m not a believer in zombies. Life has beat upon them so severely that in so many ways, they no longer live. They are just empty shells, going through the motions…day in day out.
Their assailants may have assaulted them physically, sexually, or one of the hardest to recognize from afar…verbally and emotionally. They go through the motions of “living” if you can call it that, but for all intents and purposes, they are dead. And worse yet, many feel that they have absolutely nothing worth living for.
Yes, we go through life and rarely see them. Part of the problem is that we never get close enough to see them….and I’m not talking about being close in proximity physically. Many times, the only way to “see” what’s going on, is to take time to interact and get intimately close to people. Now I’m not talking anything so crass as to imply sexual intimacy! But we (hopefully) have all had a least a couple of people with whom we were close in our lives. We knew the comings and goings of each other, and any secrets shared we knew would be kept with the utmost of discretion.
We, as followers of Christ, are to be like Him. We are to love…unconditionally. It may even involve loving until it hurts – Jesus did. Hear the words of the Apostle John from his first epistle.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]. We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19 AMP
Lord Jesus, may we see those by the wayside. Those hurt and dying souls that everyone else zooms by in the hustle and bustle of life, may we not be ones who pass by. Help us to love as You loved – and still love today. Amen.
Jan 31st, 2021, Sun, 6:36 pm