It helps to know what and how much to leave out.

Accident or no accident

The fleshy mind directs the body 

It is also possible the body could come to direct the mind. Then the mind will devote itself to pleasuring the body. Some pleasures, intense enough, can consume pleasures demanding more pleasure until overdosed, everything descends into suffering, and consumes the body. 

Promises granted, yet unfulfilled

It is not accidental as it appears. It is deliberate, even though a forced decision. There are some turns in the road that take one into sweeping curves were there are no forks ahead. One has to see ahead, or the continued course will close down, into a smash ahead, into No Exit. 

It seems to me that it is similar for a person's spirit, working out its' own salvation, imprisoned in the flesh forever, expecting no God found there was no God. So that spirit is in danger of existing forever outside existence and knowing it. For myself, that would be a good working definition of hell.

Then and Now

Puzzlements?

I wish I knew then what I know now. It seems I could have asked so many questions, instead it looks, on paper at least, that I wasted time. I suppose it could be time out of my youth served a purpose. A purpose out of which only God is aware. 

After all, what does God think about time, speaking as He is from eternity, a position where there is no time? 

In the congregations

Not so certain many churchfolks are

Overly concerned about their spirit

Never heard much spoken about born again in the spirit among the congregation in my church experience. No passion, no power.

Do we hear more in church about the spirit or more about the flesh? That is to say, in the congregation where many seemingly, in my view, mostly go to church to congregate.

Only one theme

When I mention spirit, things go flat. I recall a pastor who asked us what was the theme of Jesus' ministry? When they ran out of ideas, they'd run thru so many themes, it seemed everything was a theme. Not one mention of the Holy Spirit in my recollection of the event.

Santa Claus as God

They all believe in Jesus, it seems, but not the power thereof. The power is just not to be discussed. Guess that is where the meaning of the power comes in, for the sake of the children, as taught in not a few seminaries. If there is no power, only the meaning of power, then there is no power. This is power believed in only on thin ice.  

Side note

sleepy temptations 👀

My winky has to be very careful and be on the alert for that devil of all doubters lest he disguise a simple trick to fool me like, switching the plural into the singular. Thus the entire meaning is switched also. He is always wanting to be God and there is an example of it exposed for today in Manna. 😉

Definitions

 Inside of the Cup

I like my favorite phrase inspired from reading in Hebrews 11, the definition contrasting the difference between faith and the flesh. 

All things seen came from the unseen. 

The primary, the single most important theme, of Jesus' ministry was to reveal the existence of the Holy Spirit, which must be born as well. The flesh is born, but the spirit which everyone has within, as explained in the beginning of the Gospel of John, must be born also, as in born again. 

The law came through Moses, but through Jesus came grace and truth. And the truth is, we must be born again, which is the Holy Spirit being born within us. Our spirit must be born also. First is the mind which directs the flesh. Then is the spirit of God in every man which must be born also. This is the inside of the cup.

The flesh will not help us

 Once heard someone say, a man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with a theory. When I think deep into this comment, it makes even more sense to me than was evident at the time. Very hard to convince me there is not a lot going on all around us all that we do not see. I sense it as the spirit of faith superimposed around, over and above, the flesh. In the end the flesh cannot help us, according to the recorded words of Jesus. 

Exodus 3:14-15

 14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations. New King James Version.

As all witnesses do

Jumping to Conclusions 

When we all look at something and try to interpret what we see, we all see what we are predisposed to see and/or want to see. This goes for us all. They call this simply, closing the gap, in psychology circles. It casts a shadow on the reliability of witnesses in courts. They are in politics merely, partisans. These participants in colleges however are often trying to figure themselves out and while still "freshmen" discover they cannot. So, they ultimately want to switch into something else. This happened so often in colleges, that in my time, they were not allowed to select psychology until they were sophomores. The witness tells his own story. 

Translations in transition

 The difference between Heb 11:1 substance (NKJV) and assurance, found in other more recent translations, is the same as completed faith vs a strong feeling for faith. These are translations in transition. The earlier is soaked in the spiritual and all others that follow drift into the weakish, more physically emotional interpretations. 

There is a future for everything

There is a future in the present? 

I often wonder what it would be like when I am in the spirit. In the flesh I am always changing, and my photo is always getting old from the last click of the shutter. 

But that is the flesh, but what is the spirit like? Will I recognize my father while at the same time will his father recognize him? It may be a non-question. But if not, then I think my father will look like his father's memory of his son. In the same instant I will see my father with my memory of my father. Have I untangled the parallel memories? 

But more intriguing is the similarity of the rehearsal that takes place very time it grows dark. I go to sleep and have no idea what time it is when I wake up. I have to look at the clock. 

It is like a rehearsal where I die in the flesh each night. Perchance I dream if I remember it. The dream is always more real during the dream than was when I recall it awake. I suspect this occurs for a reason, if I could only know it more fully.

But it is definitely a fuzzy hint of the future, it seems to me. It convinces me there is a future beyond, as it has been suggested by some, than just being rolled over in the ditch when the changes of this world are through with us. 

Faith & Works in James

What's Wrong with Prosperity?

Prosperity is usually a focus on the world exclusively. In other words, works takes a backseat to borderline works. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. 

Then there are reactionaries in the pulpit who poo poo prosperity. The pulpit at one time was popularized by proud paupers. Today however, prosperity preaching is rather prosperous itself. How many millions does a preacher need? That is, needed is to set up a foundation to exemplify works rather than beliefs only? You'd think somebody was reading in James recently.