Thinking

Let Us Reason Together

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Prophet’s Possible Perspective

The Holy One so wants to open our minds to reason with Him. It seems to me that His heart must break at the sight of sin in the hearts and lives of His people. I pray that I will never forget that He is the Holy One of Israel.

“Reason” seems to be a forgotten thing with the people of my day. They are more concerned with emotions, feelings, amusements, comforts, entertainment. Anything that requires thought is a nuisance that we can live without in the minds of some of my people.

It is, however, time for God’s people to begin thinking of their spiritual plight. Reason is a good thing. God is telling us to think, to reason with Him. The idea is to see His way of things. It is good, if we are going to walk with God, be godly, that we think His thoughts and not our own.

O, how our sins must be like scarlet to Him. How He longs to forgive and cleanse us, and to make us as white as snow. He desires, longs, to make what is crimson, to be as wool. He is a gracious God. He is the Holy One.

The Holy One desires what is best for His people. He has promised the good of the land to all who are willing and obedient. If we refuse and go our own way there only awaits destruction.

HEAR, O HEAR, THE WORD OF THE LORD –

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. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 1:18-20

Labor and Thought

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“Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: ‘Eat and drink,’ saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.”   Proverbs 23:4-8  (KJB)

Seven Things God Hates # 5

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This is the fifth in the series on the SEVEN ABOMINATIONS GOD HATES

Swift Feet

Proverbs 6:16-19 (v. 18b)

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,   An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,   A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

OUTLINE –
I. SWIFT FEET – QUICK AND DECISIVE.
II. HASTY FEET – MOVE WITHOUT THOUGHT OF CONSEQUENCES.
III. MISCHIEVOUS FEET – MOVE TOWARD EVIL.
IV. GODLY FEET – MOVE TOWARD THE RIGHT, THE HOLY, AND THE GODLY.

Contrary to what some may believe the Bible speaks quite a bit of the “Feet”. We will look at some of these. One of the good ones which most of us have heard is, “How beautiful are the FEET of them that preach the gospel of peace…” (Rom. 10:15).
There are warnings of mischievous, hasty, godless feet. We will be looking at both of these; maybe I should say, all four of these.
Do our feet do our thinking? Do our emotions do our thinking for us? If we follow the path of God and His wisdom and grace, and mercy we must answer “No!” to these two questions. No one who is using the good, godly sense God has given us goes running to jump without knowing what is on the other side, or down below. If you follow the direction of your emotions, or feelings you will be led astray.
Let’s look at these feet.

I. SWIFT FEET -QUICK AND DECISIVE.
We need to realize that “Swift feet” can be for evil or for good. There are some people who are swift to decide to do ungodly deeds. There are others who are quick to do godly deeds.
If our hearts have been changed by the power of the salvation of Jesus Christ, then, we will be thinking godly, and doing godly things. On the other hand; if things are not right with you and God then, you will most likely do the ungodly thing, and be a curse to yourself, your family, your community, and your neighbor.
The godless SWIFT FEET will walk only in the way that is best for him/her. If they can get the praise for a good deed and reap benefits from a good deed, then, they will be quick and decisive to do that act.

II. HASTY FEET – MOVE WITHOUT THOUGHT OF CONSEQUENCES.
Now, this may, in some ways be similar to the SWIFT FEET, but I pray to show a difference in “swift” and “hasty”.

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established” (Prov. 4:26). And, “…He that hasteth with his feet sinneth” (Prov. 19:2).

Haste which runs  without thought can be costly. “Ponder” – chew for awhile; Think, Think, Think, and then Think some more, before being hasty in a decision of doing something which may be wrong, even ungodly.
Someone has said, “Haste makes waste”, and that especially goes with life and living. How many marriages have been troubled due to a Christian marrying a non-Christian individual? How many even have led to divorce? How many business deals have gone sour because of different views of the world and God? The message of God’s Word is to Think before you wink.

III. MISCHIEVOUS FEET – MOVE TOWARD EVIL.
These are usually very selfish feet that do only for self, which we have addressed earlier; and for selfish ambition. These are always looking for something to cause or make trouble.
Because of the message of God’s Word, which Jeremiah and other prophets proclaimed, the people (some) wanted to kill them. They were SWIFT in running to mischief. These are those who refuse God’s message of grace and choose to endeavor, by good works, to please God.

“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths” (Isaiah 59:7)

And last, but not least; for sure we have –
IV. GODLY FEET – MOVE TOWARD WHAT IS GODLY.

“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15).

As God’s people we are admonished and encouraged to guard our feet – that is the path which we walk.

“I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:59).

“I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy Word” (Ps. 119:101).

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105).

The way of godly feet are in the path of Jesus Christ. The way of Jesus is the way of the cross – the way of suffering. The way of Jesus is the way of joy and peace. The way of Jesus is the way of New Life.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Christmas Day Two Hundred and Fifteen

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What do I want for Christmas?

I want to think, and I want every man who aspires to be godly; to think on the LORD and His Word, to love his wife, and children; and to care for them as a husband and father ought; and to put the things of this world on the back burner; and to thank God every day for His blessings on us.

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.” Proverbs 23:6-8 (KJV)

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”  [Jesus Christ]  Matthew 15:18-20

Day Two Hundred Seventy and One

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What do I want for Christmas?

I want to be a more watchful thinker, and use my mind for fruitful things.

We have all been to “Amusement Parks” where we go to relax, ride rides, watch shows for entertainment purposes; but how often have we stopped to think about what the word “Amuse” means?

If you do not know, it means “No thinking”.  Let us all be more fruitful in our thinking.  Think before we speak.  Think before we act.  You get the idea.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (KJV)

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 1:13

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:3

The Work of Thy Hands

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As I was reading the Psalms this morning Psalm 143 verse 5 caught my attention in a particular and special way.

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the work of Thy hands.”

The title above is the thought I will endeavor to dwell on in this post.

Do you ever stop to “Think” on the work of God’s hands?  It would do us all great good if we spent more time meditating and thinking on the works of His hands.  We are more often than not “Amused” with things, and people.  We are more often than not, even “Amused” by God and His works.

For those who do not know, “A” on the word means “No” or “Non”.  For those who already knew that I do not mean to be condescending or rude to you.  I pray you see the point I am making.  The word “Muse” means “Think”; and I fear that I sometimes put too little thought into the works of God’s hands; but instead I am amused by them.

There are so many things that could be mentioned that are the work of His hands.  It would include everything, except evil, yet even in evil He still works.  Do you have a problem with that?  It is your problem; not mine.

Let us think [muse] on a couple of things that are the work of His hands.  First, think about the ground upon which you walk or move about.  He created it.  He keeps it.  He keeps everything in its created order.  Secondly, think about you.  You are the crown of His creation.  You are fallen, indeed, and out of fellowship with Him; yet He loves you.  You are fallen, but can be restored through the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

Now, there is something to think [muse] about.

-t.a.

Above His Name

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The name of GOD is a name above every name.  The name Jesus is the name above every other name (Philippians 2:9-10).  Jesus is the Living Word of God; the Word become flesh (John 1:14) and dwelling among us.

Sometime ago I read a comment someone made on Facebook, about something they had said in writing.  They were sorry for the abusive, expletive use of a word or words they had used.  It is as though they wrote without thought.  I can somewhat understand a sudden outrage in speech, but not in writing.  Writing something down takes some thought; although I have read some things that did not take much thought; probably some of my own writing  would fit into that category 🙂 .

Anyhow, I only mention that to say, God has spoken His Word, and it is sure and steadfast, it is eternal, and He has said that it would not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11), so it will not.  He has also given us His written word, and by this Word we know Him, His name, His Son and His name, and the person of His Spirit.

The Psalmist has written,

“I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.”  Psalm 138:2 (KJV)

I have probably written too much already.  Let me let the writer of the Treasury of David clarify it for you;

“I will worship toward thy holy temple,” or the place of God’s dwelling, where the ark abode. He would worship God in God’s own way. The Lord had ordained a centre of unity, a place of sacrifice, a house of his indwelling; and David accepted the way of worship enjoined by revelation. Even so, the true-hearted believer of these days must not fall into the will-worship of superstition, or the wild worship of scepticism, but reverently worship as the Lord himself prescribes. The idol gods had their temples; but David averts his glance from them, and looks earnestly to the spot chosen of the Lord for his own sanctuary. We are not only to adore the true God, but to do so in his own appointed way: the Jew looked to the temple, we are to look to Jesus, the living temple of the Godhead. “And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth.” Praise would be the main part of David’s worship; the name or character of God the great object of his song; and the special point of his praise the grace and truth which shone so conspicuously in that name. The person of Jesus is the temple of the Godhead, and therein we behold the glory of the Father, “full of grace and truth.” It is upon these two points that the name of Jehovah is at this time assailed – his grace and his truth. He is said to be too stern, too terrible, and therefore “modern thought” displaces the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sets up an effeminate deity of its own making. As for us, we firmly believe that God is love, and that in the summing up of all things it will be seen that hell itself is not inconsistent with the beneficence of Jehovah, but is, indeed, a necessary part of his moral government now that sin has intruded into the universe. True believers hear the thunders of his justice, and yet they do not doubt his lovingkindness. Especially do we delight in God’s great love to his own elect, such as he showed to Israel as a race, and more especially to David and his seed when he entered into covenant with him. Concerning this there is abundant room for praise. But not only do men attack the lovingkindness of God, but the truth of God is at this time assailed on all sides; some doubt the truth of the inspired record as to its histories, others challenge the doctrines, many sneer at the prophecies; in fact, the infallible word of the Lord is at this time treated as if it were the writing of imposters, and only worthy to be carped at. The swine are trampling on the pearls at this time, and nothing restrains them; nevertheless, the pearls are pearls still, and shall yet shine about our Monarch’s brow. We sing the lovingkindness and truth of the God of the Old Testament, – “the God of the whole earth shall he be called.” David before the false gods first sang, then worshipped, and then proclaimed the grace and truth of Jehovah; let us do the same before the idols of the New Theology.
“For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” The word of promise made to David was in his eyes more glorious than all else that he had seen of the Most High. Revelation excels creation in the clearness, definiteness, and fulness of its teaching. The name of the Lord in nature is not so easily read as in the Scriptures, which are a revelation in human language, specially adapted to the human mind, treating of human need, and of a Saviour who appeared in human nature to redeem humanity. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the divine word will not pass away, and in this respect especially it has a pre-eminence over every other form of manifestation. Moreover, the Lord lays all the rest of his name under tribute to his word: his wisdom, power, love, and all his other attributes combine to carry out his word. It is his word which creates, sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts. As a word of command it is supreme; and in the person of the incarnate Word it is set above all the works of God’s hands. The sentence in the text is wonderfully full of meaning. We have collected a vast mass of literature upon it, but space will not allow us to put it all into our notes. Let us adore the Lord who has spoken to us by his word, and by his Son; and in the presence of unbelievers let us both praise his holy name and extol his holy word.

Believe the LORD.  Trust His Word and be saved.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Observations From Acts – 042711

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There has not been much posted here on Acts, but I do want to end with one observation as we look at verses 22 – 24 of chapter 28;

“But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.  And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.  And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.”  Acts 27:22-24 (KJV)

Paul the apostle is in Rome about to be tried for the charges his own people have brought against him.  He has been charged with saying things against them, and supposedly against their God; in blasphemy.  Rather than speaking against their God he has spoken plainly, using the Old Testament scriptures they adhered to and proclaiming Jesus Christ their Messiah.

The word “sect” was used, most likely, as a derogatory term meaning that the teaching of Christianity was heretical and was worthy of judgment.  Paul took time with those who came to him expounding the Word of God, and preaching the kingdom of God, persuading some to believe and follow Jesus Christ.

We have the testimony here that “some believed”, and “some believed not” and that is pretty much how things are in our time; as every other time since Paul.

If you will believe the gospel of Jesus Christ then, you will have the assurance of eternity with Him.  If you reject Jesus and His gospel, then you will die and eternal death.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Honey And Salt

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A thought came to my mind the other day, “Too much honey; not enough salt”.  I lingered on thinking of that for some time to try and get some leverage with it or from it, and I think I have found some.

Our society, or culture lives for the pleasurable, and we have found ourselves in a little chaos.  Wall Street pretty much sets the agenda in the matters of wealth, at least did for a while, then things fell apart, and now that it appears to be recovering there are many going back to the god of greed.

Pleasure, comfort, entertainment is fine in their place and time; but we need to be realistic about life.  It cannot be all fun and games.  It is not all fun and games; as much as we would like for it to be.

The writer of Proverbs said, “Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.”  Proverbs 25:16 (KJV).  Seems you could say this is a case of “Too much honey…”.

We have all heard the saying “You catch more bees with honey” or “flies”.  My question with that is “Who wants bees?”  Unless you are a beekeeper.  I surely don’t want any flies.  I know the idea of the saying is similar to “A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down”; but too much is still too much.

We need some “salt” in society, or our culture.  Salt is a flavoring, seasoning, healer, and we need healing for sure.  “This cereal is ‘slick'” is a phase I can remember my Dad saying concerning eating a bowl of hot cereal for breakfast or something else.  “Slick” meant that it didn’t have salt in it; or at the least; not enough salt, and makes the food have an “flat” or “slick” feel in the mouth.

Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?”  Matthew 5:13 (KJV)  As Christians we are to add flavor to the culture, society, community, we live in.  And that flavor or action, or taste will not always be a pleasant one.  It may offend, but all in all it will be the aid to what ails us.

Without Jesus and the salt of the earth the honey of society becomes nothing but sorrow.  Enjoy the pleasures God gives, in Him, but never forsake Him; enjoy them in worshipping Him; and you will be blessed.  Forget Him or forsake Him, and you perish.

“TO MUCH  HONEY; NOT ENOUGH SALT”

-Tim A. Blankenship

Lot’s Drunkenness

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Lot’s Inebriation

In this study of beverage alcohol and its usage I have given you one example of its bad usage; and now I give you another. As I stated in an earlier post, there is more evidence against the usage of beverage alcohol than there is commending the use of it in the Scriptures.

The nephew of Abraham [Lot], and his family have been delivered from the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as God has rained down judgment upon a vile and wicked people. The only thing that has saved Lot and his family is the wonder grace of Almighty God. Lot’s wife never made it, because she turned and looked back toward the city despising the warning of the angels not to do so. She has turned into a pillar of salt.

Now the daughters of Lot conspire together to sleep with their father, because they possibly believe that there are no men left, and that they will never bear children unless they do this vile deed. Their conspiracy is to get their father drunk on wine, the elder daughter sleeping with her father the first night, and the younger the second night. Read Genesis 19:32-38.

“Lot departed from Zoar and lived in the mountains along with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. Instead, he and his two daughters lived in a cave. Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us [as is] the custom of all the land. Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.” So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight so you can go sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.” That night they again got their father to drink wine, and the younger went and slept with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.” Genesis 19:30-38 (HCSB)

This man Lot would have never agreed to sleep with his daughters if his mind would have been clear to make the judgment. It was not. Lot was surely grieving for his wife, and the alcohol in the wine was surely having a numbing effect on his hurt and pain he was feeling, but that is still no excuse for his drunkenness. This act by Lot, or these acts by Lot and his daughters were acts against God and mankind. How? The sons that were born to Lot became trouble for the people of Abraham; a throne in their sides. One drunken act, or two in this case resulted in the moral failure of a nation –

“While Israel was staying in Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel.” So Moses told Israel’s judges, “Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with Baal of Peor.” An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw [this] , he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped, but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.” Numbers 25:1-9 (HCSB)

You might take that drink thinking, “Oh, one drink is not going to hurt me, or anyone else.” You may be in control as you take that drink, but somewhere, you surrender your will to the will of the drink. Then, the power of the spirits take over. At what point does this happen? Does anyone know? If they believe they know, are they sure? I don’t know, and I really don’t think anyone does, except the Almighty. Do you want to surrender your mind, your body to the control of a substance which will ruin your life, your family life, and the lives of others who know and don’t know you? When you don’t know where drunkenness takes place, why even take that first sip or drink, if that might be even the slightest possibility of drunkenness?

Christians, we are to be sober in our thinking. That is, we are to have a clear mind and able always to make clear decisions. I don’t know about the rest of you reading this, but I have a hard enough time making clear and godly decisions without drinking any alcoholic beverage. I sure do not need any help from alcoholic beverage to numb my thinking.

We are to always be “sober” as Christians. In the epistle of First Peter is written, “Be sober” (1 Peter 1:13; 5:8), and I know this is speaking of a spiritual mind, but can we be sober spiritually if we are not sober physically? Not in my thinking. Every drunk I have ever spoken with knows all there is to know about God, Jesus, salvation, and living, but none of these are having an influence or changing affect in their lives.

Can any Christian honestly say that even one drink of wine at a meal has absolutely no influence in their thinking, and thinking soberly, clearly, and godly thoughts? It seems to me, that even one drink can influence one’s thought processes in the negative, not the positive. If so, then, would that not be sin against God?

In this I am an advocate for Christians to have a clear and sober mind. Think on Christ Jesus. We do not need the mind numbing affects of beverage alcohol. Remember what happened to Lot.

As a fallen race we have problems enough; and as being redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ what place has alcoholic beverage for those who have the New Wine in Him? It seems to me that the Christian who chooses to drink the wines of men, has so little faith in the one who desires to fill us with Himself. With Jesus we will have clear and sober minds, clean hearts, and good deeds.

-Tim A. Blankenship