A Good Report

Proverbs 15:20 - A good report makes the bones fat.

The Bible is so scientifically sound that it is amazing. Deuteronomy 17:11 tells us that "the life of the flesh is in the blood." Today we understand just how true this is. The blood is needed to carry nutrients toward and impurities away from every cell in our bodies. There was no way to know this for many years and yet the Bible recorded this thousands of years ago.

I recently learned something else in my biology class that made me think of the above scripture in Proverbs. There are two types of bone marrow in our bodies, red and yellow. Red is where the blood cells are produced and yellow marrow is where the fat cells are. Without going into a long scientific explanation which I am not qualified to give, let me say this. We have known for a long time, though we still don't completely understand how, that our physical health is tied to our mental health. We know that a person who laughs and can release stress easily is much less likely to suffer from a myriad of diseases. It makes me wonder exactly what the connection is between "a good report" and strong, healthy bones.

Now as a theologian instead of a scientist let me explain what I believe. When someone receives good news it is truly like an injection of medicine, not only to the spirit but to the body as well. Words of encouragement are like fat to our bones. Somehow God designed our bodies so that good thoughts and encouraging words can literally give us physical strength. I don't' understand it but I believe and have seen that it works.

So what can we do with that information? We know that people all around us are nervous about the future? There is much uncertainty in our world. Instead of passing on the bad news let's tell others how good God is. Let's remind each other that God has never let us down and His word says that he never will. I'm not talking about denying reality but speaking life. No matter what the economy or our government does our God has promised to take care of us.

There may be someone around you today that needs to hear those very words. Let's encourage each other today with words of life. After all, a good report makes the bones fat.

 

Time and Chance

Solomon, recognized by many as the wisest man that ever lived, made this statement: Time and chance happen to us all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). It seems a rather bleak diagnosis. He seems to be telling us that our lives are guided, not by the choices we make, but by pure luck or the lack of it. Many would agree with his stance and say life is controlled by forces unseen and there is little we can do about it but hope for the best. Is this true? Do we really have so little control over our own destinies?

I would like to remind us that Solomon wrote these words as a frustrated man who had walked away from His God to serve the idols that his wives enticed him to serve. In fact, I believe the book of Ecclesiastes is in the Bible to show us how far a man can go from truth.  He went so far as to build temples to pagan Gods right in the middle of Jerusalem and allowed people to worship there. This same king had experienced such closeness with God that the Bible tells us that God appeared to him and allowed him to choose anything he could wish for. We know what he chose, wisdom. Yet it was this wisdom that was Solomon's downfall. He was lifted up in pride and, forgetting about the God who gave him the wisdom,  relied on his own intellect to lead Israel. When later in life he pondered how he could have fallen so far from God in so short a time he blamed it on "time and chance."

Yet it was not "chance" that caused Solomon to walk away from the God of his fathers. It was choice. It was his choice to marry princesses from other nations for the sake of peace. It was his choice to allow them to bring their pagan practices of child sacrifice and other unspeakable evils into Israel. Later on, instead of writing about chance, Solomon should have written about choice.

I see a similarity with our own country in the story of Solomon. Like many of us I am concerned about my country and the direction it is heading in. We can blame it on all sorts of things but it comes down to this: choice. No one can deny that our country is in financial, political, and moral crisis. Yet it is not by happenstance that we find ourselves here. We are here because of a long history of bad choices. Democrat, republican, and independent alike, we are all guilty. We as a nation have chosen to look the other way when our politicians have committed sins against God and others. We have chosen to believe that we can borrow money endlessly, both on a personal and at a government level, without our economy collapsing. We have chosen to believe that we can disobey God's most basic commandments without suffering the consequences. We have preached "don't judge" to the point where almost everyone is afraid to say anything is wrong for fear of being labeled a bigot. We are truly in a mess of our own making that has nothing to do with "chance" and everything to do with "choice."

Am I condemning us all? No, of course not. Truly our God is a God of mercy and grace. If it were not for His grace none of us would be here. Yet we can not preach grace to the detriment of judgment. For surely judgment will always eventually come. Naturally there are things in life that I can't control; but I can control how I respond to things around me. I can choose to seek God more in times of crisis. I can choose to keep a right spirit when confronted with evil on every side. I can choose to base my life on God's word when everyone else has changed the rules. Then when I'm wondering how things will work out, I can know that God will  take care of me.

To the Christian I issue a challenge today. Stand for what is right and Holy. Don't be afraid to speak against what God's word calls evil. Be bold enough to warn someone when you see them going astray. Take a stand for what is right even when it's not popular to do so. Yet do it all with love. And when we do, we can be assured that our lives are not guided by mere chance but by the hand of a God who sees all, knows all, can do all, and loves us very much. In the words of Betsie ten Boom, "There are no 'ifs' in God's kingdom." He is in control of all!

Respectfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones 

Jesus was a real man

I John 4:2 -3: This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: if a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 

But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God.  New Living Translation

There is a teaching in the world that says that Jesus Christ did not have a real human body like you and me. The teaching says that he had something called divine flesh. It basically means that his body only looked like a human body but it was really the body of a God.

Why is this important? Isn't it simply enough to believe that Jesus came? Why did John say that this was an indicator of the Spirit of Anti-Christ. After all, that is a strong rebuke. The reason it matters so much is simple. If Jesus did not have a real human body he could not die for the sins of man. In order to break the curse of sin a perfect man (without sin) had to die (John 11:50). But I believe there is an even greater reason.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15 that Jesus was tempted in everything like we are but without sin. In other words, he felt every kind of pain, every kind of sorrow, etc that a human being can feel. He was also tempted to sin but did not sin. God wanted us to know that the High Priest who continually prays for us felt our pain. When we pray to Jesus we are not praying to a half man who does not understand us. Jesus Christ was every bit as much of a human as you and me. When we pray to Him, He understands us.

I heard one person describe it like this. Jesus was a God-man. He was a man who knew what it was like to be God and yet, being God in flesh, He could now understand what it was to be a man.  He was all of God in a completely human body (Colossians 2:9).

I don't know how that makes you feel but it gives me great comfort to know that the one who continually hears my prayer understands how I feel. Whether I am weak, sick, angry, hurt, or in temptation, He has been there. Because of this, His mercy towards me is greater than I can even imagine.

Aren't you thankful to have a God like that to call on. If you need something from Him, He is waiting and ready to hear your petition.Not Sure? Try it and see.  Call on the name of Jesus today. Ask His help in anything you need. Ask Him to make Himself known to you as Lord. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Yours Truly,

Spanish Pastor Jones