What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24,25.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Dr. Ben Carson revisited


By Jean-Louis.

Roe vs. Wade and Penumbra

Yesterday, Sunday, my family and I were watching a movie depicting the life of Dr. Ben Carson, the world-renowned brain surgeon. At the time when Dr. Carson was asked by his superior to push for the separation of Siamese twins joined at the head, he asked for more time. What really struck me are the wisdom and the courage with which he approach this very portentous decision. After all everybody knew that if he failed and one the twins survived he would have at least saved one life. But there was something else at work in the mind of this brilliant man. He knows because of his deep trust in God that if it was God’s will, the Lord would empower him to do the impossible. He was waiting patiently and prayerfully for the Lord to give him the green light regardless of what others might think. He was no people pleaser! And when the right time came, the operation was successful.

Another thought struck me. Never was the divide between good and evil so visibly manifest. Here we have a man educated in the land of opportunities, where hard work and perseverance are rewarded. A land in which more people are blessed with access to the education and careers of their choice. The examples abound: poor, black people, Latinos, immigrants of all nationalities, reaching the highest positions as CEOs, Supreme Court justice such as Justice Clarence Thomas, doctors such as Dr.Carson,and lawyers, and now even a president -- the long list shows the blessings that this country bestowed on its population when the people were faithful to our God and creator the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord

Do you ever wonder what kind of schizoid country this has become when you wake up in the morning? How is it possible to witness such a contrast between the miracle working of the love and power of our God through the gifted hands of a brain surgeon and the total disregard for life in its most vulnerable moments as manifested in the abortion murder of growing millions of unborn, partially or even out of the womb babies? What is even more revolting is that a group of men and women whose life is dedicated to equal justice could grant a legal "Carte Blanche' encouraging doctors and women’s organizations to make huge profits from their trade.

The Bible talks about such divide in the following terms in Malachi 3:16-18:“Then those who fear the Lord talked to each other, and the Lord listened and heard… A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. They will be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day when I make I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his own son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve the Lord and those who do not.”

At this point I would like to quote from an article I read this morning written by Joseph Farah in World Net Daily; Roe v. Obama, Pelosi, Reid et al. Posted: March 29, 2010.

"Have you ever noticed the way certain people selectively apply what they claim as "constitutional rights"? This question occurred to me as I thought about the actions of the Congress and president last week. But, before I get to that, a little background is in order.

Back in 1973, a Supreme Court at the height of its activist history wrestled with a constitutional justification for allowing the indiscriminate slaughter of unborn babies in the infamous Roe v Wade case. "We, therefore, conclude that the right of personal privacy includes the abortion decision," Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in the majority decision.

Search the Constitution as you might for the word privacy or any synonym and you will come up empty. But seven justices were determined to overturn duly enacted abortion laws throughout the United States, so they located this right in the due process clause. Ironically, it is the due process clause that forbids the taking of life, liberty or property without an impartial hearing. Yet, this decision ensured tens of millions of lives would be snuffed out with no due process. But the court found support for this "privacy" argument in the "penumbra" of the Bill of Rights.
In case you are unfamiliar with the term "penumbra," perhaps a dictionary definition will help you:
1. "The partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of an opaque body, as a planet, where the light from the source of illumination is only partly cut off."
2. "The grayish marginal portion of a sunspot."
3. "A shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area."
Does that help?

In other words, the court understood it was dealing in the realm of shadowy, indefinite and marginal areas of the law – but it was still, on this admittedly shaky basis, willing to pronounce death sentences on millions.”

It is in fact so simple to see and show that this use of the gray area is a bogus argument that doesn’t hold water. And it really takes a spiritual blindness to not see the self deceit from our elected representatives in the government and nominated officials who are supposed to protect the freedom and lives of all citizens, born or unborn with making just and right decisions and application of the laws.

If we find ourselves in a gray area, to know our destination, it is a matter of knowing in which direction we are walking.

This is the course of action Dr. Carson recommends. I posted this commentary from WND, written by Star Parker in 2007 in which she quotes him as recommending the following:

"In his new book, Carson discusses his approach to dealing with risk, a core issue for exercising personal responsibility. He has a simple but effective approach that amounts to examining the best and worst outcomes that can result from a given course of action.

It is very clear. If you don’t know where to go, ask yourself if you are going towards the growing light or towards the growing darkness. Here is what God says in his Word:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.
Who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
But deny justice to the innocent.”
Isaiah 5:20, 23.

“When the Lord stretches out his hand,
He who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall;
Both will perish together.”
Isaiah 31:3.

The Lord Jesus said:
“The blind lead the blind and both fall in the ditch.”

I John 1:7 gives us the only solution when we have lost our way in the uneasy, undefinable, treacherous gray areas that relativists enjoy so much dwelling on: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all… But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son, purifies us from all sin.”

Interestingly enough, the commentary on the life of Dr. Ben Carson is the most sought after article on my blog. It goes to show that people are still thirsty for truth and righteousness and searching for a few good examples to emulate. I hope that his words and deeds will not fall on deaf ears and will encourage our hearts to follow his leading example.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

VEM AO MEU JARDIM

Na aurora de um dia novo
Meu Pai Celeste, O mestre jardineiro
Despertou-me do meu sonho,
E tomou-me pela mão.


Vamos ao meu jardim,
Contemplar a bela criação
Do meu filho amado Jesus.
Lá, no ar resplandecente
Exalando um perfume sublime
Passearemos nas sendas chapinhadas de luz,
Cobertas por tons diáfanos.


Lá, cresce a flor da esperança,
Lá, cresce a flor mais formosa,
Sempre voltada para o sol
De um amor sem igual


O calor suave dos raios
Brilhando sempre em Seus olhos
Sara os corações,
Levantando os espíritos
Mesmo os mais feridos e abalados


Nunca se murchará sua frágil beleza,
Pois, se tornará em fruto eterno
Porque a fonte que a rega
Nunca se estancará”.

 Jean-Louis Mondon.
27 de março de 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Do You Know?

 Since we know
Written by Jean-Louis. 1995.

Since we know that the Lord is a consuming fire,
That His Word is like a hammer and a flame,
Let us be broken and go through the fire of affliction.
Let us not resist the purifying work of the Holy Spirit.
All He wants us to do is to remove the idols of our hearts,
To take His rightful place on His throne, our altar.

Since we know that He sent His prophet Ezekiel
To speak life into the dead, dry bones,
Will He not be able to bring together,
What He has scattered?

Since we know that He does not speak only
To individuals, but to His whole body,
Is He not the one that brings us together,
To worship Him in Spirit and Truth,
And to serve Him gladly?

Since we know that He sees and hears our sorrow and affliction,
And that He inhabits the praises of His people,
As we gather in His Name
And allow His Spirit and His word to purify us,
As with humble and grateful hearts we yield
In praise and worship to His majesty,
Will He not send His Word to refresh us,
To bind our wounds,
And restore to us the joy of His salvation?

Since we know that He came to set the prisoners free,
And that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,
Will He not break the bondage that prevents us
From experiencing the full benefit of His blessed presence?

Since we know that His grace and mercies abound,
Will He not restore in us our first love for Him,
And set our feet on a firm path?
 

 Image from Crowdsurf
 
Since we know that He bids us:
“Come, Now is the time of my salvation”,
Will we not respond in faith, trust and obedience,
Entering into the water flowing from His throne,
Not only ankle deep, nor knee deep;
But plunging wholeheartedly in the pure refreshing stream
And be made well and whole? Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of... 

Since we know that only those
who drink of the water of life,
Will be able to share His life with others,
Let us remember the woman at the well of Sichar.
Are we thirsty? Then let us come and drink freely,
The living water that costs nothing,
And He will satisfy our thirst to overflowing.

Since this was written for christians believers, I am certain that most of you will recognize and be able to identify the corresponding scriptures verses throughout the poem.

Jean-Louis.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Creation of Man

Le Créateur a-t-il utilisé l’évolution?

Allan Rosser
Première publication :
Creation Ex Nihilo 11(2):38-40,
Mars-mai 1989
Traduction de l’anglais : Jean-Louis Mondon.

Dieu a-t-il utilisé l’évolution pour créer l’homme? Ce point de vue engendre plus de problèmes qu’il n’en résoud.

À un moment donné dans votre vie, vous avez probablement rencontré les trois opinions que les gens ont sur l’origine de la vie.

1. L’idée traditionnelle de la création spéciale par Dieu Tout-Puissant qui forma l’homme de la poussière du sol. C’est la position créationniste.

2. L’évolution à partir d’éléments non-vivants, un développement sans fin en passant par des créatures simiesques jusqu’à ce que, finalement l’existence humaine devint différente de celle des primates. C’est la position évolutionniste athée.

3. Un mariage entre 1 et 2. Dieu mit l’évolution en marche, guida le progrès et le développement, et dans le fond créa l’homme. Par conséquent, l’homme est quand même responsable devant son Créateur et le scientifique évolutionniste est considéré comme étant crédible. Cette perspective est connue sous le nom d’évolution théiste.

La troisième position, celle de l’évolutionniste théiste est répandue, et pourtant c’est peut-être la plus difficile à justifier. Les livres scientifiques, les encyclopédies et les cours de science universitaires ne présentent pas l’évolution théiste comme une option sérieuse. Le récit biblique de la Création doit être justifié, comme une parabole peut-être ou en tant qu’histoire mal interprétée dont l’intention est d’enseigner une leçon théologique.

Alors, examinons cette opinion très répandue de l’évolution théiste et voyons où mène cette croyance.

DE LA POUSSIÈRE À L’HOMME ÂGÉ DE MILLIONS D’ANNÉES ?

Si la Bible est la Parole divine inspirée par Dieu, correcte et empreinte d'authorité, l’évolutionniste théiste qui « accepte » le récit biblique de la création de l’homme doit donc faire preuve d’un peu d’imagination pour dire que la création de l’homme à partir de la poussière a simplement pris des millions d’années en passant par des formes de vie transformatrices. Si c’est ainsi que la création s’est produite, Dieu a dû nous tromper quand Il dit qu’Il forma l’homme de la poussière. Qu’est-ce qui l’a empêché de nous parler net?

Le fait que la mort soit entrée dans le monde par un homme, Adam (Romains 5.12) est un sérieux défi à l’évolution théiste, vu que de nombreuses créatures seraient déjà mortes dans le processus évolutif. La mort qui entra par Adam se présente en deux étapes, tout comme celle du Christ :
(i) la mort physique et

(ii) la mort spirituelle-séparation d’avec Dieu.

Jésus ressuscita de la mort physique. Il ne faut pas penser que la mort introduite par Adam fut seulement une mort spirituelle. Comme conséquence de son péché, il fut privé de manger de l’arbre de vie. Résultat, il mourut physiquement de nombreuses années plus tard. Le chapitre 5 de la Genèse mentionne huit fois « et il mourut », sans aucun doute pour insister sur les conséquences du péché d’Adam.

Si l’on conçoit qu’Adam, homme-singe dans une certaine mesure, allait mourir, à ce moment-là, à quoi cela aurait-il servi que Dieu avertisse Adam, « car le jour où tu en mangeras, tu mourras » ? Dieu accorda-t-il à Adam la capacité de vivre pour toujours et puis après sa chute dans le péché la lui retira-t-il ?

Dans les Écritures, nous lisons : « Car, puisque la mort est venue par un homme, c'est aussi par un homme qu'est venue la résurrection des morts. Et comme tous meurent en Adam, de même aussi tous revivront en Christ », (1 Corinthiens 15.21,22). Si Adam représentait la fin de la lignée évolutive, les milliers d’hommmes ayant subi une évolution seraient donc déjà morts et la mort n’aurait pas été introduite par Adam. Le chapitre 15 de 1 Corinthiens nous parle également du second Adam qui était le Christ. Si le premier Adam – ex-homme-singe – était une personne aussi réelle que le second Adam, un jour est donc arrivé où Dieu a dû dire : « À partir de cet instant, tu t’appelles homme, Adam ! »

LES FEMELLES DE L’HOMME-SINGE ?

Soudainement, tout était différent. Maintenant il est sans péché mais capable de pécher ; bien qu’en tant qu’ « homme-singe » ou en partie « créature simiesque », il aurait été incapable de pécher. Maintenant il ne pourrait pas manger du fruit de l’arbre de la connaissance du bien et du mal ou il pécherait et mourrait. Un momentjuste avant, il n’existait aucune restriction, maintenant il y en a. Des années durant, il se promenait sans vêtement et bien sûr il n’aurait pas connu la honte. Mais maintenant, il est devenu homme. Quand a-t-il perdu son poil de singe ? Il y a un instant, il avait des femelles, maintenant il n’en a aucune !

Si nous tenons compte de ces obstacles et que nous les surmontons, les femmes de cette époque présenteraient un problème. Revoyons le scénario. Si l’évolutionniste théiste pense qu’Adam est descendu de créatures simiesques, bien qu’étant une création de Dieu, alors que penser de la femme Ève ? Si Adam était le produit d’une « création » par le moyen de l’évolution théiste – une interprétation du récit génésiaque qui pourtant fait preuve de beaucoup d’imagination, alors que doit-on penser d’Ève ? Dieu Lui-même dit : « Il n’est pas bon que l’homme soit seul ».

Quelle situation incroyable ! Adam était entouré de son père et de sa mère, de ses frères et sœurs, ses oncles et tantes, ses cousins, ses neveux et nièces et peut-être de ses grands-parents et il était seul ! Peut-être Dieu les exclut-il du jardin d’Éden, ou ce premier homme était-il « appelé » comme le fut Abraham dans le chapitre 12 de la Genèse ?

LA FAMILLE ANIMALE ?

Dieu fit venir tous les animaux vers Adam et la Bible raconte qu’il ne se trouva pas parmi ceux-ci une aide convenable pour Adam. Les animaux ne faisaient-ils pas partie de toute la liste de sa famille que nous avons énumérés ci-dessus ? Dieu amena-t-il seulement un couple de chaque animal et omit-il ceux apparentés à Adam ? Pourquoi ne pouvait-il pas se marier avec l’une d’entres elles ? Qu’est-ce qui n’allait pas avec l’une de ses parentes éloignées ou de ses proches parentes ?

Même si, chose étonnante, une famille était devenue le type de proto-homme, il aurait certainement dû en exister d’autres assez près, bien situées au sommet de l’arbre de l’évolution. Il est certain que si le défilé de filles célibataires avaient compris ses parentes femelles non-mariées, Adam aurait dit : « Celle-ci fera l’affaire !» Et Dieu aurait dit : « Non, Adam, tu ne peux pas épouser cette espèce, tu fais partie d’une nouvelle sorte de créature, tu es une nouvelle création. Ou plutôt une nouvelle évolution. Ce n’est pas ton genre ! »

QUELLE RESSEMBLANCE ?

Adam aurait dit : « Mais elle ressemble tellement à ma mère ou à ma sœur ». Dieu aurait répondu : « Elles ne sont plus tes parentes et amies ».

Ou alors Dieu avait-il effacé de l’esprit d’Adam tout souvenir de ce qu’il avait été auparavant? Dieu effaça-t-il de la mémoire de ses parents et de celle de ses proches tout ce qu’ils savaient d’Adam avant qu’il ne devienne Adam ? Ou bien Dieu le transforma-t-il si soudainement et complètement qu’il se rendit compte qu’il ne ressemblait plus en rien à son père et qu’il était résolu à commencer son propre arbre généalogique ?

Si, toutefois, il était différent à cause d’un acte créateur spécial de Dieu, alors pourquoi Dieu n’aurait-Il pas été capable de partir de zéro et de gratter la terre pour former l’homme, et de non pas simplement remanier une créature déjà existante ?

Ainsi, certains admettent que Dieu a fait évolué l’homme, mais qu’ à un point précis il déclara : « Singe, tu es maintenant homme ! Tu t’appelles Adam ! » Et à ce point, Dieu lui attribua Sa ressemblance et également la possibilité de vivre éternellement. Mais, Dieu a-t-Il oublié de faire évoluer Ève ? Est-ce la raison pour laquelle il dut la créer ? La Bible est explicite lorsqu’il s’agit de la manière dont Dieu a formé Ève. Elle fut formée d’une des côtes d’Adam.

CAÏN ET LES HYBRIDES DE SINGE ?

Des années plus tard, leur fils Caïn, après avoir tué Abel, est banni dans la contrée de Nod. Et là, il se marie avec une des filles du pays. D’où est-elle venue ? Faisait-elle partie de la famille d’hommes-singes ? Une fille qui appartiendrait à un groupe de ses ancêtres ? Si Caïn avait pu se marier avec un type d’ancêtre, alors certainement Adam aurait pu faire de même. Caïn n’était certainement pas dans le jardin d’Éden, mais est-ce qu’aucune de ses parentes n’aurait pu lui convenir, puisqu’il n’était éloigné d’elles que par deux générations ? S’il ne pouvait pas épouser une femme-singe, Dieu avait-il créé une variété hybride, une qui ne soit pas stérile ?

Si nous acceptons le récit biblique, alors Adam et Ève furent créés spécialement le sixième jour de la semaine de la Création. Nous découvrons également qu’Adam vécut assez longtemps pour connaître le père de Noë et que Noë connut Abraham. À l’époque d’Abraham, l’écriture existait déjà. L’histoire d’Adam n’était-elle pas écrite ? Pourquoi aucune trace des ancêtres d’Adam n’a été révélée ? Dieu nous l’a-t-il caché et nous a-t-il trompés ? Adam n’a-t-il rien dit à ses enfants même jusqu’à la huitième génération, ou est-ce que Dieu lui a supprimé la mémoire ?

S’il y a quoi que ce soit de miraculeux dans la création de l’homme, il faut l’accepter par la foi. S’il n’y a rien de miraculeux, qui dit qu’il n’en est pas ainsi ? Croirait-t-on l’homme qui ne sait pas tout de Dieu ? Si Dieu est Dieu et que sa Parole est vérité, alors acceptons le sens évident des Écritures par la foi en Dieu, Lui qui est saint et qui ne ment pas.

Reflections on a Train Accident

Written and posted  by Jean-Louis.

Especially in the last few months since the election of the last US president Mr.Obama, the general state of the world and the great disasters relentlessly battering the earth with an increasing regularity and intensity, a lot of people have the feeling that something momentous is about to happen. Are we prepared for it?

About 12 years ago, a train crash in Germany got my attention. And reading again of at least two train crashes that happened within a few weeks, I thought it might be a good time to post my thoughts about the inescapability of the course of events in our world today.
UPDATE: I just finished reading of a new accident that just happened 35 minutes ago in Norway.


The newspaper report of a runaway train in Germany this past week(6/12/98) should cause us to take stock (re-evaluate) of our lives. The report recounts the crash of a run away train passenger cars that got off the track and crashed at full speed in the cement retaining wall under the bridge of a freeway sending a great number of unaware passengers to their ultimate destination.

Second world's deadliest high speed train accident Source


The Eschede train disaster was the world's deadliest high-speed train accident. It occurred on June 3, 1998 near the village of Eschede in the Celle district of Lower Saxony, Germany. The toll of 101 people dead and 88 (estimated) injured surpassed the 1971 Dahlerau train disaster as the deadliest accident in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was caused by a single fatigue crack in one wheel which, when it finally failed, caused the train to derail at a switch. The intense destruction of the train was due to a collision with a road bridge after the derailment.



Looking at the article, several questions on a spiritual parallel level came to mind.

Are we on track with God? Are we walking in the Spirit, in step with the Shepherd leading us, sensitive and receptive to His voice, obedient to His commands, following Him our Head as the passenger cars should follow the locomotive and be running on the same track at the same speed?

Do we let the momentum of our lives cause us to disengage from the path God has chosen for us and is leading us onto? Do we allow the busyness and frenzy of our modern life to drive us into a concrete wall that has the unmovable determination to stay in our way as we come to a crashing halt at an unstoppable speed?

If we read the newspaper account, we will notice that the cause of the crash was not found in the locomotive, neither on the tracks, not even in the cars, neither in the wheels themselves, but in the protective rim of one of the tires. It is also very interesting to note that the defect was found in the very first car behind the locomotive. It should cause us to reflect on the question: Who is at the wheel driving?

The probable cause was either metal fatigue, stress or damage to the protective rim.

The analogy not only applies to individuals, but also to families or entire congregations as the pressures and demands on our lives have a tendency to make us feel out of control and affect all our relationships.

The solution is to stop, pause and examine our lives to make sure that we are on track, that the spiritual equipment the Lord has provided for us is being maintained and properly used, that we are not being driven by our own ambitions, desires, habits or the wrong choices we foolishly make, or following the wrong person, but that we are following Him, taking our marching orders from our Shepherd King, our Head, Christ whose footsteps determine the length and the speed of our stride and the times to move on or to stop and rest, working with Him in the pasture that He has chosen for us His sheep. 

"Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." John 12:26.
 
PS: Maybe this article from the Washington Post may gives us clues to understand this modern phenomenon. Does it have anything to do with stretching the concept of the "pursuit of happiness" to its exhaustive conclusion?

Why being too busy makes us feel so good

Brigid Schulte is a Washington Post staff writer. This article is adapted from her book “Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time.
 
One man says he works 72 hours a week because everyone else at his office does; he’s thinking about cutting back on sleep so he can be more productive. A woman says the last time she had a moment for herself was when she went for her annual mammogram. Another says she has decided that life is too hectic to have kids — ever.
Then a woman bursts in, apologizing for being late to this focus group convened precisely to discuss the fast pace of modern life. She got stuck in traffic, she explains: Here

Prayer Answered and Unanswered

Excerpt from Prayer and Spiritual Warfare by Charles Spurgeon

God of Israel, our Lord and King forever and ever! Help us now by the sacred Spirit to approach You appropriately with deepest reverence, but not with servile fear; with holiest boldness, but not with presumption. Teach us as children to speak to the Father, and yet as creatures to bow before our Maker.

Our Father, we want to first ask You whether You have anything against us as Your children. Have we been asking of You amiss, and have You given us what we have sought? We are not conscious of it, but it may be so. Now we are brought as an answer to our presumptuous prayers into a more difficult position than the one we occupied before. Now it may be that some creature comfort is nearer to us than our God. We would have been better off without it and to have dwelt in our God and there to have found our joy.

But now, Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace so that we may not turn away from You.If our position is not such as You would have allotted to us had we been wiser, nevertheless grant that we may be taught to behave ourselves appropriately even now, lest the mercies You have given should become a cause of stumbling and the obtaining of our hearts' desires should become a temptation to us.
Rather, we feel inclined to bless You for the many occasions in which You have not answered our prayers, for You have said that we did ask amiss and therefore we could not have (James 4:3). We desire to register this prayer with You that whenever we do ask amiss, You would in great wisdom and love be pleased to refuse us.

0 Lord, if we at any time press our suit (insist on having our way) without sufficient resignation, do not regard us, we pray. Though we cry to You day and night concerning anything, if You see that we err, do not regard the voice of our cry, we ask You. It is our hearts' desire now, in our cooler moments that this prayer of ours might stand on record as long as we live: Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).

0 Lord in looking back, we are obliged to remember with the greatest gratitude the many occasions in which You have heard our cries. When we have been brought into deep distress and our hearts have sunk within us, then we have cried to You, and You have never refused to hear us. The prayers of our lusts (ruling, overmastering desires, pleasures) You have rejected, but the prayers of our necessities you have granted. Not one good thing has failed of all that You have promised.You have given to us exceedingly abundantly above what we asked or even thought, for there was a day when our present condition would have been regarded as much too high for us ever to reach. In looking back we are surprised that those who lay among the pots of Egypt should now sit every man under his vine and fig tree, that those who wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way should now find a city to dwell in, that those who were prodigals in rags should now be children in the Father's house, and that we who were companions of swine should now be made heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ.

What encouragement we have to pray to such a prayer hearing God, who far exceeds the requests of His children.“Blessed be the name of the Lord forever," our innermost hearts are saying. "Amen, blessed be His name!" If it were only for answered prayer or even for some unanswered prayers, we would continue to praise and bless You as long as we have any being (Ps. 104:33).

Now, Lord, listen to the voice of Your children's cry. Wherever there is a sincere heart seeking for greater holiness, may You answer that request. Wherever there is a broken spirit seeking reconciliation with You, be pleased to answer it now. You know where there is prayer, though it is unuttered, and even the lips do not
move. Oh, hear the publican who dares not lift his eye to heaven Hear him when he cries, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Let the sighing of the prisoner come before You! Oh that You would grant peace and rest to every troubled spirit all over the world who now desires to turn his face to the Cross and to see God in Christ Jesus.

0 Lord, if there are any of Your servants concerned about the cares of others, we thank You for them.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Perceived Truth and Absolute Truth

Written and posted by Jean-Louis.



  I am sure all of you have already heard this cliché: “Perception is reality” with the underlying appeal to the deceptive side of man that if something is presented in a such a way as to sound or to look real, most people will believe that it is indeed real. Of course the concept taken in an absolute sense is erroneous. But it is used especially in the business world to train people to present in the best light whatever product they are trying to sell.

 It is also used in false religions, or in cults Christian or non Christian to reprogram the brain and deceive inquisitive seekers in search for God, love, peace and unity for the human race with the ultimate appealing promise of becoming god or a god.
One definition of truth could be absolute and exact correspondence with the reality of God’s word and embodied and personnified by the Lord Jesus Christ who said : “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes through the Father except through me.” John 14: 6.

When Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king, Jesus replied:

“You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37. 
Jesus has a way of making things clear, simple and understandable. There is no gray area of personal perception. It´s either you believe or you don´t, you are on my side or on the other. No wiggling room, no tweeking the Gospel of the supernatural birth, perfect earthly life and sacrificial death on the cross, then burial and resurrection and finally the ascension to heaven.  


Now without the Way there is no going or coming because of our natural spiritual blindness, without Truth there is no knowing with absolute certainty in the midst of lies and without Life there is no real living in the present world of death and dying.

Now let’s see if under some circumstances, this can be true from a biblical point of view.
Sometimes we can interpret real factual truth to be absolute when the way we perceive the facts is distorted by experiences that have been shaped by our personal make up and emotional or intellectual understanding of life’s circumstances and our relationships.

Take for example the passage about the flight of Jacob away from Laban in Genesis 3.
In this chapter, we have 2 examples in which Laban interpreted real facts and extrapolated his perceptions to be actual truth corresponding exactly with the reality of what happened.

When Laban caught up with Jacob, as related in verse 26, he told Jacob:
“What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?” Was this what really happened or just an assumption on the part of Laban?

Let’s look at verse 3 to find out. “Then the Lord said to Jacob; “return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives and I will be with you”.

When Jacob related the encounter with the Lord to his wives, here is what they said in verse 15 to 17:
“Are we not reckoned to him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has entirely consumed our purchase price. Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children, now then, do whatever God has said to you”.

There also seems to be some duplicity in these words that sound like acquiescence to God’s command and submission to the husband. But for right now, to follow the subject, let’s continue with Laban’s apparent motive for distorting a real fact, his daughter’s disappearance and interpreting it as a the real truth.
Laban, like Jacob was a deceiver and as such, was afraid of being deceived, so he acted under the assumption, valid as it may, that Jacob thought and acted like him when in fact the daughters partly motivated by fear of being kept out of their inheritance followed their husband willingly.

Another example in the same chapter, verse 13.
Laban accuses Jacob of having stolen his household gods, (teraphim) under a false assumption. Was it a real fact that his idols had disappeared? Yes, it was.
Was it really true that Jacob had stolen them?

No, not at all. It was just a false perception on the part of Laban, due partly because of his resentment at having been dispossessed of his flocks by his nephew, but also because of an emotional dynamic present in the heart of a parent who, no matter what the behavior of their children will excuse and cover it up out of a sense of idealizing the beloved person which is really idolatry in disguise.

Another factor that comes in the picture to reinforce this natural tendency is that we don’t want to admit that we are wrong and would prefer to continue in our denial and self-deceit rather than agreeing with God as to what is true and real about ourselves and the ones we are trying to protect, thus taking the first and necessary step towards freedom from emotional and spiritual bondage. We can see that Laban wanted to keep Rachel as long as possible because of his fatherly love for her as well as to keep Jacob for seven more years.

Now let’s look at the role Rachel played in taking the deceit one step further.
But first let’s look at what could have motivated Rachel to take her father’s household gods and hide them from Jacob. Could it be that she really didn’t trust the God of Jacob to provide them with everything they needed, so that she felt a need to rely on her idols to protect her and make her fruitful in the bearing of children? Could it be one of the reasons why God didn’t open her womb until later on?

Now back to Rachel and her deception.

Why did she use faking her condition to hide the teraphim? Could it because she knew that it would be a sure way of ensuring that her deception would be successful?
She certainly played on her father’s sympathy for a physiological condition that men recognized and perhaps respected. I am not sure about the laws of the Medianites at that time concerning contact during a woman’s natural cycle. The hygienic and health laws were given to Moses and written down later in Exodus.

By the way, even though their meeting and marriage as well as those of their parents and grand-parents was predestinated and within the will of God, it didn’t mean that they were going to experience a perfect, conflict free married life. So when two people meet in the will and purpose of God, although the courtship period might be very enjoyable and directed by the will and the purpose of God, married life later on is hard as is unmarried life or harder. That’s why one cannot have any illusions about marriage. Getting to know each other, doing the right thing, at the right time in the process of getting engaged and then married doesn’t guarantee a pain free, conflict free marriage.

It is easy to fall in love and be transported by feelings during the engagement period, but then once the vows have been exchanged and after the honeymoon, reality sets in. That’s when and where commitment takes over and can carry the marriage for years till the end through the rough, turbulent waters of life. But there is so much joy and happiness in a good marriage that it makes up for all the other trouble when true and lasting love is present. Nothing in the world can destroy the strength and permanence of true love and commitment.

Back to false perceptions. Laban is still not getting the point and continues in his denial and deception. Since they haven’t found the household idols, the problem has not been resolved and his deceitful nature is still working against him.
Verse 43: “Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters and the children are my children and the flocks are my flocks and all that you see is mine, But what can I do this day to these my daughter or to their children whom they have borne?”

It might sound a bit callous, judgmental and cynical and I may be wrong, but what follows in verses 44 to 53 seems to be a ritual in which Laban engages to give weight to a decision that was made for him by Jacob, by invoking the name of God and manufacturing a divine stamp of approval for his attitude and behavior. After all, all God said to Laban about Jacob and the way to treat him in a dream was to:
“Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob good or bad” (verse 24).
Laban didn’t think that he was speaking good or bad when he accused Jacob of abducting his daughters and stealing his household idols. He was analyzing the situation from the mistaken premise of a false perception based on a true fact, the disappearance of his daughters and his teraphim.

This is why we need so much the wisdom, understanding and discernment of God to differentiate between what is absolute truth as revealed in the Word of God when it is revealed to us and our perceptions based on true and real facts that are nevertheless colored by our own emotional and intellectual make up and our own personal life experiences.

Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”Proverbs 3; 5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

The Woman at the Well

By Jean-Louis.

People generally tend to divide themselves into two categories in their approach to and attitudes towards life. Some say they are optimists, others declare themselves as pessimists.

The optimists in order to illustrate the superiority of their position give the analogy of the glass. They say somewhat proudly: “we, optimists see the glass half full while the pessimist’s point of view is to see it half empty”.

I would tend to credit the optimist with being closer to reality because if we agree that the container is not as important as the water, at least the optimist can drink out of his full half while the pessimist is going to have a hard time drinking out of his empty half of the glass which is filled with air! Really, both parties end up with only half a glass, whether empty or full.

I suggest a third position, that of a truly thirsty person. The man or woman who is really thirsty doesn’t have the time to philosophize about the full or half capacity of the container. He knows that what is going to quench his thirst is not really the glass or the sense of superiority experienced when comparing attitudes, but the substance contained in it in response to the intensity of his need.

Give him what he needs so desperately and he will find a way to drink, whether it be right out of the faucet, out of his cupped hands, out of a bottle, on his knees lapping at the cool refreshing stream or in whatever way possible.

If we turn to John chapter 4 telling the story of the Samaritan woman, we can see a woman perplexed when told by Jesus that He can give her living water. Her reaction is to say: “How can you give me water when you don’t have a container?” This reaction is typical of the natural mind’s logic. Jesus here in order to illustrate a spiritual point departs from a physical need common to all and understandable by all. With the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, He points out to the woman that while she might be satisfied until the next time she is thirsty, she will have to come back to the well and draw some more water. Until now, she was concentrating on the outward things, the container without which Jesus couldn’t draw water, the increased difficulty caused by the depth of the well, her own unbelief as she probably thought: “what kind of a man is this that pretend to do things that are physically impossible”.

Isn’t that the position that we sometimes take even when we know and have tasted of the living water of the Spirit? Jesus first had to show the woman two things that she needed in order to have eternal life:

• First, the gift of God, new life in the Spirit and,
• Second, the giver of life, both present in the person of Jesus the Son of God, the source and creator of all life.

What is the response of the woman even before Jesus tells her about herself things that he couldn’t have known as an ordinary human being? Her response was that of a thirsty woman. Notice that at this point, she is not talking or concerned about the container anymore. Rather she cries out: “give me the water”. She has taken her eyes off the physical, natural realm with its limitations, impossibilities and turned them to the one whose gifts are beyond and far better than his creation, she has acknowledged, accepted her need and welcomed the means to fill it.

She herself has become the container ready to be filled; she is about to go through the door that separates the natural life from the spiritual life.

The world might have what seems like very clever ways and pretentiously wise views of looking at life and things, but God’s perspective is always better, wiser and goes beyond even the best perspective of man such as the optimist’s half full glass.

The optimist sees his cup half full, the pessimist sees it half empty, but our Lord wants His children to see themselves as neither, but as yielded vessels thirsty for the living water of the Spirit so that He might fill them up to overflowing with abundant life to share with and bless others with showing them the way to find the fountain of living waters.

Jean-Louis.

Mi Lápiz en la Mano de Dios

Por Jean-Louis

Mi lápiz tiene dos puntas,
Una para escribir, la otra para borrar.
Frente a mis ojos, hay una página,
Virgen y blanca, todavía sin ninguna letra.
En el camino, hay que reflexionar
Para ver adonde uno va.


Ambas partes de mi lápiz se encuentran muy usadas,
La que escribe puede contar muchas historias.
La que borra no se recuerda de ellas.
Son opuestas, pero amigas.
La que borra el pasado
Cuenta con la otra para un nuevo futuro.


Por eso, pide la de atrás a la del frente,
“Cuidado mi amiga, de aquí en adelante,
Porque mi vida es más corta que la tuya.
¿Qué harás de tu pasado, con los errores tuyos
Cuando mi vida se acabará?
Cuando salga, tendrás que vivir con ellos”.


Oh, Dios mío, mi borrador es temporal,
El tuyo es eterno, mi Padre Celestial,
Gracias, porque por tu misericordia, tú me perdonas.
Con tu fidelidad, amor y verdad, mi vida tú guardas.
Enséñame a contar bien mis días, para adquirir un corazón sabio,
Uno tierno como el tuyo.


Guía lo que queda de mi lápiz con tu mano divina,
Escribiendo en esta página blanca,
Lo que ya tienes escrito desde antes,
Según tu plan eterno,
Y tu voluntad perfecta,
Para que no tenga que usar más,
La otra parte de mi lápiz
Y borrar los momentos dolorosos de mi memoria.


A partir de ahora en adelante,
Deseo usar el resto de mi lápiz para escribir
Lo que vas a cumplir sobre esta página blanca,
Maravillas reales y esplendorosas.
Mis sueños vacíos no más seguiré,
Ni el forjarme castillos en el aire,
Sino la realidad del presente, la esperanza que trae el futuro,
Pasado en tu presencia y a tu servicio.
Amén.




Jean-Louis.
El 24 de Julio 2004

My Pencil in the Hand of God

                                                                       
Written and published by Jean-Louis
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com
Photo from: http://www.ehow.com/how_6494569_post-stories-published.html

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)

Being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. II Corinthians 3:3

My pencil has two ends,
The sharp one writes,
The other mercifully erases.
In front of my eyes,
A silent white page,                                           
Without a word lies.
Sometimes, along life’s journey                                                               
One must ponder about the rest of the way.

Both ends of my pencil are well worn,
The hard one can spin many a tale,
The soft one prefers to forget.
They are opposite but friends.
The red one erases the debts of the past
Relying on the black one
for a future that will last.

The rear one cautions the lead one,
“Be careful my friend, from now on,
Consider well when making a point
For my life line is shorter than yours.
What will you do with your errors past,
When my life is over? When I am gone,
You´ll have to live with them at last”.

My God, my eraser is temporal,
But yours, Heavenly Father is eternal.
Thank you, for in your mercy, you forgive me.
With your love and truth, you protect my life.
"Teach me to number my days aright
That I may gain a heart of wisdom."
One that is tender and loving like yours.

With your divine hand guide what is left of my pencil,
Writing on this blank page,
What has been written from time immemorial,
According to your eternal plan
And your perfect will.
Then, I will not have to erase at all
So many painful moments off my memory.

From now on, I want to use
What’s left of my pencil to write
What you will accomplish on this white page,
Your real and marvelous wonders.
I will no longer follow my empty dreams,
Neither will I build castles in Spain.
I will live in your present reality, even with pain,
Passed in your presence and at your service,
With the hope the future brings.
Amen. 
 
Jean-Louis
August 29 2004
___________________________

My Pencil in the Hand of God

(The rest of the poem as somebody would say)

Actually there is a story behind this poem as with everything I write.
The summer of 2005, I was waiting for an answer from the college to which I had applied for a teaching position. After 3 months, the final list of potential candidates to be interviewed was down to 12. I was supposed to meet the program coordinator at 2:00 PM that day. She arrived late and appeared overloaded and overwhelmed. She looked around a bit for my file containing the resume, but couldn´t find it.

Then, she said something that caught my attention. She was anxious about finding a Christian teacher for the position. The continuing education director told her not to worry about it because the Lord was going to provide the teacher that they needed. She also mentioned that her pastor said in the Sunday sermon that we are to put “our pencil in the hand of God

Mind you, I had never heard that expression in all my life. It came to me as the title of the  poem I wrote in 2004. I knew something unusual was at work, my ears were perked up waiting for her to begin the interview. She asked me to briefly tell her about myself since she had forgotten the contents of my resume. It was at that moment that I discovered that I had left a copy of the poem in the back of my yellow pad. So instead of telling her about my teaching experience, I simply handed her the poem telling her that she might be interested in looking at it before I started.

When she saw the title, her jaw dropped! After she was through reading, she just said: " I don´t need to hear your life experience, you are hired" and handed me a contract to sign.


Two weeks later, while I was changing the locks at a customer´s houseI had another confirmation from him, as he was related a story about a court proceeding used the same exact words. he not so odd thing is that he didn´t know anything about me writing a poem by that title.


The Lord providential hand was at work in my life as he has always been since the day I was born. He is good to us and always cares and guides his children. I praise and thank him for his grace and mercy on us.

When the Shepherd speaks to or through His sheep, He always gives 2 or 3 confirmations coming from sources that are not familiar with a prayer, a vision or a dream of the believer. ( No, Don´t worry. I am not a Charismatic, Pentecostal believer, or New Apostolic Reformation . I have repented from and renounced all the occult powers from my New Age, Occult involvement and these happened rarely at certain crucial moments of my life when human wisdom, counsel or help will not do)

 This is when I realized from the confirmations that this poem that I wrote in 2004 was from God to encourage, comfort and exhort my brothers and in addition acted as the key that unlocked the door through which I could walk in confidence knowing that the Author of the inspiration and the guide that gave me the opportunity and the blessing to exercise my vocation as a language teacher never sleeps nor slumber and looks to and fro throughout the earth to bless those who fear Him. This is the God we worship, love and serve.

It´s a good thing that I had this job in addition to my meager but sufficient retirement pension adequate for my needs. The Lord knew that I would have to sell my house and my business due to the shingles (disabilitating viral infection) that left me unable to work physically at my locksmith job in 2006.

I worked at the Community College until I moved to Brazil in 2009.