Jerusalem

 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget it's skill.

 - From Psalm 137

And once again, today, the Scripture reference brings to mind a favorite song from way back. In 1978, this version of Rivers of Babylon, by Boney M, received some considerable airplay. Detroit's J.P. McCarthy, of WJR AM-760, had it on his regular playlist for much of the year. This is where I first heard it, and loved it instantly. 

The sentiment stuck with me. This longing for a homeland that had been stolen from us. We had been conquered and dispersed: we, who had enjoyed such freedom and wealth for so many years. We, who had been the world's breadbox, the source of unlimited relief for the world's disasters. We, who had led artistic advancements for centuries, enriching the lives of people all over the globe. 

For whatever reason, Babylon hated us, and as soon as it had the capability, swept across the ancient world and dashed us to ruins, took our spoils, scattered us throughout the known world, and almost wiped us from the history pages, for good. 

Babylon, as powerful as it was, could not have done this without help from some of our countrymen. You have to weaken the culture, the families, the institutions - - - all of that which is the foundation of any great society. Every society has greedy and envious people - even the good ones! They had their own form of hate against us: their brothers, sisters, and neighbors. Because of slights or perceived insults from long ago, they were all too willing to participate in bringing us low, destroying our freedoms and quality of life along with our wealth. The impact was also to harm countries throughout the world that relied on us for protection and markets. 

We hear beautiful songs like The Rivers of Babylon, and find in its inspiration, a misplaced desire to have what they had - - - epic and heroic experiences that led to such songs of aspiration and hope. 

But that too is misplaced. 

You should never want the destruction of your own society. You should never want ruin for your own kin, your own neighbors, your own people. 

It's better to live in a free and prosperous land . . . than to have to remember what it was like. 

Redeems

 He redeems your life from the grave . . . 

 - From Psalm 103

This is the great Psalm that inspired Andrae Crouch to write this classic. My memories of it go back to my glorious decade, the 1980s, in which I spent every summer at one or two church camps. I had a crash course in the epic new Christian contemporary music being recorded, with regularity.

In the 1980s, my music genre of choice was Christian Contemporary. For ten years, I didn't really want to listen to anything else. 

Imagine David's musical renderings of his Psalms! We will have front-row seats at a praise concert in eternity, where King David, in his youthful form, sings them for us. Except he maybe joined on stage with the Imperials, Elvis, and Johnny Cash! Or maybe the reader, or I, will be asked to join!

Eternity is alluded to in the Psalm, as it should be. Our lives have been redeemed from the grave. This means that, although we may die and be placed in a grave; we will yet rise again when our sleeping bodies hear the Trumpet, and the voice of our Lord: "ARISE!"

Bless the Lord, indeed!

Land

 . . . the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring . . . . 

 - From Genesis 28

If you want to get close to the Truth of God, a good starting point is always, to find out what agitates God's adversaries. 

Take the high-profile, high-volume scoffers, complainers, skeptics, pleasure-lovers, and overall mockers of the Church (especially the evangelical Church), and find out which concepts, quotations, and memes get them dropping f-bombs in the least amount of time. 

Start there. These people will give you many clues as to where God may be coming from. That is, if you take the opposite view of the scoffers. 

Land policy has become a big deal in our time. Land has been big since the beginning of world history, which basically, is about the acquisition of territory. And if you get at the root of it, it's not so much because people are so bad (which they are). The root is in the reality that people are so insecure. We crave safety (look at how easily the concept of "safe" was invoked, to move the masses around like pawns during 2020-early 2022). 

We want property because we want to feel safe. Give me a large house with sturdy walls. Let there be good locks on the doors, and let me have other means to protect myself and my family. Let my property be large enough that it would take some effort to get from the street to an entry point.

Cul-de-sacs are preferred, because there is only one point of ingress and egress. 

In 2022, the powerful people are insecure and need to feel more safe. They want the masses living in concentrated high-rises, with shared open space, and their basic needs provided. They want there to be a zone between the people-concentrations and the remotely-placed neighborhoods of the rich and powerful. 

They want safety.

Greed has been used to make people envious of property, out of selfish (not good) motives. Historical land policies have been referenced, to marginalize the haves as beneficiaries of evil land-grabs . . . . so that their land may be seized from them, in turn. And so on, and so on . . . . 

On a less cynical note: It has been placed in our hearts to love the land. The spread of Western ideals has always had at its foundation, the desire that as many people as possible may live in freedom, with, yes, land. In the end we know that safety is best attained by expanding plenty, and giving people room to grow, and thrive. We may have concentrations of people in cities. But we want anybody, that wants to, to be able to acquire land. 

This idea, that land possession is a good thing, works when it is possessed by people that love freedom and prosperity (for all). And we need to get away from the notion that land policy through history has been totally and only evil. The benefits of the expansion of love and freedom are enabled via a growing territory of people that love those principles. 

Therefore, land is always offered, in God's plan, as a way to consolidate His family and His Kingdom, and as a way to provide for his children what they want, what we all want: A place to live in peace, safety, and prosperity. 

Why Sinners?

Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?

 - From Matthew 9 

It's bad enough when serious Bible students misquote, or misinterpret, something from Scripture. It seems to happen with rapidly increasing frequency, as History propels itself forward (or backward).

But in our time of shaming, guilting, and canceling, we suddenly have scoffers, doubters, and general adversaries of the Church going around quoting Scripture (where have I read about this before? God's adversary quoting Scripture?)

Especially this one quoted above - a famous incident where Jesus is seen having dinner with "sinners." Modern anti-Christians love to point this one out. 

But they miss the point. Entirely. 

Hard Scriptures, about acceptance and tolerance, or about how to be "nice, "good human beings," or about Real Love, or Godly Love, or how not to be a hypocrite . . . are never intended as fodder so that God's adversaries can make sport of imperfect people trying to follow Christ. They are not meant for professing Christians (especially of the celebrity variety) to virtue-signal by way of attacking other believers so that they may appear politically correct to "cool" and powerful people in society. 

They are not to be used as leverage that will ensure that we are "liked" by all the "right" people (even if that means we sever godly bonds with members of the Body of Christ). 

If a Scriptural passage causes you to look down on other believers, or any other people, while feeling righteous for your own sake . . . you're missing the point. You're reading it wrong. 

It's supposed to make you squirm. Yes you, the reader. 

You get the point by putting in the place of "sinners," people that you would not sup with, because, you know, you're such a good person. 

That means, for most people crowing about why Jesus ate with "sinners," in the year 2022, they have to put "MAGA" people in the place of "sinners." Because, clearly, those are the people that they consider subhuman. 

If you want to understand why some people are racists, start by understanding why there are people you can't stand. Because both are at the root of why we would marginalize anybody.

There was a time when Science actually researched this, and reported it.

Training

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness . . . 

 - From 2 Timothy 3

Through the years, I ebb and flow between extremes of being too laissez-faire about life, to being constantly stressed out, for no apparent reason. I guess most people are like that, maybe all. 

The common thread among the bad extremes, is a lack of Bible Study and prayer. In fact, my entire life clearly has suffered, to some degree, due to my not placing a hard priority upon alone time in the Word, and with the Lord. 

The Bible is the Bread of Life. It just is. When I have been studying it, reflecting upon it, and praying in response to it, I do way better. It is true that I come under attack when I am in the Word (God's adversaries do not want any of us studying His Word). But I can withstand these attacks if I am bolstered in the Word of God. 

Last Spring, I launched and led an online Bible study that may have been more important to my well-being than I realized. Obviously, God wants us doin things like that. But upon its conclusion in mid-July, I shifted gears towards a career path that would make me largely unavailable to lead such an activity, for a very long time. I began to be troubled, anxious, and unsettled. By Labor Day the anxiety was pronounced, to the point that it was feeling more like sadness, or maybe Depression. 

God wants me in His Word, and He wants me ministering to others, through it. 

The Word of God is peace. It's also a hard instrument that rounds us out and hews our talents and skills, for service to God. It is when we let God teach us, reprove us, correct us, and train us, that we can become righteous. And without righteousness, there is no peace of mind. There is only a troubled spirit that cannot lift itself out of its morass. 

Feed on the Word today, and move forward. 

Trumpets

With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

 - From Psalm 98

I am troubled today, with the problem of: "What now?" 

I allowed myself to take a detour in my career path, which should today be at a point of some ease and comfort. An opportunity was presented last spring, which had some prospect of solving some problems. 

But there are other developments this year, that may solve those bigger problems, but with less trouble. My decision came with great opportunity cost. I have had to give up several projects that I love very much. Projects that were getting close to completion, but must now be put on hold indefinitely.

The path I chose has been wrought with heavy anxiety on my part. My heart is troubled, tossed, and turned. There is no relief to it. I get a few moments of reprieve each night, but as the sun goes down my anxiety at what I must get up (super early) and do all over again, the next day, begins to ruin my evening. 

Other experiences that I had looked forward to, for five years, have also been put on hold, and it is in their nature, that I will never have another chance like this, to enjoy the life-enriching moments. 

Today's post is vague. It does not provide details. 

But the scripture talks about shouting before the Lord with trumpet, horns, harps . . . with clapping, etc. 

I entertain the idea that God wants me keeping music at the forefront. 

Saved

Turn to me and be saved . . . 

 - From Isaiah 45

Saved . . . from what?

A pastor once posited this question to me. We were discussing how to share the gospel with people that see no need?

Over time that has seemed ridiculous to me. At the most basic, we need to be saved from Death. The person that doesn't believe Death is a problem is naïve and a fool. There simply is no logical reason not to want to continue living. The only reason anything in life is hard, is because life will end and we feel our time is limited. 

Every problem we are facing has at the root, the fear of dying; or of dying before we're ready. But when are you really ever ready to die?

My Dad was ready to die. But if he were give one more day, without pain, he would have taken it. The elderly feel the passage of time profoundly. They want to milk what time they have left. 

This is why we should make life as wonderful as possible, for the aged, and not just leave them alone in their memories and grief (so awkward for us to deal with, yet it is our fate too).

The anxiety and sadness that is presently my continual struggle following covid, comes from my own mortality. This morning, I am considering one or two momentous and risky decisions; that will have a permanent impact. Am I seeking an easy way out, or am I finally responding to the Lord, in faith, to what He wants for me?

I approached Scripture today, seeking an answer. 

The answer is this: no matter what it is: God saves us. 

One Sinner

 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

 - From Luke 15

I've got power that you can't see
God is living inside of me
I can fight any enemy
Cause God and I make a majority

These lyrics, from the first release of the New Gaither Vocal Band, circa 1984, was always one of my favorites. It hit the airwaves while I was a grad student at Texas Christian University. Here it is, right here.

And so it occurred to me, that God is not about democracy. The only reason humans have democracy, is to give us a system of government, hopefully, to keep the most people, at any one time, mostly content with their government. Peace is better than continual rebellion. Therefore, we have democracy. 

But God is not a pro-democracy being. The gospel message is always about The One. Truth, and real love, is ever found within decreasing circles of faithful believers. Christ took only three with him to Transfiguration: Peter, John and James, his inner circle. And so this is another critical element needed within sustainable democracies: 

You must protect the One.

We have gotten away from that. Democracy this, democracy that. Meanwhile, lone whistleblowers are mocked, cast aside, ruined, canceled. Small groups of people asking legitimate questions are treated like dirt. 

This is why the Kingdom of Heaven rejoices at one sinner that repents: 

Because God places the One ahead of the Many.