Point of View (vaccines and GMOs)

I have a hard time understanding people who do not vaccinate their children. Humans are living longer and healthier lives since the creation of vaccines than we have since Old Testament times. Vaccines have saved countless lives and saved billions of dollars on disease treatment. I can't imagine the horror of loosing a child to vaccine preventable diseases, but it happens every day in countries where vaccine use is not widespread. And because these diseases are not prevalent here the idea that they are not real threats seems to be widespread in this country. I would argue that because they are not eradicated and still exist in the world, they are still major threats. The accidental introduction through global migration of people would cause massive devastation in an un-vaccinated people group. See a Ted-talk on Polio eradication efforts

As far as GMOs are concerned, I guess I don't care if people want to waste their money, but most foods have no GMO counterpart anyway. The foods that do, namely corn and potatoes (since these are huge commodity items) have massive benefits to mankind. Maybe you are not of the mindset that starving people anywhere is a real problem, but the world population continues to increase and there needs to be a way to feed them. Genetically modified crops increase production per acre while decreasing pesticide use and carbon emissions from repeatedly driving over fields to spray those pesticides. Genetic modification occurs over time in any crop (through use of hybridization) to improve certain characteristics. Genetic modification in a lab just increases the speed at which these modifications can be obtained. There are not such drastic changes to plant structure that these changes are affecting our health. See Article.

In fact I challenge you that since the Fall of man the human DNA structure has been deteriorating. Do you not think it possible that increased disease rates in children could also be a sign of a continuously failing genome? Anyway, this is just some food for thought. Ted-talk on science denial

Noah's flood- Was it global, and did others survive?

Recently I have been challenged to defend my view on a global flood. This was in light of the possibility that there has been misinterpretation of the Hebrew language into our English understanding. I think, however, that it is important here to not attempt only to interpret the words correctly, but to understand the story within the context of the entire bible, and look at how this impacts how we view the gospel message as a whole. On that point, never having delved into this topic from the point of view that the flood may have been a local event, I didn’t have strong or convincing evidence to present, but I decided I needed to study the topic out further so that I could have understanding that would allow me to take a firm position on the issue.

The topic was brought to light in view of a belief that it was possible that humans other than Noah and his family survived the flood. There, another deep subject of interpretation was laid upon my doorstep. Did God create just one man and one woman or did He create other humans as well? I’ve always interpreted my biblical reading as God having created Adam and Eve, and the entire human race descending from them. However, I was challenged that God may have created many different races from the beginning, and thus races were not descended from the children of Noah, but were present from the beginning and survived the flood. Below is a discussion of my research on the matter.

First, one can see that there are 2 different recountings in Genesis of God’s creation of man. In the first He “created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:27). In the second account “the Lord God formed man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7) and “Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:22). Just because Genesis 1 does not explain the details of God’s creation of man does not mean that the account in Genesis 2 is talking of a separate Creation event whereby He could have created many men in chapter 1 and a special man in chapter 2.

In the Genesis 1 recounting God creates all the creatures and then creates humans, albeit all on the 6^th day of Creation. In the Genesis 2 recounting it can be interpreted that God creates man, then birds and wild animals, and later goes on to make woman. Why is there a different order to creation? From my understanding (and in this know that I do not have a fully developed understanding of the Hebrew language) the word  for ‘formed’ that is used in Genesis 2:19 in reference to the creation can be interpreted in the pluperfect form of the verb, meaning God had created them some time in the past. It does not have to be interpreted as a change in the chronology of events. For that matter Genesis 2 appears to be meant for added detail about the creation and purpose of man, not as a rehashing of the timeline of events established in chapter 1.

If we look at the bible as a whole for answers on the matter of whether Adam was the only man formed at the time of creation we can reference 1 Corinthians 15:45, “So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” Additionally, when considering Genesis 2:20b, “but for the man no helper was found as his complement,” we can understand that there must not have been a woman upon the earth because surely if God had already created females He would not have had to take from Adam’s own flesh to find him a wife. Even the naming of Eve speaks to the existence of only two people on the earth. Genesis 3:20, “Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.” Acts 17:26 also helps draw this conclusion, “From one man (or ‘one blood’) He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.”

Even if this evidence was not conclusive, if there were other races or people groups formed at the time of creation, why would Adam’s sin have condemned everyone? God says in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, ” For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Throughout the bible God condemns those who sin and even curses their children at times, but why would God condemn someone who has not sinned? Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.” And yes, you may say that they sinned as well, but the bible makes it clear that the curse of death is due to Adam’s original sin. Romans 5:17a, “Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man.” I think if God had created other peoples we would have been told of their ‘Fall’ as well.

Some would also argue that if Adam and Eve were the only humans their children would not have had spouses. This is due to God’s laws against marriage to siblings. The bible makes it clear that Adam and Eve had a large family consisting of both sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4). At this time in history God did not have any laws against marriage of siblings. These laws did not come into effect until the time of Moses. Leviticus 18:6 “You are not to come near any close relative for sexual intercourse; I am Yahweh.” In fact in Genesis 20:12 we learn that Sarah is Abraham’s half-sister, “Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.” God blesses this union despite the charge of incest one could apply from today’s perspective. And, even if you did want to condemn sibling marriage- since the law was not in place there was no way of holding anyone accountable. Romans 5:13 “In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law.“ Therefore I conclude that Adam and Eve’s children likely married one another.

We see that Cain is married, and has children, but it is not clear when he married. The bible only indicates that he had a child in the land of Nod after being banished (Genesis 4:17). The passage does not indicate that he took a wife for himself after he arrived in Nod. I conclude that he was married to one of his sisters prior to his banishment.

As for the claims that like beget like, and we could not have different races if God did not create them from the beginning, I again present Acts 17:26- “From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.” Beyond that I consider the biologic differences of the races to be miniscule at best. Genetic differences between races are less than 0.2% of our DNA. In fact there are more genetic differences between a man and woman than there are between a black man and white man. If you consider what the human race has done in developing dog breeds for specific purposes- completely changing the size and shape, making anything and everything from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane – is it really that hard to imagine that people groups living on different continents for hundreds of years could develop skin tones that are the result of more or less melanin in their skin? Or that maybe the traits needed for survival (e.g. increased athletic ability in the African safari) would become predominant due to the ‘survival of the fittest’ phenomena?  We are not told in the bible that Adam and Eve were white or black or yellow, we have no idea what their genetic potential might have held. Here I rest my case. I find no strong biblical evidence that God created anyone other than Adam and Eve during the Creation events, and I find multiple areas of support for the claim that they were the sole humans present at that time. I think to draw further conclusion from the text is to test God- something He has warned us against. Deuteronomy 6:16a, “Do not test the Lord your God.”

Now, moving on to the topic of a local or global flood. It has been brought to my attention that the phrase translated “all the earth” in Genesis 6 can and has, in other parts of Genesis, been translated as a piece of land. With this in mind, I looked intently at scripture to try to draw a conclusion as to whether this was God’s intended interpretation in this case.

First I think it important to address the reason God sent a flood. Genesis 6:5-7, “When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, ⁶ the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ Then the Lord said, ‘I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.’” This passage indicates that all men that lived upon the earth were sinful. And as established previously- the Fall affected all men. Therefore, why would you draw a conclusion other than it was God’s intention to destroy all men? Genesis 7:23, “He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.” 2 Peter 2:5b reiterates this, “He didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly.” In Luke 17:27 it is reported that, “People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” The word ‘all’ in this passage meaning each and every one. Therefore I conclude that the purpose of the flood was to destroy all human life, so even if the flood were not global, God’s intent seems to be the destruction of all human life aside from Noah and his family.

As for the debate for or against a global flood, ‘erets’- the word used in the Genesis 6 flood account is used to refer both to the whole earth (Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth [erets].” or Genesis 1:10a “God called the dry land ‘earth,’”) and a section of land (Genesis 2:11, “The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land [erets] of Havilah”). However, when the word erets is interpreted in a local sense it is generally qualified with some boundary. In the flood account the word erets is used without qualification. Additionally, references to the flood in the New Testament (eg. Hebrews 11:7 and 2 Peter 2:5) use the word kosmos to describe the world- that being defined as universe or world or inhabitants of the world. In this case the New Testament writers are clearly portraying a global event.

When Jesus describes the end of the age in Matthew 24:37-39 He is referring to a world-wide event. “As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. ³⁹ They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.” Based on the context here, we can imply that both events are global in expanse. There is clearly an implication that humanity at large has become evil in both of these cases. Therefore, why would God have limited His judgement to only one small area?

As a related discussion topic, there are some questions about the survival of fish in a global flood (among other related topics). Fish as we see them today are generally either fresh or salt water creatures. In the case of a common body of water during the flood how would these fish have survived? I think it possible that the fish at the time were able to live in mixed salinity water. As discussed earlier about human skin tone, fish likely have undergone microevolutionary changes which have lead to development of fresh and salt water fish species. I don’t see why we would expect that animals we have today are not significantly altered from their genetic state at the time of the flood. Selection pressures have changed milk production in dairy cows from a mere 3,000 pounds per cow annually in 1900 to nearly 20,000 pounds annually today. Obviously we did not change cows into horses, but we have significantly altered their genetics. It just seems reasonable to believe that over almost 6,000 years there may have been significant genetic changes which would have allowed the survival of fish at the time of the flood.

Furthermore, I think that implications as to whether the flood was global and killed off everyone other than Noah have implications that ripple down into interpretation of the gospel message. The ark can be a representation of God’s saving grace. Noah was saved through the flood waters via the ark- God’s way of escape. If others survived the flood without going through the ark, then the conclusion could be drawn that even though God has said that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, could there not be some other way to sneak by? Luke 14:6 states, “Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Let there be no doubt, the only way into heaven is through the front door. A faith in Jesus Christ is our only choice for salvation. The idea that God’s judgement can be escaped is a slippery slope and one I don’t think worth entertaining. Here I rest my case again. I think God asks us to study scripture to have a complete understanding, but in the context of the bible in its entirety, I find that God has provided a strong case for a global flood interpretation with the idea that He intended to judge the whole earth.

Why did God create humans?

Isaiah 43:7 states, “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
Based on this passage the chief end of man is to glorify God. Well, what does that mean? Merriam-Webster defines to glorify as: to honor or praise. Well, why are we praising Him? Because he deserves all praise. God has glory already (glory which can be defined as: magnificence or great beauty), and we get to glory (take great pride or pleasure) in Him when we offer Him our praise. The glory of the Lord is made very clear throughout the bible. We by no means could add to it. Exodus 24:17 “And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.” In 2 Chronicles 5:14 “the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 7:3 “And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.”
God is not needy or our praise. He is not petty, as would be considered a man looking for praise. Revelation 4:11 states, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Because God is the beginning and end, has been and always will be, He deserves ultimate praise. Isaiah 42:8 states, "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” He demands our praise because it is due Him. He did not make man because He was in need of someone to glorify Him. We are to glorify Him for our own benefit, because He is deserving. 1 Chronicles 16:29 “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” God was in complete and wonderful relationship within His triune nature before He decided to create man. His reason for creating heaven and earth was not in order that He could satisfy a want for attention, but rather it was that He could share His magnificence with His creation. As an example 1 Chronicles 16:35 says, “And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.” Here the people of God celebrate with God in His glorification. God wants to share His goodness with His creation.
Due to the fall we will never know the full beauty of God’s design for us while still here on earth, but God made us in His image that we could enjoy the community that He had within His triune nature. Genesis 1:26a, “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” God is one- but within one God are three distinct persons with different attributes. 2 Corinthians 13:14 states, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God [the Father], and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” So, God the Father is abundant in love, Jesus the Son is abundant in grace, and the Holy Spirit is a strong companion. Can you imagine what living in constant love, grace, and fellowship would look like? God wants that for us, and displaying these attributes is glorifying to Him. In fact, God would have us mirror Him in all things. Ephesians 5:1, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Emulating God is part of what it looks like to follow the commands of God, which is ultimately glorifying to Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 claims, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” So, we need to obey His commandments, because that is what we were created to do. Jesus states in Matthew 22:37-38 “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” So loving Him with our whole being would seem like a good start. But remember, Jesus also said in Matthew 22:39-40 “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” So surely we can give God glory by loving our neighbors as well. And as a side note here, what is love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a states, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” So keep that in mind when you are trying to love one another.
We can also glorify God by good works, as Matthew 5:16 states “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Because obviously bringing others to the point of worshiping God through good example is ultimately glorifying to Him. Romans 15 also details the building up of others for their good as glorifying to God, culminating the idea in verses 5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:12 gives further example of how we are to lead others to glorifying God with our words and actions. “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” 1 Peter 4:16 also states, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” For God does not call us to a life of ease. He did not say that giving Him praise would be without trial. Sometimes our endurance through these trials produces the most profound witness.
The Lord has also given us glory, albeit paling in comparison to God’s glory. Psalm 8:4-5 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visit him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.” We were made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Therefore it is no wonder that He has instilled in us some of His glory and He has asked us to use that to direct that glory back to Him. For God is our glory: Psalm 62:7 “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” Therefore, apart from God we have no glory. In Psalm 30:12 the psalmist writes, “To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” God wants us to use what He has given us to illuminate His goodness. And woe unto him who has received much from the Lord and does not use it accordingly, for as Luke 12:48b states “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” And bringing this together with the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25, we see in versus 29-30 “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” God wants us to glorify Him, and eternity in hell is the consequence of turning our backs on the one purpose God has given us.
As stated before, God does not need us. His glory is preeminent, and can be showcased without us. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” And in Luke 19, as the disciples are being rebuked by the Pharisees for bringing glory to God as Jesus makes His way into Jerusalem, there Jesus states, (vs40b) “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” However, God has designed us for this purpose: Exodus 9:16 “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Glorifying God is inevitable, all will eventually bend a knee in praise to the Creator. Revelation 15:4 “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” However, if we willingly take on our role as worshipers of our Creator while we live on this earth, we will be blessed to spend eternity in heaven with Him rather than in the “furnace of fire: [where] there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42). So, let us glorify God through our worship and praise, and in the actions of our daily lives. Because God has given us a purpose, and that is to glorify Him with all the talents and attributes He has provided us. Failing to do this is not to God’s detriment, for His glory stands with or without our praise. However, whether it be willing or unwilling we will all eventually give God the glory due Him. Our choice now will only effect where we ourselves spend eternity.

I would like to be clear here also, as it is our sole God-given purpose to glorify Him, this is the only task our lives should be fully devoted to. While it is not wrong to be successful by the world’s standards, it is also not necessary, and could ultimately be distracting. If our eyes are being pulled away from Christ by anyone or anything, we are losing focus on what is most important. Exodus 20:3 states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” God is a jealous God, and must be the center of all our worship. Woe to him who is distracted by the world.

What is God's Will?

What does it mean to my life to follow the will of God? How do I find it for my life? Is there only one right way? I think the answers to these questions start with an understanding of what God says about His will. Furthermore, we can look at examples of Christians in the bible and their interactions with God as evidence of how to walk in God’s will.

First I want to consider John 6:38-40. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Furthermore, 1 Timothy 2:4 claims God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” And 2 Peter 3:9 states “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God waits patiently that we may be saved!

So basically, what I take from these passages is that (at least part of) God’s will is that we should believe in Christ so that we all may have eternal life. And as a side note here, I think it is important to define the phrase ‘believe in Christ’. I feel that this is such a misunderstood concept. People claiming to be Christians can almost inevitably quote John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” This is obviously a true statement, but claiming that statement does not make one a believer in Christ. What does make one a believer in Christ? A faith in Christ that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).You can’t just keep Jesus at a distance and claim Him when you’re needy- He needs to be your first love, your life, your all. We are to use Jesus as our foundation. 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 states, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Obviously more could be said here on the topic of belief, but I think that is sufficient for this topic of God’s will.

So back to the topic at hand; God's will is to bring in His flock. We should know this. Jesus commands the disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And what I find really cool about God’s desire to reach the whole world with the gospel message is this. He has promised that all nations will receive opportunity to hear the truth. Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Therefore, an obvious takeaway from these passages is that God’s will is for us to witness to others and teach His gospel to all whom we meet. We should take Paul’s attitude found in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” So, spreading the gospel is God’s will, and He has commanded us to be a part of that, so anytime we are given opportunities to talk to others about Christ this is obviously part of God’s will for us, however, God’s will for us doesn’t end there.

It is also God’s will for us to be righteous. So not only does He want us to believe in His grace and mercy given to us through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. God also wants us to be virtuous and moral examples for the world. 1 John 3:10 states, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” We can be a testimony to Christ through our moral character. Therefore, by becoming righteous, we not only please God with our actions, but we also are working to fulfill the will of God in bringing others to Christ. And while we’re at it, let’s consider 1 Peter 2:15 “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Sometimes setting the good example is all it takes, and sometimes actions are more powerful than words.

Furthermore, it is to our reward and advantage to develop our righteousness through pursuit of God. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We will lose the whole world, but gain His good pleasure and can have abundant satisfaction if our pursuit is righteousness. Luke 12:32 states, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God wants to give us every good thing, and if we will bear His cross he will surely give us a reward.

We cannot save ourselves, through righteousness, but righteousness is a natural progression of a continued relationship with Christ and our humble submission to Him. As we grow in Christ we will become continually more virtuous as He changes us more and more into His character. For to become righteous is to become more like God, as God is the source of righteousness.

Another call from God for the life of the believer is to become sanctified. Though complete sanctification is impossible here on earth, God continually calls us to become holy. Leviticus 11:44a “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” He wants us to be in constant pursuit of His will and His holy nature rather than distracted by the world. Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Especially important in God’s call for sanctification is sexual purity. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.” God has designed humans with an innate desire for sex; however, He has put limits on this desire, requiring that it occur only within a heterosexual marriage. Mark 10: 6-8 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”  Therefore, if we want to become sanctified, as is God’s will, we must pick up His cross daily and follow Him, that our lustful desires would not cause us to stumble. Because that sexual drive is so strong in most people, that even within a marriage it can be hard to remain pure of heart. I believe this is (part of) why God calls believers not to deny their spouse. 1 Corinthians 7:5 “Do not deny yourselves to each other, unless you first agree to do so for a while in order to spend your time in prayer; but then resume normal marital relations. In this way you will be kept from giving in to Satan's temptation because of your lack of self-control.” Sexual purity can be obtained inside a marriage, or as a single person, but there will always be temptation. Therefore, our sanctification can only occur if our focus is on pleasing Christ. Marriage doesn’t solve the heart issue of lust, only Christ can.

So, I think it’s been established that God’s will is that we would come to a saving knowledge of Christ, bring the salvation message to others, and grow in righteousness and sanctification. This is not all inclusive of God’s will for us, but it is a good start, and if this is what we are pursuing with our lives I think we can safely say we are following the will of God. Within a Christian’s life God has left opportunity for us to pursue our passions, with no one single path that is correct. Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Finding peace with decisions as you are consistently walking with God through reading of the bible and daily prayer is likely a good sign that you are walking in His will, but this only works if we are in constant relationship with Him. So we can take some freedom in this knowledge, that Christ has freed us from the law. Romans 6:14 "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." But remember Paul’s question, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). Therefore, though we have freedom in Christ, pursuit of sin is still to be avoided.

Additionally, we need to be mindful that, when God clearly gives us direction, we are astute to this leading. As example, God called Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, but Jonah refused. Despite his disobedience, God’s will was not to be avoided. Luckily for him, God still chose to use him, though he quite easily could have found another.

It’s amazing what can happen when we are attentive to God’s calling. Consider Esther, who was placed in the palace of king Ahasuerus for such a time as God needed to save His chosen people Israel from destruction. Even though she had every right to be afraid, her uncle Mordecai assures her that she should not feel safe just because she is the queen. Esther 4:13-14 “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther could easily have chosen to disobey God, and God would have saved Israel without her, but because she willingly obeyed she was rewarded.

God’s will is inevitable and will pass with certainty. Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” We may not always see His goals, but they are always meant for His glory and our good. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God can and will shove squares into round holes, but it’s much easier on us if we willingly conform our will to His. So let this be our motto: Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And remember, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Because, though the way may at times seem bleak and the right may seem too hard, if you “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (And) In all thy ways acknowledge him, he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Life Update

Looks like I missed all of 2014 and most of 2015 as far as expressing myself via blogpost; but alas, I feel it is time to set fingers to keyboard again. :) So world, what is it that I should share with thee? Most of my 2013 posts were pretty heavy, but I'm not there right now. I'm feeling a little lighter at this exact second, though most of those feelings are still near the surface and could emerge at any second. So where should we head? I think an update on my general whereabouts and on-doings may be a good start. So I finally graduated vet school last May and moved to Plains, MT to practice veterinary medicine. It's a nice little town with various personalities. I've met a lot of good people and I've also met some crazies, but every town has those, right? I've been lonely here. I'm not good at meeting new people outside of work. I started attending the Lutheran church with Janelle, but the people there are all older, and I wasn't making strong relationships. So I branched out of my comfort zone and started attending the Plains Alliance church on Saturday evenings as well. Still I wasn't making real relationships, but I felt pretty welcomed. Then earlier this year the church service became a bible study, which I continued to attend, but it's much more uncomfortable. Due to the small group size more attention is on the individual for response. I don't like response, it's out of my comfort zone. It's like I'm pressured to give a good answer or I'm not good enough. I still attend though. And last November I met a girl named Sarah who works at Camp Bighorn. She's super sweet and, as we've gotten to know each other, I've found it very easy to talk to her. She invited me to start attending a small group that the Alliance Church supports and I've gotten to know a few more people my age through the group. However, Sarah has recently gotten engaged and will be leaving for Missoula soon, so major bummer as far as a local friend is concerned. I still have the rest of the group, but I don't feel very close with them. Really I'd just like to find one other person that I could comfortably share life with, whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship. I don't really know if I'm ready for a relationship, so I'm not pushing on that door too hard; but I'd like to have someone to confide in, who I feel to be trustworthy, and unfortunately I don't have someone like that right now. I have friends, some of whom I would even trust with my baggage, but they aren't close by and some things need to be shared with someone who can hug you. Right now I'm just sad. Sad that I'm not walking with God, sad that I'm so alone, and sad that nothing is likely to change for the better anytime soon. Ah well, I guess I've gone and gotten heavy again. I did say it could emerge at any second....

Wake up and grow

I've just had a small revelation, and haven't had the time to fully flush it out. In part, I realized that likely the biggest reason that I feel so inadequate (and therefore so unlikely) to share the gospel is because I haven't the understanding. As it is written "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat" Heb 5:12. In order to get the understanding I must study. But studying proves to be a difficult task for me, for if I have no coming exam I am loath to study. However, I do like to share with others the knowledge that I spend time studying. (Ask my father, he knows I could talk one's ear off.) But the questions I may be likely asked are deep and profound, and require understanding to answer. Therefore, it will be no easy task to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15) -something a friend lovingly suggested I try a few years ago. For as it is quoted by Miss Elizabeth in a movie I recently re-watched "I do not play this instrument so well as I would wish to, but I have always supposed that to be my own fault because I would not take the trouble of practicing." For can we blame God for our ignorance when it is in our power to unveil His truths? He has provided us with a foundation, if we only choose to build upon it.

I am chief among sinners

 I do not understand the propensity to sin

Its vain pleasures so fleeting

And its treasures so unrewarding, as to appear hollow and devoid

And yet they draw me nigh and entrap my very soul

What have I to gain by any such pleasures, and yet my will is weak

I cannot, and will not, be allowed to seek after the true fount of pleasure

I am distracted by the finite while the infinite rests not inches away

Where can I go to hide my shame?

With whom can I share my great burden?

How can I seek forgiveness for my vast and perverse sin?

Whose nature is not to be revealed for worry of disownment.

Or worse, for judging glances to be passed

For my sins are great and my virtues few

And those who know my virtues think them greater than they are, for I am a good prevaricator

And rather more, I spin my life as a farce, so that all may believe my deficits less genuine

But rather, that they would think them part of a horrid ruse

To think myself capable of such debauchery, I wish not

But to hide the truth from one’s own self, how deep the lie must go

Only turmoil can come of this

Returning to one’s innocence, the impossible, but soul felt desire

For something more could be made of a life, if just some aspiration could be manifest

And yet, no dreams are even on the horizon

A ship sailing to the edge of a cliff, with what more to give?

Only having ever stolen in one’s life, never to have given in genuine

Who can reverse the ways of a man?

Who can steer the ship aright?

In such desperation, can a man think straight to grab hold of the rock or set anchor?

Lest he go on sailing toward disaster

Of which one can be certain if the course remains unaltered.

Life offers little forgiveness, and the proud are unaccustomed to receive it

But this is their one chance for grace

A beacon calling them home, under the atonement of the shed blood of Christ

Life’s heavy blows are certain to persist, but easy is the burden when you share your yoke with Jesus