Category: Salvation

Health and Healing #13

Thirteenth in a series demonstrating how much the Bible has to say about the healing purchased for us by Jesus at the cross along with salvation.

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5

It is striking how varied are the ways that healing comes. I believe Jesus took care to make it plain to us that God is Jehovah Rapha (our Healer) lest we get the idea that there is some formula for healing that doesn’t require our vital relationship with Him who IS the Life. (John 17:11 tells us the Father and Son are One.) Did you see what I did there? Vital (adj.) late 14c., “of or manifesting life,” from Latin vitalis “of or belonging to life”. Now there is a subject for meditation! We are in right relationship with Him when we “belong”, by our choice, to Jesus, who is the Life. If we become disconnected from the Life, through inattention because our focus is diverted to the things of earth, we cease walking with Him in the upward way (I Am the Way, John 14:6).

Many of us are driven by various measures of performance and keep mental checklists on how we are doing:

  • Remembered anniversary -Check.
  • Made it to church – Check.
  • Put something in the basket – Check.
  • Sang on Key – Check.
  • Volunteered to work in the nursery – Check.
  • Stayed mostly awake during the sermon – Check.
  • Encouraged the pastor on a wonderful message – Check.

However admirable any of the things we do may be, they are no substitute for a consistent relationship with Jesus. Even if that sermon contained the very words of God and was ever so helpful, as I hope it did and was, the message came to you secondhand.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death.

Proverbs 14:12

There are processes in our physical life that will put an end to us if they stop; heartbeat, respiration, neural transmission would be ultraquick, were they to fail suddenly. Other cessations take longer to produce the terminal result, digestion, hydration, immune functions and sleep come to mind. As His children, God gives us grace that we might choose to turn back to Him from our distractions. Make no mistake, though. He intends we converse with Him like we breathe.

Though manifestation of healing does not adhere to a formula, there are some things always necessary. Faith, overcoming unbelief, recognizing and using our authority in Jesus, and speaking our faith out loud are needful. These flow out of our relationship with Him as we wholeheartedly lean into the Word of Truth. Another word about prayer assistance by the elders mentioned in James 5 – prayer doesn’t save the sick. The prayer of faith saves the sick. Choose your elders wisely.

If you have read at Missionary Sojourn any time at all, you will know that I believe that Jesus bore our sin (and sickness) at the cross and that is a once-and-for-all transaction. That obviously doesn’t mean we can’t or don’t sin or get sick. It means that the state of the believer’s redeemed spirit is unaltered by transgressions of the law which Jesus fulfilled.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:13–14

We are not “sealed” by our behavior, but by His limitless, omnipotent Holy Spirit! His sealing is incomparably better than my kitchen vacuum sealer (refer to need for breath, above). BTW- This is not a random silly comment. The word for the Spirit in Ephesians 1:13 is Πνεύματι (Pneumati, the breath of God). We think of breath as a mere vapor, but the breath of God is infinitely substantive protection.

The word “sin” in verse 15 of James 5 is the same Greek word (ἁμαρτίας, pronounced ham-ar-tee’-ahs) translated as “faults” in verse 16.

I know many voices endeavor to help us rationalize otherwise, but one thing sin does in the life of a believer, is give Satan access. You know him. He is the one who comes to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). A Bible teacher that I am fond of is known for saying that sin gives Satan permission to “eat your lunch and pop the bag”. It’s a cute way to drive home this point and help us remember this consequence of our sin. The good news is James 5:16 is telling us how to break that stronghold. I can tell you from hard experience that believing the lie that “keeping habitual sin under wraps is best for all concerned” will ensure that bully Satan comes by for your lunch tomorrow and for as many days following as you protect your sin from the light.

P.S. Romans 6 is a good place to do more study on the subject of sin and believers.]

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Health & Healing #12: Redeemed!

Twelfth installment in a series talking about what the Bible reveals about health and healing by spiritual means.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Galatians 3:13

What is the curse of the law? From what have believers been redeemed by Christ?
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 graphically answers this question. For our purposes, let’s take a survey of those parts of the curse that are obviously related to health:

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 28

The first fifteen verses enumerate the blessing that would accrue to the one who listens to God and does what He says. From verse fifteen on, the consequences of going the other way are detailed as “curses”. It is best to remember that we are looking at forms part of the basis of the Old Covenant and that Moses was preparing the surviving generation of the nation of Israel to pass into the promised land and was giving some final instructions, since he was not going in. The Excerpted below are some of the curses that specifically affect health, since that is the subject of this series.

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

27 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the
LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

Deteronomy 28

Some of these words might be unfamiliar to modern readers and it would be hard to be dogmatic about the exact maladies meant. Merriam-Webster defines “botch” as an inflammatory sore. Some non-specificity is not too surprising. The ancient Hebrews wouldn’t have known what you were talking about if you mentioned the flu to them. At least some of these were clearly “terminal” (vv 27 & 60). Verse 66 lets us know the unease (disease) would result in doubt about survival. Verse 61 tells us no sickness is left out of the curse.

David looked forward to redemption in Psalm 103. I take this as one of those “Messianic ” Psalms that project to the work of Jesus in setting us free. The language is majestic, and the worshipful tone can hardly fail to uplift the troubled soul that gazes upwards.

1 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 103

Let us circle back to our opening passage, since we have looked at some of the curse of the law. The New Covenant in Christ is good news indeed. It ought to make us soar with the eagles to recognize that Jesus has borne all these that, in Him, we might be redeemed from them.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Galatians 3:13
Photo by Tina Nord on Pexels.com

Health and Healing #9

Nineth in a series about what the Bible says about health and healing.

This post is unchanged from my journal, with the exception of formatting and an added afterword. Also, some might wonder what the first part of Mark chapter five has to do with healing. Please bear with me, as I want us to look at the entirety of the chapter, for it is a treasure trove of revelation concerning healing from the beginning to the end.

I am grateful You have given us these detailed accounts of deliverance and healing!

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.” 8 For he said unto him, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.” 9 And he asked him, “What is thy name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion: for we are many.” 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.” 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

from Mark 5

Me: Good afternoon, Jesus!

Jesus: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: The secular culture dismisses these accounts of deliverance from demons as myth.

Jesus: Much of your culture – and not just the secular culture – dismisses Me.

Me: That doesn’t say much for our effectiveness as ambassadors for You.

Jesus: It has been that way from the beginning. I did give you free will. And I will remind you of Gideon. I had him reduce the many he had with him from his tribe down to three hundred to defeat the Midianites who were oppressing them. I wanted it to be clear that victory is Mine and it does not depend on the might of men.

Me: As I read Judges, it seems like Gideon started with 32,000.

Jesus: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6) Through Me, you can do all things. (Philippians 4:13) This is even as all I did as I walked the earth; what I did, I did only through the Father (John 5:30). Nevertheless, the way to life in Me is narrow, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14). I sent prophets to Israel, whom most ignored. They served other gods; they followed their own counsel. Today, is the same. I am not excusing those who do not attempt to carry My message. I am saying to you that is not all there is to it. Who carries My message more ably than I? How many cried, “Crucify him!” before Pilate? I tell you some among them listened to my teaching and ate of the bread that I provided.

Even those who saw the loosing of the demon-possessed man in the passage you included above from Mark 5 asked me to leave. Look what it says in verse 15. They saw what I did, and they were afraid. What do you think they were afraid of?

Me: I’m not sure, Jesus. I expect You allowed the demons to destroy the pigs that those people were not supposed to be eating anyway.

Jesus: Yes, that was a little unspoken commentary on their rebellious enterprise. Today is no different. Many who reject me do so on the fear that I will ask them to stop engaging in their own particular rebellion. Others reject me because some who imagine they represent Me do not know me (Matthew 7:23).

Me: I mentioned earlier that many discount these deliverance accounts and put the troubles of the man in the tombs under the heading of ill “mental health”. They will argue vociferously that mental health problems do not equate to demonic activity. I have certainly heard voices not normally belonging to the speaker, when they were “themselves”. I reckon we all have mental issues that need reconciliation, else we would not be told of the importance of “renewing our minds” (Romans 12:2).

Jesus: No health problems are of My making. Rather, the works of the devil. I came, in fact, to destroy those 1 John 3:8.

Me: Thank you Jesus! Thank You for talking with me about these things! I love You!

Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!

Afterword: The death of the pigs in the sea may have had more to do with the demons making them insane than the sea itself. Here is a link to an interesting youtube video about swimming pigs in the Bahamas. Sans demons, they seem to like it. This one has a different type of hitchhiker.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Featured photo of tombstones also from Pexels by KoolShooters.

Postscript 02/17/2023

Mark 5:1 mentioned the land of the Gadarenes (the land east of the Jordan and south of the Sea of Galilee given to the tribe of Gad – see Deuteronomy 3) and the Decapolis (a group of ten Hellenistic cities spread out on the eastern frontier of the Roman empire). Apparently in relation to this same episode with the demon-possessed man, Matthew mentioned the “Gergesenes”. Gergesa was further north on the eastern shore of the sea. This area is the only place on that side of the lake where a steep spur of the mountains thrust out near the water. The city of Gadara, on the other hand is about sixteen miles to the southeast. It may be that the word “Gadarenes” in Mark 5:1 is due to a transcription error in the text. Parallel Gospel study reference: Jesus Heals Two Gergesene Demoniacs. (biblehub.com)

Health and Healing #3

This is the third post in a series on things the Bible has to say about the healing nature of Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer. It is my hope as we progress, that you, dear reader, will become awed by the depth of the Scriptural evidence of this part of the redemption purchased for believers by Jesus at the cross as surely as we trust in His deliverance from the penalty of sin.

Let’s start today by considering the authority of the believer and the importance of our words and their backing by belief.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Mark 11:22-25

What is your mountain? What apparently-immovable hindrance (or attitude) is blocking your way? If your self talk is defeatist, that hill will indeed remain stationary. Instead let your words be filled with faith in Him!

Does it go without saying? Those who practice witchcraft are attempting to conjure according to a perversion of this principle. Namely, that the form of their words will fabricate the outcome they desire (by magic). Notice in Mark 11:22 that the praying believer is first to have faith in God and in verse 25 is to believe he is receiving from God. It is God’s power. We know from the Scripture that God is holy. (If we know Him at all, our experience with Him bears that out, without question.) That He is holy means that He is wholly consistent: His words perfectly match His actions and His acts entirely obey His word. He never violates His nature: loving, just, wise, forbearing, giving, protecting, nurturing, attentive, to name a few characteristics. Do not, therefore, get the wrong idea about this awesome spiritual principle.

Here is another good evidence of our Source and His consistency:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Good and perfect gifts are evidence of His consistently loving nature. I love that He is referred to as the “Father of lights” here. Jesus contrasted of the good gifts given by the Father with the best we can muster on our own:

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matthew 7:11

A couple of passages in Genesis provide some exhortation to make our voice and our belief consistent, because we were made to be in harmony with Him (in His nature).

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:27

Backing up to the first part of Genesis 1 we find repeated reference to God speaking all of creation into existence. You know how it goes. He was exercising precisely the consistent expectation that Jesus is telling us to have in Mark 11. Making our words reflect unwavering faith in promises that we expect Him to deliver on is one way we are to walk in His way as image-bearers of our Creator.

Note there was no stubborn resistance to the Word of God in His creation work. No stars failed to begin their nuclear reactions, no galaxies failed to take their appointed shape. No particle of creation refused to exert gravitational attraction of all the other particles. That bears repeating. First He said, “let there be”, then, “and there was”.

Be wary that doubt counters faith. Don’t despair. We usually get opportunity to practice greater stability.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James 1:2-8

Who is the enemy that contends against you? You do not face your accuser alone.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41:10-13

Finally, remember that these words of the Father in Isaiah are looking forward to the deliverance Jesus would attain for us at the Cross. Our perspective is looking back to the finished work of Jesus.

It is finished.

John 19:30

Health and Healing #2

Second in a series of scriptures and meditations on what the Bible has to say about the healing gifts of God through our Savior Jesus.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

There will be more on this as we go, but for now let me assert that salvation is first a spiritual redemption that has the potential to effect remarkable change in the body and soul as we walk by faith in the truth of His promises. Let me also try to drive home the power of what comes out of our mouths. Here is a powerful promise to walk in:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 14:12

How is this even possible? We live in a world that seems to delight in communicating the powerlessness of the individual against forces that are presented as overwhelming. That is a lie. The believer in Jesus can have the very presence of God in the depths of his being in the Person of the Holy Spirit. No power can stand against Him, save your free will (because He allows it).

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

John 16:7


Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:17

Look at these instructions Jesus gave to the 70 as He sent them out:

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Matthew 10:8

Does that seem like work you would expect out of common folk: fishermen, tax collectors, laborers, craftsmen? I will leave you with a demonstration of a possible, even likely, stumbling block. Unbelief. It stymied even Jesus:

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Matthew 13:50-58

Sometimes unbelief manifests itself in what we think we know instead of allowing ourselves to be convinced of the truth revealed in Scripture.

Looking west from home.

Health and Healing #1

Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about health and healing? I thought I might start to share some of these passages, one at a time.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 John 5:10-15

Well, maybe one more verse in an effort to belabor the point:


The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

These passages are speaking to those with a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus. Believers may pray for others and see healing as a witness. This is essentially what Jesus was doing in His earthly ministry with regard to healing. The power of it was mysteriously flowing slightly upstream in time from the work He would finish later at the cross. If you want to see these promises at work in your life on a consistent basis, ask Jesus for that relationship. He longs to have that rapport with you, to welcome you as family.

Notice the life is IN the Son, and it is available to those who are in relationship with Him. Much more to come…

Abundantly Above

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3

First things first. Paul is speaking to those who have joined God’s family by accepting the sacrifice Jesus made for us at the cross as efficacious for bringing us in. The world refers to us as Christians. Jesus knows us as family. We know Him as awesome! If that doesn’t describe you, just ask Him to help you begin that journey. If I have learned anything of Him, it is that He is faithful and that His offering of Himself to pay the sin-debt that we have accrued is a finished work.

When this passage speaks of the riches of His glory, does that resonate? Have you considered the endless expanse of the heavens on a cold winter night when untold suns twinkle from unimaginable distances? Have you considered that by His breath, He uttered “let there be”, and they were? Have you seen the reflection of the moon on the sea, shattered in sight into a thousand shards by the waves? Have you watched the tides progress by their lunar timetable? Have you listened and wondered at the whisper of wind carrying the sent of pines? Seen the glint of trout in clear mountain stream? Have you ever peered into a microscope at any of the universe too small for unaided human eyes to behold? Do you feel the tug of gravity? Have you considered the pull of every particle of creation on every other? Have you marveled that no corpuscle of matter exists alone? Do you note that it is by His power that all these things hold together (Colossians 1:17)? Have you comprehended that a lifetime of contemplating His majesty will not scratch the surface?

This. This is the One, who by His Spirit strengthens the believer in his inner man, who places in the ones who will accept Him, the very Spirit of Christ! To dwell, no less; to be at home.

The passage makes it clear that we walk in this truth by faith in Him and in this promise. Though we are indwelt/born again in our spirit by His Spirit. Our minds are still full of doubt and in need of an extreme makeover. We are called to participate in a transformation, in a renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23). We need to immerse ourselves in His Word (John 1:1), recognizing its truth until we are liberated (John 8:32). We must be set free from that we have believed that is not true; about ourselves, about others, and primarily, about Him.

Does that seem like an insurmountable task? That is why this passage tells us whose power is at work. Not our power, but His. Once you get this, you will see that the length and breadth and height spoken of in verse 18 of Ephesians 3 dwarf the inestimable dimensions of the universe that we peer into on those clear nights.

Christmas Cactus in November

In the beginning, in the garden, the temptation was to self-determination, rather than focus on the desire of our Maker. We have centuries of evidence of the results of that decision. If we know God for who He is, we can’t fail to recognize how that choice was made in the shadow of deception and how deluded one is to hold to it now. Praise be to God, in Jesus we have redemption and a way back (recovery)!

No Murmuring

I am grateful for the recent rejection of the OSHA “vaccine” mandate by Iowa and by the Supreme Court for employees of larger businesses.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Philippians 2:14-16

Me: Good evening Jesus!

Jesus: Good evening Jon!

Me: The phrase “all things” covers a lot of territory!

Jesus: Yes it does. What do you think murmurings are?

Me: Expressing anger under one’s breath?

Jesus: Secret anger. It assumes grudging compliance. Disputings are doubting questions about what ought to be done.

Back up a couple of verses and see the context of these things.

Me:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

Jesus: So you see, the “all things” that are to be done cheerfully with a willing heart are those things that I Am working in you to further your growth in salvation (sanctification). How will these actions be done with that kind of attitude, for discipline is not enjoyable in the moment?

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Hebrews 12:11

These instances of exercise (discipline) will only be embraced as you see them as from Me for your perfection. You will be cheerful about them in as much as you delight in your relationship with Me.

Me: I pray health-care workers will find protection from vaccine mandates, as they have been treated differently under the law than other citizens. Please let them find equal protection!

Jesus: Had you not come to the conviction that you would not “practice taking the mark”, no matter the outcome of decisions about the mandate?

Me: Yes, without doubt.

Jesus: And you were trusting Me for the outcome, not the decisions of courts?

Me: With full conviction!

Jesus: Then pray, also, that healthcare workers will be strengthened in their relationship with Me. I will uphold. My promises are true. My plan is steadfast.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Me: I will. Thank You, Jesus! I love You!

Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!

Pastel Sunset

Mansions Above are not Real Estate

I am grateful, Jesus, for the place prepared!

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14

Me: Good morning, Jesus!

Jesus: Good morning, Jon!

Me: I thank you for Your prompting to investigate the Greek behind “mansions” in John 14:2! I have never lived in a mansion, and frankly, this passage has never resonated much with me, until now.

Jesus: Yes, many have not felt the desire to seek after a fancy place to call home. But as you found out, I was talking about the marvelous and unmatched privilege of you personally, permanently abiding in relationship with the Father, and with Me, and with the Holy Spirit; all the fullness of God. The culmination of my preparation occurred at the cross, as I told Thomas:

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14

In fact, all the rest of John 14 consists of my efforts to get the disciples to look past the impending terror of the cross to the fullness of the abiding life that I Am making possible.

You should look upon the translators with grace. Words fail any effort to describe the majestic panorama of the union I Am promising and is growing even now.

Me: Thank You Jesus! Thank You! I love You!

Jesus: You are welcome! Welcome home! I love you!

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Obedience to (Usurped) Authority?

I am grateful for Your faithful guidance, Holy Spirit!

1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Romans 13

I have probably mentioned it before. This passage has troubled me, since I first read it, many years in the receding past. I also can’t count the times I have been pointed to it by well-meaning Christians, telling me – no matter what – we are required to do what governing authorities tell us, because they are ordained by God. I have a few problems with this simplistic assertion. Let’s first admit that Paul, the author of the Roman Epistle, was no stranger to overbearing government, to Rome’s crucifixions and many other abuses. This passage was probably written eight to ten years before Nero’s worst treatment of Christians and it is not clear how much of Nero’s descent Paul was alive to observe. At any rate, there is little chance Paul was blindly optimistic about about all government. He was in prison for his faith, after all.

However, what type of government is Paul describing as “ordained of God”? Explicitly, one that rewards good behavior and punishes evil behavior; one who ministers the good of God and executes wrath upon the evildoer.

How, then, does a government that rewards or facilitates evil and punishes Godly behavior and conscience reflect on the Creator if we believe such a power is “ordained” by Him? If we believe such an interpretation, what does that tell us about the nature and character of the Ordainer? It took me a long while to recognize that the stance that any and all governing authorities are put in place by God is an outgrowth of the Calvinist theology that everything that happens is enforced by Sovereign God, conveniently absolving men of any responsibility and casting God as dictatorial and less than loving.

I digress. Don’t just think about our current government, rushing headlong to tyranny though it be. Consider also Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, to name a few recent examples. Did God ordain the torture and murder of more than six million Jews (and others) under the Nazis and their collaborators? By no means is the Holocaust the only example of government-sponsored genocide. Stalin may have outdone Hitler. The number of deaths during Chairman Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” tallied forty-five million souls between 1958 and 1961. I was between four and seven at the time, but I don’t remember anyone speaking of it.

No, I firmly believe the thirteenth chapter of Romans describes the proper function of government; that which God ordains. It does not follow that no other type of government can exist. Governors have free will, like all the rest of us. Malevolent behavior in government authority can exist as easily as it can in the heart of the individually governed. If we don’t believe that, then we have put 1 John 1:5 to naught:

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

A second point that I might make takes it stand, along with Peter and John, called before Annas the high priest and his cohort:

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Acts 4

One who resists the powers-that-be ought to never loose sight of the fact that the government “bears the sword”, as we read in Romans 13. That fact applies whether the government is of the God-ordained type, or the usurped-by-hell variety. Peter and John received a brutal beating (for which they rejoiced). There will be a cost for resistance.

Consider this passage from the Psalms:

4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 149

That two-edged sword is a reference to the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). He who would resist had best be in constant, intimate communication with God. Consider the term “bind” in light of these words of Jesus:

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:19

This is work to be done in fervent prayer, offered in full knowledge and conviction of the Word. In the end, we have the government we will accept. We will be victors, or we will be victims.

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On the other hand, if in the flesh we take a stand opposing government, we risk a perilous trap:

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

2 Peter 2:10

Want to know how to pray? Proper government is available within. The immigration policy is straightforward and there is no waiting period.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 3:19-21

Will you open?

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