Tag: christianity

Focus

Journal Entry – January 25, 2026

I am grateful for great direction from the Word!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

— Philippians 4:8-9

Me: Good morning, Father!

Abba: Good morning, Jon!

Me: All the things in the darkness in this world do not fit in this list

Abba: Yes, and many are cooperating to bring your attention to bear on them.

Lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.

— 2 Corinthians 2:11

This last passage tells you not to be ignorant of the darkness, but do not focus on it and give it more power than it is due.

But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

— Matthew 10:33–36

Understand this: as the darkness progresses, it is all the more important for you to be strong there in the depths of your heart and mind and soul by focusing on things in the light as Philippians four says. You are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16). You cannot long maintain effectiveness unless you are filled with light by what you are occupied with. You need to be light so that those who will can see how to leave the darkness. There is a balance, but remember lessons from physics: the power is in the light and darkness is absent power. Knowing the things that are of Me will maintain your ability to be light, and it is surely needed.

Although the Jesus’ words captured in Matthew 10:33-36 speak specifically of one’s immediate family members, family members make up a community, and communities make up a state, and states make up a nation and nations make up the world. Those of the household of faith will one day be in alignment with Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17:6-18). That day has not arrived yet and many are set against Jesus’ disciples. Even within the “household of faith” one is set against another. Do not be surprised. Jesus did not want you to be unaware.

Me: Thank You Father! I love you!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you!

Light versus Darkness

Much has been said by many about good and evil, about light and darkness. Still, we see evil obviously increasing in these last days. So, I hope you will indulge me in personal investigation and meditation on some of the Scriptures. As a place to begin, I am drawn to John 1:5 in the moving opening passage of John’s Gospel account. When I examined the verse in Bible Hub, I found this in the Topical Lexicon section:

 “Light versus Darkness: Johannine Emphasis

John frames the cosmic conflict in his prologue: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Here katalambanō affirms the ultimate impotence of evil; darkness neither comprehends nor overpowers the incarnate Word. The same tension reappears in John 12:35 where darkness threatens to overtake the undecided. Together the two verses guarantee Christ’s victory while warning of personal loss for those who linger in unbelief”

Let’s look at John 12:35 (in context) now.

Jesus Predicts His Death on the Cross

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

John 12, NKJV

Can I relate this to the apparently increasing darkness of the world? Perhaps, as a check on sanity, I should consider whether darkness is really increasing, or if only the perception of darkness is increasing due to widespread sensationalistic reporting of dark deeds?

I recently mentioned the murder of children in Bethlehem by soldiers commanded by Herod the Great after the birth of Christ there. We can go all the way back to the first family and learn in Genesis 4 that Cain murdered his younger brother Abel. In fact, the Scriptures are rife with accounts of war, murder, rape, theft, envy, retribution and other innumerable accounts of evil. Evil is not new. It has existed at least since Lucifer fell from his appointed station. Consider this revelation to the prophet Isaiah:

The Fall of Lucifer

12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

16 “Those who see you will gaze at you,
And consider you, saying:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,

17 Who made the world as a wilderness
And destroyed its cities,
Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

18 “All the kings of the nations,
All of them, sleep in glory,
Everyone in his own house;

19 But you are cast out of your grave
Like an abominable branch,
Like the garment of those who are slain,
Thrust through with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit,
Like a corpse trodden underfoot.

20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
Because you have destroyed your land
And slain your people.
The brood of evildoers shall never be named.

21 Prepare slaughter for his children
Because of the iniquity of their fathers,
Lest they rise up and possess the land,
And fill the face of the world with cities.”

Isaiah 14 NKJV

Concerning Lucifer, now become Satan, Jesus told us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”  Then He, announced Himself as the cure: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

At least one thing can be said about whether evil is increasing. There are more of us to indulge in it than when the population was limited to Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel.  Man is, as stated in Isaiah 14:21, filling the face of the world with cities, where every kind of evil is concentrated by mere population density. Yet this is not merely a high population problem. Did the whole society not start its slide in the garden before the birth of Cain?

Let’s continue. Shall we?

The days are evil, Eph 5:15

For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 3:20

Since the fourth day of creation, natural darkness has fled at the appearance of dawn. Like clockwork. Now, this raises a spiritual question, “Why, since darkness is simply the absence of light and since light seems to effortlessly dispel darkness, are we not seeing a continual decrease in evil?”

Believers received this charge from Jesus:

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:16-26

Why are we not more effective at fulfilling this commission?

Some of the answers to this question are evident in the great commission itself. First, the work is based on the authority of Christ, and many do not operate in His authority. It is His authority. We are correct to recognize that we are not qualified. However, we are given the Holy Spirit to indwell us. (Link is to John 14:15-23.)

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Luke 24:46-49

Some do not fully understand that walking in the power of the Spirit is by faith, like all aspects of life in Christ. It does not matter that we do not “feel” power, nor that we do not see the “end from the beginning”. We only need direction for the next step. Until we take that step, all subsequent steps remain irrelevant. I have acquaintances who have trouble with this concept, thinking that God would be irresistible on this matter – overcoming free will and requiring nothing whatever from us. They reason that God is sovereign and omnipotent and nothing of us matters. Lies of the deceiver! God is not in the business of making marionettes.  We are called to yield voluntarily to His direction, provision, and power for the work.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

A relationship with God is only found by those who chose to look for Him. His part is to enable us to find Him. (1 John 4:19)

A second issue is tied to the word “Go”. I do not mean one must always travel to far reaches, though some are called to exactly this sacrifice. We all have family, friends, and acquaintances who do not know Jesus. I believe the greater issue is that the modern church experience is typically a spectator sport. Those in the pews are often convinced the furtherance of the gospel is the domain of the professional minister up front. After all, he has seminary training! They believe their job is to get others to come sit in the pew as well.

And this highlights a third issue embodied in the commission text. We are to teach all that Jesus commanded. Fulfillment requires dedicated preparation. It requires that these things are internalized and at work in our own lives (He did say, “commanded you”). The unbeliever can smell a hypocrite from a great distance, and it is not a pleasing aroma. Are we salt? Do we know the recipe? Are we light? Do we show the Way?

Finally, on this subject, we are talking about teaching all things He has commanded. The notion that the great commission is somehow fulfilled by getting someone to recite the “sinners’ prayer” is utter nonsense. That may be an arguable starting point, but it is not a fulfillment. God is faithful and those who make a commitment He works to transform to perfection. However, “making disciples” is a process of replication. It takes one to make one.

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

John 21:25

It should be obvious that fulfilling the great commission requires us to establish relationships. This is not without peril, of course. Most of us have received a proverb from parents, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” What parents are not concerned about the associations maintained by their teenage children? This stance might be backed up in some cases by some Bible verses not considered with all relevant context.

Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you,” is a verse from 2 Corinthians 6:17 that calls believers to separate themselves from ungodly influences and sinful practices, emphasizing holiness and purity.

 This exhortation is rooted in Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:41, where God commands His people to depart from impurity and maintain spiritual cleanliness.

 The call to separation is not a call to isolation (which is antithetical to fulfilling the great commission) but a directive to live distinctively in the world, honoring God through righteous conduct and avoiding associations that compromise faith.

 Paul uses this verse in the context of warning against being unequally yoked with unbelievers and against participation in idolatry, reinforcing the idea that believers are the temple of the living God and must reflect His holiness.

 The promise of divine reception underscores God’s willingness to welcome those who choose obedience and holiness. We should be able to recognize willingness, however intermittent and halting it may be at first.

 While the concept of “unclean” things historically included ritual impurity, in a broader spiritual sense, it refers to anything that defiles the conscience or leads away from God, including worldly attitudes and practices.

Again, discernment guided by the Holy Spirit is critical. Who is influenced by whom? Are we consistently wearing the full armor of God? Do we understand the armor, its function, its effectiveness, and its maintenance? (See Ephesians 6.)

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

Because few find the narrow way and because broad is the way that leads to destruction, society at large is going to tend toward darkness. As society becomes more secular, all stigma that would restrain is dropped and even condemned as evil.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter

Isaiah 5:20

One must cast only a cursory glance at the news to see examples of one group calling another evil because they do not agree with their point of view and therefore resist it. Do not be terribly surprised. The original sin was to give up innocence and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Such knowledge belongs to God as Judge and the truth about it in our fallen world is only found by listening to Him. Our usurped knowledge of good and evil is corrupted.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:18-32

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Corinthians 4:3-5

Most people are aware of the decay. But rather than make a personal commitment to a Christ-led life, look to a secular government to enforce solutions to our problems (always seen as the fault of others). Some others think the solution is for Christians to achieve a societal state where most are saved and become a godly and moral people. I personally think this “dominion theology” is not likely to make the advertised progress, and counter to the revelations we already have from God about these “last days”.

God’s word warns against being taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit. It encourages believers to be rooted in Christ rather than in human traditions or philosophies. (Colossians 2:8)

Should we despair at the progression of evil? We are called to be salt and light. The deeper the darkness, the more contrast between the gloom and the Light of Life. May we learn to present Him in all His fullness! May we (finally) fulfil our commission!

Flight

I am grateful to have the internet link working in the new (remote) library/office space.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived [some translations say “outwitted”, & KJV has it “mocked”] by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

Matthew 2:16-18, parenthetical comment mine

Me: Good evening, Jesus!

Jesus: Good evening, Jon!

Me: Herod did not seem to care at all about the prophecy that said You were the Messiah. He only seemed to be driven by myopic self interest. I have long been puzzled by this passage, which seems to say Herod’s wrath was against “deception” by the Magi.

Jesus: The word is ἐνεπαίχθη (enepaichthē). It has the same root as the word used to describe the Roman soldiers mocking (ἐνέπαιξαν, enepaixan ) Me prior to my crucifixion. You might better understand its use if it was rendered “defied”. Why was Herod so angry that the Magi had defied his direction? Because it delayed his murderous intent. Understand that attitude is Satan’s (John 10:10). Herod thought he was directing his own affairs, but his attitude in fact made him fully yield to the destroyer. Herod was an unwitting tool of hell.  The historical record, outside the scriptures, leaves no doubt of the many that he had killed if his paranoid heart thought there was a hint of challenge to him. He was not even a good servant of the devil. His self-serving was so extreme that he was incapable of listening well, even to Satan’s deceptions. Though Herod was a client king subject to Roman interests, it simply never occurred to him that though I was born in Bethlehem and thus fulfilled the prophecy by Micah, that we were not permanent residents of Bethlehem, only being there temporarily because of the Roman census. (Luke 2:39)

The large caravan of the Magi could not be hidden. Eventually, Herod would learn where the star had guided them instead of to Bethlehem (contrary to popular tradition). Neighbors fearful of Herod, would have revealed the house they had entered. This is the reason that Joseph was warned to flee with My mother and Me.

Me: My wife and I wondered if Herod’s killing of children extended to Nazareth after Your family fled to Egypt. What does “all its districts” mean for a small village like Bethlehem?

Jesus: Nazareth was many day’s journey from Bethlehem. Herod murdered many, including in his own family, lest a son come to lay claim to his throne. But, in this case, the house entered by the Magi was specifically identified, unlike the more open question of which of the infants in Bethlehem were of the age indicated by the appearance of the star to the Magi. The villagers of Nazareth could all testify that Joseph had fled with Me.

On our return, Galilee was more under control of the Romans and Joseph was more comfortable returning home than he would have been in Judea.

Me: Thank You Jesus! I love You!

Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!

Notes:

Galilee is somewhat isolated from Judea by the distance through Samaria.

The phrase “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son” is a well-known quote attributed to Emperor Augustus, reflecting the extreme paranoia and ruthlessness of Herod the Great, who ruled Judea as a client king under Roman authority.

The statement is recorded in the Saturnalia of Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, a Roman writer from the early 5th century CE, who compiled a collection of conversations from the late 4th century.

 According to Macrobius, Augustus made the remark upon hearing that Herod had ordered the execution of all male children under the age of two in the region of Syria, an event known as the Slaughter of the Innocents, which is described in the Gospel of Matthew.

The irony of the quote lies in the Greek homonymy between “pig” (hys) and “son” (huios), both of which sound similar in Greek.

 Since Herod was a Jew and observed Jewish dietary laws, he would not have eaten pork, making his pig safe from execution. In contrast, Herod had a history of killing members of his own family, including three of his sons—Antipater, Alexander, and Aristobulus—whom he suspected of plotting against him.

 Antipater, his firstborn son and heir, was executed just five days before Herod’s own death in 4 BC.

John 1

I cannot read the first chapter of the Gospel according to John without finding myself riveted, not only to the content, majestic as it is, but I am also taken in by its cadence, grandeur, and mystery. I feel I am peering into the very heart of Almighty God. It surges with the pulse of all He has determined to do among us and for us. He coaxes us back from teetering at the precipice of the dark abyss. He does not stop there. No, His intention is to bring us into the glorious light that powerfully streams from Himself. (1 John 1:5) All His desire is to bring us into the Kingdom of the Son.`

He knows full well we are incapable of making such a transformation on our own. He has given us an invitation, complete with new authority, increasing understanding, and even committed His own Spirit to us, to act as internal guide and revealer of hidden truth. He clearly marks the path. (2 John 1:16)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 1:1-18

Members

I am grateful for yesterday’s safe and successful trip!

Colossians 3 (esp. v3 and v5)

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Me: Good morning, Holy Spirit!

Holy Spirit: Good morning, Jon!

Me: Would You clarify these passages for me? I note the KJV and NKJV are more word-for word with the Greek, while some other translations make it clear the translators considered it to be more figurative language. Also verse three says we have already died while verse five talks about putting our “members” to death, which is more of a process, I think.

Holy Spirit: Many tend to look at the example list of “earthly things” as a checklist. You should hear their personal observations, “Well, I’m not doing that!” Paul in no way intended the list to be exhaustive, and it is only a small part of his letter. Look at Col 1:9-14.

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

You see, this entire letter is explaining that the perspective of the world, self-serving almost exclusively (and serving Satan’s destructive purposes) does not belong in a fruitful life that is “hid in Christ”. Rather, a totally new focus is required:

Set your mind on things above, not things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Ephesians 2:1-2

Colossians 3:3 is clearly not speaking of being physically dead (yet), else one would not be capable of walking according to any course, either good or bad.

I Am sent to guide into all Truth (John 16:13). None of this transformation of a mind focused on self – and the dark things of the prince of the power of the air – to a mind renewed by the washing of the water of the word, “putting on the mind of Christ”. None of that change happens without Me being invited to do it. Even so, the “made alive” reference in Ephesians 2:1, is speaking of the perfect spiritual state of the one who is “in Christ”. This is an instantaneous transformation at salvation, while the “put to death your members” of Colossians 3:5 is the progressive transformation of the mental/physical/soulish part of your being by continued and consistent obedience to the Truth.

The Christian life/or walk in the process of bringing the soul into conformance with the fully redeemed spirit, one decision and resultant act at a time. Human effort is going to fail at this, for it equates to trying to pull oneself up by one’s own bootstraps. This is why I Am sent to guide and empower those who decide to yield to My prompting and rely on My power instead of their own (dead) efforts. Those who think they must “get straightened out” first to be “worthy” to come to Me are mistaken. If they come to me, they will get straightened out.

There is a better list than the one in Colossians 3:5. It is one I Am sure to enable:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:22-26

Aren’t those better members?

Me: Thank you, Holy Spirit! I love you!

Holy Spirit: You are welcome! I love you!

Comprehension

I am grateful for a good sweet potato harvest and most of the garden cleanup done!

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

John 1:4-5, 6-13, 16

Me: Good morning, Father!

Abba: Good morning, Jon!

These opening passages of the Gospel of John are stirring, no matter how many times I read them! And yet, I know those walking in the darkness do not comprehend it. So Sad!

Abba: In Him is life. The dead comprehend nothing of light. Just as life is light, so darkness is death. Light comes in relationship with Me. Darkness is just absence of a relationship with Me. Just as John the Baptist was called by Me to bear witness in the darkness, so everyone who has come into the Light is called to bear witness.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Me: Thank You Father! How marvelous is Your gift! I love You!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you, as should be clear from these truths!

Part of the 2025 Sweet Potato Crop – 15 of these tubs total.

Calling of Levi

I am grateful to have the new yard hydrant installed and some of the dirt back in the hole.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2 New King James Version

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: Do we do such a poor job of communicating the Gospel, that instead of being drawn by the tender mercies named in this exhortation, many non-believers see judgmentalism, which they interpret as hatefulness?

Abba: Do you recall from the Scriptures when Jesus called Levi (later called Matthew) from his tax-collector’s booth?

Me: Yes, Luke 5, Matthew 9, and Mark chapter 2.

Abba: Levi was operating what you would call a toll booth today, on the Via Maris (meaning “way of the sea”). It was an ancient trade route that ran along the costal plain of the eastern Mediterranean. Levi’s tax collection was under the authority of Herod Antipas with the collected duties shared by Herod and Rome. The heavy fees collected were viewed by Jews as burdensome and ceremonially defiling, as the Jews chafed under their Roman occupation. Therefore, those who were making their living as tax collectors were viewed with the utmost contempt by the Jewish religious leaders, and by the Jewish populace who were subject to these taxes.

Me: From the passage in Luke, when Jesus called him, Levi got up and left everything behind and followed Jesus. Then, apparently, Levi put on a banquet to introduce all his tax-collector friends to Jesus (Luke 5:29). This caused the religious leaders to complain that Jesus and His disciples would stoop to eating with such “tax collectors and sinners”(v30).

Abba: And what was Jesus’ response to this charge?

Me: Verses 31 and 32 are well known: Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Abba: The religious leaders considered themselves above reproach. Though if you read the Scriptures diligently, it becomes plain that their righteousness was only self-righteousness. Levi, on the other hand, jumped up and followed immediately at the grace extended to him.

And that is the crux of the matter, so to speak. Those who consider themselves righteous are often judgmental, seeing themselves as superior. Those who understand their need of grace, are open to receive My righteousness.

Notice that Jesus did not say it is OK to keep on sinning. His call is to repentance. However, judgment is Mine.

Finally, some have mistakenly assumed that I can’t deal with sin as though it would pollute My holiness. If that were so, I would have ceased speaking to man entirely after the fall in the garden. What I can’t stand about sin, is the damage it does to My children. They even misinterpret My reaction to Jesus bearing the sin of the world on the cross. They will say I couldn’t look upon that sin. What was rending My heart was that My Son had to endure it.

Me: Thank You Father! I love You!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you!

picture of new yard hydrant installation.

Debtors

Continuation of a short stroll through Romans 8

I am grateful to be caught up on hoeing!

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:12-18 NKJV

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: “put to death the deeds of the flesh” recalls the process of rejecting the desire, for an alcoholic to drink or, really, the emphatic demands of any addictive or controlling behavior; that life may ensue instead of death.

Abba: Giving in to these assertive desires without restraint is, in fact, pandering to the flesh rather than the Spirit. I Am never going to lead in a spiritually self-destructive direction. (Do I even have to say that?) But the clamoring of the flesh is at odds with the Spirit.

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

Proverbs 14:12

It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are life.

John 6:63

I spoke into the void (not empty space, for there was no space). I spoke all that is, and it came into being at My word. (Genesis 1) It is the same power that Jesus was referring to when He said, “the words that I speak”. The void did not have an option other than to obey My words. You do. This is why the scripture tells you to choose (Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:19, Revelation 3:20). You constantly have a choice. However, My Spirit is within the redeemed. They are sealed:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:13

Me: Thank You Father! I am grateful for the recognition that squelching the clamoring of the flesh both possible and lifegiving. is I love You!

Abba: You are welcome! The flesh is like a demanding toddler. The demands are not aways in his best interest. I love you!

Graphic depicting some aspects related to the mind, heart, and spirit.

Featured photo, Sagar Sintan, Pexels

Now!

I am grateful that Your creation reflects Your loving care for us all to see!

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Revelation 12:10

Me: Good morning, Father!

Abba: Good morning, Jon!

Me: This is a marvelous verse, Father! Can You please tell me something about its temporal language? It uses words like “have come”, “has been”, “now”, and “accused”.

Abba: I Am glad to point out that “has been” is applicable to the accuser.

Many have speculated as to when this “now” is referring. In Job 1:6 and 2:1-2, Satan’s access to heaven is mentioned. He accuses both Job and I that Job only honors Me because of the blessings I bestowed on him.

Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 2:10) Though the English translation of this verse seems a strong past-tense rendition, this is not so in the original. Rather, it emphasizes that it was an event, something that happened at a particular point in time.

Consider how Revelation 12:10 links a moment (now) with salvation and the power of the Christ, with Satan’s casting down. In Revelation 12:7, leading up to verse 10, “war in heaven” is the setting. Verse eleven in Revelation 12 says this:

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

So, this victory, in which you stand, was won by Jesus at the cross. And the victory enfolds all who put their trust in Him. The Accuser, then, has no more standing to accuse those who have repented of their lives of sin and put their faith in the work of the sinless Son.

For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8

While a person has breath, there is a moment – now – when it is possible to enter in to the salvation provided. None knows whether another moment is coming.

Me: Hallelujah! Thank You Father! I love You! Thank you! Thank you!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you!

Call to a Remnant

I am grateful for the planting season!

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 NKJV

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Mark 10:26-27 NKJV

Moreover I saw under the sun:

In the place of judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
Iniquity was there.

 I said in my heart,

“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

Good morning, Father!

Abba: Good morning, Jon!

Me: In our news, we hear of the arrest of some judges. The populace is divided as to whether their activities are justified, though they have violated the law. It seems the heart of the verse penned by King Solomon in Ecclesiastes is made manifest in our day, as I assume it was in his.

Judges appointed under more “liberal” administrations seem to have difficulty recognizing the trouble associated with continuing as they have been, now that the pendulum is swinging back the other way. I hear some voices decrying that the arrests are evil retribution and other voices crying that there has to be some way to deal with “activist” judges and hoping for more of the same. I am grateful that You are patient in Your judgment, giving us time for repentance (should we so choose). I pray that more will take stock of how far we fall short, and seek Your favor and Your truth.

Abba: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25) There was a general societal understanding of right and wrong for a time in your nation’s history. Only a vestige of such understanding remains, a shadow left behind by those who have followed Me. It was left with their children, primarily by example, but delivered without clear sight that these accepted norms could only firmly stand when darkness in individual (yielded) hearts is banished by illumination by My Holy Spirit. As it now stands, there is incessant arguing to twist laws written to make society function well for all. Rather than justice, there is mere justification.

… having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:5

Without My sustaining power, under the degrading influence of sin, even truth once known will be forgotten. The judgements of men are imperfect for the truth does not reside in them naturally.

Jesus said to him, I AM the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Me: Father, poll results to the question, “Would you consider yourself a ‘born-again’ or evangelical Christian?” was nearly the same in 2022 (33%) as in 1992 (36%). This is likely only a margin-of-error sized change in the past thirty years. Also, according to Gallup, in the same period, the percentage of people who think the Bible consists mostly of “fables and legends” has doubled (from 14% to 29%). These trends make me wonder, “How many true believers are there?” and “What do those who consider themselves ‘born-again’ base that assessment on?”.

Abba: Consider this teaching of Jesus:

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

There are many examples in scripture of My call being answered by a mere remnant of those who should have responded. I can empower the faithful to do great things.

In that day the Lord of hosts will be
For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
To the remnant of His people,
For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

Isaiah 28:5:6

(Though the above interjection for the remnant, all of Isaiah 28 bears on these questions, on the failure of priest, prophet, of pride and debauchery and on the painstaking process of growth for those who would seek God and do better. The passage culminates in the promise of the Savior.)

King Saul’s son Jonathan, speaking to his armor bearer, said,

“Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”

1 Samuel 14:6 (emphasis, mine)

As it was for Jonathan on that day, so it is for those committed to the narrow way, to those who enter by the narrow gate today.

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door (gate) of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:7-10

Me: Thank You Father! I love You!

Abba: You are welcome, Jon! I love you!

Gardening Update:

Aerial Photo of concrete-covered lot area south of barn.

The above (admittedly grainy) satellite photo is of the broken concrete south of the barn that covered an old animal-lot area there. The concrete turned out to be about six inches thick. Fortunately, none of this concrete had any reinforcement in it. The bottom-left section held the remains of dirt and more concrete removed from an old cesspool that was taken out near the house when the septic system was installed (to meet code) prior to our purchase of the property. Four feet of extra dirt and broken concrete was on top of the underlying concrete slab. This month, twelve dump-truck loads of concrete were hauled away and four truckloads of Iowa “black dirt” were hauled in to create 3000 more square feet of potential garden.

Added Garden Area

The photo above was taken today, showing what the area looks like after a half-day of tiller work to break up the pavement-like packing that resulted from the tracks of the skid loaders spreading and leveling the fill dirt. Give this four or five years of development and several loads of compost, and who knows? Maybe it will be a garden after all! The structure at the bottom right is the end of an old concrete feed bunker that stretches the entire 50-foot length. We left it there as a retaining wall.