DEBITS AND CREDITS

                                                              DEBITS AND CREDITS


When you keep track of a company's history and future projections of income and losses, you end up scrutinizing two (2) main reporting documents as follows:

1. Profit and Loss Statements referred to in business as P & L's.
2. Balance Sheets referred to in the business as BS. (pun intended)

While there are a host of other documents that give you ROI, ROC, Quick Ratio's, Debt to Equity, Book Value, Shareholder Equity, and so on ad nauseum, all key financial ingredients are in the first two documents. For forty (40) years I have lived by these numbers, and by the way, these are all numbers with no pictures, no video, and no voice-over in sight. 

Underneath these numbers is the area of most importance, and these numbers, yes more numbers, provide the foundation from which accurate information can be derived. They are called the infamous, "DEBITS AND CREDITS." The mathematical skills needed to do thousands of calculations with complete accuracy is what makes a good CPA. The summary reports are the end result of countless hours of copying, checking, re-checking and checking again. 

So why the synopsis of standard accounting you say? What could this have to do with the 7,000 readers of this blog? Plain and simple, Paul (Saul of Tarsus) writes to the church in Rome describing your own personal and divine P&L with an accompanying Balance Sheet. The fundamentals of debits and credits are the same in global, financial record keeping, so it is when God tallies the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years of your life. Heavenly CPA's are doing the Most High's bean counting, around the clock, concerning your life. 

                                                             SARAH AND ABRAHAM

Romans 4 deals with all of the above right from the third verse. "What does the scripture say?" "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." We all remember Abraham. If you don't, shame on you, because he was and remains one of the great individuals selected by God to father the Jewish race. This man of great faith believed God, and his divine balance sheet was always in the green. Heavenly credit came to him via his what? His belief... As Paul says, it was not by his race, his circumcision, his tests of faith, or by his son, born to him when Sarah was 100 years old and long since "barren." 

Believing God sounds simple, but it is far from it. When a family member or friend tells you something, you have some choices:

1. You can laugh it off publicly or privately.
2. You can pretend to agree, all the while believing something else.
3. You can question what you were told and challenge the thought process.
4. You can get angry and walk away.
5. You can become pugilistic. (punch in the nose)
6. You can take it at face value and store it for future use.

NONE of these describe the belief of Abraham by believing Him and Him alone.

Getting back to belief in the Almighty. Let's start with there is GOD and there are gods. Mankind worships many things, but the Creator is different from anyone or anything that we can conjure in our minds, our songs, our art, or our writing. Knowing that El Shaddai exists is obvious to anyone taking his head out of the sands of time long enough to observe the sun, moon and stars. Then look at the oceans, the mountains, the lakes, and the streams. And finally, look at life on this planet in all its forms with specific functions for each species on land or in the water.

                                                                     BELIEVE HIM

Saying that you "believe" there is a Creator, called God, and Paul says it will never be counted to you for "righteousness." It will never end up on the "credit" side of your divine balance sheet. Belief in God entails trusting him with every facet of your being, inside and out...Ask yourself, "Do you believe in God," or Do you believe God?" It may sound simple or trite, but you must "BELIEVE HIM." If you believe Him, you will desire to  know how to communicate with Him and know what He has said and done in the past. 

I was reading a book the other day, called the Bible...Specifically I was venturing forward in the Book of Romans to see what else Paul had to say. I read chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. When finished I paused to reflect and drew a blank. I read it, I knew it was the Bible, and I knew it was important. Knowing it was the Bible had nothing to do with my retention or comprehension. The same is true for those who know there is a God.

Belief in God is personal, not public. It is singular, not plural. It is innate, not ornate. It is special, not ordinary. It is the most important thing that can happen to you during your tenure here on earth. If you believe Him like Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, and Isaiah did in the past, you have been divinely metamorphosized (my word) now and forever. This experience changes you permanently. This experience provides you with true faith, not blind faith. It provides you with power. You are plugged into the Divine, and He provides you with purpose in this life. He provides you with a profound, personal, spiritual experience that you will radiate in this life. It was given to you the day you decided to "BELIEVE HIM by taking HIM at HIS WORD.

                                     FROM ONE LIFE TO THE OTHER

With Him you can find the strength and the power to untangle yourself from sin everyday. This is a never ending battle in this life. Expect it, understand it and then crush it by believing HIM, not in Him. Give your issues to God through prayer everyday and search "HIS WORD" to find the answers. If you give HIM a little, you will get back more than you can imagine. He granted you life at birth in this world. He provided Jesus to cover all of the "DEBITS" in this life, so that God the Father will only see your "CREDITS" for the next life.

I trust Him, I believe Him, and over time I am learning what it means to love Him. Please do the same in your life. God considers you "precious cargo," and don't forget it, be ashamed of it, or hide it. You are an extraordinary piece of God's plan, so act that way.

Even if this personal evaluation is painful, it is worth making an honest introspection now so we can be absolutely certain to be counted as a true believer at the day of Christ's return.

           With love and respect for those PRICELESS ones called of God,

                                              JON BRISBY

Live like you are priceless, because you are...

The Digital Disciple

                                        PRICELESS

DO YOU HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT??

                                  Ancient Sepulchre in France
If Romans 3 doesn't make you queasy, then nothing will...The following translation is from the KJV, and it is quite similar to the NIV as follows, "Their throats are an open sepulchre." Either version gives you the same picture of a grave/sepulchre having been opened. Most of us run right by this tiny passage, like I have done for many years, missing the significant metaphor being used by Paul...

The entire quotation from Romans 3:13 reads like this from the NIV, "Their throats are an open grave; their tongues practice deceit." This is an amazing verse and is worth the time to ponder, if you have the stomach for it...If you do, read on. If not, pass on this post. This one verse has some of the most descriptive language, I know of in Scripture. Usually this metaphoric play on words is saved for specialized poetry like Haiku. All Japanese Haiku includes various elements. Brevity is one, since they are incredibly short, and, of course, the all important "Kireji." The literal translation of this is "cutting word," from the verb "Kiru," meaning to cut...

Paul gives us 9 Haiku poems in a row, beginning with verse 3...As in the "Kireji," each word is carefully selected and even measured to deliver the maximum power in the most minimal of space. Good Haiku captures the essence of being Japanese: small but mighty.

The church at Rome was sliced and diced by these 9 verses, as are we who are reading and studying them, some 1,980 years later. Imagine your own throat being an open grave or sepulchre from long ago as these depict: 

1. Final resting places for those who have died are not where we choose to spend much time, other than to the occasional change in floral arrangement.
2. If a grave is dug up, what do you get? Too soon and you get decaying flesh and insects that enjoy eating and nesting there, while an aged friend or relative literally rots away to nothing, mostly ingested by the parasites and their offspring. (I told you that a strong stomach was required)
3. If the grave is not in the ground, but in a sepulchre, then you have all of the above, plus an open space for the gathering of all the putrefying odors related to natural desiccation.

So throats that we all have are metaphorically transformed into one or both of the above. If your throat is rotting or dying in some way, what happens when air passes from your lungs when you exhale? What happens when you speak? Their is a stench following your breathe in either case that has a pungency off the Richter scale. It stinks so bad that it makes your eyes water. The only relief is to step back or turn away. In Paul's inimitable way, he "Kireji'd" them with some powerful Haiku that he borrowed from the Book of Psalms.

                                                Open Sepulchre practicing deceit
                     

Lastly, "their tongues practice deceit." Continuing on the metaphor of the moldy mouth, Paul adds the tongue. It does all the tasting for us, but most importantly, it allows us to speak with clarity. The Bible tells us a lot about the tongue, usually teaching us that it can be an instrument for good, but often, we, like those in Rome in 33 AD, use it for evil. We lie, we steal, we cheat. We don't intentionally lie, you say; we just fib a bit. We don't steal, we borrow. We don't cheat, we creatively help ourselves to someone else's work, and besides, everyone does it!

Now here's the kicker, the Scripture says, "we practice deceit." If you want to get better at playing the piano, you practice. If you want to get better at playing baseball, you practice. If you want to get better at pleasing your wife, you practice, "Yes dear and I'm sorry." You all have heard of "Practice makes Perfect!" Scripture says, we "practice deceit" over and over again, on our way to perfect deception and deceit." Are you practicing in the wrong game? Are you practicing for the wrong reasons? Do you have the breathe of death and decay? Do your words have the stench of an open grave? Paul pulls no punches! 

Haiku Paul hits you upside the head, just about every time he writes...Must have been great to hear him speak with the enthusiasm and authority gained from his private meeting with Jesus on the way to Damascus. You can have your own private meeting with Jesus, just like Paul. He said that your life can be changed forever, like his, if you have faith in our Lord and Savior...We are justified by our faith in Him and redeemed by His blood. Knock on His door through prayer. He will never leave you out in the cold, harm you or trade you in for a newer model. He, with His Father and the Holy Spirit are the epitome of what we call family. Your family whether loving and whole or broken and in pieces was meant to provide you will a temporal foundation for this lifetime. The family of the Almighty changes the temporal family of flesh and bone into the infinite family for eternity. 

You cannot lie your way in, you cannot steal a spot, and you cannot cheat the process of life and death. If you are practising deception, please realize that the worst kind of deception is deceiving yourself. I know from years of practicing deception on a regular basis to get through another day, week or month. Jesus actually changes lives in this world, in all time zones and in all languages. Please invite him in and join His family.

The Digital Disciple

                                                              Meet The Family

ARE YOU AN ANTINOMIAN?

If you recall, the Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee, was a high ranking Hebrew whose job it was track down early Christians, 99.9% of which were Gentiles, and take them back to Jerusalem for trial in shackles. Saul was not only a Pharisee, but also a member of the "Zealots for Judaism" according to one source. This means he believed he was on a mission to eradicate this infection called Christianity. Somewhere on a road to the capital of Syria, which is Damascus, in approximately 33AD, Saul was knocked off of his horse, when a sudden blinding light shone on him and his horse. The pure white light of Jesus most probably burned the retina's in his eyes. Do you remember when God told Moses not to look directly at Him? Probably the same thing...However, blinded and of falling off the horse, Lord Jesus spoke directly to him saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

I am certain that he was in, "Pharisaical Shock."This is a new term, and it's all mine, I think. Saul was completely blown away in modern terminology. The man was overwhelmed, overcome and overpowered by the Son of God in person and in all His glory. I am certain that he was stunned in every way possible when Jesus began talking directly to him...Jesus knew that this is exactly what it would take to turn a persecutor of all things Christian into a purveyor and protector of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. How often does God take the worst and make them the best? That message is loud and clear to all of us...God can use anyone, anywhere, anytime, and He knows exactly what you will need for conversion, just like He knew for me.

How long was he stunned? Well, imagine being face to face with Jesus. You are immediately blinded, and then asked a question. It had to be rhetorical, because I am sure that he was speechless during this entire process. We know he was blinded for three days. This proud Jew had to be knocked down hard and kept there in order for this hardened heart to be melted and filled with the Holy Spirit. When a combination or key to a safe is lost, you have to break it at the hinges to gain access. The vessel, called Saul, had to be broken at the hinges, much the same way. 

God sent Ananias to cure his blindness, but when asked to do so, he flinched because of the reputation of this well known Pharisee. I am sure Ananias thought he would end up in shackles like many of his brethren, but he trusted and then obeyed God. There my friend is true faith at work. The early church never wasted time worrying about faith versus works, or all of the components of salvation that men have put in place through the ages. Pure and simple Ananias believed His God. As a result of Jesus and Ananias, miraculously, Saul the Pharisee zealot became Paul, not one of the original 12, but a powerful voice, none the less, especially for his fellow Jews still caught up in OT legalism and waiting for the Messiah. Imagine never realizing that they had persecuted and killed the Messiah that they were and still are waiting for to this day.

A dedicated and educated Jew needed to have Jesus come down and handle his conversion personally. No angels, no other Christians, JUST JESUS...You see our Lord needed a quarterback for the early church. He needed someone to throw some passes, like the Book of Acts and 8 other letters to the early churches. He has 9 separate books in Canon that we call our Bible today. He was the first example of traditional Jews joining hands and hearts in Christ...The Jews and the Gentiles were the first racists. The Jews always felt superior because they were the "chosen." Only the gospel of Jesus Christ could smash the walls of hate from 3500 years of history. Only Jesus could take polar opposites buried in sin and segregation, and synthesize them into saints for his honor and glory. Divine Alchemy breaks down the highest walls of race, color and creed, changing Saul into Paul forever, just like changing lead in gold. Are you soft and malleable like pure gold or are you still heavy with sin and hardened on the inside, all the while remaining impermeable like lead? Open your arms and your heart, like Saul below...

The Digital Disciple

I purposely did not define Antinomianism in this post. Those of you who googled it, great...Those that did not, you now know.