THE SPINNING TOP

Life seems to be going by at an incredibly fast pace these days...Ask anyone over 60 years of age, and you will no doubt get the same answer. When I was a "wee bairn" I used to play with a spinning top and loved it, but when I reminisce I remember that it was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. You would push down on a wooden knob to make it go faster and faster. So here's the thing...No matter how hard I pushed down or how often, it eventually slowed down and fell on its side. 

As all mankind ages each of their respective spinning tops slow and stop at an average of 75 years, give or take. So here is the irony...When you are young, you want to go faster and faster, while nothing gets done fast enough for you. Over time, your pace slows allowing the most cynical of us to really see life for the first time. Youth can't go fast enough from point A to point B. Middle-Agers step back from the torrid pace of youth, but finally old age kicks in allowing you to suck the marrow out of everything you see, feel or touch, while you wonder how you could have missed all of this in your youth. Some call this process, "earning your stripes," some call it, "maturation," and I like to call the aging process the path to wisdom. "Too soon old and too late smart," is how one dear friend put it, and we often hear the phrase, "If I only knew then, what I know now." 

The balance of Romans 2 is centered around what we are on the outside versus the inside. Consider these options:

• Internal vs. external
• Inside vs. Outside
• Interior vs. Exterior
• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

God says clearly through the Apostle Paul that it does not matter what you do in this world, except what you do for Him, and it must genuinely come from within. The Almighty contrasts Jews and the Mosaic Law with Gentiles and no law. Here is our "Lord's Logic," (my term), sent through Paul, the Apostle:

• The Jewish nation has a rich history, including the writing of the their code of conduct, commonly referred to as Mosaic Law.
• The Gentiles, who are most of us reading this, were thought to be barbarians at the best, criminals at the worst. We worshipped the sun, the moon and the stars, plus a host of other idols over centuries.
• Externally the Jews knew the Law and, they knew of the one true God. They knew what to eat, how to live and those things that God favored, as well as those that were forbidden. In a manner of speaking, they had it all set up for them, including how to receive forgiveness of sin.
• Externally the Gentiles made life up over the years, based on who was in power. They made their own rules and regulations, because even they needed some order amidst the chaos.

Reading the Law, hearing the Law, and recognizing that God exists is not enough for the Jews or the Gentiles. God says that even though the Gentiles did not have His formal law, they made law of their own, "by their nature." In other words, they already knew to some degree the difference between right and wrong.

Then Paul goes to great lengths to let those in Rome know that it only matters, "if the requirements of either legalistic system was written on their hearts," seared forever on the inside, specifically your heart and soul. Even if you are a light to the blind, an instructor to the foolish, and a teacher of little children, you must walk the walk everyday in your life, using what you have been taught by God as your personal compass.

And finally, if you are circumcised and/or baptized, you have no claim on eternal life. These are extrinsic examples of the intrinsic
change in your life to follow our Lord. Being circumcised is very important according to Mosaic Law, just as being baptized is in the New Testament; however, there is no external justification for salvation. It is only the internal, permanent change in your heart that makes either Jew or Gentile acceptable to El Shaddai, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

The Digital Disciple

COURTROOMS, RACISM & GOD

Since the world has been spellbound with the trial of George Zimmerman, I thought I would take a moment to use this trial or any public trial for that matter, as an analogy for Romans Chap 2, so that we can have a current example of what's coming in our future. Usually I write about what was done or said in the past and try to make it pertinent for the 21st century. So Post #50 (L), is looking towards what will happen, instead of what happened. 

Courtroom drama has been a big draw for all forms of media in our lifespan. Every channel now has at least an hour of daily courtroom antics, that get watched by multi-millions of people. High visibility cases, like OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, and now, George Zimmerman involve tens of million viewers from all parts of the globe. Some are left-wing, right-wing, centrists, libertarians, black, white, Hispanic and on ad nauseum. Just as importantly any country with TV, radio, the Internet, or a local newspaper gets bombarded with good old US of A news, especially something of such importance as our criminal justice system.

In the future there will be one, final courtroom drama! It's kind of like the Supreme Court on steroids...God himself will be the JUDGE of all mankind. The Bible is clear that he will sit on his throne (judgement seat), and review the facts of each, individual life from the beginning of mankind until the Day of Judgement. Today witnesses, proof and prior acts get tossed out of court all the time, weakening the judicial process and making the criminal into a victim all too often. Over time incredibly smart attorney's have virtually turned the courtroom into a circus by dismissing evidence and the best one ever devised is calling for an insanity plea. Undeniable proof has been denigrated to the point of switching the roles of criminal and victim. Certainly this is a sad state of affairs, but it's what we have evolved into during this century. Judicial law has been loop holed to death, giving a pass to the rich, and ridiculous sentences to the poor, all in the name of the DOJ.

It's always been a question of mine, and simply put, "How does God remember billions of lives from our planet, when He dispenses individual judgement." I stumbled upon what I believe is the answer to that question from my own personal experience. I have spent literally years of my life in pain. One time during the pain relief process of drugs and rehab, I had hallucinations that were as real to me as could be imagined, from seeing people, places and things, to being visited by Satan himself. Post hallucinogenic experience, I was told by my psychiatrist what happened. Hidden in your gray matter and mine is an electronic/digital  memory system that functions behind a thin vale recording every day of your life. It's kind of like the "Wizard of 
Oz,"when the man behind the curtain is revealed to the dismay of Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow. Finally the Wizard tells them that they always had exactly what they needed already inside them.

It is much the same with our life history. It has been organized and kept in a small section of your brain. When hallucinating, I am told, the thin vale that hides all of your data history gets pierced, and once in a while, something goes through, from the subconscious to your conscious mind. Point being that God does not have to remember your past, you have it on the inside already. So everything that you have ever thought or done in this life has been recorded and is available to Him whenever or wherever. 

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 2 that if you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you have most likely done the same thing in secret. "God's judgement will be based on truth." When we sin "in the dark," God says we are in "contempt," of His kindness, forbearance and patience. Ever seen an attorney get charged with contempt of court? Not a pretty sight and usually the attorney spends the night in jail, so that the judge can make his point. We live in contempt of the Most High Court of God Almighty every day we breathe His air, drink His water and feel the warmth of His sun. 

We will all die in a short period of time, some shorter than others, and some much longer than they seem to deserve. Only two men did not die in the history of the Bible, Enoch and Elijah. Enoch was faithful and obedient to the bone, and Elijah was an amazing prophet, who stood with God in good times and bad. Imagine a life so pure, so dedicated, so loyal, and so devoted to our God. Now look at your life, and all those things you have done in supposed darkness, where no one will see or know. God says you and I are in CONTEMPT! There will be no attorney's, there will be no loop holes, their will be no sin that you can wiggle out of before Him...There is only one, singular path to make it through the Day of Judgement, and that is to have Jesus Christ take your place. He has and will step in for you. He will "bear your stripes!" He will provide mercy from this courtroom and your sentencing. 

If these facts from Roman 2 don't make you delight in your God, please check your pulse. You may be alive, but you are dead to God.

THE DIGITAL DISCIPLE

DIVINE "SHOCK AND AWE"

Most times I just sit down and write soon after I believe that God has given me something to say. Most times it flows like a river, and when it is finished, I begin the search for pictorial images that represent various parts of the message being discussed. The process has worked flawlessly for me during the 18 months I have been writing, but now we are going to study what God has to say, through the Apostle Paul about the SINS of ancient Rome. 

To be sure, I could have skipped the second half of Roman Chapter 1; and in fact, last night I passed it by like it did not exist...But alas, the sins of ancient Rome are exactly the same as the sins our world in 2013. This list is poignant and will hit you right between the eyes, so if you don't have the stomach for it I suggest you stop reading right now.

Here are the ground rules:

• The Word of God is incontrovertible.
• Paul was used by God to communicate and his words are the truth of God.
• His letter directly applies to the Jewish nation and the Gentiles of ALL nations, nationalities, colors, creeds, and religions including Agnostics and Atheists.

From Roman 1:18 to the end of the chapter Paul, under the auspices of "the wrath of God," details the SIN that has engulfed the Roman Empire. It's kind of like "shock and awe"biblically speaking. These verbal bombs can't help but grab your attention, and if you have a conscience, it will cause pain.

Enough with my introduction...Let's look at what was said:

• We suppress God's truth by our own wickedness.
• God's existence has been made plain to the entire human race, so they are without excuse.
• Despite God's attempts to make himself known, he remains virtually ignored. He is not worshipped despite the fact that we know he exists. 
• We exchanged the glory of God for idol worship of things that mankind has made.
• God turned his back on mankind, letting them give in to their sinful desires, all the while degrading themselves.
• We exchanged the Truth of God for a lie, worshipping created things instead of him.
• Women exchanged natural relations for unnatural.
• Men abandoned natural relations, and were fueled with a lust for one another.
• Since we did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind.

Now, if the preceding is not enough, Paul goes on to describe God's creation in graphic detail:

• We are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
• We are gossips, slanderers, God haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful.
• They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

There is more, but you get the picture. Before 100 AD, mankind, whether Jewish or Gentile was the same as mankind in 2013. We are closing in on 2,000 years since this was written, and if you did not know this came from Scripture, each of these could have been written today. HEREIN LIES THE MIRACLE OF THE WORD OF GOD! Scripture is timeless to mankind, because we think in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades, and centuries. Not only is it timeless within our understanding, it is also eternal in the vernacular of our Lord. 

Try to find one entry from Paul's listing that does not apply to you, me, your family, your friends, your country and the world. Next to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I know of no more important miracle, and yet we continue to commit those sins in all walks of life. We have been and continue to be tattooed in sin. The ink used, stains our soul more and more every day, so much so that it is barely recognizable by God. Try to take a tattoo off of your body. It is a bold undertaking, that requires patience and pain. The

vestige of that design usually remains forever, no matter what you do...

Your soul is being tattooed everyday of your life. Every time you substitute something for God, your get an ugly, black tattoo.

Every time you commit those sins above, your soul turns blacker and blacker to where it is barely recognizable by the Almighty. Only the blood of Christ removes each blot on your soul, leaving it not only with no hint of the sin, it is restored to the original pure white soul again that was given to you at birth. Amen.

Finally, I want to tackle the white elephant in the room, homosexuality. I have researched those passages in Roman 1:26 more than ever before. You know I look at multiple Bibles, and every book I could find on the internet to help me understand this volatile subject. I had the etymology of every important word or phase, so I could, for myself, see if the translations were faulty. They are not...So let's start with what I know from scripture:

• Homosexual acts are and have always been a sin; however no different from adultery, murder, slander, envy, etc. Sin is Sin. They are all probably not equal, but that's up to God. What we know is a homosexual sin can and will be forgiven and purged from your soul, just like all sin.
• God allowed homosexuality back to the beginning of our recorded time. It was a sin in the OT, just like it is in the NT.
• God says, as you can see above, that heterosexuality is "NATURAL" and that homosexuality is "UNNATURAL." This is the truth of God's word, despite what is being said online and in church's being taught today. 
• Furthermore, any misrepresentation, interpretation, or exposition of the Word to the contrary is false and just plain old fashioned heresy.

Despite what is the truth above, we must treat all of God's creation as children of God. If you know someone is gay or lesbian, understand that they moved their sin from the darkness into the light for all to see. That's a far cry better than the adultery and fornication that goes on all day, everywhere in supposed seclusion. Straight people are hiding their sin everyday, deluding themselves that their sin is any different from a homosexual. Sexual sin is and always will be sexual sin, no matter how many ways you try to justify it to yourself, your friends and your God. Sex is the single biggest and easiest way to block the blessings of God. 

If you are seething at these, my words, please remember that the Apostle Paul and God himself were abundantly clear. At the same time their is no room for the judgement or condemnation of a homosexual than any adulterer or fornicator. Your personal sin may not be in the area of sexuality, but you have sin in your life, every day. Christians and believers all over the world are sinful every day. We constantly need cleansing from our Lord and Saviour. Every sin in the OT from God's anointed Kings had to be expunged by God according to the law. Depraved minds have been around for a long time, and they will continue, so long as we ignore the plain, straight up teaching of the word of God. 

Join me in breaking the cycle of your individual sin(s). I know I have several that need expunged immediately.

Thanks for reading and may God add his blessing...

THE DIGITAL DISCIPLE

   

WHAT TIME IS IT IN YOUR LIFE?

In 2012 the words just flowed out of my mind and through my fingertips like an oil gusher from a capped well. Literally, hundreds of hours were spend each evening pouring over the Word of God by not only reading it over and over, but also vigorously researching those things that I did not understand, as my goal to create each blog became clear. I read the King James Bible from Tecarta and the NIV from Tecarta comparing and contrasting, all the while looking for the Holy Spirit to light the way. 

Digital Bibles are a sore subject to some, but for me, it opened a universe of deeper understanding by providing me with immediate access almost 6 millennia of history and commentary from before Moses until today. As we discussed last year, that's according to our time-keeping methodology; however, our God thinks in terms of lifetimes or generations. Since He is infinite, there is no time-keeping in His world, only the generations of all of his people starting with Eden. Six millennia divided by an average life span throughout history of say, fifty years, gives you 120 lifetimes. Think about it, 120 generations, plus or minus, from a higher perspective than ours that views all of that time (our invention), as a moment in eternity.

The Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Romans discussing what else, Time...In verses 1-7 he establishes who he serves and what he believes, including that our Lord Jesus was a "descendant" of King David. He also says that, make no mistake about it, He, Lord Jesus is the one prophesied in the "Holy Scriptures." He further states that even the Gentiles are called to belong to our Lord Jesus, including those at Rome. 

Aren't you even mildly offended that Paul, a high ranking Jew before conversion, still represents for the Hebrew nation, implying that the Jews were and always will be the chosen people? It's kind of like a joke I was told back in my college days that paraphrased goes like this: Some new people were entering Heaven at the Pearly Gates all at the same time. Seems many of them knew each other during their earhly life and recognized each other on the other side of the gate. Well, they were hugging and kissing, basically causing a commotion. St. Peter went over to the group and told them to pipe down. When asked why, he said that all the Baptists were close by, and they still believe that they are the only ones in Heaven. I butchered it pretty good, but you get the point. 

In verse 4, we get a message that needs to be seared into our minds, "and who (Lord Jesus) through the Spirit of Holiness was appointed the Son of God, in power by HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD." This is what makes Jesus, the Savior for all of mankind that choose to "believe on" Him. It is an ironclad theological stake in the ground that says that all of the Saints in Christ are now on equal footing, no matter your race, color or creed. This is what enables Him to cleanse your soul. This is what He did for you to make you not only a part of the "chosen," but also your personal intermediary between your sinful self and El Shaddai, the all sufficient God. We know this because when God introduced himself to Abram in Genesis 17, He said, "I am El Shaddai. Walk before me and be perfect."

From there in Verses 8-16, Paul apologizes to the church at Rome because he has been delayed in visiting them, and further wishes he could have been their sooner. This is the conventional way of saying that he did not have what? TIME for them until now...So here we are back on the important subject of the how truly finite we actually are in the grand scheme of our brief existence.
So you say, "Jim, we all do the same thing with relatives, friends and even ourselves." We end up with little to no Time for them, and worse, no Time for yourself. Remember the film, "Armageddon," that featured Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck? The commander of the crew on their shuttle repeated over and over again, this same phrase: "No Time, No Time, No Time!!" All of their lives had been reduced to the seconds on a countdown clock. You see, Bruce Willis was going to blow up the asteroid and save the earth in under a few minutes. Truly, they had NO TIME...It was get out or die. Here's the difference. You have Time everyday and waste much of it, just like me. The Apostle Paul truly had a Time crunch. God was guiding him to 45 different cities. Paul was teaching and preaching as he kept up with God's will. Imagine your effectiveness for our Lord Jesus, if you had Him filling your schedule everyday, not you, your wife, your boss or Satan himself. Other than Pastors, Priests, Rabbi's, Missionaries and a few select, devout believers, we have God very near the bottom of our personal totem pole of priority. Generally we have 95% plus filled in for each day with "this" world stuff, before we even get there. We are mesmerized with getting up, going to work, breaking for lunch, coming home for dinner and then watching mindless entertainment on the tube. God gets our leftovers of Time, when and if we can fit him in...Do you see the irony of our use of how we use our Time. Lewis Carroll said it this way, "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date. Hello, Goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Imagine taking whatever percentage of your day gets spent on the "next" world and doubling or tripling it for our Lord & Savior...Right now with your measly 5% or 10% for God, you cause a positive ripple in God's plan for you. If you doubled or tripled, you could create what a surfer lives for... 20 and 30 foot waves. Still more if you reversed the percentages of your live from 5-95 to 95-5, you would create your own Tsunami, affecting the lives and souls of millions with the help of God. 

If you are a virtual couch potato for God, you need to wake up. It's so easy to be lulled into spiritual and intellectual complacency. I am proof positive, because I slept for 40 years before my God woke me up. Wake up, please, and joyfully give more TIME to Him. Right now you work an average of 3 days per week for Uncle Sam's Three Ring Circus, called government...Imagine what you can accomplish for El Shaddai, if you gave him the same amount of time?

The Digital Disciple

THE WORDS OF JESUS...MATTHEW

Nowhere in  the Bible can you find more of what God has to say regarding the covenants and laws of the OT, and how Jesus Christ changed it all forever.  In the first 4 books of the NT, Jesus himself is quoted time and again as He made his way through villages and cities, not only to teach and heal, but just as importantly to make us understand once and for all time that Judaic Law while inspired in principle was never meant to be applied without compassion and fair-mindedness. This is a revelation of sorts to all those literalists amongst the Pharisee's and Sadducee's at a later date. There entire Raison d'être was to apply every letter of the laws with out wisdom or understanding, only blind obedience. With the ultimate goal of becoming our sacrificial lamb that ushered in the FINAL COVENANT with our Lord God, Jesus made certain that in these Gospels that he provided many instances of correcting the historic misconception of legalism.  Prior to Jesus there were Covenant's made with Noah and Moses respectively by God the Father, that set the law and its enforcement in place. Aside from that, God specifically agreed to never again wipe out the human race because of sin and disobedience, JESUS changed it all forever!

The main reason that we will be immersed in this study at this time has to do with being challenged about my personal belief that salvation or redemption has only one thing to do with Baptism. The only tie between them is that they happen consecutively, meaning you are redeemed first, and then you can choose to be baptized as an outward sign to all, that you have been changed internally forever. While preparing my scriptural basis for not being required to be baptized, God blessed with some new insight to the words of Jesus himself, so that will take precedent for now, but promise to get back to Baptism at a later date.

Megabytes from God began exactly one year ago today. Since the inception, what to read and what to publish was always on my mind. What started at the urging of my daughter, and of course, my Lord, has now come full circle. I remain as uncertain about the 48th post, as I was about the 2nd post. Today marks the beginning of work on the 47th posting in 12 months. Most would not be able to appreciated the significance of God's achievement through this broken vessel unless you walked some of the last 40 years in my shoes. In the last year I have filled you in on snippets of my dark side experiences. Save the  amazing grace (pun intended) of my Heavenly Father, my Lord Jesus and my Holy Spirit, none of this would have been published. If He can do this with me, how much more could He do with your talent laser focused on spreading his Word? Whether you like what is written or not is not important. I only ask that you read it, and then I back out of the equation and let God work his miracle in your soul. Yes, I have favorable and not so favorable responses, but there is no such thing as a bad response. The fact that we are closing in on 5,000 readers around the globe is testimony how our God can use, even you. Some think my talent is talking, IE., I have a big mouth, but the truth is that the written word, soon to be a lost art in most societies, is my gift. With the help of God Almighty, I will do my best to keep this blog about him, not me. With my ego that is a daunting task.

Anyway:

The Book of Matthew and the Four Gospels together tell us details about the birth, life, death and resurrection of the Christ Child. Just as importantly we get to hear the ACTUAL words of this man who was God incarnate. We have recorded history of His movements, His miracles, and His majesty. Indeed these are words to live by in the period of the New Covenant. This is a new time in which the Judaic laws of the Torah get combined with the love and compassion of the Son of God himself. This transmutation is Alchemy 101 at the highest level. By itself, Judaism is a beautiful religion with centuries of the proper fear and respect for Jehovah. Comparatively Christianity is just a young upstart with nowhere near the strength and tradition of the Hebrew nation; and after all, they were quite literally the chosen people of our Heavenly Father. After centuries of strife and discord each religion has been broken into many pieces, each claiming to be the only way to eventually see God in Heaven. Understanding that Jesus is the GOLD and all the generations of mankind, despite their scholarly erudition is the LEAD in this transmutation. Every religion, every church, every dogma or system of religious law, anywhere on this globe is superseded by the the life and death of Jesus Christ. The fear (respect) of this triune God is truly "the beginning of wisdom."

Which Matthew wrote this book and when are in great dispute amongst the intellectuals. I am satisfied if he was any of them, including the tax collector. Chapter 1 is a complete listing of the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham with whom the First Covenant was created by our Lord. From there we move to Chapter 4 where the famous story of Jesus meeting the devil himself, after fasting for 40 days and nights. Satan immediately attacked His apparent weak spot, hunger...Can you imagine not eating for 4 days, much less 40? Despite His condition, when Satan asked him to turn the rocks into bread, so He could eat, Jesus gave us those great words, "man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." After 3 different attempts to lure Jesus into sin, he gave up and left Jesus alone. How He reacted to each temptation is a lesson for another day, but what he says to Satan is simple, but brilliant.

After miracle upon miracle in these early chapters, we get to a very important passage. Matthew 12 begins with Jesus deals with the Pharisee's about the Sabbath. Since Jesus was already quite famous, they wanted to catch him some how or some way to prove that he was not the "Son of Man," prophesied by Isaiah. Their first opportunity came as the Disciples were walking through a wheat field on the Sabbath. Some of them picked some wheat and ate it as they passed through following Jesus. The Pharisee's accused them of breaking the law of the Sabbath, ostensibly for doing something like work to obtain the wheat to eat. Those Jews were jubilant, because they thought that they found a hole in the message of our Lord while living among us. Matthew 12:3 is where our Lord sets the Jewish leaders straight concerning the new fact that the laws of the Old Covenant no longer completely apply with the advent of the Son of God in human form. Jesus never steps on the Law of Moses, but he makes it clear that the Son of Man has begun to change the equation of right and wrong. He uses scripture from the OT to prove that the priests of old desecrated the Sabbath by eating the consecrated shew bread, when it was strictly forbidden. He then says that He is now changing some of the interpretation of the law, and as for the Sabbath, that He is now the "Lord of the Sabbath."

This chapter in Matthew teaches us that their is now some flexibility in the rigid "law" of the Hebrew nation, and this throws the devout, but hypocritical Pharisee's such a curve ball, that they be to first connive about killing Jesus. Truly the New Covenant with Jesus Christ allows for new interpretation for more items than just the Sabbath. They push Jesus further about healing on the Sabbath, all in an effort to trap our Lord with their binding, legalistic approach to the interpretation of the Torah. Jesus uses simple logic to dispel the notion that anything He or the Disciples did on the Sabbath was sinful. Fellow saints, this is massively important to understanding how this applies to our lives right here, right now!

My interpretation here is that hard line dogma and life lived with rigid legality is not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus makes it clear that previous unchangeable law has to be tempered with the love of Jesus, and in some cases be re-interpreted by Him to redeem a world of sinners that not only dates back a minimum of 6,000 years and spans 3 different Covenants with mankind. 

As you read the first half of this amazing book, make sure you have a red-letter edition, so that you know exactly when Jesus is speaking. Then read those portions two or three times, until the words of our Saviour begin to sink in for good. There is no finer wine or better way to spend your time each day, than to carve out 10 minutes to dwell on what Jesus actually says. Therein lies the recipe for all of our lives in the time frame of the current Covenant.

God bless...

TDD

WOODEN NICKELS AND THREE DOLLAR BILLS...

                                                               FABULOUS FAKE
Having been a coin collector for many years, I have accumulated some knowledge and experience in this area, mostly the hard way. At 63, it still seems to be my primary method of learning. Many years ago I bought a beautiful 1909s VDB Lincoln penny to complete my collection of all Lincoln pennies minted in US history. This particular penny had several things going for it:

1. It was beautiful to the naked eye. All of the features in the face of Mr. Lincoln were clear and distinct, including his hair and beard. It was bright and shinny. It just had to be genuine!
2. The date on the front of the coin was perfect, and so was the coveted mint mark, the letter, (s). The San Francisco Mint (s) has produced some of the rarest coins from any denomination, but the 1909s is at the top, depending on condition.
3. VDB was inscribed on the very bottom of the back of the coin. It's the only coin that bears the designer's initials, Victor David Brenner. 
4. The coin was kept in a plastic casing by the owner, that I had to break into to check the coin under a microscope, because I had just spent $1,800 dollars on this coin, and when professionally graded could be worth more than $50,000. 

I fully expected my new treasure to come back graded MS60 or PF 60 based on my inspection. This coin was breath-taking to behold for this connoisseur of Lincoln pennies. When I got it back, I almost cried, because the coin had been meticulously cleaned and professionally polished by the previous owner, according to grading company. I called down to their Florida office to complain, so they overnighted me pictures of my coin under intense magnification.

There was this gorgeous rare coin microscopically destroyed by the handy-work of the worst type of craftsman. This person found this coin and decided took make the perfect FAKE. It got past my 5x to 30x microscope. It got past my weight test. It got past my eyeball with or without the microscope. The edges were perfect and so on...Unfortunately, I broke my own rules that prohibit falling in love with any coin and thereby sacrificing objectivity. (The EXACT same thing can happen in your choice of spiritual leader or mentor.) None of us is perfect, just like this coin, but when a pastor, priest or politician suggests or implies that you sacrifice your personal values gleaned from the Word of God with the Spirit of God, you have found a "FABULOUS FAKE." 

                                        A BETTER MICROSCOPE

As I continue my reading and study of the Book of Isaiah, I remain moved...

1. Depending on the day and time I begin reading, one of two things happens within the first 10-15 verses. Either I feel like a drone by reading without divine comprehension or feel as though the Spirit of God opens my mind and soul as He teaches me.
2. Just last night, I was a drone...It's been a tough week, the weather is poor, the wife is sick and my kids have issues. In my depressed state, I decided to pick up Isaiah and read anyway. After a couple of chapters, I knew I had done the Word of God an injustice, so I quit. In these instances I can usually play with the dog, listen to music, surf the Internet, watch TV or eat something. 
3. As I mulled this over I began eliminating things that I know are not good for me. Eating, TV and Internet had to go, so I played with our Chihuahua, "ManchoMan", for about 10 minutes, before going back to the Bible. This time I asked God for some help, and explained myself.
4. When I went back to Isaiah, where I began earlier, I was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I could see, I could hear and more importantly, I was listening to "that still small voice."

                                        INSPIRATION OF ISAIAH

This series of events might not be BIG to you, but it was GIGANTIC for me, and here is why. Isaiah is the genuine article. He is the 1909s VDB of his time with no blemishes or distortion. He holds up under the only microscope that counts, the Almighty. Their is nothing FAKE about the way our Lord used him to tell his world for most of his 75 years about the future. He repeatedly told of things to come, and in some cases lived to see the prophecy fulfilled. Listen to what he says:

1. He predicted the fall of Damascus and Israel in Chapter 1.
2. He predicted the rise and fall of Assyria.
3. He predicted the day of the Nazarene; his first prediction of Jesus of Nazareth.
4. He predicted the fall of the Babylonian Empire.
5. He admonished Israel for trusting the Egyptians and Ethiopians instead of God, before they did it.
6. He predicted the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib.
7. He predicted the future Kingdom of Zion.
8. He predicted the suffering of the Messiah.
9. He predicted Christ's mission in coming to live among us and die for our sin.

He accomplished all this and more while serving under four (4) different Kings of Israel, some good and some very bad. In the end King Hezekiah had a son, Manasseh.  In Manasseh's first year Jewish tradition says that Isaiah hid in a hollowed tree from the soldiers of the King. With a wooden saw they cut the trunk of the tree in half, along with this amazing prophet. 

Sometimes the difference between a "false prophet," cannot be seen with the naked eye or heard with divine discernment. Satan is so good at producing replicas that it is easy for those of us who fear our Creator to be led astray. Usually you begin to compromise small things, and before you know it, you have been duped. In the Book of Isaiah devout Jews, including members of the Sanhedrin, were led astray by impostors. Today we can clone. Today we can duplicate. Today we can replicate. Isaiah knew it back then and with God's help says in Chapter 60: "God's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands and your fingers are defiled with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has uttered perverseness. None calls for justice, or stands up for the truth: rather they trust in vanity, speak lies, pursue mischief and nurture iniquity."

My grandfather used to say to me regularly, "Jimmy, don't take any wooden nickels or three-dollar bills." Do not be fooled by imitation that is full of pride and arrogance. Do not be fooled by those who only inspire, and never tell you the truth. Do not be fooled by apparent riches, the voice of a songbird or the hand in your pocket. God rarely uses those bathed in this world's signs of wealth and success. He uses the humble, the humbled, the weak, the thankful, the poor, the lame, the sick and the weary. Beneath these saints is built the foundation that will never crumble in good times and in bad, in this life or the next. They have a pure heart and will stand for their Lord and Saviour whenever and wherever necessary. May you be able to do the same.

May God bless you according to those riches stored up for you in the next life...

TDD

                    ISAIAH HOLDING THE ONLY MICROSCOPE THAT MATTERS!!

THE FEAR OF GOD...WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?

If you have read much in the OT, you have come across the "fear of God" many times. The study of fear, as used in scripture has provided me with an amazing journey from my own scottish Crest  to Catholic doctrine, Islamic doctrine, Jewish doctrine, and of course the various forms of Christian doctrine. Since my last name is "MONRO," I can trace my family history to the mountains of northeastern Scotland. Yes, Clan Monro sprouted from the hills. They were sort of Gaelic hillbillies, if you will...Their accents were thick with a tribal language that was native to that area. It was passed down for many generations, and in some of the hinterlands way up North, they still prefer Gaelic over the King's English. My grandfather hailed from a transitional generation that spoke both Gaelic and English with a thick brogue. It was and honor to hear him speak because our family heritage just oozed out of every pore in his body. Long ago he showed our family the Monro Crest for the first time, along with his kilts, bagpipes and special plaid. To this day, I remember that the Crest said, "DREAD GOD," in big bold letters. Back then and quite frankly right now, I still wonder why they chose to "dread" our Creator. Well now I know, and soon you will too.

Dreading or Fearing our Lord seems quite paradoxical at first blush, because how can you love and fear Him at the same time? The NT mentions this fear, but spends much more time on the subject of love. The OT is quite the opposite and here are examples of both:

1. And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to FEAR the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your HEART and SOUL."
2. He will be a sure foundation FOR YOUR TIMES, a rich store of Salvation and Wisdom and Knowledge. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE KEY TO THIS TREASURE.
3. His mercy extends to those who FEAR Him from generation to generation.
4. I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should FEAR; FEAR him who, after killing the body, has the power to through you into Hell.
5. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, FEAR God, honor the king.
6. Their are no books listed on purpose...Just read though these and select which ones you think are from the the OT or the NT. This word fear is used 74 times in the KJV, so it is very important for us to understand it completely. 

Isaiah deals with biblical fear in Chapter 29, but comes at it from a completely different angle that certainly has helped me understand a deeper meaning of "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and discipline." This is completely different from being afraid of  things like, spiders, snakes, needles or flying. It is more like being afraid of failure, rejection, death or intimacy. It has more to do with how you think, feel and react internally rather than externally. This is one major distinction in my mind that begins to unravel this enigma called fear.

God requires a level of respect or reverence that transcends our use of the word, fear...Fear from our vantage point is a very negative emotion. Enough of the detrimental type of fear, and our minds and bodies begin to break down...This is NOT the fear of our Lord. Not having the fear of God in your heart and soul, eliminates growth in righteousness, wisdom and knowledge simply because  fear is the beginning of these gifts from God. Without genuine respect and reverence, you end up hollow where is counts the most, in your heart. Additionally, as Isaiah points out that discipline and/or discretion also is an important feature in the fear of our Lord.

In Isaiah 20:13, He says, "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their MOUTH, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart from FAR from me, and their FEAR toward me is taught by the precept of men:"
Continuing Isaiah says that God's people know the Word of God, precept by precept, line by line, a little here and a little there. In other words their belief in God has been reduced to rote memorization and mechanical doctrine. We know it and can recite it, but we don't feel it!! On the outside we draw near with our mouths only!! Wow, this is powerful scripture...God draws a clear line in the sands of time between stark, barren and rote HYPOCRISY pushed on saints throughout the ages. LOVE of our God begins with righteous fear, reverence and respect for our Creator. 

Further, the love of God always starts and stays internal, no matter your religious persuasion. I write mostly for Christian believers, but this same concept is exactly, and I mean exactly the same for Christian, Jew, Muslim or Catholic. It is the very reason we all seek the one true God. It has been instilled in all humanity with their first breathe of life. Everyone claims to have the ONLY path to God. Everyone has studied precept on precept, line by line in a church, mosque or synagogue somewhere. Some pray, some chant, some sing and some dance, but know this; anything you do externally without divine Love in your heart and soul is hollow.

I question my belief system all the time. I ask God to teach me how not to be hollow, because there are times I feel empty and alone. Understanding, Wisdom and Discernment only come from our Heavenly Father. Memorize, legalize, and chant from dawn to dusk, the precepts of God, but remember this...If your heart and soul don't biblically fear your Maker, you are nothing but a well educated and gifted hypocrite.

God Bless,

TDD