Me First? .......?

      My wife bought me Foxes Book of Martyrs. I haven't read this for many years. Mans cruelty to man never ceases to amaze me. What astonishes me the most, besides mans astonishing cruelty to his fellow man, is the base realization of the reasoning behind it. Belief defining and defying and then reviling another belief berthing retribution by means of exterminating competing ideology. As primitive a form of exclusionary and cowardly means of controlling societal conformity, it's usage comes close to being universal even in the most politesse of societies. Ten reigns of terror executed on Christians in the most obscene and horrific demonstration of methods for the preservation of exclusionary conformity to another's realm of totalitarian inclusion. 

     Universalism is one of those words that carry frightening allusions of control to me personally. Another, that carries almost the same aversion to me is reforming. Both contain a versioning alignment of thought that to me will predesignate the same destination of control. Getting past the ten reigns of persecution we end up with one controlling Christian ideology that uses the same horrific tactics of control that the pagan systems employed. They refer to this part of history the "Dark Ages."  Controlling the dialogue seems to be in vogue wherever we land in historical examination. Yet, truth has to reside in and of its self. We may try to control it and define it; modify it to our preference and codify it to advance a defining conditioning goal of our own or submit to it and let it lay us bare. Judgement comes first to the house of God of which we are. Who wants to be first in line? Time won't even be a consideration, only eternity will prevail. I'm starting to sound like a Baptist now. Still, we will all meet the Truth. I'm going to be transparent before it whether I like it or not; but I'm not writing about that now, because now is all we ever have in time. The strangest part of all this is that I can't wait to be there, at His feet, waiting for the cleansing of my soul; not reformation, not universalism, just myself with the Truth, the Word, and the Life.

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

A question to be asked.

Assumptive Consumption

     Sometimes I awaken with a thought that leads me on a sort of rabbit trail chase with hopes of catching some sort of resolution. Idolitive creedal worship bordering on the fringes of fanatical reasoning for the sake of exclusion of reasonable inclusion seems to be more of a marketing ploy that employs somewhat intimidating tactical methodology while betraying objective reasoning. Pick and choose this day whom you will serve. A person or group will often  radicalize to employ a means of marginalizing competing ideology; many times to the point of dying for. I can find myself definitively saying there are beliefs worth dying for, but with the obvious implication that this implies the obverse. I've seen that this will steer many people to simply employ an "I'm not religious stance", all the while betraying their position with religious zeal. This also manifests itself in politics now as to be the norm and not the exception. This raises all sorts of questions apart from how we arrived to this debacle. While all don't always search for a peaceful reconciliation; we all should long for it; but how can we achieve it? When do we pick up the sword and when do we lay it down? Is there ever a point when being right can be blinding reason all along, or to be right for corrective rationale, or just right for elevating an ingratiating ego? When does motive dominate or interfere with objective rationale? Can being right for a wrong reason still be justifiable? 

     We've all heard the transparency word thrown around a lot lately. The thought of it landing at our front door, so to speak, is somewhat frightening and rarely a consideration for strategic gain. The thought that we're already transparent before God is considerably more concerning or it should be. A fig leaf has already been proven a poor cover. My desire is to be right. One of the major roadblocks is assumption where it doesn't belong. A conclusion derived and conceived, aided by an assumption, may make for a tantalizing consumption, but can deliver undesired side effects to a persons ethical constitution. If there's a hill to die on, and many have already died on, don't make it on an assumption. I can't just assume I'm alright, when I know I'm not. I need the substitutionary atonement that Jesus provides, so I want to be right. That's my desire, but more importantly, I want to be right with God. That's the hill I'll die on. 

     I'm assuming you've been consuming an assumptive remedial tactical revolutionary conceptualizing epiphany now from my morning ramp. Time for a nap.

A Country Dance

Achieving this their end, 

They create a cause, 

Berthing thoughtless thoughts

They arm their aim

Mindless vessels to create, 

A voice, a role, clueless debate

Rebuttal defined, awaits it's prey, 

Roaring chorus secured in the fray

A rage to ensure, a position, a stance 

A tuneless tune to which they may dance

Bend-less roads that seek to ease

Or circular travails that feeds disease

Blinding, blindness never sought

An inviting host so easily got

And this we say to our dismay 

I thought, I think, We found our way

  

 

 

 

Conjunctive Unity

     It's not uncommon for someone, nowadays, to ask if you are a believer. I don't have a problem with that at all. It does seem to to be somewhat cryptic even though there's nothing necessarily misleading about the query. It is somewhat amusing in that there's an almost never ending list of things a person might believe. I'm obviously a Christian but for me that's more than a belief or even a creed. There are times when reading the Bible that you see a repetition of words that are linked together such as mercy and truth. The implication would seem to be that one is conjoined to the other. Mindless mercy could easily go astray bereft of benefit without an acknowledgment of corrective or behavioral truth; just as truth without ministering mercy would be obstructive to life altering renewal. As far as belief takes us, I can't but wonder if our belief, on its own, is enough to substantiate a cohesive ground, sufficient enough to stand on. Will the faith to fuel my belief be enough to sustain it. After-all, believe systems reside in our creeds, our politics, denominational alliance, and several different religions, all at odds with each other. Yet, they all claim authoritative supremacy. The only constant in each consistency lies entirely in the claim. 

     Where does the authority reside? This isn't just a modern day enigma. We have historical insight all the way back to Adam and the commonality of differential precedents take root from the beginning. God was right there. Christians will say; you need Jesus. If that's  true, I still have some reservations. Just as mercy and truth, belief and faith, are bound together through mutual necessity, I believe the same has to be true of a defensible bedrock for Christianity. Jesus when He teaches us to pray begins with; "Our Father who art in heaven". Jesus prays to his Father in Gethsemane; Jesus makes intersession on our behalf, of our prayers, which are, in turn, prompted by the work of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives after our surrender to God. Sometimes my thinking leads me through strange avenues of quandary. I'm not a theologian. I do endorse C.S. Lewis' analogy of another disputation concerning faith and works. Trying to discern which is of greater importance is like deciding which blade of a scissors is most important. For me, there has to be a conjunctive unity between aspects of Christian truth that can survive a severance of functional reality, whether it's belief and faith, mercy and truth, faith and works, or most importantly the trinitarian person  hood of the one true God that makes a cord of three as one. 

Conjunctive: Closely united; serving to unite.                                    Unity: The state of being one; oneness

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. James 2:18

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and the he shall shall reward every man according to his works.  Mathew 16:27

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40

Verily, verily, I say unto you,The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for what soever things he does, these also does the son likewise. John 5:19

 After this manner pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Mathew 6:9

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Mathew 10:33

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bound them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. Proverbs 3:3

All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25:10

 

Judicious Judgement

      We've all heard it.  [ Mathew 7:1]"Judge not, that ye be not judged."Still, it always seems to be that, there is a bit of judging hanging on to the shirt-tails of that statement that targets the import of what your intent may have been. Every believer, non-believer, cat or  dog in  your little world is well adept with its inception. Jesus used it and so it has to be. This will be a challenging quandary to explore; exacting ideologue of an obviously judicial statement about judgement without being judgmental. How does one facilitate the retrieval of an acceptable facet while still arriving shy of the facetious. Contextual scrutiny has to be the avenue to be explored. 

     Consider starting at Matthew chapter 5 and ending at chapter 8.  Although this has nothing even close to our original dilemma, one may want to examine the style of teaching used for centuries. I'm not attempting to rabbit trail but to establish foundational footings. When reading the exhortations of Jesus you'll be subject to a whole litany of sayings, jumping from one subject to another. This is almost like reading Solomon's proverbs, or Confucius sayings; wisdom literature amassed in nonstop progression. Matthew, being a tax collector at one time, would have be the perfect vessel for transcribing these sayings we read being adept at a form of shorthand common to that vocation; not to mention the only gospel for several years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Understanding that we have some responsibility in the separation of themes might lead one to be logically responsible to the inclusion of verses tied to the aforementioned verse. Whatever empathizes conditional understanding can't be selectively ignored or side-stepped to ingratiate your defensive posturing. "Judge not", for me, immediately raises questions. I thought we were supposed to be wise as serpents. [Mathew 10:16] How do we go through life or even a single day without making judgments? I know He's referencing people, and you can't go out the door in the morning without encountering them. As a father and husband I have to be in the judicial role as a part of my parental role. Still,there has to be a line somewhere that can't be crossed. My best guess is that there is point of crossing over into God's role where I don't belong. We've all crossed that line at some point. What's beyond our understanding, which is limited as to most of our encounters, God only knows. We're clueless of what circumstances made people what they appear. Yes, appearances are deceiving. Being judicious in our judgments should always tempered by grace. People may be raising their own eyebrows while making there own assessments while scrutinizing some questionable straits of your own. Once again, God only knows. Consequential assessment sometimes may be a sad adornment you will have to wear if you transcend into or on to God's turf.

     For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

      "For with what judgement ye judge". Not that's a fearful consideration. One would hope that bias, prejudice, and motive might not have played a part in a reciprocal judgement. Thought provocation may be a revelation of intent. I'm not saying judgement isn't a necessity of living. Just going through an ordinary day always involves judicial thinking on our part. The collusion of bias and assumption presupposes our decisions, impairing any chance of non-prejudicial judgement leading ones action into expository episodes of revelatory delusion. Foot extraction from mouth could easily be avoidable with judicious thinking before hand on our part. Jesus just wants to save us from the same retribution that we have just invoked on others. And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Silence is golden .... or not? I would invoke a bit of grace before speculation reveals on my part, the revelating and owning of my own ignorance. We know not what we do? That, I'm guessing, is just a bunch of bull. Being vindictive shouldn't be a conditioned response. 

     And why beholdest thou the mote the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in thine own eye? 

      There's a question that we often sidestep while others are oftentimes musing about. If there's a blindside to our thinking; why not think about consideration on our part to affected parties. Clothing ourselves with judgmental malfeasance is never an attractive apparel and is hard to forget. Opinion belongs to opinionated people that, more often than not, need to seek a better opinion. I apologize for that, I've got this mote in my eye keeping me up at night. I have to leave you with this.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all theses things will be added unto you." Mathew 6:33 

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." But, be judicious in your own walk and let the real Judge do His work. Be a vessel He can use for others.