We Must Keep Moving

        

        Have you ever felt like your life has reached a point of staleness? Did you feel like your life was in a barren, desert wilderness or you were on the road, caught in a rut with a spinning, stuck tire or floating on the windless, doldrums of the sea?

        In each case there is a stagnant experience. I would dare to venture that most of us would like to continue moving and in a positive direction. Sometimes the fruitless environment you are in is the tool used to strengthen your body, mind, spirit and character.

        There are times as Christians when believers are brought into areas like these to wait upon The Lord. Then there are times like these that demand us to act. Those times are when we seek out nourishment in the desert or push our vehicle out of the rut or row through the calmness of the sea with the result being we gain strength and knowledge from God revealing more abilities, talents and skills to tap into for further challenges. 

        I encourage you and me today - whenever those wilderness times, stuck in a rut times, doldrums arrive - pray to know which you are to do - wait or actively wait for The Lord. I have been in times like this in my life. If we all, with the help of the Lord, do not pull our boot straps up, activate our faith and try to get out of the wilderness, rut or doldrums - things like depression, laziness, bitterness and regret are eager to take over. With God's help, We Must Keep Moving.

It's Fun To Imagine

        

        Why do superheroes attract such a large audience or followers? Whenever the first story was told of a human with a superhuman ability or abilities, I can see in my mind's eye a captivated audience. I believe the human desire to not only exist, but live above and beyond our limited capabilities has always been fuel for the imagination, a draw for story-tellers and a possible opportunity with technology for many.

        Until movies came along, especially colored movies with special effects, all people had were either an oral tradition of storytelling for the illiterate or their books and their imaginations. Now, with movies, we are subject to the interpretation of the imagination of the Director/Producer of that movie, if the movie is based on a book. Sometimes the creativity in those films can be justified with our imaginations and other times, not so much. This is the pull - to see if our vision of the superhero lines up with the portrayal of him/her in the movie.

        Coming out of a movie or finishing a book with superheroes involved has always energized my thoughts and imaginations. I don't know of any young kid in my generation that did not pretend he/she was their favorite superhero in playtime after seeing them in the movies or reading about them in their book. Some adults still do that with videogames, afterward involving themselves with Cosplay (Costume Wearing/Acting) at certain conferences around the nation.

        There are a plethora of these superhuman, superhero stories out there to tell. Why is there a market for this? Why do we seemingly need this in our lives? I believe for many of us, not all, though we believe in our individuality of ourselves, the common likenesses more than makes-up for what makes us different from everybody else. Many people go through the same things in life and take the same approach to things and common ground can be great in a lot of instances, but it rubs up against desiring to not to be content, wanting to stand out, be a leader and make a difference with some kind of superpower.

        When we come back to Earth after our movies and books we know that we do not have our favorite superpower we lived through on the screen or on the pages. No power of flight, invisibility or mind reading is available to us. But what we do have is each other and the power of choice to be a positive impact on every life you come in contact with on a daily basis. 

        This power of choice has a rule or law tied to it called - You Reap What You Sow. For the non-farmers out there, sowing is planting and reaping is harvesting or gathering in the crops when they are ready to eat. But you can sow or plant other seeds than food. You can plant words of encouragement, kindness, support and love into lives. The rule above says that if you do that encouragement, kindness, support and love will come back to you. Take note, the same thing can be said for those who plant any other kind of seed, especially negativity.

        We hold tremendous power within us now without the aid of superheroes. The heroes we have in our own world - the first responders, law enforcement, doctors, nurses and anybody that is saving lives and trying to make our world a better place to live - should be on our movie screens and in our books and in our speech.

        I realize that books and movies are a release for many from real-world pressures and stress. Just so we keep the right perspective is my main concern, especially with the massive amount of superhero content that has been produced over the last fifty years. We are special and I believe each one of us has a gift, some would say a superpower, to tap into, in order to contribute to the enhancement of themselves and others. Superheroes and superpowers in movies and books may not carry over to us like we would want, but they can fuel the fire to approach our challenges with courage and the gifts and talents we possess; plus It's Fun To Imagine.

Our Return

        

        Aren't you grateful for thankful people? I gravitate toward people who do not feel like they are entitled to anything. There is a generation today that has this entitled attitude. It is ugly and a lie.

        An ungrateful, unthankful heart, mind or attitude creates a spirit and behavior of entitlement. Pride knows how to look out for number one and where to get the assistance but does not submit any gratitude or honor to the helper.

        

        Before focusing on the Ten Healed of Leprosy documented in Luke 17:11-19 allow me to introduce you Leviticus 14:1-32. The proper method of cleansing from infectious skin diseases according to the Old Testament is documented in Leviticus 14:1-32. The big take away going into the main passage of study is that the priests personally knew who they were sending away outside the camp and why. The priest had to go outside the camp to aid the afflicted. Skin diseases, especially leprosy, were not only people hurting and in need of healing but recipients of excommunication, therefore becoming a social outcast. Leprosy touched the person physically, mentally and socially. 

        However, the process gave room for the possibility of healing and there were many steps for acceptance back into the camp even if this was the case ("If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,...").

        Here is what happened in Luke 17:11-19,

Ten Healed of Leprosy
"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

        Jesus is headed to Jerusalem. He enters a "border village" - a village on the border of Samaria and Judah that would include citizens of both Jewish and Samaritan cultures. Because of their physical and social condition of leprosy, the ten men stood at a distance from the approaching Jesus and cried out to Him for help. 

        According to what the men shout, Jesus' reputation preceded Him for they recognized Him using a title and they did not directly ask for healing, they - "called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!'" Jesus did have pity on them. However, Jesus did not touch them like He touched the leper of Matthew 8:1-4. No, here it says, "When he saw them, he said...". No touching involved, only words necessary for this encounter. 

        Jesus' instructions of "Go, show yourselves to the priests." were to keep in line with The Law or Scripture mentioned earlier. To obey The Law in this regard meant they were following the correct protocol for readmittance into the city and society and they were obeying The Word of God in flesh, Jesus.

        The Luke account states, "And as they went, they were cleansed." The men were obeying The Law and Christ's instruction. The New Testament Greek word used here for "cleansed" is Katharizo, it means ceremonially clean or purified. 

        The Old Testament Hebrew word used for "cleansed" came in two varieties. One word used in the Hebrew was Tohorah (from Tohar). It always occurred in the context of ritual purity. It was the general word used of the process that was about to take place for the re-admittance of an individual back into society. 

        The second Hebrew word used was Taher. It meant clean , pure, innocent, and righteous. This was the more specific goal that was being acknowledged by both the priest and the healed in the ceremony. When Jesus said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests.", all that the ten needed for ritual purity (described in the Law above) was granted them in that instant that they obeyed Christ Jesus. Both meanings of the word "cleansed" were fulfilled when they obeyed Christ.

        The purpose of the purity ritual was to teach Israel Holiness of God and Righteous Living (Exodus 19:10; Leviticus 16:30; Numbers 8:15). Rituals by themselves do not guarantee purity (Isaiah 66:17; Malachi 1:7-11) and one cannot declare himself pure (Job 4:17; Proverbs 30:12), only God can cleanse sinful humanity (Jeremiah 33:8). I feel these last points were  what got through to one man in particular - the man that returned to Jesus.

        The ten men were given what they requested and needed in order to rid them of their physical disease and social shame. Scripture does not state the cultural ratio of the group, but only reports the one that returned to Jesus and fell at His feet was a "foreigner", a Samaritan. Only one man out of ten realized the source of their blessing could only come from God Himself. An Ah-Ha Moment that granted proper perspective on Blesser and Blessed, Giver and Givee, on Loved and Lover of body, mind and soul - Christ Jesus.

        First, after this kind of deliverance who would not make this kind of scene? If you have ever seen or heard the horrors of leprosy, then you know how powerful the joy was when the men were healed. Sad that only one knew how to show his excited appreciation and to whom to direct it.

        Second, this was quite a scene because the people that were supposed to be at Jesus' feet recognizing their Healer and Savior, the Jews, were not there. Instead, here is this foreigner who came acknowledging the healer, Jesus, at Christ's feet, praising and worshiping Him for this marvelous turnabout in his life. Wow at the list of things this man was thankful and grateful for toward Jesus. This man was sick with leprosy, shamefully outcast because of the disease and had always been frowned upon because he was a Samaritan (a minority, among the minorities). I imagine that's probably just the start of the list.

And then Jesus' response...

Paraphrased - Did I not answer their request? (emphasis on I) Because He said, "Were not all ten cleansed?"

Paraphrased - I don't like these stats! 

Because He said, "Where are the other nine?"

Paraphrased - Of all the people to have returned and given praise the Jews would have been a good start. 

Because He said, "Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

        Sozo is the Greek word for well. It means to be made whole from physical disease or infirmity. The obedience of the Samaritan granted him the right-standing with God through The Law, but the faith that it took to activate his healing through Christ granted him revelation of the source of his healing. 

        Therefore, paraphrased, Jesus says, you may get up and leave; your choice to believe who healed you and your choice to believe who I Am has granted you a bonus, it has made your body complete or whole. Because He said, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

        We should return to God with thunderous praise ("praising God in a loud voice"), fall at Jesus' feet in prayer ("He threw himself at Jesus' feet") and thank Him ("and thanked him") whenever God blesses us in our life, which is every breath, but especially with a healing. Thanksgiving or a grateful heart helps maintain the wholeness God desires for our lives. The men were already healed, the returning Samaritan received wholeness for his appropriate response.

        Whether the return be to show the world, friends, family or yourself that Christ still cares, return. Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself up for us, making us holy and cleansing us by the washing of water through His Word (Ephesians 5:25-26). He is deserving of the recognition and His benefits He bestows are mind boggling. Not only does He heal us of our affliction but wholeness awaits Our Return.

Forgiving And Forgetting

        

        God's forgiveness and forgetfulness of sin through Christ Jesus is amazing and Christians should do their best to not take His awesome package of grace for granted.

        The prophet Jeremiah recorded The Lord's words to His people Israel about a future time when forgiveness of sin and forgetfulness of the same would be manifest. 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

        David, the warrior-poet-song-writer, was also inspired in this line of thought as he penned -

Psalm 103:11-12

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

        However, Christians can now claim these awesome guarantees of forgiveness and forgetfulness of sin by God through the grafting of the believing branch or Christian into the Vine or Jewish messiah (Romans 11).

        Many years after David, the apostle Paul would be inspired to echo very similar sentiments as David when he encouraged the believers in Rome, saying,

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

        The Good News then is that humanity's mistakes, our sins or disobedient behavior toward God is forgiven and forgotten through faith in the sacrifice and victory of Christ Jesus. Once the decision is made to follow Jesus, the next step is to not abuse Christ's sacrificial love gift of redemption by continuing in our sinful ways, but live for Him and with Him for eternity. 

        Christians have come out of darkness into Christ's marvelous light and must live in and by the guiding Light of His Holy Spirit. However, this Pivot in life brings great challenges. The return to old ways of thinking, imagining, speaking and behaving will be a temptation. Certain areas of our life will be targeted by the enemy to steal our joy and in many cases the devil needs only one entry way to ruin a life.

        However, not only was Christ's sacrifice on the cross once and for all sins ever committed, but His payment secured anytime, all-personal-access to God (Luke 23:44-46). Any second of any day we can come boldly or confidently to God's throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Persistent Christian living in the view of Christ's amazing restoration of our relationship with Father God is the believer's goal. 

        Christians are not perfect, they are being made perfect. "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16) - is not only a directive to believers to be set apart and different for God's influence on a wicked world, but it is a process. John encourages us "When we approach Him, confessing our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)". 

        So, our relationship with God is saved but our struggle with sin remains. We are a new creature in Christ Jesus. We must stay in line, in favor with God and His Word. Daily walking with God, Christians become more sin-less. This means there is more for the believer to do in response to Christ's forgiveness. Christians must follow the example of Christ Jesus and forgive. 

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-16)

        For the human being, either forgiving or forgetting an offense is hard and seems impossible. But the mind, soul and body of the unforgiving is the one who suffers. Forgiveness breaks all the mental, physical and spiritual shackles that would have us imprisoned to the likes of bitterness, distrust and hate. Forgiveness and forgetfulness of offenses places the relationship back on proper footing. Paul supplied incredible words of encouragement when he told the Philippian believers and Christians through the ages - "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

        God's amazing grace, His incredible favor and compassion toward all came at the price of His Son's life. The high price demands a high standard of living for Christ followers. There are at least three instances before Jesus died and paid for all sins that He forgave an individual their sin on the spot (Matt. 9:2; Luke 7:48; Luke 23:42-43). How much more should Christians, new creatures in Christ, validate their relationship with Jesus than to follow in His large footsteps by Forgiving And Forgetting.

The Risks Of Shortcuts

        Risking a shortcut seems to be part of the daily routine for many people now-a-days. Quality, required work and even above-and-beyond work seems to be the rarity and not the norm. 

        Today's impatient people do not see or follow the wisdom found in the Proverbs and Psalms concerning this subject. Solomon writes under the inspiration of God that the quality of the worker will marry the quality of the employer.  

"Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank." - Proverbs 22:29

        One of the influencers in taking shortcuts is haste or impatience. In a society that wants things yesterday and instant everything, waiting is not on a lot of menus, agendas or character traits. However, in addition to waiting, starting one's work and being persistent until its completion is at the heart of several instructional Scriptures.

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." - Proverbs 21:5

"Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!" - Proverbs 19:2

        Abraham and Sarah took a shortcut with the birthing of a promised son. They succumbed to their impatience and had Ishmael via the hand maiden Hagar. The consequence for jumping the gun or shortcutting was Ishmael and his descendants would always be at odds with everyone. 

        Another obstacle that shortcutters face in addition to impatience is allowing the success of others to force their hand into producing poor quality work. They observe cheaters, manipulators and the like get away with shortcuts in their business or personal life and feel compelled to do the same in order to compete or look good. When their shortcut backfires or does not succeed they feel slighted, but they should have waited on the Lord, surrendered to Him and not worry about others in the beginning. Psalms 37:7 speaks to this by saying,

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." 

        In some cases just getting individuals off the couch to do anything is the challenge. Whether the cause is a mentality of entitlement or his/her parents spoil them or the government is paying their expenses - laziness does not profit.

"Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth." - Proverbs 10:4

        Other contributors to shortcuters are those who place stock in trends and those that desire to get ahead in "the game". Those that follow trends tend to think - everybody else is doing it, why not me; it will work for me also. Those that want to get ahead in "the game" tend to have a competitive nature about themselves and their business, desiring to be in the industry's lead and sometimes sacrifice quality for being first.

        In all of these issues the key to success is include The Lord. Scripture says, 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." - Proverbs 16:3

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

        

        Before, during and after your work - involve The Lord. What a bonus to have God on your side in your workday or at whatever you are working on simply because you surrendered to Him everything. Be a quality worker in every area of your life. We all take risks at many points during our lives, but the payout when it comes to shortcuts is not worth the trouble. I encourage us all not to live by The Risks of Shortcuts.

THE ONLY PERSON FOR THE JOB

         

        A company seeking and acquiring the best man/woman for a position within their ranks is one thing, onboarding the only person who qualifies to perform all duties and tasks perfectly is another. If there is such a person in the business world, their value is unmatched and any request by that person becomes a command.

        "The Gospel of John was written by the apostle John, the son of Zebedee. He was a Palestinian Jew and a member of Jesus’ inner apostolic circle. John most likely wrote his account of Jesus between AD 70 (when Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans and the temple was destroyed) and AD 100 (the approximate end of John’s lifetime). Most likely he wrote his Gospel in Ephesus, one of the most important urban centers of the Roman empire. John’s Gospel was aimed at both Jews and Gentiles living throughout the Greco-Roman world. John frequently explains Jewish customs and Palestinian geography to non-Jewish readers. John also presents Jesus as the eternal Word that has now become flesh, utilizing the background of Greek thought familiar to his Gentile audience. Yet John clearly also has a Jewish audience in mind: he reveals Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of many Old Testament themes, and the eternal Son of God sent by God the Father to mediate a new relationship between God and man." 

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/john-a-gospel-for-the-world.html)

        However, John also used the theme of Only One quite a bit concerning Yahweh and His Son, Yesuha The Messiah - Jesus The Christ. Observing the fact John's audience was both non-Jewish and Jewish, the proclamation of Only One in a poly or many-god believing society was a challenge indeed. But John had the very words of His Savior ingrained in his memory to lean upon as he quoted Jesus saying, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

        The emphasis of singularity or oneness is displayed in several verses of John.

"How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" -John 5:44

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." - John 3:18

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." - John 17:3

        There is no ambiguity here, there is no unclearness about whom to believe - God and His Only Son, Jesus. There is no uncertainty of what to believe - that God so loved the world, that God gave Christ, and the request by God of belief in Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. The result is everlasting life instead of everlasting damnation.

        In all that has been created by God, seen and unseen, there is only one person that could ever fulfill the plan of salvation - Christ Jesus, The Lord. There was no creature, human or spiritual being that could fill the role and perfectly perform the duties of Savior besides The Word of God in flesh - Jesus Christ. Not only was Jesus the Best man for the job, He was The Only Person For The Job.