1015AFC040910
Happy Aloha Friday!!
JOHN 1:12-13
NAB But to those who did accept Him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
KJV 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
JOHN 1:1-5
NAB 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. What came to be 4 through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; 5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
KJV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The message I sent last week was not the message I intended to send. That message got “preempted” by another Source. I was supposed to write about “Chapter 1 verse 12 of John.” That quote is from a song I sang as a child called The Assurance March. That particular line was part of the bridge (the connecting music between verses) and the whole line of the lyric goes “Chapter 1 verse 12 of John is the ground we stand upon.”
John 1:12
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnNX4rkBg6U/RgYcVmqco4I/AAAAAAAAAD4/xfg6AhVbh1Q/s1600-h/Assurance+March.jpg (copy and paste)
So that verse is a foundational verse, one on which tenets of faith are built – part of the Christian creed, or doctrine, or belief. I still want to say a little something about that, so here goes:
This is a tenet of faith in that it helps us define “the children of God … born … of God. Long story short is that comes about by believing in Him (John 3:16-17) and through baptism. Baptized believers are children of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and recipients of Christ’s participation in Creation which is and was and will be the Light of Life. That Light is, was, and always will be Christ. Everything that is Good comes from that Light – “God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten not made, Consubstantial with the Father, Through Him all things were made.” (From the Nicene Creed; the Profession of Faith).
Important stuff, and whole books are written about these passages. Sermon series that cover weeks are based on the first chapter of John. It is one of the most-powerful and most-quoted chapters in the bible and certainly a gem in the Gospel.
Since it would have been a Good Friday message, there would have been some discussion of how to survive those tests of faith we encounter so often in our lives. Sometimes things happen that we just cannot understand – like the death of a child, the betrayal of innocence, or pointless violence. These things are often difficult to comprehend even within our Christian understanding of life. This too is something about which much has been written – why bad things happen to good people (and the converse of that, why good things happen to bad people). Again, there is a short answer which is inadequate only if you don’t believe that the longer answer isn’t any different from the short answer. The short answer is, “with God all things are possible.” The good and the bad happen, but it all happens within God’s knowing of it. Victims exist and God knows the how and why of that existence. He does not produce the victim or the circumstances that result in victims.
Another side of this is when we ourselves do something stupid so that we (or someone else) become a victim because of our actions, our choices. I often marvel that God, who is omniscient, does not remember the spectacularly stupid things I have done. He’s forgotten them, forgiven them, but still knows about them. How is that possible? Because he is also omnipotent and it is within His power to master this dichotomy of knowing and at the same time forgiving and forgetting my stupidity, my sin. I don’t think he likes to be reminded about those moments either. He’s done with them, and I think he would just as soon we were done with them, too. He doesn’t want us to be miserable, so I think he frowns on bringing up the past all the time and telling Him, “God I am so sorry I was so stupid back then.” If I remember doing something stupid, maybe that will serve as a reminder not to do it again, but that doesn’t mean I have to keep reliving it in my memory. Sometimes I still forget and do it again. That gives God something else to forgive and to forget.
And that is how His Might is shown in my weakness. It’s part of the way he designed His creation. It has built-in balances like that in everything you can find out about the Universe and Creation. Got free will? Got forgiveness for when you use it for stupid things. Got heaven for when you use it for good things. Got grace for when you can’t remember which is which. Got love for everything and every person in creation. Got Stupid? Got God’s wisdom when you ask for it (James 1:5 – But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.)
I love you THIS much!!
It was God’s decision to offer you a place in the Kingdom as His child. It was God’s decision to let you live in The Kingdom as a free agent, able to choose good over evil, life over death. It was God’s decision to create you and call you by name to enjoy everything in your life – even the tough stuff. Believe me; I have seen a lot of the tough stuff in your life and mine. One of the free choices we have is the choice to accept Him and His forgiveness. We are all already forgiven, every single one of us from every single sin. Only one thing is required to make that truth complete in our lives: Become a child of God. Accept Him through whom all things were created. It is the ground we stand upon (see Ephesians 5:10-18b See especially Verse 14). and we can stand on that ground only because Jesus showed his love for his Father and for us in ways we cannot begin to understand.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service. Beloved pray for ALL the people, especially those who ask for our prayers, and for those who do not believe anyone will pray for them. We also pray that those who fear they cannot or should not be forgiven will find that God’s mercy exceeds all their fears.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved. I am thinking of you – all of you – and the LOVE is overwhelming!
Chick
Next week we will have a guest columnist. I invite each of you in the MBN to send in something you would like to share with the members. It can be your own work, it can be “one of those things that goes around on the ‘net,” it can be just a line or two about your thoughts on a subject. This will allow us to hear a different voice once in a while. I usually won’t send out things that promise a miracle or change of luck if you do thus and such unless the content is really superb, but other than that, let me see your favorites and maybe they will become the favorites of others.
1015AFC040910
Happy Aloha Friday!!
JOHN 1:12-13
NAB But to those who did accept Him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
KJV 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
JOHN 1:1-5
NAB 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. What came to be 4 through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; 5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
KJV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The message I sent last week was not the message I intended to send. That message got “preempted” by another Source. I was supposed to write about “Chapter 1 verse 12 of John.” That quote is from a song I sang as a child called The Assurance March. That particular line was part of the bridge (the connecting music between verses) and the whole line of the lyric goes “Chapter 1 verse 12 of John is the ground we stand upon.”
John 1:12
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnNX4rkBg6U/RgYcVmqco4I/AAAAAAAAAD4/xfg6AhVbh1Q/s1600-h/Assurance+March.jpg (copy and paste)
So that verse is a foundational verse, one on which tenets of faith are built – part of the Christian creed, or doctrine, or belief. I still want to say a little something about that, so here goes:
This is a tenet of faith in that it helps us define “the children of God … born … of God. Long story short is that comes about by believing in Him (John 3:16-17) and through baptism. Baptized believers are children of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and recipients of Christ’s participation in Creation which is and was and will be the Light of Life. That Light is, was, and always will be Christ. Everything that is Good comes from that Light – “God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten not made, Consubstantial with the Father, Through Him all things were made.” (From the Nicene Creed; the Profession of Faith).
Important stuff, and whole books are written about these passages. Sermon series that cover weeks are based on the first chapter of John. It is one of the most-powerful and most-quoted chapters in the bible and certainly a gem in the Gospel.
Since it would have been a Good Friday message, there would have been some discussion of how to survive those tests of faith we encounter so often in our lives. Sometimes things happen that we just cannot understand – like the death of a child, the betrayal of innocence, or pointless violence. These things are often difficult to comprehend even within our Christian understanding of life. This too is something about which much has been written – why bad things happen to good people (and the converse of that, why good things happen to bad people). Again, there is a short answer which is inadequate only if you don’t believe that the longer answer isn’t any different from the short answer. The short answer is, “with God all things are possible.” The good and the bad happen, but it all happens within God’s knowing of it. Victims exist and God knows the how and why of that existence. He does not produce the victim or the circumstances that result in victims.
Another side of this is when we ourselves do something stupid so that we (or someone else) become a victim because of our actions, our choices. I often marvel that God, who is omniscient, does not remember the spectacularly stupid things I have done. He’s forgotten them, forgiven them, but still knows about them. How is that possible? Because he is also omnipotent and it is within His power to master this dichotomy of knowing and at the same time forgiving and forgetting my stupidity, my sin. I don’t think he likes to be reminded about those moments either. He’s done with them, and I think he would just as soon we were done with them, too. He doesn’t want us to be miserable, so I think he frowns on bringing up the past all the time and telling Him, “God I am so sorry I was so stupid back then.” If I remember doing something stupid, maybe that will serve as a reminder not to do it again, but that doesn’t mean I have to keep reliving it in my memory. Sometimes I still forget and do it again. That gives God something else to forgive and to forget.
And that is how His Might is shown in my weakness. It’s part of the way he designed His creation. It has built-in balances like that in everything you can find out about the Universe and Creation. Got free will? Got forgiveness for when you use it for stupid things. Got heaven for when you use it for good things. Got grace for when you can’t remember which is which. Got love for everything and every person in creation. Got Stupid? Got God’s wisdom when you ask for it (James 1:5 – But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.)
I love you THIS much!!
It was God’s decision to offer you a place in the Kingdom as His child. It was God’s decision to let you live in The Kingdom as a free agent, able to choose good over evil, life over death. It was God’s decision to create you and call you by name to enjoy everything in your life – even the tough stuff. Believe me; I have seen a lot of the tough stuff in your life and mine. One of the free choices we have is the choice to accept Him and His forgiveness. We are all already forgiven, every single one of us from every single sin. Only one thing is required to make that truth complete in our lives: Become a child of God. Accept Him through whom all things were created. It is the ground we stand upon (see Ephesians 5:10-18b See especially Verse 14). and we can stand on that ground only because Jesus showed his love for his Father and for us in ways we cannot begin to understand.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service. Beloved pray for ALL the people, especially those who ask for our prayers, and for those who do not believe anyone will pray for them. We also pray that those who fear they cannot or should not be forgiven will find that God’s mercy exceeds all their fears.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved. I am thinking of you – all of you – and the LOVE is overwhelming!
Chick
Next week we will have a guest columnist. I invite each of you in the MBN to send in something you would like to share with the members. It can be your own work, it can be “one of those things that goes around on the ‘net,” it can be just a line or two about your thoughts on a subject. This will allow us to hear a different voice once in a while. I usually won’t send out things that promise a miracle or change of luck if you do thus and such unless the content is really superb, but other than that, let me see your favorites and maybe they will become the favorites of others.
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
