Quotes of the month
I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
Thomas A. Edison
A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it is in hot water.
Eleanor Roosevelt
God has not abandoned us any more than He abandoned Job. He never abandons anyone on whom He has set his love; nor does Christ, the Good Shepherd, ever lose track of His sheep.
J.I. Packer
In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in the unfolding of His divine plan. Nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its particular fitness for its place in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and the accumulation of His praise.
B.B. Warfield
A Psalm for the Sabbath Day
Psalm 92
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! And thou thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: but thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Fun Bible tidbits
* Ever wonder about the words “unicorn” and “dragon” as they appear in the Bible. Is the Bible being fantastical? Well, if you dig deep enough, you will find that early historical Greek writings described a wild ox with one or two horns as a unicorn: not a mythical creature at all.
* And at the time of our original Bible authors, the word “dinosaur” had not been born, so “dragon” was used to describe a large reptile or serpent.
* Without Paul, who started the seven original churches during his early missionary trips, there would be no seven churches in the Book of Revelation for Jesus to refer to; and there would be no need for the seven Archangels to stand guard in front of the seven churches, as also described in Revelation.
* Ever read Proverbs 9:5 closely. The words are describing Wisdom as an entity, yet the words are strikingly similar to the words Jesus is reciting at the Last Supper.
* If you want a new friend who can help you navigate through life, her name is Wisdom; and she can be found at Proverbs 8:22-36.
The Doctrine of Scripture
by William Hunt, 1877
The sacred writings … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. |
2 Timothy 3:15-17 |
The authority, sufficiency, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture are doctrines that are absolutely foundational to the ongoing work of God and His church. We cannot engage a lost and hurting world with the gospel unless we are convinced of its divine origin. As J.C. Ryle wrote, without the Bible as a “divine book to turn to as the basis of their doctrine and practice,” Christians “have no solid ground for present peace or hope, and no right to claim the attention of mankind.” Paul addressed this very issue when he reminded Timothy that “all Scripture is breathed out by God.” In other words, the Bible is not a human product infused with divinity; it is a divine gift produced through human instrumentality. Its every book, chapter, sentence, and syllable was originally given by God’s inspiration. The doctrine of Scripture, like many other Christian doctrines, can be challenging to grapple with. But the fact that something is difficult to understand does not undermine its truthfulness. Furthermore, when it comes to the doctrine of Scripture, there are matters that we can consider objectively. For example, it is easy to see that the Bible is a completely harmonious work. While it was written by more than thirty authors over a period of about fifteen hundred years, all the writers tell the same story, giving the same account of this world, the character of its Creator, and the problem of the human heart, and pointing to the same wonderful way of salvation through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God—all the way from Genesis to Revelation! The Bible also transcends time, culture, gender, and intellect. Some books may fit a certain person, a certain era, or a certain place, but there is no other book that perfectly stands up to the challenges of every day and every age and to the questions that confront life itself. The brightest minds cannot exhaust the riches of God’s word, and yet, at the same time, even young girls and boys can read their Bibles and discover its truth transforming their lives. The authority, sufficiency, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture are the grounds on which we must stand; and we have divine help in order to do so. The same Spirit that inspired the word of God, illumines the word of God, and convinces us that it is the word of God, given to us so that we may believe in Him who is the Word made flesh. It is as the Spirit does this work in you that your belief in the divine authorship of Scripture is undergirded and moves from only being an intellectual assent, to a doctrine, to an active hunger for more of the word—and more of the one who is both its author and its subject. |
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(Editor’s note: The following is a reprint of an article I wrote when I was running the Shao-lin Center for Martial Arts full time. It was 2016. I was well on my way in my walk with Jesus by this time, but it was evident to me that many of my students were not; nor were they remotely interested in getting to know Him. I chose to role play, pretending as if I, too, was still undecided about Jesus. It was written in an almost flippant, cavalier style to achieve my goal. Funny in a way, yet hopefully thought provoking. Hope you enjoy)
Her Beauty Was Odd
Act I
by Si-Gung Frank Versagi
Her beauty was odd. The kind you can't quite put your finger on. But you knew it wasn't the deceitful, lustful type, because we all knew she was a strong woman of God; but what was it? No one really seemed to know, and after a while, we just stopped trying to figure it out and we just enjoyed being in her presence.
She spoke well. Not a Bible thumper, but she continually praised the works
of her Lord. Every chance she had at her kid's kung-fu school, every encounter at the grocery store; whenever there was an opening, she took it. Where did this great passion come from that she was so willing to preach the word of the Lord, without ever having laid eyes on Him? How can she have such unabated conviction in what she called the Holy Spirit,
when this, also, was sight unseen? She called it faith. Many of us called it nuts, but yet we gazed upon her anyway. Then one day she ramped it up, almost clamoring for people to listen to her. It was shortly after a CNN newscast about ISIS beheading the Coptic Christians in Egypt. Her demeanor changed. She was stronger in her words, more direct and forceful as she delivered her message; almost as if she was warning us that we had better listen to her, or else. Or else what, I thought. Is her message that our country must turn back to God and repent actually for real? That God is ready to pull off another Noah's ark on us is for real. Where in the world does she get this stuff? Why can't I take my eyes off this beautiful woman? Why do I find myself listening to her, intrigued by her fervent passion that we must change our ways, that America's behavior has offended God so totally that He is ready to smash us like bugs. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. One morning when she was at her usual place in the park, down by the Nature Center, I had to approach her; but
how? I've seen her rebuff dozens of men who had tried to approach her, only for her beauty's sake, and with obvious intentions in mind. I wasn't interested in getting her into bed, I wanted to know where this passion, this drive came from that she could preach so vehemently about a God she's never seen, a Son of God she's never seen, and this thing she called the Holy Spirit. What in the world is a Holy Spirit? So as she sat on this rock throwing bread out onto the pond feeding the ducks, I had to do it. I started walking from the back of the crowd to the front, eyeing her up all the way. As I drew closer to her, closer than I had ever been, I felt this really weird calming feeling coming over me, as if
it was okay, there is peace up ahead, just keep going. As I wound myself through the crowd, and yes, by this time, she would gather quite the crowd of people around her, and was within just a few feet of her, she stopped, mid sentence. Turned and looked at me directly in the eyes. There was nowhere to run and hide now. Everyone else picked up on her cue, and soon I realized the whole crowd was looking at me. I saw a couple guys off to my right snickering, as if to say, here comes another jerk trying to ask this beauty queen out on a date, this will be fun to watch another rejection. And just as I was about to chicken out and walk away, I heard her say, do you remember when your rotor tiller wouldn't start last year when it was time to start getting the garden ready for the planting season, and you got so frustrated you actually broke down and dug out the manual and read it; figured out that after a long Winter, sometimes the carburetor's float valve would get stuck and you had to unstick it to get the gas to flow again; remember when you bought those book shelves from Home Depot and figured you could put them together without looking at the manual, then you realized you had the shelves backwards and you had to go back in the discarded box, get out the manual and follow the instructions?
Well, you can imagine my state of mind right about now. How in the world did this woman know about those things; actual events, true, but I never told her; and quite frankly, I don't remember telling anyone about my stupidity and lack of mechanical knowledge. I was frozen. Frozen in space and time. All eyes upon me and I had no words. Before I could muster up any type of smart ass comment like you're a physic or you know my neighbor, or something else just as nonsensical, she said, you were frustrated, everything you had tried to do didn't work, so you broke down and read the instruction manual; which quite frankly, she smirked, you should have done in the first place. What was in your way, she continued on. And again, before I could say anything, she answered for me: your ego. You thought you could do it yourself, you didn't need no stinking manual. I almost laughed because I thought she just stole a line from the movie Scar Face, but I was way too uncomfortable at the moment to laugh.
She stood up, I caught the full view of her beauty: unbelievably shiny black long hair, gorgeous brown, full eyes, like that of some 1970's Frank Frazetti drawing of an ancient queen warrior. And my gosh, what a body: full, strong, commanding, and muscular; but before I could go on in my lustful mind, she stepped forward, bringing me back to the present moment. She reached out her hand and fastened her gaze on me even more strongly than before. I could sense it was okay to move forward and take her hand. I took her hand, and as soon as I did, I felt like kneeling, I mean, really, I did; but of course I didn't, too much male ego still in the way, but I could no longer look her in the eyes, it was too much, so I bowed my head.
She said life, my child, is like that rotor tiller you couldn't start, those bookshelves you put together backwards, sometimes you just need to read the instruction manual to get it right when all else that you have tried just didn't work. She put a finger under my chin and lifted my head, so I was forced to look at her. God, she said, has put together an instruction manual for you to navigate through life, so you don't put your life together backwards. She said it is called the Bible, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
When you get so frustrated with life and things are not going your way, no matter how hard you try, simply pick up the instruction manual for life, and your rotor tillers will start every time, and you'll never put something together backwards again. Everyone needs a little help sometimes while we're on this earth, don't be afraid or too proud that you don't read the instruction manual; it has all the correct instructions, and they're all in the correct order.
Go now, my child. Dust off the Bible and just open it up. Open it up to anywhere; matters not. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your hand before you open it, then do so, and read. You will be amazed at how easy the instructions are for living a beautiful, fruitful, and fulfilling life.
Go now, don't delay...
copyright@scma2016
MODERN PSALMS
by Frank Paul
Psalm 3
O, ye darkness, you have no strength. You are as fool’s gold, of no value. The light of Jesus has the strength, the value, and the everlasting life. Go back to your shadows, O, ye darkness, henceforth the Lord is my light and my Savior.
Psalm 4
Thou has brought me into the depths of sorrow. My tears are completely dried up. I can only look up, for I have looked down long enough. I have paid my dues of pain and abuse. I should not have survived, yet you kept me alive, O, Lord, and brought me to this point in my life. My soul aches, its light is dim; but I know, I know deep down that You will not forsake me, you are the Father of the fatherless. I pray that you bring your child up from the bowels of depression and let me see your majesty at work. Bind up Satan and cast him out of my life. Let me breathe again, O, Lord, let me breathe again.
Corresponding Scripture:
Micah 7:8 – Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Isaiah 41:10 – Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; I will help thee; I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
I memorized the following verse because it struck home with me. It is a good one to start with when you are looking to commit Scripture to memory.
John 12:46 – KJV – I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me, shall not abide in darkness.
Here is the NIV’s version.
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
copyright@TheSeedSower2024
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