Reason 

One of my most favorite passages in the Bible can be found in the opening chapter of the Book of Isaiah. In it God says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).

This is after God has told the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah that their sacrifices, oblations, calling of assemblies, ceremonies, feasts and any and all worship to Him are useless.

God says He will, “hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear” (Isaiah 1:15) and that worship to Him is a “trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them” (Isaiah 1:14).

But look at what God does want. It isn’t worship and praise. God says, “Come now, and let us reason together”.

To “reason together” is a dialectic process requiring intellect, truth and rhetoric. It is two people talking, discussing.

God made man an intelligent, logical, rational and reasoning being. He made him a conversant one too. God’s request to the rulers shifts their relationship from spiritual and judicial to a rational, thinking process. God chose truth, logic, straightforward thinking and plain ‘ol talk.

Most Christians wouldn’t dare think of God and Christianity in terms of intellect, rhetoric or dialectic process. Most academics and atheist wouldn’t either! But this is exactly what God did! This is exactly how God made us to be! Yes we are to feel the spirit. We are also to think and understand it, communicate and express it and explain and defend it as well.

Christians tend to be real good at spiritualizing and real bad at intellectualizing.

Jesus said in His great command that, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37). We are to love God with our mind as well as our heart and soul. The only way we can do that properly, adequately is to know and learn! The mind is the faculty of intellect, reason and logic. It is our being in conscious intellectual activity.

God really wants us to talk and reason, not just between ourselves, but with Him!

 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee……” (Hosea 4:6)

“Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge….” (Isaiah 5:13)

For most, Christianity is only in some spiritual realm. To them, revelation knowledge and possession by the Holy Ghost are the only knowledge and insight there is. Academia and intelligentsia are often the enemy. Hey, even the Apostle Paul warns us about academic pursuits such as philosophy, right? Wrong!

I have heard evangelical preachers proudly state during their sermon that they are not a “theologian”, and wear that fact as a badge of honor of true spirituality and communion with God. The idea is that their knowledge has been spiritually given through various processes of prayer and worship, so therefore their knowledge is real knowledge because it comes straight from God. Learned knowledge is lesser knowledge for it is via man.

But let’s take a closer look at this. The word, “theology” is a composite of two Greek words. Theos, meaning God. Ology from the Greek “logos” meaning word. A theologian is nothing more than someone who studies the word of God. All professed Christians should be a theologian. Every time you open up and study your Bible is an act of theology. So you can see that for any Christian to state that they are not a theologian is either a misguided statement or, well, not good. 

A preacher, or anyone who declares this type of spiritual blessedness, where God mystically infuses them with knowledge and power is in the idol making business, with them being the idol.

“The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15)

Solomon’s Vast Knowledge and Wisdom

Solomon had the opportunity to go to God in prayer and ask for anything, anything at all. Solomon prayed, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?” (2 Chronicles 1).

God granted him his request. But since Solomon did not ask for riches or to harm to his enemies, God said, “I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”

We find out that the wisdom and understanding that God gave Solomon was, “exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” (1 Kings 4:29)

But the knowledge and wisdom God gave Solomon was not restricted to things concerning faith and religion. God gave Solomon knowledge and wisdom of all things.

“And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.”

People from everywhere, from all around the world came to hear Solomon and to learn from his knowledge. Even the Queen of Sheba came to witness his great mental acuity.

“And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.” (1 Kings 4:34).

So the knowledge God imparted Solomon was all encompassing. Solomon knew of God, but also knew of earthly things, of general knowledge in whole. One of the reasons why God gave this well rounded knowledge is so that Solomon could know and relate to other people.

The ability for a man of God, a Christian, to be able to talk, relate and communicate to others is vital. This requires knowledge, wisdom and understanding of many things that are not just religious or academic in nature.

All of these things become clear and evident in the very first Proverb of Solomon.

Proverbs One

1) The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

2) To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

3) To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

4) To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

5) A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

6) To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

7) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

These first seven verses of Proverbs sum up wonderfully God’s intent for us in regards to knowledge and dialogue. To know wisdom, to teach it to the less learned, to thirst for knowledge, to gain discernment & decipherment of knowledge, the discovery that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and finally, that a fool will refuse it all.

The first several chapters of Proverbs is dedicated to one theme, and that’s acquiring knowledge and understanding. These chapters are best summed up here:

“Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:5-7)

The Well Rounded and Diversely Educated of Paul

Paul was well versed in Judaism. As he states, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:5-6).

Paul was well versed in Christianity. He wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

Paul was well versed in Greek philosophy and poetry.  Numerous times in the Bible Paul is seen quoting philosophers and poets of his time. Examples include Paul quoting Acts 17:28-Epimenides and Aratus. 1 Corinthians 15:33-Menander. Titus 1:12-Epimenides. (John was influenced by Stoicism as seen in his treatment of “logos” or the “word” in John Chapter 1.)

Paul was well versed in sports, athletic competition, the military and battle. It was common for Paul to write in metaphor, simile, or make some type of analogy employing these subject matters.

Paul was a Hebrew yet laid claim as a Roman citizen, fully educated and aware of Roman laws, customs and government.

Paul wasn’t just an academic but earned money as a tradesman (tent maker).

Here Paul shows his gratitude and indebtedness to the “wise”. The word wise is a reference to Greek philosophers, Jewish theologians and Christian teachers (Thayer’s).

“I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” (Romans 1:14)

Even with impending death, Paul had the desire and need for books and learning. In 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul instructs Timothy, “when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:13).

Although no one knows for sure what the books and parchments were about, it does show Pauls’ need for knowledge all of the time, no matter where he went, even when death was at the door.

“It is impossible to determine what books are meant here. They may have been portions of the Old Testament, or classic writings, or books written by other Christians, or by himself. It is worthy of remark that even Paul did not travel without books, and that he found them in some way necessary for the work of the ministry.” - Adam Clarke

“Where are those who think that they have made so great progress that they do not need any more exercise? Which of them will dare to compare himself with Paul? Still more does this expression refute the madness of those men who — despising books, and condemning all reading — boast of nothing but their own divine inspirations. But let us know that this passage gives to all believers a recommendation of constant reading, that they may profit by it.” – John Calvin

Paul learned to be, “all things to all men”, so that he, “might by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). We to must learn for the benefit of edifying and saving others.

Solomon and Paul are two of the Godliest men that have ever graced this earth. They were also men of the utmost knowledge, understanding and education in both matters of heaven and earth and were able to communicate these things to a wide range of people.

Man’s reasoning is based on the tactile and temporal. Fallen man is consumed by sin. Man sees the world through a jaundiced eye, which affects his reasoning and logic. But God calls man to think above and beyond this earthly domain and to grab a hold of righteousness as a guiding light. God is calling us to think beyond the here and now. We are to renew, or more accurately renovate our minds, our thinking and intellectual process. Just like when a house is renovated and the old and rotten thrown out and the new installed, we must strip out the garbage from our minds and fill it with the righteousness of God.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) 

It is important to note, that with all of the education and experience the Apostle Paul had and continued to get, all he confessed to was, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Education can promote pride. The two can be a dangerous mix.

Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas puts renewing our mind in proper perspective in his book “Summa Contra Gentile.”

“No one tends with desire and zeal towards something that is not already known to him….men are ordained by the divine Providence towards a higher good than human fragility can experience in the present life.”

“That is why it was necessary for the human mind to be called to something higher than the human reason here and now can reach, so that it would thus learn to desire something and with zeal tend towards something that surpasses the whole state of the present life. This belongs especially to the Christian religion, which in a unique way promises spiritual and eternal goods.”

“And so there are many things proposed to men in it that transcend human sense. The Old Law, on the other hand, whose promises were of a temporal character, contained very few proposals that transcended the inquiry of the human reason. Following this same direction, the philosophers themselves, in order that they might lead men from the pleasure of sensible things to virtue, were concerned to show that there were in existence other goods of a higher nature than these things of sense, and that those who gave themselves to the active or contemplative virtues would find much sweeter enjoyment in the taste of these higher goods.” Thomas Aquinas/Summa Contra Gentiles/1:5:2

When Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, he wasn’t speaking about knowledge of earthly ways, means and reason. He was speaking of the Divine. Thomas Aquinas is telling us that God is calling us to that higher thought.

One of the first things Jesus did was to teach us a valuable lesson about the need and importance of knowledge and understanding. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. The devil first tries to get Jesus to turn stones into bread. He then takes Jesus on the pinnacle of a temple and says to Jesus, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Matthew 4:6).

The devil says, “for it is written”. He is referencing Psalm 91:11-12, but the devil didn’t quote the scripture as it would appear. He sorely twisted it around in an attempt to get Jesus to do something He shouldn’t. Jesus knew this. In fact, the devil tempts Jesus three times and each time Jesus responds the same way with, “it is written”. All of Jesus’s responses are nothing more than quoting scripture. This shows the power of knowing scripture. All Jesus did to defeat the devil was to quote scripture.

Imagine how the situation would have changed if Jesus wasn’t educated and well versed in scripture and the ways of the devil?

In 2010, Pew Research Center garnered a lot of press when they revealed that Atheists and agnostics scored higher than evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on their “U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey”. The apostates and reprobates had more knowledge than the Christian.

The problems with this are numerous. One is the example that was just shown with the devil and Jesus. What if the devil had known more than Jesus?

The purpose of Christian apologetics is to defend Christianity against objections. How can this be done when the opposition knows more than the Christian?

Unfortunately, there are many out there, like the devil are wresting the words of God. They are twisting meaning and context to their advantage. The uneducated, but highly spiritual, Christian get’s lost in discussion and loses in debate because he knows no better.

Education is vital for the Christian. A Christian really needs to be well versed in a wide range of disciplines. He must have a good understanding of people and cultures.  Tools for learning the truth such as philosophy and hermeneutics need to be utilized. Bibles must be read cover to cover. Every attempt to understand every passage must be made. This is an ongoing process. The Apostle Paul is a brilliant example and role model to follow.

One final note. The most highly educated person in the field of theology could be an atheist. The devil himself is an expert in the Bible and Christianity. Education does not make the Christian. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost do. Education is a help. It helps you with your understanding and relationship with God. It helps you to communicate and relate to others about God. After-all, isn’t that what the one great commandment is all about?

Bill Hitchcock

The Lord Is My Portion

“Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:19-24).

We pray for benefit. We pray for pain to end. We pray in gratitude and praise for the things we have received. We pray because of what God can do. We love Him for what He does.

But the Lord is my portion, not His capabilities. Our love for God should be for His essence and being, not just His acts or potential.

Essence and being are not an action. When you love someone, it should have nothing to do with what they do for you. You love them for who and what they are to you. If you love someone for what they do for you then it isn’t them you love, it is their actions and deeds you love.

Sometimes it can be confusing because love is usually expressed by the act of doing. But the act itself is not love, it is the effect of love.

Fallen man lives in a temporal world. Things such as love are seen and recognized in a tactile, sensual manner. But, “For we know in part, For now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:9&12). Our understanding and ability to understand are hampered.

“But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” (1 Corinthians 13:10).

The Lord is my portion, not just His benefits. The devil gives benefits too. This is why he can so easily sway man.

Focus on the Lord. Hope in Him.

Bill Hitchcock

How Can That Happen?

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Have you ever really thought about it? To have spiritual gifts, all knowledge and understanding and a faith that can move mountains, and yet be totally void of love with God. How does that happen? How can that happen?

It is a fair warning for each of us to check our status and relationship with God. Jesus said the great commandment was all about love. How can we be so immersed in Godly attributes without being in love? How can we access His essence without love?

I wish I had an answer. I don’t. I do know that we need to look at our relationship with God and see if it is rooted and founded first and foremost in love. What a sad state of affairs it would be to be graced with Godly gifts but have not the love of God in you.

It’s all about love. Everything else is a distant second.

Bill Hitchcock

Pruned

"Better be pruned to grow than cut up to burn." - John Trapp

Pruning hurts. That's why so many people shy away from it. But we must "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5). We must trust God, trust that He has our best interest at heart and trust the process of pruning.

The reason why we do not do trust in the Lord is because we do not have faith in Him. “But without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). Things come to a grinding halt when there is no faith.

And the reason we have no faith in God is because we really do not believe in Him. We either don’t believe in the existence of God or we do not believe in His capabilities.

“for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

To “be pruned” and to be “cut up” are the same act. The difference is one is chastisement, the other punishment. One is a course correction for righteousness that leads to salvation. The other is the process of taking out and incinerating the trash.

Bill Hitchcock

“Dear Lord. Don’t bless me, the works of my hands, the words of my mouth, but rather please put me in the path of blessedness. Place me in your will, Oh Lord. Not my will, but yours.”

Bill Hitchcock

Thy Will Be Done

Sometimes we really need to think about what we pray about, what we ask of God. We might not like what we’re actually asking. We might not like what we are getting, which is what we are asking for!

Jesus Christ gave us a prayer model in which to emulate when we pray. It is most often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer and can be found in Matthew chapter 6.

The Lord’s Prayer starts off by making five statements. It’s one of these statements that we’re going to look at.

1. Our Father 

2. which art in heaven, 

3. Hallowed be thy name. 

4.Thy kingdom come, 

5.Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Number 5, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus Christ lets us know that we are to pray to God to have His will done.

“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (Psalm 143:10)

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

As a Christian it is a common request to ask God to teach us His will. After all, that’s the purpose and intent of the Bible. But in so learning God’s will, we may discover that we don’t necessarily delight in it.

At some point in time God’s righteous will is going to run counter to man’s carnal will. Sometimes this is obvious such as when a sinful lust meets God’s righteousness. Sometimes it isn’t so obvious. Sometimes it isn’t a matter of righteousness at all, but a matter of way.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

When we pray for God’s will to be done we are letting go of the reigns of our own life and handing them over to God. This means 1. We must relinquish control of self, not something man likes to do 2. We must have complete trust, belief and faith in God, not something man likes to do. 3. We must go willingly down an unknown path, not something man likes to do.

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:8-11).

One of the most frustrating times in life occurs when nothing is happening. Nothing is working. No matter how much effort we expend, we just seem to spin our wheels in the mud of life.

Or life completely and totally stinks. Everything is wrong and everything goes wrong and right when it couldn’t possibly get any worse, it does, exponentially worse.

We go to God and ask Him to, “shew me the path of life”. We ask God for His will to be “done in earth, as it is in heaven”. Then, one of two things happens. 1. Nothing. 2. It gets worse.

We break down in tears yelling, “No, no, no God. You don’t understand. I asked for you to show me the way, to do your will. Why is it worse? Why have you left me?”

“Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”  (Proverbs 28:9)

We then proceed to take the reins of our life out of God’s hands and move on, all mad and frustrated at God, and life and our spouse and our dog and the guy in the pizza commercial and anything else we can think of.

God never promised instant gratification. God never said His will is going to align with our will, hopes, desires or worldview. When we hand God the steering wheel of our life, all too often we assume that He is going to steer us to where we want to go. This is where we are often times wrong.

God promised us an “expected end”, it just might not be the end we expected. This is something we must be most attentive to.

When we turn our life over to God we all too often think destination. God thinks journey, for He already knows our destination (our expected end). It is in the process of the journey that we become refined and purified, not at the arrival of the destination. We are to become Christ like (1 Corinthians 11:1). This requires change (Romans 12:2). Everything resists change. And since the change is from sin to righteousness, it’s probably going to hurt. To transition from righteousness to sin is usually pleasurable. But please note the word transition, for the destination of sin is pure Hell.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)

The Bible makes clear, that we as children of God are chosen, elect, sanctified, predestined, and ordained. Jesus instructs us to pray for God’s will to be done, not ours. This certainly sounds like God has a plan for a particular people, doesn’t it? So let’s let Him and not interfere. Problems occur when we do.

Without diving into the deep end of the theological/philosophical end of the pool, I’d like to interject something we should all contemplate in regards to God and will. It comes from the book Summa Contra Gentiles by Thomas Aquinas.

“The testimony of Sacred Scripture is witness to the divine will. For it is said in a Psalm (134:6): “Whatever the Lord pleased He has done.” And Romans (9:19): “Who resists His will?” (Book 1, Chapter 72:10).

We pray for God’s will to be done. God does as He wills. No one can resist His will. Knowing these things, don’t you think it would behoove us just to let go and let God?

Bill Hitchcock

Let The Word

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)

But, but, but……………..we’re not supposed to judge each other. We are to just say nice things so we don’t offend anyone!!!

1. First and foremost it must be the word of God, not your word, not my word, not the word of your favorite social justice warrior, cartoon character or rock star. It must be God’s word.

2. This word must dwell in you, as in the word is part of you and parcel to your essence, existence and being. The word can’t be a fifth wheel. It must become your nature.

3. The word of Christ must be of benefit and proper usage, producing divine effects and results. This is a display of wisdom in applying and utilizing the word of Christ.

4. We are to teach the word of Christ. This goes beyond a classroom setting and into daily application. The best teaching is through demonstration, which means we must live and be the word of Christ.

5. Admonishing is course correction. You see a brother or sister falter or fallen out of the way. They might not even realize it or know it themselves.  To admonish is to bring to their attention their stumble and then help them back onto the path of righteousness. You can’t do this if you haven’t done steps 1 & 2.

6. Sing. Yes sing. Joy must be let out. It doesn’t have to be a set song or hymn. Let the joy of the Lord out in song! It’s good for you and great for all that are around you! A joyful noise is like a force field that blocks negative from getting in to you. It is also a force of tremendous healing and calming to those who are impacted by it.

7. “with grace in your hearts to the Lord”. Grace, without it we wouldn’t be here. Grace is typically defined as unmerited favor. Grace is favor and righteous ability. Grace is never intended to be held. Grace increases when given. Grace in heart, in your very spirit and soul, empowered and infused by the Lord. This is righteous power that moves mountains and saves lives.

Bill Hitchcock

Green New Deal

Alexandria Occasional-Cortex’s Green New Deal mandates the US being completely off fossil fuels and completely on renewable energy within 10 years, but does not explain how the country will do it. No cost analysis has been done. Experts agree that the cost would be in the trillions of dollars to attempt Alexandria Occasional-Cortex’s transition from fossil fuel to wind and solar.

Oh, and everyone gets a government job. Labor unions will be in charge of the jobs. Certain race and genders get preferential treatment for these jobs. Yes, that's right. It's called racism and genderism, but when the Left does it, it's OK.

Bill Hitchcock

Tip Of The Spear

Alexandria Occasional-Cortex is the tip of the Leftist spear. She is the ice breaker. The chance of her or her radically Leftist, Socialist plans (Like her New Green Deal) coming into fruition are slim. But a touchdown isn’t her purpose. Introducing the play and making it palatable to enough people is her function.

For example, socialized medicine in the US didn’t happen overnight. What is known as "Obamacare" was many decades in the making. Anyone remember newly elected President Bill Clinton instantly putting Hillary in charge of getting socialized medicine back in 1993? Or Reagan, back in 1961 making an LP that warns us about the Left’s attempt at Socialized medicine?

These radical, Leftist, Socialist ideas are not born of Alexandria Occasional-Cortex. She doesn’t even understand a lot of what she is proposing. Occasional-Cortex is a prop, and is being fed the agenda, mission, and words to say.

Over the years she will get better at what she is doing. It’s OJT right now. (That’s On the Job Training). Yep, New York elected a student. She isn’t a dolt as many portray her. No Alexandria Occasional-Cortex is a face the Left likes, the image the Left likes and most importantly, someone with a record/play mind that the Left requires to advance Socialism forward.

Bill Hitchcock

To Serve Man

Remember that Twilight Zone episode, “To Serve Man”? It was about aliens (as in from outer space) that come to earth. They are not only friendly, but want to serve, help and please mankind. The alien race begin taking humans on spaceships back to their planet where it is promised they can serve man best under optimal conditions.

The aliens have a book. It, of course is written in their language so no one knows what it says.  A group of linguistics translate the title of the book. It reads, “To Serve Man”. How magnificent! The alien race always carry with them a book on the best way to serve us!

Later, the man to whom the story is central to, is about to board the alien spacecraft and go to the alien planet when a fellow linguistic yells to him. “To Serve Man. It’s a cookbook”.

Yep, thousands and thousands of humans who thought “To Serve Man” meant a life of pleasure and benefit found out that it was actually going to be a short lived life for the pleasure and benefit of someone else, on their dinner plate.

This is how I think of the government today. Not just ours, but the governments of the world. They promise “To Serve Man”, all the while leading us to our slaughter, for their pleasure and benefit.

To make matters worse, we know this and don’t care anymore. The lust and desire of the promise, and the very temporary temporal satisfactions we receive blinds man to the horror and reality of the situation. Man is so infatuated with the pleasure and benefit of the here and now that the consequence of that tomorrow is nowhere to be thought of or cared for.

Man has always been driven by the pleasure/pain principle. He has always been drawn by pleasure and repelled by pain. Sin is built on this basic premise. In my opinion though, never has man had such a disregard to consequence. The promise of benefit and pleasure so weighs on the mind and excites his spirit that man disregards ancient and recent history, but totally refuses to face the reality of today.

Bill Hitchcock

Philosophy In The Bible

The Apostle Paul is credited for writing 13 of the 27 books in the Christian New Testament. Paul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He was schooled and trained as a Pharisee, which means he was extensively educated and well-practiced in the Jewish religion. He was the son of a Pharisee. “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6).

Paul identified as a Roman and was raised in Greek culture. It is the latter which holds much more significance than most people realize. Paul was familiar with not only Greek lifestyle, but was welled versed in Greek philosophy, to the point where Paul quotes Greek philosophers and poets in the Bible.

But doesn’t the Bible, i.e. Paul, speak out against philosophy? No, not all.

In his epistle to the Colossians, Paul writes, in part, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

Paul is not warning the Colossians about philosophy in general. Paul is warning of the philosophy after the tradition of men and not after Christ.

Where theology and philosophy perfectly marry is when both are first and foremost established in Jesus Christ. If not, then you advocate nothing but vain janglings of the devil. It’s that simple.

Keep in mind that philosophy, like anything else, is neither good nor bad in of itself. It all depends on the person, their intent and practice. Remember, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15). The unrepentant, the reprobate and the apostate have a mind and conscience that are defiled. Their theology and philosophy will too.

Philosophy is an extremely important, if not vital, tool in Christian apologetics. The 16^th century Danish Protestant theologian and philosopher Niels Hemmingsen said that, “Christian thinkers ought to use the classics (philosophy) to bolster their arguments and lend them greater effectiveness.”

Hemmingsen goes on to say that Christians should use, “true philosophy” to their advantage. Some of the benefits of philosophy to the Christian apologist include, “grammar, dialectic, rhetoric, natural philosophy, ethics, mathematics, geography and music”. (Source: Philosophy and the Christian)

One should look at philosophy not only to explain and defend Christianity, but philosophy should be used as a primary tool in understanding it. Some of the greatest theologians and Christian thinkers of all times such as Augustine, Aquinas and Calvin were students of Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato.

Let’s stop here for a moment and point two things. 1. Education in terms of depth and diversity are a very good thing for the Christian. Look at Paul for an example. Highly trained and experienced in Judaism, Greek philosophy, Roman and Greek civilization and culture, government, military and sports. Paul was highly and diversely educated and experienced. Physically he was small, weak and sickly. This is who Jesus chose. This is the resume and background of the single greatest expositor and writer of the Christian New Testament.

2. Too many think of philosophy as an end and not as a means. True philosophy is a process of discovery and understanding. It is in pursuit of truth. All too often philosophy is considered to be a settled idea or concept, a “new gospel” of some sorts.

The Christian use of philosophy isn’t an attempt to rediscover God, create a new gospel or any such nonsense. The end in God is already known. Truth is already recognized in Christ. Philosophy for the Christian is a tool for understanding and expressing the end result.

Now, on with Paul, philosophy and the Bible.

Adam Clarke, the 18^th century British Methodist theologian and biblical scholar in his commentary to 1 Timothy 6:16 has this to say about Paul and philosophy.

“The words of St. Paul are inimitably sublime. It is a doubt whether human language can be carried much higher, even under the influence of inspiration, in a description of the supreme Being. It is well known that St. Paul had read the Greek poets. He quotes Aratus, Epimenides, and Menander; this is allowed on all hands. But does he not quote, or refer to, Aeschylus and Sophocles too?”- Adam Clarke.

Some examples of direct and in-direct quotes and phrases from philosophers and poets that the Apostle Paul uses include:

- “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.” (Titus 1:12) Paul quotes Epimenides of Crete.

-“God that made the world and all things therein……Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God…” (Acts 17:24-29). This passage is an amalgam from Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

- Acts 17:28b “certain also of your own poets have said” is speaking of Aratus and the line is from the “Phaenomena

- “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This is from rom the Thais by a poet and dramatist named, “Menander”.

- “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8). Expressions found in the Alcestis of Euripides.

The above are just a few examples of Paul quoting, paraphrasing or in some form “borrowing” from Greek poets and philosophers. A Google search will produce many more.

Bill Hitchcock

Immortality

“Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

Man has both mortality and immortality derivatively. That is to say, whichever state it is, mortality or immortality, that condition of being has been given, granted and sustained by God. For man, immortality (New Testament Greek, “Aphtharsia”) is eternal life sustained by God.

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Life, animation and being are all held in God’s hands and will.

But the immortality for God mentioned in the verse above is a different type of immortality than for man. This immortality comes from the Greek “Athanasia” and is defined as “deathlessness” by Vines Expository Dictionary and “undying” by Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.

God identified Himself to Moses as, “I AM THAT I AM”. I AM, or “to be”, is an omnipresence in all ways imaginable and unimaginable. God “is”, and can not, “not be”. Immortality comes from Him because it is part of Him. It is an attribute of His being. It (immortality) can never, “not be”.

Whereas Aphtharsia is a mortality dependent upon God to give and for God to sustain, Athanasia is the eternal, deathlessness attribute that God possess. Now here’s where it gets really exciting. There is one other place in the New Testament that Athanasia is used, and it applies directly to you and me.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

At the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet we, the children of God shall shuck mortality and immortality and will embrace true Athanasia of God, with God! Now that’s exciting!

Bill Hitchcock

Prayer. A Lot Of Questions

When problems arise and we go to God for help, what do you ask for? What do you ask God to do? We really need to consider our prayers and supplications before we pray.

Cause and effect. The problem is the reason (cause) for the prayer. But what solution (effect) are you after?

When you pray, do you ask God:

- To stop the pain?

- For His will to be done?

- For your will to be done?

- For clarity and insight to the situation?

- Are you seeking direction? Are you trying to figure out what to do next?

- Is it resolution, restoration and closure that you’re after?

- Do you pray for closeness and a stronger relationship with God?

Prayer is usually motivated by pain, so of course we probably are going to ask God to take that away. But does that solve the problem? Will the pain return?

Psalm 142 is a short Psalm that encapsulates the motivating pain and sentiment for prayers most people experience.

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” (Psalm 142)

Here’s something you should really think about before you pray about it. Do you really want God’s will to be done? God's will certainly is the Christian thing to ask for, but have you really thought it through? Are you prepared to travel that particular road of righteousness? Are you prepared for not only the journey, but are you prepared for the destination?  Or do you simply want things back to the way they were?

Is prayer a survival tactic, a last ditch effort so to speak? Or is prayer common practice for us?

Our prayers are usually motivated by an adverse life event. Outside of that, we are more than likely just offering a cursory type of prayer, like those at the dinner table or at bed time. Add to that, these type of prayers are usually memorized by rote, and tend to be void of any real spiritual or emotional significance.

But what most people do not understand is that we are to be “instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12) and praying, “without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Very simply put, we are to be “praying always” (Ephesians 6:18).

Yes! We are to be constantly in prayer! Prayer isn’t occasional or incidental. It isn’t reserved just for set times or for emergencies. We are to be praying all of the time!

There are certain qualifiers to prayer. We are to pray in the spirit (Romans 12:12) and if any, “iniquity” is in our “heart”, then the, “Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). Iniquity and sin are barriers and walls between us and God. For some this is difficult to understand but, “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). Not only will God hear the righteous, but God assures us that He won’t turn His mercy from us when we come to Him with a clean heart. (Psalm 66:20).

What is required for a clean heart? Does this mean you must have never sinned? No, it means you must repent of your sins. You must recognize sin for what it is and be remorseful, regretful and then give it all to God and wash yourself of it all. That’s how you get a clean heart.

We must come to God with a clean heart and with a believing spirit. Jesus said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22). And if we do pray and don’t receive, then it’s because we asked amiss. (James 4:3).

We must offer our praise and appreciation to God. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

It’s all pretty simple and straightforward. But we really should contemplate and meditate upon what we are going to pray about. Try to focus your thoughts and understand what you are praying for. This can be difficult when consumed with pain, be it emotional, spiritual or physical.

A final note about prayer. Nothing should stop you from prayer. When it’s time to talk with God, talk with God! There is no right or wrong. As I write this I am thinking of an extremely painful time. A time of utter chaos and confusion. I had tears in my eyes, a strained throat from crying and an empty pit for a stomach. I was all alone in life. I prayed. There were no qualifiers, I just prayed.

All of the time. Pray, all of the time.

Bill Hitchcock

Christ’s Sake

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:30-32)

God, for Christ’s sake, forgave us.

Christ, for our sake, died for us.

The Holy Spirit, for everyone’s sake, seals us unto redemption.

And what is being asked of us? Do away with evil speaking, be tenderhearted and forgiving with one another. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.

What is the Holy Spirit? What else could it be but the essence and attributes of God? It is righteousness. Therefore it is unrighteousness, or sin, that grieves the Holy Spirit.

Bill Hitchcock

If/Then Scenario

“Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

Jesus said the above to Mary about raising Lazarus from the dead. But we need to look at the statement more simplistically and with practical application.

Jesus says “if” thou wouldest believe, thou “shouldest” see the glory of God?

The key words here are “if” and “shouldest”.

If indicates that she didn’t believe. Shouldest indicates that with belief comes the glory of God. If Mary had only believed she could have raised Lazarus.

This is really a gut check. Is our belief an “if” or is it a “certainty”?

This basic if/then scenario gets played out in our lives each and every day. If our belief level was where it should be we would see the glory of God in more things in more places. Instead, with only an “if” belief system we don’t see what we most yearn for-God.

The man that had a son with a dumb spirit confronted Jesus with the same if/then scenario.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:23-24).

We all need help in improving our belief. But first and foremost we must look for the glory of God in all things. The search will produce the result and in turn motivate the belief. The more the belief the more our eyes will be open to the glory of God the more we will find and discover it. It is a growing sphere of glory and influence.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

No one needs to be in the world of “if”. Jesus is referred to as the rock for this very reason. He is real, tangible and constant. There is no “if” about Jesus, only certainty. So with the “if” removed we are left with the “then” and all things become possible through Christ who strengthens us.

Bill Hitchcock

Faith In

Faith is “in” something. It is warranted. Faith is belief and trust in a person, place, process, doctrine or thing.

Faith is a bridge that connects you to that object of faith. And like any bridge, faith enables you to 1. Cross over something and 2. Brings you to your destination of what you have faith in.

Blind faith is a faith with no object. It’s faith in faith. It is a bridge to nowhere.

To have faith in an object you must have some knowledge of that object. The faith bridge must connect to something.

Do we carefully considered the objects of our faith? After all, we are attaching to these objects not only our self, but the fundamental principle supporting our religion.

Bill Hitchcock

Nowhere Man

“He's a real nowhere man. Sitting in his nowhere land. Making all his nowhere plans for nobody”. 

Those are the opening lyrics to the song, “Nowhere Man”, sung by John Lennon and the Beatles.

Look at what is being described. That’s not depression. That’s the pain of a lost, empty, unfulfilled soul. A man with no content. Because of no content, no direction, no place, and no purpose. An entity of nothing.

Nowhere Man  came to mind when I read the following verse from the Book of Jonah.

“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7)

“Fainted” comes from the Hebrew “ataph”. It is a fascinating word meaning to envelope one self. To turn inside as to cover. It is self-protection, trying to cover oneself with yourself while in a weak and feeble state.

Ataph is transliterated into English in several different ways, each giving a better insight to its fuller meaning. Some examples of its varied transliteration into English include Overwhelmed (Psalm 61:2), Feeble (Genesis 30:42), He hideth (Job 23:9), Covered over (Psalm 65:13) and (the spirit) Should fail (Isaiah 57:16)

A weak soul, that is overwhelmed and trying to hide, seeking solace within itself. A no where man in a no where land. But it was at this point when Jonah decided to reach out to God.

Is it not interesting that fallen man resorts to God only when 1. All of his (man’s) attempts have failed and 2. Circumstances are dire, he’s in a do or die situation.

Why doesn’t man resort with God all of the time, but rather chooses to resort to God only during calamity? Is the pride of life that big of a stumbling block for man? Does man require life’s extremes in order for his pride to justify reaching out to God?

Notice immediately upon prayer Jonah says, “my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”

There is no delay in a prayers to God. In fact, Jesus tells us that, “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:8).

God knows even before our prayers reach our lips. So why wait to pray? Why put off praying? The send and receive of a prayer is quicker than instantaneous because it is delivered before it is even sent!

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Pride in our lives may be more prevalent and more powerful than we thought. Think about that if God is only a last resort option.

Bill Hitchcock

Praise and Thanksgiving

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.” (Psalm 135:1)

Don’t be thankful and give praise because your situation could be worse. That’s praising the degree of bad that you do or don’t have, not the amount of good, or that you have good at all.

Praise and thanksgiving to God should never be quantified or qualified. God should always be praised to the fullest extent, all of the time, in every circumstance.

Praise and thanksgiving should never raise or lower according to the degree of good or bad experienced. You are not a thermometer and circumstance is not mercury.

Do not misunderstand. We are to always recognize, appreciate and express gratitude for any favor or advantage God grants us. We should always lean on God for strength, guidance and understanding during times of adversity. Sometimes we just need to get out of the pool entirely and let God handle it all.

Remember, everything is of God and comes from God. He is the first cause and the essential cause of everything. Praise Him all of the time for everything for God is everything!

But what warrants praise and thanksgiving to God is not what He does for us. The devil can “do” for us too, are you going to praise him as well?

Let me ask you something. Did you marry your spouse for what they could do for you? Or did you marry them because you loved them?

The Hebrew word for praise is, “halal”. It means to shine or to flash forth light. The word for thanksgiving is “towdah” which means confession.

When we praise God we are confessing Him, we are shining light on Him, on who He is as well as what He does. We are edifying God by illuminating Him to others. We are that, “light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14).

Praise and thanksgiving is more than expressing gratitude for a benefit. Praise and thanksgiving is confessing God and shedding light on Him for the world to see!

Bill Hitchcock

Choose Wisely

What feeling or emotion have we not all experienced? Name the feeling, emotion or sentiment, and even if it’s just for a split millisecond, everyone at some point in time has felt it. This does not mean that you are that emotion or have to explore and expand upon that emotion.

We were created in righteousness but deviated self into unrighteousness. This means we are open and susceptible to all that’s good and all that’s bad. But even though this has happened, our will and our power and ability to will, has not faltered.

We still have the flexibility of choice and the power to execute that choice, although we are now burdened with the weight and influences of sin.

Choose wisely, because we will be held accountable for our decisions.

Bill Hitchcock

Gender

“In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam” (Genesis 5:1-2)

God defined, established and blessed two genders. Not one. Not three. Not multiple.

Jesus said, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female”. (Matthew 19:4)

Any questions? No? Good! Then I’ll leave you with one final thought.

"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." (Jonah 2:8)

Bill Hitchcock

Stranger

“I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” (Psalm 119:19)

All of us, at some point in time (if not all the time) have felt like a stranger in a strange land. But the connotation of stranger goes far beyond the feeling of being an alien.

“Stranger” is transliterated from the Hebrew, “Ger”. It means a sojourner, a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights (Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon).

We really need to look past the stranger aspect and focus on the other components. We are travelers, not residents, traveling through this realm. We are newcomers, so the ways and customs of this earth are foreign to us. And most important, we have no inherent rights here on earth. The last part should be a rude awakening for many, especially in this rights conscious world that we live in today.

Everyone is scrambling for their individual rights. Gay rights. Black rights. Women’s rights. Right to choose. But those rights are of this earth, not of God. These “rights” you will notice have their roots in pride, the very sin that brought down Adam and Eve.

Christian, listen up! You have no rights in this world. You don’t want your rights tied to this world, for this world is temporary and will dissolve away. This world will melt with a fervent heat.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3: 10-12)

Why, Oh why do you want to invest your citizenship and your rights in that which is going away?

“For our conversation (citizenship/commonwealth) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Our citizenship, our home is with God. The world is temporal, which gratifies the carnal man. But it is also temporary so, “look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ”. And according to His promise, look for a, “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13).

Rights come from God, they are of God. Our home is with God. We are children of God.

Presently we are a stranger, a sojourner, an alien. We are working our way home. Do not let this world seduce you into denouncing your heavenly citizenship and all of the divine rights inherent thereof.

Bill Hitchcock

Open My Eyes

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:18)

The request by David to “Open thou mine eyes” is a spiritual request. The eyes of an unquickened spirit will read scripture as little more than a catalogue of dos and don'ts. But an awakened spirit knows that something more is there, even if it doesn’t know what. So David is asking God to reveal these things to him.

Only a child of God would recognize or at least anticipate wondrous, powerful and glorious things from the law of God. Sin and unrighteousness dread it, and in fact, are repulsed by it.

For example, when the devils that possessed the two Gergesenites met Jesus they cried, “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”

This is the same reaction the unrepentant have upon reading the word of God. “What does this have to do with us? Why are you tormenting us with this law?”

The child of God knows that only wondrous things come of the law of God, and want to see, hear, learn and do as much of it as they can.

Bill Hitchcock

Pursuit

“Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:155)

Notice the Psalmist said, “seek not thy statues” and not “attained thy statues”.

The difference between the wicked and the righteous is not an issue of sin, for we are all sinners. The issue is that the wicked do not pursue God and His righteousness because they have no desire or wish to attain those things.

It’s not about sin, sinning or who is, or is not a sinner.

It’s not about being righteous and Holy, for we are all imperfect and unrighteous.

Salvation is far from the wicked because they are not in pursuit of righteousness and God, that’s what delineates the two. It’s not about attainment, it’s about pursuit.

Man will always seek his heart’s desire. You can’t stop him.

Bill Hitchcock

Long In Spirit

Suffereth long. Bear long. Patiently endured. Have patience. Be patient. All of these phrases concerning patience come from the New Testament. They are all transliterations of the same Greek word, “Makrothymeo”, which means, “of a long spirit” and the ability not to, “lose heart” (Thayer's Greek Lexicon).

We generally think of patience as the ability to allow time to lapse. It does not necessarily have anything to do with enduring adversity or hardship. For example, we patiently wait for good things like Christmas morning, pregnancy test results, and for school to let out.

But the word Makrothymeo connotes adversity or challenge as seen by the words used in describing patience and time. Notice words such as suffereth, bear, and endured. So Makrothymeo is dealing with annoyance and aggravation over an extended period of time.

So isn’t interesting that Makrothymeo is defined as being of a “long spirit”? And as an ability not to “lose heart”?

The spirit can be none other than the spirit of Christ. The ability to not lose heart is faith. 

Makrothymeo is the spirit of Christ during adversity. Jesus was nothing but Makrothymeo, but with an added component. Foreknowledge. Jesus knew in advance of all of His trials and tribulations that He was to face, but he loved us so much that Jesus proceeded forward anyway.

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21)

Patience would end for most of us the moment we realized pain and death was in our immediate future.

Being long in spirit is maintaining our quickened spirit, regardless of circumstance, and to do this we must have honest to God faith.  Everything rest on our ability to believe, to live, to breathe and move in that belief, every moment of every day.

Bill Hitchcock

When A Burden Is Too Much

When a burden becomes:

1. Too heavy

2. Too much to endure.

3. Beyond our reach

4. Out of our control

Strength, endurance and control; when we have these things, we tend to, at best, place Jesus in the co-pilot seat, if not left in the airport hangar completely!

Sometimes God allows a burden to happen just to remind us of who is really in control. There is nothing quite like that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when struck by a burden and realizing that you are all alone with it.

Sometimes we are placed in adverse situations just so that we will remember our Lord!

Being with Jesus does not mean that you will be trouble free. Sometimes we have a great relationship with Christ but still feel the need to maintain control of the wheel. Troubles come and there we are, clinging tightly to the wheel, refusing to let go and let God. But we are always to, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

As a Christian, we are to “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

The “law of Christ” is fulfilled when we help others with their troubles and their sins. But it is equally as important to be able to receive help as it is to give it. To receive help we must put pride and ego aside. That is really tough for carnal man to do.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

We learn in Proverbs 8 that, “pride, and arrogancy” God does, “hate”. (Proverbs 8:13).

James taught us to “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

Peter adds, “that he (God) may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

Notice that humility brings exaltation by God.

And what is the only sacrifice acceptable to our Lord?

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51”17).

That broken spirit is the breaking of personal pride. A contrite and penitent heart is the result

Pride blocks everything good, holy, and righteous, including God Himself. It was pride that caused the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

Pride places self at the center of the universe. Humility has God at the epicenter. Nowhere is pride better demonstrated than in Isaiah 14. Watch Satan and his steady flow of the word, “I”.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Sin is selfish and self-centered. Sin is I, me, my and mine. Sin is a consumer, not a producer. The last thing selfish sin wants to do is to help someone else with their problem. Therefore it is impossible for sin or selfishness to fulfil the law of Christ.

Pride blocks anything good because pride is a manifestation of sin.

We all have a certain level of strength, endurance and control. But we must realize that God is the creator of these things and the source of all things. Our strength, endurance and control are actually gifts of God. So at no point should we ever be proud of ourselves, for it all comes from God.

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3)

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

God made it all and He wants to share it all with us, if we will let Him.

Bill Hitchcock