ammerman2013

[ammerman2013]

Who is Jesus of Nazareth?

A Devotional Study of the Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:1-6 — How Does Your Faith Amaze Jesus?

By xapitos.  All rights reserved. 2023-24.

Introduction

This study of the Gospel of Mark from the Christian Scriptures follows the premise to take a book at face value.  This is a common practice for books.  Thus, this study will look at the historical, cultural, archaeological and grammatical context of Mark’s Gospel to see if it truly is what it claims to be, namely the words of the God of the Hebrews, without any errors and final in authority to all that it speaks, claiming that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who shall deliver his people, and the world of mankind from our rebelliousness against the holy LORD of Israel, King of the universe.  If errors are discovered, then the Gospel of Mark will be assumed to be false.  Until such a discovery, the book is accepted at face value.

I translate the Gospel of Mark from its Greek manuscripts and follow the paragraph divisions of The Greek New Testament, Third edition by the United Bible Societies.  Thus, my Scripture reading may vary from yours here and there in small details.  The Hebrew Scripture references are from the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia edition of the Masoretic Text.  The Masoretic Text was copied by Hebrew scribes about 1000 A.D. and has been substantiated by various Hebrew manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Septuagint (dated third to second centuries B.C.), which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.   The English version of the Holy Bible used in this study is the New International Version, known as the NIV.

It is necessary to say a word about the translation of the Greek text.  I intentionally translate the Greek as it is written, not smoothing out the English translation, as is done in English Bibles based on the original biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.  At times, the translation will come across awkward, wooden, and repetitive in English. Translating from one language to another can appear this way.  Another involved factor is that it is obvious that God wrote the New Testament the way he did to emphasize what he wanted to emphasize through the Greek grammar and sentence structure.  Without translating this way, such divine emphases might be missed by the English. 

It is interesting to note, to me at least, that Mark continues to use the conjunction “and,” at the beginning of almost every clause.  Some might call this poor grammar.  I call it a “child’s heart.”  Remember when your children were (or are) young and when they became excited, they just talked and talked, almost without breathing?  This is what Mark’s continual use of “and” shows me.  He is so excited about Jesus and his story, that it appears that he cannot wait to tell us everything he learned from the apostle Peter (Simon) about Jesus.  May each of us have such a child’s heart.

Study

Mark 6:1-6 (1) And he left there and went to the hometown of him, and they followed him his disciples.  (2) And when it was the sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue.  And many listening were shocked saying, Where this one these things, and what the wisdom this given to him and the power these through the hands of him being? (3) Not this is the carpenter, the son of Mary, and a brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?  And not are the sisters of him here with us?  And they were stumbling in him.  (4) And he was saying to them Jesus, “Not is a prophet without honor except in his hometown and amongst his kinsmen and in his own house.  (5)  And not able there to do many powers, except a few sickly laying on his hands he healed. (6) And he was amazed because of the unbelief of them.

(2) And when it was the sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue.  And many listening were shocked saying, Where this one these things, and what the wisdom this given to him and the power these through the hands of him being? (3) Not this is the carpenter, the son of Mary, and a brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?  And not are the sisters of him here with us?  And they were stumbling by him.  The verb used for “were shocked” is a compound verb, denoting intense action. They people were really, really “shocked” to see “the carpenter, the son of Mary, stand up, teach, and perform “powers” (miracles).  Their familiarization with Jesus caused them to stumble, another compound verb, denoting an intense action.  Note that the two compound verbs in verses 2 and 3 apply to the people of Nazareth…were shocked and were stumbling. These are people whom Jesus has known all his life.  When Jesus lived there, Nazareth was a small village.  Thus, everybody knew everybody.  If you have lived in a small town, village, or hamlet, you know what this means.  Some people just cannot accept who Jesus claims to be, what he teaches, and the miracles he does.  The issue is not him.  The issue is them.

(4) And he was saying to them Jesus, “Not is a prophet without honor except in his hometown and amongst his kinsmen and in his own house.  The real issue in life is not who Jesus claims to be, but whom we believe him to be.  His hometown folks allowed their familiarization with Jesus to hold back their faith. 

(5)  And not able there to do many powers, except a few sickly laying on his hands he healed. (6) And he was amazed because of the unbelief of them.  The level of our faith determines the degree to which the Lord works in our lives.  He is always willing to work in our lives.  Our willingness to allow him to is the key.  Our faith can open us up to the Divine in ways that we cannot comprehend nor imagine.  Or, our faith can prevent the Divine from performing his powers and teaching his teachings.  How is your faith?  Even the Lord God Almighty will not waste his energy, teachings and powers on those who do not want him.

Self-reflection

How does your familiarization with Jesus hold you back, hinder you from growing closer to him?

In what ways is your faith drawing you closer to him, his teachings and abilities?

Does your faith level open the doors to Jesus’ teachings and miracles in your life?

In what way does your faith amaze Jesus?

[ammerman2013]

Who is Jesus of Nazareth?

A Devotional Study of the Gospel of Mark

Mark 5:21-43 — Do Not Be Afraid, Just Believe

By xapitos.  All rights reserved. 2023-24.

Introduction

This study of the Gospel of Mark from the Christian Scriptures follows the premise to take a book at face value.  This is a common practice for books.  Thus, this study will look at the historical, cultural, archaeological and grammatical context of Mark’s Gospel to see if it truly is what it claims to be, namely the words of the God of the Hebrews, without any errors and final in authority to all that it speaks, claiming that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who shall deliver his people, and the world of mankind from our rebelliousness against the holy LORD of Israel, King of the universe.  If errors are discovered, then the Gospel of Mark will be assumed to be false.  Until such a discovery, the book is accepted at face value.

I translate the Gospel of Mark from its Greek manuscripts and follow the paragraph divisions of The Greek New Testament, Third edition by the United Bible Societies.  Thus, my Scripture reading may vary from yours here and there in small details.  The Hebrew Scripture references are from the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia edition of the Masoretic Text.  The Masoretic Text was copied by Hebrew scribes about 1000 A.D. and has been substantiated by various Hebrew manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Septuagint (dated third to second centuries B.C.), which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.   The English version of the Holy Bible used in this study is the New International Version, known as the NIV.

It is necessary to say a word about the translation of the Greek text.  I intentionally translate the Greek as it is written, not smoothing out the English translation, as is done in English Bibles based on the original biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.  At times, the translation will come across awkward, wooden, and repetitive in English. Translating from one language to another can appear this way.  Another involved factor is that it is obvious that God wrote the New Testament the way he did to emphasize what he wanted to emphasize through the Greek grammar and sentence structure.  Without translating this way, such divine emphases might be missed by the English. 

It is interesting to note, to me at least, that Mark continues to use the conjunction “and,” at the beginning of almost every clause.  Some might call this poor grammar.  I call it a “child’s heart.”  Remember when your children were (or are) young and when they became excited, they just talked and talked, almost without breathing?  This is what Mark’s continual use of “and” shows me.  He is so excited about Jesus and his story, that it appears that he cannot wait to tell us everything he learned from the apostle Peter (Simon) about Jesus.  May each of us have such a child’s heart.

Study

Mark 5:21-43. (21). And having crossed over Jesus again into the other side, was gathered together a crowd large by him, and he was beside the sea.  (22) And came one of the leaders of the synagogue, by the name of Jairus, and seeing him, he fell at his feet (23) and beseeching him many things he was saying, “My little girl is at the point of death, so that coming you may put your hands on her in order that she might be saved and live.”  (24) And he departed with him. 

And was following him a crowd large, and they were pressing on all sides him.

(25) and a woman being in a flow of blood twelve years (26) and many things suffered by many doctors and having spent the things from her all and in no respect {small} she was indebted but rather in need having come, (27) having heard about Jesus, having come in the crowd, behind she touched his garments.  (28). For, she was saying that, “If I might touch his garments, I shall be saved.” (29) And immediately, was stopped her flow of blood, and she knew in her body that she was healed from the suffering. (30) And immediately Jesus knew in himself the from him power had gone out from turning about in the crowd he was saying, “Who my touched clothes?”  (31) And they were saying to him, his disciples, “You see the crowd pressing on all sides you, and you say, ‘Who me touched?’” (32) And he was looking about to see the one this did.  (33) And the woman was seized with fear and trembling, having known what was with her, she came and fell before him and said to him all the truth.  (34) And he said to her, “Daughter, the faith of you has saved you, go in peace and be healthy from your suffering.”  

(35) While he was speaking, they came from the synagogue ruler saying that, “Your daughter has died.  Why still trouble the teacher?” (36) But Jesus, having heard the word they were speaking, says to the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” (37) and not did he permit no one with him to follow, except Peter, James and John, the brother of James. (38) And they came to the house of the synagogue ruler, and saw an uproar and weeping and wailing much, (39) and entering he says to them, “Why are you loudly grieving and weeping?  The child not has died but is asleep.” (40) And they were laughing scornfully at him.  He himself was causing to leave all, taking the father of the child and the mother, and those with him, and he entered where was the child. (41) And taking the hand of the child, he says to her, “Talitha cum,” which being translated means, “Girl,” I say to you, “Arise.” (42) and immediately stood up the girl and she was walking, for she was 12 years old.  And they were amazed out of their self control great. (43) And he was commanding them sternly much, in order that no one might know about this, and he said to give her to eat.

This passage is two stories and one main idea.  A desperate father, who loves his little girl passionately, and a woman hemorrhaging for 12 years, having suffered many things, broke and in desperation.  Both, focus on the one person who can help…Jesus.  We shall first digest each story as they are written in the passage and then put them together as a whole.  Two examples of overwhelming desperation, with all of the emotions accompanying their given contexts.  

(22) And came one of the leaders of the synagogue, by the name of Jairus, and seeing him, he fell at his feet….  Jairus comes to Jesus brokenhearted as his “little girl” is dying.  The emotions in this verse are strong.  I have two daughters and five granddaughters.  I identify with Jairus.  One of my granddaughters has faced death in the face from the moment she was born.  She is much better now but the possibility of her home going to my Lord and Savior is still present.  Jairus’ desperation is intense, overwhelming.  He sees Jesus, the one who is rebuilding Synagogue into what God wants it to be, and falls at his feet.  Falling at someone’s feet is a sign recognizing that person’s superiority and ability to do something for you that no one else can.  Jairus so loves his daughter that humbling himself before Jesus is simple.

(23) and beseeching him many things he was saying, “My little girl is at the point of death, so that coming you may put your hands on her in order that she might be save and live.”  Jairus begs Jesus to help.  “To beseech” shows emotion and focus in the asking.  Jairus spoke “many things” to Jesus about what was going on.  The summary and heart essence of those things is summed up for us, “My little girl is at the point of death, so that coming you may put your hands on her in order that she might be save and live.”  His endearment for his daughter is both heart warming and heart breaking, my “little girl.”  There is no where else to turn.  No one else who can help.  Jesus is the one, the only one, who can save this little girl’s life.  When my newborn granddaughter faced death, my heart was overwhelmed with a heavy, heavy weight.  I could not think of anything else other than her.  I spent countless hours in prayer, begging the Lord to spare her life…which he has done.  The agony and broken heartedness that Jairus was experiencing was beyond description.  

Note the level of Jairus’ faith, so that coming you may put your hands on her in order that she might be save and live.  As far as we know, he has not met Jesus.  But, living in Capernaum, he has heard of Jesus’ miracles and teachings, most likely even hearing him teaching and confronting the Religious Leaders of Israel.  Jairus knows Jesus is the only one to save his little girl and he is bound and determined to convince Jesus of their overwhelming need.

(24) And he departed with him.  And was following him a crowd large, and they were pressing on all sides him.  I love this verse.  Without question, without hesitation, Jesus goes with Jairus to save his little girl.  The focus of the Almighty on children is breathtaking and refreshing.  In this world of human trafficking, especially of children, it will be a glorious day when all the abused children of human history, who trusted in Jesus for forgiveness of their sin (not those put upon them by others) will be standing at the right side of Jesus in his everlasting love, while it will also be a very harsh day for all who abused them. As he said,”It is better that a millstone be tied around the necks those who cause a child to stumble, and they be drowned.”

(25) and a woman being in a flow of blood twelve years (26) and many things suffered by many doctors and having spent the things from her all and in no respect {small} she was indebted but rather in need having come, (27) having heard about Jesus, having come in the crowd, behind she touched his garments.  These verses give us the heart wrenching context of this desperate woman, who turns to Jesus as her last saving resort.  They also introduce the huge interruption to saving Jairus’ little girl and the increased test of his faith.  

The actions in these verses are listed in quick succession, demonstrating her desperate context:

being in a flow of blood twelve years,

2.   many things suffered by many doctors,

3.   having spent the things from her all,

4.   in no respect {small} she was indebted,

5.   but rather in need having come.

The desperate woman’s faith in action follows the rapid fire description of her heartbreaking life,

1.  having heard about Jesus,

2.  having come in the crowd,

3. she touched his garments.

(28) For, she was saying that, “If I might touch his garments, I shall be saved.” (29) And immediately, was stopped her flow of blood, and she knew in her body that she was healed from the suffering.  A very powerful act of faith, culminating in a very powerful result. This woman’s touch of the Great Physician, already serving another (Jairus), is separated from the touch of the many pressing against Jesus.  A touch of faith, always stands out to the Lord.  

For many years, I ministered as a hospice chaplain.  The greatest ministry I have ever had.  Overtime, I came to realize that a hospice chaplain visit was not about me but about the patient and his/her family.  I was to be Jesus…humbly and compassionately.  The patient and/or family were the one(s) in desperate need.  When a patient or family member understood and applied spiritual truth, it was obvious to them and to me.  Like the woman who knew in her body that she was healed from the suffering,

they knew in their bodies and souls that Jesus cared and was with them…lovingly with them.  The peace was written all over their faces and their entire demeanor changed from that of suffering to that of accepting and living in the beauty of who Jesus is.  And that was enough for them.  As the things of our lives, namely health, independence, self-reliance are stripped away through disease and suffering, the faith in and acceptance of who Jesus truly is and that he truly cares is enough. 

A word to faith healers.  When Jesus heals, he heals 100%.  He heals for the benefit of the recipient of the healing, not for self-glorification.  When Jesus heals, he does so out of compassion, not self-glorification.  Visit the hospitals, the hospice patients and heal them for their benefit, not yours.

(30) Immediately Jesus knew in himself the from him power had gone out from him.  The wording in the original language is full of emphasis and is beautiful to read.  The English translation points out this emphasis.  Jesus is the source of healing power.  Like the woman who knew in herself that she had been healed, Jesus knows in himself that healing power went out from him.  Even the wording ties the woman and Jesus together.  Even in the emphatic wording and his knowing the difference between a touch and a “faith touch,” Jesus demonstrates his compassion for us. 

(31) And they were saying to him, his disciples, “You see the crowd pressing on all sides you, and you say, ‘Who me touched?’” (32) And he was looking about to see the one this did.  Jesus is so wanting us to have faith, that he even can sense the difference of a normal touch and a touch of faith.  It is a very large crowd pressed against him, and he senses when the hemorrhaging woman touches him.   

(33) And the woman was seized with fear and trembling, having known what was with her, she came and fell before him and said to him all the truth.  The woman was fearful, because of the intensity with which Jesus was continually turning about trying to see who touched him in faith.  She was even trembling. She has yet to realize the depths of his compassion.  For 12 long years, she has been shunned, rejected, grown worse at the hands of doctors, become broke, homeless, hopeless…until Jesus.  Now, she fears that all of that is happening again from the last possible source of hope and healing.  Falling at Jesus’ feet in fear and trembling, she speaks truthfully.  But this time, instead of more condemnation and disappointment, she finds the goodness and compassion she has sought for 12 years.

(34) And he said to her, “Daughter, the faith of you has saved you, go in peace and be healthy from your suffering.”  Jesus refers to her as his “daughter.”  No doubt, due to his being the Creator and due to her faith.  That faith saved her from her disease, and no doubt has saved her soul.  Jesus affirms this by telling her to go in peace.  He wants her to live his peace for the rest of her life.  Peace has been her stranger.  Now, peace shall be her constant companion.  She can now live a a life of free from her suffering.

(35) While he was speaking, they came from the home of the synagogue ruler saying that, “Your daughter has died.  Why still trouble the teacher?”  The word “trouble” also means, “vex, annoy.”  The use of this word by those from Jairus’ household shows their view of Jesus and/or him as God.  What Jesus reveals in this passage is that the once hemorrhaging woman and Jairus’ daughter and Jairus are no trouble at all. His compassion is far greater than any “trouble” some believe they impose on God.  

Think of how Jairus must be feeling.  First, the woman, Jairus and Jesus and now the heart wrenching news of his daughter’s death.  The overwhelming sense of hopelessness and time having run out now begin to settle in as a huge toll of fear and loss.  It is no wonder, that the compassion filled Jesus says…,

(36) But Jesus, having heard the word they were speaking, says to the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” So much of our lives is spent overcoming fear.  Jairus is at the most desperate and vulnerable state in his life.  His “little girl” has died.  And Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”

(37) and not did he permit no one with him to follow, except Peter, James and John, the brother of James.  Jesus takes only his leaders with him.  Focus on the leaders.  The rest will follow.  The leaders lead.

(38) And they came to the house of the synagogue ruler, and saw an uproar and weeping and wailing much,  There was a loud process of grieving, when Jesus, Jairus, Peter, James and John arrive.  To that date in human history, the normal reaction to a loved one dying before their time, especially that of a child.  As a hospice chaplain, I had the unfortunate ministry of being present at the death of an infant.  The grief is very deep and the tears are many.  The sense of unfairness and loss, the gut wrenching question of “why” hangs in the air.  This is most likely what Jesus walks into and in stark contrast to all untimely deaths in humanity, specifically those of a child, he says,

(39) and entering he says to them, “Why are you loudly grieving and weeping?  The child not has died but is asleep.”  This great truth from the Divine perspective is two-sided.  First, it stings, because it gives a rebuke to the norm, namely, death, and how we grieve the death of a child.  It is like, “Who do you think you are?”  All mankind knows is death.  This side of eternity, death is the last chapter for us all.  Why wouldn’t the people, servants, the mother, any siblings and other family members be grieving strongly?  To this point in their lives and in human history, there has not been the Prince of Life intervening since the days of Elijah and Elisha.  Those days were centuries before this.  Second, the Prince of Life knows the truth and has the power to apply the truth.  This is what Jairus and his wife, Jairus’ little girl, and the three disciples are about to learn and witness.  Human history is about to change forever…,

(40) And they were laughing scornfully at him.  He himself was causing to leave all, taking the father of the child and the mother, and those with him, and he entered where was the child.  Those gathered did not just laugh at Jesus, they scornfully laughed at him.  They were mocking him.  Like the messengers, they too only know death.  Why still trouble the Teacher?  How dare this Teacher bring false hope!  Who do you think you are, giving false hope?  Jesus knows mankind’s norm and hurries them all away.  I love this verse.  The power of the King is about to be seen in such a powerful way, that even Jesus warns the parents and the three disciples not to speak of this.  Death will not overshadow this little girl and her parents for long.  For the Prince of Life, the King, the Everlasting God, the Great Physician, the Compassionate One, the Miracle Worker, God himself, stands where this precious little girl is about to be raised from the dead!

(41) And taking the hand of the child, he says to her, “Talitha cum,” which being translated means, “Girl,” to you I say, “Arise.”  I love that the words “to you” are emphatically placed before the verb, “I say.”  To you.  To the hemorrhaging woman, Jesus said your faith has healed you.  Go and be at peace.  To Jairus, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”  And then to the little girl he speaks, “Arise.”  All in stark contrast to the norms we humans know.  There is a whole other side to life that we know very little about. 

(42) and immediately stood up the girl and she was walking, for she was 12 years old.  And they were amazed out of their self control great.  When the Prince of Life commands, immediately occurs right away.    From the hallways of heaven, this girl is instantly back in her body and instantly stands up and walks around.  The Lord has a power that we know very little about.  As is asked in Revelation 6 when God’s wrath is being poured out upon mankind, “Who can stand before God…?”  Who can stand against Jesus?  The scorning mourners cannot.  The messengers from Jairus’ home cannot.  Death has taken your little girl Jairus!!  Death cannot.  Jesus has brought the girl back…immediately!!!  

The words “little girl” and “girl” are used numerous times in this passage.  One can only think that Jesus loves the little children and uses the death of this precious little girl to demonstrate the incredible greatness of who he is, what he can do, how much he loves faith, and how much he loves you and I.

(43) And he was commanding them sternly much, in order that no one might know about this, and he said to give her to eat.  A strong intensive verb is used here to command sternly much not to tell others about what has happened.  The reason is obvious…if the masses find out about this, he will be so surrounded by thousands of people and thus be hindered to whatever degree to accomplish his mission: to die on the cross as the Father’s sacrificial lamb for our sins, rise from the dead, forever conquering sin and death, and forever having provided the way to permanent resurrection from the dead to eternal life with him for all who are not afraid but believe!

And one of the Divine’s greatest miracles is followed by the simple words …”give her something to eat.”

Self-reflection

With whom do you identify, Jairus, the hemorrhaging woman, or both?

Explain why.

In the midst of your difficult context, how can you reach out in faith to Jesus?  What does that look like for you?

What interruptions have occurred in your faith journey and how have they affected you?

How does Jesus knowing the difference between being touched by many and being touched in faith affect you?

How would, or does, Jesus’ peace affect your life?  Your relationships?

How does the statement “Why still trouble the teacher,” relate to your view of Jesus?

In what ways do you think/verbalize that you are “troubling” him?

About what is Jesus speaking to you?

How does this passage change your understanding of God?

[ammerman2013]

The Power and Beauty of a Woman She was quite the woman.  Married to a man, who was a fool.  A man who shunned a man of God, even though that man of God had protected this man and his income, his flocks, from thieves and robbers.  When this man of God asked for some food for his men and himself, his messengers were treated with disdain, callousness, and disrespect.  The man of God gathered his forces and rode out to kill the fool, Abigail's fool.  When she heard that the man of God was coming to kill her husband, she had a feast prepared and rode out to meet the man of God and his mighty warriors. It was then that the man of God met one of God's most awesome creatures...a woman of God...Abigail.  She knew that even though the man of God was humanly justified to kill her husband the fool, she knew even more deeply that the man of God would harm his relationship with the Living God.  The God, who was leading this man of God to be His man, His leader for the nation of Israel. There is nothing like a woman sold out to The Lord.  A long time ago, in a world we have never known, the Creator God did not want the crown of his creative work to be alone.  He paraded all animals before Adam for two reasons.  One, to put him in charge over them by naming them, like a parent naming a child.  It shows ownership.  The occasion also showed Adam that he was alone.  No other creature like him.  This had to be a lonely feeling, realizing you ARE the only one of your kind.  But, The Lord had other plans.  And so He made Eve, from Adam.  The thought is that God artistically designed her and presented her to him.  Adam knew and spoke the famous words, [23] The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man" (Genesis 2:23, NIV). Many take all of this as fantasy.  That's their choice.  What they are missing is that the Creator loved The crown of His creation so much that He intentionally set up Adam for the greatest gift a man can ever have, a woman.  Not just a woman, but a woman who loved God.  The jewel of the crown of God's creation.  Both equal.  Both complementing the other.  Man was incomplete without woman, the name man gave her, wo-man, part of him, from him.  Not dominance but protection, love, care, respect. Today, so many try to live without the other gender.  Many think that they are better than the other gender.  The truth is, that's because the first man and first woman created their creation, this fallen, sinful, painful world in which we live.  Not, the wonderful, perfect world The Lord created. This brings us back to David and Abigail.  He a man of God, she a woman of God.  David needed someone to keep him from murder and greatly harming his position with God, as well as becoming Israel's king and a father of the future Messiah, the Son of David.  God did not choose a prophet, a warrior, or an angel.  He chose  a godly woman named Abigail.  Because of her godly wisdom and quick action, the righteous line of the future king of Israel, the one through whom the Son of David, the Savior of the world, would eventually arrive, was counseled and  saved from spiritual disaster.  Some may arrogantly think that this is because Abigail is a woman.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  She was a woman in love with the Creator.  Without her, much would have been lost.  With her, much was saved. Women.  What are you doing to develop your relationship with the Son of David, our Savior from darkness and death?  How are you wisely protecting your man from angry decisions that will lead to disaster, especially spiritual disaster?  Are you relating to your man as his completer or competer?  There is a difference. Men.  How are you showing your appreciation for your woman?  When Abigail's fool husband died, David married Abigail.  I don't believe it was just because she had an hour glass figure.  It was because of her godliness.  How are you appreciating your woman's godliness?  Are you developing it and listening to it?  Leadership and serving mean listening.  Women, especially godly women, are very good at godly insight.  Listen. A godly man and a godly woman are a divinely powerful force for good and righteousness.  And that is the purpose of man and woman.  Far better than empty and vain self-focus and competition against the other.  Life is far more important and deeper than that.  What kind of man, of woman, are you?  How are you showering your beloved with wisdom, love, and godliness?  Be blessed!  1 Samuel 25.

[ammerman2013]

THE DAWN OF GRACE

In the beauty of God's grace, His hand of love intricately, like a master surgeon's hand, brings His grace into every moment of every person's life. For some, His grace, His totally, attentive kindness, is seen as general care. A job, a home, sun and rain, and another Thanksgiving meal. For others, there is a deeper intricacy marked by an inviting and warm heart that wantonly invites the dawn of His grace into every aspect of their lives. The truth be known, He is waiting for any heart to truly bask in the dawn of His grace, as a life long friend is welcomed into his friend's heart and home, once again. Recently, I witnessed such a beautiful dawning of His grace. A friend of mine had lived his life believing in the "man upstairs," talking to Him daily. Yet, as my friend's mortality quickly became his reality, he cast aside a life of "talking to the man upstairs." Having recognized and accepted God's care of him all his days, my friend now wanted a deeper level of "the man upstairs." And thus, I witnessed what I have come to call "the dawn of His grace." My friend assured me that he had talked with the Lord and come to terms with Him, on His terms. My friend needed the Almighty on a deeper level, the level of being forgiven of his rebellion against God's love and truth. My friend acknowledged that he had always been in need of divine forgiveness. And so my friend, a courageous and strong man, eaten up by disease, died in the dawn of His grace and now sees Him face to face. As another year has passed in my life, a few things have become even more alive. One is that the simple things in life are some of the dearest. A beautiful sunset, a wonderful conversation, growing relationships with family and friends, the unspeakable beauty of a grandchild. Just the other day, she began to crawl! Two, money is needed to make ends meet, it is not needed to truly live. Three, as I grow older, loss appears to be a growing norm in life. In these sides of life, in which many of us find ourselves, there is a common theme that comforts the soul, quietly but ever so brightly, the dawn of His grace. Loss, while painful, is also a great teacher. It is the chisel in His hand, that chips away at the rough spots deep in our souls, the Divine hand guided by His grace. Thus, loss becomes gain, the horizon over which His grace dawns. Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. The context of these verses is that all of us are spiritually dead, unable to enter the land of grace on our own. And in the midst of this state of our souls, the Divine Intruder (James Edwards) enters our lives, each one of us. Note the descriptive words, "heavenly...incomparable riches of his grace...his kindness to us" all centered not in what we want and desire, but in what He wants for us. Your purpose and mine is to be a trophy of His grace, forever displayed before Lucifer, the demons and all who chose to ignore the warmth of the dawn of His grace, rising over the horizon of our lives. All because of the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Truly, we ALL are deeply loved.

[ammerman2013]

WHEN HE ACTS, IT IS TIME TO REFLECT

Put first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you (Jesus Christ). Recently, a friend of mine called and offered me a job. Just two days before this, I cried out to The Lord for His immediate intervention in my work life. This prayer was not the first, nor the second, but it may have been the most desperate. The phone rang, and the Almighty's answer to my prayer was on the other end of the call. I accepted the job offer and have been on a whirlwind since, packing, finding a new home, moving, saying goodbye to friends. The Almighty's finger prints have been all over this. His presence and love have been felt throughout this process. The way I found a new home, the offer from the new employer, the tranquil and slower setting, and on the list goes. These may not be much to you, they are priceless to me. The care of the Father has been more than obvious. To think that God, the Creator of all things, except evil (that's our contribution), is intimately involved in my life and daily details is overwhelmingly beautiful and motivating. Motivating to love and obey Him more. Who am I, that the Eternal One cares so deeply and lovingly about me? As His creation and His forgiven son, having asked Him to forgive me for my rebellion against Him (sin), I am everything to Him. While I wrestle at times with "does He truly care," He graciously has told me again that He does. Quietly, sovereignly and powerfully, He has been working behind the scenes and circumstances to the answer that He gave me. Not on my timing, nor in my understanding of events. Solely, in His timing and control. I am deeply humbled that He who placed the trillions of stars, too many for any mortal to count, who named each one and holds them in place by His word and thought, would be so concerned about insignificant me. The One who created my precious and beautiful granddaughter, is the same wonderful Lord watching over me. I thank Him for that...deeply. There has been a lighter step in my walk and a bigger smile on my face. Yes, it's because of the change, needed and healthy. More importantly, I am more aware and enjoying more deeply my Heavenly Father's love and concern for me. I am more aware of what it means when Jesus said to put His ways first and all of daily life's needs will be met by the Sovereign hand. Even the deeper things of His righteousness are being manifested in my heart. Money doesn't buy divine peace, presence and intimacy. Faith does. This answer to my prayers did not come quickly, nor did it come in my timing, but it did come. In fact, there were times that it seemed that the Almighty wasn't listening...but He was. It takes time for Him to work the circumstances to line up. Think of the different free willed people, only He knows how many, that He works on, with, through, to bring THE answer that He wants. More people and issues than we understand. But, what He has reminded me of and humbled me with is this, He cares and He IS listening, to you and to me. If you are about to throw in the spiritual towel and have felt to the point that you start to believe that He doesn't care, remember the words of Francis Schaeffer, "He is there and He is not silent." So wait, my friends, wait upon the LORD and you shall renew your strength! For nothing is impossible for the King of all.

[ammerman2013]

The Melting of Doubt

One of my favorite traits of Jesus Christ is that He doesn't throw away anyone. He gives us all the opportunity to believe, a deep down soul belief, in Him. This means, no one is a throw away. Regardless of popular church opinion that He only accepts us if we this, if we that, Jesus is the Great Restorer, not the Great Destroyer. The context is the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Having appeared first to Mary, another blog discussion, He appeared to 10 of His male disciples. Judas had hung himself, and Thomas wasn't there. Then, He appeared to all 11 male disciples, this time focusing on Thomas. I've always liked Thomas. I think he may represent me, at times. The 10 said, "Hey, Jesus was here." But Thomas, who knew that death lay ahead for them (I believe), didn't throw his faith hat into the ring. "Nope, not me. Unless I can put my finger into the nail holes in His hands, and put my hand into the spear hole of His side, I ain't touching this one." Thomas uses the Greek double negative, which in the Greek language (the language of the NT) is grammatically correct and is the strongest negative possible. We should always be careful about what we think and say. Why? Because Jesus is always listening and reading our minds. One week after Jesus appeared to the 10, guess who walks through the walls of this locked room and appears, you got it, the risen Jesus of Heaven. He greets them with peace and immediately addresses Thomas. Maybe some of the 10 were thinking, "what do you think now, buddy ole pal?" Please notice how He handles Thomas, He uses Thomas' own words and doubt to bring him to faith; He invites Thomas to act upon His doubt, inviting him to put his finger and hand into the nail and spear holes; He confronts Thomas' spiritual issue, doubt, that was probably accompanied by its twin, fear; He commands Thomas to stop doubting and to believe. Not a head belief, but a soul belief. A belief that rises above doubt and fear and is willing to die for the truth of the resurrected Jesus of Heaven; He accepts Thomas' sincere belief, "My Lord and my God; and then He challenges his faith by referring to those of us who will believe in the resurrected Lord but will have NEVER seen Him. Notice, there is no condemnation coming from Jesus toward Thomas, there is only Truth and Love. There is no multi-stepped program to get Thomas right with Jesus. Jesus accepts Thomas' heart felt, sincere statement of repentance and faith, "my Lord and my God." Simple, honest. That's enough for the Savior. Why does Jesus go on to talk about those of us who will blessed for believing in Him never having seen Him? I think as a model of challenge to Thomas and his buddies, and as an encouragement to us. Jesus says that we are blessed. To be blessed in NT thought, is to be the recipient of heavenly truth and identification with Jesus. We often say, "I'm blessed with good health, good kids, income, etc.". The NT would acknowledge that those are gifts from God, but the word "blessed" in the NT refers to someone who believes in Jesus Christ and grows in Him through obedience, even in the face of suffering for His cause and name. Jesus says that for every person, of millions and millions, who truly have a soul belief that He is the resurrected One, but who have not had the luxury of physically seeing Him, we are blessed of God. Think about that. We are blessed because of His standard, soul belief in the risen Lord Jesus. Never once in the NT does He say that we are not be blessed if we sin. The NT is full of divine recognition that we are sinners. He says that we are blessed of God when we believe in Him and follow, obey Him as a lifestyle. Yes, He knows that we will fail Him. Yes, He knows that sin and rebellion lurk in the depths of our souls. He also knows that He will forgive us of that when we ask to be forgiven. He doesn't say, "that's one sin too many, I can no longer forgive nor bless you." Many in churchianity think that. They have created their own standards of righteousness. They live by their own standards, going to church makes one holy, not smoking, not drinking, not drugging, not stealing, etc. None of that makes one righteous. Belief in Jesus of Heaven as the risen Lord, the Master of one's soul, is what makes us righteous. In fact, Jesus calls the perversion of His grace, "self-righteousness." That is something He hates and condemns in the Gospels. Back to Thomas. He may have understood that faith was everything and I believe that he wanted to be certain. Yet he let his doubt stop his faith. I believe that he certainly knew that going out into the streets to tell others about Jesus would cost him his life. Wouldn't you want to be sure that He really was alive? And so upon seeing Him, Thomas' doubt is washed away in faith, and he confesses his belief, "The Lord of me and the God of me." Thomas so believed this, having seen the risen Lord, that he was martyred for his faith, thousands of miles from home. Church tradition tells us that he was killed for the cause of Jesus, in India! There were no airlines, nor engine powered ships in that day. Besides, Thomas would have wanted to tell as many folks as possible about his risen Lord and God, so he started walking and walked all the way to India, from Jerusalem! The next time you come across someone, who tells you that Jesus is finished with you, or that you don't measure up, remember Thomas and the focused Savior of mercy. A soul who had walked with Him and witnessed His character, teaching and miracles for 3 years, yet doubted that Jesus was bodily alive from the dead. Upon coming face to face with the living Jesus, Thomas became a true man of faith. As the song says, You are Lord, You are Lord, You are more than I can ever understand. His greatness, power, and beauty are the true mystery of life...all for the receiving and the following. Are you a Thomas, who having experienced the risen Jesus of Heaven believes in your soul, "the Lord of me, and the God of me?" He believes in you and wants His best for you, namely, Himself!

[ammerman2013]

"Keep your sunny side up!"

I don't remember her name, but I remember her. She lived, for at least 12 years, in a small nursing home, in a small town, in upstate New York. A small, yet powerful woman. She was a double amputee of the legs, but not of the heart. Sweet as pie, caring, and a lover of Jesus Christ. I would visit her monthly, or thereabout, as a young, first pastorate pastor. I went to try to encourage her in the Name of The Lord, and show that she wasn't forgotten. I left each visit being encouraged, shown the greatness and strength of God Almighty, and humbled. This elderly, kind, saint of a woman would always ask me about how I was. She would insist on me telling her how I was doing, wanting to focus more on me, than herself. This spiritually rich woman would pour out her love and concern for me by listening to my world and supporting me. I always left her being amazed at her strength, courage and deep walk with the Lover of her soul. She knew the Master in ways that I was yet to discover and grow in. She gave me the theology lessons that seminary never could, one of which was how to be content in one's walk with Jesus, while your life situation was downright terrible. But, that perspective of "downright terrible" never entered her mind, her heart. She usually carried a huge smile, and there was always a shining glimmer in her eye. Only once or twice, did I see her without that, when she was very sick. When that sickness passed, she was right back to her old self and that eye glimmer shone brightly. The world does not know, many Christians do not know, what it means to live in such a situation. To have others lift you out of bed and put you in your wheelchair. To have others wipe your bottom for you. To have others do for your daily needs, because you don't have legs anymore, or the cancer has weakened you so, or your mind is gone, or ALS is taking away your motor ability. And the reasons go on. Yet, in homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the fruited plain, there are Jesus lovers, who make the most of their very hard situation and shine for Him. I call them "The Forgotten Heroes," who shine for Jesus day in and day out, when many others give up. My dear elderly friend, who years ago went home to walk the streets of gold, taught me many lessons about God, making the most of your situation, and about myself. She always welcomed Scripture reading and prayer from me. The years were robbing her reading ability. I always welcomed her spirit. Looking back, she is on my Hero List, right up there at the top. I can still see and hear her say to me when I was leaving our visits together, "Keep your sunny side up!" That glimmer in her eyes and a thumb up in the air, with a smile from ear to ear. What a great woman, what a godly person. May her tribe increase!

[ammerman2013]

Can the Bible be trusted? King David and King Solomon

A letter from a biblical scholar friend regarding those who argue against kings David and Solomon doing what the Bible says they did. 1-11-2014 Hi Mark! Sorry to take so long to respond. I see two problems with the case your friend is trying to make. First, he is basing most of his argument on negative evidence. That is, he says they didn’t exist because external/archaeological evidence of their existence hasn’t been found. The problem with this argument is that it is only valid if all possible areas where evidence might exist have been excavated. This is not the case. In fact (as you know from having been there) only a very small number of sites have actually been excavated…and those sites have only had a limited amount of area actually excavated. In addition, areas places Jerusalem were built, destroyed, and then rebuilt over more than a thousand years. So we should expect the remains of some structures to no longer exist. The buildings were destroyed by fire. When the site was rebuilt, the rubble was leveled, pushed aside, or physically removed to make way for the rebuilding. Now with all that in mind, here’s the evidence he didn’t mention. Eilat Mazar has been excavating in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem. This is the first large-scale excavations there. (Kathleen Kenyon had done some small scale excavations in the 50s/60s.) Mazar has found a massive building that she believes are the remains of the palace that the Bible says David constructed. Here’s a link to an article on her discovery: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/jerusalem/did-i-find-king-davids-palace. I think she makes a good case for the fact that this matches what the Bible says about David in 2 Samuel. In subsequent excavations just to the north of this structure Mazar also discovered remains of a wall extending from Jerusalem to encompass Mount Moriah (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100222094757.htm). This is exactly what we would expect according to the Bible. Solomon built the temple and his own palace in this region, and a massive wall being built at that same time to protect the new projects makes perfect sense. She is now excavating in the area where Solomon’s palace likely stood. I’m eagerly watching to see what else she might uncover. Your friend mentioned David and Goliath in a disparaging way. That event took place in the Elah Valley, which was the area of demarcation between nation of Israel (as pictured in the Bible) and the region of the Philistines. Khirbet Qeiyafa is a tell on a hill along the edge of the Elah Valley, and excavation have been taking place there over the last decade (http://qeiyafa.huji.ac.il/reports.asp). The site has been definitely dated to the time of King David, and a massive palace-like structure was discovered on there (http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/king-david%E2%80%99s-palace-at-khirbet-qeiyafa). The archaeologists “suggested” it was a palace of David, but this is really hype…there is nothing biblically or archaeologically that suggests it was a royal structure. However, it was likely the dwelling of a local governor or commander in control of that region. An inscription found at the site seems to provide a broad summary of the Mosaic Law (worship your God, care for the widows and orphans) and also mentions obeying the king (http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-qeiyafa-ostracon-relates-the-birth-of-the-kingdom-of-israel). The point here is that an Israelite inscription from the time of David, in a settlement built to control the area where Israel and the Philistines were in conflict, mentions obeying the king. What king? The Bible says the king at the time was David. He’s not mentioned by name in the inscription, but the inscription does strongly suggest there was an Israelite monarchy at that time that did extend down to the border of the Philistines. One individual called Khirbet Qeiyafa the final “nail in the coffin” of the biblical minimalists who have tried to argue that David and Solomon are “fairy tales” and that there was no major Israelite monarchy until much later. A third illustration is the excavation at Megiddo he mentioned. What he failed to mention is that the gate at Megiddo that dates to the time of Solomon is really quite large. But more significantly it has a distinctive design (six-chambered gate) that has also been discovered at two other sites in Israel—Hazor and Gezer. The reason this is significant is that 1 Kings 9:15 says Solomon fortified Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Coincidence? The archaeological parallels match the biblical connection. I could also refer to the “house of David” inscription uncovered at Tel Dan that dates to around 850 BC (http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/the-tel-dan-inscription-the-first-historical-evidence-of-the-king-david-bible-story). The inscription comes from a stele erected by the King of Aram after defeating the kings of Israel and Judah. (An event specifically recorded in the Bible that took place at the time Jehu killed the kings of both kingdoms.) In the inscription the foreign king claims to have killed the king of the house of Israel and the king of the “house of David.” This inscription specifically identifies the leader of the dynasty of Judah as a descendant of David. Since it dates to about a century after the time of David, it provides solid evidence that David wasn’t some “myth” invented at a much later date. Again, it doesn’t tell us much about David, but it argues for the fact that he was the founder of the dynasty ruling over the southern kingdom of Judah…just like the Bible says! I could go on, but I think you can see my point. We don’t have a lot of archaeological material from that period…regarding any given city or person. But that’s not the same as saying there isn’t any evidence that supports the biblical narrative. And as more excavations take place, I believe the amount of supporting evidence will continue to grow. If you wish to discuss further, contact me via the contact link above. Mark.

[ammerman2013]

No Thank You

It seems that in these last days of the last days, the Scriptural truth that hearts will grow cold has been felt again. I have had a life crisis this year and the support that I have sought from some fellow Christians has been cold and somewhat judgmental at best. It's sad that I have often received more of a listening ear from friends who are not Christians, than from some who are. Thank God for the few, and I mean few, Christians who have been true Christians to me. The command to love our neighbor as ourselves appears to be a great suggestion, instead of one of the great commandments. The impression I have been given is twofold. First, no time nor much concern for me. Second, it should be okay for a Christian to disobey The Lord. By God's grace there goes anyone. But, as I read His truth, by Gods grace we are all commanded to love The Lord by obeying His commandments. As a life long Christian and a career pastor, I don't understand why accountability for obedience and true compassion seem to be looked down upon. It's easy to be compassionate with a homeless person at a soup kitchen or someone who isn't close. But, to be a compassionate support to someone else and be involved, that seems to be a different matter. As I have experienced over my life and see in Scripture, Christians do get hurt, deeply so. Yet, fellow Christians also say trust The Lord and He will help you. We all know that this is true. On the other hand, we are His hands, His feet, His heart to others. A huge part of hospice care is compassion and listening. What I have seen The Lord do through that is nothing short of divine and miraculous. Why is it that the church, of all folks, doesn't get that? Sad. Shallow. Empty. Scared to be involved? I am so glad that the Psalms present a warrior shepherd king, who pours out his heart to God because family and friends have turned away from him and mock him. It's a true dose of reality that the mighty apostle Paul was secure enough in his faith to talk about his spiritual struggles, his deep concerns for others, his tears over false teachers, and his goal to suffer for Christ in books like Romans, and Philippians. It is such a comfort that Jesus Himself was scared to drink of the Father's cup of wrath for the sins of every person and that He didn't want to do so, even though He did. I can just hear some from the church today, "Buck up Jesus. You're the Son of God. Get with it. David, you are a warrior, what's your problem? Paul, you, who once murdered Christians, grow up!" If that is what Christianity is, "I don't want it!" Give me the struggling David, honest Paul, and fearful Jesus. A powerful Scripture says, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15, NIV). That means that Jesus also struggled with up and down emotions, temptation, depression, sadness, self-pity and the like. Yes, He was and is FULLY human. Otherwise, He's not at all! Even Jesus said to the disciples at the Garden, twice He said it, "Can't you stay awake to support Me in My darkest hour?!" Give me this Jesus. The next verse says, Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16, NIV). In the context, this means that even the Son of God looked to the Father for grace to help in His time of need. The empathetic (not shallow and judgmental) High Priest was tempted in every way, despair, sadness, hurt, grief, yet He did not sin. Wow! Thank you Lord that You understand. May we Your children understand. So, the next time a friend comes for help with deep and dark hurts, may we be the compassionate, involved, and caring Christians who follow our Savior's example. For those who wish to do otherwise, please keep your unwanted Bible band-aids and meaningless Christian colloquialisms to yourselves. "Grief...never ends, but it changes. It's a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of love. It is the price of love." --Author Unknown The longer I walk with Jesus, the stronger His words echo in my soul, [9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love (John 15:9-10, NIV). He is worthy of nothing less.

[ammerman2013]

Transcendence and Our Reality

P.T. Forsyth said, "If within us we find nothing over us we succumb to what is around us" (1). This is an extremely profound statement. Compare this thought to our culture. Self-absorption in the forms of "I feel that," "How do you feel," teaching children that they are the purpose of the family, a college student wants to live out a video game by stealing a car, with its owner in it, hitting parked cars, ramming through a steel fence, and on go the examples. Contrast this with an 80 something year old widow, who volunteered Friday nights to work in a church with young children loving on them, teaching them the Bible and personal responsibility. Contrast this with an aging man, who always went down to the church building to make sure the heat was working 4-5 hours before the church opened for services. Or, the elderly woman, who visited, cooked and delivered meals to other elderly folks who were housebound. Or, the married couple who adopts special needs kids, and on the list goes. Why the difference in people? What is the ignition switch for these lifestyles, serving self, or serving others? It goes back to Forsyth's statement, "If within us we find nothing over us we succumb to what is around us." If there is no higher morality than ourselves, then life's motto becomes "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." If there is a higher morality, by which one points his moral compass, then "Love your neighbor as yourself" finds fertile ground within us. Either way, we are influenced by what is within us and what is above us. In the age of post-Christian society, in which God is dead, absolutes don't exist, and self rules, many folks live out Forsyth's axiom. Yet, in the midst of post-Christian society in the West, there are still those who go against the grain of society and by their lifestyles say, "God is not dead and He is not silent. He lives. And because He lives, we will live His truths." I am old enough to remember prayer in school. It was honored and revered. I don't remember people complaining and whining. I remember people bowing their heads and the teacher respectfully leading us into prayer. There were no metal detectors, police, nor drugs in school. Such things were not even thought of. We looked out for our fellow man and we respected and did not talk back to our elders. A far cry from today. Why? "If within us we find nothing over us we succumb to what is around us." To whom are you succumbing? Who are you finding over you? Only yourself? Or, far more than yourself? If you wish to talk further, mail me at the link at the top of this blog page. His blessings! 1. P.T. Forsyth, Positive Preaching and the Modern Mind, Eerdmans, 1964, page 32.

[ammerman2013]

The Love of the Father's Wrath

As I drove home from work the other day, Moody Radio had a topic they were discussing that shows the signs of our time. The liberal wing of the Presbyterian church has made a major shift. The famous hymn In Christ Alone uses the lyrics “God’s wrath was satisfied," referring to the substitutionary atonement of Jesus of Nazareth as the acceptable sacrifice for God’s wrath toward mankind for mankind’s sinfulness. The hymn committee for this wing of the Presbyterian faith dropped “God’s wrath was satisfied," because it is too unlike the God of love, in their opinion, and changed the lyrics to “God’s love was magnified," referring to that atonement. True, His love was magnified, but the purpose for the atonement of Jesus of Nazareth for our sinfulness is to appease the Father’s wrath, that we could be delivered from it and forgiven when we ask Him to forgive us for our sinfulness, our state before Him. In my devotional time, I am presently rereading the gospel of John. Two passages have caught my spiritual eye,

John 2:23-25 NIV [23] Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. [24] But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. [25] He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. and, John 3:34-36 NIV [34] For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

These are powerful passages. Our loving Creator and Redeemer (He is both for all of us regardless of whether we believe it or not) innately does not trust us. The Father’s wrath rests on us outside of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus of Nazareth. Reject it. Believe it. It’s up to you. God said it, and it is so.

The first time I talked back to my mother as a child, my father motioned to me to follow him. Into the bathroom we went. He turned on the water, told me to open my mouth, proceeded to soap up his fingers and stuck them in my mouth. He moved them all around. Then he told me not to talk back to my mother. Being the slow learner that I was, he had to repeat this exercise a few days later, but this time with the whole bar of soap. I didn’t talk back to her again. Now, dad could have said, Mark, please don’t talk back to your mother. We love you so much and don’t like it when you talk back to her. but, we love you so much. Please don’t talk back again. What good would that have done?! Instead, my father’s wrath toward my disrespect toward my mother, who brought me into this world, was THE ACT OF LOVE THAT I NEEDED! Obviously, this event from my childhood still reminds me of my day’s love for me. He cared enough to confront my sin with his wrath and applied disciplinary action, the type I needed. And here I am, some 51 years later talking about this with you as a sign of my father’s love for me. And you know what, I feel loved because of it. Dad is walking the streets of gold, enjoying the results of the appeasement of our heavenly Father’s wrath through the loving act of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus of Nazareth for my dad’s sinfulness. Removing lyrics about God’s wrath from a hymn, doesn’t change the fact that we are untrustworthy in the eyes of God and His wrath is upon us. It also doesn’t change the fact that the Father’s wrath is also an avenue of His love for us. The Father loves me so much, that He sacrificed His only Son for my sinfulness. Stick that in your theological peace pipe and smoke it for awhile! In this age of “it’s not my fault," “I am not responsible for me," “I can disobey God if I feel like it, He understands and is so loving," may we remember and apply that He KNOWS we are untrustworthy and that we ARE GUILTY of rebelling against Him. Period. True. Positive from heaven’s perspective. Folks, life is not about pleasing ourselves, doing as we please, and we are not responsible for our decisions and actions. Lord knows that I’ve made my mistakes and commit sin. May we never forget that we are part of the reason that Jesus died for the sins of us. May we always remember, that we are untrustworthy in His eyes. May we always remember and be changed by the truth that Jesus has been given everything by the Father and that divine love walks hand in hand with divine wrath. Life is not about us! Can I say that again? Yes I can and I will, life is not about us. It is about Jesus of Nazareth and our asking Him to forgive us, and to work out our salvation from divine wrath and condemnation with fear and trembling, as the apostle Paul says in Philippians 2. May we always remember, but by the grace of God coupled with His wrath, there go us to damnation. Oh, I said it, the unpopular, antiquated to many thought, “damnation."

Romans 6:21-23 NIV [21] What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! [22] But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. When my time comes and I breathe my last breath, I will see my fathers. I will thank my dad, for washing my mouth out with soap. I will adore my Heavenly Father for His not trusting me and His wrath being upon me. Why? Because His wrath, brought me to His love! If you want to talk about this, email me at rev2134x@yahoo.com.

[ammerman2013]

And there is evil because...?

Why is there evil? If God is so loving, why doesn't He stop all of the evil and injustice? Come on, kids with cancer, kids being shot, people dying because of tornadoes, on and on goes the objection list. For a primer to this blog, you may wish to read two of my previous blogs, "The Uncaused Cause" and "All is Not Relative." These are good foundations for this blog about why evil. Obviously, there has to be good, an absolute good, by which we can determine the difference between what is "good" and what is "evil." If we know something is evil, we already know that something is good. We beg the question, "If God is so good, then why doesn't He get rid of all evil?" The two aforementioned blogs are very helpful here. Anyway, would you agree that we ALL are capable of evil and that we ALL do evil deeds sometimes, think evil thoughts sometimes, and cannot say HONESTLY that we ARE good? If so, then you have already answered the question as to why God doesn't snuff out all evil. But, lets look at various reasons.... First, there is the moral absolute by which we determine the difference between good and evil. Thus, there is good, true good. Second, since WE ARE NOT GOOD IN OUR ESSENCE as shown by being and doing evil at times, if God snuffed out ALL evil, He would have to snuff out you and me too. But, He is good, as already demonstrated, and doesn't want to snuff us all out because of His being good. Third, the all good, does not directly create evil. The all good, creates the potential, the possibility for evil. So, that means the all good, namely God, created freedom of choice. In order to have real freedom of choice, there has to be two things to choose between. He put that freedom of choice in us humans. In order to be a true human, we must have freedom of choice. But there is no true human without good and evil, because there must be freedom of choice. This then means that, four, evil is a necessity in the world of freedom. If we demand that God remove all evil, we are demanding that He remove us, and that He remove freedom of choice. Without freedom of choice, we have robots and slaves. I am not a robot, and I have freely chosen to be a slave of my Divine King, Jesus Christ...but, I chose that. If He wipes out all evil, He also takes away my free choice of choosing Him over me. I don't want Him to do that and I don't want to loose free choice. Do you? Five, if God, the all good, intervened every time evil occurs, He would mess up the continuum of space, time, and freedom of choice. The ebb and flow of life would be no more. Six, because of freedom of choice, we are the ones who directly created evil and we are the ones who should work to get rid of it. God is not responsible for it. As a Christian, I believe the way to conquer evil is for one soul at a time to repent, turn away from the evil within each of us, ask The Lord to forgive us for our being evil by nature and enjoying the beauty, the wonder, the splendor, and the joy of His all good forgiveness. Then, seven, we can participate with Him to eradicate evil one soul at a time. We can roll up our spiritual and physical sleeves to be involved spreading His goodness and His conquering of the evil and injustice we see in the world: adopting orphans, comforting the dying and the diseased, helping the poor to become comfortable, giving money as well to such causes and all the other good causes that work daily against evil (I thank my pastor for refreshing this last point through a recent sermon. You can check out our church at the church link at the top of the blog site). Eight, a time is coming, when the All Good, God Almighty, WILL RID THE WORLD OF ALL EVIL. At that time, every person who hasn't repented, changed their mind about their personal evil within in them (the Bible calls this "sin") and truly hasn't asked Him to forgive them in Jesus' name, will be eradicated from the future pure and good world the All Good, God, will bring about. He will also eradicate the devil and his demons. There will no longer be any curse of evil upon existence. So, nine, there is going to be a world without evil one day. The lack of freedom of choice then will be a non-issue, because the world we live in now is the best of all possible worlds, namely, the freedom to choose between good and evil. Once the timeframe of this world has ended and all evil is eradicated, there will only be good. Read that again, there will only be good. Thus, there will no longer be the need for freedom of choice. All who will live in the world of only good, will have already chosen that world by choosing him, Jesus the King. So my friend, point number ten is up to you. You can live in a world where there is no evil. Where death, disease, famine, killer storms, evil choices that always harm in some way are no more. It's your choice, your freedom of choice. The choice goes through and is in Jesus Christ. There is no other way, no other truth, no other life. He wants you to join Him, me and countless others. It's your choice. You can eradicate evil. Will you? If you'd like to talk further about this, please email me at rev2134x@yahoo.com, and we can talk more. His blessings!

[ammerman2013]

The Keeper of the Keys

I remember when I got my first key chain and my first key. As a boy, I thought it was a rite of passage. I had a key to whatever it was. I walked taller, felt like a man. I was important, because I had a key. There is one, who is important because He is Who He is. As such he holds the two keys. He has walked amongst us before, many times. He first walked amongst us clearly seen by those who were there, seen for Who He is. Open fellowship, honesty and unfailing love were extended. Self-centeredness was given in return. He did not deserve that, but He respected their choice. Since that time, He has walked amongst us at different times and appearing in different ways. Once, He even appeared as a burning oven to seal a unilateral covenant, a forever promise. He has not forgotten the promise. He has always been true. Always just. Always fair. After a long, long time and the Silent Years, He appeared again. Quietly and openly, for those who looked to see, He appeared again. This time, to make things right and true. He came to His own, but His own received Him not. Some wanted to make Him their king. What they did not understand, is that He already was their King. Others mocked and scoffed Him. Yet, He did not waiver nor stray from why He was here. He was the only one of His kind. All alone in the world of darkness. Yet, His love and truth drew many unto Him. One by one, He brought the Light into the darkness. Through His obedience and suffering, He made things right and true. In this world of men, we believe that we know more than we do, and that each path leads to the same end of eternal bliss and forever life. What many do not see is their own blindness. The silence of their arrogance is deafening. Yet, even in the midst of the continual self-centeredness, He is here, He is at work. Most thought that He died a long time ago and has been forever forgotten. Many know that He lives and is Who He is. As such a being, He answers to no man, to no woman. He is not intimidated by the likes of anyone. As the time of life draws closer to its end, there is a new vibrancy of a great truth...the King is coming. For thousands of years, it has been but a whisper. Now, it is becoming a shout. Soon, it will be as loud as a trumpet thundering through the heavens. Yes, most still mock and scorn, lost in the darkness of their self-centeredness. But, such mockery does not thwart the truth of Him Who is Who He is. I held a key as a boy. I was important and strong over my domain. He holds the keys. There are only two of them. One for death and the other for Hades. Death and the place of the dead have held sway over mankind for thousands of years. He holds these keys. He holds sway over death and the dead. This is so, because of Who He is, not because anyone believes it to be true or does not believe it to be true. A question occurred to me while writing this, "Why doesn't the Almighty King have a key to heaven?" Simply and profoundly, because one isn't needed. Since, He lives there and there is no evil of any kind there, including death, there is no need for a key to heaven. Her gates are always open. Her inhabitants are always safe, free and living the new life, His life. The Apostle John, who didn't die at the first attempt to martyr him, was left to die on the Isle of Patmos. He saw this great King. His words are beautiful and fearful simultaneously, Revelation 1:12-18 (NIV) I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [16] In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. [17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. When we each see this awesomely wondrous, powerful and righteous King, who will we be? Will we be like John, whose end was persecution for following this King? Who fell before Him as a dead man, fearful for His life, yet lovingly touched and comforted? Or, will we stand before Him in self-centered arrogance and denial, still trying to convince ourselves that He isn't real? Will you be one of those upon whom He places His right hand and says, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades"? For those who love Him and follow Him, there is nothing to fear. Yes, He is fearful in appearance and person. But, He extends His hand to those who trust Him with their souls in a child like changing of their minds and ways from rebellion against Him to humble worship of Him. For these, there is His gentle touch, the reassurance of His love in the words, "do not be afraid, it is I." For those who choose not to follow Him, there is His appearance as written above, in all of His power and sovereignty. The sharp sword of His truth will cut to the depths of the soul. No one will wish Him away, no one will escape His wrath...for He is the Keeper of the Keys. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'd be glad to do so. Go to the contact link at the top of the blog and send me an email. His blessings!

[ammerman2013]

The Uncaused Cause

When I was a boy, I was in the countryside one night and looked up at the heavens, far from city lights. The number of stars was innumerable, as the white dotted blanket of stars filled the night sky from horizon to horizon. Years ago while living in the country upstate in a northern state, my children and I went outside to see Haley's Comet passing by. You could even see its debris field tail. For three nights we marched outside to see this awesome display of intelligence. As a boy, I looked at all those stars and said to myself, someone put all of this here. It was obvious that there is a designer. I believed then, as I do now, that that someone is the Almighty King of Glory, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When I stood in awe of the creative power of God as revealed by Haley's Comet, my spiritual jaw dropped. Now there are those who deny that intelligence created all that is and that all of the order of the universe was caused by the impersonal Big Bang theory (optimum word here is the word "theory"). They say that I am a naive fool to believe that the expanding universe was caused by an intelligent designer. My question to them is, how can you ask that question? Did non-intelligence create that cell phone you carry? Did non-intelligence create your children, whose trillions of cells renew every 7 years, all by chance, as you would say? Dr. Steven Hawkins believes the law of gravity explains the universe. Since when does a law create something out of nothing? The law of gravity "explains", is an observation by people of what is. It doesn't explain why it is there and how it got there. Yes, no human observed creation. Did you know that no human observed the Big Bang theory neither? To quote some mentors in my life, "I've yet to see a monkey paint a Rembrandt," Dr. Francis Schaeffer. "I've yet to see a tornado go into a junkyard and come out a fighter jet on the other side," Dr. Norman Geisler. My friends, it takes more faith to believe that there is not an intelligent designer behind all that is, than to believe that there is one. How do you get individual personality from two amino acids and a lightning bolt, or a rock, or a fossil? Logic and common sense demonstrate the obvious, you don't! Yet, intelligent design believers are ridiculed, mocked and scorned. But, their numbers amongst scientists grow by the day. I once read in Reader's Digest years ago, that scientists have been studying all of this for centuries, doing their best to figure it all out. They climb the mountain of creation, debating and studying, finally reaching the top of this only to discover that the theologians have been sitting there for centuries. Nothing still makes nothing. Nothing is still nothing. 0 + 0 still equals 0. The only logical, only scientific, only plausible answer to the obvious question of creation, the question of how it all got here is this, the Uncaused Cause. I do not doubt the fact that the universe is expanding outward, daily, every second. Too much evidence to deny it. Even the Bible talks about the expanding universe, God spreading out the heavens like a tent (Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 51:13; Zechariah 12:1; NIV). When the Bible opens, it does not doubt the existence of God, it states it. The other cultures of the day didn't doubt divine creation neither. They taught polytheism, the Bible teaches one God, the Trinity, the Three in One, created. The word used for "created" in Genesis 1, is the Hebrew word "to create out of nothing." In other words, God spoke it and it appeared, it was. It didn't appear on its own. Yes, there are causes. But who created God, I wondered as a child, staring at the blanket of stars? I realized then, that that was an impossibility. Otherwise, as Dr. Norman Geisler has said, you have a logical and scientific impossibility, an eternal succession of causes. But, then we must ask, who started the chain of causes? The answer is obviously logical, philosophical, and scientific, the Uncaused Cause. The Uncaused Cause has created everything out of nothing. That includes personality and morality. The Big Bang does not explain personality nor morality. If you say people created morality, I have a question for you? How did we know there is a "need" for morality? Still doubt, still wonder? Do you really want to bank your existence and eternity on a theory? I'd love to hear from you to discuss this further. Go to the Contact Link at the top of this blog page. Be blessed, He cares about you!

[ammerman2013]

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Jerusalem

[ammerman2013]

All is Not Relative

In our day and age, relativism rules. "Your entitled to your opinion" is today's mantra. What are the results of such thinking? A 17 year old and an 8th grader on trial for shooting a 13 month old in the face during a burglary. Rape, theft, mayhem, disrespect of the elderly and the helpless. The Boston bombing, accompanied by murder and mayhem. A morning after pill now available to 15 year old girls. Dad and mom can only enforce rules. Daughter doesn't have to tell them that she's taking the pill, sleeping around. Adult children are known to drop off mom and/or dad at a living facility, under the pretense that the family is going out to dinner. The adult children drive away, never to visit their parent(s) again. And people wonder why our society is falling apart...literally. To say that there are no absolutes, that everything is relative, is itself an absolute. Thus, not everything is relative. There has to be an Absolute by which we determine the difference between the relative and the absolute. Good and evil. If there is no absolute, then we are hopelessly in chaos. But, how do we determine chaos without an absolute? The first time I talked back to my mother, my dad washed my mouth out with soap. I was a slow learner...he then did it a second time. I wasn't a slow learner after that. I am old enough to remember prayer in school, those dangerous 10 Commandments, and the pledge of allegiance to the Flag. It was a time when crime was low, respect was high and you didn't talk back to your parents. I ran through the neighborhood playing with other kids. If we missed behaved, one mom called the other mom. It was an interesting welcome home! It WAS a BETTER time. Jesus was given the opportunity to bypass the hard way of obedience to His loving Father and to follow the easy way. What was the apparent easy way? To follow someone else's path...away from God. But, Jesus said to that someone else, one of His own creatures, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Even God incarnate knew the best way was the way of the Absolute, instead of the seemingly pleasing way that would bring further death and despair. Today, billions of self universes walk around, living as if it's completely logical and philosophically possible that each individual universe is correct. The obvious frailties of such thinking are a clear statement of the absurdity of such belief. Compare your way of thinking to the Scriptures below and ask yourself if your thinking aligns with God's. If not, where has your thinking brought you and where are you headed? To determine that, you automatically think in terms of there being an Absolute by which you answer those questions. That there are absolutes is so obvious. That absolutes are morally and personally based, is so obvious. This argues for one thing...God is real. If God is real, which He is, then that means we are morally responsible to Someone much bigger than us...oops! Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV) Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, [2] but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Matthew 4:4 (NIV) Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

[ammerman2013]

True Joy

What is the source of our joy? People? They can be a gift but are not as fulfilling as we may think. Things, vacations, places, hobbies? All of these can be pleasant experiences but do not ultimately satisfy the depths of our souls. The Judahites found this out. Because they put their form of worship, idols, above God, He grew tired of their taking Him for granted through their disobedience of Him. He sent various prophets to warn them that they were on thin ice with Him. All were ignored. Finally, God said enough, sent in the Babylonians, decimated Judah, killing thousands and drug a remnant of surviving Jews off to Babylon for 70 years. After that, the people learned their lesson, and God returned them to His land to worship Him alone. Yet, complacency and self-focus returned and once again, they were on thin ice with the Almighty. Read Isaiah 58, an awesome chapter that reveals our complacency toward God and how to have true joy. The long and short of this chapter is, stop going through the worship motions and remaining self-focused. Yahweh tells them to have a real life of fasting that results in changed lives of honoring the Sabbath from their hearts, family, humility, mercy and servanthood toward the poor and the oppressed. At the end of the chapter, He says, "then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 58:14 NIV). As we live in a culture that continues to decline by putting self first, even in the church world of "what can my church do for me," instead of asking "how can I serve God through this church," we loose focus of honoring God. We ought to be known for love, sincerity and caring, WITH ACTION, for God, family, the poor and the oppressed. In our electronic age of being self-focused with out latest gadgets, we must be careful to remember that Jesus majors in people, not things. Ten years ago, I became a hospice chaplain. Through this tenure with hospice, there have been many personal lessons. The ones that stand out the most are as follows: my ego as a pastor from the church world was a hindrance to serving the dying and their families, that servanthood is deeply fulfilling, and that my fulfillment only comes through Jesus and serving Him in anyway that HE calls me to. In other words, not being behind the pulpit nor leading a fellowship class or a Bible study small group are NOT important in the plans of the Almighty. Helping people die with dignity is! Walking with them through their spiritual journey as they die, is more important by far than my ego. So, the million dollar question is this, what is the Almighty touching in your life to bring you to a deeper life of joy in Him through sincerity of worship resulting in a changed life of humility and servanthood toward God, family, the poor and the oppressed? In the book of James, God says it this way, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27 NIV). How do we spend the time He has given us? Usually on ourselves, or including serving others in His Name? Do our checking accounts reflect self, or servanthood to the poor and the oppressed? Even Jesus took time to relax and unwind. But, He spent the bulk of His time serving us. Two of my heroes are unknown to you. You will not find them in Genesis to Revelations. Their names are Pat and Judy. They were part of the first church I pastored. Now, they are part of heaven. Pat grew up in the streets as an orphan. He was rough, crusty, and sensitive. Judy was Pat's opposite. She was kind, sweet and extremely Christ-like, not that Pat wasn't. Both loved Jesus. They were very poor by human standards. They were and are very rich by God's standards. They owned a coffeehouse in the small town where I served as a pastor. They served the rejected street people, mostly street kids, teens and young adults. Every Friday and Saturday night, their coffeehouse was packed with such people. Pat and Judy served donated food that he picked up from the grocery stores, coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks, a live Christian band, and most of all, love. They were known as "Mom and Pop" to the rejected ones of that town and touched more lives than anyone can count for some 20 plus years. I fell in love with Pat and Judy. As time went by, Judy became disabled to the point that she could only move around in a wheel chair and had to spend her time in a recliner. She could not stand up straight nor lay down straight anymore. She told me that they wouldn't be coming to church anymore, due to the progression of her diseases. The church building had steps at every entrance. I told Judy that I would have none of that, and that her situation about church was easy to fix. We would put a recliner in the front of the sanctuary (Judy led our children's lesson during each service as a ventriloquist) and the men of the church would carry her up the front steps into the sanctuary, wheel chair and all. There were some 18-20 steps. Judy loved Jesus and serving others too much to let her pride against being carried into church keep her away. And so, the Judy ritual began and continued for quite some time. Some 4-5 men would hang around the front of the church around the usual time that Pat and Judy arrived. We would carry her, wheel chair and all, up the steps. She would greet people, hug them, love on the kids, and worship the Almighty, along with the rest of us, as her health allowed. Pat and Judy were most grateful. The servants were being served. It was glorious and joy filled for all who participated. The "Judy March" each Sunday became a badge of honor amongst the men. A few church fossils complained about the recliner at first. When I explained why it was there, and they saw us helping Judy into church, I never heard another complaint. One day, Judy said something to me that I will never forget. She said, "Pastor Mark, if God had not crippled me, I would have never seen the people on my street. I am so glad that He crippled me!" Wow! What do you think in the presence of such beauty and Christ-like spirit? I was deeply humbled and felt totally ashamed of my complaints and wrestling matches with serving others. Judy embodied the servanthood of Jesus Christ and the joy from serving others for Him. After I moved away to another ministry, years later the phone rang. It was Pat and Judy. What a thrill to hear their voices again. But, the joy was short lived for Judy was in the hospital, dying. All the years of a body racked with pain masked the growing lung cancer. She was now beyond the point of help. Pat smoked like a chimney. Judy was the one who got the lung cancer. Four days later, this most heavenly woman of God went home to live with her Savior. I then realized that Judy knew she was about to die and called me to say goodbye, one last time. Two people. Unknown to the world, except for some people in a small, sleepy town in America. But, very known to God. Pat and Judy embodied true servanthood and true joy. Judy especially. Her smile, from ear to ear, was because she understood and lived her Lord's teaching to serve others as He did. She lived the secret of true joy. The beautiful thing about is, you and I can too!! If you have never turned away from yourself to Jesus Christ, your Servant Redeemer, and confessed your sinfulness to Him, now is the time. Allow Him to serve you again by forgiving you of your sinfulness, your rebellion against Him. Not a one of us keeps His 10 Commandments. He will forgive you completely, if you sincerely ask Him to do so. Then, God Almighty will serve you, yes you, the rest of your life, by changing you into His servant of others. My friend, it is up to you. It is true joy!