Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite songwriters. He is so creative with his lyrics, but they are so open and clear that they touch a soft spot in my soul. His newest CD "Light for the Lost Boys" is wonderful. It has all of the AP nuances I've come to love with a few twists along the way. The album, much like others he has released has several themes that run throughout it. In this particular work Peterson focuses on childhood and growing up. I consider this work a sort of musical bildungsroman. In particular the album looks at the idea of a runaway child, much like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. In the songs "You'll Find Your Way", "The Ballad of Jody Baxter", "Come Back Soon", "The Voice of Jesus", "Day by Day" and "The Cornerstone", the story plays out of the young boys (and girls) who run from home looking for adventure and escape and return home to the place where they belong. This idea comes together nicely with the theme of light and darkness on the album art (which can be seen here at this link, where you may also purchase the CD: https://store.rabbitroom.com/product/light-for-the-lost-boy). Light and darkness are explored (from the side of the Light naturally) in songs like "Carry the Fire", "Come Back Soon", and "Shine Your Light On Me". The album also looks at the issue of innocent children being born stained into a world ruined by the fall in which they must grow up. Songs like "Come Back Soon", "Day by Day", a "Light for the Lost Boys" is an album for grown ups who feel like children lost in the woods, for children who feel like they're growing up too fast, and for parents who see their children running away and getting lost. The Gospel preached in Peterson's lyrics is just what the title calls it, a Light for the Lost Boys.
Now that I've finished my review and summation of this album I'll get on with my blog. The reason I decided to review this album was because of his new music video (seen here) which takes part of its lyrics from one of the verses which gave this blog its name. (Jeremiah 6:16) The music video hit me hard at the moment when the little boy is crying by the tree. I remember getting lost on the main campus of the Bible camp which I grew up going to. I was scheduled to go biking, an activity which I had been looking forward to all week. (Keep in mind that I was around 8 when this happened.) I returned to my dorm room to fetch my helmet, which my mom advised I pack and I gladly agreed, being one who has little taste for pain. However, the rest of the children going to the bike barn simply went there and got the helmets that had been provided. Since I went alone to get my helmet, I had to find my way to the bike barn alone as well. I didn't. I spent the time scheduled for bike riding crying behind a tree because I was lost. (I was right by the main building, I just couldn't find the path that went out into the woods where the bike barn was.)
Recently I was thinking, or as I like to call it "introverting", and I thought about the feeling I had while hiding behind a tree. I felt afraid because I couldn't find my way, I felt alone because I couldn't find anyone to help me, and I felt cheated because I missed out on a great activity. If I had only followed the path they showed to us I could have been enjoying myself on those rusty old bikes which now serve as parts of a contraption called the "chariot ride" (a long train of seats connected to a tractor). This feeling is the one I get when I don't know what to do next, in life, when I have a problem with a friend of mine, or when I'm just lost. I get a pit in my stomach and I begin to wonder what the point of doing anything is. I feel like sitting behind a tree and crying. But "You'll Find Your Way" provides a hope to which I cling. I have been shown the Old Paths. I know where to go and I can follow the Light to the Way Home. Though I may sit and bemoan my misfortunes I always have the option of returning to the Old Paths and running Home.
About Me
- Justus
- Hi, my name is Justus, I'm a Christian.I attended Patrick Henry College for three semesters, and I transfered to College of the Ozarks in the fall of 2013 where I graduated as an English major in 2016. I love the Lord Jesus Christ the savior of my soul. He has made me new. He leads me in the Old Path; He is the Way. I am not perfect; my Lord is sanctifying me though.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Christmastime Creedo
It's just after Christmas. I haven't been posting for months. I likely won't post again for months. I might as well post a creed. Creed: n. any system or codification of belief or of opinion. Here's my codification: Christ IS God. Whether you believe this or not won't change it; Jesus of Nazareth is God. The baffling concept of the Trinity is true, and this truth makes belief in God much easier for one like me. I couldn't believe in a God who I could understand. To me that would be foolish. If I could understand God then I probably wouldn't need Him. So I choose to believe in an unbelievable God. One Who sent His Son, Himself, and came to die cursed on a tree for the curse that he put on a disobedient race. The curse of His righteous judgement and the forgiveness of his merciful grace show a paradox which makes God all the more real to one such as me. I am a skeptic at heart, but what I believe in is the one thing I find hardest to believe. That God would die for me.
John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
Philippians 2:5-8 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Colossians 2:8-14 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit..."
Merry Christmas! God bless us every one!
~Justus
John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
Philippians 2:5-8 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Colossians 2:8-14 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit..."
Merry Christmas! God bless us every one!
~Justus
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Where from Here Part II
Where can we go from here? As a culture the West seems to be hitting a dead end. But what is a dead end but another boundary? God has set boundaries even for the ocean in His wisdom. (Proverbs 8:29) Every cultural shift has a driving ideal system. We've gone from an Enlightenment worldview, to a Romantic one, to a modern, then post-modern. All of these systems of thought initially seemed to have perks and to make sense, but have come short of what we know to be true. Right now some scholars are looking to find an alternative to the post-modern mindset, but it is unclear as to what direction we will or should go. I say: "Go back to the Old Path; go back to the Way."
There are several points which I aim to cover in this post which came across my mind during a midnight musing of mine. These are things which I see lacking in the American culture, and for those of you who want things to change, consider this a "to-do list".
- Develop strong Christian leaders in the church
- Develop a Christian community that creates without simply imitating the world with a "Christian" slant, especially in the fine arts
- Develop Christian scholarship
- Redefine beauty, truth, and hope back to their original meanings and spread these concepts
- Communicate better within the Christian culture; between church members, churches of like denomination and churches of differing denomination
- Communicate better with the world's culture (differentiate Christianity from the rest)
Our churches all have their problems. Paul recognized that, therefore he wrote more than half of the New Testament. (In order to address the problems he saw and heard about.) The apostle John also saw this and wrote three books addressing such issues. Christ even addressed seven churches and their problems in Revelation 2-3. Leaders like Paul and John already exist in our culture. They even write to get their warnings and advice out, similar to the way Paul and John did. However, many churches simply read the advice and the warnings and change nothing. First century churches would almost always address the problems pointed out to them and change. This was because of local leadership and a strong desire to grow in the local congregations. Paul mentions this in many of his letters. (Ephesians 1:15-18, 2 Corinthians 7:13-16) For that desire we need local leaders as well, not just pastors, but members of the church.
Pop culture is not evil, unless it is an evil which is popular in the culture. Yet Christians still should be different. It isn't bad that Christians have rock bands and write popular fiction novels. (I listen to and read that sort of product quite often.) What is bad is that there are hardly any Christians writing great novels like Pilgrims Progress or In His Steps, or painting "The Last Supper" or sculpting "David". Christians had always been leaders in American (and Western) culture until the late 1800s when they began to step away from culture. If we had more of a community to develop our creative members into such artists we could once again lead our culture back to Christ.
With the previous two points comes one which is sadly neglected in most churches: learning. We do learn about how (badly) Samson dealt with his Nazarite vow and also how Noah built a floating zoo, and we can still learn from these things. However, not many people know the stories of Ezra or Nehemiah. And those who do may not know about the different rebellions in the desert committed by the Israelite people before coming into the Promised Land. And these are just content focused tidbits. Even fewer know much of the symbolism God worked into the Old Testament's actual events. (Now there are many churches which teach these things, however, there are many more which do not and simply repeat the story of Moses and the burning bush without much expounding, even after you've become an adult.) Our Sunday School classes and sermons should not only motivate and convict, they should teach. And our congregations should be studying the Bible for themselves and asking questions. All of these things should help the previous tasks and the following as well.
Since the Christians pulled away from mainstream culture it has had a chance to form its own construction of what beauty, truth, hope and other concepts are. We need to reconstruct them. Beauty has a standard, both inward, and outward. Truth is definite. And Hope is tangible.
The standard of beauty is God Himself, however, we cannot reach that standard so we do the best we can. Inwardly God give instructions for beauty all throughout the Word. To act in the manner that Christ acted while He was on earth should be our goal. Outwardly (with people, art, and other miscellaneous things) beauty still finds its origin in God. When God made the world He said it was good. (Genesis 1:31) God, being Himself the standard for beauty, created beautiful things. We can see what he has made and in our own ways do our best to capture the beauty He has created.
Truth, likewise, is sustained in God and emanates from Him. Jesus even says, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life..." (John 14:6, italics mine). We know Jesus never changes, therefore we know that the Truth of truths never changes. (I'm not talking about realative truths like the age of a person, which change with time, but about truths which are more substantial.) Though a person's age may change over time, the truth is that they are one age at one time and at another time they will be another age. This truth does not change. God has clearly laid out many truths in His Word and in nature, our job is to seek them out and to pinpoint where truth lies, not simply to accept every idea we hear as "God's truth", but to verify, if possible. (Ephesians 4:14-16)
Hope is tangible. I don't mean by that that we can touch hope. I mean that we can (and as Christians always do) have hope. It is not elusive. We always have hope, we simply do not always believe it or claim it as our own. (Ephesians 1:18-19, Hebrews 6:19-20) It's hard to have faith when it comes to hope, because we do not yet have what we hope for, but that's only natural."For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees?" (Romans 8:24)
(The spreading of these concepts can be achieved through points number two, five, and six.)
The fifth and sixth points share the underlying reasoning: unity. (Ephesians 4:3, 11-13) Without intercommunication and intra-communication the church can be carried away by false doctrine. (Ephesians 4:14) And unified communication also presents a much less confusing Gospel. With all of the disagreement on secondary issues and on matters of indifference (like the color of the carpet) our Gospel can be bogged down, but it is a simple message.
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also." (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) And "...Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:31). "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." (2 Corinthians 2:17)
Let me say that this is a lot to do. (So let's get a lot of people working on it.) "Many hands make light work."
Blessings, Justus
P.S. Thanks for reading any or all of this. (I know it's a lot, I'm making up for the summer.) The next post will be shorter.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Where from Here Part I
Part I
In the most recent season of my life I've spent a lot of time asking myself and God: "Where can I go from where I am right now?" This is a question we all ask at least once. Many people answer it quickly, others stand in one spot excruciating over the question. (I tend to linger, or rather camp out.)
Where can I go from here? I have spent my entire life as a student. I love to study, it is who God made me thus. I study to expand my experience and my knowledge. I find the whole thing enjoyable. (Most people don't.) I like to write. (One reason a blog is nice to have.) Knowing all sorts of things helps me to write better. Maybe that's why God made me so curious and studious.
Right now I'm working and living at home. At first that seemed like a waste of my time. I should be studying! However, I have discovered in working that sometimes being where you never thought you would go can be an invaluable learning experience. One passage that speaks to me as I wait for answers is Psalm 37:3-7.
"Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him."
(God does answer those questions, by the way.) I haven't quite figured it out, but I know I will in due time.
-Blessings, Justus
(Psalm 37:3-7, Isaiah 30:18)
In the most recent season of my life I've spent a lot of time asking myself and God: "Where can I go from where I am right now?" This is a question we all ask at least once. Many people answer it quickly, others stand in one spot excruciating over the question. (I tend to linger, or rather camp out.)
Where can I go from here? I have spent my entire life as a student. I love to study, it is who God made me thus. I study to expand my experience and my knowledge. I find the whole thing enjoyable. (Most people don't.) I like to write. (One reason a blog is nice to have.) Knowing all sorts of things helps me to write better. Maybe that's why God made me so curious and studious.
Right now I'm working and living at home. At first that seemed like a waste of my time. I should be studying! However, I have discovered in working that sometimes being where you never thought you would go can be an invaluable learning experience. One passage that speaks to me as I wait for answers is Psalm 37:3-7.
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes."
This passage tells me to wait, not for an answer to my questions, but for God. My question doesn't really need to be answered; I just need to obey and to trust.
In waiting God blesses us. Many things can bring us away from God, but if we repent and wait for Him He will have compassion, and he will be gracious. Isaiah 30:18 speaks of God's perspective in this toward His rebellious children:
(God does answer those questions, by the way.) I haven't quite figured it out, but I know I will in due time.
-Blessings, Justus
(Psalm 37:3-7, Isaiah 30:18)
Friday, August 31, 2012
Joyful steps
In an earlier post, Taking the Oldest Path, I left 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 hanging. (I haven't forgotten.) Here I want to explore each segment in greater detail.
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “ HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” (Romans 10:15)
This truth is not easily understood. Most people would think that feet are not beautiful, but let's put it in perspective. At the time these words were penned there was no email, no Facebook, no phones, and all news was passed by person, or at least by a letter (carried by... a person). During wars (in David's time) a city might send out its young men to fight and wait for days to find out the results. The watch would wait for a messenger to come with news of the battle. A bounce in the step of the messenger could be seen from the walls of the city. Joy was evident in the very feet of the men carrying good news, whereas those with bad news also would have had a distinctive walk.
Joy changes the way others perceive you. Joy changes the way you walk. One carrying good news has a right to joy. And what better news is there than the Gospel of Life in Christ? We are to rejoice always, for we have been given eternal life; we have the Good News!
Prayer is key to having an intimate life in Christ. How can you be intimate with someone without being in communication with them? This may seem cliche, but it really isn't; it is such an important truth that I'll say it again: prayer is key to having an intimate life with Christ. I know this, yet I do not always pray, as we are told we should. However, when I get into a habit of praying, I find my steps are lighter, the joy is easier to come by.
We cannot be thankful enough. God's grace and mercy are so undeserved by us that our thankfulness is the least we could do. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Our culture makes thankfulness out to be something you only do once (maybe twice) each year. However, the Word of God transcends our culture. We are to give thanks in everything. That includes when we lose our job, our spouse, our grandfather, our health, our friends, or our favorite shirt. We are to give thanks for we are blessed. God has given us eternal life, which we cannot lose. And let's be honest, it is the least we can do. Thankfulness is an avenue which leads to a joyful life. Without gratitude to God's blessings, we are mere selfish consumers of the gifts God gives us.
God's will-- a question without any apparent answer. But we ask this question with specific results in mind. We ask for His will in our dating life or in our work life, but not in our Life. God's will for us in Christ Jesus, the Life (John 14:6), is to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. This is much more important than what school we go to or whether we have a bagel or a muffin each morning. Let us not trivialize God's will, let us follow what He has commanded.
"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you." (Philippians 3:1)
(By the way sorry about the long hiatus.)
Blessings, Justus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, John 14:6, Philippians 3:1, Romans 10:15, Romans 5:8
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “ HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” (Romans 10:15)
This truth is not easily understood. Most people would think that feet are not beautiful, but let's put it in perspective. At the time these words were penned there was no email, no Facebook, no phones, and all news was passed by person, or at least by a letter (carried by... a person). During wars (in David's time) a city might send out its young men to fight and wait for days to find out the results. The watch would wait for a messenger to come with news of the battle. A bounce in the step of the messenger could be seen from the walls of the city. Joy was evident in the very feet of the men carrying good news, whereas those with bad news also would have had a distinctive walk.
Joy changes the way others perceive you. Joy changes the way you walk. One carrying good news has a right to joy. And what better news is there than the Gospel of Life in Christ? We are to rejoice always, for we have been given eternal life; we have the Good News!
Prayer is key to having an intimate life in Christ. How can you be intimate with someone without being in communication with them? This may seem cliche, but it really isn't; it is such an important truth that I'll say it again: prayer is key to having an intimate life with Christ. I know this, yet I do not always pray, as we are told we should. However, when I get into a habit of praying, I find my steps are lighter, the joy is easier to come by.
We cannot be thankful enough. God's grace and mercy are so undeserved by us that our thankfulness is the least we could do. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Our culture makes thankfulness out to be something you only do once (maybe twice) each year. However, the Word of God transcends our culture. We are to give thanks in everything. That includes when we lose our job, our spouse, our grandfather, our health, our friends, or our favorite shirt. We are to give thanks for we are blessed. God has given us eternal life, which we cannot lose. And let's be honest, it is the least we can do. Thankfulness is an avenue which leads to a joyful life. Without gratitude to God's blessings, we are mere selfish consumers of the gifts God gives us.
God's will-- a question without any apparent answer. But we ask this question with specific results in mind. We ask for His will in our dating life or in our work life, but not in our Life. God's will for us in Christ Jesus, the Life (John 14:6), is to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. This is much more important than what school we go to or whether we have a bagel or a muffin each morning. Let us not trivialize God's will, let us follow what He has commanded.
"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you." (Philippians 3:1)
(By the way sorry about the long hiatus.)
Blessings, Justus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, John 14:6, Philippians 3:1, Romans 10:15, Romans 5:8
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Fear Not
God commands us to refrain from fear. (Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 4:18) . He has not given us a spirit of fear or of slavery leading to fear. (1 Timothy 1:7 , Romans 8:15) He protects us with His righteous right hand through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and against our enemies (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 23:4, 18) God is love. (1 John 4:7) God is strong. (Psalm 62)
For all of the above reasons and more I have no reason to fear. I shall not fear when I trust God!
Regarding love:
Love is vulnerability. (1 Corinthians 13:7, John 15:13) But perfect love doesn't leave room for fear. (1 John 4:18) I should become weak so that God may use me for others' sake, especially His. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:20-26) I will boast in God alone, for love is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
May my Love give me courage, may my courage help me love.
In love,
Justus
Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 4:18, 1 Timothy 1:7, Romans 8:15, Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 23:4, 18, 1 John 4:7, Psalm 62, 1 Corinthians 13:7, John 15:13, 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:20-26, 1 Corinthians 13:4
For all of the above reasons and more I have no reason to fear. I shall not fear when I trust God!
Regarding love:
Love is vulnerability. (1 Corinthians 13:7, John 15:13) But perfect love doesn't leave room for fear. (1 John 4:18) I should become weak so that God may use me for others' sake, especially His. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:20-26) I will boast in God alone, for love is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
May my Love give me courage, may my courage help me love.
In love,
Justus
Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 4:18, 1 Timothy 1:7, Romans 8:15, Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 23:4, 18, 1 John 4:7, Psalm 62, 1 Corinthians 13:7, John 15:13, 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:20-26, 1 Corinthians 13:4
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Taking a Walk
Amos 3:3 "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?" NASB "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" NIV
These two traanslations of Amos 3:3 are intriguing to me. They are both rhetorical questions to which the answer is "Not normally", but what implications can be drawn from this verse. (I'm going to take this out of context, but the question leads to its own answer so I'll use the question and the answer to base the rest of my musing on.)
When I said not normally, I assumed that someone would come up with an example of people walking on the same sidewalk who are going to the same place, but I guess the answer should really be "no". In reality, people don't walk together unless there is some sort of communion with each other. There would be no communion if the people didn't consent to the others' company, or if they didn't acknowledge others, so we can safely assume that the people intend on "walking together".
What about the appointment? Well as you can see the word appointment is also translated to be an agreement between the two. The appointment doesn't necesarrily have to be premeditated from days or hours before, it may be a spontaneous appointment. (Often when I go to lunch I'll make an appointment to go with a friend as I'm walking out the door.) The appointment, in a way, is like saying, "Hey, do you want to walk to lunch with me?" Now, the other way of looking at the word is the agreement, which is really the reply to the appointment, "sure, when are you going?"
All this is to say, I think that, as per my previous post, as we walk with God we need to make sure that we don't miss the appointment, and that we are agreed with Him. It is easy to blame someone for missing their appointment, but God is omnipresent, so if you're not walking with Him, you can guess who's fault it is.
Galatians 5:16-18 says, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Here I'm going to merge this post with my last. Our walk with God should be according to His Word, but we should also be walking by His Spirit. This passage says we are not under law, that is because, though we should be walking according to His Word, we are being led by the Spirit. So the parts of the Word that are the Law, which condemn our flesh, (Romans 7:6-8, 12-13) are now no longer applicable "for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace" and "He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 6:14 ,8:3b-4 ) So make an appointment with the Spirit and keep walking by Him.
Blessings, Justus
Amos 3:3, Galatians 5:16-18, Romans 6:14, Romans 7:12-13, Romans 7:6-8, Romans 8:3-4
These two traanslations of Amos 3:3 are intriguing to me. They are both rhetorical questions to which the answer is "Not normally", but what implications can be drawn from this verse. (I'm going to take this out of context, but the question leads to its own answer so I'll use the question and the answer to base the rest of my musing on.)
When I said not normally, I assumed that someone would come up with an example of people walking on the same sidewalk who are going to the same place, but I guess the answer should really be "no". In reality, people don't walk together unless there is some sort of communion with each other. There would be no communion if the people didn't consent to the others' company, or if they didn't acknowledge others, so we can safely assume that the people intend on "walking together".
What about the appointment? Well as you can see the word appointment is also translated to be an agreement between the two. The appointment doesn't necesarrily have to be premeditated from days or hours before, it may be a spontaneous appointment. (Often when I go to lunch I'll make an appointment to go with a friend as I'm walking out the door.) The appointment, in a way, is like saying, "Hey, do you want to walk to lunch with me?" Now, the other way of looking at the word is the agreement, which is really the reply to the appointment, "sure, when are you going?"
All this is to say, I think that, as per my previous post, as we walk with God we need to make sure that we don't miss the appointment, and that we are agreed with Him. It is easy to blame someone for missing their appointment, but God is omnipresent, so if you're not walking with Him, you can guess who's fault it is.
Galatians 5:16-18 says, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Here I'm going to merge this post with my last. Our walk with God should be according to His Word, but we should also be walking by His Spirit. This passage says we are not under law, that is because, though we should be walking according to His Word, we are being led by the Spirit. So the parts of the Word that are the Law, which condemn our flesh, (Romans 7:6-8, 12-13) are now no longer applicable "for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace" and "He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 6:14 ,8:3b-4 ) So make an appointment with the Spirit and keep walking by Him.
Blessings, Justus
Amos 3:3, Galatians 5:16-18, Romans 6:14, Romans 7:12-13, Romans 7:6-8, Romans 8:3-4
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