Longevity

Thinking about what matters, one pauses to contemplate the soul and the eternal values – Pete’s quotes.

Vision

My vision of heaven is grandiose, something you can see and feel as beyond the scope of this world, a glimpse of heaven is awe-inspiring. – Pete’s quotes

Genesis chapter one: God and creation

MEDITATION. I heard someone say where is God in today’s world which has gone to custard? If God was the creator, has he left us now? Is God an absent landlord?

Looking at how God created the world according to Genesis chapter one, shows God made an investment in creating the world like a caring father makes an investment in attending to his sons and daughters. Why would God change?

We need mercy

The new sins are condemned everywhere these days, the old sins are accepted increasingly, but God offers mercy for them all.

-Pete’s quotes

Humans and creatures exist side by side

MEDITATION. Genesis 1:20-31: God created the creatures of the sea and the earth, and then God created human beings in God’s likeness.

I look at this passage and see that God does not let the creatures roam and the human beings to exist by them uninvolved. I see that humans and creatures are always in relationship somehow. In this, God does not take for granted how we interact, be that creature to creature, human being to creature and human to human.

Extraordinary figures of speech

DEVOTION. Jesus’ lesson of the fig tree may be better understood as a figure of speech that teaches us something rather than give an ordinary description of life.

Following the leader

In the Bible, in the gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 16 verses 24-28, a follower of Jesus Christ is challenged to live life in such a way that when he is judged by God, he will enter into life, rather than spiritual death.

Until we meet again

May our farewells speak blessings until we meet again

Alive

I have been reflecting on the Gospel of John. The read has been enjoyable and compelling. This week, I have been reading the chapter on Lazarus and I learnt why Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. I now share my findings from the gospel itself.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, who lived in the village of Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem, in the first century. Jesus at the time was staying on the far side of the Jordan and was told that Lazarus was unwell.

Two days later, Jesus said to his disciples that Lazarus was physically dead. Jesus explained to his disciples, who were with him, that he meant that Lazarus was resting–meaning his disembodied spirit was resting in Hades, the waiting place for judgment of the dead (as David Pawson explains in “The Road to Hell”). Lazarus was not in heaven or hell. He was resting, in a waiting place for the spirits of the dead.

Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters and was going to wake Lazarus up, so his spirit would come back to his body. Lazarus would come back to life. Jesus went to Bethany and met up with Mary and Martha. Lazarus had been in a tomb four days and Jesus prayed and Lazarus came out of the tomb, alive.

Why did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead? Love. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. They would have been grateful they got their brother back and Jesus delivered on this for them.

I discovered that Jesus’ love in raising Lazarus has a much wider application as well.

Identity

So, as I was talking about in my previous post, I have been taking notes on the gospel of Mark. From what I gather, if I remember right, the gospel of Mark is about personal identity. Namely, the identity of Jesus.

Does God need us to love him?

A.I. (2001) speculates on artificial intelligence in the future and asks, does the creator need the creature to love him back?

A surreal picture

Never seen that before. Look at this. Just awe-inspiring. And so unusual. Can’t believe it. Is it true? I was touched through a Salvador Dali painting.

– Pete’s quotes

Grappling with faith

Image Journal, as well as proving helpful descriptions about the submission process (see previous post), also provided helpful descriptions of one’s relationship to faith in their submission guidelines.

All the work we publish reflects what we see as a sustained engagement with one of the western faiths—Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. That engagement can include unease, grappling, or ambivalence as well as orthodoxy…

Let me say first that they are an arts journal in which faith is involved in that. What they’re saying is an engagement with faith that is uneasy, or grappling, ambivalent, or orthodox. I find their distinctions helpful and true. One can be uneasy about faith, grapple with faith, be ambivalent, or be orthodox. And one can approach art from those perspectives. These distinctions opens one up to the question of where one stands. Which way? Is one uneasy about faith? Grapples with faith? Is ambivalent? or is orthodox? I think Image Journal don’t try to convert people to one way or another, but I think they are a journal and forum for discussion, thought and illumination about the arts and faith, although I’m not directly quoting their about page.

What happened to the second person in the godhead when Jesus (the Son of God) came to earth?

I have put on a song called “Endless” that was released in 1994 and is sung by a Christian musician named Eric Champion. The song is about God’s endless love. It got me thinking about the godhead.

As I listened, I may not know a lot about God’s love, but I got to thinking about the godhead, that I believe God is three persons in one, and are bound together by love. But I have a question.

Facing mortality?

If one struggles with identity and individuality, one may take on a persona, a performance, an image of somebody. Having shown the world an identity, one faces their mortality and starts to asks if what they believed was true. Does facing mortality make a difference to how one saw one’s self? How one believed in one’s self? Would an element of self-doubt or belief creep in, when one realizes that facing mortality can change everything one believed?

Mission and connecting to the culture

Do Christians go in and try and make converts first or listen and learn the languages and customs of cultures so they can relate the Christian message better to the culture? Or do Christians become assimilated by the culture they are trying to connect with?

Thank God for Jesus’ disciples

The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? "It is the same with you [Jesus' disciples]: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty'."(Luke 17:7-10, Good News Bible). Thank God for Jesus' disciples who brought us the true gospel. They did what they told to. They done their duty. Without their efforts there would not be the true gospel. So, with the gospel record, we can back and see what it truly is, because they delivered it to us. 

These two verses make better sense with an explanation

I find it interesting that a verse on giving is juxtaposed with a verse on not judging others. I don’t know why this would be, but a Bible scholar may have more insight into why this is the way it is, as the two verses seem contradictory. Why these seemingly two unrelated verses together? There must be an explanation, so I put both verses together in context, to arrive at a meaning, which may or may not be the original meaning, but sounds nice all the same. And it makes sense to me, despite the two verses being out of joint on the surface of things.

Here are the two verses, from the gospel of Luke, chapter six, v. 37-38.

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV)

Does it all make sense to you, in context? My guess is that it may mean this: Instead of judging others, give to others. Do quality giving, not quantity judgment. Give to those you’ve judged in some way.

Good proverbs for living

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
 when it is in your power to act.
 28
 Do not say to your neighbor,
 “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
 when you already have it with you.
 29
 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
 who lives trustfully near you.
 30
 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
 when they have done you no harm.
 31
 Do not envy the violent
 or choose any of their ways.
 32
 For the Lord detests the perverse
 but takes the upright into his confidence.
 33
 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
 but he blesses the home of the righteous.
 34
 He mocks proud mockers
 but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
 35
 The wise inherit honor,
 but fools get only shame

(Proverbs 3:27-35, New International Version)