Good or Bad?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/26/scotus.guns/index.html

Many of you may have heard that the Supreme Court ruled this week that the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution is Constitutional.

Ok, now read that sentence again before you go on.

I'm sure there was more to this than I am saying, but the basic problem I have with what happened in this case is that 4 of our 9 Supreme Court Justices thought that the 2nd Amendment should not be accepted as has always been accepted, but rather to limit it.

Well, this is non-Spiritual post two in a row today, and I'm not even going to go into a gun debate, but I'm just not sure if we should be happy that the Supreme Court upheld the 2nd Amendment, or if we should be sad that 4 of them did not!

Anyway, just a political thought...

Oh be careful...

Ok, this post really has nothing to do with me trying to get acrossa spiritual point or anything. Just that you shoul be careful what you're doing because you never know who's watching!

Google Maps has just released a "Street View." You go to www.google.com and click on maps. Type in your favorite address, and when it comes up, look for the little thumbnail for Street View. It's neat.

Click here to see the new church... hopefully

That's all for today!

Procastination

This came in my "Daily Christian Quotes" email, and I wanted to share it with everyone -

"No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquillity, and hindering our communion with God.


"If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it."


Just a thought from Alexander MacLaren...

Experientialism

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

I was in conversation a couple weeks ago about Replacement Theology. That is the idea that the Church has replaced Israel in God's ultimate plans, as opposed to a Dispensational Theology which says that God dealt with Israel, but has temporarily put them off to deal with the Church, and will return to Israel later (after the Rapture).

Well, the conversation had to do with the Reformers, and how they were big on the Replacement Theology. But, to give them some credit, they lived in a time when Israel was not a nation, and had not been a nation for a millennium and a half! It is so easy for us to see how Israel will be involved in future events, because we see them as a nation. For the Reformers, that was an unreasonable idea since Israel no longer existed - in their minds. They had to take Scriptures to mean something a little different than the plain meaning of it, in order to match their experience.

However, I wonder how much of that we are guilty of as well? How many times do we read something in the Bible and say, "Well, that can't mean that, because all of my experience, observation and reason say that it can't be that. It must mean something else..." Instead of just taking Scripture at what it says, we change it to match our experience. That puts experience above revelation... that's a no-no!

My hat goes off to those theologians that held to a literal, national Israel being dealt with in Scripture, even though there was no "possibility" of a national Israel!

Just a thought...

Quietness is Temperance

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

I'm a bit slow sometimes, so this thought may be common knowledge for most of you, but as I was thinking of training my children, I realized that teaching them to be quiet is a way of teaching them temperance. I'm not sure if any of you have ever experienced this, but did you know that if you put a bunch of kids in the room and just let them do whatever they wanted, that it would get very loud in there! By teaching them to restrain from just getting as loud as they want to be, you are at the same time teaching them temperance and self-control. On the other hand, allowing them to get as loud as they want and showing no restraint - you teach that it is OK to indulge.

I am finding more and more ways that lust plays a part in my life. lust is not limited to the common description, sexual perversions, etc., but it can be found in yelling or screaming. When we give in to what our flesh wants to do, the flesh that is contrary to the Spirit, we are indulging the same as if we indulged in other lusts.

Just a thought...

Quick Thought...

How would a Calvinist reconcile Paul's actions described in yesterday's post with their theology?

Paul did not witness publicly to certain people, because he knew that in open they would not receive it. However, Calvinist theology says that when God decides it will happen, the Holy Spirit will make that person born again, regenerate him, and he will receive the word and be saved. If Paul believed that, then why would it matter to him whether he witnessed publicly or privately. Either the Spirit was going to regenerate the recipient or not, right?

It seems that Paul was hoping to work the natural circumstances to better prepare this recipient for the gospel.

Anonymous comments are always welcome...

Just a thought...

Witnessing in Vain

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

Some would argue that when a person is ready to be saved it does not need to be a private affair, but rather they will be ready to jump out and let the whole world know. Paul demonstrates, though, that there are times that presenting the gospel to someone ought to be done in private, and not in public - not for the sake of sparing the witness's reputation, but rather to be more profitable in the opportunity.

People's pride can play a big part when being witnessed to in public. I've seen that at times when out on the street. People have to act all cool when they're around their friends. Paul brought the gospel to some of them privately, so that his time would not have been spent in vain.

Could it be that we can waste our time when witnessing to the wrong people at the wrong time? By no means am I going to give me or you an excuse for our slothfulness in witnessing, but Paul sought for a better opportunity to witness to these people, and didn't waste his time by doing it at the wrong time.

Just a thought...