Spiritual Ponderings

Why didn't God just dispense with Lucifer when he first started to sin so as to avoid all the pain and suffering caused by Lucifer since then? This is an extremely important question, yet it requires some appreciation of a much larger context in order to discover answers that make sense. One of the most important questions that must be addressed for the larger perspective is this: What is the nature of love itself? Here are additional questions that tie into grappling with this serious issue: Is love consistent no matter what happens? Or will agape love ever be willing to resort to using force if it comes under threat? Is agape love unconditional, or is it only for those who deserve it or can somehow earn it? Is it even possible for love to be earned? Here's some more relevant questions. If I do something good, like cooperating with God by blessing others with what He has given to me, do I somehow earn favor with Him? Is it possible to ingratiate myself ...

One of the functions of being a god is how we go about deciding what is true. When we insist that our experience and reason is the highest authority for determining what is truth, we make reason our god and effectively shut out objective truth that God offers us and that has real power to alter our experience and could reinterpret how we process what we believe are facts. For instance, if I learn things about my brain or my body that seems to convincingly explain why I have some malfunction, my tendency is to latch onto those explanations or 'facts' and become very resistant to questioning their validity. This can leave me trapped in a prison of my own making or of the enemy's design, and it also blocks the Spirit of God from bringing much needed hope and freedom to my soul. By clinging to a scientific explanation that seems to resonate with what I experience as the only valid way to describe my condition, say of depression or despair, I can effectively shut out God a...

Grace has been hijacked, its definition has been sabotaged to mean about the same as an indulgence. Grace means graciousness, not license to indulge in the dysfunction of sin and remain in disharmony to the principles of reality. Disharmony and distrust is sin, and we were redeemed in order that we might be cleansed of sin, not licensed to continue in it, hurting others, ourselves and God's heart. The mindset that grace is in any way an excuse to keep sinning because God was paid off by the sacrifice of His Son in our place is directly linked with the blasphemy that pits Jesus against the Father and involves appeasement or commerce in some way. Imagining that God demands payment before justice can be satisfied comes directly out of paganism which in turn originated with Satan and his notions of commerce, debts and credits. So long as our thinking about God's disposition towards sinners involves notions of debt and credit we are susceptible to perversions of the meani...

I found another set of fascinating parallel passages I want to compare. They are both written by John whom I believe was the disciple who most thoroughly grasped the big picture of what Jesus came to this earth to do. One passage is from his gospel and the other from the beginning of his first letter. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us . Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father , and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled. This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light , and in him is no darkness at...

Let me share a parable with you that just came to me this morning. Remember, it is a parable, which means it is limited in scope but contains important analogies that may apply to spiritual realities to help us connect our head with our heart a little better. I have a few vehicles sitting around my place right now. This is not the parable part but is actually real. I have several that are dead, undriveable, pretty much unfixable. And if it were not for very low prices on scrap metal at leas some of them would be gone by now. Others are being used for storage space which is cheaper than buying storage sheds. But that is beside the point. We have other vehicles also sitting around taking up space for other reasons. Some belong to someone else, one is waiting to be licensed, but that gets complicated. And several more are in various stages of useableness. That means that if possible we drive them but it seems they spend a lot of time being fixed, so much so that recently we purc...