Reflections

I will be writing my thought(s) on the verse or verses as I go through the book "The Joshua Code: 52 Scriptures Verse Every Believer Should Know" by O.S. Hawkins.
There will be 52 posts in all. I have not determined the time frame or duration but I know I plan to do at least 1 a week.

More to come...

LOYALTY & FRIENDSHIP!

The word loyalty has immediate positive connotations for all those who hear the word. Loyalty has synonyms such as faithfulness, fidelity and devotion to name a few. For the animal lovers, your animal would be a loyal companion and apart of your family unit.

When I was in college, I had one guy in particular who without fail did not miss a bible study or if he did miss told me in advance. I was safe to assume, if I did not hear from him, he is coming. I remember having complete assurance.

That is a simple example from my life. In thinking about this word, the only verse that comes to mind initially is Proverbs 17:17.

A friend loves
at all times,
and a brother is born
for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)

A friend. A friend loves.

This word loves is ahab. It is active. This word goes deeper as it represents an action or condition in its unbroken state. The Bible says, "A friend loves at all times,..." All times does mean in prosperity and in adversity. A true friend will be there. The action of love is based on the action of the friend not the whether the times are prosperous or adverse. Then, Solomon goes on to say, "and a brother is born for adversity."

A brother. A brother is born. It does not say a brother borns or lives or loves for adversity.

This word born is yalad. It is imperfect. This is tough for the English language. If I were to best explain part b, I would say, "a brother is to show love at all times relating to a potential adverse event. However, I love my brother but not fully because my love is based upon times of trouble and [now and] until then I love you." As a brother, I am saying I love you but only to fulfill a duty that might need to be accomplished, yet is in the works. This is open, imperfect.

We live in a sin-soaked world. Adversity is going to happen.

A man of many companions
may come to ruin,
but there is a friend
who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

That same friend without conditions sticks closer than a brother. The same word for friend God uses. He called Abraham "the friend of God."

I end with the song "What A Friend I've Found"

What a friend I've found, Closer than a brother;
I have felt your touch, More intimate than lovers.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Friend Forever

What a hope I've found, More faithful than a mother;
It would break my heart, To ever lose each other.

Jesus, Friend of Sinners, Friend Forever.

WATER

This movie was nominated for several awards. Some would venture to say the Foreign Film of the Year for 2010. I find this movie to be about two stories and two worlds that collide. You have the man named Daniel, who is a native and works very hard. He even caused a riot. The director of the film saw him who he is and knew that this part will fit him perfectly.

One phrase that threads through the movie is "water is life". The crew manager tried to buy Daniel out of protesting but "water is life". Daniel and the other natives spent a year's worth income to buy a well 7 kilometers away to provide for their families. Water is life. When times were dangerous, the actors in the film wanted to leave to safety. The natives were fighting for water. An essential in life.

I can not help but to think of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. You have two people who are two worlds apart. This woman came to the well at the sixth hour to draw water. She came at a time when no one else comes to draw water.

7 A woman from Samaria came
to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
8 (For his disciples had
gone away into the city
to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said
to him, “How is it
that you, a Jew, ask for a
drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”
(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
John 4:7-9

Jesus speaks to a woman that know one else would really speak to.

10 Jesus answered her,
“If you knew the gift
of God, and who it
is that is saying to you,
‘Give me a drink,’
you would have asked him,
and he would have
given you living water.”
John 4:10

Instead of protesting and setting up a blockade for the government, you just need to ask. Jesus invites.

11 The woman said to him,
“Sir, you have nothing to
draw water with, and
the well is deep.
Where do you get that living water?
12 Are you greater than
our father Jacob? He gave us
the well and drank from it
himself, as did his sons
and his livestock.”
13 Jesus said to her,
“Everyone who drinks of this
water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks of
the water that I will give
him will never be thirsty again.
The water that I will give
him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water,
so that I will not be thirsty
or
have to come here to draw water.”
John 4:11-15

She responds naturally. She responds physically. The response denotes the verse in the beginning about Jacob drinking here and she is inquiring about another place. Jesus is not giving another place. He is giving himself.

Water is life. No, Jesus is life.

USEFUL!

The above is a picture of a new purchase from amazon.com. I bought a Roku HD Stream player. It has wifi and the primary reason to buy this is that it also has Netflix. I recently subscribed to Netflix and I found this to be useful for my room. This device may be useful for entertainment but not useful when you don't have a TV to hook it up to. Say you have a TV but no room for it or say you had a TV and a room but you moved. Your life has transitioned to a move nomadic lifestyle so things like pianos, TVs, beds, excess clothing and multiple computers do not matter anymore.

I am in transition. It was abrupt. The very thing I found useful is useless. This reminds me of the passage in Philemon 1.

10 I appeal to you
for my child,
Onesimus, whose father I became
in my imprisonment.
11 (Formerly he was
useless
to you, but now he is indeed
useful
to you and to me.) -
Philemon 1:10,11

Philemon is in a tough spot. His slave runs away, which when found could be punishable by death. He somehow makes his way to Paul while he is under house arrest and becomes a follower of the Way ("Christian", follower of Jesus Christ). This is where verse ten starts. He starts with an appeal or a plea or parakaleo. Parakaleo G3870 means to plea, to appeal, to call, to bid, to beg, to strive to appease by entreaty, and to admonish. Paul tells him that this slave was useless and is now useful.

12 I am sending him
back to you, sending
my very heart. 13
I would have been
glad to keep him
with me, in order
that he might serve
me on your behalf during
my imprisonment for the gospel,
14 but I preferred to
do nothing without your
consent in order that
your goodness might not
be by compulsion but of
your own accord.
15 For this perhaps is
why he was parted
from you for a while,
that you might have
him back forever,
16 no longer as a
slave but more than
a slave, as a
beloved brother—especially to me,
but how much more to you,
both in the flesh and in the Lord. -
Philemon 1:12-16

I love this passage. After Paul says he is useful, he sends him back as a brother, not a slave. Paul even goes as far to say in verse 15 that "...perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever." Onesimus is useful. His name means useful.

Don't useless. Be useful to the Glory of God.

The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit. -
Philemon 1:25

THANKSGIVING!

It was last year, around this time I was sitting in a rocking chair inside with a book looking out the window at the beautiful mountains of the great state of Colorado. I went to visit my Colorado family. Before we took part in eating, we had a time of worship and a devotional. I remember praying through the passage for the devotional. Exodus 15 came to the forefront of my mind.

1 "Then Moses and the people
of Israel sang this song
to the LORD, saying,
"I will sing to the LORD,
for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength
and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him."
Exodus 15:1,2

Moses is responding with joy in triumph to who God is and how God redeemed them from the hands of the Egyptians. Moses was commission to go to Pharaoh. He felt he was unable so God said bring Aaron. Aaron will speak and I will speak to you. Moses went to Pharaoh to ask to let the Israelites go worship and every time Pharaoh said "No". Until the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh's heart was hard. Actually, even after the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh realized what took place and chased after the Israelites. God is at hand. God is their strength. God brought about victory as verse 1 states. In the second verse, not is God their strength and source of joy but of salvation. Because he rescued the Israelites from destruction, they praise Him. They praise Him. Through praise, they remember the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is true that God is and will always be. Let us exalt God and remember all that he has done for your father's.

19For when the horses of Pharaoh
with his chariots and his horsemen
went into the sea, the
LORD brought back the waters
of the sea upon them,
but the people of Israel walked
on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
20Then Miriam the prophetess,
the sister of Aaron,
took a tambourine in her hand,
and all the women went out
after her with tambourines and dancing.
21And Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the LORD,
for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
Exodus 15:19-21

On Thanksgiving, remember all the things God has brought you through and remember all the people he has put into your life. The people who have spurred you on to faith and good deeds.

For those who are alone, I want you to know that God is ever present in your time of need. He is not far off, distant and apathetic.

My last bit of encouragement is verse 6 of Philippians:

do not be anxious
about anything,
but in everything
by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6

PERSONAL!

The news has been non-stop in regard to TSA rules and regulations. People have been complaining that this inspection is too personal or too invasive. They was even a report of a guy who wet himself during this process. Honestly, who is this comfortable with a complete stranger in the manner of the photo above?

To make this scene more uncomfortable, you are being set aside for security reasons.

In truth, I am not sure how I would respond to this sort of security but the outcry is clear. Too personal! It is distressing.

People need comfort. The comfort can come in the form of law or in another person. Comfort is necessary due to the stress of being personally offended even afflicted.

Paul in his second letter to the church of Corinth in chapter 7 expresses this comfort.

I am acting with great
boldness toward you;
I have great pride in you;
I am filled with comfort.
In all our
affliction, I am overflowing
with joy.
- 2 Corinthians 7:4

Overflowing with joy. When our bubbles are burst or when our personal comfort zone is infringed upon, do we respond with joy?

Paul continues to speak of the comfort that was brought to him.

He says God is the one who comforts and provided the comfort of sending Titus. Titus came with a message of longing and mourning. Essentially, the church is bearing the weight of the ministry and would love to see him again. Paul rejoices because of them and their repentance, not his affliction. Even in his affliction, he is other focused.

He speaks of godly grief and defines it.

9As it is, I rejoice,
not because you were grieved,
but because you were grieved into repenting.
For you felt a godly grief,
so that you suffered
no loss through us.
10For godly grief produces
a repentance that leads to
salvation without regret,
whereas worldly grief produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:9,10

Paul says godly grief produces a repentance (a change) that leads to salvation without regret. The word in the ESV is regret. The root word is ametameletos. It means not repentant of, unregretted. It is only used twice in the New Testament. In this passage and in Romans 11:29. This verse could be rendered. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation affording supreme joy.

Joy. Joy even amongst sorrow.

EARNED!

This past weekend TNT was showing Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot. I call those justice movies. Movies like Braveheart and Gladiator would be included as well. I have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan several times but I never grasped the final battle until now.

Throughout the movie Tom Hanks plays the captain and in the middle of the movie is rationalizing death and life of his fellow men. This is the night they were explaining the mission. A profound statement was said that the man is the mission. Captain went on to say that he better cure cancer and do something great. He said that because essentially he is risking his life for the life of another man. That was the mission.

The image above is the final scene where Captain Miller and Private James Francis Ryan meet on the battle field. Captain Miller's last words, "earn it."

For Christ also suffered once for sins,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh
but made alive in the spirit,
1 Peter 3:18

He also came to call sinners to repent. To turn from a life that will bring separation from God. To turn to Him "...the Way, the Truth, the Life."

For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16,17

We have a Samaritan woman who comes to draw water in the middle of the day. Jesus ask her to give him a drink. She is confused because his a Jew and she is not. Beyond the confusion, He tells her about her past and that a time is coming when worship will not be geographical. A time when worshipers will worship "...in spirit and in truth."

The woman leaves and tell the town to come see Jesus. The town's people response to the woman.
They said to the woman, "It is no longer
because of what you said that we believe,
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is indeed
the Savior of the world."
John 4:42

Again in John 12.

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them,
I do not judge him;
for I did not come to judge the world
but to save the world.
John 12:47

We are enemies of God because of sin. Sin separates us from God because God is holy.

He is the propitiation
for our sins, and not for
ours only
but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2

I love the word propitiation. It is not a theological term that only theologians should know. It means the wrath of God the we are suppose to receive because we have sinned against a Holy God is put upon Jesus.

In this is love, not that we have
loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins....And we have seen and testify that
the Father has sent his Son
to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:10,14

When Captain Miller said "earn it," to Private James Francis Ryan he remembered that until the day he died. The next scene in the movie shows him and his family. He was uneasy in bringing his wife, children and grand-children. A now older James Ryan cries to his wife and asked her if he was a good man. He wanted to earn it.

Jesus's last words.

I thirst.
John 19:28

It is finished.
John 19:30