Colossians 1:17

"And He is before all things, and
by Him all things consist."

Atomic glue. Here is an excerpt from an article describing the atom. Atoms are made up of 3 types of particles electrons , protons and neutrons . These particles have different properties. Electrons are tiny, very light particles that have a negative electrical charge (-). Protons are much larger and heavier than electrons and have the opposite charge, protons have a positive charge. Neutrons are large and heavy like protons, however neutrons have no electrical charge. Each atom is made up of a combination of these particles. It goes on to say that like charges repel and unlike charges attract and give examples of different ones. Scientists though can't seem to find the reason why these things don't crash into each other and how they stay in their respective places. The term was coined in the fifties from what I can find from researching it. So what is it? Let's look at the text. The word for consist is this, ready, sunistao sunistano sunistemi. Man am I glad we speak English. Whew! It means to set together, constitute, consist, make. It's a very particular word used to describe how all things are held in place. It alludes to a creator with a creation. God himself is holding the very fabric of time and space together. Chew on that for awhile. More importantly is the word for before. It is pro. It means before anything. "It is equivalent to saying that he was eternal - for he that had an existence before any thing was created, must be eternal." (taken from Barnes notes on the bible.) So the verse really is explaining and re-enforcing the fact that God is eternal and He created all things, and is before all things. So what's the application? What's the deep meaning here? It's simple. God is big enough to handle everything and anything. It sounds simplistic, but really it's the truth. If we are so called Christians, then why make things out to be more complicated then they need to be? God is so awe inspiring and awesome to think about, just knowing He is in control of all the big things should put our minds at ease. Oh and by the way, He's aware of all the little things to. He knows our deepest thoughts, and He knows our hardest struggles. Now if He created the universe and everything, can't He handle our issues? I think so. Dwell on this this week. Think about how Awesome God truly is and what His son did on the cross for you. Be blessed.

Bob.

Proverbs 13:15

" Good understanding giveth favour: but the

way of the transgressors is hard."

Consequences. This is what comes to mind when I read and think about this verse. It's the cause and effect principle. In life, what we do or say, carries consequences. If we do dumb things, usually we reap the poor benefits of them. If we do the right thing, usually the outcome is a.o.k. This verse, if you think abut it, really paints a pretty clear picture. The word for good here is tob.
Tob indicates that a given word, act, or circumstance contributes positively to the condition of a situation. (Vines Old testament concordance) The word for understanding is sekel sekel. It means discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense, understanding, wisdom, wise. (Strongs concordance) So if we put these together, the picture painted is one of positive understanding. Also the word favour, khane, is one that means pleasant. So here God tells us that it will be pleasant to us and in a sense, bring some peace to our lives. This is the direct opposite of the last half of the verse. The word for way is an interesting one. It is dehrek. It literally means a road, or course of life, or action. It can also mean a journey. That's what we are on, a journey. The word for transgressor is bagad. It means to deal treacherously, faithlessly or act deceitfully. Lastly is the word hard. Eythan. It can mean perpetual, constant, or even permanent. So in direct contrast to the first half of the verse, being a transgressor means a life of hardship and pain. Pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate is the path to the dark side. (Master Yoda) This was a joke, feel free to laugh. Moving on. As a Christian, I have transgressed the Lord's commands in my own personal life at times. I can attest to the hardness it brings. It causes bitterness, strife, uncertainty. All of which I can do without. God truly wants us to have a life that is abundant. See John's Gospel 10:10. Christ Himself said it. Life more abundantly. In order to have this, one of the things we need is good understanding. Wisdom and Knowledge that come from God. He is the author of them. If you don't believe me, look where man's wisdom has gotten us. Wars, hate, uncertainty. In the grand picture of life, we are going to make mistakes. We are not always going to have good understanding. We react at times to situations instead of prayer and seeking God on them. I have found that yes, they lead to a harder road. The wonderful thing about it is that God provides off ramps. Man my trip ticket has need plenty of those. The greatest one though I have ever taken advantage of is giving my life over to Him. I don't resemble a Christian at times. I don't act like one at times. Hey, I'm not perfect and neither are you! Praise be to God though for having the patience and understanding that we all need in order to survive this thing called life. If you are on one of those roads that is hard right now, can I ask, no implore you, take the next available off ramp. I've been down that road myself and it is lonely and goes nowhere. God knows what is best for us. The older I get, the more I understand that. Have a great week. Be blessed.
Bob

Luke 18:11-13

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God I thank thee,
that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of
all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift
up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner."

Ok. This is three verses so that the context may be understood. The verse that I am focused on though is thirteen. It starts, "And the publican." So let's get a quick background first. The Pharisee was a religious leader of the Jews in that day. They read the scripture and interpreted it for the people. They were thought to be close to God. The term Pharisee actually means separatist or separated ones. The were keepers of the law in scripture. Publicans of that day were tax collectors. they were despised by their own people. Usually a Jewish person that worked for Rome. They were known for being dishonest and demanding more than what was required at tax time. What is amazing about this text is this. The Pharisee thought he knew who he was, but the publican knew what he was. The pharisee said I am better than all these other people, the publican said I am a sinner. The Pharisee offered his outward good works, the publican offered nothing but himself. Amazing! This is the classic example for us to look at and say, which one am I? God looks on the heart. The inward appearance, not the outward. That alone should scare us. Jeremiah 17:9 says " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" God knows it. Are we guilty of comparing ourselves to others? Do we put sin on a step system that says one is worse than the other? In God's eyes, sin is sin. Murder, lying, adultery, etc it's all the same to Him. It is a level playing field. It separates us from Him. And for that matter the bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. So there you have it, we are all sinners. We are all equally bad. I'm not as bad as a murderer or child molester you might say. In God's economy, we all have the same sin nature and capacity for it, so you are. Whether we act upon it, is the difference. Jesus taught if you commit the sin in your heart your already guilty! So here is this publican beating his chest asking for God 's mercy. I submit to you, based on the next scripture, verse 14, this man had the right heart attitude. Jesus said that this man went to his house justified. He came before God and recognised who he was, didn't try to hide it, and asked for mercy. The best part about it is, he received it. That's the nature of God. He loves each and everyone of us equally. There is no extra love for one and not another based upon works. God loves us all unconditionally. I do submit to you that there is a special love for someone who is saved. Not more, just special because there is communion between the Creator and the creation. It's on us to accept or reject that love and mercy. All He asks is that we surrender and realize who we are in ourselves, but also who we can be in Him. This week, I challenge you to look at people through God's perspective. Have compassion for the one who murders in cold blood. Pray that they would get saved and be washed in the blood of Christ and be set free. If God can change Saul into Paul, then there's hope for everyone else. There was hope for me and I am far from perfect. I mean galactically imperfect. Thankfully though, I have the imputed righteousness of Christ and when God looks at me, He See's that, and my imperfections are gone. He See's the finished work.

Bob.

2nd Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Have you ever been asked, "How do you know the bible is true?" "How can you believe it? It's just a bunch of stories and random collection of stuff." This has got to be one of the hardest to answer questions of all time. So, what is the answer? It just is because I believe it. Now that's a good answer. NOT! I feel like it's true. Not going to work. A lot of people just believe in things or feel it is true. Does it mean they are? I could believe 2+2=56. I could feel it with every fiber of my being, yet it just is not true. Here are the facts. The bible contains 66 books, written by over 40 different authors, over a period of 1400-1800 years. The history of creation is contained within as well as the history of the Jewish nation of Israel. Also contained in it is the life of Jesus, the promised Messiah. The overall theme is man's separation from God in the garden, and having a way back to fellowship with Him through His son Jesus Christ. It is the only book in which man is condemned to hell apart from accepting the Savior Jesus Christ. And these things are just scratching the surface. The deeper things contained within would take more than a lifetime to write about! Archeology has proven historical fact time and time again. Putting a stamp of validation on people from the old and new testament and their accompanying stories. Yeah, but how do you know it's true? I take cold hard fact and historical information over the philosophies of other religions that have no historical fact. I accept that God exists. I ask Him to reveal Himself to me. Then to be honest, it all comes down to a personal encounter with Him. When you realize and experience who He is and the grace and mercy He has poured out on you, believing is the easy part. Accepting that you are a sinner and you need to change, that's the hard part. I have pondered this question this week and cannot come up with a one size fits all answer. What I do have is my life. When things looked there bleakest, and I have had no where to turn, God has made ways that would blow your mind. When things have been going relatively well to great, the peace that surpasses all understanding fills me. When I have been so empty that I have wanted to stop living, He has breathed new life into me. When I have wandered, He has been a light unto my path. The real answer is this. God is the only one who can allow you to see the truth. No book, or concrete tangible thing will do that for you. He requires faith from us, and He does the rest. When you take an honest look into the bible and study it's content, you will see a loving, merciful God who is also righteous and just. You will see someone you can always count on and will never let you down. Even when you fail, He's the hand that picks you up. When you do well, He's the encouragement to keep going. He knows everything about you, and yet He still loves you unconditionally. No answer from man will ever do to justly answer this question. It all comes down to His revealing Himself to you. If you want it, he gives it freely. Be blessed this week.
Bob.