What did Martin Luther write on this topic, the guy who started the Protestant Reformation in 1517?
“No one should use Christianity as an excuse for not wanting to hold a job or hold public office, as certain religious people do. They’re only trying to avoid serving others. But by avoiding this, they’re ignoring God’s command to love Him and to love other people…
“We should carefully consider God’s laws and Abraham’s example. Abraham didn’t concern himself only with religious matters. He was a prophet of God, but he also dealt with matters relating to the government and his own household. So we need rulers in the world, as well as in the church.”
The Protestant Revolution lifted Europe out of the superstition of the Medieval World, ushering in the Age of Science and Reason.
As Jesus commanded, Do not hide your light in a basket (Matthew 5:15).
Go forth and bring the light of Jesus into all corners of our dark culture.
I love Old Town Scottsdale. The Old Western town atmosphere of the boardwalks and small shops selling jewelry, Mexican design imports, ceramics and local Native American jewelry. And specialty vinegars, wool products, baseball gear, and old-fashioned fountain drinks.
My brother hiding behind the iconic sign.
And the Civic Center Park a short walk from the shopping area.
Both are within walking distance.
I also love walking Buddy behind our building, seeing the golfers having a great time in the sunshine with Camelback Mountain squatting in the near distance.
But my favorite place is where I walked in through the door and thought, “Wow! I’m home!”
The Scottsdale Civic Center Library.
It’s much bigger than my neighborhood library back in Maple Valley, Washington.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Scottsdale Civic Center Park
I love London and have visited twice. There’s so much history there. And you can easily take a train anywhere in the city, or to other cities in the country from London.
Covid19 canceled my planned third visit.
But there has been much political turmoil in the city the past few years and unprovoked knife attacks. I’m uncertain now that I’d want to live there.
I also love Carmel-By-The-Sea in California. This compact city not only abuts the Pacific Ocean and a beach that welcomes large flocks of pelicans, but is full of art galleries and is dog-friendly.
Yet, it takes a lot of money to live there, let alone paying the exorbitant California taxes.
Scottsdale is a nice city, but unexpected really hot in the summer (long stretches of 110+). But I do love that there aren’t clouds of insects trying to bite me when I go night swimming.
Ultimately, my home is wherever Buddy is, my best pal. Right now that’s Scottsdale, Arizona, but that could change one day.
And wherever I exist, Jesus is with me:
“I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).”
I adored Buddy’s predecessor, another Silky terrier named Buster. Buster died of kidney disease just after his ninth birthday due to eating some of the poisoned dog food from bad ingredients imported from another nation. But I also adore Buddy. I love both dogs and know they’ll always be my furever friends.
Buddy cannot make exclusive claims on my affection in eternity. But he’s top dog now.
Many churches teach “Replacement Theology,” meaning that the Christian Church, as the spiritual heir of Abraham through faith (Galatians 3:29), has replaced the Jewish nation as God’s people.
But the Apostle Paul, who was not only Jewish but excelled in the teachings of Jewish theology, clearly said this wasn’t so.
“Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them… But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you… They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear… And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.”
The true Christian Church of born again believers is referred to as “a wild olive shoot” that is grafted in. The Jewish nation are referred to as “branches” which naturally originated from the original source of spiritual nourishment: likely referring to Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish nation.
The Apostle Paul warns that Christians are not supposed to be “proud” or “arrogant” toward the Jewish people. They are the “root” of our faith, the family tree that produced the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).
The Church has not replaced the Jewish nation as God’s people; the Church has merely been “grafted” into the family of God.
God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob (Genesis 17:7). He also promised to return the scattered Jewish nation back to their land (Ezekiel 37:21) and that at Jesus’ 2nd Coming the Jewish people who have survived the Tribulation shall repent and mourn for not having recognized that He was the Messiah when He first appeared:
“And I will pour out on the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that when they look on Me, on Him Whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him…”—Zechariah 12:10
Jesus will stand in the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) when He returns. And God claimed Jerusalem as His “resting place forever (Psalm 132:14).”
And as Christians know, Christ will defeat the armies gathered against Israel to destroy it in the Last Day at the Battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:2).
God remains faithful to His covenant promises. His eyes are still toward the nation of Israel and on Jerusalem. Christ will return one day to Jerusalem; the first time He came as their suffering Messiah (Isiah 53), but the second time He will arrive as their rescuer from their enemies to reveal Himself as their redeemer.
Just like I love both Buster and Buddy, God loves His Christian children, but has not forgotten Israel, the original olive tree.
Hope you find this helpful.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Jesus warned in Matthew 24 that He will return again and there will no longer be any opportunity to accept Him as Lord. Are you willing to ask Him into your life to be your Great Shepherd and be your moral authority? Please don’t delay. Take a new path in life today by following Jesus in “the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3).”
You don’t have to clean up your life firstly. He knows that without His guidance, you’ll struggle. He’s willing to accept anyone who calls on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13), Who is Jesus Christ.
If you’re willing, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I want a new direction in my life. I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so your soul needs daily soul food—the Bible. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward as it’s easy to understand. And please ask God to guide you through His Holy Spirit as you read.
And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or get involved in legalistic teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.
(If you did pray sincerely, proof of being born again will be the beginning of the transformation of your attitudes and behavior (James 2:14), because the Holy Spirit will “lead you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”)
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Regardless of what you think about the sport of horse racing, I hope you’ll continue reading and take away what I hope will be a great encouragement to you.
In horse racing there are two main types of winners: front runners and closers.
The front runners will pop out of the gate straight to the front, remain in front throughout the entire track and cross the finish line first. The other horses may challenge the front runner but never manage to edge out to the lead position.
But there is another type of horse that runs last or near the back of the pack for most of the race. They don’t look at all like winners.
But something amazing happens during the race. When the front running horses begin to tire, the closers seemingly catch a second wind and begin to close in on the lead. The horse that looked like it was doomed to finish last or near the back of the pack begins to challenge the leader.
And, amazingly, that horse once near the back closes in and surpasses the lead horse to win the race.
If you’re a front runner, great. Keep running your race and don’t look back. Keep your eyes straight ahead toward the finish line.
But if you’re like me, feeling like you’re trotting along near the back of the pack, take heart.
You can still win your race if you don’t lose heart and give up.
And please remember: There are many races to run. The trainer and jockey agent places the horse in the race they think the horse can win.
If you cooperate and listen to Jesus, He’ll place you in the right race.
“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O’ Lord, is everlasting;”—Psalm 138:8
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).
I really had to think this through. Which computer cost the most?
Then the answer popped into my mind: my health.
My problems began when I was 16. I had to quit Track as a Junior for a month as my red blood count plummeted. My MD said to walk slowly so that I wouldn’t have a heart attack.
Yet, when I recovered, I continued Cross Country and Track.
To shorten up a decades long struggle; I spent tens of thousands of dollars seeking help. I got a little bit better so that I could function on a subpar level, but still woke up every morning feeling like heck, never feeling refreshed from sleep.
Only this year did I find a naturopath who actually listened. But his usual treatments didn’t work.
But he didn’t give up seeking a solution.
“I wonder,“ he mused aloud, “if maybe you lack the enzyme to absorb B vitamins.”
He put me on Methylfolate Plus, a B1 and B12 supplement.
And I finally started to feel better than “death warmed over”.
It took many years to finally find a doctor who thought “out of the box”. Not one other MD or naturopath or specialist considered that maybe I lacked the gene to properly absorb this vital nutrient for good health.
I’m sharing my story for those who are losing heart. Don’t! If your current MD is telling you nothing’s wrong, keep seeking for a doctor who’ll believe you.
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know that I adore Buddy—even though he sometimes acts like a brat. At times he’s being willfully disobedient—like when I’m calling him to come and he keeps on walking away and sniffing—but some of the time he’s not aware that his behavior is inappropriate. He’s dependent upon me training him to know the distinction between proper and improper behavior.
Adam and Eve sinned against God because THEY wanted to determine right and wrong for themselves, not have God define it for them. They rebelled against God’s authority over their behavior and chose to be their own moral compass.
Satan, speaking through a serpent, persuaded Eve that God had ulterior motives for His rules and she should desire to make her own decisions:
“And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will surely not die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”—Genesis 3:4-5
Eve wanted to decide what was good or evil, moral or immoral, for herself. And Adam was standing nearby listening in, not intervening to disrupt the temptation (vs 6).
Unfortunately, many modern Christians are rebelling the same way our first ancestors did.
1. Like Buddy, they don’t realize sometimes that their behavior is wrong because they are not reading the Bible regularly to know what the Triune God teaches. The Bereans verified what the Apostle Paul taught by “examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).” They wanted to be certain that he was teaching the truth.
The Bereans didn’t consult with experts or their neighbors or friends or religious leaders: They consulted God’s Word.
2. But, also like Buddy won’t heed my voice, some Christians refuse to heed and obey the Lord’s voice.
When a moral issue comes up, they form their opinions based upon the culture, media figures, newscasters, performers, and other people—instead of what God’s word says about the topic.
There are some gray areas in Scripture that are open to debate and sometimes fuel the flames of legalism, but some modern cultural dilemmas are clearly condemned in Scripture without any obscurity.
Yet Christians decide to follow the opinions of people whose minds are blinded by Satan and who do not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and moral authority (2 Corinthians 4:4). They are willfully committing the same sin as Adam and Eve. Instead of being lights in the darkness of this world, they hide their light so as not to stand out.
And Jesus clearly taught that we are NOT to do this, but to be bold in following Him as our Lord and Savior:
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the household.”—Matthew 5:15
3. Then many Christians are not wise like the Bereans to verify that what their pastors teach coincide with the Bible. Too many church leaders are more interested in numbers. Fearing to offend, they encourage conformity with a culture of people walking blindly into the pit of Hell. Rather than teaching Christians to walk by the light of the Word of God, they encourage them to rebel against it.
The Biblical Scriptures are described as the means to walk the path of life safely:
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105
Regarding following those with minds devoid of God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit, Jesus commands:
“Leave them alone; they are blind guides of blind people. And if a person who is blind guides another person who is blind, both WILL fall into a pit.”—Matthew 15:14, (emphasis mine)
Every day each one of us has a choice: Make moral decisions based upon what the Word of God teaches.
Or what prominent people in our world and culture teaches.
We all have a choice: Be light that helps dispel moral darkness.
Or walk in line with our culture, leading the people following you into a pit of rebellion.
It’s your choice.
I’ve made wrong choices in the past and the consequences suck.
Please make the right choices and help spread the light.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
God never forces anyone to follow Him. In fact, when many of His disciples grumbled because they didn’t understand what He was teaching and decided to abandon Him, Jesus let them go. He didn’t pursue them and try to persuade them to return (John 6:60-66).
It’s always best to choose Jesus as your Lord before you screw up your life. But if you have, He’ll still welcome you into His Kingdom with open arms if you’re willing to let Him be your God and moral authority.
It’s my opinion that the sooner you give your life to Jesus, acknowledging that He died for your sins and rose bodily from the grave, proving that He is God Who came in the flesh, the fewer life messes you’ll have to deal with.
You can take a chance and come later, but the future is uncertain. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.
I write these blog posts because the best thing that ever happened to me was giving my life to Jesus. I want everyone to have that hope in their lives and love that I’ve found.
If you’re ready to leave the path of darkness to follow the light of Jesus, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I’m tired of wandering in the darkness and seek Your light of Truth. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe that He is Your Son Who died for my sin and rose from the dead to prove that He came in the flesh. I give my life to You. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit to give me new life. And teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please be like the Bereans and start reading the Bible daily. Just like your body needs nourishment every day to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew and reading forward, as it’s easy to understand. And to learn for yourself what Jesus actually taught. Please ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
God bless you as you begin walking on the path lit by the love of Jesus and the truth.
Buddy’s gotten into the habit of barking at my parents’ home when he wants to be put outside into their backyard. They graciously completed the wall to ensure his safety.
But, obviously, someone else needs to respond to his strong request to open the door to meet his need.
Before raising his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed publicly to the Father: “I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around, I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”—John 11:42
If you’re born again, you can pray in the name of Jesus to the Father with full assurance that you will be heard.
Because Jesus is your intermediary before the Father’s throne in heaven.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ;”—1 Timothy 2:5 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
Pray only in the name of Jesus. He alone guarantees that the Father is listening to Him.
I realized there was a fantastic blog that I wasn’t seeing pop up on my timeline anymore. I checked my list of blogs that I follow and the blog wasn’t listed anymore, even though I would never have unfollowed.
I wonder if many of my prior followers and fellow bloggers didn’t transition over to the new Blaze platform?
Meditations About God and Buddy 