Perfect Math

 

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.  But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.  For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.  Psalm 1:1-6

My brother, Thom, is the math major in the family.  Before he retired he taught young people math skills for over 50 years.  When speaking the language of math Thom sometimes encounters that blank look from his brother.  My math does not enter the lofty realm of quantum physics and such.  Give me 1 + 1 = 2, and I’ll be with you to the finish; if you get much past 3 + 4, I’m (as they say) out the door! 

By contrast, the language of the Primary Psalm is math, simple enough for even me.  And it answers a question concerning “divine earthly retribution” which scholars have debated for centuries.  That question is: 

Does God really bless the good behavior of those
who honor Him, and punish the wicked?

It is tempting to read the Psalm that way and expect immediate reward and punishment.  But that would be to presume we understand all there is to know about God’s timetable.  And that would be a wrong presumption, because there are at least two Scripture passages which point-out how we must not try to put God into a box, by assigning when it is right to hand-out punishment or blessing:

1.     Time was created by God, a sufficient reason to understand why he isn’t constrained by time.  The Creator is always above and beyond the creation.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  2 Peter 3:8

2.    We cannot possibly understand the motives of, and movements in, the purposes of God. 

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:9

We can always count on God to punish the wicked and lift-up the righteous, but we must constantly remind ourselves to not assume the position of judge over God.  And we must also constantly resist the thought that we know all about what God thinks, or does.  Remember, there are some secret things[1] which God reserves to himself. 

For You Today

For now we must trust God, and look forward to the time when He reveals all to us, which he has also promised:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.  1 John 3:2

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] See Deuteronomy 29:29

Lenten Walk - Part 24

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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:  “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.  Who is like me?  Let him step forward and prove to you his power.  Let him do as I have done since ancient times when I established a people and explained its future.  Do not tremble; do not be afraid.  Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?  You are my witnesses—is there any other God?  No! There is no other Rock—not one!”  

Isaiah 44:6-8^(NLT)

Three times[2] in the book that bears Isaiah’s name Almighty God delclares that He alone is first and last.  As an echo we hear the same phrase three times[3] in John’s Revelation, the final time near the very end of Scripture:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  

Revelation 22:13^(NLT)

There are several significant attachments to this phrase, all of them so important to our theology…why and what we believe about God.  He is first and last in the sense that He is the Creator, but also sustainer.  He was before and He holds it all together, and will be there to restore His creation to glory at the end of time.  Paul gives us this synopsis:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  

Colossians 1:15-17^(NLT)

Another significance of this phrase first and last is the idea of preeminence; God was not only the first in the sense of time, but also in the matter of imporance.  As Isaiah records, God isn’t just the most important among all the gods you might hear about; Jehovah is the ONLY God.

One other thought about first and last, which sums up why we can hardly claim we comprehend the vastness of the nature and character of this unseen eternal One, is that He is before time and space, and exists above that realm in which we humans dwell.  As such, God knows the beginnings and endings of all things.  It is like our universe is one very long parade, and God has a drone’s perspective of the banners at the beginning of the parade, and the sweepers after the procession…all at the same time.

For You Today

Lent is that dark time inbetween. 

It is when we turn a corner from Jesus demonstrating his power over what He created, magnificent miracles and heartening sermons…to the shadow of a cross.  In this 40 days of wandering in the wilderness of inbetween, it is important to remember that we are within time and space.  We cannot yet comprehend what life is like above this realm…we can only imagine, as John wrote:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.  But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.  

1 John 3:2^(NLT)

This Lenten promise reminds us that He not only was first, creating and breathing life into us; God is also the last, standing ready to extend that life with Him in eternity. 

In Lent…inbetween…it is enough to know that we will know!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12

[3] Revelation 1:17, 2:8, 22:13

No More!

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Monday, December 28, 2015

VIDEO here

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  Revelation 21:4^(NLT)  

It’s most difficult to approach a new year without some looking back.  Perhaps that’s why this text is part of today’s readings – it leaves looking back in the rear view mirror!  At this point in Revelation’s prophecy everything points forward to a time when all the memories of sorrow, pain and death are just that – memories. 

There is going to come a time when what we generally picture when we use the phrase “eternal life” will be a reality – no more death, sorrow, crying or pain.

He said no more.

Frankly, I find it hard to imagine, especially at this stage of life, nearing the threshold of my eighth decade.  Yet, I think about it more, and have faith that it is true.

A question that comes on the heels of every sermon on this topic of heaven and God wiping away all tears is:  Will we remember?  And it’s a fair question as to IF we will recall every tear, heartache and loss.  Of course the answer becomes conjecture at best, and an argument from silence at worst, because Scripture, as far as I can tell, is not specific at this point.  And what God has not told us, we can only speculate.

My speculative answer is that I believe we will recall everything, which is based on John’s wipe every tear from their eyes proclamation.  After all, if you’re going to have tears, you have to remember what made you cry in the first place.

Arriving at that deduction is based on one of John’s other statements:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.   1 John 3:2^(NLT)

Now since we will be like him then, we will also remember, think and reason perfectly.  Therefore we will also understand how the perfect will of God has been fulfilled.  This is the reason for drying of eyes – we will have been introduced at that point to all the answers to all our “why’s”.  All our speculation and doubt over this life’s pain, sorrow, crying and death will melt into crystal clear understanding, and we will know as God knows.

Knowing as God knows is like finally being able to look at the tapestry from the right side.  If you have ever looked at the back side of a tapestry hanging on a wall, you only see there are threads going everywhere; not much pattern.  Flip it over, and you understand – you see the big picture, and begin to understand the artist’s heart.

Our life on earth is somewhat like that because of sin.  While we have the stamp of the Artist’s image on our hearts, it is blurred, distorted and fading.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that it won’t always be that way:

All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:12^(NLT)  

For You Today

This past year may have been a tough one; 2016 may be tougher or easier, filled with pain and heartache, or a pause in the crying and tears department. 

We never know what lies around the next corner.

But HE knows, and for those who trust in Christ, we trust that someday those tears and everything that caused them will cease; He will say NO MORE!

You chew on that out on that Rocky Road today…and have a joy-filled and blessed day!

 

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[1] Title image:  Walter Langley [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Waiting

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Devotion VIDEO here

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.    1 John 3:2^(NLT)  

Winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) was just a few days ago, which means the longest day – the summer solstice – won’t happen for six months.  But, despite the solstice positions of heavenly bodies in the universe, Christmas Eve has always been the longest day of the year for me.  It’s just that now it’s for a different reason.

As children we were all impatient; my parents, my generation, the next generation; all!  We have all asked from the back seat of the car:  Are we there yet? 

I can recall a Sunday afternoon in the 1950’s my brother Thom and I were in that back seat, and I just couldn’t wait for the driving to be done, so I could get out and play.  My Dad, longsuffering over the complaints I raised, tried to make the trip bearable.  

He said:  Close your eyes, boys. 

I said:  Why? 

He said:  Just do it, you’ll see. 

I said:  Do I have to?

It went on that way until I heard that tone….Russell Jay Brownworth!! 

When all 3 names came out that way, I knew it was time to be quiet; I’d pushed the envelope far enough!

In my snit, I never even noticed as the car played roller coaster, up-and-then-down through a dip in the road.  Dad was trying for a pleasant diversion to make the trip enjoyable; his ten year old son was doing his best to make everyone else miserable. 

I was pretty good at it!  I just don’t like waiting.

The longest wait in recorded history (for me) was always Christmas Eve.  Of course, it was the excitement of waking up to Christmas morning and family coming, a special breakfast treat, day off from school and all that; but there was also the TREE. 

Ours was usually a humble celebration; Mom and Dad didn’t mortgage the farm to overwhelm us with gifts.  However, there was a rhythm and pattern to the way we opened Christmas gifts.  Each person opened a package in turn, and we all watched and celebrated with the one who now had new socks or a new hat.  It was deliberately slow, presumably to make savoring the experience deeper, but the waiting (for me) was excruciating. 

Even the stocking-stuffers, consisting of wrapped erasers, nail-clippers or bubble gum, were opened with care.  When it was Mom’s turn she always opened hers so carefully she never tore the wrapping paper.  (To this day I think she saved what paper she could to reuse the following year).

I’m a lot older and a little less impatient these days.  I’m still not a fan of waiting, but I have learned to enjoy the trip a little more…rather than just griping about not being at the destination.

This trip we’re on – all of us – headed for eternity, has a lot of questions and back-seat wondering to it.  I try not to be impatient, but sometimes I just find myself so curious, anticipating in every nerve ending about what it will be like to see Jesus and all those loved ones who have gone before.

This is a package I want to unwrap!

For You Today

In your last minute scurrying-around with Christmas celebrations and anticipation, remember to enjoy the trip.

You chew on that out on that Rocky Road today…and have a joy-filled and blessed day!

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[1] Title image:  By Kuba Bożanowski from Warsaw, Poland (Waiting), via Wikimedia Commons

Why?

Friday, June 26, 2015

I walk in the early mornings; it’s a great way to step-up the rhythm of my heart and keep the joints lubricated.  This Tuesday’s jaunt took me to a familiar intersection where my Mom and Dad lived for a brief time. 

As I was approaching their place from a parallel road, I noticed the crepe myrtle tree-brothers.  They stand side-by-side, and are taller than the house‘s roofline.  But the sheer height of both trees wasn’t what caught my eye; it was rather the stark difference that one tree was (by comparison) puny and under-developed, while the other was robust, shouting “hello” with healthy branches, and showing off magnificent blooms.

Why?

Why one, and not the other?  Why do two plants, placed in the same home, exposed to the same nurture and opportunities turn out so differently?

Now I know there are probably some scientific answers that would include soil conditions, root disease and bugs…but I’ll leave that for the local genius horticulturalists; I just felt sorry for the puny tree.

The question still looms large in more than just tree-talk.  More than a few parents know that question turns painful when they consider two children, raised in the same home, one with magnificent results, the other tragic.

Why?

Why.....is a question with which we all grapple.  And if you can answer one round, there’s always the next set of “whys” to confront.

For instance, where did the crepe myrtles come from…and all that other stuff on planet Earth, and its moon, and the Sun, and all those other planets and stars?  How did the space between all that matter get here?  Why are there black holes in space?  Why do babies’ eyes twinkle and grab your heart like they do?

And my friend Anna’s question on Facebook™ yesterday:

I was at a stoplight this morning (in the left turn only lane). Beside me was a car with four elderly people in it. Beside that car was a young guy in a new Dodge Challenger. When the light turned, the guy floored his car, squealed his tires and moved over toward the other car as he laughed. They stopped for a moment, obviously shaken and allowing him to fly by. Why in the world does anyone think that is funny?

If you can answer that question, you can probably answer the one about Cain’s motive for killing his brother, Abel.

We are all philosophers to one degree or another, and it is the curiosity that lies within which asks that question, why! 

And the plain truth is, as much as we speculate on the answers to all the “whys” rumbling-around inside our minds and hearts, some things are just unknowable.

God created it that way:

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:9^(NLT)

And God also has assured us that someday the answers to all the “whys” we’ve ever pondered will be ours to understand:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.   1 John 3:2^(NLT)

For You Today

Got questions?

Me too, but I’m leaving some of my deepest “whys” to God’s keeping.