Tea Cakes

Tea Cakes

A child's life is like a commercial bank, you put in and in about 10 years you have a pay-off with interest. There is no investment in the world as important as the demonstration shown to a child with love.

Ms. Ida Edgerton lived in the community in which I was reared. We called her Ms. Ida even though she had been married, married to a man who was an educated drunk. A lawyer, a graduate of the University. His early death resulted in her having enough property for economic survival...home, farm, etc. She did not have children but loved all children no matter the skin color, the economic condition of the home. We learned early that when we visited her, she always, without fail, would give you a tea cake (a small home-made cookie, which she baked) and every time, without fail, these words, “Jesus loves you.” I feel sure that there is not one person, we are now old, she is long dead, who do not remember that act of kindness. Her way of showing, what Jesus taught, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14).

We have many ways of showing love, often when it is too late. Enough expensive metal caskets are buried in the ground every year to build another San Francisco bridge. Gold metal rings are given every year as an engagement presentation, the groom to his perspective bride. How well I remember working, making payments, for my wife's engagement ring. You see, metal is only worth what it is used for. One pound of iron ore will make thousands of fish hooks, hundreds of nails or a few horse shoes. To the uninitiated, everything is obscure. Somewhere, somehow, the human mind must learn values.

Book stores, libraries, are filled with books, people smarter than me attempting to explain the complexities of the human mind. One of my cousins was the superintendent of a large Baptist orphanage. A court order, a dangerous father, abusive to his children, was ordered to take the children to the orphan home. My cousin said he had to “pry” the fingers off one child from this abusive father to whom he was holding so tightly. The child welts from the beatings of the abusive father. Christianity is not complicated, tough, often difficult to understand. If people would only hold on to God as tightly as they hold on to Satan and Satan's influences.

Satan knows the scriptures much better than you. When you become a Christian, you are a target. Satan always attacks truth. Remember, he was the most beautiful prince in Heaven, was kicked out of Heaven because he wanted the sovereignty which belongs only to God. He, like all the other angels, is a created being, but he was able to seduce 1/3 of all the angels in Heaven into the heaven-less to act as his demons against us....the chosen of God. As we find in writer C.S Lewis, “Screwtape Letters”, “They don't even know we are around.” He meant that most Christian's believing and trusting in God that they do not even know that demon forces, like unperceptive radio waves, are all around us, at constant warfare with us. God is love, and the only chance we have is the righteousness of God within us because, “Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world” (1 John 4:4) Only once in the new testament is the word used, that we WRESTLE not against flesh and blood but the powers of the air (Eph 6). Eve did not have a chance against that old serpent. Nor do we, unless we have on the whole armor of God. As with the Greek soldiers, their armor was controlled entirely by their belt. We must have the belt of truth controlling our armor, and we must stand, dug in with love and truth in warfare against evil (Eph 6:13). Don't turn your back on evil, not one inch of your back is protected. This matter of turning the other cheek sounds good for the liberal, the coward, but you will find that just as most churches, attempting warfare from air conditioned fox holes.....singing “hold the fort” when they have no redemption-resolution to hold anything. Or, singing like The Beatles, “All you need is love,” Satan and his demons will take over.

There is no more sacrifice for sin, “Jesus Paid It All.” In the old testament, behind the 7 ½ foot curtain in the tabernacle, the people knew where to find God. On the brass alter, animals were sacrificed for sin...most perfect in the herd, free of blemish. Even when the priest opened the animal, if there were an internal flaw, the next most perfect must be sacrificed. Jesus took all this “law-keeping” to the cross. We should stand in awe at what has been done for us. Yet, so lackadaisical, those who “claim” his name, even in the church house, state house, school house, your house, scarcely recognizable from those in the fun houses, the sports arenas.

Things which should appear obvious are not, the layering, because of technology-the good life, a slow conditioning (playing church) away from the almost inconceivable blessing that God has actually chosen us to spend eternity with him. Those who he could forever “brag about” that they did not yield to the tempter...chose by himself, in Christ, before the world was formed (Eph 2).

The average Christian has no “cognitive” understanding of what is going on in this world...have never looked back at history. The 1,000 promises of the Old Testament, the 2,000 promises of the New Testament, the average Christian should shiver and shake at what is happening in America, trying to be so “broad-minded,” educated, what they have voted for. I pray that God will forgive the Baptist who in locked step, have compromised politically, economically, spiritually whether the White House, liquor stores, gambling, or the leadership of their convention. Would anyone have believed that pro-life Catholics would have voted 54 percent for an anti-life political party? Black liberated baptists supporting same sex marriage? Liberal denominations placing lesbian and gay preachers in their pool picks?

When will those who believe in God recognize the power of super natural beings affecting our lives?

Two matters dominated the day of the Jew, keeping the law and looking forward to the Messiah. On this side of the cross when Jesus settled the matter we have one thing to dominate our lives. Satan must wrestle us down, hold us down, in order for him to accomplish his purpose. Are you a dug in, standing soldier in Christ's armor OR are you a puny “lazy-boy” pretender?