Contemplational

Contemplational

Only a mother after a hard day of child rearing, looking at that same sleeping child in a crib could know the meaning of the word "contemplational." Only a farmer after a hard day of plowing, looking out over his growing crops can know the meaning of the word, contemplational. In every area of life, trials of a child, risk of seeds-fertilizer put in the soil- Just living can we find the attitude of contentment- contemplational. The apostle Paul, did not love jails, beatings, stoning but he said, "for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content" (Phl 4:11). This writer becomes bewildered that those who bare the name of Christ so CHEAT themselves. The believing -chosen-elected followers of Jesus, believers in God, do not envy the "happy go lucky" sinful lifestyle of their neighbors down the street. One would think that the neighbors would be envious of the contemplational life of the Christian believer.

Most unbelievers I have known have never spent 20 hours studying Christianity, the resurrection (the basis of all Christianity). No one should go through life without having studied the life of Jesus Christ, which involves the study of God's word. The claim of Christianity is God moving from invisible to visible in the life of Jesus Christ. The claim of Christianity, God putting on a tent of human flesh, Jesus preaching himself that he is the way, truth, life, door, bread, water, etc. Thirteen times in the sermon on the mount, the greatest literature ever spoken, he said, "You have heard but I say." Jesus was either the biggest hoax in the world or he was who he said he was, and, if he is who he says he is, he deserves the study and attention of every human being...Jesus, a supernatural being.

We stand in awe at the words of the Apostle Paul. Perhaps the most brilliant mere mortal to ever live. One is startled and astounded by the book of Romans. The Christian is thrilled with the knowledge that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose" (Romans 8:28). Then, we have the following verbs- predestined, conformed, justified, delivered, glorified (Romans 8:29-34).

Most young people leave the church because their faith has been based on feeling not fact. Faith is fact. Faith is a verb, action based on belief and sustained by confidence, the greatest consolation-contemplational thought process to ever enter the human mind. To think, that the creator of the universe, the world and everything in it indwells me. Why would any believer imitate or identify with an unbeliever?

Regardless of education, in spite of every short coming of life, one who is not responsible or regenerated in anything else, is always an expert in religion. It makes no difference what we think, only what God said. He does not need us, we need Him. And, if he has chosen you, if you are blessed enough to understand your salvation, you are of all the people in the world, the most fortunate.

It sometimes takes time. He tells us that he kept his disciples (John 17:6). The resurrection of Jesus brought a cataclysmic change in his disciples. Alone, knowing that they would never see one another again. All except John became martyrs of the faith....Luke hanged from an olive tree in Greece, Bartholomew skinned alive in Armenia, Mark dragged through the street in Alexandria, Egypt, Thomas killed in Madras, India (think of one man crossing the Himalayas to the most religious place on earth-carrying the gospel), Peter crucified, Paul beheaded, and from the first century until 2,000 years later, still martyrs of the faith (Hebrews 11). These were the pace setters, then we have Tyndale, burned at the stake for translating the word of God into English and even Dr. Jim Elliot, killed attempting to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador. The same word, same message, as real to us as them, how can we tolerate the wishy-washy, indifferent, tolerant, manufactured, queasy rhetoric of drums and drama, pool and pizza, masquerade party in today's religiosity culture, blind leading the blind.

In Effaces, this writer stood by the small house where John, the beloved disciple, cared for Mary the mother of Jesus. John, son of Zebedee at 17, the youngest of the disciples, at age 90, wrote his epistles, wanting to assure believers that they could know their redemption (14 times in 1 John). Some of the most beautiful words ever spoken. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 1-3).