DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Suppressed Truth

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Suppressed Truth
Romans 1:18-19
 
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them."
 
The struggle between God's truth and man's "truth" has been going on since Eve rejected God's revealed truth and followed her own "truth" (or, in reality, Satan's lie). In happens on the individual level and on the cultural level. America is in the middle of this battle. God's truth is being suppressed (held back, restrained, hindered) in favor of humanism's idea of what is true. This is evident in the political realm and also in the judicial rulings of our courts. As Paul wrote in verse 25, we have "exchanged the truth of God for a lie" so that unrighteousness and immorality (as in abortion and homosexuality) are now accepted as good. It reminds me of Isaiah's lament: "Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter" (Isaiah 59:14).  Oh, God, help us for we face Your wrath because we have suppressed and forsaken Your truth.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God's wrath awaits those who reject His revealed truth.
 
Have a "truth" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Living By Faith

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Living By Faith
Romans 1:17
 
"For in it [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.' "
 
The Gospel – The Good News – is that Jesus died for our sin (I Timothy 1:15). The righteousness of God is revealed by the fact that all have sinned (violated God's righteousness) and deserve God's judgment. But Jesus took that punishment when He died on the cross, thereby satisfying God's righteous judgment. In Christ, I am not under condemnation, and I live with freedom from the bondage of sin, with peace in my heart, being reconciled to God. I accept this by faith, and live in that faith from day to day. Praise God for His grace.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The righteousness of a holy God is revealed in the Gospel of Christ.
 
Have a "living by faith" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Unashamed

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Unashamed
Romans 1:16
 
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
 
This is a premier verse in the Bible. But why am I sometimes ashamed to confess my faith in Christ before the unsaved? I can understand the Peter Syndrome. To stand for Christ when I am warming my hands by the world's fire causes me to be intimidated. I don't want to seem like a weirdo or a fool. I want to appear to be a normal, sane person – to fit in with the crowd. Paul did not care about his reputation. In fact, his attitude was, "We are fools for Christ's sake" (I Corinthians 4:10). Let the pagans think what they want. My reputation will count for nothing when I stand before Christ.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The Gospel of Christ may bring ridicule, but I need not be ashamed of my salvation.
 
Have an unashamed day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLING -- Debtor

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Debtor
Romans 1:14-15 (and 16)
 
"I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and unwise. So as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also."
 
This seems to be a strange choice of words. To be in debt is to be under an obligation or duty to someone. I don't know in what way Paul considered himself a debtor to the Gentiles. But I do know, as someone who has received God's grace, that I have an obligation and duty to spread the gospel, both to those who know (the wise) and those who don't (the unwise). As much as is in me, I want to share the gospel of God's salvation. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes ...." (verse 16).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God's people have an obligation and duty to spread the Gospel of Christ.
 
Have a debtor day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Hindered

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Hindered
Romans 1:13
 
"Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles."
 
Life doesn't always go as I had planned or desired. Things come up that are out of my control that hinder me from do what I want to do – even good things like ministry. Sometimes it may be Satan that hinders (I Thessalonians 2:18); sometimes it is God working His plan (as with Joseph); or it may be work, family, finances, or my own lack of ability. That's just the way life is, full of disappointments. The secret of contentment in life's disappointments is to keep loving Jesus  and trusting Him to do what is best. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: When things don't go as I planned, I can still trust Jesus.
 
Have a trusting day.   Love you.
 
www.thisdadsramblings.blogspot.com

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Mutual Faith

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Mutual Faith
Romans 1:12
 
"...that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith of both you and me."
 
To encourage is to put courage into. We all need encouragement – even spiritual giants like the Apostle Paul. That is why it is so important for believers to gather often to share their mutual faith. "Let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together ... but exhorting one another...." We are stronger together than alone.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: We never outgrow our need for encouragement.
 
Have an encouraging day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- The Will Of God

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – If God Wills
Romans 1:9-10
 
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way to in the will of God to come to you."
 
Paul had strong desire to visit the Believers at Rome, and was seeking a way to get there, but only "in the will of God." How often I want to do something and never ask God if it is His desire. My desires, as a servant, must always be run through the strainer that separates out what is God's desire from what is only my desire. James echoed this sifting process when he wrote, "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that' " (James 4:15I). A servant should have one overarching goal in life: to do the will of his Master.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The Believer's desire should always be subject to God's will.
 
Have a serving day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Thank God For The Church

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Thank God For The Church
Romans 1:8
 
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world."
 
At the top of Paul's list of things to write in this letter was thanksgiving for the Believers in Rome. God has his people all over the world and in every level of society. There were even Believers in Caesar's household (Philippians 4:22). I am so glad that we are not isolated believers. There are strong and faithful Christians in South America, in Africa, in Muslim countries, in communist countries, and among the native tribes of New Guinea. Their faith, love and service is to the same Lord Jesus that I serve, perhaps better. Praise God for the Body of Christ, wherever it is.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: People with faith in Christ are scattered throughout the whole world.
 
Have a thankful day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- God's Favorites

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – God's Favorites
Romans 1:7
 
"To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
 
The Greek word for "beloved" (agapatos) means those who are esteemed, dear, favorite, and worthy of love. On the one hand, we know that God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Yet it does seem that he has favorites. Yes He loves everyone, even the unsaved. But it does seem that there are some who are especially close to His heart. Of Jesus' 12 disciples, there were three (Peter, James and John) who were in the "inner circle." However, it was only John who leaned on Jesus' breast and called himself "the one whom Jesus loved" (John 21:20). I want my heart to be so close to Jesus that I can be called a favorite child, because it is on His beloved that He showers His grace and peace.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God's favorite children are those who are close to His heart.
 
Have a "beloved" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- You Also

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – You Also
Romans 1:5-6
 
"Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ."
 
When I think about the great men of God who have been used mightily in Christian ministry – like the Apostle Paul, or Luther, or Moody, or Sunday, or Graham, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that I also have received grace and ministry. Me – puny, insignificant, weak me. The Kingdom of God is not just a bunch of super-heros, but also common, ordinary people. There are no status levels of Christians. We are all "the called of Jesus Christ." All praise to Jesus!
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: All Believer, great and small, are "the called" ones to ministry.
 
Have a "you also" day. Love you.
 

FATHER'S DAY LETTER

                                                                            FATHER'S DAY LETTER
                                                                                         Time

        Just the other day I was thinking about my father, Paul Schiewek. If he was still alive, he would be 105 years old. It is hard to comprehend the passing of time. He died in 1986 at the age of 78, so he has been in heaven 27 years.
 
       Last Sunday, I and Mildred and my brother, David and his wife Juanita, went to church at the Santiam Chapel in Lyons, Oregon. That is the church that my father and mother started in 1952. On that early Summer day, they stretched a tarp in our back yard and held the first service. There were not many people there, but the church grew. Here it is, 61 years later, and the church is still in existence in a beautiful facility.
 
       There are no bridges or towns or even streets named after my father. The only lasting tributes to his existence are found in the legacy he left. Besides the church, his legacy resides in his children. It is amazing to me that all three of us children were in Christian ministry. Now that is a legacy, and it is being carried on in his great-grandchildren as they dedicate themselves to serve the Lord in churches and as missionaries.
 
      What he accomplished is lasting, not only in time on this earth, but forever in heaven. Who knows how many people will be rejoicing around Jesus' throne as a result of my father's dedication to serve the Lord? Eternity will tell. My goal is to be as successful as my father.
 
       I love you very much.    Dad (and Grandpa).

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Jesus, The God-Man

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Jesus, The God-Man
Romans 1:3b-4
 
Jesus Christ our Lord "... who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
 
This is the great theological statement that sets Christian faith apart from all other religions: Jesus Christ lived and died as human in the flesh, but was also God, proven by the fact that He rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. What an awesome thing to ponder!! It would be too marvelous to believe and would only be a myth or fable if it was not supported by the historical record. Jesus – the God-man – is alive!!
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Jesus Christ was both man – proven by His human birth and death, and God  – proven by His God-caused resurrection.
 
Have a believing day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Old Testament/New Testament

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Old Testament/New Testament
Romans 1:2-3a
 
"...which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord...."
 
Some people are "New Testament Christians" who discard the Old Testament as irrelevant because they think the Old Covenant does not apply to the New Covenant. They fail to realize that the Old Covenant was the root out of which the New Covenant grew. Paul was not such a person. The only Scriptures the early believers had was the Old Testament. They based their understanding of the Lord Jesus on the Word revealed to the prophets. The Old Testament is about Jesus. It is an old saying, "In the Old Testament the Gospel is concealed; In the New Testament the Gospel is revealed." Even Jesus "beginning at Moses and all the Prophets ... expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). All Scripture is inspired and profitable (II Timothy 3:16), and we need them all.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Jesus is the focus of the Old Testament.
 
Have an "Old Testament" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Separated FROM and TO

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Separated From and To
Romans 1:1
 
"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God."
 
The Greek word for separation (aphorizo) means to marked off by boundaries, to limit, to separate. In a negative sense, it means to exclude as disreputable. In a positive sense, it means to appoint, or set apart for some purpose. We often think of being set apart only in the negative sense – to be separate from sin, the world, and eternal judgment. But there is a positive side of separation – to God and His work, and eternal life. Paul was separated both ways. He was considered disreputable by some, but he knew he was separated to a higher calling, appointed to be a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. What a privilege to be separated to Jesus and His purpose.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: We are separated – marked off by boundaries that we belong to and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a separated day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Stupidity and Ignorance

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Stupidity and Ignorance
Jonah 4:11
 
" 'And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left – and many livestock?' "
 
The inhabitants of Nineveh were not stupid. To build a great city and be prosperous – "with many livestock" – requires intelligence. They were not stupid, but morally and spiritually they were ignorant. It matters not how smart a person is or how successful his endeavors, if he doesn't know God, he doesn't know the difference between his right and left hands. True knowledge is the knowledge of God. Pity the person who does not know God, regardless of how smart he is. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God" (Psalm 14:1).  It matters not how many Phd.s they have behind their name, people are ignorant if they ignore God.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The person who does not know God is ignorant, regardless of how intelligent and educated his is.
 
Have a "knowing" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Here and Gone

DAD'S RAMBLES – Here and Gone
Jonah 4:9-10
 
"Then God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'It is right for me to be angry, even to death!' But the LORD said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night.' "
 
Like the plant, things come and things go. They have no permanence. Nothing in this world is forever. How often I get exercised over things that have no lasting value – here today and gone tomorrow. Really, the only thing that has lasting value in this world is the souls of people. Jonah did not have that perspective. He was consumed with the here and now. We are admonished to "set your affection on things which are above, and not on things on the earth" (Coalescence 3:2). Houses will burn or be destroyed by tornados; the stock market will crash; and the roses of this life will fade. My attitude when they are gone will show where my true love is. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; Only what's done for Christ will last."
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The only lasting things of this world are spiritual.
 
Have a "lasting" day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- The East Wind

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – The East Wind

Jonah 4:8

"And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.' "

When we lived in Portland, the wind usually came from the west, from the Pacific Ocean, laden with moisture. But sometimes the wind would come down the Columbia River Gorge from the east. It was dry and hot, coming from the desert in Central Oregon.  Nineveh was located on the east bank of the Tigris River where it joined the Euphrates, and was in the Fertile Crescent. To the west was the Mediterranean Sea, and to the east was arid land. If the wind had come from the west, it would have come from the ocean and would have been more comfortable. But coming from the east, it was hot and dry. Jonah was in a dry place, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, camped on the east side of the city. No wonder Jonah wanted to die. Not only was the sun hot on his head, now it seemed God was piling it on with a hot, dry east wind. Sometimes it seems negative things just pile up. In Jonah's case, it took multiple attacks to humble him. He could have avoided all of this if he had just submitted to God.

TODAY'S THOUGHT: When things pile up on my head, maybe God is trying to get my attention.

Have a "west wind" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Living Day By Day

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Living Day By Day
Jonah 4:7
 
"And as morning dawned the next day, God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered."
 
Life happens day by day. When morning dawns, none of us knows what that day will bring. It may be the shade of a verdant plant, or it may be a withered stem. Just as God sent a storm (1:4), or the great fish (1:17), He also prepared a worm. God is God and can do whatever He pleases to accomplish His will in my life. I can blame the worm on bad luck, or the devil, or I can accept that God is in charge. That is living by faith – daily walking in whatever He sends my way to fulfill His purpose for me.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Each day brings new challenges that are God-sent to accomplish His will in my life.
 
Have a faith day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A Respite

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – The Respite
Jonah 4:6
 
"And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant."
 
Even in the midst of his depression, Jonah experience God's compassion and grace. It was a respite – a temporary escape from his misery. But it did not last long because Jonah still had a lesson to learn. Still, Jonah was grateful. I need to be thankful for the oases, even though they may be transient. There are still lessons to be learned from God's heart.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The wise person is thankful for even the occasional oasis God provides in the midst of pain.
 
Have a respite day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Living In The Shadows

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Living In The Shadows
Jonah 4:5
 
"So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city."
 
Jonah built a shelter. That seems to indicate that he intended to stay for awhile. He really did not want to get on with life. In some perverse way, it feels good to be mad at the world. So he sat down to live in the shadow of the mollygrubs, still hoping and expecting that fire and brimstone would come down to destroy Nineveh, just like Sodom and Gomorrah. How opposite of God's heart toward the repentant sinner. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27), and "Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14). This is hard to do when I am sitting in the shade and gloom of depression. God wanted to not only change the Ninevites, but also the heart of Jonah. It seems the ungodly were quicker to respond to God than the prophet. In fact, the story ends without any indication of a change in Jonah's heart. How sad that he just kept living in depression.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God wants to change our hearts, but it is hard to respond to God when we want to stay in the gloom of depression.
 
Have a sunny day. Love you.
 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- Is Anger Ever Justified?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – Is Anger Ever Justified?

Jonah 4:4

"Then the LORD said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?' "

This is an interesting question. Is it ever right to be angry? I think the crux of the issue is, "What am I angry about?" David Wilkerson [Teen Challenge] wrote a book entitled, "I'm Not Mad At God." I think it depends on the focus of my anger. I think I need to be angry (righteous indignation) at injustice, and what sin does to people, or even my own stupidity. But if my anger is against God or other people, then it is misplaced anger. I don't hear any anger or condemnation in God's question to Jonah. Rather I hear compassion and a tinge of grief. God knows that I am made of dust (Psalm 103:14). He understands that I get angry. After all, He created within me the emotion of anger for a purpose. But He also says, "Be angry and do not sin; don't let the sun go down on your wrath" (Psalm 4:4; Ephesians 4:26). So I need to be very careful about my anger, "...lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and ... many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15).

TODAY'S THOUGHT: Anger has a purpose but it needs to be focused properly.

Have a "focused" day. Love you.