DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RETURNING TO THE PIGSTY

 RETURNING TO THE PIGSTY
II Peter 2:20-22
 
"For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it happened to them according to a true proverb: 'A dog return to his own vomit,' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.' "
 
This is a solemn warning. It is difficult for me to imagine forsaking faith in the Lord Jesus to return to the filth of this world. To give up the freedom, cleansing, and peace of my salvation is unimaginable. But people do. Why would anyone want to return to living in the pigsty after being washed? And the picture of a dog eating his own vomit is truly disgusting. Some would argue that these people have never been truly born again. But the word "knowledge" (epignosis) and "known"  (epiginosko) indicate "being fully acquainted with" -- an experiential, relationship knowledge. It would be better for them to have never been saved than to turn away. Their judgment will be even greater in the end. This gives me great pause to take care to protect my faith in the Lord Jesus because without careful attention it could happen to me. May it never be!
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: To turn from faith in Christ has dire consequences.
 
[end]
 
Have a careful day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FREEDOM

 FREEDOM
II Peter 2:19
 
"While they promise liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also is he who is brought into bondage."
 
Freedom is a dangerous thing, because in my liberty to do something lies inherently the potential of being brought into bondage to that thing. For example, I have the freedom to drink alcohol, but in that freedom is the possibility of becoming addicted to it. It is better to have the freedom to not do something than it is to be unable to abstain. I choose freedom, even if it means denying myself a pleasure that could put me into bondage.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Liberty, unchecked,  carries with it the potential for bondage and slavery.
 
[end]
 
Have a "free" day. Love you.

THANKSGIVING DAY LETTER

 

THANKSGIVING

2015

 

Today, across America, people are appropriately giving thanks. We have so much to be thankful for. Many are thankful for their family. Others for financial prosperity. Others for the freedom and security we enjoy in our nation. Still others are thankful for food on the table and a warm place to live in.
 
I am thankful for all of these things, and more.  I am truly grateful. But I keep wondering what it would be like to be one of the thousands of refugees who have been displaced, who does not have the privilege of living in a secure and free nation, who has no guarantee of a good meal, who has lost his family as many have, who has no source of income, who has no place to call "home."  
 
I ask myself, "Could I still be thankful if I lost all the material blessings I now enjoy?"
 
My mind keeps going back to the words of the Lord Jesus. His disciples were exuberantly happy, walking on air because of their successes. Jesus put things in perspective when He said, "Rejoice because your names are written in heaven."*
All the material and social thing I enjoy are wonderful, but their importance pales in comparison to the true riches that I enjoy in Christ – the promise of eternal life.
 
Yes, if everything I have and all the pleasures of life were to disappear, I would still have something to be thankful for.
 
I thank God for that.
　
Love, Dad
 
* Luke 10:20

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- EMPTY TALK

 EMPTY TALK
II Peter 2:12, 18
 
"But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption .... For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped [margin: are barely escaping] from those who live in error."
 
Peter paints a portrait of false prophets  who do not speak truth in verses 12-19. They are like wild beasts who love to prey on people who are weak and unstable in their faith (vs. 14) and who have barely escaped from the sinful lifestyle (vs. 19). They criticize and attack Biblical truth that they do not understand (vs. 12). They live a double life, pretending to be righteous, but they are privately carousers and sexually promiscuous (vss. 13-14). They are covetous, like the prophet Balaam who loved money (vss. 14b-16). They are like empty wells, speaking great swelling words, but actually empty in themselves (vs. 17-18). They preach freedom but are themselves slaves to their own depravity (vs. 19). This pictures is given so that we can be aware and identify such blowhards. This applies not only to politicians, but also preachers and anyone who tries to impress me by sounding intellectual but their speech is empty. I need to beware of them. They are doomed for destruction, and I will be destroyed if I follow them.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: False prophets speak one thing but live another.
 
[end]
 
Have a discerning day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUNESS

 THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
II Peter 2:10-11
 
"...and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries [margin: glorious ones], whereas angels, who are great in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord."
 
These are not easy verses to understand. But one thing is clear: People who are presumptuous, self-willed egotists who refuse to accept authority – even God – live according to their own lusts. They think they are accountable to no one. Their motto is: "No one is going to tell me what to do." They are antinomians, who live by their own rules, and end up living unclean lives. In their rebellion, they go places even angels fear to tread. A godly person understands and submits to God-ordained authority with humility. This is the path of righteousness.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Godly people submit to God-ordained authority which leads to pure living.
 
[end]
 
Have a humble day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SIN AND SALVATION

 SIN AND SALVATION
II Peter 2:4-9
 
"For if God did not spare the angels who sinned ... and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah ... and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes ... and delivered righteous Lot ... then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment."
 
Sin is no small matter. Peter uses the rebellious angels and the cultures of Noah and Lot to demonstrate that those who imagine that they can violate God's holiness with impunity will be punished. These ungodly people are "examples to those who afterward would live ungodly" (vs. 6:b). But Peter also gives examples of God's deliverance of those who would live godly. Noah was "a just man, a perfect man in his generations [who] walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). And Lot is called a "righteous man [who] tormented his righteous soul from day to day" when he saw their lawlessness (vs. 8). God delivered Noah and Lot, and He will deliver people today who choose to live for Him in the midst of an evil and corrupt society. Sinners will be judged, but God will deliver those who walk with Him.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God judges and punishes sinners, but saves the righteous.
 
[end]
 
Have a godly day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- FALSE PROPHETS

 
FALSE PROPHETS
II Peter 2:1-3
 
"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bringing on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber."
 
So how do I identify a false prophet? The first evidence is heresy. A false teacher does not faithfully expound God's Word, but instead panders to what people want to hear. They can build huge followings by tickling peoples' ears. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables" (II Timothy 4:3-4). Secondly, they exploit (margin: merchandise) people for their own persona gain. They appeal for money from gullible people to pad their own pockets and to support their lavish life-styles. God will judge their destructive heresies with destruction. Sadly many people follow their destructive teachings and are themselves destroyed. The lesson: Be careful who I listen to and follow.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Beware of teachers who stray from God's Word, and who are prophets for their own profit.
 
[end]
 
Have a discerning day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE

 DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE
II Peter 1:20-21
 
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private (margin: origin) interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
 
The doctrine of the divine inspiration of Scripture is a cornerstone of Christian belief. The Apostle Paul wrote that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16) – that is, it is God-breathed (theopneustos). And here, Peter said that the authors were moved by the Holy Spirit. So the breath of the Holy Spirit moved them to write God's Word. The Divine authority of the Bible is under attack as never before. A common statement by unbelievers is that "the Bible was just written by men." But the internal cohesiveness and lack of contradiction of a Book written by some 40 different authors show that the origin of the Book had to be from one Mind moving these men to write, and that Mind was God Himself. We have a "sure word of prophecy" (vs. 19, KJV) from God which can be trusted and believed.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The Bible is God's sure revelation to man.
 
[end]
 
Have a Word-centered day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

 LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
II Peter 1:19
 
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts."
 
God's Word is a light in a dark world. It is a light unto my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:104). And Jesus, the Logos (the Word), lights every man who comes into the world (John 1:9). I can't imagine how dark my life would be if I did not have Jesus and God's Word, but I can see the darkness of people who do not have Jesus in their lives, and I see the darkness of nations who have outlawed the Bible and Christianity. I am so glad that the light of the glorious gospel has shined into my heart. "For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ " (II Corinthians 4:6). May that light shine in my heart until my day dawns in heaven where there is no darkness because Jesus is the light (Revelation 22:23).
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God's Word is light in a dark world.
 
[end]
 
Have a bright day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE MAJESTY AND GLORY OF JESUS

 THE GLORY AND THE MAJESTY OF JESUS
II Peter 1:17-18
 
"For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mount."
 
Peter was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus (vs. 16).There were undoubtedly many times in the three and one half years when Peter walked with Jesus that he could have written about to illustrate the glory and honor given to Jesus – the many healings, the miracles of multiplying of the loaves and fish, raising the dead, and other times when God spoke from heaven. But one time stands out in Peter's memory above the rest when he personally saw the glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus. It was the time when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah to discuss His coming death, and He was transfigured – His appearance was changed and His clothes became glistening white (Luke 9:27-36; Matthew 17:1-8). And then came that booming voice from heaven. What a marvelous experience that must have been for Peter! It was indelibly imprinted in his memory. Although I have seen the wonderful things Jesus has done by His miracles and provision, I have never seen Him in His glory. But some day, I will see Him in all His majesty. As the song says, "We shall behold Him, We shall behold Him! Face to face in all of His glory." In the meantime, I want to see Jesus in the spirit. "Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus."
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Some day we shall behold Jesus in all His glory and majesty.
 
[end]
 
Keep looking to Jesus. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- MYTH OR TRUTH?

 THE GOSPEL – MYTH OR TRUTH?
II Peter 1:16
 
"For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."
 
How can I be sure that Gospel of the Lord Jesus – His birth, life, death and resurrection – is not just a myth? I know it is not a fable because it is based on the testimony of people who lived it, people like Matthew, John, and probably Mark. Luke's account is second-hand, but is based on the witness of people who experienced it. It is also attested to by extra-biblical literature and historical records from that time. Unlike Mormonism, which has no credible verification of its story – not in history, not in the Book of Mormon, and not in archaeology, the Gospel of the Bible is well documented and is a sure foundation for faith. I can believe it.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is well-documented by eyewitnesses and can be believed.
 
[end]
 
Have a believing day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- REMEMBER

 REMEMBER
II Peter 1:12-15

"For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off this tent, just as the Lord Jesus showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease."
 
Peter knew that he was soon going to depart this life and go to be with his Lord Jesus, and he was concerned that his followers would stay true to the faith he had delivered to them. So he wrote this letter as a continuing reminder of what he had taught them. At times, I think these Dad's Ramblings are a broken record. I just keep saying the same things over and over again. I am confident that my flock is "established in the present truth" – that their faith is strong. So, I say to myself, why keep pounding the same nail? Peter's letter is an encouragement to me to keep reminding my flock of God's truth lest they stray. I don't want to be negligent to the task God has given me. And I hope that after I depart, I will have left a lasting reminder of the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for the generations that follow.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Reminding the flock of the truth of the Gospel is the duty of the shepherd.
 
[end]
 
Have a remembering day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- AN ABUNDANT ENTRANCE

 AN ABUNDANT ENTRANCE
II Peter 1:10-11
 
"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
There's that word "diligent" again (see vs. 5). Getting to heaven is the most important thing a person can do, but it takes effort, focus, commitment and persistence to live godly in this present world. Nothing in this world is worth stumbling over and causing me to miss heaven. And I don't want to slide into heaven by the seat of my pants. I look forward to an "abundant entrance" with bands playing and choirs singing when I walk through the gate. "Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face, there to sing forever of His saving grace.
On the streets of glory, let me lift my voice. Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice." I can be sure of my  calling and election as long as I am diligent.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Getting to heaven requires diligent living in this world.
 
[end]
 
Have a diligent day.  Love you.

CORRECTION: NEARSIGHTED

OOPS!  I really do know how to spell!!! 

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- NEARIGHTED

 NEARSIGHTED
II Peter 1:9
 
"For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins."
 
A shortsighted or nearsighted person does not see the whole picture clearly. He can look in the mirror and not see the dirt on his face. He thinks he is okay, while others see his need to scrub with soap and water. To think that I am all I need to be and not see my own faults is to be blind. May I never forget that I was a filthy sinner who has been washed with His precious blood, and that I continue to need His cleansing. Lord, heal my eyes so that I can see the areas where I need Your work in my life to develop virtue, self-control, patience, godliness, kindness, and love so that I will not be barren nor unfruitful. I want to be all that You intend me to be.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: A nearsighted or blind person does not see his own faults.
 
[end]
 
Have a good-vision day. Love you.

FRUITFUL LIVES

 FRUITFUL LIVES
II Peter 1:8
 
"For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
 
The list of character traits Peter wrote about (vss. 5-7) resembles the list of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul identified, such as love, longsuffering or perseverance, self-control, goodness or virtue, and kindness (Galatians 5:22-23), and that fruit is a result of relationship with the Lord Jesus. Jesus said that to bear fruit, I have to abide in Him. Otherwise the branch withers (John 10:4-6). My relationship with the Lord Jesus is the key to bearing fruit. (The knowledge of our Lord Jesus is heart-knowledge (epignosis) as opposed to head knowledge (eido).) From my limited agricultural experience, I know that my fruit trees have to be nourished by watering, fertilizing, and pruning or they will die and produce no fruit. Every year, I clean out the dead branches in my citrus trees that do not bear fruit. They die because the sap quits flowing to the limb. My relationship with the Lord Jesus has to be nourished so the sap keeps flowing. I do not want to be barren and unfruitful.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: The secret of a fruitful life is continuing relationship with the Lord Jesus.
 
[end]
 
Have a fruitful day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A PORTRAIT OF GODLINESS

 A PORTRAIT OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY
II Peter 1:5-7
 
"But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self control, to self control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brother kindness love."

These character traits are a picture of the Lord Jesus that God wants to add to my life. Faith in the Christ is the starting point of the Christian life, but it is not the end. The goal is spiritual maturity – to reflect the life of Jesus. Spiritual maturity – virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brother kindness, and love – does not just happen. It is the result of diligent effort. The word "diligent" carries the thought of earnestness. It is purposefully choosing to add these things to my life. It is like an artist painting a portrait. He begins with a sketch, but then purposefully adds color, dimension, and personality to his work to complete the finished picture. God is at work to complete my portrait because I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), but I am involved in the painting process. The portrait is not finished yet; the artist is still at work. I earnestly want to add these character traits to my portrait to reflect the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Godly character is the result of purposeful choice and takes effort.
 
[end]
 
Have a diligent day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLIGS -- LIVING GODLY

 LIVING GODLY
II Peter 1:4
 
"By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through them you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption (margin: depravity) that is in the world through lust."
 
Wow!! What a great and precious promise!!! As a child of God, born of God, I don't have to live on the depraved level of this world. I can live above it because of the precious promises that God has given to me. I am not God, but I partake of His divine nature because His seed was implanted in me when I was born again by His Spirit. In Peter's first letter, he wrote that we have been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed through the word of God (I Peter 1:23). John picked up this theme when he said that we can live above sin because of the seed of God that remains or dwells in us (I John 3:9). Through that seed, God's divine power has given me everything I need live to live godly in this world (II Peter 1:3).   I am not powerless against the lusts of this world. Sin does not have dominion over me (Romans 6:14). I can live a life of purity. Praise the Lord!!!
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: God has given His children His divine nature so that they can live above the depravity of this world.
 
[end]
 
Have a godly day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- REAL LIFE

 REAL LIFE
I Peter 1:3-4
 
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue."
 
This is a reminder that real life is not the abundance of material things but of spiritual blessings. Jesus said, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). I can have all the toys in the world, but if I don't have grace and peace, godliness, glory, and virtue, then life is empty. Knowing God – not just the intellectual knowing about God, but the heart knowledge of a personal relationship with Him – is the well-spring from which flows true life, real life. Now that's living!!!!
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Real life flows from knowing God personally.
 
[end]
 
Have a day of spiritual blessings. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LEVEL GROUND

 LEVEL GROUND
II Peter 1:1
 
"Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
Peter, who walked and talked with Jesus during His earthly ministry and was a leader in the Church, could rightly claim his status as a bondservant and an apostle of Christ. Yet when it came to his faith, he acknowledged that he and his readers were all on the same level. They had all received as a gift the same precious faith – "faith of the same value" (margin). In the Body of Christ, we all have our roles to play, but we are all on the same level – saved by the grace of God through our common faith. There are no "super-Christians" in the Kingdom. As the old saying goes, "The ground is level at the foot of the cross."
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: There is no hierarchy in Christ's Kingdom; we are all on the same level through our faith in Christ.
 
[end]
 
Have a "precious faith" day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- LIFE AFTER FAILURE

 LIFE AFTER FAILURE
I Peter 5:13-14
 
"She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greet you; and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen."
 
John Mark had a long history in the early Church. As a young person, he was a follower of the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry. His mother was one of the Marys. He was there when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, and he fled naked when the soldiers apprehended him (Mark 15:51-52). His mother's home was the place Peter sought sanctuary after the angel released him from prison (Acts 12:12). He was a protégé of Paul on a missionary journey, but Paul rejected him after he abandoned Paul in Pamphylia. So Barnabas took him under his wing and restored him to ministry (Acts 15:39-40). He became such a vital part of the Church that he penned a Gospel account of Jesus' ministry. Now he is in the company of Peter, and Peter considers him his "son."  Peter understood restoration because he experienced Jesus' grace after his own failure when he denied the Lord Jesus.  This is such an encouragement to me. There is life after failure. Failure is not the end of the road. God can use people even when they blow it. But it helps to understand God's grace, and to have people who believe in me even when I am not all that I should be.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Failure is shattering, but it is not the end of the road when there are people to help pick up the broken pieces.
 
[end]
 
Have a successful day. Love you.

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- CONSIDERED FAITHFUL

 CONSIDERED FAITHFUL
I Peter 5:12
 
"By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this the true grace of God in which you stand."
 
Faithful!! I can't think of a better word of praise that a person can receive. What will people say of me when I am dead and gone? Will they say, "He was smart, brave, resourceful, and organized"? I doubt it. Anyway, they would be lying. I hope they can say I was faithful. As the song says, "May all who come behind us find us faithful." And what about when I stand before Jesus? He does not call me to be smart, brave, etc. He calls me to be "faithful until death" (Revelation 2:10:c). I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful in a few things....Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matthew 25:25).  I may not have a lot of talent, but  I do want to be considered faithful in the "few things" He has entrusted to me.
 
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: Faithfulness is the highest praise a person can receive, either from man or from God.
 
[end]
 
Have a faithful day. Love you.