"I AM FOR U"

Recently, at a marriage weekend, my  husband and I were given a bag of Scrabble letters and told to unscramble them and make a saying related to the event.  However, we received the wrong mix of letters for the proper phrase.  So, I made "I AM FOR U."

Trekkie Alert!!!

My husband immediately recognized that saying as part of a Star Trek - The Next Generation episode.  In that show, a woman is promised to a man whom she has never met, and her marriage response to her new husband is, "I am for you."

I've been thinking how appropriate that phrase is for marriage...even from the beginning.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Genesis 2:18

God, in His wisdom, made man and woman to be - not enemies - but "for" each other, even "fit" for each other.  And, even after 34 years, my husband and I are "fit" for each other!

However, the more I considered "I AM FOR U" the more I thought about my Lord.

The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?  Hebrews 13:6

My God is for me.  

But sometimes it doesn't seem that way. 

Situations turn out badly.  The unexpected happens.  People get mad at each other, and get mad at me.  I get overwhelmed with it all and feel like throwing up my hands...or running away.  

One of my prayers is for God to change my heart and my mind to be less of the "Old Adam" and more of the "New Man in Christ" - to help me keep my emotions and my mind on the truth and the greatness of what Christ has done...done for me.

Delight yourself in the Lord...Psalm 37:4b 

But sin taints everything.  And at times of stress, I struggle and I forget.  

Then eventually, I breathe...relax, reflect, and remember:

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?  Psalm 118:6

My Lord is on my side.  Through prayer, with His Word and Supper, during worship and with fellow Christians - He sustains me and keeps me in faith.  He is with me and changes me through it all.  

My Lord is on my side.  And because of Christ and the cross, He works all things out for my good, for the good of His Children, His Church, His Kingdom. 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

This I know, that God is for me. Psalm 56:9b 

"I pray for you..."

Chapel Area

I recently started working part-time for a ministry that provides help for the needy, including food, clothing, household items, prayers, encouragement, and weekly chapel services.  There is also has a thrift shop to help fund the ministry.


Last week, I happened to notice a lady who had finished shopping and was sitting with two large bags.  She didn't speak English, but with hand signs, I guessed that she was waiting for the bus and would need help carrying her bags to the bus stop.  She gestured that I could carry one bag, but I showed her my "muscles" and said I'd carry both! 

About forty minutes later, we headed out, bags in tow.  On the walk, we talked, with neither of us understanding the other.  At the bus stop, she smiled and hugged me.  I looked back as I walked away, and she said, "I pray for you."

I can still hear her voice in my head, "I pray for you."

The incident reminds me that, even as I think I'm helping someone, God is busy keeping His promises and caring for me...through others.  That lady's prayers are more valuable to me than any help I gave her.  

You see, I know that her words were from my God.  He knows my struggles, my needs.  He knows how encouraged I am by those words.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works...encouraging one another... Hebrews 10:24-25

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  Philippians 1:9-11

Pray for one another, be kind to one another, encourage one another.  You never know how or when God will work through you to encourage and strengthen another person.  And praise Him when the encouragement is given to you.  

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10

What Will Heaven Be Like?

Many books have been written about heaven.  Numerous people even claim to have visited heaven in a "near death" experience.



But honestly, the answer is...we don't know what heaven will be like.  

Genesis 5 records that Enoch "walked with God...and...God took him."

From Martin Luther's lectures on Genesis:

But what sort of life it is that [Enoch] is now living, we who are still flesh and blood cannot know. For us it is enough to know that he was taken away also in respect to his body...But what Enoch is doing, where he is, and how he is living, we do not know. We know that he is living, but surely not this physical life; for he is with God...God desired to impart to the...world the hope of a better life after this life.

The experience of Enoch is recorded for our comfort and for our hope.
 
The apostle Paul recounts a revelation he had of the "third" heaven:

...and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter...because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.       2 Corinthians 12:4, 7 

In discussions and debates about Paul's famous "thorn in the flesh" we often miss the reason for that thorn - Paul's knowledge of heaven.

Detailed insight into heaven is God's privilege and not mine.  But He gives His Word for my comfort and hope.

These passages come to mind:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.    1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 57

And [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:43

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 

...and so we will always be with the Lord.                                     1 Thessalonians 4:17b

The truth of heaven is...heaven is not just a better version of this world, where everything runs perfectly. There's something more, and that more is God.  In heaven, we will fear, love, and trust God above all things, and be in a perfect relationship with Him, and we will be with Him.

Which is Right: Evolution or Creation?

Spontaneous generation is an outdated idea that life can develop and grow from something that's not alive.

One summer, our family returned home after a week away and found fruit flies in our kitchen.  These small bugs were flying near some old bananas. 

When I think of spontaneous generation, I remember those bananas and all those fruit flies. 

The most famous example used to illustrate spontaneous generation is that old meat, left sitting out, produces maggots.  Of course, we now know that bananas don't actually grow fruit flies, and old meat doesn't create maggots.

Over our 20 years of homeschooling, we've studied the Evolution vs Creation debate, from many views, especially from the scientific angle.  We've looked at evidence for both sides, and there's lots of it.  

In the end...I think it all comes down to spontaneous generation.  Evolution is nothing more than spontaneous generation over a long period of time.  

And I don't believe in evolution.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

As I sit typing, I'm looking at my son's electric organ that someone constructed from wood and other materials.  I also see hymnals - music and words that many people composed and wrote.  And when Al is playing the organ, I hear that music.


Man, the living creation, is made in the image of his creator, God, and man also creates many things.  Spontaneous generation of life, today known as evolution, just didn't happen - life needs a creator, a God.

And, while certain Christians might believe in some type of evolution, it's the atheists who flock to evolution.  

And that leads to another aspect of the debate:  If there is a God, then I'm somehow accountable to Him; but if evolution is true and there's no god, I'm accountable to no one.

Evolution is attractive because it sounds good and freeing to "do whatever I want" and to create my own meaning for life.  

But, just as the scientific evidence for evolution falls short, the "meaning and fulfillment factor" for evolution is also lacking.

King Solomon was a man who had everything and even wrote:

...whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.  Ecclesiastes 2:10

But Solomon found that success and material wealth don't provide happiness or meaning.  He calls it all vanity, and concludes that:

...[God] has put eternity into man's heart... Ecclesiastes 3:11

And Solomon is so right. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord...Who was crucified, died, and was buried...the third day, He rose again...I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

God, our creator, is worthy of our devotion, our praise, our love.  

And because of the cross, Jesus takes care of the accountability issue; He brings life and gives meaning to that life. 

God put eternity in our hearts, and evolution can't compete with that.
 

How Can a Good God Allow Suffering?

Everyone suffers, and the question of suffering is complex.  We suffer due to our own mistakes and failures, and we suffer at the hands of others.  Ultimately, because the world and our bodies are no longer perfect, we all suffer...and die.  



People often dismiss believing in God because, while God is supposed to be good, the world is still full of suffering. 

Shouldn't a loving God get rid of suffering?

One of the most freeing things about being Lutheran is...Lutherans don't insist on having all the answers.  We don't have to "connect the dots" or "have our ducks in a row" when speaking about God's ways. 
 
Some theological systems attempt to explain Biblical concepts in a logical and crystal clear fashion, leaving no room for the unknown.

But I contend, we can't understand the things of God.  "Having all understanding" is what makes God be God...and makes us not.  

I don't have the answer to suffering, and I don't want to minimize a person's pain.  It's God's Word that provides the comfort:

* God's answer to Job and Job's suffering was:

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding. Job 38:4

Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?  He who argues with God, let him answer it.  Job 40:2 

It was God's decision to let Job suffer without knowing the reason why.  But Job could be confident that God knew what He was doing.

* About his suffering, Joseph told his brothers:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...Genesis 50:20

Paul says in Romans:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 

God's in control, and He uses evil and suffering for His good purpose.  Suffering doesn't mean that God is against me.

* Back to my question, "Shouldn't a loving God get rid of suffering?"  Yes, God has a resolution for our suffering, even today...Jesus.

God doesn't leave us in our suffering.  He sent Jesus, who dwelt among us, knows suffering and experienced the ultimate suffering, on the cross...for me. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  John 3:16-17

Jesus is "right there with us" in our suffering.  I don't understand the "why" but I know the Who...and I know that God is on my side.

Is the Bible Real?

My $10 Bible is the small, black one.

I grew up in a small town in Kentucky.  On my 10th birthday, I went to a downtown drugstore and bought a $10 King James Bible.  And I've been reading the Bible ever since.  



Today I counted - my family has 32 Bibles, not including the Bible I currently read, which is on my iPad.  We have 9 different translations.* 

So, of course, the Bible is real.  

But...Is it true?  Or have I wasted 45 years?

As a historical document...  

 - The Bible is externally consistent, meaning that outside evidence supports the historical events recorded in the Bible. 

- The Bible is internally consistent, meaning that it doesn't contradict itself. 

- The Bible is considered a reliable historical document.  Biblical events, especially those in the New Testament, were recorded not many years after they occurred, by eyewitnesses or people close to those events.  

- And the Bible has been accurately copied throughout the centuries.  We're confident that the Bible we read today contains the same text that the ancient Israelites read.

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When I consider how I would answer a person who asks, "Is the Bible true?" I have two thoughts.

First - the entire Bible is about Jesus and His work of redemption, His death and resurrection.  Paul wrote this about that truth:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain...If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.                    1 Corinthians 15:14 and 19

By faith, I believe Jesus did rise again - faith given to me by the Holy Spirit and based on the testimony of witnesses.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 

Second - science and historical facts, even if proven to be true, mean nothing to a person if those words of truth can't affect the human heart.

My pastor once said:  

God's Word always nourishes.  God's Word is never without effect.

He's right.  God's Word, recorded in the Bible, diagnoses and moves the heart.  

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I haven't wasted 45 years.  Even today, God's Word cuts me to the heart and moves me; it diagnoses my sin, convicts me...and then gives me hope...in Jesus.  That $10 was money well spent.


*Our versions of the Bible:
King James Version
New King James Version
Revised Standard Version
New American Standard Version
New International Version 
English Standard Version
International Children's Bible, New Century Version
The New English Bible with Apocrypha
The New American Bible - The New Catholic Translation