“Not Pleasure Boats”

Posted on 25 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

We aren’t pleasure boats.  A pleasure boat can zip all over the lake, but a freighter has to stay in the channel.
– Jeff Smith (Sunday’s sermon)

My additional thoughts:

  1. A lightweight without any depth might “get away” with a lot.  The old prophet in I Kings 13 “got away” with lying, compromise, etc.  The man of God died for seemingly lesser disobedience (though there is more to that story).  God has high standards for His servants — if you don’t want to be a lightweight, stay in the channel of His will.
  2. The deeper, stronger, and more active you are in the Lord’s service, the more you are aware of needing to be in the channel.  Pleasure boats hit the rocks, too, but those piloting them usually don’t think about it as much as the man in the freighter.  He knows how important it is to stay in the channel.
  3. A lot of Christians (or people who claim to be) waste a lot of time, money, and energy pleasure-boating, zipping all over life, instead of doing real work in the Lord’s service, moving in the channel of His will.

Previous:  You Still Go Aground

Posted in Daily Christianity | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Punishment, Barbarism, the god of This World, and the Gospel

Posted on 24 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

Thursday, I briefly mentioned the travesty of justice that Anders Breivik will receive, at most, less than 100 days of prison for every life he took (Less Than 100 Days).

Albert Mohler developed exactly what I was thinking but lacked time to elaborate.  He discussed the relevance of Genesis 9:5-6 and how rejecting Biblical truth has horribly skewed the approach to “justice” in Western societies.

Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts on the News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

You Still Go Aground

Posted on 23 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

You can’t see the dangers that are under the water.  When the water is smooth, if you get out of the channel, you still go aground.
– Jeff Smith (yesterday’s sermon)

A few of my additional thoughts:

  1. The middle of the channel is the safest place to be.  Instead of asking what is “ok” to do, I should be asking, “What does God most desire for me to do?”  It’s a fool who tries to navigate on the very edge of the channel.
  2. The things specifically forbidden in the Bible are dangers we can see.  We KNOW we aren’t supposed to do them — but there are other dangers.  We need to be so in tune with Scripture that we recognise the danger points even if we can’t see them clearly.
  3. A pilot can only navigate effectively if his chart is accurate, so you had better have a reliable spiritual guide.  I’ll take the Scriptures.
  4. A storm or strong current can take you out of the channel.  You may pilot your boat well and still get into trouble — you had better be depending on the Saviour. 
Posted in Daily Christianity | 2 Comments

BibleWalks.com

Posted on 21 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

This is sunset on the Sea of Galilee.  A few more pictures below the jump….

Continue reading →

Posted in Web Links | Leave a comment

Less Than 100 Days

Posted on 20 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

I previously wrote on the perverse “Christianity” of Anders Behring Breivik (“No Relation to Us” and Our Responsibility in the Face of Cultural Christianity).  But he got this right:

There are only two just and fair outcomes of this trial – acquittal or capital punishment. I consider 21 years of prison as a pathetic punishment.

If innocent, he should be acquitted. 
If guilty, he should die.

Twenty-one years — 7670 days.  Seventy-seven people dead.  The legal system’s message to each parent?  “Your child’s life is worth 99.6 days of prison.”  And some people say it is Breivik who is insane….

It’s sadly ironic — they can’t quite even manage 100 days for a life.

God determines the value of a life in His image, and He gave it the highest worth, set the highest penalty for destroying it.  The death penalty’s basis is not angry vengeance, but the victim’s value:

Genesis 9:6

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Western societies:  so far from God, so messed up, that a twisted and evil mass-murderer understands justice better than many lawmakers and judges.

Posted in Thoughts on the News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Card-Carrying Christian

Posted on 19 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

You cruise around the Monopoly board, buying property, paying bills, greedily getting rich and bankrupting your neighbour, and then this:

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

I Guess Oldest is Only Best When We Want it to Be

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by Jon Gleason

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliology, NT Textual Criticism | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments