Shabbat Shalom

On Saturday, my wife and I had the wonderful opportunity to join in the celebration of a Bar Mitzvah. For those not in the know, a Bar Mitzvah, or "Son of Commandments" is a celebration of a young man being welcomed as an adult in the Jewish faith, responsible for his own actions, and ready to fulfill the 613 commandments in the Torah (a continuous rolled scroll upon which the five books of Moses are written in Biblical Hebrew). This young man is the son of a close friend of my wife's, and it was an honor to be invited.

In a way similar to the Catholic church, most celebrations include a normal mass (or "service" in non-Catholic traditions). So, included in the Bar Mitzvah was a traditional morning service including prayers, blessings, and songs.

The reason for this particular writing was a short segment that we all recited as part of the service. I'm going to include it here:

"The Meaning of Shabbat is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on Shabbat we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation, from the world of creation to the creation of the world."

If you are anything like me, you'll want to take a moment to pause and reread that.

(Note: Shabbat is also known as the Sabbath [which most Christians celebrate on Sundays]; defined as the time from Friday sunset to Saturday evening when three stars appear in the sky. Though, with the multitude of cloudy days we have here in Ohio, I'm not sure when they DO conclude Shabbat, as you can't see the stars!)

"…we try to become attuned to holiness in time."

I've written quite a bit concerning my views on time and my understanding of God within such boundaries. So, you know that the above statement would "stop my clock" (pun intended).

As I've written in the past, God lives in eternity, or in other words, without time. He is not bound by cause and effect. He sees the end from the beginning because He is outside of time where the beginning and end reside.

The most impactful name He chose to use to describe Himself was given to Moses: "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'" (Exodus 3:14) (NKJV)

The most precious name God chose to use concerning Himself was one that said, "I have stepped INTO time to be with you." Holiness stepped into the world of time.

That's why that statement struck me so. Shabbat is a time where we focus on becoming attuned to holiness (God's very presence) IN TIME (in our NOW). We set aside the busyness of life in time, to focus on the One who is not limited by time, in order for us to become more attuned (more receptive and aware) of the holiness that we will eventually find ourselves once we step out of time - into eternity.

There is something special about setting aside life and its business, to share with one another on "what is eternal in time". Whether or not you are one who believes in the existence and presence of God, taking such time will bring more focus on our finitude, and hopefully help us realize the wonders of our now.

Shabbat Shalom

©Emittravel 2016

Not a Space in the Lot

Last week my wife and I went to a funeral home to attend a wake.

When we arrived, shortly after the calling hours were to start, we found that there was not a single parking space available. Anywhere. Not only were all of the spaces filled, but cars were parked along the outskirts of the lot, making it one-way traffic only (which was a pain when a car approached from the other way). Not only was the parking lot for the funeral home full, but people had filled the lot for the building next door. Not only was the lot for the building next door full, but people were parking across the street and crossing a very busy state route to attend.

A pastor once said that even Jesus had his levels of intimacy. He had the 70, then the 12 (disciples), then the three (Peter, James, and John), and then the one (John - the only one at the cross). Layers, better known as circles, of intimacy are common to each and every one of us. No one can honestly count the hundreds of "friends" on Facebook as being part of ones "inner circle".

So, when I asked my wife if it was okay if we just left, she was okay with it. You see, though we knew the one who departed and the surviving family, we were not that close. We were part of the outer circle.

I want to say what everyone says, this person "died too young." Indeed, she WAS too young. When the life expectancy of a female is 80+ (as of 2010 statistics), 48 is way too young.

I came to the conclusion years ago that old age is 15 years from wherever you are at. When you were 15, 30 was OLD. When you were 25, 30 was not old at all - 40 was old. Yet, somewhere along the line, as we find ourselves with more calendar pages flipped than we have left, that conclusion gets reversed. As a 50-year old, I can honestly say that 65 is no longer old to me. But 35? That's YOUNG!

There wasn't a parking space in the lot available. Nor in the lot next door. And the one across the street was filling up rapidly. For sure, many different circles of intimacy were represented. How many were there from outer circles like us? And why were they there?

Of course, there was the care and comfort of the family. And that is good. But I think there is another, more unspoken reason: during such tragedies we are faced with our OWN mortality. And coming face-to-face with finitude has a way of bringing out compassion - for those we haven't seen, or even consciously thought of, for a long time.

May I suggest something? The next time someone crosses your mind, even if that thought feels so out of the blue, take the time to reach out to that person. Remember, more than oil or natural gas, time is the most limited resource we have. And once it's gone, it's gone.

(In solemn remembrance of Wendy Houlahan. Go with God.)

©Emittravel 2016

Doing Time

What follows may be a little odd, coming from a person who is on a sabbatical from "intellectual Christianity", but I think it will stimulate your thinking. This follows closely in hand with a talk I gave to a group of men at a breakfast a few years ago. Since the subject matter was up to me, what I presented was a passion of mine: time and time travel. I know, a weird topic for a group of Christian men. I posted my talk (as a transcript) to my blog: "I Grasp It, But It Keeps Slippin' Outta My Hands!". Please take a moment to read that before continuing, or what follows may seem even more outrageous than it does on the surface. May I suggest skimming down until you reach the paragraph that starts with "Anyone who has gotten to know me knows that I am hooked on the concept of time and time travel", as the beginning is more of an introduction for the guys at the breakfast.

Okay. Ready to go on?

When I first embraced Christianity's Protestant flavor, one of the notable differences between it and the Catholic upbringing I had, was their view of the cross. If you have never seen one, a crucifix is a cross with Jesus on it. The Protestants embrace a cross with Jesus notably absent. The reason for the difference is that Catholics want to keep the crucifixion in front of their attention, whereas Protestants believe that, since Jesus is no longer on the cross, and has risen from the dead, the cross should be empty.

Which is right? In a sense, both.

As a quick overview, Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins. The bible says that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). This "payment" is commonly known as the grace of God: you didn't earn it - you just accepted it - God did all the work. The alternative is paying the penalty yourself.

Here's the question: What does the bible mean by "death"?

If the answer is physical death, than once you physically die, you've made the payment and "bam!" you're in heaven with God. If that is true, Jesus dying on the cross was a complete waste of time - you can do that payment on your own!

If the answer is spiritual death, than once you sin, you've died spiritually (become separate from God), made the payment, and again, "bam!" you're with God. If that is true, Jesus dying on the cross was a complete waste of time as well. Since we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

As a quick aside, the reason spiritual death is separation from God is that God is absolute holiness. It is not that God cannot be in the presence of sin, but sin cannot be in the presence of pure holiness. God's purity would "annihilate" the sinner. So, it is the love of God that keeps a sinner separate from Him. (Make sense?)

In the account of Adam and Eve, they were told in the day that they eat of the fruit (of the knowledge of good and evil) they would die. They ate, and didn't physically die. Actually, in pre-Jewish tradition, God slew an animal (shed the blood of an animal - killing it) and made tunics for them (Genesis 3:21). That "payment" was a temporary patch, if you will. In the Old Testament Laws, animals were sacrificed to pay for the sins of the people almost continuously. This was to cover the spiritual sin of the people temporarily, until he could send Jesus to make the payment once and for all on the cross.

So, if it is neither physical nor spiritual, what kind of death are we talking about?

Here is where I may seem a little cray-cray, and why I suggested you read "I Grasp It … "

The only kind of death that fits the penalty is "eternal separation from God". That's it. No other kind of death would fit the bill. Because of a person's sin, that person would be eternally separated from God - because like I said above, sin cannot be in the presence of a holy God.

So how did Jesus' hanging on the cross for a few hours, and dying there, pay the penalty of eternal separation? Let's look at three statements made by Jesus while on the cross:

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34)
"… My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
" … Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit …" (Luke 23:46)

Did you see what happened there? Jesus went from calling Him "Father", to "God", to "Father" again. The only time Jesus did not refer to God as "Father" was while on the cross. It was at that point that God "turned His head" and did not look upon Jesus, who had taken the sin of the world upon Himself (you can lookup the doctrine of the "scapegoat" on your own).

How long a time went between those statements is not known, but no matter how long, it does not add up to "eternal separation", since Jesus DID go back to calling God "Father" while still on the cross. So how DID He pay that price?

Remember at the beginning of this particular blog article, when I said that both the Catholics and the Protestants were correct in their view of the cross? They both ARE!

As I said in "I Grasp It … ", eternity is not defined as "time without end", but as "NO time". God lives outside of time. That is why He is without beginning or end (if He had beginning and end, he could not be God - as that would mean He is caused, and not cause-LESS).

In God's eyes, Jesus is "still" on the cross - separated from Him, and ALSO sitting on His right hand (Luke 22:69)

But J.P., the bible says that without the shedding of BLOOD there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). I'm sorry, you are so right. As a matter of fact, I cut myself shaving this morning - therefore I shed blood and paid for my sins. Of course not! The shedding of blood is another way of saying DEATH.

So, the Catholic crucifix is right, because for God, Jesus is eternally separated from Him on the cross (in eternity - get it?), and the Protestant "empty" cross is right, because Jesus is no longer there.

I guess this makes me either a Catholestant, or a Protatholic. And now, back to my sabbatical.

("Doing Time" is the title of a song by Bad Religion, from the album "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" - catch the irony?)

© Emittravel 2015

The Big Empty

I'm reading an interesting book by Paul Davies called About Time - Einstein's Unfinished Revolution. One of the topics mentioned is that the universe has been expanding since the "big bang". My question is, what is considered "the universe"? Is it just the material that was formed during that "bang" and is propelling away from the other material formed at the same time? Or is the universe itself the "big empty" BETWEEN the material formed during that "bang"? Is the universe a finite area that is expanding, much like a balloon being filled with air? Or is the universe ALREADY an endless expanse of "nothingness", with the material formed during that "bang" moving ever out into that "nothingness"? And if the universe is expanding like a balloon, what is beyond it? A balloon expands into something, but what of the universe?

And if everything started at the "big bang", where did that endless expanse of "nothingness" come from?

I posted a tweet that said, "Questions for God: What is the stuff of Space? How does gravity work? Why put the meat on the back of the leg, when we bang it on the front?" It was meant as sort of a grand joke - the three questions I want to ask God when I meet Him in heaven. But the first two are serious. Scientists throw terms around all the time, but do a lousy job of explaining the "why" behind them. Opposite poles attract (minus/plus) and the same poles repel (minus/minus or plus/plus). Why? What CAUSES those reactions. Just because we observed them, and gave them a clever name/law (Magnetism), doesn't answer the WHY. Same with gravity and the "stuff of space".

Another point in the book (which I am really enjoying, by the way) is that if the universe were to stop expanding (the amount of matter in the universe being enough that the amount of gravity overcomes the speed of expansion) and fall back into a "big crunch", that time itself would flow backwards. Understand, this is not something that the author is coming up with himself - many physicists and mathematicians have embraced it. Why? Just because stars and planets and "stuff" change direction, why should time as well? If I throw a ball really hard straight up, at one point, since the gravitational pull of the earth is greater than the speed of the ball, the ball would stop, change direction, and fall back to earth. Does that mean TIME goes backwards as well? Just because a star changes direction, does that mean time reverses and light from that star goes back TO it?

I guess some things are beyond our finite understanding. It takes One who is infinite to provide the answer. The One who is perhaps OUTSIDE of the universe - holding it in His hands.

© Emittravel 2013

I Grasp It, But It Keeps Slippin' Outta My Hands!

What follows is the talk I gave at the men's breakfast this morning. I did add comments on the fly which are not recorded here:

(Jim, our music leader, started singing:) "He's got the whole world, in His hands. He's got the whole, wide world, in His hands. He's got the whole world, in His hands. He's got the whole world in His hands."

(I interrupted him when he started the second verse and told him thanks, but that's enough.)

I never liked that song anyway. How many believe that? That He's got the whole world in His hands? What if I told you that song is wrong? What if I told you that that song is limiting the scope of God. What if I told you that, instead of trying to live our lives in His image, that we constantly try to mold Him into ours?

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When Bill asked me to share I thought, "I'm not worthy to stand in front of these men and share." But then the Lord said, "I am."

It was about two weeks ago on a Friday that Bill contacted me - "Facebooked" me. I called him back and told him that "I got nuthin'." I asked him to give me to Sunday morning to see if that changes, so he'd have time to find another speaker.

Lisa and I were on our way to watch the Lakewood Ranger's lose - actually, they are not that bad - and they have a great band. I kept thinking all evening on what I could possibly share and still had nothing.

On Saturday morning I prayed and the Lord said "I am".

"I Am." It was at that moment that I "heard" the Lord's provision. And think about it: you are here to partake of that provision. I know what you're thinking: "I came for the food." Yeah, I know that's true. "I came for the fellowship." That's true too. But you are sitting here now. And that means that my prayer has been answered. What prayer? That the Lord would have the very men here that need to partake of this provision. Congrats, guys. This means you.

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I was hoping to see Darryl here this morning. I had the pleasure of seeing him and his family at a Dunkin' Donuts last Saturday. My in-laws were in town from Florida and my father-in-law and I were out getting a few things, and I needed the sugar. I need to apologize to Darryl for not immediately introducing him to my father-in-law, but my brain blanked out when it came to his family's names. I even got Pat's name wrong. After he left I told my father-in-law that I'm usually so embarrassed by my terrible memory with names that I hesitate when it comes to introductions. My excuse is actually very scriptural: according to Revelations, when you get to heaven you will get a new name. So I figure, why waste a lot of energy trying to remember a temporary name, when you will get a completely different one for all eternity.

Of course, I'm hoping the white robes come with "Hello, My Name Is" stickers . . .

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Speaking of names, my name is J.P. That's it. Just J.P. Once, when Lisa and I were at one of her friend's house for a party, someone asked her how I spelled my name. She said, "J.A.Y. P.E.E." I turned to her and said, "How about P.E.A.?!?"

I work as an executive assistant for a company in Akron. It's a servant role. I take care of the Chief Technical Officer and about 70 IT members. I'm also the building coordinator.

I teach the Microsoft Outlook class. I use an outline and none of my jokes are written down.

I'm a writer. I write better than I talk, so as you can probably tell, for the most part I'm reading this talk. I'm a Baptist trapped in a Charismatic's body. I have a blog called My Humble But Accurate Opinion, which, as the title suggests, is tongue-in-cheek.

I've been a Christian since around 1991.

I started playing the harmonica in 1985/1986 when I was in the Navy. I'm sure many of you are thinking "keep practicing, boy!"

I've been married to a fantastic woman for five years, but more about her later.

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Anyone who has gotten to know me knows that I am hooked on the concept of time and time travel.  I collect movies that have time-related concepts. It doesn't just have to be a ride in a DeLorean, but anything that looks at time outside of our normal concept of it.

Some of the movies I've collected are

12 Monkeys

13 Going on 30

17 Again

2001: A Space Odyssey

50 First Dates

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence

Altered States

Army of Darkness (big Bruce Campbell fan - anybody watch Burn Notice on the USA network?)

Austin Powers (the first two movies - the third was AWFUL - okay, not awful - it sucked!)

The Back to the Future trilogy

The original Planet of the Apes movies

Bicentennial Man - a robot's two-hundred year journey to become human, and the relationships he has with those who are "mortal"

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey

Blade Runner

Blast From the Past

and

The Butterfly Effect

That's just up to the B's in the collection. And you'll notice I haven't even gotten to classics like The Time Machine. By the way, I highly recommend watching both the 1960's and 2000's versions.

I can remember the exact moment I got hooked on time: Last day of the sixth grade, Lee Eaton Elementary; they showed the original, 1960's, George Pal version of "The Time Machine" in the gym. I was hooked.

The main character travels about 800k years into the future. Mankind is divided into two groups: the Eloi - living above ground, and the Morkocks - living below. The Eloi are vegetarians and eat from the fruit of the land. The Morlocks are carnivores and eat . . . vegetarians.

The Morlocks scared the crap out of me back then. Today I notice the blue paint coming off one during a fight scene. Still great though.

Television has seen a run of time-related shows over the years. A few examples are

Life on Mars

Quantum Leap

Timeslip

Doctor Who

Early Edition

7 Days

Time Tunnel

Journeyman

Tru Calling

 . . . And it's showed up in other series as well:

Star Trek (name an incarnation)

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (did I mention I was a big Bruce Campbell fan?)

Andromeda

Angel

Bewitched

Charmed

Eureka

Red Dwarf

The Outer Limits

And the list goes on. On Wednesday my wife mentioned seeing a commercial for a new cop show that has time travel in it. So, indeed, the list goes on!

In 1980, NOVA had an episode entitled "It's About Time", which was hosted by Dudley Moore. At one point during the show Dudley asks the unseen narrator, "When did it all begin?" The show then presented a giant scrap book. The cover was opened to the first page, a blank, black page, and the voice said, "In the beginning there was nothing." As the page was turned the voice said, "After the first billionth trillionth of a second there was", and started to describe the Big Bang. I was not a Christian and just in ninth grade, but remember asking the TV, "Who turned the page?" Even back then, in the midst of my "passions", God was trying to reach me.

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I read, both fiction and nonfiction, as much as I can find. I even find time travel in the bible.

One story I really like is the time Moses wanted to see God's face. God told him He couldn't because He was holy, but He could show him His backside. I always found it funny that God's back side wasn't as holy as His front side. I guess that is just His humor.

God puts Moses into the cleft of the rock, covers him with His hand, and then removes His hand after He passes so that Moses can see His backside.

Think about it: BEFORE God gets there He puts Moses in the cleft of the rock. At that point Moses didn't see Him. And you know what the cleft of the rock is - a symbol of Jesus. God put Moses into the cleft of the rock. Moses didn't go in there on his own. God did all of the work. Moses didn't put himself there.

BEFORE God gets there He covers him with His hand. If God was there Moses would have seen Him.

AFTER God passes He removes His hand and Moses gets to see Him.

That's time travel.

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I Am. The God of the Now. The Here and Now. He is also Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and the End. That means He is the God of the Past and the Future.

The Lord has a way of taking your passions and using them for His kingdom. I believe that He has something to share with all of you this morning. Words of hope and comfort. And just a small look into His greatness. A look that will show that His hands are big enough to hold more than the "whole world".

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In the movie "Sliding Doors", Gwyneth Paltrow, living in London in an apartment with her boyfriend, goes to work one morning and finds herself getting canned. She heads to the "tube" (or "subway", in our vernacular) to go back to the apartment. As she is going down the steps, a mother and child are coming up. The child blocks Gwyneth's path. She hesitates and then goes around the child, and makes it to the subway just as the doors close in front of her - blocking her entrance. The scene stops, runs backwards to the point where she is coming down the steps, and as she approaches the mother and child, the mother pulls the child out of the way before Gwyneth has to stop, and she makes it in time before the doors close on the subway car.

From this point the movie shows you both outcomes as her life goes on from that intersection. Both radically different, but intertwining. At the end of the movie only one "history" wins out.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever looked back and wondered what if? What if I would have said this or that, went here or there, or shut my mouth and stayed put?

Hang on - we serve a God of Hope!

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Last Sunday we sang a song during worship that struck me while we were singing it. It didn't strike me during rehearsal on Thursday, or during the warm up on Sunday morning. It didn't strike me at all during all of the times we've sung it in the past. It struck me then.

"I have a Maker, He formed my heart.

Before even time began, my life was in His hand."

The song? "He Knows My Name". Guys, I don’t necessarily look for this stuff. Like I said, the Lord has a way of taking your passions and using them for His kingdom. And sometimes, to give you just a small glimpse into His majesty; to show you how big He really is.

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Two words: finite and infinite. One describes limit. The other? Without. One describes us. The other? Our heavenly Father. The Bible says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." When? When shall we know even as also we are known? Not now, but then. Why? Why not now? Why can't we know in fullness now? Because we are finite.

Anyone here have a swimming pool at home? Do me a favor. When you get home, cup your hands and have someone pour the contents of that pool into your hands. You will get just a glimpse of finite trying to hold onto infinite.

I love the line from Lou Costello: "I grasp it, but it keeps slipping outta my hand!"

When we get to His realm, eternity, we will then be able to know.  You have to understand, His realm IS eternity. What is eternity? Not time without end, but NO TIME.

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How do we get our heads around the first ten words of the bible: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth? When was the beginning? At the beginning.

People have tried to dispute the existence of God by stating that in order for anything to exist it has to have a cause. And for the universe to exist it has to have a first cause - a beginning. And for God to exist HE has to have a first cause as well - a beginning.

I tell them there is a flaw in their logic: God existed BEFORE the beginning. BEFORE there was time. He is causeless! He created TIME. Time is not something for Him, it is for us - and the realm we live in. In HIS realm there IS no time. And one day we will live in His realm:

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.'"  (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

And know what is really cool? God took upon Him flesh. And not just flesh, He took on "finite". He was hungry (time to eat), tired (time to sleep), and hungry for the Father (time to pray).

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This, the concept of time in the finite and infinite, is something that has been wrestled in the past by such men of faith as St. Augustine - long before the days of H.G. Wells.

"Furthermore, although you are before time, it is not in time that you precede it. If this were so, you would not be before all time. It is in eternity, which is supreme over time because it is a never-ending present, that you are at once before all past time and after all future time. For what is now the future, once it comes, will become the past, whereas, you are unchanging, your years can never fail. Your years neither go nor come, but our years pass and others come after them, so that they all may come in their turn. Your years are completely present to you all at once, because they are at a permanent standstill. They do not move on, forced to give way before the advance of others, because they never pass at all. But our years will all be complete only when they have all moved into the past. Your years are one day, yet your day does not come daily but is always today, because your today does not give place to any tomorrow nor does it take the place of any yesterday." (Saint Augustine Confessions, Penguin Classics, © R. S. Pine-Coffin, 1961, pg.263)

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We try to make God live according to OUR time, instead of enjoying the wonder of HIS time. We pray and, like my father would say, "I want it immediately if not sooner." And when the response does not come before the "amen" we start getting fidgety.

Daniel was told by the angel to not fear, that from the first day Daniel prayed that his words were heard. But due to circumstances in the heavens it took TIME for the angel to get to him. God hears you immediately. He always does. But sometimes the answer takes time. But you need to trust Him that He has your best interests at heart, even when you don't.

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There is a Christian named Dr. Hugh Ross - an astrophysicist, who really has a good way of showing the difference between our view of time and God's.

He says that for us, time is a line. We have a beginning and an end. We are at a point on the line and are continuously moving into the future. But we live only in the present. We can view time in different rates. For instance, "time flies when we're having fun", but "a watched pot never brews". I know it's "boils", but I like my coffee.

For God time is a plane, and He can move anywhere in that plane He desires - crossing that timeline at any point He desires. Thus He sees all of time at once, and can intersect our line at any point He desires.

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Why do you think God kept telling the Israelites to remember the former days of captivity and deliverance? To keep faith that the Lord will be there for them again. But, more than that, I think it was to remind them that He knew their future (shared with them via prophecy) before the future became their past. Remember, that first Passover was celebrated before they were delivered from Egypt.

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Omniscience - God knows everything. What about free will? Either He knows every decision you will make or He doesn't. And if He doesn't know, what kind of God IS He?

He knows every decision you will make. And by that I mean He knows every outcome of every decision YOU will make. He knows every possible outcome of every decision you will make - whether you turn left at this intersection, or right - and the impact of those decisions for the rest of eternity. And he knows every future decision you will make after that.

What He doesn't know is WHICH decision you will make. That is up to you. That is where your free will comes in. He doesn't know which decision you will make until you make it. But again, He DOES know every possible outcome of the decision YOU will make. And because He knows every possible outcome, His Spirit knows exactly how to lead you. His Spirit knows exactly what those outcomes are and what the BEST decision you can make would be.

What about predestination? Ooo - slippery slope! Not really.

Romans  8:29,30  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Ephesians 1:5  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Ephesians 1:11  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Whom did He foreknew? Whom did he predestine to be conformed to the image of His son? I love the Ephesians one: "having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

What is His will?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.

If His will is that we all should come to repentance, doesn't that figure that by predestined He means "all"? He has predestined, or "destined before" ("pre" is a prefix meaning "before") that ALL should come to repentance, that ALL would be conformed to the image of His son. I think Paul is writing to those who's free will has come into agreement with God's predestined will.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. " - John 3:16-18

Do you see His will in there?

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If, when you got saved, the old has passed away and behold, all things have become new, why does Paul admonish those who steal, to steal no more? He's writing to Christians. Christians stealing? Really? Didn't all things become new? Let me ask you: when you became a Christian did you become an automaton? A robot? A puppet on strings? Of course not! If so, wouldn't your love and obedience be nothing more than forced affection and following your programming? God did not create us for forced affection, but LOVE. And love is not love unless it is freely given. You DO have a free will still.

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So to repeat,  that is where your free will comes in. He doesn't know which decision you will make until you make it. But again, He DOES know every possible outcome of the decision YOU will make. And because He knows every possible outcome, His Spirit knows exactly how to lead you.  His Spirit knows exactly what those outcomes are and what the BEST decision you can make would be.

("Hey Abbott!!!")

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I can almost sense some of you out there are a bit uncomfortable by this view of God's omniscience, and that is okay. Let me ask you something: when you seek God's forgiveness does He give it to you?

(pause for an answer)

If He gives you forgiveness does He forever hold the sin over your head?

(pause for an answer)

That's right: He forgets it.

You mean God is forgetful? How can a God who knows everything forget anything? He choses to forget. He takes those sins and separates them as far as the East is from the West.

By the way, did you notice He didn't say as far as the North is from the South? What happens if you head north? You reach the north pole and immediately start to head south! What happens when you head east? At what point do you reach "west"? Never!

Again, He choses to forget them. If He is able to limit His own "memory", don't you think He can limit Himself to allow free will's operation? And under the definition I've given you, has He REALLY limited Himself??

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The bible says to seek wisdom and you will find it.

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

I love what God says in the book of Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (English Standard Version)

He knows the plans He has for you. The question is, do YOU NEED to? Are you someone that has to have every step in minute detail in order to move forward? Are you someone who can't take a vacation without pre-planning the entire trip?

I don't think that is God's intention. He isn't saying "I know the plans I have for you and I'll give you every detail so you will know how to walk in it".

His Word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. I'm sure you've heard Pastor mention that the lamp was small, made of clay, and was placed (or strapped) to the foot. There was a little bit of oil in it and a wick. The light that was produced was just enough to light your next step. THAT is God's intention.

He wants to guide you each step of the way. Since He knows the path, since before you were conceived, it is in your best interest to trust Him.

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But how will He guide you?

Jesus said, recorded in John 14, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, That He may abide (remain) with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth . . . "

Helper, Comforter, Guide.

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Ever make a bad decision? That's okay. He knows all of the possible outcomes of that decision and knows exactly how to guide you when it comes to the next decision.

He is a heavenly GPS. You know, "God's Positioning System". Whenever you make a wrong turn you can almost hear Him saying, "Recalculating."

All we have to do is listen and He will continue to guide you towards your destination. And that is not as easy as it sounds. I for one love to think I know more than my GPS - and usually waste a lot of time and energy in the process.

I keep waiting for that female voice on my GPS to say, "Hey moron! I said, 'RECALCULATING!!'"

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(At this point I gave an example of God's provision. I talked about my marriage to my ex-wife and the misery of it. I then told of how Lisa and I got together at our 20th class reunion. I mentioned the fact that if my friend Kevin had come I would have been in a corner talking with him all night, and if Lisa's friend Michele - underclassman to us - hadn't badgered Lisa to go she wouldn't. God was taking our individual decisions and guided us to that intersection where we would come together. I also told of how wonderful a marriage I have with Lisa, and how grateful to God that I am for His provision.)

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CLOSE:

(I introduced the following poem that I wrote several years ago:)

In theBeginning God

Before.

After.

During.

At all times.

Before.

After.

During.

Without ceasing.

Before.

After.

During.

Beyond Beginning.

You see ahead.

Make Provision.

Meet the need.

Triumph.

Succeed.

No surprises.

No fooling You.

You created a lamb.

Who can pull wool

over Your eyes?

Who can place

a stumbling block

before You?

Who can trip You up?

In the beginning God.

Before.

After.

During.

Continual,

Eternal reign.

You are

who You say

You are.

No fooling.

J.P. Wiegand

© Emittravel 1997

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He will guide you towards that final destination. And what is that final destination? Eternity with Him. Eternity - His dimension - with Him. Only day. No night. No death. Only life. With Him.

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PRAYER

Mention: Hope, Trust, and Guidance

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(I ended by singing:) "He's got you and me, brother, in His Hands. He's got you and me, brother, in His Hands. He's got you and me, brother, in His Hands. He's got EVERYTHING in His hands."

© Emittravel 2011