Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Jumping for Joy

January 24, 2022 by Fritz

Our Joyful Monday scripture comes from the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:12.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV)

Jesus tells the crowd that when they are persecuted for his sake they are to “rejoice” and be exceedingly glad because they have a great reward waiting for them in heaven.

That word, “Rejoice” literally means “Jump for Joy”, like the winning team on the football field when the game has been won.

We jump for joy when something good happens, but Jesus said to jump for joy BEFORE something good happens.  That’s a big difference.

When our fourth child was born, we got bad news.  Something was wrong, they could’t figure it out.  Days in the hospital went by until finally they sent him home with no diagnosis but with a big bill which the insurance refused to pay.

It was oppressive. We were poor and constantly harassed for the moneyI We didn’t know what was wrong with our child or if he would survive.  Tension headaches were constant.

I heard a message on rejoicing in the midst of problems, so I decided to act.  When the pressure was unbearable I would find a private place to actually jump and praise God for the doctors, the bill collectors, the uncertainty and As I did this the pressure eased and I would go back to work.  This would happen several times a day as months went by.  Each time it was a matter of choice instead of feeling; intentional not reactive.

Through a miraculous series of events, the hospital bill was paid and we were free.  A friend said, “I bet you jumped for joy when that happened!”  “Friend”, I replied, the jumping for joy took place before the miracle.  

Are you in an oppressive situation?  Make the decision to intentionally rejoice (Jump for Joy), we have a great God who does miracles.

Posted in Christ, Joy | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

Throwback: Dried Up Streams

January 20, 2022 by Fritz

Dried Up Rivers (or, God’s Perfect Timing)

Posted in Christ, Elijah, Podcast, Throwback | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

Bible Origin

January 19, 2022 by Fritz

The bible is not a single book, but a collection of books and letters from various writers whom God’s people have recognized as inspired by God.

While writing has been around since cavemen, it has only been available to the general population since the invention of the printing press in the year 1436.  

Before then it was done with difficulty, by hand, expensive, guarded, and preserved as precious.  Special scribes were trained to ensure copies were correct and protected from error.

Over the centuries the Jewish community had combined these writings into three groups, each with its own characteristics. These are the Law (Torah), the prophets (Nevi’im), and the “Writings” (Ketuvim), a collection of poetic books, wisdom books, and additional narratives.

These were the Bible early believers had, including Jesus, and the Apostles, themselves.  The Hebrew scriptures had also been translated into Greek, called the Septuagint (LXX).

Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, people were writing accounts of his life, called “Gospels”, claiming those were written by the Apostles, but not all were authentic.  

Around 140 AD, a man named Marcion of Sinope pulled together a list of “Gospels” and letters from Paul he said were inspired.  But here was a problem, they were only the letters supporting his own particular point of view, which many in the church disputed.

God’s people needed to agree, collectively, which writings were authentic, and they held several church wide conferences for this purpose.  In 397, at the Council of Carthage, the 27 writings of the New Testament were adopted.  Around 400 AD the bible was translated into Latin, and in 1380 it was translated into English.  In 1611 the King James version was published.

We no longer have the original manuscripts, the materials used just did not endure.  All we have, now, are copies and not all the copies are exact.  A few minor words and passages are missing or added in the copies we have discovered.

Why wouldn’t God see to it that the originals were maintained, and why did Jesus, himself, only write on sand (John 8:8)? It is not said, but I have my ideas.  

Had Jesus written anything down, or if the original manuscripts from the apostles endured, people would worship them instead of Him.

It is not a artifact but a person who is valued. The copies we have are enough to convey the message.   We receive his written words and worship the Living Word, Jesus, who opens the word to us.

Posted in Christ, Podcast, The Bible | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »