We are not God.

If we are honest with ourselves, don’t we all think the world began on the day we were born? When we recall life don’t we do it in terms of our own perspective of life… this happened when I was in kindergarten or when I graduated high school or on the day I was interviewing for my first real job. Then came the day we realized the world didn’t revolve around us even though we thought our parents should continue their supporting role. Then came the day we realized we would die, after a long and natural life or sooner, too soon, for some other reason. Finally we realized that the earth was here well in advance of our arrival and will continue on long after we are gone.

The sun rules the day and the moon rules the starry night though we can sometimes see the moon in daylight but never the sun in the dark. Didn’t it seem that we once lived in a Paradise of Pleasure when life seemed to be so easy? We had dominion over all except that sin hidden deep in our heart and soul. We weren’t yet ashamed of anything. We felt alone even though we had everything we wanted except not yet knowing our purpose in life. We were in love and life was good.

Then the world deceived us into thinking we could be just like God, the way it thought of itself. The world you see thinks it knows what we need and provides it all for a price. If only we work hard so we can afford to play hard the world says we will be fine. We can easily be tricked into thinking there should be no pain or hardship in our lives. If there is pain then it’s present because we weren’t good enough or didn’t work hard enough to overcome it. Once tricked to go down a road, the truth is altered and our pride emblazons us to tell others that this is the way to enlightenment, though it is not.

In the light, men and woman love each other, neither knowing better than the other or able to be closer to God than the other. Human beings, potentially graceful Children of God are we all.

We will die the death. We are not God, knowing good and evil. We are not self-sufficient. Why do we hide from the face of the Lord our God? We need to open our eyes, our heart and our life to God. For in only the third chapter in the Old Testament, in Genesis is Thy Seed of Mary, Jesus Christ referenced as The Way of overcoming evil with good.

I realize that I am not God. I didn’t create the world or anything in the world. I may have made an earnest contribution but I have no power to overcome good with evil. I was a giant living 930 years before my days were reduced to 120 for I sought wickedness and evil was in my heart.

Help me to understand The Bible. Help me to understand The Rest of My Life in terms of what is meaningful and eternal. For this I pray to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God my Father, and the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective;   We are not God.

Read and inspired by the Old Testament,  Genesis Chapters 1- 6

Bible Notes:

Genesis, the genesis or origin of the world, the history of Creation.

Noe and the Deluge, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Closes with the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt, whither Joseph had called his father and brothers.

Genesis Chapter 1: Creation of heaven and earth; Creation of light; Creation of firmament; Earth separated from the waters; Earth made fruitful; Creation of sun, moon and stars; Creation of fish and fowl; Creation of animals; Creation of man.

 

Genesis Chapter 2: The first Sabbath; History of man; The Garden of Eden; God puts man in the Garden of Eden; Creation of woman; Institution of marriage.

 

Genesis Chapter 3: The serpent deceives the woman; Sin of our first parents; The serpent is cursed; Redeemer is promised; Mankind’s punishment; Adam and Eve driven from the Garden.

 

Genesis Chapter 4: History of Cain and Abel; Cain slays Abel; Punishment of Cain; The first city; The family at Lamech; Seth and Enos.

 

Genesis Chapter 5: Descendants of Adam; Adam; Seth; Enos; Cainan; Malaleel; Jared; Henoch; Mathusala; Lamech, Now, sem, Cham, and Japeth.

 

Genesis Chapter 6: Wickedness of man; God sorrows over wickedness of man; Noe finds grace; Sons of Noe; Promise of destruction of the earth; Form, design, construction, and measurements of the ark; The flood promised; Use of ark.

Iniquity, corrupted and I will destroy them and the earth.

Make thee an ark

Destroy all flesh, all things that are in the earth shall be consumed.

Every living creature of all flesh, male and female

Everything, that they may live

I will establish my covenant with thee.

 

Ancestry begots Inspiration…

Where did we come from and what is our ancestry?

What are our roots? How far back can we trace our family lineage?

To the Mayflower, to Europe, to the Middle East? Past Jesus Christ to David to Abraham without being carried away to Babylon? Past Noah and The Flood through the eight people on the Ark? To Adam and Eve?

You say tracing our ancestry back to the beginning of the human race can’t be done?

Information is limited and can be sought and found in such places as Ellis Island, the Mormon Church or as I did in the records of St. Martin’s Church in Lipany, Slovakia.

I am an Andrew, my father was an Andrew, his father was an Andrew, his father was an Andrej, but his father was an Emericus. No wonder my father’s oldest brother was named Emery.

But that is as far as the records go, who knows our ancestry before the mid 1880s?

The “All from One” exhibit in Pretoria that I saw when I was visiting South Africa has made a lasting impression on me. “We are all one people because we come from all one people.” The ancestor of all life forms is called The Last Common Ancestor (LUCA). We are all unique but our entire genome is 99.9% identical to the sequences of any other person no matter where the two of you come from. You are much more similar to other people than you may have thought. Join the face of humanity.

Forget about ancestry or better yet look at another definition of the word ancestry.

Ancestry is the inception or origin of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style.

Better question is what is your phenomenon, object, idea, or style?

There are many “begots” in the Bible and forty-two generations from Abraham to David to Jesus Christ but there are no direct descendants of Christ.

Forget about where you came from. Think about where you are going.

Think about where you came from and extract the inspiration of your ancestors and then think about where you are going.

As confused in life as I am?

Only because you are living life and are alive in the present moment.

Until you are not and then the pain and pleasure of this world is over.

We all are born, grow, decline and die.

Take what you can from the past and move on through today into tomorrow and beyond.

 

What will you do with the rest of your life?

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Ancestry begots Inspiration…

Read and inspired by the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew Chapters 1 & 2

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum.

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

Matthew Chapter 1: The genealogy of Christ, Abraham to David; David to Babylonian captivity; The virgin birth.

Son of David, the son of Abraham.

Jesus is the Greek and Latin form of the late Hebrew and Aramaic name Jeshua, meaning “The Lord is Salvation.”

Mary also belonged to the House of David.

 

Matthew Chapter 2: The Magi come to Jerusalem; Herod consults them; The Magi find Jesus; The flight into Egypt; The slaughter of innocents; The return to Nazareth.

Noah and Me, Spirit and Logic…

Interpreting the Bible is not my forte, at least not the logistical and genealogy details. Noah to Abram to Lot. Then Lot’s choice left or right and he takes the watered green land of the Jordan and Abram gets Hebron.

Part of my problem is that I have been trained to be an engineer, to think like an engineer.

Once the ark was all button up it rained and rained and rained so that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered and the water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered.

So of course I had to back calculate how hard it rained in terms of how many inches per hour of rain that fell.

Mount Everest is the earth’s highest mountain with a peak of 29,029 feet above sea level. The surface area of the earth is 196,940,000 square miles.

The cubit is an ancient unit based on the forearm length from the middle finger tip to the elbow bottom. The ancient Egyptian royal cubit is the earliest attested standard measure. A number of these rods have survived in the tombs of Maya and Kha. They averaged about 20.7 inches in length. Mine measures about 20 and one half inches. Perhaps, as we have evolved, we have grown more foot to head than elbow to finger?

Utilizing Mr. Lee’s “Factor Label Method” from 11^th grade chemistry and a bunch of feet to inches and days to hours conversion factors and the average rainfall comes out to be 363 inches per hour which dumbfounds the engineer in me. Maybe it was a bit less water accounting for the volume of mountains themselves and the fact that the average elevation of land above sea level is 950 meters.

Suffice it to say that the new metric system versus the American inch-foot-yard has reared its head once again. Eyeballing it at a 10% impact, it still won’t make a difference in the 300-plus inches per hour of rainfall. Instead of saying “it’s raining like crazy,” maybe we should say “it’s crazy but nothing like the deluge in Noah’s day!”

Here’s where my creative and want-to-be-inspired mind takes over reasoning, knowing that it is time to move on.

Whatever the rainfall, all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth.

After Noah and his family survived the flood, he built an altar and offered a burnt offering to his God out of gratitude and a thankful heart.

God was pleased and said:

“I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man’s heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.”

The rainbow is the sign of the covenant God gave us between him, us and every living soul for perpetual generations. God shall see the bow he set in the clouds and remember not to flood the earth again.

Another question, this one for the bible writers. Why aren’t God’s spoken words in quotations? Jesus’ spoken words are in quotations plus they are colored in red.

Moving on again, I realize that the drowning experience of all of humanity, except Noah and family, is quite the opposite of Moses, and later Jesus’ desert experience.

Where have I experienced the flood and desert experience in my life?

I need to stop thinking like an engineer when it comes to life and spiritual matters.

Can I remove my personal sinful life experiences to develop a new covenant with the Lord?

I realize that there is hope in the Old Testament as bright and promising as with Jesus’ presence and resurrection in the New Testament.

I turn from the past sins of my life and enter into a fresh and hopefully flesh-less start with God the Father Above, with Jesus Christ, my Personal Savior, in my heart and The Holy Spirit throughout my being, my spirit, my mind, my emotions and my body.

Al-le-lu-ia as my Saved and Sober father would say.

TROML Baby as I would say!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Noah and Me, Spirit and Logic.

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 7-13

Bible Notes:

Genesis, the genesis or origin of the world, the history of Creation.

Noe and the Deluge, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Closes with the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt, whither Joseph had called his father and brothers.

Genesis Chapter 7: Noah, his family, and the animals go into the ark; the deluge; intensity and duration of the deluge.

Seven and seven

Beasts that are unclean two and two

Rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights

Now and his wife, three sons and their wives, eight people

Every thing that moveth upon the earth

Now 600 years old

*** human beings four and four

*** covenant of Adam and Eve did not work, second covenant with Noah

After seven days the water overflowed the earth

Noah, Sem, Cham, and Japeth

And all that fly

And the Lord shut him in on the outside

All the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered

Fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered.

All flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth

And all things wherein there is the breath of life on earth died

And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days

 

Genesis Chapter 8: The waters abate; Noah send forth a raven and a dove; the earth dries; Noah leaves the ark; Noah builds an altar.

Waters began to be abated after 150 days

And the ark rested upon the mountains of Armenia

Armenia a land of rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, its highest point is Mount Aragats, 13,435 ft. (4,095 m). Armenia is a sovereign state in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located in Western Asia on the “Armenian Highlands“, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Russia and Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. In the 1st century BC the Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great. Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. In between the late 3rd century to early years of the 4th century, the state became the first Christian nation. The official date of state adoption of Christianity is 301 AD. (Wiki)

Raven did not return

Dove returned a second time carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth.

Set forth the dove a third time and did not return.

Go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it.

And Noe built an altar unto the Lord

Offered holocausts upon the altar.

*** a sacrifice completely consumed by fire; burnt offering.

*** (usually initial capital letter) the systematic mass slaughter of European Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II (usually preceded by the).

The Lord smelled a sweet savor and said:

I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man’s heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.

*** there is good news in the Old Testament

 

Genesis Chapter 9: God blesses Noah; God’s covenant with Noah; The Rainbow as a sign; Sons of Noah; Noah curses Cham; God blesses Sem and Japheth; Death of Noah (at age 950 years).

Increase and multiply, and fill the earth.

I will establish my covenant with you.

The rainbow is the sign of the covenant God gave us between him, us and every living soul for perpetual generations. God shall see the bow he set in the clouds and remember not to flood the earth again.

Cham the father Chanaan, son of Noe

Planted a vineyard, drinking wine was made drunk and uncovered in his tent.

Cham had seen, Sem and Japheth covered it without seeing it.

Cursed Chanaan, son of Cham

Noe lived 950 years, 350 years after the flood.

 

Genesis Chapter 10: Sons of Noah; Sons of Japeth; Sons of Cham; Sons of Sem.

 

Genesis Chapter 11: The tower of Babel; The confusion of tongues; Sons of Sem; Sons of Thare.

 

Genesis Chapter 12: The call of Abram; Abram journeys to Chanaan; A famine drives Abram to Egypt; Pharao takes Sarai; God punishes Pharao.

The call of Abram, to Chanaan, with Sarai his wife and Lot, his brother Aran’s son.

Abram built altars; famine drove Abram to Egypt.

I know that thou are a beautiful woman, pretend to be my sister so the Egyptians won’t kill me.

God scourged Pharao for taking Abram’s wife.

Pharao to Abram, why did you lie to me?

Lot watered land of the Jordan

Abram Hebron.

 

Genesis Chapter 13 Abram and Lot return from Egypt; Abram and Lot separate; God’s promise to Abram; Abram builds an altar in Hebron.

God’s Loving Perspective trumps Temptation in my Life!

Is our life a microcosm of the Bible from our birth to our death and beyond?

Foretold Jesus, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Isn’t a religion with The Holy Spirit spiritual in nature?

The world view that translated religion to spirituality has what in store past spirituality?

Perhaps a return to religion, an all-encompassing religion, from a different viewpoint, perspective and accumulated life experience?

Now in those days John, the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea, and saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John sets up Jesus’ first spoken words in the Bible with “It is I who ought to be baptized by thee, and dost thou come to me?” Jesus answered John with “Let it be so now, for so it becomes us to fulfill all justice.”

When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water and the Spirit of God descended coming upon him as a dove. God said “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Then Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil three times.

Fasting forty days and forty nights, here are his responses to temptation:

“It is written, ‘Not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”

“It is further written, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’”

“Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only shall thou serve.’”

Hmmm… service to God only, not to self or not to the demands of others?

How do we come out of denial, justification, and rationalization to truly know The Will and Power of God in our lives?

Jesus said after John the Baptist death, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

These were the exact same words as John the Baptist.

Where is the continuation of the prior generations of our ancestors in our lives?

How have we been inspired by them and how have we taken their beliefs and beings in life to the next spiritual step? Or have we immediately discarded them and their beliefs and beings as being old-fashion and not of use in our more modern times?

What are your desert experiences and who did you turn to for advice and guidance?

Jesus called his first disciples, a pair of brothers, as he walked by the Sea of Galilee. Simon Peter and Andrew. James and John. Has Jesus called to you?

Jesus shared The Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for my sake. Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.”

I think at one point in my life or another I have been on the receiving and giving end of all these beatitudes. I wonder if these “beatitudes” are really the “Be Attitudes” as in “Have this Be your Attitude” in life. TROML Baby!

Be “lightly salted!” Keep your strength, keep your flavor and light up the world!

Be better! Fulfill the old law, do not destroy it, but develop it and be part of its transformation to the new law.

Be free of anger and any resentment that fuels that anger.

Al-Anon brought peace and understanding to me as a young adult and later as an older adult through the TROML (an acronym for The Rest of My Life) Process. From being exposed to Alcoholics Anonymous, I realized I was a sugar addict and compulsive binge overeater. I did the Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous and that brought me freedom and more peace and understanding. By worldly chance and God’s Hand directing my life, I was lead to Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), an organization separate from Al-Anon with their own Big Red Book. Doing the Twelve Steps of ACA brought me greater emotional relief, understanding and maturity. Through the re-parenting and “re-God-ing” processes, which are intertwined from our early years because out parents likely introduced us to religion, I grew emotionally and spiritually. My perspective of God and my perspective of myself and others became more “accepting, compassionate, and loving.” Now, God’s Hand has led me to Celebrate Recovery (CR), a Bible-based, Scripture-based Twelve Step program to help me overcome my hurts, habits, and hang-ups. I see this alphabetical adventure through Al-Anon, AA, OA, ACA, and CR as God bringing me full circle back to Him, this time as a mature adult unconstrained by the impact and effects of alcoholism in my childhood. I am arriving at what I call my “Splendid Spiritual Self,” ready to complete God’s Will with my life and ready to be transformed further to life beyond in eternity.

What triggered that life synopsis? Reading the Bible, specifically the “Chasity of Mind and Body” section of Matthew Chapter 5.

The CR scripture associated with Step 3 (We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.) is from Romans 12:1.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

My mind, emotions, and body, my Splendid Spiritual Self, developed through the TROML Process, I give back to God to do His Will through me. Amen. Al-le-lu-ia!

I am a sinner who believes in God, that Jesus died for my sins and was resurrected, to show me and guide me to eternal life with Him in Heaven.

I divorced my wife and believe that God has forgiven me for that sin along with the many others that I have committed throughout my life.

I am not God, just trying to be filled with The Holy Spirit and be like His Son, my Personal Savior Jesus Christ.

I try not to have enemies but those that do come into my life I try to keep a continuing dialogue and relationship so that one day, hopefully soon, God’s love and enlightenment will come and transform us into a deep and meaningful friendship. For this I pray.

Peace, joy, and freedom—The Ultimate Love!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; God’s Loving Perspective trumps Temptation in my Life!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 3, 4 and 5.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

 

Matthew Chapter 3: The preaching of John the Baptist; John speaks to the Pharisees and Sadducees; The baptism of Jesus.

The preaching of John the Baptist

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Prophet Isaias- “the voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”

They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water and the Spirit of God descended coming upon him as a dove. God said “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

 

Matthew Chapter 4: The first temptation; The second temptation; The third temptation; Jesus in Capharnaum; The first disciples called; Mission of preaching and miracles.

Then Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.

Fasting forty days and forty nights

Foretold Jesus, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Stones to bread

No man lives from every word that comes forth from the mouth of God

Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.

The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only shall thou serve. (SERVICE)

John had been delivered up

Jesus said after John the Baptist death, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Exact same words as John the Baptist.

Two sets of brothers, fishermen

Simon, who is called Peter and Andrew

James and John

“Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Teaching, preaching, healing

Into all of Syria

Possessed and lunatics- mentally ill

Jesus can cure mental illness.

 

Matthew Chapter 5: Sermon on the mount; The beatitudes; The disciples compared to salt and light; The old law and the new; Against anger; Chastity of mind and body; Divorce; Concerning oaths; The new law of talion; The love of enemies.

The beatitudes

For your sake, persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and the light of the world

I have not come to destroy but to fulfill

You have heard that it was said to the ancients

Come to terms with thy opponent, DEAL With IT

Kill to anger

Looks with lust

Pluck out an eye and cut off a hand?

Divorce

Not “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But turn the other cheek.

Dad apology as a kid, slap other’s hand???

Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.

Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect!

 

 

God gave Abram a new name Abraham and land for a perpetual possession.

But we can’t take anything with us when we die?

So what good is a perpetual possession?

God tells Abram to look up to the heavens and number the stars if you can and then promises Abram that his offspring will not be able to be numbered because of their multitude.

Perpetual possession by limitless descendants… of what?

What is it that we are passing along to our children and their children and the children of the children of our children?

What stories of our being, if any, will be told by future generations?

When in our lives have we eaten humble pie?

How far has denial, justification, and rationalization of our not-so-good thoughts, words, and behavior taken us from God’s Will for us and removed His Power to do that will?

Maybe we don’t have to eat the pie but just be humble. Take some time and make it a timeout to pray and meditate with God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit. To be inspired in our life’s journey is a good and decent way to live.

I remember leaving the paradise of Southern California, where you can wake up and decide what you want to do that day without ever checking the weather report.

I was drawn to move back home to western New York State so that my children could have an opportunity to know their grandparents and vice versa. At the time I thought it was just about being with family but now I realize it was as much about me not growing up with grandparents and wanting my children to have an experience that I did not have.

When I was born my mother was holding me in her hospital bed crying. Her doctor came in and asked her why she was crying since she had such a beautiful baby in her arms? My Mom’s response was that her mother had just died and would not be there waiting at our home to carry me into the house. This was a Slovak custom practiced for all five of my older siblings. Soon afterwards her father died too and before I was 4 years old, both of my father’s parents would pass too.

I could have stayed and eaten paradise pie for a long time in Southern California and at the time I did not look at moving back East as a sacrifice, only a fulfillment of our family’s destiny.

Maybe all that God has promised anyone of us, through His Written Word, the Bible, is to guide us and to change us from the inside-out. To change our hearts and renew our minds. To make our journey through life easier, less burdensome. To make us clear and present with an “attitude of the Beatitudes” to fully enjoy the present day and another one after that if that is His Will.

Today could be the genesis of a whole new life for the rest of our lives and beyond!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective;   Eat Humble Pie or Wander further away from the Lord?

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 14-19

Bible Notes:

Genesis, the genesis or origin of the world, the history of Creation.

Noe and the Deluge, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Closes with the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt, whither Joseph had called his father and brothers.

Genesis Chapter 14: Invasion by the four kings; Abram rescues Lot; Sacrafice of Melchisedech; Abram refuses to accept payment.

And they took… Lot also, the son of Abram’s brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his substance.

Abram the Hebrew

Genesis Chapter 15: God promises posterity to Abram; God promises land to Abram; Abram’s vision; God’s covenant with Abram.

 

Genesis Chapter 16: Abram marries Agar; Agar flees from Sarai; An angel tells Agar to return to Sarai; Birth of Ismael.

Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand.

Eat Humble Pie or Wander further away from the Lord?

 

Genesis Chapter 17: Abram becomes Abraham; Covenant of circumcision; Sarai becomes Sara; Isaac is promised by God; All males of Abraham’s house are circumsized.

Land for a perpetual possession

Circumcision, old law versus new law/New Testament/new covenant

Abraham 100 years old; Sara is 90 years old bear a son Isaac.

And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

Ishmael (Arabic: إسماعيل‎‎, Ismā‘īl) is the figure known in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as Abraham’s (Ibrahim) son, born to Hagar (Hajar). In Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet (nabi) and an ancestor to Muhammad. He also became associated with Mecca and the construction of the Kaaba, as well as equated with the term “Arab” by some. (Wiki).

 

Genesis Chapter 18: Three strangers visit Abraham; A son is promised to Sara; Wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrha; Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom.

For I know that he (Abraham) will command his children, and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord.

Wilt thou destroy the just with the wicked? I will not destroy it for the sake of 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10…

 

Genesis Chapter 19: Lot entertains two angels; The angels blind the men of Sodom; Destruction of Sodom foretold; The angels urge Lot to leave the city; Lot is sent to the mountain; Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha; Lot’s wife becomes a statue of salt; Abraham sees the destruction; The sin of Lot’s daughters.

The Lord’s Prayer, The Our Father Prayer, The Perfect Prayer!

One could spend a whole lifetime reading, contemplating and trying to live out Chapters Six and Seven of Matthew’s Gospel.

To have a secret relationship with God in terms of doing good, praying, giving alms, and fasting.

The Lord’s Prayer, Our Father was my Mom’s perfect prayer and she passed her love of this prayer and praying, patience and faith down to me.

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Why is it perfect for me? It keeps me properly oriented to life and the world with God at the center and first thought. It keeps me abstinent (eat bread for a day only, not binge eat secretly and compulsively for the whole week in one day), clear and present in the present moment—today, incorporates the Golden Rule of treating others as we would like them to treat us and speaks to forgiveness and avoiding temptation which is my path to The Ultimate Love of peace, joy and freedom in life. TROML Baby!

 

Yes, there will be anxiety in your life, today and tomorrow and presumably yesterday unless you were born today!

If anxious, serve God, pray to God for His understanding and wisdom. Whether it is for your life, food, clothing, or shelter. Being anxious for the sake of being anxious does not help one bit.

It never has nor never will though I forget that sometimes when I am trying to be perfect or control other people and situations or lapse into all-or-nothing thinking and judgmentalism.

The heart and the eye are mentioned here, surely words from our mouth and thoughts in our head to be mentioned later, should all be directed to Him first for guidance and then the power to make decisions and take actions.’

It all comes down to trust and seeking God first, knowing and receiving his justice, and everything else you need in life will be given as a result of your faith and trust in God, not yourself or anyone else.

I was so blessed with good parents who had that light of God in their eyes and when they did not they served as a bold example to me to preserve and turn back to God to reignite that light and the love of God in their lives and by consequence mine too.

Evil as you are, our Father will give us good things if we ask Him for good things.

And I am evil, I have that sin and tendency at times to do the wrong thing. I am not perfect, far, far, far from it. But I also know Christ, that He died for my sins and rose from the dead. If I am honest with myself, Him, and another trusted human being I am cleansed daily and each day is a new beginning to be better than the day before.

The Golden Rule—“Therefore all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Them includes are so-called enemies…

There is HOPE in Matthew’s gospel and the Word of God and in God—“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened… Therefore if you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

There is peace, joy and freedom to be found in Christ and it all starts with His perfect prayer—“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Have a TROML Day today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The Lord’s Prayer, The Our Father Prayer, The Perfect Prayer!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 6 & 7.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

Matthew Chapter 6:  Purity of intention; Almsgiving; Prayer; The Lord’s Prayer; Fasting; True Riches; God feeds the birds; God clothes the lilies; We must have trust in God.

“Take heed not to do your good before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall have no reward with your Father in heaven.”

“But when thou prayest, go into thy room, and closing thy door, pray to thy Father in secret; and thy Father, who sees in secret, will reward thee.”

“But in praying, do not multiply words, as the Gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

“For is you forgive men their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offenses.”

“But thou, when thou dost fast, anoint thy head and wash thy face, so that thou mayest not be seen fasting by men, but by thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who sees in secret, will reward thee.”

“For where thy treasure is, there also will thy heart be.”

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If thy eye be sound, thy whole body will be full of light.”

“No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

“Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you of much more value than they? But which of you by being anxious about it can add to his stature a single cubit?

And as for clothing, why are you anxious? Consider how the lilies of the field grow; they neither toil nor spin… But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which flourishes today but tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith.”

“Therefore do not be anxious… for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow will have anxieties of its own. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew Chapter 7:  Avoiding judgments; Power of prayer; The golden rule; Obstacles to virtue; Conclusion of the sermon; The reaction of the crowd.

“Do not be judge, that you may not be judged. For what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you… Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam from thy own eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the speck from thy brother’s eye. Do not give to dogs what is holy, neither cast your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you.”

“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened… Therefore if you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

“Therefore all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

“Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who enter that way. How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few who find it.”

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.”

“I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.”

Iniquity—immoral or grossly unfair behavior; “a den of iniquity”

Synonyms: wickedness, sinfulness, immorality, impropriety; vice, evil, sin; villainy, criminality; odiousness, atrocity, egregiousness; outrage, monstrosity, obscenity, reprehensibility; formalturpitude

Antonyms: morality, virtue, goodness

“Everyone therefore who hears these my words and acts upon them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house on rock.

 

All this Happened a Long Time Ago and just Yesterday too….

Okay, maybe not the marrying our step sisters with whom we share the same father, being directed by God to forsake our own child, or being tempted by God to sacrifice our other child but the hurt, sorrow, and grief felt in the Old Testament is just as real today.

Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place… was the reason given by Abraham as to why he told Abimelech that Sara was his sister and not his wife.

Is there a fear of God in the world we live in today or in our personal life and relationships or in our heart?

Should there be?

Sara said to Abraham: Cast out this bondwoman (Agar), and her son (Ismael): for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my (our) son Isaac.

Abraham took this grievously for his son (Ismael). He grieved while he sent his son and her surrogate mother away. Assumedly as willed by God who said the He would make Ismael a leader of a great nation because he was Abraham’s son.

Several times in these passages Abraham’s simple response was “Here I am Lord (show me Your Will and give me the power to follow thorough)…”

Abraham had to nearly sacrifice his second son Isaac.

Then Sara dies and Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his hometown. Isaac took Rebecca as his wife and he loved her so much, that it, moderated the sorrow which was occasioned by his mother’s death.

How many of us men have blessedly gone from the love of a mother to the love of our wife? God spoke to this earlier in Genesis 2:24: “Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be two in one flesh.”

My first wife and I did exactly this, leaving home and family behind and moving to California after we were married. We were blessed with two beautiful sons after only a few years of being on our own together.

Abraham’s trustful plead: “Here I am my Lord God Eternal,” has resonated with me through all of my adult life in Dan Schutte’s song “Here I Am, Lord,” published in 1981:

I, the Lord of sea and sky,

I have heard My people cry.

All who dwell in dark and sin,

My hand will save.

I who made the stars of night,

I will make their darkness bright.

Who will bear My light to them?

Whom shall I send?

 

Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord?

I have heard You calling in the night.

I will go Lord, if You lead me.

I will hold Your people in my heart.

 

I, the Lord of snow and rain,

I have borne my people’s pain.

I have wept for love of them, They turn away.

I will break their hearts of stone,

Give them hearts for love alone.

I will speak My word to them

Whom shall I send?

 

Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord?

I have heard You calling in the night.

I will go Lord, if You lead me.

I will hold Your people in my heart.

 

I, the Lord of wind and flame

I will tend the poor and lame.

I will set a feast for them,

My hand will save

Finest bread I will provide,

Till their hearts be satisfied.

I will give My life to them,

Whom shall I send?

 

Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord?

I have heard You calling in the night.

I will go Lord, if You lead me.

I will hold Your people in my heart.

 

What beautiful, meaningful and relevant lyrics: I will go Lord, if You lead me… Give them hearts for love alone… Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord?

Is it I? Is it you? Why can’t it be everyone?

After all, this happened a long time ago but maybe something different can happen today…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; All this Happened a Long Time Ago and just Yesterday too….

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 20-24

Bible Notes:

Genesis, the genesis or origin of the world, the history of Creation.

Noe and the Deluge, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Closes with the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt, whither Joseph had called his father and brothers.

Genesis Chapter 20: Abraham dwells in Gerara; God commands Abimelech to restore Sara; Abimelech reproves Abraham; Abimelech restores Sara to Abraham; Abraham’s prayer brings children to Abimelech.

And he (Abraham) said of Sara, his wife: She is my sister. So Abimelech the king of Gerara sent, and took her.

Lord, will thou slay a nation, that is ignorant and just?

In the simplicity of my heart, and cleanness of my hands have I done this.

Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet…

Expostulate—express strong disapproval or disagreement.

Abraham answered: I thought with myself, saying: Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place: and they will kill me for the sake of my wife; howbeit, otherwise also she is truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her to wife.

Genesis Chapter 21: Birth of Isaac; Agar and Ismael driven out; God protests Agar and Ismael; Covenant between Abraham and Abimelech; Abraham plants a grove.

Sara said to Abraham: Cast out this bondwoman, and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.

Abraham took this grievously for his son.

But I (God) will make the son also of the bondwoman a great nation, because he is thy (Abraham) seed.

…and there called upon the name of the Lord God eternal.

Genesis Chapter 22: Abraham told to sacrifice Isaac; Faith and obedience of Abraham; Renewal of Promises to Abraham; Descent of Rebecca from Nachor.

Here I am (Abraham).

God tempted Abraham…

Son Isaac to Father Abraham: where is the victim for the holocaust?

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Genesis Chapter 23: Age and death of Sara; Abraham buys a burial ground from Ephron; Burial of Sara;

Sara lived 127 years.

Genesis Chapter 24: Abraham seeks a wife for Sara; Abraham’s servant in Mesopotamia; Rebecca comes to the well; Laban entertains Abraham’s servant; Abraham’s servant explains his mission; The marriage of Rebecca and Isaac approved; Meeting of Rebecca and Isaac.

The man took out golden earrings, weighing two sicles: and as many bracelets of ten sicles weight.

Isaac took Rebecca as his wife and he loved her so much, that it, moderated the sorrow which was occasioned by his mother’s death.

 

Miracles and More Miracles, Faith over Fear…

Why am I fearful?

What is there to be afraid of when I see myself from the inside-out and the world as it is?

Faith over fear permeates this part of Matthew’s Gospel.

The centurion’s faith.  “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” “Take courage, daughter; and thy faith has saved thee.”  “Let it be done to you according to your faith.”

Miracles and more miracles will happen if we believe

Christ heals the centurion’s servant; Peter’s mother-in-law and devils are expelled.

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she rose and began to wait on them.

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

Christ raises the ruler’s daughter to life.

But why do bad things happen to good people in this world today?

Why does God allow evil to triumph even in the tragic and innocent death of a child?

I don’t know the answers to these questions.

I do know that good always comes out of tragic situations if a wider perspective is taken. The September 11 tragedy united the world against terrorism. The innocent death of a young child with cancer who bravely utilizes compassionate drugs to advance technology in hopes of other who follow will suffer less and live longer until a cure becomes a reality.

“Why are you so peaceful, joyous and free, O you of great faith?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 8: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Miracles and More Miracles, Faith over Fear…

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters X-XX.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

 

Matthew Chapter 8: A leper; The centurion’s faith; Christ heals his servant; Peter’s mother-in-law; Other miracles; Sacrifice to follow Jesus; The storm on the lake; Expulsion of the devils in Gerasa.

“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

“…and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a witness to them.”

…but only say the word and my servant will be healed.

“Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee.”

And the servant was healed in that hour.

And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she rose and began to wait on them.

Isaias the prophet: “He himself took up our infirmities, and bore the burden of our life.”

“The foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

They entreated him to depart from their district.

Matthew Chapter 9: A paralytic at Capharnaum; The call of Matthew; The question of fasting; The ruler asks Christ to raise his daughter; The woman with a hemorrhage; Christ raises the ruler’s daughter to life; Two blind men; A dumb demoniac; The mission of the Apostles.

“Take courage, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

This man blasphemes (speak irreverently about God or sacred things).

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.”

“Follow Me.”

Why does your master eat with publicans and sinners?

“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, For I have come to call sinners, not the just.”

My daughter has just now died; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she will return to life.

“Take courage, daughter; and thy faith has saved thee.”

“Begone, the girl is asleep, not dead.”

“Let it be done to you according to your faith.”

By the prince of devils he casts out devils.

“The harvest indeed is great; but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.”

Hypothesis: Ascending Jacob’s Ladder is easier as your Splendid Spiritual Self!

Life in the Old Testament can be confusing. Multiple wives, some children blessed, some not. Abraham passing his blessings and worldly goods down to his son Isaac.

Isaac’s twin sons Esau and Jacob by Rebecca. “Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be divided out of thy womb, and one people shall overcome the other, and the elder (Esau) shall serve the younger (Jacob). Esau was a hunter and his father’s favorite while Jacob was a plain man and his mother. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob and Jacob pretended to be Esau as his father’s soul wanted to bless Esau before he died.

Sibling rivalry to the nth degree.

Isaac sends Jacob to Mesopotamia where Jacob’s vision of a ladder came to him in a dream. He saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels of God ascending and descending by it; and the Lord God leaning upon the ladder.

Life in the Old Testament can be prophetic!

Jacob’s vision being the first revelation that heaven can be reached from earth, that the two worlds can be one. Most say the ladder is an analogy to Jesus Christ who came to earth from heaven and re-ascended from earth to heaven. Did they even have ladders back then? Wheels too?

No applicable life experiences to share here other than my personal attempt to live life as a spiritual being while still here on earth with the hypothesis being that death and the one-way transition to heaven comes easier and simpler in this manner. Everyone can develop their own unique Splendid Spiritual Self through the TROML Process!

TROML Baby!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 9: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Hypothesis: Ascending Jacob’s Ladder is easier as your Splendid Spiritual Self!

Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 25-29

Bible Notes:

Genesis, the genesis or origin of the world, the history of Creation.

Noe and the Deluge, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Closes with the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt, whither Joseph had called his father and brothers.

Genesis Chapter 25: Abraham’s children by Cetura; Abraham gives his possessions to Isaac; Abraham’s age and death; God blesses Isaac; Generations of Ismael; Death of Ismael; Birth of Esau and Jacob; Esau sells his birthright to Jacob;

And Abraham married another wife named Cetura…

Children of the concubines ((in polygamous societies) a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives; a mistress).

And the years of Abraham were a hundred and seventy-five.

And Isaac and Ismael, his sons, buried him… (with) Sara his wife.

Ismael years were a hundred and thirty-seven.

Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be divided out of thy womb, and one people shall overcome the other, and the elder (Esau) shall serve the younger (Jacob)

Esau sold his birthright to Jacob.

Genesis Chapter 26: Famine in the land; Isaac dwells in Gerara; Isaac prospers; Isaac digs wells; Isaac dwells in Bersabee; Isaac’s covenant with Abimelech; Esau’s wives.

Abimelech king of the Palestines

Isaac said Rebecca is his sister (same as father Abraham and mother Sara).

Depart from us, for thou art become much mightier than we.

And they digged in the torrent, and found living water.

Where the Lord appeared to him saying: I am the God of Abraham, thy father, do not fear, for I am with thee…

And they both offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca

Genesis Chapter 27: Isaac commands Esau to hunt for meat; Conspiracy of Rebecca and Jacob; Jacob receives the blessing intended for Esau; Esau’s anger and complaint; Esau plans to kill Jacob; Rebecca advises Jacob to flee;

And my soul may bless thee before I die

Rebecca’s idea!

Genesis Chapter 28: Isaac sends Jacob to Mesopotamia; Esau marries a daughter of Ismael; Jacob’s vision of a ladder; Jacob’s vow at Bethel,

And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels of God ascending and descending by it; and the Lord God of Abraham leaning upon the ladder.

Genesis Chapter 29: Jacob comes to the well of Haran; Jacob meets Rachel; Laban welcomes Jacob; Laban’s daughters; Betrothal of Jacob and Rachel; Jacob is deceived with Lia; Jacob marries Rachel; Birth of Ruben, Simeon, Levi, and Juda,

Then Jacob went on in his journey,,,

And when he had heard the causes of his journey,,,

Jacob served seven years for Rachel.

Another seven years for Rachel after deceived with Lia.

Rachel barren, Lia opened her womb.

The Lord saw my affliction; now my husband will love me.

The wise Apostles who Freely Received and Freely Gave!

In the old days when I was growing up and going to church with my family at St. Cyril’s & Methodist Catholic Church there was a dividing rail between the altar and the pews. On that rail where signs with the names of the Apostles.

I think all twelve were present but I am not sure, especially unsure about Judas. I liked to kneel and take communion in front of Andrew the Apostle’s sign. Like the apostles some names were common growing up and I knew another Andy at school but never a Judas.

Peter & Andrew, James 1 & John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James 2, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas. Two pairs of brothers; A Simon who changed his name to Peter and a second Simon; and two James. Some names I guess were common in those days too.

“Freely you have received, freely give” was the ironic Pepperdine University motto on my MBA graduation watch. Tuition paid, higher salary expected now (actually back then in 1984, the year of the LA Olympics and our son Joseph’s birth). Really, is education freely given? Spiritual truths and principles surely are…

“Be therefore as wise as serpents, and guileless as doves.” I get a dove being innocent but a serpent being wise? Maybe I grew up eating too many Wise potato chips. The founder Earl Wise, Sr. choose an owl as the company mascot, a creature reputed to be “wise” at the time—which was 1921. Somehow I don’t think I would have felt as good eating the chips had a serpent been on the bag.

Let your peace return to you…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 10: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The wise Apostles who Freely Received and Freely Gave!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 10-11.

Bible Notes:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.

Tax Collector at Capharnaum

Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle

After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.

He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament

“Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak: for what you are to speak will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.”

 

Matthew Chapter 10: Power given to the Apostles; The names of the Apostles; Instructions to the Twelve; Opposition foretold; Disciple not above his teacher; Confidence in divine protection; We must give up all for Christ; Blessings for the Apostles’ benefactors.

He gave them power…

Now these are the names of the Twelve Apostles: first Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee; and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, he who betrayed Him.

Peter & Andrew, James 1 & John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James 2, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas. Two pairs of brothers; A Simon who changed his name to Peter and a second Simon; and two James. Some names were common in those days too.

Freely you have received, freely give.

No wallet for your journey.

Let your peace return to you…

“Behold, I am sending you forth like sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore as wise as serpents, and guileless as doves.

Guileless—devoid of guile (sly or cunning intelligence), innocent and without deception.

Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak: for what you are to speak will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.

And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake; but he who has persevered to the end will be saved.

“No disciple is above his teacher, nor is the servant above his master. It is enough to be like his teacher, and for the servant to be like his master.

“Therefore do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.”

“And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Satan, the Evil One).”

“Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I in turn will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake, will find it.”

Matthew Chapter 11: The Baptist’s deputation; Christ’s witness concerning John; The inconsistencies of the Jews; The impenitent towns; Jesus draws men gently to himself.

And blessed is he who is not scandalized in me.

What did you go out in the desert to see?

“Behold I send my messenger before thy face, who shall make ready thy way before thee.”

The day of judgment.

And him who the Son chooses the reveal Him.

“come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”