God Who Gives Liberally and Without Scorn

This morning in my devotional, I felt led to read James 1:5. I've felt led to it two mornings now. Yesterday I read it and said thank you Lord, pelase give me wisdom. This morning I reminded the Lord that I'd already read that (as if He needs reminding of anything) and was told that I really hadn't. First because I couldn't repeat it from memory and as I later discovered, because I had missed something powerful in it. That something is the part where the Holy Spirit says of God the Father: "who gives to all liberally and without reproach." I hadn't seen that before as a clause within the scripture that can be lifted out and applied to God in any asking of Him. In those things we ask (without wanting to spend it on our own lusts), God will give it to us first liberally. This I know, that God gives abundantly more than we can ask or think. He is the God of abundance. Perhaps more about that later. What really struck me though was the "without reproach." I really wondered what in the world that meant, so as usual, I try to go back to the Greek (I am not a Greek scholar, but have had a little bit of instruction in Biblical Greek). The word reproach as I saw it defined means sarcasm or scorn. So now I understand that God is not giving to us saying "You poor useless thing, couldn't you take better care of your finances?" Nor "Are you back again? Can't you do anything right?" Nor "You are just too screwed up to handle My blessings, but here we go again." No, God gives liberally abundantly more than we can ask or think and that without putting us down.

I think that we sometimes don't want to ask because we know or think that we don't deserve what ever it is that we're asking. And that's absolutely right; we don't "deserve" God's blessing. We get God's blessing because of what Jesus did to make us adopted children of the Most High God if we've accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord. It is based on His goodness, not ours. Therefore when we ask, God gives liberally and without reproach (without reminding us how unworthy we are). So

A ask

S seek

K knock

Throwing Stones at Tara Conner (Miss USA)

Tara Conner has been in the news lately for her misdeeds in New York City. Donald Trump was expected to fire her, but actually did what Jesus would have done. He gave her a second chance. I am reminded of the story in John the eight chapter:


2Early in the morning Jesus went back to the temple area. All the people came to Jesus. Jesus sat and taught the people. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman there. The woman had been caught doing the sin of adultery. These Jews forced the woman to stand before the people. 4They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught having sex with a man that is not her husband. 5The law of Moses commands that we kill with rocks every woman that does this. What do you say we should do?” 6The Jews were using this question to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch Jesus saying something wrong. Then they could have a charge against him. But Jesus kneeled down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7The Jewish leaders continued to ask Jesus their question. So Jesus stood up and said, “Is there any person here that has never sinned? That person without sin can throw the first rock at this woman.” 8Then Jesus knelt down again and wrote on the ground. 9The people that heard Jesus began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman. She was standing before him. 10Jesus looked up again and asked her, “Woman, all of those people are gone. None of them judged you guilty?” 11The woman answered, “None of them judged me, sir.”

Then Jesus said, “So I also don’t judge you. You can go now, but don’t sin again.”

(Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission.)



Trump is not Jesus, but he appears to have more compassion than many in the media do. I was watching Fox News this morning and the consensus of callers and staff seemed to be that she should have been fired. I remember a sermon that Randal Ross preached several years ago where he compared the MSM to pharisees. Many would rather see a good stoning than an act of mercy and forgiveness (picture above {probably "photoshopped"}). I don't know where Donald Trump is spritually, but I think in this case he is following what Paul taught in Romans 2: 14
"for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts."


Jesus said, MT 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'* For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, *to repentance." I have always felt that mercy trumped sacrifice because of this. Now we can say puningly Trump's mercy has trumped sacrifice. So for today, Trump is an example for us in showing mercy.

End of The Spear

I rented "End of the Spear" on DVD this weekend. I had been intending to watch it since I heard about it. It is a very well done retelling of a story I had heard in brief over many years in evangelical churches. It is well acted and thought provoking. Go here for a review: http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0002501.cfm.

The title says it well. The Waodoni lived by suspicion, retaliation and in a religous system that required them to kill their enemies in order to get into heaven. (Sounds like certain sects of Islam and Jihad). They didn't know anything else. Since it is told from their point of view, it is a little hard to get into their heads. Apparently they were suprised that the missionaries didn't try to protect themselves with the guns they had. Missionary pilot Nate Saint told his son that they wouldn't hurt the Waodani because "they're not ready for heaven yet." The movie tells us that the Waodani saw Nate translated to Heaven right before he died, like Stephen when he was martyred. It takes a while for the Waodoni to come around, but by the witness of the missionary wives and Dayumi, the sister of the tribal leader Mincayani (who speared Saint), the tribe begins to come around, even helping their arch enemies the Aenomai through a polio outbreak. The weaknesses are that we don't get to see how Dayumi comes to be a Christian, nor do we really understand Mincayani's conversion other than it coming from a confluence of incidents. I expect that the documentary of the movie and story "Through Gates of Splendor" will take us the rest of the way. The movie is weak in story development, sort of abridged, and leaves you wanting more details. The acting by the Panamanians selected to play the Waodani was excellent. As was the acting by the actor who played Nate and Steve as an adult. Portrayal of the other missionaries was somewhat shallow, kind of like they were college frat boys on day at the beach. An added bonus on the DVD is Steve Saint discussing Mincayani coming to the USA and the "culture shock".

The movie reminded me of when I was in Rep of Panama, taking an anthropology class and I got to go to the village of Anthony Zarco; picure in "native garb" at: http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/76/Zarco_Panama.html. Anthony, of the Choco Indians of the Darien Jungle of Panama, had been an instructor at the Jungle Survival School in Panama and one of his famous students was John Glenn. Anthony told about John Glenn giving him a rifle (which the Panamanian authorities took from him). We were invited up a hill into Anthony's home, which was a thatched roof hut on stilts set about 7 feet off the jungle floor. We got to the settlement via dugout canoe paddled by Anthony up the Chagres River (which is the water source that operates the Panama Canal). We climbed a ladder up into the hut while our teacher interviewed Anthony in Spanish. Anthony showed us around his settlement. I was mildly amused to see a small electrical generator with a small TV attached to it. Anthony showed us mock ups of healing sticks that had been used to suck evil spirits out of sick Chocos. Anthony no longer practiced this tribal witchcraft. Anthony was a Christian and rowed and walked his family to the Panama Canal Community church at Gamboa every Sunday for services. Anthony took us on a tour of the jungle around his settlement. He was probably under five foot and moved swiftly and erect through the jungle underbrush, while all of us taller folks were ducking branches and looking like the awkward people we were in this environment. Anthony would show us a plant and tell us that this was good for wrapping and cooking fish, and showing us another almost identical plant that he told us was deadly poisonous. He showed us his sugar cane press deep in the jungle. Anthony showed us his blow dart gun which was very long and the darts (curare dipped) which were used to bring monkeys down from the very high tree tops (Howlers which stayed mostly in the very high branches and Spider Monkeys who were in the lower banches). It was a lifetime memorable experience. Glad to share it here.

Discouraged; Consider Elijah

Discouraged? It happens to all of us. Recent news on th national and international fronts have been discouraging.

1 Kings 19:4; But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

Here's the guy who was a mighty warrior for God. He'd done great things and won great victories. But on hearing that Jezebel wanted to kill him he became despondent. The government of his own country had turned against him and wanted to hunt him down like a dog and kill him. God worked great and small miracles through this guy. But here he is, setting with his head in his hand because things weren't turning out like he wanted them to. "Why wasn't I brought with honor into the King's palace on a donkey? Look what I've done. This situation is just hopeless. I give up! I don't want to serve God anymore. In fact I just want to die and get it over with. Nobody appreciates me, and they just want to be rid of me. Nothing has really changed after all I've done. I've had to live in the wilderness, eating what the ravens left over. I've had to con a widow woman out of her last meal. And for what? So that I can get murdered by a heathen witch queen. I'm tired, I don't want to do it anymore. I Quit! I'm going back to Tish and herd goats. God, get somebody else to be your prophet. I'm a failure at it, All this and nothing's changed! Nothing except that I'm bitter and discouraged and want to give up. It's not supposed to be like this. I should be getting some positive strokes here, but nooo! I'm hidng in the wilderness." Sound familiar. How about the part where he says "I'm no better than my fathers". Now there's a revelation. I'm no better than my fathers. I think that's a great revelation. I'm really just a scared guy who's no better than my fathers. Looks like it's time to realize that we are no better than our fathers (mayby actually worse in some ways). That's where we need God's grace and mercy to sustain us. Finally come to the end of ourselves, to the end of our grandiose idolization of self. I'm no better than my fathers. My fathers were just simple laborers and farm boys. I'm no better than they. Sure I'm the most educated person in my direct family line for almost 400 years. It's true, but I'm no better than they. The only thing I have going for me when it all boils down to it, is that God has saved me and that from myself. Thank God. Mayby I can show my appreciation by not screwing things up too badly in the place he has put me. I guess that'll be my prayer. God help me not to screw things up too badly where you've put me and what you've given me to do. I Jesus's Wonderful Name

A Lame Man Avoided

I was with a group of men today and one brought up that he felt bad about telling a panhandler no when asked for money. I've seen the guy. He has a double above the knee amputation and is in a wheelchair. He gets out in the middle of a fairly busy street and approaches cars with a sad story and a request for money. I admit that I saw him in the street one day as I was at a stop sign and thought; "I hope I can get through this intersection without having to deal with him." My rational mind tells me that anyone in that shape has some type of disability, probably Social Security Disability of some kind, and Medicare/Medicaid. So, he shouldn't be out there, right? Others talked about various situations they'd been in where they felt a panhandler was probably running a scam. One said he knew about the amputee, and that he was a known drug user. Others talked about panhandlers in the community who were known to be cons, making lots of money off the sympathies of passers by. As I think about it now, I know that Jesus and the apostles dealt with just this type of person as they walked about Jerusalem. What would they do?

A Lame Man Healed
ACTS 3: 1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Now there's a real faith challenge! Do I have the guts to try it? (I know I should say with religious intonation: Do I have the faith to try it?) It is all too easy to look away isn't it. We're busily on our way somewhere, just like the people who weren't Good Samaritans. Got to get someplace to do my thing. But is this God's thing staring us in the face? Dealing with the drug abusing panhandling amputee. What would Jesus do? Indeed. Not give you what you want necessarily, but give you what you need. Did Jesus pass by sometimes? We think he must have stopped and ministered to every beggar. But what about that guy above, did he leave him for Peter to minister to in the power of the Holy Spirit? Jesus said He only did what the Father told and showed Him to do. He might have walked past him, the beggar was there daily the Bible says. It gets complicated. I have thirty seconds to decide what to do, turn away, pretend I don't see, hand a few cheap dollars out the window, try to let God work through me. What will I do? What will you do?

Dreaming About God's Tithe and Our Offerrings.

I was dreaming about the tithe last night. What I got from my dream was related to the teaching that Jesus gave regarding Matthew 5 "23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Something which struck me about this was that Jesus was not refering to the tithe. Gift here is gr. Doron. Tithe is gr dekatow. There is much more about this to be explored, but the tenth is always God's regardless, it belongs to Him. Gifts however are not to be offerred until we are reconciled with our brother, gifts are ours to use to honor God, which we cannot do if we are harboring hatred in our hearts toward our brother. Will ponder this more.