Brushing Your Teeth - And God

Tonight as I was brushing my teeth - a mundane task everyone does - I wondered how it could be applied to how God is a part of our lives. Almost instantly, I was inspired. As if He was waiting for me to ask how He was a part of my life.

We each have teeth. Those teeth are necessary for the process of chewing nourishing (and sometimes not so nourishing) edibles. They must be used also for helping create the right sounds that others can understand. They help create the shapes of our faces. They reflect our health. And - they must be cleaned often. To not use them in an effort to maintain cleanliness is to cause our bodies to suffer and they would still need to be cleaned anyways.

We are like our teeth. We are necessary for the worship of God and for telling others of His Salvation. We must interact daily with the world around us, often becoming stained with the emotions and events of the day. Yet if we avoided others, we would not be doing our job. If we just hung out for the ride, living as we desire, we would still be in need of cleaning. Having that relationship with God allows us to approach Him often each day for the brush up so that we are in good health and can continue to be a productive part of His Church.

The best part, if we fail and are no longer able to do something, we are not left along. God steps in, proving that support and filling in our cavities and root canals with His Grace and Love.

John 1:14-18 Recap

So after looking over my last post, I realized it wasn't organized very well once I started talking about the Law.  Sorry about that.  I had posted a summary on facebook.  It is organized more simply and all.  Here it is:

Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus states he didn't come to destroy the Law but til fulfill it. That until heaven and earth are gone (hasn't happened yet) that the greatest in heaven are those who keep all the commandments.

What are these commandments you ask?

Exodus 20:1-17
1. I'm your God, have no other gods.
2. Don't make an image of something I created, they can't be gods either.
3. Don't misuse my name
4. Keep my Sabbath holy. I made the 7th day holy during Creation and you are to rest on that day.

5. Honor your parents
6. Don't murder
7. Don't adulterate
8. Don't steal
9. Don't lie about what you witnessed
10. Don't wish for the things others have.

Mark 12:28-31

Jesus paraphrases the Torah. Greatest commandment is to love God (oh look, the first 4 commandments). The second commandment is to love others (oh look, the last 6 commandments.)

But what is love? If someone cuts me off at night while driving, to get even, can I leave my brights on? Even though that makes driving for them dangerous? It doesn't say in the Bible not to? Wait, yes it does.

1 Cor 13:4-5

Love is: patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring others, not self-seeking, not easily angered (so no road rage), doesn't keep record of wrongs.

But oh how easily we forget to love others. Jesus had to remind us. By replacing all 10 commandments? No. Just adding to it because that is how stubborn and hard headed we are.

John 13:34-35

Love your neighbor.

If you ask me who your neighbor is, it is everyone you silly person. Remember the Samaritan story. Jew was helped by the person he hated most. That person was his neighbor. So nice try.

Final thoughts: Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not destroy it. So God didn't get rid of the ten commandments. He still wants you to Love Him and to Love Others.

John 1:14-18

The Word Becomes Flesh

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me [f]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

16 [g]And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten [h]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

At the beginning of the Book of John, there is quite an introduction summarizing up several points before it switches to sort of a story mode.  This is the last of that introduction section.  

Recap really quickly on what Jesus is:  

• the reason I exist
• The Word
• flesh and lived among us
• grace and truth
• alive, active, and super sharp (double-edge sword sharp)
• can divide physical/non physical
• judge unseen thoughts/attitudes
• forever
• flawless
• radiance of God's glory
• exact representation of God's being
• sustains all things
• predicted back in the Old Testamend
• eternal
• Light
• Creator
• God of all, not select few

This passage states immediately that Jesus (He is the Word remember) came to live as flesh among us and that those who lived then beheld His glory as only the son of God can have.  Look at the list above.  Jesus was flesh.  Jesus was the radiance of God's glory.  I don't know if God has a physical appearance that can be contained in some sort of body, but Jesus is as close to that as we can get.  (Old Testament has some descriptions as well, but let's look closer to that later.)  God is this awesome being that exists outside of all we know: time, creation, universe.  So if Jesus is reflecting his glory, it has to be more than just physical attributes.  His social behaviors, spiritual behaviors, and educational behaviors also would have to be a part of who Jesus, and thus the Father, is.

In my last post, we talked about John.  He was here to be a witness to Jesus.  When you have someone witness something, it is so that they can testify of it later.  This passage adds what he witnessed and professed as truth.  The next passage in John goes into more detail and we will look at that.  This is just an introduction.  Basically John is saying that no matter how highly you think of him, Jesus is better.  John explains that though he has been on Earth doing his task and people love him (and some hate him) for it that it was all for when Jesus came.  And that actually Jesus existed before him, but was just now making His appearance as Jesus now.  Pretty cool.  Then John, this witness who was loved by the people and had a large following, also states that Jesus is much more preferred than himself.  That had to really get the attention of others.

I don't know where you stand on the topic of the Law.  I think that God is eternal and His laws are eternal.  That it is humans who change what they perceive is the Law so that they can dismiss it as no longer applicable.  Again something I need to research for myself.  

Anyrate, Jesus is described by John as having given us fullness and grace.  What are these?  In the next sentence he clarifies.  The Law was given through Moses (Is this just the 10 commandments or is it that plus all those laws/events/regulations/judgements?) and the grace and truth came through Jesus.  

This is why I disagree with the topic of the Law.  The idea that God's eternal laws could be no longer necessary contradicts this.  Here in John it states that the Law = Fullness and Grace = Grace & Truth.  I think that people purposefully misunderstand this in order to not feel guilty for not living as Jesus wants.

Look at the text below.  Jesus didn't get rid of the Law.  He was here to fulfill it.  He even pretty much says you are in trouble if you try to say otherwise.  He expressedly states to not break the commandments.  So I really think that the Law is something he came to fulfill and is still fulfilling until He returns.  That the 10 commandments are not to ever be broken.

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one [c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

(So this is probably why Seventh-day Adventists come across to other Protestants as so self-righteous.  They pride themselves on following the commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 where you worship on the 7th day which God had rested on during Creation because He made that day holy.  As we see here though, following just one of the ten isn't exactly how it works.)

Then in John 13 it states:

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This does not indicate that the previous ten were destroyed or no longer to be followed.  This simply says, Oh here is another one you need.  Because clearly humans are incapable of remembering that rules are put into place to make sure people are safe and happy.

Then in Mark 12 it states: 

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?

28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, [i]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the [j]first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The [k]first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [l]This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This is paraphrasing the Torah.  This is not replacing anything.  If you look at the 10 commandments, they are either directions on how to love God or they are directions on how to love your neighbor.  

Back then, just like today, people try to rationalize why it is okay to be mean, bully, get revenge on other people because their actions are not somehow breaking one of the 10 commandments.  God had to clarify for the stubborn, hard headed humans that you should love others.  Then, if you ask, "what is love" then here is the answer to that.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil;

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 13:4 arrogant
2. 1 Corinthians 13:5 keeps no accounts of evil

So by addressing that whole Law issue, we actually reinforce that God is forever and flawless.  Which then supports that the texts we have read so far on who Jesus is are correct texts.

Romans 1:8-15

Desire to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve [b]with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

This is the passage I wanted to look at tonight.  I'm constantly trying to remember to look for Jesus as well as insights into how I should live.  Our relationships impact our lives.  So our relationship with God, as it is the most important, should impact our lives the most.  Anyrate, without further ado, let's look at this.

I love how this passage starts.  When we live our lives, we are not supposed to seek glory and praise if it leads to vanity.  Pride in superficial versus pride in a job well done is hard to sometimes separate.  

Yet it we are to be known for something, having it be for our relationship with God is the highest praise.  It brings honor to God which is where our focus is already.  

He mentions that he serves God with his spirit.  I want to do a study at some point about the spirit.  Old Testament says that a soul/spirit is a physical body plus breath of God.  New Testament indicates it is either more or something else.  If you have Bible texts you feel would help me, put them in the comments and I will do a post of that topic at a future date.  

Let us continue.  I love how despite how deeply he desires to visit his friends, he is willing to only do so if it is God's will.  I'm not a fan of the idea that God micromanages or only has that one specific career path for you or only that one person who is your True Love (sucks for the kid who got hit and killed in grade school by a car... that thinking means either he didn't have a True Love or his True Love now will live lonely without a spouse).  I believe God knows what several options will make us most happy and let's us choose.  I also believe that if we set aside our lives to serve specifically him as this writer has done, that preaching as he does, that God is leading him more than we would possibly be lead if we weren't leaders.  I'm off track, let me re-state: Despite the writer's desire to visit dear friends, he waits for God knowing that there may be something else he could do to better serve God before he visits.  He places his mission and life's task before personal desires.  That is astounding.  I know if I so much as skip a meal, I'm what they call "hangry" and demanding food.  So pretty impressed by this guy.

Then to top that off, he isn't going to just visit them for the sake of tourist activities or hanging out.  He wants to give them a spiritual gift (not expensive souvenirs but something not physically touchable) so that they are encouraged.  And then by them being encouraged, he would be encouraged.  I really wonder why kind of spiritual gifts he might have wanted to impart.  If I knew that, I think I would better understand how that was encouragement for both parties.

I love how he ends this passage.  He didn't write this letter because of remembered them out of the blue.  Instead, he wrote after thinking of them often and trying to come see them many times previous.  How inspiring!  

If I had a friend who wanted to see me that badly, I could not harbor any bitterness that my friend had spent time with others instead.  This writer also mentions that he was preaching with Greeks and barbarians.  This is monumental... 

He not only was in contact with and preaching the Gospel to Greeks, Romans, and those who speak Latin... but also to barbarians.  In that culture at the time this letter was written, this would have been anyone who didn't hold to Roman customs nor speak Latin.  The 5 major groups that we are familiar with today were Huns, Franks, Vandals, Visigoths, and Saxons.  Just where did he travel and with whom did he speak?  From a historical perspective, this is pretty cool.  And to calm his friends with reassurances of his love for them if those are the types of cultures he was with is an insight into why he opened his letter the way he did.

So what do I see of Jesus in this?  I see Him as reassuring, considerate, thoughtful, open to communication, and loving.  Humans are poor representations of the God they serve, but characteristics still shine through :) 

John 1:6-13

I apologize for the delay in posting.  Was out and down with health issues.  God is good though.  I trust Him for my salvation.  In His mercy, He always helped me recover from a physical ailment as well. 

Let us continue our study.  I have copied and pasted the passage from Bible Gateway using the New King James Version.

This passage is a pretty cool passage.  It tells us the purpose of John (not the disciple, but Jesus' cousin) who also was preaching as a contemporary of Jesus' time.  He was there to bear witness.  When you have someone bear witness, they are agreeing to stand by and watch events unfold in order to then tell others later what happened.

This passage also tells us more of who Jesus is.  He is the Light and gives that light to everyone person on Earth.  What does light do?  It shines.  It illuminates.  The sun shines and it's light reflects from the moon even when we can't see the sun.  Jesus shines and illuminates.  He is reflected by His followers even when times are dark and we think we can't see Him. 

The passage goes on to explain that He was in the world (so walking among men), the world was made through Him (we wouldn't exist except that He created us so was present back at Creation), and those who saw Him didn't know who He, our Creator, was.  Even those who claim to follow God didn't accept Him. 

Yet despite the general masses and the general leaders of God at the time not accepting Jesus, there was people who did accept Him and did welcome Him because verse 12 indicates He gave them the right to be heirs of God. 

I'm certain in future passages we will find more clarification on what it means to be born of God.

John’s Witness: The True Light

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That[b] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His [c]own, and His [d]own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the [e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.