Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 7, 2017

December 7, 1941

Photo from “https://sites.google.com/site/mgmartinezx/mgmartinez

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

As the years pass there are fewer and fewer of us who can remember where they were and what they were doing when the bombing of Pearl Harbor was announced on the radio; I still remember that Sunday afternoon. I was an eight-year-old boy riding in the backseat of a Chevy, four door sedan, on a Sunday afternoon drive to look for campsites for the Boy Scout Troop my stepfather led. I’m sure that none of us could imagine the impact that attack would have on our country and our lives.

Although, by God’s blessing, we were not as profoundly affected as many other countries around the world it would certainly change life as we knew it. Some of the older boys that had been members of the troop would join up and never return; their lives lost on a distant battlefield. My stepfather had concerns about all of the boys that had gone through the troop and especially the boy leaders who had become patrol leaders and later assistant Scoutmasters. There were too many sad moments when we got the news that another former scout had died in the war.

War is Declared

Little time was lost in Washington D. C. in reacting to the attack; Congress was convened and President Roosevelt spoke to both houses.

Address to Congress
Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan
December 8, 1941

“Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people- we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

Once the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor the United States responded on December 8th with a declaration of war on Japan; because of treaties between Japan, Germany, and Italy that meant we had declared war on all three nations. Below is a copy of the declaration of war on Japan.

Congressional Declaration of War on Japan

“December 8, 1941

JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial Government of Japan and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared;
and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.”

This was a remarkable moment in the history of the United States. The country had been burdened by an economic downturn known as the “Great Depression” which had created many hardships on the American people. In addition, the Central Plains had been ravaged by a drought that was so bad the whole area became known as the dust bowl. Having been raised in Houston, Texas I was indeed fortunate to have experienced little hardship from the depression or the drought.

Fortunately, the drought was beginning to lift by the time the war started and many speculate that the Second World War was the catalyst that brought the United States out of the Great Depression.

A Time for Remembrance

Today is December 7, 2017, let us remember the great price that has been paid that we might continue as a free nation. The old saying, “Freedom is not Free” is as true today as it was on that fateful day in 1941.

Sadly, another form of treachery has once again endangered us, now a second date that will live in infamy has been added to the history of this country and that is 911, September 11, 2001. This is another vivid reminder that our freedoms must be defended or they will be lost.

If we value our nation, it is vital we recognize the changes in tactics that are being employed by those who wish to destroy it; attacks from without and within will continue until we are willing to deal decisively with those wishing its destruction.

Photo from “http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2012/09/liberty-was-attacked-on-911-its-still.html

Next week we’ll continue the series on “It’s All True, All of it!”

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 29, 2017

It’s All True, All of It! Part 1

Beyond the Imagination of Man Lurks a Truth that is Overpowering!

I was watching “Star Wars, the Force Awakens” when the Han Solo character speaks about the “Force” and says “it’s all true, all of it.” He had discovered the truth about the fictional universe in which they all lived and was acknowledging this reality to others. I had written a while back on another Star Wars movie, “Is There a Force with You Too?,” and provided the definition of the force given there; ” “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.”

This rather anthropocentric line by the Han Solo character again made me think of the true reality in which we live; a reality on which I have previously written in “What is Reality?”. The actual truth of our reality goes far, far beyond anything that can be imagined by the mind of man!

It would appear that very few give any serious thought to the true reality in which we live. The enormity of our reality is overpowering and impossible for us to fully comprehend. I have always been deeply moved by the sermon introduction preached by a young pastor in 1855 by the name of Charles Haddon Spurgeon:

A Sermon
(No. 1)
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 7th, 1855, by the
REV. C. H. Spurgeon
At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.

“I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”—Malachi 3:6

“It has been said by some one that “the proper study of mankind is man.” I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise.” But when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought, that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt; and with the solemn exclamation, “I am but of yesterday, and know nothing.” No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God. We shall be obliged to feel—

“Great God, how infinite art thou,
What worthless worms are we!”

But while the subject humbles the mind it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. He may be a naturalist, boasting of his ability to dissect a beetle, anatomize a fly, or arrange insects and animals in classes with well nigh unutterable names; he may be a geologist, able to discourse of the megatherium and the plesiosaurus, and all kinds of extinct animals; he may imagine that his science, whatever it is, ennobles and enlarges his mind. I dare say it does, but after all, the most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatary. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrows? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead. It is to that subject that I invite you this morning.”

Such remarkable maturity from a young man; I too find the study of the Trinity very humbling but also inspiring. I would like to devote some time to exploring the reality in which we live; to briefly explore it to the extent we are able based on the revelations we have been given. This journey will be a journey of faith as the elements we will be contemplating are far beyond our ability to understand and to a large extent to even imagine; let us start at a point which I will arbitrarily label a beginning.

A Starting Point

I shall begin this with a request; I ask you to try and imagine an endless void that is totally empty and free of all material matter; there is absolutely nothing there that can be seen in what we think of as a normal fashion. Then I shall ask you to imagine an all-powerful spirit that has always existed in this void; a spirit that is one in essence but three in persons. Let us refer to this spirit as God, the first person, God, the second person, and God, the third person and for convenience sake we shall use the expression, the Trinity.

Age is irrelevant as time has no significance to the Trinity; we speak of a timeless eternity which has always been. At this point our minds stumble and lose all reference points as we are time dependent creatures; living our lives in a time frame unique to this earth. To ask how long did the void continue would be meaningless as time did not exist as we know it.

Let us travel this road of discovery together as we move on to the second of seven parts and continue our exploration of the truth of the reality in which we live.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 17, 2017

Putting it All Together

Life comes with a lot of Assembly Required

The manufacturer’s assembly instructions

The Bible is God’s gift to his children; it is the manufacturer’s assembly instructions for life. From the time we are a baby on through our later years we are faced with a never-ending assortment of decisions and choices that need to be made for us to continue our lives; some of these are incidental and some are essential. I have found it very interesting that some of the most important decisions must be made while we are still young and inexperienced in the affairs of this world.

We make decisions concerning marriage and career while we are still so young and relatively innocent; these decisions have a strong impact on everything that will come later. The Lord knew we would wind up in this situation and gave us instructions on how best to fit the pieces of our lives together in the way he had planned for us and would produce the best results.

What makes this so dangerous is all too often young people who are making important life decisions have no idea how much they don’t know; they have no idea how extensive will be the change in their perspective on almost everything as they grow older; I am still fascinated by the changes in my perspectives on life as I discussed in A Surprising Discovery.

The Swing Set

Many years ago, when the children were still small, we decided it was time to get them a swing set for the backyard. We found a fully assembled demo set at one store that was available at a discounted price; that seemed like a good choice especially as it was already fully assembled and I thought it would be delivered to us that way.

Boy, was I wrong about that; when delivered, the swing set had been completely disassembled and had all of the nuts and bolts dumped into one big bag and there were no instructions included. Not only did I have to assemble the swing set completely but I had to do it with no instructions whatsoever.

I learned quickly that there were certain guidelines that I had to follow and after extended trial and tribulation I finally got it put together; it probably took twice as long as it should have because there were no instructions for assembly so my approach had to be trial and error. It is this confusion and delay that God wants to spare us by giving us careful instructions on how we should assemble our lives.

Your Life Assembly is Still a Work in Progress!

All of us are still working on life assembly; as long as we live we will be works in progress. We are much more complicated than a swing set and our assembly can get really complicated; what complicates our situation even more is we are handed conflicting assembly instructions by the world, the flesh, and the devil. All too often these false instructions appear to offer shortcuts and quick fixes that will wind up leadings us down dangerous slopes that could harm us. In my work with GMO I see so much of this all over the world; Satan is alive and well on planet Earth and all too often people are looking for what appears to be the easy way.

Things that are True, Honorable, Right, Pure, Lovely, and Admirable

In his grace, God has given us the best advice about assembling our lives; I’m particularly appreciative of the advice given in Philippians 4:4-9 where it is written:

“4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

I personally think on these verses many times a day and encourage others to think on them as often as they have the opportunity. We have a responsibility to ourselves and others to help them focus on the authentic assembly instructions provided by the manufacturer and ignore the false instructions that come from other sources.

The Media

The vast majority of the news and information we see is totally contrary to the advice we are given in verse 8; how great a disservice are we doing ourselves to let the media influence our perspectives on our lives as children of God. We look at the world through the media’s eyes and we see the good, the bad and the ugly everywhere we look; on balance the bad and the ugly seem to be featured, especially so in Washington, D.C.

Ask yourself in the privacy of your own mind: what percentage of your thoughts are rejoicing in the Lord and what percentage is worry or annoyance over current events? Your private answer to that question can give you a guide to how well you’re following the manufacturer’s instructions for your life assembly.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 10, 2017

God’s Extravagant Love for You

God’s Image at Work in You

You are a very special creation of God; as a human being you are descended from a line that was breathed into existence by the breath of God and made in God’s image. Of all creation only mankind was created in this fashion; all else was spoken into existence. In the beginning we are told of man’s responsibility to the animals; in Genesis 1:26 it is written:

“26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Today vestiges of that rule, despite the fall, may still be found as we seem to see in many a desire to love and care for animal life. What has always amazed me about animals is how each of them are truly, independently unique creations. Each of them have personalities that are one of a kind and never to be repeated; God is so extravagant in his creative process!

Abby Cat in a pensive mood

I’ve often reflected on the significance of our love for these dependent creatures; to my thinking this love gives us a picture of God’s love for us. We love them, feed them, clean up after them and delight in their presence as they sleep on whatever seems comfortable at the time or play with wild abandon. If we can love them as much as we do then God’s love for us is truly possible too since God is love.

Over the years we have been blessed to share the lives of many precious animals; I still remember the names of most of them and recall the joy they brought into our lives. When we were first married I was not a cat person so for several years we had no cats in the house; I was a dog person so we had dogs but no cats.

The Cat Invasion

There came a time when I decided a cat might be a good idea so we started looking for a cat to adopt into our family. Surprisingly there seemed to be a shortage of kittens wanting adoption and we had trouble finding one we could adopt. One day our family was driving down a back road near our house and we say a very small black head sticking up out of the weeds along the side of the road. We stopped and found a small black and white kitten that was all alone and took him home to his new forever home. We named him Charlie and he became the feline member of our family.

Charlie was one of the most remarkable cats I have ever known; he became a big tom and would insist on going out at night which we permitted. In the morning he would be back a little the worse for wear and we would take care of him. One of the most amazing things about Charlie was his amazing patience with our daughter; he would let her get away with anything and never scratched her. She would stack wooden blocks on him and then lay on top of the blocks on him; he would howl for rescue but would endure the indignities until my wife or I came to his rescue.

Charlie was the inspiration for this artwork. © Adele Bower

On other occasions our daughter would dress him in doll clothes and push him around in a little doll baby buggy she had and he would patiently sit there and endure it. Charlie’s patience did have its limits however; once we were all sitting on the front porch joined by some neighbor children and a dog had the nerve to walk down the sidewalk in front of our house. Charlie took one look at the dog and ran after it and chased it off down the street. One little neighbor boy was shocked and said, “I thought dogs chased cats!”

Charlie was with us when we moved from the Dallas area back to Houston and seemed to adjust to his new location with no problems. His nocturnal roaming’s continued, at his insistence, and we would let him back into the house the next morning. One morning he was not at the back door and we wondered where he might be; it was a Saturday morning and I had to go to work as a salesman for a home building company.

I drove down our street to a major street near our house and just happened to see a small black and white clump in the street about a half block down and knew I had to check that out. Sadly it was Charlie, he had been hit by a car and killed; I picked up his body and drove back to the house, sobbing as I returned home and told the family what had happened; we decided to bury him in a safe place. Since then no cat of ours has ever been allowed to leave the house, lesson learned!

Years have passed but cats are still a big part of our lives; we now have two cats, Abby Cat and Tomboy who are members of the family. Abby Cat was found on a used car lot and Tomboy wandered into our backyard and from there into his forever home.

Notice the smudge on Tomboy’s jaw; the picture was taken in January of 2013 while he was still an outdoor cat.

The Moral of the Story

In his grace, God has given us wonderful creatures to love and enjoy; creatures to appreciate and care for as he intended from the beginning. After Adam’s disobedience everything changed; fear and death came into God’s creation and marred the relationship man was to have had with the animals. Mankind, in his fallen state, would all too often fail to rule the animals with God’s love and as a defense, God gave animals a fear of man to help protect them from the fallen nature that had become a part of man.

In spite of the fall the vestiges of man’s rule over the animal’s remains in some as they lovingly watch over and care for the animals that have been entrusted to their keeping. As we express this love we are permitted a glimpse of God’s love for us, as his creation. The ultimate expression of that love was revealed by the human birth of God, the Son, to take on the form of a servant and die as the sacrifice for the sins of the creation.

Today, as we watch over the precious lives entrusted to our care, we are given a sense of God’s unconditional love for his children. If we, with our flawed sin natures, can love these dear lives then we can better understand God’s love for those of us who have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us as the free gift of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 25, 2017

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

A Lovely Thought

Jasmine crossed the Rainbow Bridge last night. She would come running when she heard us talking on our patio. I sketched her during one of her visits. I took the photo of her on our front walkway. A treasured friend.

Just recently a lovely little animal died after a long and greatly loved life; her name was Jasmine and she lived next door as part of a neighbors family. She was the very picture of loving friendliness and never met a stranger. We were delighted by her frequent visits and looked forward to seeing her each time we were on the patio talking; she would hear our voices and come running to us to pay her respects and enjoy a few moments of cuddling.

Despite our neighbors best efforts the challenge of her years finally overtook her and she had become very frail; when my wife got news of her death she prepared the tribute above as a salute to a well loved feline friend and posted it on Facebook.

For some reason I was deeply touched by the expression “crossed the Rainbow Bridge.” The precious animals the Lord brings into our lives leave an indelible impression that never goes away. Each of those lives is so special and truly unique; each are pearls of great value and a rich blessing to those privileged to love them and share their lives.

We want to imagine some special destination for those dear lives that have so enriched ours and a mental picture of those dear souls crossing a rainbow bridge seems to help fulfill that need. I am confident that God’s love for those small parts of his creation is infinitely greater than ours! If we can love them as much as we do then God can love them even more; I suspect there may well be an unrevealed promise for those precious lives as God’s love continues to envelope them in the future.

“The Rainbow Bridge” 

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 23, 2017

The Coming Family Celebration

A Heavenly Future

There is probably no way we can realistically understand or relate to heaven; I suspect that heaven is so far beyond our understanding as to be essentially unknowable.

With that caveat in place I believe we are at liberty to speculate based on the revelation of God we have in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know from Scripture that if we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father; the life of our Lord provides insight into both heaven and the nature of God.

The Judgment Seat of Christ, a Celebration for the Family

It is generally acknowledged that the Judgment Seat of Christ will take place in heaven during or slightly before the seven year period leading up to the Second Advent. The church will have been taken up at the Rapture and Christians will have received their resurrection bodies which will be eternal bodies, free of sin.

We are told in I Corinthians 3:11-15 and II Corinthians 5:10 that our works as mortal humans will be judged for the purpose of determining rewards; this is called the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ. The believer’s salvation is not in question, just the believer’s works, whether they were done for God’s glory or self glory. Paul speaks of fire which will “test the quality of each person’s work” I see this as a refiner’s fire which will burn off the dross and leave only the purest gold; the gold of Spirit led works for the Lord.

Whereas our position in the Lord was perfected by Christ’s sacrifice, our experience on earth as mortal humans has been flawed by sin; I see this event as the purification of our experience which will result in the removal of all works that were done in the power of the sin nature. I think of a loving parent who must clean up a beloved child who has returned home covered in mud; this is a mud removal process so we, as children of God, can enjoy the party and rejoice in this final purification from dead works.

I have heard the comparison made between the Bema and a judge’s stand at a sporting event; this is a better comparison than a court of law, the believer is not on trial, his works are being judged for the purpose of rewards. Just as athletes may appear before a judge’s stand to receive their awards so Christians will appear before Christ to receive rewards for what they have done in the power of the Holy Spirit and additionally have all their penalties and errors expunged from the record. I am convinced this will be a time of celebration for God’s family and we’ll all share in the joy.

The Bible does not reveal the exact nature of those rewards nor does the Bible reveal the exact nature of what we will be doing in eternity or where we will be doing it. We know from Scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth in which we shall live forever.

Eternity Will be a Busy Place

I believe we’ll all have work that is assigned to us in eternity. It seems to me the principle was established in Genesis when God placed man in the garden and told him to care for it and to also be responsible for all of the creatures He created; Adam’s life was never intended to be a life of indolent ease.

Keep in mind the church is a special creation of God and is given unique privileges and responsibilities; this too is a matter of God’s marvelous grace!

The members of the church are given some clues as to what our responsibilities will be; in I Peter 2:9 we are told we’ll be a royal priesthood which suggests both administrative and spiritual leadership responsibilities. Then in I Corinthians 6:3 we are told we will judge angels which would suggest judicial responsibilities.

I’m getting the impression there will be plenty of work to go around with absolutely no danger of unemployment or boredom. That does not explain the differences in rewards which, I think, will have to wait until we get to heaven and find out; it may be that some rewards will only apply after the new heaven and the new earth are created.

A Sin Free Celebration

Although we may all have our fair share of penalties and errors which need expunging I suspect that most of us see ourselves more as observers rather than participants in this process of receiving rewards. While we may hope we receive some small reward we recognize that our lives in no way compare to the lives of those saints about whom we have heard so much. How then will we feel as we watch those well known saints receive their well deserved rewards?

I’m confident we can all remember occasions when a family member was given special recognition; the feelings of happiness as we watched a beloved member of our family receive a special reward; I’m convinced this will be that sort of event, a celebration for a job well done.

One thing we can count on at that time is our resurrected bodies will be completely free of sin and the old sin nature. Another thing is the reality of our all being part of God’s family and seeing each other as children of God in that family.

When one imagines a contemporary sporting event, the conclusion of the event produces winners and losers; the winners joyous in victory and the losers agonizing over their defeat. I am convinced that this will not be the scene at the Bema of Christ! This will be a celebration for the family where we will all rejoice as members of the family are recognized; the winners are after all members of our family!

A Grand Day of Thanksgiving in Heaven

I believe the Bema of Christ will be a day of happiness, rejoicing, and thanksgiving for all believers. One reason is the promise that in heaven there will be no more sorrow, crying, or pain. Another reason is this is a family affair and none of us will be burdened with a sin nature so we will be able to unreservedly love our family and celebrate their good fortune.

As mortal believers we are given the opportunity to walk by faith and enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit; I believe our normal perspective in heaven will always reflect the fruit of the Spirit as specified in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

It is these feelings that will dominate our reaction as the rewards in heaven are being given. It is these feelings that will cause us to rejoice with gratitude as our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ are given their rewards.

The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a time of great rejoicing, a time of thanksgiving for all of God’s children as members of the family are recognized; what a blessed way to start our eternity with God.

First published in November, 2011 expanded and revised

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 16, 2017

Is There a Force with You Too?

Promotional Poster, TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Truth is Stranger than Fiction!

As many of you are aware I’m a science fiction fan and collect both books and movies devoted to the genre. Yesterday I watched one of the recent releases in the “Star Wars” saga named “Rogue One.” One of the characters in the movie is blind and on occasion would chant “I’m one with the Force, and the Force is with me” as he encountered dangerous situations.

As usual I see parallels with Christianity in everything so this rather quickly brought my mind around to thinking on the privileged position we experience as born-again Christians. At the point of the new birth, we are joined for all eternity by the Holy Spirit who becomes one with us so in a very real sense we are one with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not only with us but in us.

Just to be clear let us recall the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity and is eternal God who has always been and will always be; it is this eternal deity who is now one with us.

I suspect most of you are familiar with the general storyline behind the “Star Wars” movies; the conflict is between those who align themselves with the Rebel Alliance and those who are part of the “Evil Empire.” Both factions have fighters who seek to use the power of the Force which is defined as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.” The Star Wars Force has a light side which is good and a dark side which is evil.

This humanistic concept of a universal force is reasonably predictable but infinitely inferior to the reality experienced by Christians who are born again. I’ve discussed the Biblical concept of reality in an essay “What is Reality? and am amazed how distinctive the Bible is from literature written from a human perspective.

A more Biblical definition of the Force might be the creator of all living things which surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. The Triune God is the Force which has created all things and by whom all things consist.

The Bible teaches all creation is held together by the power of one, the Lord Jesus Christ by whom all things consist (Colossians 1:15-17); it is by His power all things are bound together. In the Trinity’s deity all three persons share the same divine essence which includes omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. While we have been made a temple by the third person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we are used by the second for service (Galatians 2:20).

It Gets Stranger Still

In addition to the amazing things that have been done to the born-again Christian there is yet another that is even more unexpected, full adoption into the family of the Trinity! In Romans 8:15-17 it is written:

“15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

I find it of great interest to note the particular Aramaism used for father by Greek speaking Jews, abba, Ἀββᾶ; is an affectionate term that “was also used as the term of tender endearment by a beloved child.” God thinks of you as a beloved child; how do you think of God? As a born-again Christian you are now a very real part of God’s eternal family and always will be; there is no way we can even begin to comprehend how enormous that is but we can and should let it be a source of great joy and comfort as we face the trials of life.

May the Force be with You!

As a science fiction fan, I have encountered a wide variety of worlds and universes as devised by the mind of man. While some of them have been entertaining and a few of them highly imaginative none of them have even begun to approach the totally incredible universe in which we actually live. The true reality in which we find ourselves is vastly more unexpected and alien than anything devised by the writers of science fiction and fantasy.

While I have read many volumes of science fiction and fantasy, I have never encountered anything that even begins to compare to the Bible. Whereas I have found it easy to spot the human mindset in fiction I have found it to be absent in the Bible. In the most respectful sense possible the Bible is non-human in its perspective on life and living; this is one factor that has made it easy for me to believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible. The Bible is a divine book, not a human book!

We do ourselves a shocking disservice when we neglect the truths revealed in the Bible; we do ourselves a further disservice when we fail to apply these truths to our lives each and every day. Let us learn to faithfully observe the commandments of the Lord and apply them to our lives; by doing this then we can affirm with complete confidence and joy:

“I’m one with the Force and the Force is with me!”

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 9, 2017

Gun Control and Child Proofing the Room

Is Gun Control Another Effort to Childproof the Room?

The recent mass murder in Las Vegas has once again provided an occasion to beat the drums for gun control. The mantra being if we only had better gun control something like this would not have happened. The fact of the matter is guns are inanimate tools and have no agenda whatsoever; killing is instigated by people, not guns.

Inanimate tools are nothing more than that, just tools; whether you pick up a gun, a knife, an axe, a stick, a hammer, or a chainsaw it is nothing more than an inanimate tool that can be used according to the will of the user. It can be used for either good or evil but that is a decision made exclusively by the user, not the tool.

While the death of 59 people in Las Vegas is a terrible thing, it is a small number by comparison with the 762 killings in Chicago in 2016. Chicago just happens to have some of the most extensive gun control laws in the United States but this seems to do little good for those people who got killed anyway. The Associated Press distributed a press release on January 1, 2017 with this headline: “Chicago Ends Year With 762 Killings, the Most in 2 Decades”

Whether a gun, or any tool, is legal or illegal it is equally deadly in the hands of a killer.

A Monumental Effort in Misguided Good Intentions

Our three children were born between 1957 and 1961 and were close enough in age to grow up together. By the time our first boy was born we were enthusiastic students of the Bible and spent a lot of time rejoicing in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As Christians who believed the Bible was the inerrant word of God we had already decided it was “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Based on that conviction we decided to raise our children in the ways of the Lord and proceeded to follow Biblical teachings in their upbringing. We believed the child should be taught how to behave and exercise the self-discipline needed to refrain from doing that which was unacceptable.

We had also come to believe in certain principles of life and living that would help our children establish a solid foundation for their lives; the first was an unconditional love on which they knew they could always depend.

The second was a principle I had picked up from Scouting Magazine; this had to do with the importance of establishing parameters of acceptable behavior. The children had to understand where the limits were on their behavior; in effect they had a fence around their lives beyond which they were not allowed to cross. Any crossing over the fence would result in discipline which brings up the third principle.

The controlling thought behind the third principle, discipline, was not severity, but certainty; the discipline didn’t have to be severe, just certain. This was a principle I had picked up during my short but intense period of service in the United States Navy. The axiom was “It is not the severity of punishment that counts but the certainty of it.”

I’m happy to report that this system produced excellent results; the children learned at an early age that self-discipline was a much better alternative and chose to exercise the self control needed to avoid parental discipline. The fact of the matter is their teenage years were rather fun for the entire family; at least most of the time.

By Way of Contrast

The name of this essay includes the concept of childproofing which is the real subject of the essay. When our children were very young we observed what appeared to us as a strange and unworkable phenomena.  Young parents of our acquaintance were embracing a new concept which included never saying no to their children and never disciplining them for their misdeeds. The idea seemed to be that such negative actions would harm their young psyches and hamper their development into productive adults.

In order to avoid creating situations that might cause the children to do something bad the parents were childproofing their houses so the little children couldn’t reach those things that might break or cause them to harm themselves or others. Anything thought of as breakable or dangerous was put out of reach of the children. Such a room was childproofed as far as the parents could make it.

I can recall speculating with my wife on the potential difficulties when these children moved out into society and lacked the self-control to discipline themselves.

I had overlooked one significant and unexpected development; the same parents that would try to childproof the room would later try to childproof society as well. That is pretty much where we seem to be today; we see efforts all around us to remove the dangerous things, like guns, out of reach of the adult/child that has never learned how to exercise self-control.

I think on occasion of the verse in Proverbs 22:15 where it is written:

“15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

It would appear this foolishness is now bound in the heart of many adult/children and is being nurtured by society as it continues to futilely attempt to establish a childproof environment free of dangerous things. The problem is not environmental, it is internal and can only be successfully dealt with at the spiritual level.

The Real Problem

One of the major questions being addressed by the media today is why did Stephen Paddock go on a killing rampage; what happened to cause him to carefully plan and then murder all those people at random. Out of all the discussions appearing on the major news shows there has not been one reference to a spiritual problem that I’ve heard about.

The Bible makes it clear that Stephen Paddock, just like every other human being, was born spiritually dead and from all appearances was spiritually dead at the time of his mortal death; his fallen sin nature was always in control of his life and guided him in all his decisions. Fortunately the fallen sin nature does not guide everyone who is under its control to commit mass murder but it does inevitably result in eternal separation from God.

The only deliverance from this curse is the new birth which comes with salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Even if, by some stretch of the imagination, society was able to perfect the environment and successfully make all of society childproof that would in no wise solve the problem of sin and lawlessness; the basic problem is internal, not external. This is clearly demonstrated by the experience in the Garden of Eden and the coming experience during the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perfect environment is not and will never be the answer to man’s sin problem; the only answer is the new birth; you must be born again.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be Saved!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 3, 2017

The Horror in Las Vegas!

The Mass Murder of Innocent People in Las Vegas

Stephen Paddock, mass murderer

The rather strange photo above has been widely circulated in connection with a horrendous murder rampage in Las Vegas this past Sunday night. The media reports there are now 59 people killed and over 500 wounded. The motive for this killing has yet to be established but is being carefully investigated by authorities.

According to reports this man was found dead when the police broke into the room he was in at the hotel. By his death Stephen Paddock has eluded the judgment of the courts and will not stand trial for his misdeeds. The Bible is clear regarding all humanity including this one; Stephen Paddock will live forever in some location known only to God. In the minds of those who believe in an afterlife the question may now be one of where will Stephen Paddock spend eternity, in heaven or in hell?

Common sense would demand he spend eternity in hell because of his hideous crimes against humanity but is this the way God would look at him. From the divine viewpoint what is the basic charge against Stephen Paddock when he appears before God to be judged? I suggest to you the murder and carnage caused by this man will not be the basic charge against him; it will be something totally different and I believe the Bible makes this very clear.

The Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ

I published a two-part essay on the subject of personal sin on August 7, 2017 Forgiveness and September 8, 2017 Everything has Changed and presented the Biblical perspective that personal sin had been paid for by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ had died for the sins of the entire world, past present and future and eliminated personal sin as a barrier between God and man; to be specific the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of Stephen Paddock including the massacre at Las Vegas.

By his apparent suicide he has escaped judgment by the judicial system; now the only question that Stephen Paddock faces, from an eternal perspective, is did he receive Jesus Christ as Savior and was born again during his mortal life on this earth. While I would quickly agree there is certainly no evidence this ever happened I would add this is the only condition that will determine where he spends eternity.

Why do I mention this now? The full nature of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is too often misunderstood; when he spoke the words “It is finished” all personal sin was judged at the cross in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for those sins; the debt had been paid in full including mass murder by Stephen Paddock!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 2, 2017

The Tomorrowland in Your Future

Tomorrowland movie promotional photo by Walt Disney

It’s Coming, you can Count on That!

I saw this movie advertised on TV and decided to record it for future viewing; the other night I finally got around to watching it and enjoyed it enough to watch it all the way through and now I’ve ordered the disc to add to my collection of science fiction movies. As a science fiction fan I found it of interest as it told a story of time travel and adventure with the usual collection of good guys and bad guys.

From a theological perspective (everything in my life has a theological perspective) it falls into a familiar trap; human problems can be resolved by adjusting the environment. In this version a machine in the future is reaching back through time to influence the thinking of all mankind in a negative way; (spoiler alert) the answer is to blow up the machine and remove all of the negative influences that were causing all of mankind’s problems which is done by the good guys and gals.

From a science fiction movie point of view it is light entertainment designed for the younger audience; it is rated PG and is essentially free of gore and bad language and generally suitable for the family. The movie picks up on the very real feeling that there should be something better than what we have now; there must be a better way if we could only find it. I’m convinced this feeling of longing is based in part on the essential essence of who we are and how we’re made. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it is written:

11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

We have eternity set in our hearts; after all we are made in the image of God with all the resultant ramifications of that creative act. There will never come a time when you are not a living, self-aware life; you have been created to live forever. I find it fascinating how little that is taught; very few people live their lives with the realization of the true nature of their eternality.

Is Perfect Environment the Answer?

In Tomorrowland the implied message was the shutting down of the machine would bring peace and harmony to mankind; the movie ends with the destruction of the machine and the promise that all would now be well. This sad illusion has driven many as they sought to correct various perceived imperfections from the environment or the social or economic fabric of society; virtually all of the world’s “isms” have operated on this assumption and have failed miserably to accomplish their desired goals.

The Bible describes the futility of this hope in the Genesis narrative of the Garden of Eden and the Revelation narrative of the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. In both instances, one past and one future, the narrative shows beyond any doubt that perfect environment is not the answer. If a lack of a perfect environment is not the cause of man’s problem then what is the cause of man’s inability to achieve the utopian world of which he dreams?

The Bible provides a very clear answer indeed although the explanation doesn’t rank very high on the popularity scale; the cause of the problem is not external, it is internal! Mankind is, by it’s nature, a fallen race whose members are born spiritually dead and have no way to correct that condition by any means available to them. The Genesis narrative tells the sad story of mankind’s rebellion against God and his spiritual death; what is even more sad are the ramifications of Adam’s disobedience which resulted in the spiritual death of the entire human race. It is this death and the presence in all of Adam’s descendants, born of a human father, of an incurable virus called sin. I have written more on this in the essay Is There One Unforgivable Sin?

God’s Tomorrowland

No matter how big you can think your wildest imaginations are going to fall way short of the Tomorrowland God has planned for his family. The art work at the top of this essay sparks my imagination but it doesn’t even begin to compare with the description in Revelation 21:10-27 that tells us of the New Jerusalem.

God’s plan for the redemption of mankind is well underway and will ultimately see full realization at a time yet future. The vital first step has been taken by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary; when our Lord spoke the words, “It is finished” God’s irresistible plan for the redemption of mankind had been put in place. I look forward with great joy and longing for its fulfillment and our entry into God’s Tomorrowland!

For Dreamers Only

The movie ends as a new tomorrowland is beginning to emerge which will be built and populated by dreamers; God’s tomorrowland is also a place for which we can dream. We can dream of a place where God is with us and He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. All who are thirsty may drink freely from the springs of the water of life.

There will be no temple in God’s tomorrowland, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And God’s tomorrowland shall have no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter into God’s tomorrowland in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.

 There shall be a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb and it shall flow down the center of the main street. On each side of the river will grow a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves shall be used for medicine to heal the nations.

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.  And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever in God’s tomorrowland.

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