Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Support Systems
* Scripture: Paul wrote, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11, NKJV

We do many things without thinking about them. Breathing, for instance. Most of the time I give no thought to breathing at all, but I can control it to a certain extent, like when the doctor says, "Take a deep breath and hold it." Automatic breathing is probably a good thing, considering how often I forget things any more.
Likewise, we seldom give thought to the many people who provide services for us, because we do not personally see them at work. People who operate and maintain the electrical power system, for example, or gas, water, and the "tele' services. We notice when the system goes down, but even then little thought is given to the many people behind the service technicians who come to our neighborhood.
Few people are able to totally sustain their lives without input from others along the way. Our clothing, our food, the tools we use and the companionship we enjoy require us to look beyond ourselves to discover the many relationships that seldom enter our thoughts.
Consider, then, the armor worn by a soldier such as Paul describes in his letter to the Ephesians. Find a picture of a completely equipped soldier if you can, or a knight from the middle ages. You will see that the "whole armor" that Paul recommends is quite complex, made up of many pieces, all held together by laces, belting and straps. It is highly unlikely that the soldier could put on a full suit of armor by himself, let alone possess the skills needed to build it.
There would be several levels of metal workers, from the miner of ore, to the smelter and refiner, and the fabricator of parts. The sword maker was and still is a specialist in the trade. Leather working passes through several stages, as well.
Was the fully armored soldier thinking of all of these people as he moved forward into battle? Probably no more than we think of all the people who have contributed to the spiritual armor with which we should equip ourselves: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the Word of God.
Have we alone equipped ourselves? Are we standing alone? By no means! Praise God, we stand shoulder to shoulder with countless numbers of "Christian Soldiers," following the saints who have preceded us and sacrificed for us. We owe what we have and hold dear to parents, teachers, pastors and preachers, refiners and fabricators of the spiritual armor with which we go forth.
Paul adds, "Praying always with all prayer a supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -" (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV)
June 4, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* The Garden Fence
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11, NKJV

One, two, three, four, five . . . RABBITS! No, I wasn’t bleary-eyed from watching too many cartoons with ‘wascally wabbits,” nor reading books, either. And I doubt if these bunnies answered to any name, let alone Bugs or Peter. But they were definitely real, and definitely in my garden. Bounding about. Having a gay old time. So much for “rabbit fence.”
So, I stood watching them do rabbit stuff for a while. One came bounding toward me (through the fence, of course) and stopped about five feet from my feet, gave me a once-over, made a slight detour, and proceeded on his (her?) way. The others leaped and dashed about my sacred place, sampled some of the lettuce, stretched out in total relaxation, and looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves - at my expense, of course. Finally, they joined in a game of follow-the-leader, through the fence, down the stream bank, and on to what ever rabbits do when they are not in a garden.
Brought back memories of last summer, when I worked and worked on that fence, battled the groundhogs, those scheming diggers, and thought that I had outsmarted the rabbits. Well, move over, Mr. McGreagor; I went to dig some potatoes one day, and discovered a nice, cozy, rabbit’s nest right in the straw mulch in the potato patch! Baby bunnies, right in the heart of my secure treasure island!
Well, I also need to mention that the reason I went to the garden in the first place was to check for weeds coming up after the few days of rain. They were there, all right, growing nicely, thank you. And the rabbits bounded over them gaily toward the good stuff. So now I have both weeds and rabbits in the garden. Vigilance exposed them; much diligence will be required to control them.
Vigilance, diligence, I see some similarities between my garden life and my spiritual life.
So you have a “fence” (armor) around your treasured walk in “The Way?” Checked it lately? Just when you think you have it all buttoned up - Hippedy-hop! Just when you least expect it, the devil breaks through your defenses (spiritual armor.)
Satan is more wascally than any rabbit, more wily than a coyote, a better under miner than the sharpest-clawed groundhog. And he probably packs a bag of ‘weed’ seeds as he hops through your best intentions, humming and strewing his assorted ills as he penetrates your most cherished inner space. (At least the rabbits take out more than they bring in.)
Now let’s see; if I can dig that fence so deep that they won’t go under it, and go so high they can’t hop over it, maybe I can get the sweet corn to knee heighth so it won’t interest rabbits. But then - raccoons can climb, and - how high can deer jump?
It’s going to be a l-o-n-g summer!
May 29, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

Scripture: The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:13b, NKJV)

A few years ago, as I recall, a tag line in a skit on a popular television show was, “The devil made me do it!” Sure, it brought laughs, but it begs the question of why we should be listening to the devil at all.
The woman (Eve) was the first to use that line, according to Genesis. The serpent, of course, was Satan, the adversary. His advice sounds like such a simple matter: Go ahead, eat that fruit. “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan (the devil) often appeals to our physical desires, in this case, food. It was good to eat. Adam and Eve could see the tree in the garden, and the pleasant-looking fruit that grew upon it. It looks delectable; it is desirable. It has the potential to make them wise.
Convinced of the serpent’s credibility, Eve ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Adam doesn’t use the devil as an excuse, but does use the role of accuser: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)
Now turn to the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9. Jesus warns that giving in to temptation, and entering into sin, leads to hell - where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:44)
Jesus was referring to the trash dump in the Valley of Hinnom - Gehenna. Initially the site where idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to the god Molech (2 Chr. 28:3, 33:6; Jer. 7:31, 19:2-6), the valley later became the common wasteyard for all the refuse of Jerusalem. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and rubbish, were cast and consumed by a constant fire. In time it became the image of the place of everlasting destruction in Jewish tradition.
Eve credited the serpent - Satan - for leading her astray. Couldn’t she just as well have blamed her hand, which reached out and plucked that fruit? “Well, LORD, my hand made me do it!”
Or, suppose that a pick pocket thief is caught in the act, is hauled into court, and enters a plea of “Not Guilty, your honor.” And why not? “Well, your honor, my Hand made me do it.” We might not like the idea of cutting off a thief’s hand, but it is used in some countries.
Yes, Mark relates that Jesus advises, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” (Mark 9:43a) I’m sure that many people, like myself, have pondered, and been troubled by, these words. But wouldn’t that be an appropriate retort: “Your hand made you do it (sin)? Then cut it off.
The fact is, it is not possible to overcome sin by mutilating one’s body. Cutting off a hand, a foot, or plucking out an offending eye will not save anyone from the fires and worms of hell. (Read the rest of Mark 9:43-50)
Blaming the devil, your hand, your foot, or your eye is no excuse for sin.
Salvation from sin comes only through the Grace of God. Whosoever believes in the only begotten Son of God shall not perish, but have eternal life - in the kingdom of God, where there are no worms or an unquenchable fire.