Seeds For Thinking

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Scripture: Under [Christ’s] direction the whole body [of the Church] is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (Ephesians 4: 15b-16, Living Bible)

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the backyard mechanic could service his own automobile. Fast forward to the 21st Century. The electronic diagnostic equipment required in a modern auto repair facility to interact with the computer systems monitoring and operating your vehicle exceeds that of a radio and TV repair shop in the 1960’s. When that little warning light on the dash comes on, you know you are headed for a computer read-out.
Still, at heart, the modern internal combustion engine beats much like the lowly lawnmower engine: intake, compression, ignition, power, exhaust. Sure, there are some differences, as purists will no doubt argue, but the entire process involves the explosion of a fuel mixture pushing on a piston or rotor coupled to a crankshaft, coupled to whatever work you want the engine to do.
I can still tinker with a lawnmower or small utility engine to satisfy my wistful mechanic longings, and sometimes get them back in running condition. And if I don’t? I have had the fun of tinkering, gained knowledge by taking something apart, and and the pleasure of recycling scrap metal.
So let’s consider the more simple engine as an example of how something needs to function as a whole, requiring all the parts of it to work as intended.
The piston started it by boasting, “Hey! I’m the heart of this engine; without me nothing works.” “Which is true enough,” said the connecting rod. “But take me out and see how much ‘heart’ you have. It is one ‘boom’ and you are done, without me keeping you on the move.”
“Well, I’m the spark that lights your fire,” sputtered the ignition system. “Turn me off, and see how well this engine runs.”
“We are the gatekeepers,” interjected the valves. “Nothing comes in or goes out except by us. And we do it on time, every time.”
“Without my energy, the rest of you are just cold metal,” harrumped the carburetor, nearly choking on his words. ”The fuel system gives and gives, and when I run dry, you don’t run at all.”
The crankshaft listened patiently while all of the systems and their related parts presented their case, each disputing loud and long how important they were. Turning slowly, the crankshaft noted that each followed the movement, in their own way. The piston moved up and down, kept on schedule by the connecting rod. The valves opened and closed, admitting the fuel mixture, which the carburetor gracefully shared from its fuel supply. The ignition watched intently, becoming so excited that it discharged like a miniature lightning bolt, but right on time. “This way out,” urged the exhaust valve, opening wide the passageway.
“You see, each of us is important in our own way. When we work together, we can accomplish things that none of could do by ourselves.” The crankshaft was on a roll now, fairly humming. “Our designer and master mechanic fitted us together perfectly. Even the tiniest bolt and screw is necessary to bring us all together as a whole. If anyone fails, our entire organization suffers because of it. Let each part in its own special way help the other parts, without strife and bickering.”
So, too, “God’s people will be equipped to do better work for Him, building up the Church, the Body of Christ to a position of strength and maturity; until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord - yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:12, 13)
February 28, 2010

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

Scripture: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV)

Let’s begin by forming an image of a stool in your mind’s eye. What do you see? How many legs does your stool have? If you envision the dictionary definition of a stool, it will be a seat without a back or arms, typically resting on three or four legs or on a single pedestal.
Most single pedestal stools are fastened to the floor, such as you see at a lunch counter. It is otherwise hard to sit upon and balance a stool with only one support, not counting the other two legs supplied by the person sitting upon it. But it can be done.
Likewise, a two-legged stool also is rather unwieldy; who would want one? Easy to take a pratfall.
Three legs solve the problem of balance, and make for a freely movable seat. More legs, however, do not necessarily equal perfection. Consider what happens if one of four legs is a teeny tiny bit of a different length from the others, or the supporting surface is uneven. Wibble-wobble! A three legged stool is a member of the tripod family, much used by photographers and surveyors, among others, for stability.
So let’s take the idea of a three legged stool as a basis for a good, workable and adaptable support for, well, life. What else comes with three good supports?
Well, our ability to cope with the world around us depends upon knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Knowledge is like that stool. You see it, you know what it looks like, its shape, color, size. But what good is it if it just sits there, unused.
We can put that stool to use if we understand that we can sit on it, to rest our weary legs. That is what it is for.
Wisdom is sitting on it with the legs pointing down.
Jesus went into a desert place at the beginning of His ministry, where He was tempted by the devil. Satan offered the fasting and hungry Jesus a sandwich, which he refused, because it didn’t have pickles. You know this because I said so. You would be wise, however, to get the true story by checking it out at Matthew, chapter 4. Be sure that you understand the importance of verse 10. See how and why you need all three - knowledge, understanding, and wisdom?
Our temporal earthly body is somewhat like an engine. Engines require fuel to function. Mechanical engines may be gasoline, diesel, electric, or even steam powered. Knowledge that you must replenish the energy supply isn’t enough; a gasoline engine doesn’t do well on diesel, and that diesel engine will get a real bang out of gasoline. Do you understand this?
Wisdom says that you will use the right fuel, in the right amounts, for whatever engine.
Our bodies require fuel to function. Not only is it important what we eat, but also when we eat, and how much we run the ‘engine.’
Eating too little or too much is like sitting on a one legged stool. It is hard to keep a balance. Fad diets ignore this bit of wisdom. There are basically three things that happens to every bit of food we consume. It can be converted to energy to keep us going; it can be eliminated from the body; or it can be stored. Looking around, I can see that there is a whole lot of storage going on.
Some people just don’t want to think about making any changes in their lifestyle, whether it is a health issue in this world, or spiritual truths about God’s kingdom in the eternity to come. Another important tripod is a sound mind in a sound body, with the third leg being a well-nourished soul or spirit.
Paul suggests that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. However, that is only one Leg of what we call the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hopefully, our temple is supported by all three.
Sad. So many left ‘outside’ because they see, but do not perceive, and hear but do not understand - and lack the wisdom to change.
January 10, 2010

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

Scripture: Sermon on the Mount - Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith. (Mt.6:30 , NKJV)

Let’s talk about the necessity of eating, or at least the preparation of food.
My ever-ready dictionary(1) quotes this proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Necessity: “When the need for something becomes imperative, (and) you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it; a state of things or circumstances enforcing a certain course.”
First, I will assume that most of my readers prepare (or have prepared) portions of their meals by heating them in some manner. Typically called a stove, range, grill or oven, the device is heated by burning a fuel or by electricity, available at the mere twist of a knob. Consider that if you lived in Palestine in Jesus’ time, neither gas nor electricity would be available as a heat source. Faced with the necessity of cooking your food, you would be forced to find ways of getting or achieving a substance for heating that stove.
In research for this topic, I find that, even today, about 50% of the world's households rely on wood, stubble, dung, and grass for cooking fuel. The clue as to what you will likely use for fuel is found in Mt. 6:30. Grass! Why not wood? Well, some wood, surely, but only from trimmings of trees and vines. However, deforestation and erosion are often the end result of harvesting wood for cooking fuel. Forests seem to have been long-gone from Palestine by Jesus’ day. Both your stove and your fire would likely be as as small and efficient as possible to conserve that precious fuel.
Settlers moving into the Great Plains area of the American west in the 19th century encountered vast areas that had no trees, but grass was plentiful. And someone discovered that "chips" - that is, droppings from either cows or buffaloes that had dried in the sun - burned pretty well in the stoves. A typical fall activity for settlers included spending two or three weeks gathering chips before the onset of winter. (2)
Ponder this insight into cooking with “Necessity.” (3)
“Women had to overcome the distaste they felt not only for gathering (dung), but bringing it into the home and cooking with it. Chips and hay twists both burned hot but quickly. Maintaining even minimal standards of cleanliness around a chip-fired stove was a chore. Because this kind of fuel burned quickly and produced a lot of ash, there was a standing joke in the sand hills of Nebraska - A visitor asked a settler how his family was. The settler replied that the children were all right, but he hardly knew about his wife since theirs was a "passing acquaintance." He said, "We see each other, but only as she is going out with a pan of ashes and as I am coming in with a bucket of cow chips. It keeps both of us on the go to keep from freezing. With all the hustle and bustle, we have no time for idle visiting." ”
Worried about what you will eat, or how you will cook it? Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Mt. 6:31, NKJV)

(1) Oxford American Dictionary,
Version 1.0.2 (1.0.2)

(2)(From a Nebraska State Internet web site)
http://www.neo.ne.gov/summer98/Sum98_07.htm
(3)http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0500/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0500/stories/0501_0110.html

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