Seeds For Thinking

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Scripture: Paul wrote: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - “ Ephesians 6:18, NKJV

Screeeeech!!! You have likely experienced the ear-rending howl of feedback on a P A system when the microphone gets too close to the loudspeaker. Uncontrolled reinforcement of a vibration, whether electronic or mechanical, can result in damage to more than ears.
It has long been the custom to have marching soldiers fall out of step when crossing a bridge, lest the rhythm of a common cadence destroy the bridge. It is not an imagined threat.
The Millennium Bridge in England was closed after dangerous swaying resulted when people walking on it fell into a common rhythm, each reacting to the movement of the other.
Perhaps you have encountered the ‘waltzing washing machine’ during the spin cycle with an unbalanced load. All from one thing reinforcing another, making it bigger and bigger.
Not all reinforcement is bad, however. All of your electronic gadgets depend upon oscillators that require feedback or reinforcement to operate - radios, TV’s, cell phones, even the microwave that cooks your food. Like fire, the concept of reinforcement is something that we need to understand and use for beneficial purposes.
People known as behavorialists use reinforcement techniques extensively. “Who ‘dat? All of us. If we reward desired behavior, and punish undesired behavior, we are utilizing feedback, making use of the technique of reinforcement. Parenting, teaching, coaching - try to make the good better and reduce the undesirable choices by positive feedback and reinforcement.
The optimist has an outlook that adds good things to any situation. The pessimist can twist everything into a downward spiral. The severely depressed person adds bad to bad, even to personal destruction.
Remember the commercial line, “Bet you can’t eat just one?” One leads to another, which leads to another, which . . . !
Habits are formed by feedback. Want to change something in your life? Reinforce the things that add to positive results. Change the rhythm! Think back to the statement about soldiers dropping their cadence. We develop a ‘cadence’ in our mental attitudes and in our habitual behavior. We can not achieve change in our lives unless we identify the ‘cadence, ‘ and make changes accordingly.
The mind is a powerful thing. We become what we think. Meditation is a thought process, advocated by some, that includes developing a ‘mantra,’ a formula of invocation or incantation to reinforce concentration on a desired outcome.
Consider the beneficial aspects of prayer. Believe it or not, prayer works! Prayer has the added result that God becomes a factor, bringing benefits to both the person praying and to the person prayed for.
April 22, 2007

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Scripture: Luke recorded, "One of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke 11:1, NKJV

Oh! Come on now! The disciples didn't know how to pray?
They were, after all Jewish men, so prayers were a part of their daily lives.
Examples of prayers of confession, petition, thanksgiving, praise, recollection and intercession are found throughout the Testaments. The practice of prayer was also observed in pagan societies.
Morning prayers were a normal ritual, as expressed by the Psalmist, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Ps. 5:1-3)
The psalmist's prayer demonstrates several elements of prayer. My dictionary suggests that to pray is to ask for interposition and judgment, to cry or call out, to seek (the face of) to request, to inquire, (of an oracle) to intercede, to pour out one's heart. To pray is also to ask humbly and earnestly, an act of adoration. John the Baptist taught his disciples a way of praying. The Pharisees made a show of public prayer. The disciples were emersed in a society steeped in prayer and prayers, and of practices both pious and pompus.
For one thing, the Pharisees publicly prayed loudly and long, wearing the prescribed phylacteries (small leather cases that contain four passages of old testament scriptures) one on the forehead, and the other on the left hand. (See Mt. 23:5)
The intended purpose for the phylacteries was to serve as a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt, and that "the Lord's law may be in your mouth." (Ex. 13:8-10; 16) In essence, these prayers were more "How great I am," rather than, "O LORD, how great Thou art!) Jesus denounced the practice.
Jesus obviously engaged in a type of prayer that differed quite noticeably from the practices in vogue. Rather than rote recitation (routine or repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly) Jesus' prayers were a two-way conversation with His Father. Each prayer was fitted to the need and the occasion. Jesus also prayed in the common Aramaic language, rather than the more formal Hebrew.
So, Lord, how do you do this? Teach us to pray like you do, rather than like what we have been seeing and doing.
Think about the "Model Prayer" as a framework, the skeleton for your petitions. Flesh it out; use it as an anchor, a blueprint, a starting point. Pray in a spirit of adoration and reverence. Express your longings for God's kingdom to come, share your joys and sorrows, plead for your needs (not wants.)
Pray in a spirit of forgiveness; to forgive and be forgiven.
Pray in a Spirit of praise. Pray!
January 21, 2007

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* Advent
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18, NKJV)

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, . . .
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart. (C. Wesley)

Longing, anticipation, and expectation, the root of hope, the expectation of future good. Looking back, we find many peoples living in times of trial and suffering, typified by the words of the Lord to Moses at his calling; “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters.” (Exodus 3:7)
It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!
It was such a time, oppressed by brutal rulers, dominated by a foreign empire, that moved the Apostle John to write of a light coming to illuminate the darkness, the ‘True Light,’ “which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John 1:9) John is only one of many bearing witness to that Light.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The ‘Incarnation’ - the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ. The coming into being, The Advent. For many Christians, Advent marks the beginning of the church year, the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting.
John makes an important distinction, affirmed by Paul, who wrote that all creation groans for its redemption as we witness the evil that so dominates our world (Rom 8:18-25). The sufferings of oppression and injustice, the systemic evil of the world expressed in evil empires and tyrants “are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us.”.
The Word became flesh, that as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. And as children of God, heirs of the glory to come.
While some church traditions focus on penitence during Advent, for others, Advent is celebrated as a time of joy and happiness awaiting the coming of the King.
November 27, 2005

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* Heaven
* Scripture: Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20, NKJV, NIV

The Sunday School teacher asked her students to raise their hands if they wanted to go to heaven. Instantly, enthusiastic hands shot up and were waving all over the class - all except one boy who was sitting on his hands.
“Don’t you want to go to heaven when you die?,” she asked.
“Oh! When I die, sure,” he replied. “I thought you were getting up a trip right now.”
I think most of us are like that. We want to go to heaven - someday, but not right now.
However, in the words of an old spiritual song;
“Everybody talkin’ ‘bout Heaven ain’t goin’ there.”
Jesus Himself affirms this, saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 6:21, NKJV)
Jesus speaks often of heaven, including the model prayer, which begins,
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 5:9-10, NKJV)
Heaven - the place of everlasting bliss - might more properly be called “paradise” to distinguish the abode of God, Christ, The Holy Spirit, Angels and The Just from the firmament (heavens) containing the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other heavenly objects. Hebrews 1:11 and 2 Peter 3:10
note that the heavens (firmament) will pass away, but the abode of God will endure for eternity. God created the heavens and earth to declare His Glory, Righteousness, and Wisdom. (Ps. 19:1; Ps. 50:6; Prov. 8:27)
The redeemed can look forward to Joy, Rest, Peace, Righteousness, Service, Reward, Inheritance, Glory, and the Authority of God’s Word. (Luke 15:7, 10; Rev. 14:3; Luke 16:19-25; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 7:15; Matt. 5:11, 12; 1 Peter 1:4; Romans 8:17, 18; Ps. 119:89)
Some things are indeed lacking in Paradise. You won’t find Marriage, Death, Flesh and blood, Perishable things, Sorrow, Pain, The Curse, Night, Weeping, and Wicked people, End. (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:36; 1 Cor. 15:50; 1 Cor. 15:42, 50; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 22:3; Rev. 22:5; Isaiah. 65:19; Rev. 22:15; Matt. 25:46, Rev. 22:5)
The alternative to ‘Paradise’ is not a nice place, described as a place of eternal torment, everlasting fire, punishment, destruction, of Outer Darkness and a Lake of Fire. (See Matt. 25:41, 46; 8:12; 2 Thess1:9 and Rev. 19:20)
So - you need to be certain your name is recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20) You must be saved, born again, of water and the Spirit. (John 3:3-6, 3:16, 5:24; Acts 16:31)
That’s a lot to read, I know. (I also know many won’t take the time!) Well, add one chapter more, from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15. There will come a day when you will be glad you did, and you, too, can exclaim, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55)
June 19, 2005

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* Wishes
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26, NKJV)

One thing has always puzzled me about those folk tales and fables that involve granting of wishes. I’ve never heard of even one smart-alec wise-guy that wishes for a never ending supply of wishes. That would be number one on my wish list. Then, even if I blew a few on stupid things (as typically happens) I would have wishes to spare to get me out of trouble.
Desire without wisdom often leads to disaster. Many things that seem to be a good idea at first glance may bring unintended or unthought-of consequences.
A typical wish expresses the desire to acquire something that we do not have. Many wishes are for wealth. The legendary Phrygian king, Midas, wished for the power to turn everything he touched to gold. It was fun for a while to turn clothing and other objects to gold, but the king gave no thought about eating until his food also turned into uneatable gold. Midas loved his daughter very much, but one touch turned her to gold, cold gold, which is not the same as hugging a living girl. Alas! Poor King Midas.
In most stories, the final wish is used to correct the troubles caused by foolish requests, usually leaving the person a little wiser, but no better off than before the wishes were granted.
One story of this genre, The Fisherman and His Wife, tells how a fisherman catches and then frees a magic flounder, which of course can fulfill wishes. The wife first wishes for a nice cottage to replace the hovel they had been living in.
Tis aptly said that power corrupts, and the wife soon desires a castle, then a kingdom, an empire, and finally to be able to order about the sun and moon. The wish-granting flounder has had enough of the wife’s delusions of grandeur, and returns them to the hovel from which they started.
Pure desire is seldom tempered with wisdom, especially in fables, where the wish recipient has no one to counsel them, no instructions as to responsible wishing.
It is tempting to use prayer the same way wishes are used in fables, but covetness and raw desire should not be the subject of our prayers. Fortunately, the Bible provides a lot of guidance about using prayer. For example, Jesus said to His Disciples, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) For what purpose, for what power, will we sell our soul? (Satan loses one battle - see Matthew 4:1-11)
We also have one power, one resource that I’ve not found in fable, and that is the Holy Spirit. The One who walks alongside us, and makes intercession for us. One who groans for us.
May our prayers ever be, “Not my will, but Thine.”
April 10, 2005

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

* Pressure Relief Valve
* Scripture: Jesus said, "But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement” Matthew 5:22a, NRS

Power! Energy! For centuries, people have depended upon wind and water as the force to grind their grain and turn their machinery. There is a problem with natural sources of power, however. Wind and water don’t always occur where you need them, and in the necessary quantities. Too little of either will not power the equipment; too much can be destructive.
Enter the steam engine. Now, power could be produced anywhere, and in the amount needed to get the work done. Essentially a genie in a bottle, except that the genie sometimes burst the bonds of its confinement with an explosion of the boiler. Pressure relief valves were often difficult to adjust, and sometimes failed. One little flaw in the boiler structure can also lead to massive destruction of the engine.
Our human engine is like that sometimes, also. Fueled by pent-up anger, people sometimes seem to explode in a burst of very destructive behavior. Road rage is a constant headline in the news. Fights and confrontations break out at athletic events. Multiple killings at schools, businesses, and even in courts of law leave us in stunned disbelief.
It’s not a new phenomena, however. Genesis 4:8 describes how Cain slew Able in a fit of anger. The problem remains. The solution is elusive. Often, everything seems to be going well, until . . . BOOM!
Anger is a reality. Paul associates anger with bitterness, wrath, clamor, evil speaking and malice in his letter to the Ephesians (4: 31). Jesus counsels that anyone who is angry with his brother (or sister) will be subject to judgment.
Obviously, we need to find a ‘pressure relief valve,’ lest anger lead us to sin. The best remedy seems to be steeping oneself in ‘attitude adjustment’ practices. Paul advises prayer on the matter, (1 Timothy 2:8) and Jesus recommends reconciliation with the ones with whom you have a dispute (Matthew 5:24). It probably wouldn’t hurt if we read the Sermon on the Mount frequently, especially in trying times, to remind us to change our outlook toward others. (Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7; Luke 6:20-49. ) Note that Matthew chapter 6 includes the model prayer, including petitions for forgiveness for both ourselves and others.
Remember that we are to love God and our neighbors, including our enemies and those who curse and spitefully use us. (Mt. 5:44)
We need to be both listeners and sharers; communications is the essence of community. In so doing, we build that pressure relief valve that will help keep us from disaster.
March 20, 2005

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Scripture: But the men who had gone up with (Caleb) said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” (Numbers 13:31, NKJV)

“Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!” Many of you will recall these words chanted by the characters in the movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” as they step off into the unknown. “Lions, and tigers, and bears!” There are times when life is scary enough even without the spooky sounding soundtrack, as used to highlight the mood in the movie.
Fear - or “phobia,” to use the Greek word, can indeed paralyze, bring life to a (grinding) halt, freeze, cripple, or disable. Phobias are very real, and not easily overcome. ‘Claustrophobia’, the fear of confined places; or, ‘Agoraphobia’, fear of the marketplace or assemblage of people, confining people to the safety of their homes. Fears of the unknown, as in the movie.“What ifs,” things that we have heard about so they, maybe, they might, exist.- Like lions, and tigers and bears - and things that go bump in the night.
James Whitcomb Riley's poem, “Little Orphant Annie,“ (written in Hoosier dialect) built upon these fears to ‘persuade’ children to mind their manners, their parents and teachers:

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'bugs in dew is all squenched away, -
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' cherish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p [help] the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

Compare this to the passage in the epistle written by James: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27, NKJV)
Sometimes the unknown can be alluring, enticing us to confront, to venture into, uncharted territory, even as the explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries pushed beyond the boundaries of the known maps with their warnings of “Here be Dragons,” or even Giants.
The men (spies) who had gone with Caleb and Joshua had seen with their eyes the inhabitants of the land. In their judgment, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” They were not counting on God’s help, as were Caleb and Joshua, who were over-ruled at this point in time.
Eventually, with strength and courage built upon the Word of God, they prevailed against those “unbeatable” inhabitants, whose “hearts melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.” (Joshua 5:1b)
In the words of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear . . . “ (vss 1, 2a)
Yes, prayer can help. There's a traditional Scottish prayer: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night, good Lord deliver us."
As you venture forth in your life, facing the unknown, whether ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, or things that go bump in the night, make God your refuge and strength, and ever-present help.
January 3, 2010
Seeds For Thinking, © Leland Hubbell, 1996-2010