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Grace Defined

~
When making public statements, persons held in high regard are oftentimes
accompanied by others who typically stand beside and/or behind the luminary but
never say anything themselves; they're just temporary window dressing, so to
speak.

The Bible says that God is everywhere at all times: but we should never assume
that He accompanies everyone, everywhere, at all times, viz: with most folks, God
is only an observer and that's all.

● Acts 17:26-28 . . From one man He made every nation of men, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact
places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and
perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
For in Him we live and move and have our being.

In other words: though God doesn't accompany everyone, everywhere, at all times;
He is always nearby; and that can be a mite disturbing when we realize on occasion
just how close by He really is; for example:

"And Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said: Surely The Lord is in this place;
and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said: How dreadful is this place!" (Gen
28:16-17)

During that incident, God spoke to Jacob; saying:

"I am with you, and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back
to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Gen
28:15)

I rather suspect that Jacob was so captivated by the stairway to Heaven in his
dream that he didn't really catch the significance of God's statement because Jacob
had to be reminded of it from time to time; and he would eventually discover that
The Lord wasn't just temporary window dressing, but instead traveled in company
with Jacob at all times everywhere he went, and was involved, viz: those two
became inseparable companions.
_
 
~
Developing children benefit from graciousness in a big way. Thoughtless grown-ups
can destroy a young child's fragile spirit by criticizing them all the time and never
once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote of confidence.

A very charming example of this was acted out in an old movie wherein Spencer
Tracey played Thomas Edison. In a scene, he tasked a young boy with carrying his
freshly completed prototype of an electric light bulb upstairs to the lab for testing.
The boy stumbled on the stairs, and the bulb was ruined.

So Tracey made another and tasked the same boy with taking it upstairs again.
Tracy's assistants protested that the boy dropped one bulb already; but Tracey
handed him the precious prototype and said: He won't drop this one. And the boy
didn't because Tracey believed in that kid.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up somebody's
resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing, then watch for
opportunities to do so. It has to be honest though because leaving people with a
false impression of themselves is all the same as treachery, and sets them up for
disappointment.

"Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet." (Prov 29:5)

NOTE: One of my grandsons is a daring, adventuresome kid, even at only five
years. One day when we were together I told him he was a strong guy; and I
meant it. He went home and told his parents the same because he trusted me.
Fortunately for my little offspring his daddy is pretty tough himself and I know he
will nurture my grandson and help him learn how to channel his strength for
sensible purposes.
_
 
~
@ Rufus

Hello;

This is to inform you that I don't have the patience to be distracted by your
remarks so I've placed you on my ignore list. Others will still be able to view your
posts; just not me. Sorry.
_
 
~
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.
(Hal David & Burt Bacharach, 1965)

Hippies and folk singers were constantly lamenting the lack of love back the era of
flower power. Ironically it was all around them, only they were looking for love in
the wrong places.

Louis Armstrong, the Great Satchmo, sang of love in small places; for example:

The colors of the rainbow,
So pretty in the sky.
Are also on the faces
Of people going by.
I see friends shaking hands,
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying
"I love you"
(What A Wonderful World, Bob Thiele & George David Weiss, 1967)

So; in the spirit of the small, I suggest:

● Col 4:6 . . Let your speech be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.

It seems to me from the language and grammar of Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50, and Luke
14:34 that the primary purpose of salt is to enhance flavor and make otherwise
naturally insipid and/or bad-tasting things palatable, viz: salt can be thought of as
diplomacy; roughly defined as conversation that makes an effort to maintain peace
rather than deliberately provoke conflict and/or annoy people and make them
uncomfortable.
_
 
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~
● Gen 3:21 . . And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife,
and clothed them.

Precisely what species of animal God slaughtered in order to make the Adams their
first suit of real clothing is unknown.

That day, humans learned something about the advantages of leather goods. Most
of it is produced from cattle hides: calfskin, goatskin, kidskin, sheepskin, and
lambskin. Other hides and skins used include those of the horse, pig, kangaroo,
deer, crocodile, alligator, seal, walrus, and of late; python. Humans have used
animal skins for a variety of practical purposes since ancient times, and to this good
day leather is still a useful material all around the world.

The exact cut and design of their garments isn't specified; the Hebrew words just
indicate a shirt, or covering; as hanging from the shoulder.

A garment hanging from the shoulder indicates that Eve's topless days were over;
although that wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that she may have
become the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel of her day and created some interesting
necklines.

The garments actually facilitated the people's association with God. They were
uncomfortable around their maker in the buff, even in the semi-buff, and that was
principally the reason they hid from The Lord when He came calling. However, fig
leaves aren't very durable; they're merely an expedient. God showed them a much
better way-- actually a way they would never have thought of all by themselves
because who would have guessed that animals could be killed and stripped of their
hides for clothing until God showed them?

We should note that God wasn't indifferent to the Adams' situation. Their feelings of
disgrace in the nude was a barrier between themselves and their maker, so God
showed them a really good way to overcome it: a way that not only improved the
quality of their association with God; but also greatly enhanced their limited
survival skills.

The point to note is that the clothing that humanity's maker crafted for the Adams
didn't cost them one red cent nor did they have to contribute even the slightest bit
of labor to its construction. God slaughtered the animals, treated the hides, and
fabricated the garments Himself; and gave the clothing to them totally free of
charge and no strings attached. However, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the couple
watched how God went about the whole business so they'd know how to do it for
themselves.

They'd eventually have to know how to make a knife and start a fire; I suspect God
showed them how to do that too.
_
 
~
● Matt 5:5 . . Blessed are the meek.

The Greek word translated "meek" basically means mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior; viz: temperate; in other
words: agreeable, approachable, reasonable, calm, mellow, and self-controlled.

Non-temperate people could be characterized as moody, grudging, irritable,
emotional, thin-skinned, belligerent, militant, pugnacious, brawling, defensive,
confrontational, and reactive; around whom everybody has to walk on egg shells all
the time to avoid setting them off.

A temperate person, though mellow in demeanor, should never be assumed lacking
in strength, courage, conviction, or self confidence. Anybody who's studied the lives
of Moses and/or Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were either timid,
wimpy, or vacillating; yet both are characterized as meek. (Num 12:3, Matt 11:29,
and Matt 21:5)

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be assertive when the
situation called for it. Temperate people like Jacob and Isaac pick their battles
carefully, and avoid getting all riled up over trifles.
_
 
~
There is what's known as the letter of a law and the spirit of a law, viz: the
principle underlying a law.

For example: on occasion Jesus' opponents accused him of breaking the sabbath
because they were unable to discern the principle upon which the sabbath is based.
(e.g. Matt 12:1-7, Mark 3:1-5)

Here's another:

● Lev 19:14 . .You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before
the blind

The principle underlying that law is very simple: it is cruel to amuse one's self by
taking advantage of another's disadvantages.

A gracious person of course knows that without being told, and need not be
restrained by a law to prevent them from toying with handicapped folks.
_
 
~
● Matt 7:1-2 . . Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you.

I don't think that passage is saying God judges folks based upon their own personal
standards, rather; It's saying what goes around comes around.

This is particularly applicable to online forums where cyberspace fault-finders have
an annoying propensity to point out every perceived mistake, whether significant or
insignificant; and usually do so with very little consideration for either tact or
diplomacy.

I sometimes caution those types that unless they sincerely believe themselves infallible
and speaking for God ex cathedra, to be cautious with their choice of words lest the
hapless day arrive when they are forced to eat them.

● Rom 13:10 . . Love does no harm to its neighbor.

● 1Cor 13:4 . . Love is kind.
_
 
~
In 1Samuel, the story is told of David's disappointment with a very wealthy man whose
employees he good-neighborly protected free of charge or obligation. David humbly
requested a favor in return: however, unknown to David; the man for whom he did the
favor was an ill-bred clod.

● 1Sam 25:14-17 . . But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying:
Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he
railed on them.

. . . But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we
anything as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:
They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them
keeping the sheep.

. . . Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined
against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial,
that a man cannot speak to him. (1 Sam 25:14-17)

* A son of Belial is quite the opposite of a son of God (Matt 5:9)

However, David was very close to behaving himself as an unbecoming son of God
until the wealthy man's wife Abigail-- whose graciousness complimented her
amazing courage -- talked David down from his impious intentions, plus also
provided him with the assistance he requested, and even offering to substitute her
own life for the life of a husband in very grave danger. As a result: Abigail saved
the day for her evil spouse, for Israel's future king, and the future king's regime.

* Abigail's story has to be read from start to finish before someone can fully appreciate
her value as one of the Bible's primo examples of grace in shoe leather, i.e. grace in
words and practices.
_
 
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~
● Matt 15:21-28 . . Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite
woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out: Lord, Son of David, have mercy
on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. Jesus did not
answer a word.

. . . So his disciples came to him and urged him: Send her away, for she keeps
crying out after us. He answered: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.

. . .The woman came and knelt before him and said: Lord, help me!.

. . . He replied: It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.
She replied: Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their
masters' table.

. . .Then Jesus answered: Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus' meeting with that woman wasn't happenstance.

● John 6:38 . . I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will
of Him who sent me

● John 10:30 . . I and my Father are unified.

Nor was his response impulsive.

● John 8:26 . .He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things
which I have heard of Him.

● John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as
the Father taught me.

● John 12:49 . . I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me,
He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

● John 14:24 . .The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who
sent me.

So then, I think we may safely assume God was right in the middle of that meeting
and coached His son thru the whole scene. Which means of course God deliberately
maneuvered Jesus to a location where that woman could intercept him with her
greeting and with her request.

NOTE: The woman-- a Canaanite --greeted Jesus as "son of David" It baffles me
sometimes that so many Jews of that day refused to accept Jesus' genealogy. The
Gentile woman's refusal would've been understandable whereas the Jews' refusal is
just downright unacceptable.
_
 
~
There's a 1945 photo in circulation of a serviceman standing atop a car amidst a
large crowd in San Francisco celebrating the end of war in Europe. There's a guy
sort of like that in the Bible.

● Luke 19:1-6 . . Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there
by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted
to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So
he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that
way.

. . .When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him: "Zacchaeus, come
down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and
welcomed him gladly.

That man didn't know it but he was on Jesus' itinerary even before the Lord started
out that morning on his day's travels; and Jesus knew his name before anybody
told him or introduced him to Zacchaeus.

● Luke 19:7 . . All the people saw this and began to mutter: "He has gone to be the
guest of a sinner."

Yes; Jews who collected taxes for Rome were definitely considered sinners but what
was Jesus to do when it was his superior officer in Heaven who filled out the Lord's
contact list.

● John 4:34 . . My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me

● John 6:38 . . I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will
of Him who sent me.

● Luke 19:9-10 . . Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and
to save what was lost."

Would to God everyone was singled out like that; but alas such is not to be.

● Rom 9:15-17 . . He says to Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore,
depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Well; Mr. Zacchaeus-- a traitor in the eyes of patriotic Jews --surely needed mercy;
so there he was person-to-person with a very good source.
_
 
~
When people survive long enough, two situations eventually befall them all, to wit:
they get old, and their parents die.

Young and beautiful,
But someday your looks will be gone.
( Love Will keep Us Together, Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield )

Though my father and mother forsake me, The Lord will receive me.
( Psalm 27:10, David ben Jesse )

My dad passed away in 1972 when I was 28 and he 62. His death left me staring
into an abyss and feeling adrift with no anchor even though at the time I had a
good job and was independent.

My dad had always been available when I was down; he was a resource I could
count on to prevent my ending up on the street alone, in poverty, and homeless,
i.e. he was a very dependable safety net. So I lost more than a parent when he
died: of a sudden I was an insecure child.

So I turned to religion for strength and in time became a serious student of God's
ways via the Bible, bible-study books, radio programs, and church attendance.
Time and circumstances have proven my dad's replacement a wise choice; at least
for me anyway. Others may have better success in other directions.
_
 
~
In ancient Israel, a man's eldest son was automatically his principal heir for
perpetuating the father's estate. Daughters were typically not included among a
man's heirs because their destiny was with a husband and his family away from
their father and their family.

However, a special case arose in the 27th chapter of the book of Numbers where a
man with five daughters died leaving behind no sons to perpetuate his estate: and
the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God contained no instructions for
fathers lacking male heirs.

So the man's daughters consulted Moses for a legal solution to their deceased
father's dilemma, and Moses in turn consulted God. That all resulted in the creation
of a new rule (thus far unheard of in Israel) allowing a man's daughters to become
his principal heirs in the absence of a son. The only caveat was that the daughters
had to marry men within their deceased father's tribal affiliation to prevent some of
his tribe's territory being lost to outsiders. (Num 36:1-12)

My point is: God took the daughters' side in the matter and Himself personally
stepped up and did right by them; which should help towards convincing certain
women that God isn't the total sexist bigot that the world sometimes makes Him
out to be.
_
 
~
● Num 35:9-13 . .Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying; "Speak to the sons of
Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then
you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer
who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. And the cities shall be to
you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer may not die until he
stands before the congregation for trial.

The thing to note is that cities of refuge are not intended for harboring murderers in
the first degree; only when someone's deed is a manslaughter: defined by
Webster's as the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied
malice.

For example: my eldest nephew ran over a 30-year old bicyclist late one night back
in Dec 2008 while driving under the influence. He was convicted and sentenced
12½ years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter. The killing was unintentional,
but nevertheless it was an unlawful killing under California State law due to
operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with an unacceptable level of alcohol
in his blood at the time.

The "avenger" is translated from a Hebrew word that basically pertains to payback
by the deceased's kinfolk taking the law into their own hands, for example;

Oh, The Martins and the Coys,
They were reckless mountain boys,
And they scarred the mountains up with shot and shell.

There was uncles, brothers, cousins,
Why; they bumped them off by dozens,
Just how many bit the dust is hard to tell.
( Ted Weems and Al Cameron, 1936 )
_
 
~
Jesus was left alone in this next scene as his men had gone into town in search of
food.

● John 4:3-9 . . He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

. . . Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called
Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was
there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.

NOTE: Sychar (a.k.a. Shechem) wasn't located in a foreign country. It was actually
situated in Israel within the territory assigned to Joseph's son Ephraim. (Josh
21:21)

. . . It was about the sixth hour when a Samaritan woman came to draw water.
(That would've been +/- mid day per the Jews' time as their civil day began half
way between midnight and high noon per Roman time whether the sun was up or
not.)

. . . Jesus said to her: Will you give me a drink? The Samaritan woman said to him:
You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

That scene was an excellent means for testing Jesus' prejudices which, if he was
motivated by any; didn't factor into this meeting at all. In point of fact, he
discussed with this woman-- ordinarily a religious and cultural outsider --some very
important facts of life relative to everyone desiring to associate with God no matter
what their age, race, gender, economic level, and/or ethnic distinctions.

* Jesus counseled a very receptive audience as this woman not only knew about
Messiah's coming but was watching for it. (John 4:25) In other words: she trusted
in the reality of such a man; and Jesus said of her: "I have food to eat that you
know nothing about. My food-- said Jesus --is to do the will of him who sent me
and to finish his work" (John 4:32-34) viz: the meeting with that woman wasn't
happenstance; she was on Jesus' itinerary for that very day's activities.
_
 
~
At Luke 15:11-24 the story is told of a privileged young man who grew up in a good
home but in time longed to go out on his own and make his mark in the world-- you
know: be independent and all that.

The thing is: Mr. Privilege Jr. didn't know how good he had it till setting out on his
own. Well; I rather suspect Privilege Sr. half expected the lad to fall on his face and
end up needing a safety net 'cause his youngest was permitted to leave with neither
resistance, nor lecture, nor complaint.

Long story short: Privilege Jr's venture out into the world ended badly and he
came to the realization that his ambition to be independent was all pie in the sky.
Sort of like it's said: The dream is better than the reality.

We might expect his dad to scold the lad upon dragging himself back home, but no;
his father was really glad to have him back and I think we can be reasonably
confident that Privilege Sr. guessed his boy had learned a thing or two about life during
his walk on the wild side; so to speak.

Ergo: that father's lenience, combined with patience, was a bit risky but in the end,
Privilege Jr. was a better man due to a father stepping back and allowing his son
space to try his wings.
_
 
~
He looked beyond my faults,
And saw my need.
(Dottie Rambo, 2003)

NOTE: Solomon wrote 1,005 songs (1Kings 4:32) Dottie surpassed him with +/- 2,500.

Anyway, that one brief lyric says quite a bit.

● 1John 4:9-10 . .This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and
only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we
loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins.

Without Christ's crucifixion, mankind would have no safety net to rescue them from
facing justice with a very meticulous, unbiased jurist; and for sure the outcome
would not be to their advantage. But why would God go to the trouble?

The Greek word translated love in the above passage isn't necessarily relative to
affection. It mostly pertains to impersonal interactions, for example: kindness,
courtesy, charity, civility, tact, assistance, compassion, pity, and sympathy, et al.

Compassion plays a strong role in many of God's activities with mankind. It can be
defined as a sympathetic awareness of others' distress coupled with a desire to
alleviate it. A longing for sympathy is sometimes viewed as a character flaw; but
nonetheless, I think it's perfectly normal for people to crave it.

I've encountered folks on internet forums who actually resent Christ for doin
something for them that they didn't ask for. Well; the thing is; complainers don't
have to sign on for the benefit, after all; it is optional: sort of like the liberty that
homeless people exercise when they refuse a hand-out. But in this respect, we're
not talking about money and/or goods and services, instead, we're talking about a
man's life. i.e. an uncommon donation that's above and beyond the usual.

● Rom 5:6-8 . .At just the right time, when we were still helpless, Christ died for
the impious. Very rarely does anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us
in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
_
 
Dave_Regenerated said:
Hello.

Do you communicate with other human beings or do you type words to tell other people what you think only?
Click to expand...
God communicates via types words or with his finger written in 2 stones .
 
Dave_Regenerated said:
Grace isn't given because of qualifications people have but it can be. God often bestows salvation on people who aren't even interested in Him or seeking Him. It's all grace.
Click to expand...
God bestows His Grace on all people who are not interested. Grace the power of Christs love gives them a interest, a new born again hearts desire to please .
 
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