This post is from my third and rarely-mentioned, rarely-updated blog, i4Daily. It was a photo blog I started when I still had an iPhone 4. This post was published almost 6 years ago, back when I still had a study.
Hanging on the wall in my study, directly across from my desk, is this charcoal drawing. It is entitled “Me and God.”
My father, Terry Baker, drew this back in 1978. It is a simple sketch on canvas. The message is simple, too.
Ironically, it was only when I was uploading this picture from my iPhone that I noticed something – the candle. Every time I study in my office I light a candle. I don’t do it for any “spiritual” reason; just because I like the warm glow and scent that helps set a contemplative mood. As I looked at the sketch I wondered if my dad felt the same way. Maybe that’s why I do it.
One more thing…notice that there is no computer on the desk. It’s nice when it’s just God’s Word and me, “Me and God.”
Well, here we go with the holidays. Today is Labor Day , and it won’t be long before every other holiday will be upon us. Along with all of these special days will come all sorts of arguments for and against their observance. Some will make more sense than others, but lurking around every corner is the temptation to be legalistic. How is that possible? Simple…just accuse somebody else of being worldly or less spiritual for celebrating a certain day over another. They did it in the Bible.
For the record, however, I believe that some holidays are worth debating.
Labor Day, for instance, is a holiday that was founded by the unions, which in turn were founded by those with “collective” and “progressive” ideologies. From a purely ideological perspective, the whole holiday is one in which the worker is supposed to feel free to flip a relaxed finger in the face of evil, greedy, imperialistic corporations and fat rich people and say, “This is my day! No profit for you!” Essentially, our Labor Day was designed to be a watered-down version of International Workers Day (the Communist May Day holiday). So, is there anything wrong with standing up for workers’ rights? Absolutely not. Is there room to evaluate the intent of some who would move our nation down the path of socialism? You betcha!
If one wanted to see the similarities, he would have to look no further than the Communist symbol of the “raised fist” and the claim that “the workers” are what made our country great (not freedom, democracy, or capitalism).
However, my purpose here is not to bash Labor Day; it’s to encourage us not to be legalistic. Just like Labor Day, there are other days approaching (Halloween, for example) which cause many to cringe. Sour-faced legalists will complain about Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, but a lot of others will use the holidays to be with family, give thanks to God, and celebrate Jesus’ birthday (even if it wasn’t in December). The legalists should keep in mind Paul’s words to the Romans:
Romans 14:5-6 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
I am taking advantage of this holiday, whether I am for the idea behind it or not. Why? Well, I can’t exactly go to work today, since everything is closed. Also, it is because I know that there are a great many Americans who only associate this day with God, freedom, and apple pie (not mention hot dogs, hamburgers, and adult beverages). Most people in this country are just good people who love America. So, regardless what the Communists (including BLM and Antifa) may have in mind, I am going to celebrate America and the average guy who worked his rear off to make this country great.
Since I first – no pun intended – heard the song “First” by Lauren Daigle, I can’t open my eyes in the morning without the lyrics popping into my head.
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares
I will lift my arms
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
And seek You
(chorus)
First
I want to seek You
I want to seek You
First
I want to keep You
I want to keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First
Believe it or not, these very lyrics convict me like crazy. They have affected me so much I’ve even re-ordered the order of service on Sunday mornings at the church where I pastor. And speaking of pastoring, or preaching, read the words to the second verse…
Before I speak a word
Let me hear Your voice
And in the midst of pain
Let me feel Your joy
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I speak a word
I will bring my heart
And seek You
I wake up each morning, no joke, hearing Lauren Daigle’s powerful, Spirit-empowered voice exploding out the first word of the chorus… “First!”
This morning was no different, and that is why I am sharing this with you. Are you putting God first in your life? Are you putting Him first every day, every moment, before your own desires or needs? Are we not commanded by Him to “Seek ye first…?”
I don’t want to wake up each morning with guilt, but so often the first things on my mind are coffee, checking my messages, going to the bathroom, letting the dog out, or hitting the snooze button one more time. I need to work a little more – as in working out my salvation – on growing my love for and dependence on the One who should take priority in every area of life.
It might be easier on a Sunday morning, but what about Monday? What about the next holiday morning? What about when you’re running late, or want to sleep in?
We talk about putting “first things first” all the time, but will you strive along with me to put the Lord first, before everything?
Now that it’s been a little while since the Great American Eclipse of 2017, permit me to share with you a thought.
Do you remember the first time you saw something for the first time face-to-face, something which before you had only seen in pictures? For example, how excited were you when you drove over a hill and caught your first glimpse of the Washington Monument, the entrance to Disney World, the tops of a mountain range, or the ocean horizon? Didn’t you heart leap within you?
My daughters and I took part in a meeting at Bryan College on the day of the eclipse. Little did I know – because we had forgone attempts to make it to Hopkinsville, KY (the perfect viewing spot) – that in Dayton, TN, we would also be able to view “totality.”
Fortunately, my wife had gotten some viewing glasses a few days before, so we were ready when the moon started creeping across the sun. We, along with hundreds of others, stood around in the field adjacent the college and hung out in the heat, continually wondering if this was going to be worth all the hype. After all, it was hot outside that day.
But it got darker…and darker…and cooler…and cooler. It wasn’t too long before the crickets started singing and the street lights started coming on. It seemed all the world was confused at what was happening, all except for those of us who were… looking up.
I could stop right there and preach! It just occurred to me what I wrote as I was writing it. Hallelujah!
Anyway, the light from the sun grew dimmer and dimmer as the moon slowly crept in front of it. We kept looking up… more constantly, now… and then all of a sudden all of the light disappeared. I could see nothing as I looked through the glasses.
Then it happened… I was totally unprepared for what I was going to see with my own eyes… no darkened lenses… (is there anyone out there feeling the way I’m feeling as I write this for the first time?) … with my own eyes I saw the splendor of totality… like a light switch just came on and all of a sudden a big, blazing, golden ring hung in the darkened sky!
What I was then viewing made me immediately realize that all the waiting was worth it. No picture in a book… no description… nothing anyone had said about it from a scientific standpoint… nothing could have prepared me for what I saw, for it was like nothing on this earth could ever capture or replicate.
A once-in-a-life-time event that was totally worthy of the hype.
Heaven
As I stood there looking up at the eclipse, the following thought (not very spiritual) went through my mind: “This must be what it would feel like should a person actually be confronted with an “Independence Day-like” alien encounter…like, I never believed, but there it is.” Being a preacher of the gospel, I don’t know why I thought that, other than the fact that I was completely dumbstruck.
Later, when I describing this to an older, fellow believer, he replied, “Imagine what it will be like when we first see heaven.”
DUH! ABSOLUTELY!
Dear friend, there is coming a day when all descriptions will go out the window like worn-out chewing gum. Heaven, the place we’ve heard about all our lives, will actually come into view. And not only that, the Person who created us, loved us, and saved us, will step out, eyes blazing brighter than “totality,” and say, “Welcome, child, to your new home! Come see what I’ve prepared for you!”
[shouting time]
There, right in front of your eyes, totally beyond the description of eyes and ears, will be the ultimate reality…it will be real…it won’t be a dream…what Jesus Christ has gone to prepare. Totality like you never could have imagined!
But just think of stepping on shore
And finding it heaven
Of touching a hand and finding it God’s
Of breathing new air and finding it celestial
Of waking up in glory and finding it home
– from “Finally Home,” by Don Wyrtzen and L. E. Singer
I know it may offend some of you, but I need to get this out in the open right from the start – I am not a woman, nor do I feel like one…and I don’t want to.
I am very happy to be a man – one born that way – with no desires to experience female-related problems. Those males who do desire to “feel like a woman” seem to want to avoid those problems, too. For example, I rarely hear it reported that a sex-change operation will promise one the glorious ability to experience menstruation, heat flashes, mood swings, or endometriosis; that doesn’t appear to be a selling point.
And now that I think about it, should I ever – which I won’t – decide to become a “female,” I tend to think multi-tasking and “women’s intuition” wouldn’t magically appear with the removal of my guy parts and the injection of estrogen. So, if I couldn’t have those two advantages, why become someone who has to worry about hair, makeup, heels, fabric combinations, etc., etc., etc.
Oh, and if you think what I just said was stereotypical and sexist, it might have been. And if it was, then why is it that men who say they want to become women can’t become women in the masculine context in which they were born? In other words, why is it that Bruce Jenner had to turn into the stereotypical vision of what a “woman” is “supposed” to look like? Why couldn’t he, and every other trans, stay the way they were instead of trying to fit into the box of the stereotype? There’s MUCH more that I could say on this issue, but I will digress.
What I Am
Like I said, I know I am not a woman, and I don’t want to be. And because I am not a woman, it might be hard for me to understand …scratch that… it’s nearly impossible for me to understand how women think. However, I do have some valuable insight based on years of experience with women; therefore, you might find it beneficial.
You see, even thought I am not an estrogen-producing sis-female (to be PC for once), I have lived a long time with a bunch of them. But what’s more important than what I don’t understand is what I DO understand, and that is the mind of a man.
I am a man… a red-blooded, stereotypical, gun-toting, testosterone-producing (no shots needed), stand-up-peeing kind of guy. I have a one-track mind, can compartmentalize like you wouldn’t believe, and love the smell of gunpowder in the morning.
What’s more, I am a faithful husband, a spiritual leader, and a father to three wonderful girls. That’s what I bring to the table today.
My Advice
My daughters (at least the two younger ones) are eventually going to find husbands, one probably sooner than the other. The advice I would like to leave with not only them, but all of you other girls out there, is what to look for in a man you will marry. Take it from me – a man – I know the difference between a good one and a not-right-now-put-him-back-on-the-shelf one.
10 Words of Advice to Girls Who Are Searching
Know your own worth.
Don’t settle.
Find a man who loves God more than you. Matthew 6:33
Life is like a trip through the Atlanta airport – even the smallest of baggage gets heavy after a while.
Never, ever assume the man you meet will become the man you want. Ain’t gonna happen.
Accept nothing less than a spiritual/moral leader you can respect; if he looks up to you more than you look up to him, ditch him.
It’s better to be single than smothered, abused, and/or controlled.
Know who you are, what you are, and Who’s you are, then find a man who accepts and compliments (yes, I used that word) all you desire to be.
If he doesn’t honor and respect his or YOUR parents, then he will most likely never be the kind of parent worth respecting – and he might not live long (Matthew 15:4; Ephesians 6:2-3).
Lastly, make sure you like his family, and he likes yours… and that your family likes him, too. Marriage is meant to grow family, not destroy it.
Look, you don’t have to agree with any of my advice, but it comes from years of experience and professional observation. You have a choice in the matters of love, so don’t let someone sweep you off your feet without first doing your homework.
When you let the wrong man sweep you off your feet, you’re likely to fall from arms that can’t hold you.
This might be a little out of the ordinary, friends, but I feel led to do something a little different for you today (I can do that).
Are you discouraged?Do you feel like the world is coming down around you? Do you feel like there’s no one you can talk to, no one who can understand?
Are you under attack?Are people out to get you? Do you have people around you that would rather you fail than succeed?
Do you need a place to hide? Do you feel like crawling up into a little ball and hiding in a corner, away from the noise and confusion, away from the messes you may or may not have created?
Believe it or not, I have felt every bit of that at one point or another. And, I regularly have people wishing they could have my head (and if I were in some countries it might have already happened). But not too long ago, when I was under so much stress and burdened with worry and sorrow, God showed me two verses from Psalms, chapter 57…
“[1] Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. [2] I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.”
Whatever you are going through right now, know that you can cry out to God, and He will hear. Just hold on until “these calamities” pass over, till the storm passes by. Be humble and trust in the One who can do all things.
Many times Satan whispered, “There is no need to try, for there’s no end of sorrow; there’s no hope by and by.” But I know thou art with me, and tomorrow I’ll rise, where the storms never darken the skies.
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, till the clouds roll forever from the sky, hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand! Keep me safe, till the storm passes by.
– Mosie Lister (“Till the Storm Passes By”)
If this has spoken to you, I’d love to hear about it!Leave a comment below.
Again, my thanks to all of those who have taken the time to help out with guest posts. Your contributions have been very much appreciated. – Anthony
Guest Post by:Donald N. Norris
In my last post, we concluded our study of the godly characteristic of being humble. In this post, we will look at a companion characteristic of being submissive.
Submission Defined
In the English language, submission is a little difficult to concisely define. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines submission, in part, as: “the state of being obedient; the act of accepting the authority or control of someone else.” They list among several that surrender is a synonym. The verb form, “to submit”is defined as: “to stop trying to fight or resist something; to agree to do or accept something that you have been resisting or opposing.” Likewise, surrender is also a synonym for submitting. Surrender is defined as: “the usually forced yielding of one’s person or possessions to the control of another.” And as usual, submission and submitting are listed also synonyms of surrender. Don’t you just love it when definitions are so circular?
I want to look at what the Bible has to say about each of these words.
Surrender in the Bible
Surrender appears numerous times in the Tanakh, but always in relation to a military engagement. “Then David said, ‘Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?’ And the LORD said, ‘They will surrender you.’” (1 Samuel 23:12) “But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.”(Jeremiah 38:17 ESV) Surrender appears only once in the Brit Hadashah. “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”(1 Corinthians 13:3) Only the NASB and the older NIV translate the Greek word “paradidômi” as surrender in this passage. Most other translations use some form of to hand over, to give or deliver over, or to betray.
Submission in the Bible
Submission appears in only two passages of the Tanakh. “Those who hate the LORD would pretend submission to Him; their doom would last forever.” (Psalm 81:15 HCSB) “He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.”(Daniel 11:43 HCSB) Most other modern translations use “would cringe or grovel before him” in lieu of submission in their versions.
Submission is used slightly more frequently in the Brit Hadashah. “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.”(1 Corinthians 14:34 ESV) “By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.” (2 Corinthians 9:13 ESV) “To them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Galatians 2:5 ESV) “A woman should learn in silence with full submission.”(1 Timothy 2:11 HCSB) “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”(Hebrews 5:7 NIV84) Jesus “has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”(1 Peter 3:22 NIV84)
Submit in the Bible
Of all the variations of being submissive that we are reviewing, submit is the most frequently used in both the Tanakh and the Brit Hadashah.
Submit in the Tanakh: “Then the angel of the LORD said to her [Hagar], ‘Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.’”(Genesis 16:9) “You [Joseph] shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”(Genesis 41:40 NIV84) “Foreigners submit to me [David] grudgingly; as soon as they hear, they obey me.”(2 Samuel 22:45 HCSB) “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” (Job 22:21 NIV84) (See also Psalm 18:44 NASB; Psalm 66:3 & 68:30 KJV; and Isaiah 41:21 HCSB)
Submitin the Brit Hadashah: “The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:17 HCSB) “However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20 HCSB) “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:7 NIV84) “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”(Romans 10:3 NIV84) “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1 NIV84 ~ see also 13:5) “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”(Galatians 5:1 ESV)
Any of us who are engaged, married or divorced have certainly heard of or read Ephesians 5:21-33 regarding mutual love and submission one to another.
The writer of Hebrews also touches on this issue: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”(Hebrews 13:17) James exhorts us to: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”(James 4:7) And, Kefa writes: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority.” (1 Peter 2:13)
I believe the issue is crystal clear no matter what translation you may use, the Word of God teaches us to not only take on the humility of the Messiah but to also have a submissive heart. Submit to God; then to the rightful authorities over you and, if married, to each other.
An old writer tells of two brothers who went out to take a walk in the night, and one of them looked up to the sky and said, “I wish I had a pasture-field as large as the night heavens.” And the other brother looked up into the sky, and said, “I wish I had as many oxen as there are stars in the sky.”
Click on the link below to read the rest of the article. Let Keith know you found him here 🙂
The other night my two daughters, Katie and Haley, said “Dad, you’ve got to watch this!” They were referring to the brand new video released during the MTV music video awards, the new one by the once-wholesome Taylor Swift.
Look, I’m not going host any links to the video on my blog today, for one reason, if no other, that it’s a bunch of whorish, sinful, ungodly trash. Did I just say that? Yeah, and I won’t take it back.
My daughters were watching the video awards show on MTV because Katie is a music education major. Katie wanted to get an idea of where the music was going this year and get some insight on other things that I don’t understand. But not only that, they were interested in the ongoing feud between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Some of you may be familiar with all the strife and tension between the two pop music divas, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. However, some of us in the real world (because their reality is more of a fabrication than foundational) aren’t concerned with their little spat over what is essentially inconsequential in the big scheme of things. Unlike me, though, there are millions of fans between the two singers who do nothing but speculate over what it is that causes the two to be at each other’s throats. I, for one, couldn’t care less!
It’s not like either one of them will ever read this, but I want to give a suggestion to the both of them. If you happen to know either Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, pass this along…
“Get over yourselves! You’re uber-wealthy, so just write off your hard feelings and first-world problems! Specifically to Taylor Swift, your first-world anger and bitterness issues are ugly, sickening, and make me disgusted when I consider that girls everywhere look up to you. Quit being a snot and show a little forgiveness. Your “reputation” might be dead, but the stink in your soul is becoming too much for the rest of us to endure. And Katy, do everyone a favor and just apologize.”
There, that’s my commentary own the pop-music diva scene. I hope I never have to talk about it again.
The Recovering Legalist 