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[This is to encourage a young man bound for college whom I love. He had a soft contact cause a corneal scratch which became infected, possibly due to bacteria in the water at the beach. Very quickly that became a damaged cornea. He may well need a corneal transplant. Fortunately we are blessed with good medical care and chances for healing, but patience and trust will be needed]
Kevin, one of the reasons I love the Bible is that it tells the truth about some very difficult things. Despite what some try to sell to the foolish, it does not promise the good life in this world. Instead it promises there are no magical ceremonies or words to influence God. It teaches there may be healing we ask for, but we must know Him personally enough to expect an answer according to His will. It also teaches that God may not give the answer we hope for.
I and the church prayer group are praying that you find healing for your eye. I have every hope that will come in time, probably through excellent doctors like you will have at college. But whether it does or not, and no matter how long that takes, God always wants you to seek something good out of what seems bad - so begin now to think for yourself how that might look.
Everything good thing begins with focus on helping someone else. That might be going out of your way to help folks with a handicap for example. Everything lasting thing begins with focus on glorifying what God has done for you. If you become trapped into focusing on yourself very little good can happen - I learned that myself about addiction to games and how trapped in guilt that made me. If you aren't sure yet what God has done for you then make a real effort to learn certainty of it.
The Apostle Paul wrote almost half of the New Testament, and apparently had bad eyesight. When his name was still Saul, he had an experience that might affect the eyesight when the risen Jesus turned him from persecuting Christians to being a primary example of a Christian. Even though Paul was part of many miracles, including perhaps knowing Heaven itself when he may have been revived from the dead, God did not cure Paul's eyesight for a reason.
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV)
Paul wrote the following to those who were already sure what God had done for them. It teaches that we are actually to rejoice in every opportunity to seek growth of character. That does NOT mean it is easy to put into practice, however. True character growth never comes easily.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5 NLV)
You are young and modern medicine knows well how to deal with this, and being young you have a better than usual chance of healing with that help.
I never had to face a difficulty like yours is at your age. But I do know of men who faced going into the hell of the Vietnam war as young as you are. Regardless whether they were heroes or just men there - I admire every one because of whatever they did for other people, including for me.
Praying for you always,
Dad
I mentioned "In the beginning" that I have been a Christian for twelve years at this point and have not yet obeyed Him by having myself baptised. Here is what I have to say about disobeying His clear command for so long.
Confirmation that now is the right time.
After this entry was drafted, I considered how to finish it this morning. When I turned on the TV to distract one of my children, Dr. Charles Stanley (InTouch.org) was giving a full thirty minute program on the necessity of being Baptised. Can there be a better more humble sign from God that being baptised and publishing about it are the right things for me to do at this time?
What is Baptism?
The Bible is very clear that no mere ceremony, words, or sacrifice by men can influence the Creator. To think the Creator of the universe is ridiculously subject to human "magic" like that is incredible arrogance. Baptism according to the Bible is a ceremony that publicly symbolizes obediently identifying oneself as a believer belonging to the company of all believers.
How you can influence the Creator.
To influence the Creator of all things you must begin by letting Him change your heart, by persistantly and humbly pursuing Him through His words yourself. Persist until you begin understanding it and loving Him because you do, without needing "special" teachers.
Why haven't I been baptised before?
While I have many times experienced the Reality of God in wonderful, unexplainable ways, I am still doing some things God doesn't want, and failing to do what He does want. For my family who know this best of all, I have been a poor example of a Christian. By doing what God does not want I mean primarily computer gaming, which steals time from my family and has made me feel guilty. By not doing what God does want I mean primarily not publishing about the many ways God has made His word real to me - which is the worst sin of all since God's words are "life to those who find them" (Proverbs 4:20)
Overcoming Guilt.
What held me enslaved for so long is the normal guilt trap many of us fall into. Too guilty to feel worthy of God's blessing, and unable to become better by self-improvement. That leads to frustration and retreating into another cycle of fantasy / addiction that makes us feel guilty. The problem begins with focus on self.
The only true freedom is to know God's truth for yourself, beyond what any "special" teacher may say. Then one need not be enslaved by guilt because:
- - Messiah as God in the flesh paid the entire price on the cross for every sin every man will ever do - just as the Prophets David, Isaiah, Daniel and others said He would a thousand years before.
- - What God has already done on the cross is far more worthy than anything any man has ever done or will do.
- - To find real freedom we must dwell on and worship what God has done and Who God is, and then do something in return as a thank you gift to God's creation - such as publishing important truths, or caring for the ill for example.
- - To dwell on guilt assumes one might do something more worthy than God - which is self-worship.
- - It doesn't matter if it is ourselves or someone else we need to forgive. When we don't forgive what God has forgiven, we are attempting to be more righteous and worthy than God - which is also self-worship.
Last Thoughts.
Before he became an Apostle, Paul was a Pharisee, a leading persecuter of Christians (then named Saul). While on his way to ensure more Christians were stoned to death, the risen Messiah in person called Paul as a witness to God's power to transform sinners. The Apostle Paul endured severe whippings and stoning, plus imprisonment in dire conditions. Despite that he led establishing churches in much of the Roman empire, and authored almost half the books of the New Testament (which is mostly interpretation of mysteries in the original Scriptures we call the Old Testament). Finally rather than bow down to the Roman emperor as a god, Paul went willingly to die for the truth that God is more worthy than any man.
Yet even as an Apostle, Paul repeatedly found himself doing evil.
So now I am no longer the one doing (evil), but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Romans 7:17-19 HCSB
I was up playing computer games late and fell asleep for a few hours. Then finally got working on a new post about my addiction to computer gaming, since I must face that as part of identifying myself fully as a Christian. Part of posting on my addiction involves studying the material at PureIntimacy.org.
This site is primarily about overcoming sexual addictions, but you may find it helpful in coping with gambling, substance-abuse, pornography, workaholism, and other addictions. My own difficulty is primarily about computer gaming, but it used to have a pornography aspect. Every form of addiction has similar components, including fantasy by the addict, harm to the spouse and children of the addict, and risks to the career of the addict.
From PureIntimacy +Intimacy and Addiction +Why do people become addicts?
Addictions create substantial family trauma. The addict becomes preoccupied, gets lost in fantasy, and invests significant time in his harmful behaviors, as the addiction becomes the focus of life. In families, the addicted parent is present but is mastered by his addiction. The other parent develops his or her own preoccupation centering on controlling the addict’s behavior and protecting loved ones from the actions of the addict. This behavior is referred to as co-addiction or co-dependency.
Note that addiction creates family trauma, but it is also a response to personal trauma. PureIntimacy is a Christian funded website but it isn't openly Christian to evangelise. I found this helpful under Why the God-talk? No matter where you are on the spectrum of faith, you are welcome here. This site is devoted to providing the best available resources on sexual addiction, pornography use, and other areas involving sexual brokenness. We want to help all who come to us looking for hope, whether or not we agree on matters of faith...
Our faith motivates us to reach out to those who are hurting and to do whatever we can to make them whole again. If you wouldn’t refuse treatment at a hospital called St. Luke’s, consider accepting our assistance as well.
For far too long our culture has worked to devalue, denigrate, and dis-integrate the human person. Many used to decry the separation of sex from procreation, but now people separate sex even from human emotion. The most profound, beautiful, and mysterious connection between two people has been reduced to a transaction or an exercise in fluid mechanics. This is a seriously impoverished view of sexuality and humanity.
The Christian view of sexuality, which informs this site, teaches that the human person is comprised of body, mind, and spirit. Sexual brokenness indicates the dis-integration of these various components. When we separate sex from its emotional and spiritual attachments, problems arise.
Part of what gives the PureIntimacy information power is that it tries to address the spritual component of addictions with the point of view of believers in the Word of God, where true personal spiritual power can be found and developed. Christians can be seriously addicted and still be truly Christian, in fact the Word of God promises that real Christians will suffer spiritual attacks which can be in the form of addictions - because mankind gave this world to its current god, who grows increasingly desperate to do harm as his time runs out for that.
Having actually read some of this and with this post actually done something to help you Defend Others as Yourself - I plan to read more later. For now I feel empowered to leave my troubles and get some sleep. Notice the time this was originally composed.
Here's the story of another wonderful truth I did nothing to deserve, but God has blessed me with.
I usually study my Bible following along with radio sermons during lunch in my car. My favorite show is the late J. Vernon McGee's "Through the Bible". They have a guide to their many world-wide radio broadcasts in many languages, archives of past shows, excellent free study material, and a free business hours phone number at www.ttb.org .
About eight years after the Book became real to me was the first time I ever studied in my computer lab during lunch, because my car was in the shop. Something happened that day not when I sought it, but before I needed it. So even if I were foolish I could not pretend to cause it in any way. Again the skeptic will say it was only coincidence that I take in a foolish way. As in the first "wonderful truth" entry I say: God controls how and who He answers, and what He wants is to nurture humble faith willing to believe His answers come to those who humbly persist in seeking Him.
I was in my computer lab following Thru The Bible with a certain verse, and just finished reading and hearing about that verse. Exactly then, not a minute later, my mother called me on the phone at my desk to tell me that my father had passed away unexpectedly.
The verse I had been studying was...
When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven. Mark 12:25 (NIV)
Notice that taking this as an answer planned for me means God has coordinated all the following to happen down to that very instant:
- - what the Thru The Bible broadcasts as part of their five-year Bible study series;
- - that my car needed repair work;
- - that my father passed away;
- - that my mother would call just then;
- - where I was, and
- - that I already had many reasons to believe His Word is beyond magical and from Him.
So do not be surprised when I say that an Incredible God really does offer Life Eternal beyond all one can hope for, to those who take Him as the source of all Truth and Good.
I mentioned some wonderful truths "regarding His Word" before. Here is our story of one of the most important such truths.
A few years ago I had an assistant named Sam, whose first language was vietnamese. When he saw how important the Bible was to me, he asked me for one printed in vietnamese. I ordered one over the Internet from the International Bible Society. When I brought it to work, I sat in my car and wondered what verse Sam should have with it as a kind of introduction to it.
I can't really explain what happened next. The skeptic will say it was coincidence - wishful thinking. But this Bible had about 2000 pages and perhaps six places on each page where I might put my finger. How many failed tries would it take to convince the skeptic this was more than chance? God is in control of how He answers and who He answers. More, such answers are only promised to those who honestly seek the source of all Truth and Goodness, and persist in seeking answers from Him - not to the arrogant expecting God to do tricks on request.
If you exercise that hope in His goodness and truth, sometimes God will give you the feeling that an answer is waiting. It may be an unmistakable hint or only a feeling - but I've never known such an answer to be a call-the-reporters, bolt-of-lightning, or audible-voice miracle. Usually it is only a small private humble miracle meant only for the one who humbly hopes in Him and His promises.
In the car that day He gave me the feeling I should expect an answer. So I put my finger inside that vietnamese Bible where I could not read a single word. When my finger felt like the right spot, I opened it up and tried to figure out where that was.
My finger was on chapter 4 verse 13 of a book near the end of the original Scriptures (Old Testament). The name of the book began with an "A" and was only four characters long. By looking in the table of contents, I was able to find the verse to give Sam, who as a Buddhist had never really looked at a Bible before. It was ...
He who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals His thoughts to man,
He who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads the high places of the earth—
the LORD God Almighty is His name.
Amos 4:13 (NIV)
I realized the Creator wants me to publish some of the wonderful truths He has blessed me with regarding His Word and character, and how important it is to share His truth for the sake of others. The reason I am to do so is to enable you, Gentle Reader, to defend youself and others with the Creator's truth.
The title for this entry came from our conviction Genesis chapter one is meant to be read as a partial account of the creation of the heavens and the earth from nothing "in the beginning", followed by the completion of the heavens and the earth over six periods of unknown length ending with the creation of mankind [day-age theory].
I have been resisting that calling to publish in selfish disobedience since He began clearly revealing His truth to me in 1994. Understand the seriousness of that disobedience: God's Word is Life itself to those who find it, a Life lived fully in joy and peace beyond earthly measure - and I have not only resisted sharing the Life He has given me as He wants, I have not even been baptised since God brought me to Him and according to His command. The first consequence of disobeying is of course that you have no confidence that prayers will be answered.
One of the reasons this blog is being started now, is I have given myself the deadline of publishing a rough draft about something of consequence before I am baptised July 30th.
[day-age theory] day-age theory provided by Origins.org.
google for "day age bara asah").
My son, pay attention to my words;
listen closely to my sayings.
Don't lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and health to one's whole body.
Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.
Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly,
and don't let your lips talk deviously.
(Proverbs 4:20-24 HCSB)
