The phrase “strength is in diversity” is said in many places for many different reasons. It is one of the key tenets promoted by the moralists of our United States culture. It is in the air these days, and it sounds noble. It sounds correct. It sounds Christian. It is, however, as a statement by itself, not true.
Where this becomes most evident is when diversity itself becomes the goal. This is also true in cases where uniformity is the goal. Inclusion and exclusion by groups that value diversity or uniformity above all else are often based on shallow and meaningless characteristics. The much more profound merits and character of the people themselves are ignored. It’s a cheap replacement for a noble and holy valuation of all people on their intrinsic, created selves.
Strength is in unity. This truism stands alone much better. Unity of purpose, spirit, and values has strength beyond the common. When the souls of a group are knit together in a communal struggle to achieve an outcome, the sum is greater than the whole. This is because the synergy of effort increases inertia and multiplies the effectiveness of their force.
Wisdom is often found in diversity, and through that wisdom, strength is increased. A stable identity is often found in uniformity. Diversity of thought, opinion, and perspective increases the base from which an individual or group can operate. Uniformity in practice, appearance, and values brings a strong sense of community.
Apart from unity of will and purpose, diversity does nothing. A man of two minds does nothing. He sits and vacillates. I admire the ability to make up one’s mind, act on the decision, and yet learn and adjust with changing circumstances, without doubting oneself. God can use a person like that.
I find this passage in James quite interesting in the context of this conversation.
[Jas 1:5-8 CSB] [5] Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him. [6] But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, [8] being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.
Why would the Lord give things to a person who does nothing with them? What would the Lord expect him to do with it? He’s not stupid. Wisdom is given to those who will do something with it. Servants/Stewards who are faithful and active with what they already have.
Outside the context of unity, diversity is meaningless. The differences are just crayons in a box. Yay. They aren’t doing anything. Yet, in the hands of an artist with vision and purpose, each color becomes important, and a beautiful piece of art is accomplished.
My reason for thinking on this subject is that the church I attend is currently wrestling with what to do with the diversity of thought and yet no unifying mission. It’s a study in what happens when this is true. As stewards of the Gospel and obedient practice, we are responsible for it and hold it in high value. We act, though, as if we don’t know what to do with it. We fluctuate with the times, and people easily come and go from the membership. Unfortunately, our youth find it just as easy to go elsewhere as it is to stay.
We, as a group of believers and as individuals, say we want to be guided by the Lord. Yet we don’t seek His face for direction. We also don’t try very hard to do anything on our own because we are afraid of putting our faith in our own efforts.
Where to from here? I don’t know. I’m included in the we. I’m as indecisive as they come. From where comes purpose? From where comes a single mind? From where comes decisiveness? All good things come from the Lord. Will He give us what we need? Should we ask Him?
My wife found a really cute Yorkie puppy named Blue and wanted to buy it. After a couple of emails, the alarm bells started ringing. Following are the points of evidence for me to call a scam alert.
Here is a picture of Blue on the site https://foreveryorkiekisses.com/available-puppies/
My wife filled out the “Adopt Blue” form on the site and here is the first email we got back in response.
We are writing to you in response to your inquiry on Yorkie puppy; BLUE
We greatly appreciate your interest in our little buddy and also hope that the information on Blue stated below meets your expectations so he can make you and your family absolutely happier.
BLUE’S INFO:
He is AKC registered just like the rest of our Yorkies.
He is current on all his shots (vaccines).
His birthday is January 21st, 2021
He currently weighs 1.4 lbs and his estimated adult weight is 5 lbs
Blue has equally been Microchipped
Like the rest of our puppies, he has been potty trained to use a puppy pad.
Blue loves giving puppy kisses, he loves to cuddle, he's filled with love and he is also very playful
He gets along very well with children as well as with other home pets.
Basically, Blue loves to be spoiled.
Since all our puppies are a great part of our family (Forever Yorkie Kisses), we are always concerned about the kind of home/family any of our babies will be going to at any given moment.
For that reason, we have a couple of questions we would like for you to answer before we can proceed with the entire process.
How big is your home/house/apartment? Will your job/school provide you with enough time to be able to take care of this puppy?
Are you experienced with this breed of puppy or with puppies as a whole?
Do you have any intentions to breed our puppy/puppies?
Do you live with kids or other home pets?
How soon would you like to have BLUE as part of your home/family?
The cost to adopt Blue is $500.
From the inquiry you sent earlier, we noticed that you are from [name of our town] which is about 18 hours drive away from us, but that isn't a problem at all because we shall have Blue transported safely to your city by a professional pet transportation company via flight (in the cabin), and then he will be delivered to your address by an agent within the same day. Transportation to your location will cost $200.
Hence, the total cost will be $700 for you to have Blue.
We are very much looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards!
Fair enough. Breeders should be careful about where the puppies are headed. No red flags here, except that price! My wife sent an email in response to the questions with a couple of questions of her own. Namely, where are they located? Here is the second email we got from them.
Thank you for getting back to us. We have read through your mail and would like to inform you that we are pleased to let you provide a home for baby BLUE. He is in perfect health condition and doesn’t not have any genetic or physical defects.
Find attached a recent photo and a video of Blue.
In order for us to proceed, when we receive your reply to this email stating if you are still willing to provide a home for this fur baby, we would then forward to you a “PURCHASE AGREEMENT FORM”
via email in the form of PDF which you will download and print the documents; then fill the form, and finally scan the filled form and send back to us before you make the payment for your to-be puppy. If you do not have a means to scan the form, simply take clear photos of each page of the form with all 4 edges of the pages showing in the photos. Once we receive the filled form and your payment, we will then proceed with necessary arrangements for transportation of the puppy to your home address which you will include on the form.
A deposit of $400 is required to reserve a client’s puppy till they are ready to receive the puppy at their home.
We currently accept payments via ZELLE, APPLE PAY, GOOGLE PAY, Walmart2Walmart, Western Union, MoneyGram, and BITCOIN.
We hope to hear back from you soon!
Warm regards!
Following are the included picture and video.
Cute little guy, isn’t he?
No answer to the question about their location. The use of language is stilted and the list of payment methods is concerning, as well as a 57% deposit. So now the red flags are starting to fly. That led me to do some hunting. I discovered that Blue is also named Kevin on this site https://happypetcompanions.com/available-puppies/
That was the last red flag for me. I cannot say with empirical evidence that the people involved with this are scammers and neither am I interested in finding that evidence. I’ll pass on getting scammed, thank you very much! All in all, there are many reasons to believe that both sites are run by the same people and that neither of them is to be trusted.
There is uncommon effort put into this attempt. I’m positive there are many thousands of these stories happening now so that means uncommon diligence is needed. Stay frosty my friends!
Eph 2 is a wonderful parallel text to the first half of Romans 8. Christ fit both the old and the new together. He is the cornerstone of the kingdom of Heaven. Everything hinges on Him. He fulfilled the law and made it possible for us to do the same. Only through His Spirit and through His Spirit we fulfill the law and we are fellow citizens with the saints and the household of God. No longer is there enmity. We are free to become righteous. We no longer need to sin. There is no longer the need.
We can change. We may change. It is possible for us to change. We can change through His Spirit. We can change through the power of the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and brought new life. That power. That life. That very same Spirit enlivens and powers us today. That is the grace of God. That power. That life. It is the grace of God in our lives. We may change because our why can change. The reason why we live. The reason why we strive. The reason we want to change can change. It no longer must be about ourselves. It may be about Him. It must be about Him. That change changes everything.
No longer are we slaves to what we were. We are free to change. To become righteous. To become better. To become more like Him. Not because it is about us any longer. But because it is about Him. We are able to move forward and change. Change because it is who we are becoming. We are becoming more like Him. Jesus embodies perfection. We don’t want to be like Him because we want to be perfect. We want to be like Him because we are now a new creation and we are now meant to be like Him. We may be like Him. Let this same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus…
[Phl 2:5-11 CSB] (5) Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, (6) who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.
(7) Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, (8) he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.
(9) For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
(10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth —
(11) and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The struggle will be with us to the end of this life.
Ecc 1:1-18 CSB The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. (2) “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” (3) What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? (4) A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. (5) The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises. (6) Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. (7) All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. (8) All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. (9) What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. (10) Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. (11) There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them. (12) I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. (13) I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. (14) I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. (15) What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. (16) I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.” (17) I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. (18) For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.
In much wisdom is much grief.
I don’t consider myself a wise man but I am, in biblical terms, somewhere in the middle of my life. Of course, I am a typical man so I am wondering what mark, if any, I will leave here. Please forgive the introspective tone of what I have to share.
What is the stuff of life? Is it relationships? Is it to help others? To improve their lives? Christ came to heal. [Isa 61:1-3 CSB] (1) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; (2) to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, (3) to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.
God created the world for His own glory. So how can we as Christians bring Him glory?
We bring glory to God when we trust Him. Put our weight on Him. Put our faith in Him and let Him lead us. We can mess up our lives and our witness with our mis-understanding of what God wants and what He is about. We don’t want to mess up. We don’t want to make God look bad so we refrain from doing things that could make God look bad. The problem we often face though is that we don’t want to make ourselves look bad if God doesn’t come through with what we think He should do. What if we look like fools?
Let us read that last sentence of the last verse I just read. “And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.”
[Isa 61:10-11 CSB] (10) I rejoice greatly in the LORD, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (11) For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
[Mat 5:13-16 CSB] (13) “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. (14) “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. (16) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
[Jer 17:7-8 CSB] (7) The person who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed. (8) He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.
[Psa 30:11-12 CSB] (11) You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, (12) so that I can sing to you and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
[1Pe 2:9-10 CSB] (9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (10) Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
[Eph 2:1-10 CSB] (1) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (2) in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. (3) We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, (5) made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! (6) He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, (7) so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (8) For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – (9) not from works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
We are not saved by good works but we are created for them.
[Heb 13:5-18 CSB] (5) Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. (6) Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (7) Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. (8) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (9) Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited. (10) We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat. (11) For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. (12) Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood. (13) Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace. (14) For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come. (15) Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. (16) Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. (17) Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. (18) Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.
Through the law, God was trying to to tell us who He is. We treat it as a go, no go document. If our obedience to the law is based on the reception of guidance instead of a method to achieve righteousness, we can begin to understand the heart of God.
The law is given in the Old Testament in the Bible and strengthened to the point of impossibility in the New Testament by Jesus Christ Himself
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in
Old Testament
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Peace, of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is It seems that the law was a wall between the Jews and the Gentiles and Christ abolished the emnity caused by it because it now applies to all.
Here are some verses about Biblical law.
[Mat 5:17-20 ESV] 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
[Rom 10:4-10 ESV] 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
[Rom 7:4-9 ESV] 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.
[Gal 3:21-29 ESV] 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
1. Memories of his father with his face hidden behind a camera. The present and the real are distorted by the preparation for the future. Time is distorted by time. Memories of memories. The reality of the future constantly and starkly stares one in the face. Choices, paths, diversions, and surprises are normal and required. The effects of numbing oneself from reality result in weakness, apathy, and frustration of fulfillment. Hollow emptiness. Cavernous souls are in constant need of amusement.
2. Constant persuasion by desire, lust, wishes, drive, greed, and need, numb the touches of eternity and blind us to the reality of the unseen and the unknown.
Exhaustion of both mind and body has hidden visions and dreams and detached us from the winds of heaven, driven us into retreat, and weakened our souls to the point of devastation. It is no wonder that the rallying cry of our leaders is fear and dread. “Death, death reigns” they cry and we die for lack of food. Self-fulfilling prophecy. Doom brought by the pronouncement of it.
3. Live! Love! cries the Almighty. I won. The battle is over! There is no need for defeat or fear! Triumph is in your hand to claim. Power is mine to give! Arise I say and walk. Open your eyes and see! Listen for my song, my call to your soul to happiness and joy. My heart is full of goodness toward you and my desire is your best. I have created you – I can heal you. Come, come to me all who labor. I will fill and restore you. My kiss of love is the seal of your soul and the breath of your life. I am full and have no need. Turn. Turn to me and be with me.
“The game is played, not to protect the rules; rather, the rules are made to protect the game.” – Ravi Zacharias in Recapture the Wonder
Often when people are confronted with rules, especially rules that do not make sense, they rebel against them in some fashion or another. It is also a nearly universal problem that if one does not understand something, it must be stupid or useless. Because of this, when we disobey a rule that doesn’t make sense it doesn’t really feel like we are rebelling when in fact we are.
How a person relates to rules tells a lot about them and is most likely an indicator of a lot of things that he would never tell you to your face.
The longest game in history is life and everyone is playing.
The sheer stupidity of mankind shaking its collective fist at its creator can only be explained by the nefarious evil known as the “great lie” that was told to Eve. She was told that knowledge would make her a god. Mankind still believes this today and is in the process of testing all of the rules that were handed to them by preceding generations. We believe that if we “figure it out” we can make our own rules and thus be gods. This makes sense if you are believing a lie.
A false rule.
The only absolute is that there are no absolutes. Thought experiments filter down to actions that result in mass destruction, chaos, pain, and misery and are blamed on the personal evil of one person or another. The confusion stems from the results of the experiment because the facts are looked at through the filter of “the great lie.” We hate the truth. We think it limits us so we bash at it, bloodying our hands and hurting ourselves but never budging the wall.
There is a God.
And we are not Him. He gave us enough rope to hang ourselves or help ourselves. If you believe that Christ is the Son of God and that He can forgive you of your sin you are suddenly winning the game. There is nothing you can do to win, except to believe. And when you do this, the rules no longer apply because the only reason the rules exist is to make everyone who believes “the great lie” lose. When you enter the Kingdom of Heaven you Honor the King and by doing so you renounce the “great lie” and you are justified – pardoned from the guilt that is heaped on you by the rules. The crazy thing about Honoring the King is that you end up obeying the rules because that is who He is and that is how you honor Him because the rules are a revelation of truth. It is the nature of the beast. If you are not Honoring the King and you are trying to win the game by yourself, you are still believing “the great lie.”
“Love the Lord thy God” is the greatest rule or the rule that all the other rules are bullet points of. “The most irresistible force in the world is love and the most vulnerable.” – Ravi Zacharias in Cries of the Heart
So the rules protect you from the “great lie” and allow you to play the game of life for real
There is a nearly criminal racket that is very active and pervasive. Chances are, even you have taken part in it. The racket is called Rewards Cards. Have you ever wondered where the “rewards” that you get from your Rewards Card come from? Straight from the vendor where you bought your stuff. To pay for your rewards, the credit card companies take an extra percentage right off the top of the transaction. So by using the rewards card, you steal from the store you bought from and by extension if you steal, you are a thief. Sure, you get part of your money back which is cool, but the major beneficiary of this vile scheme is the credit card industry. You see, they don’t pass all of the “rewards” on to you, they keep a chunk of them for themselves.
In the last few months, the rewards cards have been skimming an extra 2.5% right off the top of the transactions that I submitted here at work and there is absolutely no way to recover the money or to keep it from happening again. It is illegal for us to refuse credit card payment, to refuse rewards cards or even put a cap on how much people can pay with cards. So, if you want to steal from us, we are open for business. The only way we can avoid the racket is to stop offering credit card payment options or by charging an extra processing fee.
Do your merchant a favor and stop using your rewards cards. I’m sure places like Wal-Mart and Target have it figured out so they don’t have to pay it but for the small businesses, it just hurts.
I just joined the National Arbor Day Foundation. The registration costs $10 for a year and with that I get 10 trees. I wanted a Weeping Willow tree too, so I bought one for $8 and got a free Red Maple with that. All said and done I got 12 trees for $23. You need to order soon to get your trees in time for spring planting. Go join up already, unless of course you are deprived of the blessing of land.
I think trees are awesome. What better way is there to dress up God’s green earth?
