Tag Archives: bible

The Word of God…

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In the whole Bible there are 33,000 verses of scripture. There are 66 books of the Bible being considered the Canon of the Bible. They are what we consider the Old and New Testament. Yet the entire Bible was written by Jewish men of God. The word of God is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. We are as Gentiles, non Jewish people, called Christians were grafted into the God’s family. I have heard many times that the Old Testament isn’t relative to the Christian life. And just the opposite, that the New Testament isn’t relative to Jewish life. It’s a lie from the pits of hell. The Bible is one book. It is the picture of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He responded…

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,Master, which is the great commandment in the law?Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-39.

The scripture, to love God with all your heart, is Deuteronomy 6:4-5. And the second scripture, to love your neighbour as yourself, is Leviticus 19:18. Jesus was teaching people as a whole what God requires from us. That means that the Old Testament is as important as the New Testament. When Paul was traveling preaching the gospel, what Bible was he using to teach from. He certainly didn’t have a pocket New Testament to preach from. Paul went into the local synagogue to use the Old Testament.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus came not to teach something new. He came to fulfill what was already written. The new and living way that Jesus taught, was the fulfillment of the promise that God gave to Abraham. He is called the Father of many nations. The Bible is one book, spoken by one person, Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is to teach us the way back home to God. Jesus kept saying the kingdom of God is at hand. And with His death and resurrection the kingdom of God has come. The Word of God is one book meant to show us one person, Jesus Christ.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit…

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In the bible, when the Holy Spirit comes upon someone there is an immediate change that takes place. In 1 Samuel 19, King Saul was chasing David to try to kill him. King Saul went to Ramah expecting to find David. Instead amongst the prophets, the Holy Spirit came upon Saul. He took off his clothes, fell on his face and began to speak in tongues. The Prophets said, Is Saul also among the prophets? Although this wasn’t a permanent thing, Saul stayed on his face before God for a day and a night.

The permanent thing where the Holy Spirit comes upon us and stays is when we give our hearts to Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit lives in our heart as God designed from the beginning. Jesus talked to the disciples about this very thing. He said that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and live inside. He will be our teacher, remind us of everything and pray for us as we pray in tongues. Praying in tongues is the Holy Spirit praying through us.

There are more benefits from God when we have the Holy Spirit living in us. They are called the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. God says that we receive at least one gift where He comes upon us. We aren’t limited to one gift, if we ask God for them. But each gift must be exercised for the gift to develop. You will recognize the gift that is in you. Then you can begin to use it as God planned. It will take boldness on your part to develop your gift. When you do develop your gift, it will surprise you how effective it is. The reason being is that the Holy Spirit is working through you to change the world. I encourage everyone to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit everyday to let God flow through you.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Economy of God …

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Before God set up the earth and heavens, He had a plan. His plan was to have a family and that they would all share heaven and God’s life. He knew that this plan had to be laid out in order for it to work. God’s economy is very precise, down to the milometer. When making heaven and earth, God wanted to show how vast He is and also how close He is to us. God created order out of chaos. He is omniscient, all knowing, omnipresent, everywhere at the same time and sovereign, in charge of everything. So God knew what man was going to do before He created us. God created the path than man must take to get home, heaven. He knew that if man didn’t follow that path, it led to another place actually reversed for the devil and his cohorts.

God’s first institution was marriage. It has a structure by which a man and woman can live together. If the man or woman doesn’t follow God’s instructions, it will lead to destruction of the marriage and divorce.

God’s economy is to be under authority. We can’t be in authority unless we are under authority. God mapped this out to bring harmony in the marriage. Of course, man knows better than God. He will do what he wants to do and this has lead to the failure of 50% of all marriages. God has only one reason for divorce and that is infidelity. And unfortunately it is more common than not. People have no idea what they have done when they are unfaithful to their spouse.

Living in God’s economy is living godly, trusting and believing that God knows what He is doing and following Him all the way home. It requires submission on our part to God’s plan. And the benefits out weight anything else. God’s plan is thorough. He thought of all things necessary for us to be able to live the life and walk home. We are the ones that have to make the choice to walk the path. God said that not one comma or period will change in His word, until all of His word be fulfilled.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Offenses…

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“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” Matthew 18:6-7.

You look at this world and see that the attitude toward life is me first and everyone else can get in line. Even in business it is buyer beware, which means you pay your money and you take your chances. I know that this attitude has been there from the beginning time. When I was in college, I enrolled in a business class that was teaching that very principle. It is not a new idea. It just has become prevalent.

When you offend someone, there are two different paths you can take. Actually, there are three. The first path is just walk away and say they made their choice. The second path is to ask for forgiveness. Seeing that you wronged someone and try to make it right. It does not always work. Some people will give a person one chance to do right and if they do not they are cut off. The third path is seeing ahead and making the decision not offend anyone. It is the hard path, but in the long run it the better path.

Jesus was talking to the disciples about offending someone. He made it very clear what offences cost. I know of a war that starting over taking a pig from someone. That third path calls for sacrifice. This is where you defer to another person not to start a war. Everybody has rights, but it is not always convenient or right to put your rights first. Deferring to another person takes self restraint. In this Me First generation, it seems almost archaic, but it is the right decision.

The disciples ask Jesus another question about offences in Matthew 18:21-22. “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven”

Now the choice is up to you. What are you going to do? The truth is there to see. All it requires is to follow your heart. Choose wisely, for there is great reward or great consequence in your choice.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Peace…

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Conflict is the opposite of peace. We all know about conflict or turmoil. The world is full of turmoil. All you have to do is listen to the evening news channel. That is one reason I don’t listen to it. I don’t want to get caught up in the turmoil of the day. It is like people feed off this conflict to feel alive. It is not healthy to live in conflict. Peace is the only thing that will prolong life. Look at farmers, there life is peaceful as compared to people who live in cities. The only conflicts they have are squirrels, rabbits or deer that eat their crops. There are sometimes extreme conflicts such as droughts or plagues. But they are not the norm.

Peace can be obtained but our attitudes of our heart. An attitude of peace is not surrender. Sometimes we have to strive for peace. And peace isn’t situational awareness. On our own, it’s hard to obtain peace. The cares of this world consume our lives with turmoil.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrews had a blood sacrifice system to worship God and receive forgiveness from God. The first sacrifice that the Hebrews had to perform were the peace offerings. They had to make peace with God before they could do anything else. Cows, rams and lamb were the basic offerings, but there was in that economy an offering for poor people. You would never guess what it was. It was two turtledoves. When Joseph and Mary went to the temple to present Jesus before the Lord, they offered two turtledoves as a peace offering.

Peace doesn’t come through our own efforts. Peace is given by God to those who become His children. Only God can bring peace. There is an Aaronic Blessing in

Numbers 6:24-26. And I repeat this blessing for you. “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Do you think God grieves?

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All of our emotions come from God. There is nothing that we have that wasn’t giving to us by God. Of course free will came through a choice that we made. But emotionally, we have that same emotions that God has. So I ask you, does God suffer grief?

Grief is a powerful emotion. It can change the way we think and act toward people and God. When my mother died, I began to grieve. My grieving lasted almost 4 years. I carried it like a banner. I was consumed with grief. I could hardly function. I went through the motions everyday. I put on a halfhearted smile on my face that lied to most people. I said I was fine but could hardly find my way in life. It was one of the most devastating times in my life. If it hadn’t been for God’s intervention into my life, it would have been a death spiral for me. I am not saying that I don’t feel pain when I think of my mother, but grief doesn’t have a death grip on me.

I found three examples of God grieving over mankind. The first is when King Saul didn’t do what God sent him to do. God sent Saul and the Israelite army to utterly destroy the Amalekites. When Saul returned, the prophet Samuel was sent to talk to him. He said, Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: (1 Samuel 15:10-11). God grieve that He had made Saul king over Israel. The second is when Jesus went to Lazarus grave. Jesus loved Martha, Mary and their brother, Lazarus. Lazarus had died and Jesus and the disciples went to the grave site. And the scriptures say that Jesus wept (John 11). The third example comes from Revelation. Revelation is about the destruction of earth and mankind. There are vial, trumpets and seals opened. Each one is more devastating than the last one. It says in Revelation 8:1, And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. God grieved over the destruction of mankind.

So to answer my question, Does God grieve? The answer is yes. God grieves just like we do. We are the image and likeness of God.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

You can’t earn point with God…

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What is the difference between being good and living God’s way? Many people struggle with this question. They believe that if they are good enough they can earn they way into heaven. God set out a series of laws for Moses to show mankind what must do to earn heaven. God told them that if they break one law they break them all. God wanted to get mankind to understand that they can’t keep the law on their own. God was showing mankind that only way to solve their sin problem was through God’s mechanism. God set up a mechanism to solve they sin problem. It is called a blood sacrifice. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Even though God set up this sin mechanism, it wasn’t permanent. They had to repeat the blood sacrifices every year.

God’s sin mechanism required 2 things to be permanent. The first thing requirement is faith. You must first believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them the diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). There is a time and place where you must come to believe in God. Having faith is a conscience choice in our lives. This is where we choose to believe God exists and He is sovereign over this world. When you choose to trust and believe in God, this is where He accepts us into the kingdom.

The second mechanism in God’s plan is the blood sacrifice. God had to get a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the law. This perfect sacrifice had to be sinless. There couldn’t be any spots or blemishes on this sacrifice. And so God sent His son to be a man and live a sinless life. Right before Jesus was cruxified, He was in the temple for 3 days to be examined by the priests and religious leaders. They found that Jesus was blameless and could be sacrificed to save mankind. It’s funny how they, the religious leaders all agreed in God’s plan for mankind. Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not (John 11:50). And so Jesus was crucified and shed His blood to fulfill scripture and satisfy the Law.

God raised Jesus from the dead and made Him King of kings and Lord of all. So understand, that we can’t earn our way into heaven. But God has already put into place the way into heaven. It is by faith in God and Jesus and the blood sacrifice. All we have to do is to choose God’s plan and we can enter into His kingdom.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Updates

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Where do I start. I am sorry that I haven’t written anything new in a while. Although there is over 2000 blogs stored in the website. As you well know I write about one topic consistently. I try to make my blog as interesting as possible. And I want it to be uplifting also. Since I was a child, my favorite stories have been about two people in particularly. Both lived long ago and now reside in heaven. Those two people are King David of Israel, who is an archetype of Christ and Jesus Christ, Himself.

King David lived 3000 years ago. He ruled Israel for 30 years. He was a righteous man, not a perfect one. The bible says that he had a heart after God. He played music that pleased God. David tried very hard to live the way God wanted him to. God gave him everything When sin came into David’s life, God wouldn’t let him build the temple in Jerusalem. That task fell to his son Solomon. Solomon became the greatest king in the history of Israel. Solomon was the only man to rule the earth partially. When Jesus returns He will reign and rule over the entire earth. David raised his son Solomon to believe and trust in God. Solomon didn’t raise his sons to believe and trust in God.

Jesus Christ lived on this earth over 2000 years ago. He came for one reason, Jesus was God’s sacrifice for man’s sin. Not much is know about his early years, but Jesus grow up in Nazareth and apprenticed in his father’s shop as a carpenter. But during those years Jesus attended a Yeshiva in Nazareth. He begin a Rabbi (Pharisee). And at the age of 30 began his ministry when He was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. Did you know that John the Baptist, son the High Priest Zechariah, was Jesus’ first cousin. Which actually made Jesus the last recorded Levitical priest and the first recorded priest after the order of Melchizedek in the bible.

I studied the word of God for fifty years and my knowledge of God is relative to how big God is. I learn everyday. The only time that I will know everything is when I enter heaven. The update that I am talking about is that Jesus is coming. Don’t give up hope. He will return and we will go home.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Mouth Speaks…

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I have known people who could not close their mouths. They would speak none stop. Then I have known people who would not speak at all. You could not drag words out of them. Most people try to be in the middle of all this and speak moderately. There was a survey done on how men and women speak. It said that men used about 10,000 words a day. While women used about 30,000 word a day. I don’t know where I fit in all that, because I like to speak to people. I talk to strangers just to start a conversation. Maybe it is just culture of hospitality or need. I learned long ago that if you listen to people, they will tell you their story. It usually takes about 10 minutes for people to tell you their life’s story. It is interesting.

3000 years ago, King Solomon said in book of Proverbs, that life and death are in the power of the tongue. It is true we can lift someone up by the words that we use or drag them down. You know what I’m talking about. A kind word can encourage a person to go on. Or angry words can destroy people. It all depends on what is in your heart. You see words come from your heart. Whether we mean them or not. I have spoken many words that cut like knives. And at the time I meant it.

The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the speaks. This means that what you say is what you believe. Even casual words or jesting still comes from your heart. That brings up a whole other issue. The issue is knowing what is in your heart. The bible also says that as you believe so are you. Facing who you are is one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life. What I am talking about is seeing yourself truly. Your words, your heart and what you believe are one and the same. There is no difference between your words and your heart. So recognizing what come out of your mouth is seeing who you are.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Gauche and Droit, Left and Right…

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It is French for left and right. The word droit not only means right, but correct, straight, careful, skillful, nimble, able and expect. The word gauche not only means left, but clumsy, awkward, ungainly, left-handed and sinister. That is an unusual meaning of a word. It really isn’t if you knew where the word came from. We use the words gauche and adroit in English as well as French. There are many words that are in both languages at the same time. America is called the melting pot of the world. There is many words from all over the world that are used in American English. But getting back to the two words, gauche and droit. Left and right are used everywhere. Our hands are left and right. Does that mean that our left hand is sinister? Or that our right hand is an expert? Or could we say that our left hand is ungainly or awkward? Or maybe is the right hand that is handsome? How can you tell which is which? Do they look different from the other? The words don’t mean that our hands have any ability one way or the other. They are just hands. But it does speak to which way our heart is going in. You have to go back to the original meaning of the words to understand what they mean. The words come from the bible and are referring to the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Jesus. The thief on the right asked Jesus to be with him when He entered His kingdom. Jesus said today you will be with Me in paradise. The thief on the left just cursed he way into eternity. The thief on the right became righteous and the thief on the left became sinister. What will you do when the call comes?

Crain Blamchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseoh1637@juno.com