Tag Archives: bible

There is Nothing New under the Sun!

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Almost 3000 years ago King Solomon lived. His reign was extraordinary. Solomon was and has been the richest man ever to live on earth. The Temple was clad in gold. His guards were dressed better than any king or queen. All of his gold was kept inside the walls of Jerusalem. The silver was dumped on the ground outside the walls. He control the known world. His rule stretched from China to Britain. Solomon is the only man to do this, because of God’s gift to him. God gave Solomon wisdom beyond any man including today. Kings and Queens would travel to Jerusalem just to hear him speak. He wrote the book of Proverbs in one day.

Yet with all this wisdom, He said, that with much wisdom comes great sorrow. Solomon could see what people were thinking about as they went about their daily lives. He could see their suffering and pain and understood why. The wisdom didn’t control him, but it began to weigh heavily on him. Reading what he wrote in the beginning of his reign and what he wrote in the end, you would say it isn’t the same man.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written before his death. It is a no nonsense approach to living. It is very matter of fact. There is hardly any emotion in the book at all. Solomon had become jaded of life. It is because he saw too much of the good and bad in life. The book is true none the less.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. What had gone before shall be again. Thus the saying that history repeats itself. What Solomon saw in humanity is the sin nature of man. That nature that always wants to do evil in this world. It brought him much sorrow. Solomon saw that education, enough food and a stable government didn’t change anything. And people weren’t willing to listen to God and follow Him. There were some, because God has always had His people. But people looked to Solomon as their savior.

Solomon understood the truth. That man can’t live without God. As God spoke to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” What was true 3000 years ago and is true today. For you see, there is nothing new under the sun.

Crain Blanchard

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

How do we learn?

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Most people would just say in school. Thinking about our formal education. But how much of the knowledge that you learned in school did you retain in life? For most people we have retain some of the knowledge, but how many people have retain that knowledge? The knowledge didn’t become real until they applied it to a practical application. When they took the knowledge and did something with it. How many people remembered the first time you applied your knowledge and it went wrong. You messed up something important. And the world came down on you. Then what happened? We had to face the truth of our reality. More experienced people had to step in the correct our mistaken. If we were blessed, we had someone who could guide us in the right path. Some didn’t. But in either case, you remembered how to apply the knowledge we learned. Even if it is years later, you still remember how to apply the knowledge in a workable way.

Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom. Wisdom = Discretion. This is the application of Proverbs. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs in one day. He asked God for wisdom to rule Israel. God gave him the wisdom of the ages. He understood the workings of mankind. He saw how everything worked and fit together. No one could trick him. Kings and Queens of many nations travel to Jerusalem to see and understand the wisdom of God. Many people have tried to rule the whole, but only one man has ever ruled the world. That man was Solomon. Through the wisdom of God, Solomon conquered, made treaties with and received tribute from all the nations of the known world. He was the richest man to ever live. Solomon kept all the gold inside the walls of Jerusalem. He dumped the silver on the ground outside the city.

So Solomon past on the wisdom of the ages and taught Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom. Wisdom = Discretion.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Though He slay me…

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Today I want to tell you a non-fictional story. The story is about a man who lived about 4000 years ago. The three great religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all consider this man a prophet of God. We are talking about Job, whose book in the bible is considered to be the first book written. Job was a righteous man. He had a wife, seven sons and three daughters. Job lived in the land of Uz, which is north of Jordan, along the Syrian and Iraqi border. He was very rich. Job owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen, five hundred donkey and a lot of servants. Job was a Patriarch or king in the middle east. He was the grandson of Esau, the brother of Jacob or Israel.

Because Job was a righteous man, God put a hedge about Job. Nothing or anyone couldn’t touch Job. The story goes that satan went to God and asked Him for permission to attack Job. God gave him permission to take everything but his life. Satan believed that if Job lost everything, he would curse God and died. The devil took his wife, his children, his servants and his livestock. The devil did all this and Job still praised God. The devil touched his body with a pox, which was very painful. Job’s three friends came to console him. They look at Job and lost hope. Then they told Job to just curse God and die. After all that happened to Job, he looked at them and said, Though He slain me, yet will I trust God.

Faith is not something that you can touch. But it is something that can move mountains. It is the hope of salvation from this world. God rewarded Job’s faith in Him. He restored to Job, a wife, children, servants and livestock. Job became a greater Patriarch in the end. Faith in God, Jesus, will get you from here to home, heaven, just like Job.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

When Time runs out?

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What will you do when time runs out? Just like an hour glass, time will run out for everyone. We are given by God a certain about of time. We can do whatever with of lives until time runs out. Then what is going to happen to us? It is a very valid question that everyone must answer. No one can escape answering the question. People put off answering that question until they understand it’s all over for them. Then reality sets in as they see their lives clearly. What they did or did not do in their lives. It is an unsettling dilemma. People have to face that dilemma with uncertainty. Not knowing what is going to happen to them if they don’t settle the issue of their life.

How can we settle the issue or even know what is going to happen? Why do we know about or even be concerned with this issue? There is a hole in our being. To become whole we have to try to fill that hole with something. I have watched people fill that hole with money, power, sex, drugs or anything that they think will fill that hole. The only problem is that hole was designed by God to be filled with only one thing, God Himself.

It is said the people fear death because of this hole and are held in bondage to it. This is when people become slaves to money, power, sex, drugs or anything that they can fill that hole with.

So how do we break free from this bondage and fill that hole in our lives? There is a plan in place for us that is over 6000 years old. It was there at the beginning of time for every human being. God finished the work for us about 2000 years ago. This work was done for us because God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. His only begotten son is Jesus Christ. And all we have to do is to turn to Him and repent of our sins and believe in Him. This will fill that hole in your life and assure you of the life to come when time runs out.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Power of Words.

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We learn to speak when we are young. We can’t wait to able to speak. Many times I have seen small children run around screaming with other children. They were not saying a word, but they were communicating with each other. It can get irritating because of the noise level. But communicating is a real need in our lives. We strive to be understood and become frustrated when we are not. Some people are chatter boxes, while some don’t say two word. Have you ever met someone that didn’t say anything, but you knew what he was saying anyway? It’s interesting how that works. We learn communication all of our lives. Yet, some things are a puzzle.

Words have power. Speaking must be done judiciously. We can encourage, discourage, up lift or destroy with our words. I heard this many years ago, but have found it to be true. You can’t take back hurtful words or reverse what you said. It is like taking a box of feathers to the top of a mountain, then releasing them. Then try to gather all of them back again. You can’t. Our words have a power of its own.

Using our words correctly takes self discipline. We have to learn to speak at the right time. Everybody knows the fable of the boy who cried wolf. In the end, no one believed a word he said. It is important that people can believe what you say. It is not only for your sake, but for others also. This is where using our word correctly comes into play. What if all your words come to pass, just as you have spoken them. I have heard many people say, that kills me or I can’t do that. Guess what, those words come to pass whether or not we want them to. It’s not that we can’t speak. It is speaking the truth and live that way. For as the mouth speaks, so are we.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

How Coincindences Work.

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This is how coincidences work through events happening without any of the same apparent causes. Let’s look at the life of Joseph, the eleventh of twelve sons of Israel, Jacob. Benjamin was Joseph’s younger brother. Jacob protected Benjamin, being the baby of the family. But he also favored Joseph, because he was first son of his favorite wife, Rachel. When Jacob blessed his children right before he died, he called Benjamin a ravenous wolf. Jacob didn’t do right by his other ten sons, who were the sons of Rachel’s sister Leah. When God chose Joseph to be the one who saved his family, God gave him a dream about how Joseph would do it. Jacob also gave Joseph a coat of many colors. Which showed the other brothers that he was the favorite son.

One day when Joseph was out in the field with his brothers, he told them about the dream God gave to him. His brothers had had enough and plotted to kill Joseph and blame it on a wolf. Reuben stopped them from killing Joseph and instead sold him into slavery to an Egyptian. Eventually Joseph was sold to Potiphar and then put into prison for thirteen years. By the hand of God, Joseph could interpret dreams. He interpreted a dream for a servant of Pharaoh, who was restored to service with Pharaoh.

God gave Pharaoh two separate dreams which no one could interpret. Finally, the servant that Joseph helped spoke up to Pharaoh about him interpreting dreams. They took Joseph out of prison, cleaned him up and presented him to Pharaoh. Pharaoh told him the two dreams and Joseph said they are one and the same from God. Joseph gave him the answer and Pharaoh made him Prime Minister of Egypt.

Eventually the famine that God showed Pharaoh came. Joseph had prepared Egypt against famine. They stored enough food to save not only Egypt but the rest of the known world. This made Egypt very rich and powerful. Famine came to Canaan and Jacob, Israel, had his sons to go to Egypt and buy food. They appeared before Joseph twice before telling them who he was. When he revealed himself to them he told them this:

Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

There are no coincidences with God. It may have seemed that the two events were unrelated, but God prepared a way to save as many people as possible through Joseph. God is still making a way for people not only to survive, but to live through His planning.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Why would God create and sustain mankind?

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When God created mankind, He knew that man would fail. How did He know this? His 1/3rd angels that He created rebelled against Him. God had to expelled them from heaven. Knowing this God made man anyway. Why would He do this? The scripture that always comes up explaining this phenomenon is very familiar to everyone. People have heard up signs with this scripture everywhere. There was even a US court case about that very scripture. It was ruled that holding up a sign with the scripture name and number wasn’t illegal, no matter where it was. I bet you can guess the scripture I am talking about.

“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

So, what does this scripture say? It says that God loves this world, mankind and creation, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. This was to allow mankind to come home again. And anyone that accepts God’s offer of clemency, can enter into heaven once again. You talk about faith in this world. God’s faith that man would accept His offer, from the offset, seems risky at best. So, what makes the difference in this offer? It is the love of God. It is how far God will go to bring us back home again.

So, let me ask you a question. How is heaven our home in the first place? We were wonderfully and perfectly made by God. Our spirit, who we are, is immortal and comes from God. This is what will return to heaven to be with God. Earth is temporary and will disappear in the end. Our home will be either heaven or hell. Heaven is where the children of God reside. Hell was made for the devil and his angels and all the people who don’t chose God’s offer. As individuals, we have a choice to make, whether or not to chose God. With that choice, it decides where we are going to living eternally. I chose to accept God’s offer and to live in the kingdom of His dear son, Jesus.

It has been written out for us for over 4000 years. It is called the bible. Read for yourselves and decide whether God is telling the truth or not.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Uncertainty principle of our lives.

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The principle says that the more something becomes certain, the more everything else becomes uncertain. It is like all things, atoms, are in motion. And they will fly apart if there isn’t a stabilizing element to everything. There is truth to the principle. If you look at mankind throughout the ages, you can see how uncertain or unstable he is. Man has never been able to keep the peace anywhere for any length of time. War always breaks out somewhere. This is a fundamental flaw in mankind. Man doesn’t have the power to overcome this flaw. Mankind can hid this flaw only for a certain period of time. Then it crops up and destroys everything around them. Peace isn’t an attribute of man.

So, why is it that mankind can’t live in peace? It is because we are born flawed or defective. God made us with this hole in our makeup. The only way to fill that hole in our makeup is through obedience to God’s way. As smart as man is, we are powerless to change our makeup. Do you remember all the self-help books that came out? The premise for each book was that we, mankind, can change our destiny through determination. It is a half-truth. Just like the half-truths that the devil spoke to Jesus in the wilderness. They seem to be truthful, but are a trap.

If we, mankind, align ourselves with God and accept His plan, God will use His power to change our lives for the better. We don’t have the power, only God does. Then our uncertain world becomes certain, if we follow after God and obey. This is where determination comes into play.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

This Day in June.

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What do you remember about this day in June? I remember the end of school and summer camp. In high school, I remember working each summer delivering newspapers 6 days a week. I remember missing a vacation trip my parents to California to go to college. My life is filled with memories about every stage of my life. As each period of my life transformed, I saw the future and was uncertain what would happen to me. But I never backed down. I didn’t care if I stumbled and fell. I would get up and go again. I was determined not to stop, even if it killed me. Then one summer, I sat and listened to 2 men about Jesus. It fascinated me that these men lived a life that I rarely saw. I listened intently. And finally decided this life was for me. So, when they asked me to go to church with them, I had already made up my mind.

My life in Christ has never been easy. There has been ups and downs. But I have been determined to follow Jesus, no matter where He leads me. I remember the first time I realized that He was talking to me. I was so excited that God cared enough to want to talk to me. I never thought that I was anyone special to God. But I was wrong. I am a son of God. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus died and was resurrected for me. And not only for me, but for everyone. And the sad part about all of this is that not everyone will chose to follow Christ. God said that Jesus will not return to this earth until the gospel is preached to every creature. So, that everyone will have the opportunity to accept God’s plan and return home. Praise God.

So, remember today what God has done for you and chose to go home to heaven to be with God.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

It’s funny how everything changes.

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The Apostle Paul wrote 3 epistles to the churches in Asia Minor. They were to correct errors that the churches started believing, the traditions of men, that you can make it to heaven without Jesus and the Lordship of Jesus wasn’t necessary. The epistles are Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. We don’t fight against flesh and blood. We fight error or heresy with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the truth of the gospel? It is that we are sinners and separated from God. We need to repent of our sins and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. God provided the perfect sacrifice in HIs Son Jesus. And though Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be forgiven of our sins and make peace with God. We are to follow God through Jesus all the way home to heaven. God made Jesus Lord of lords and King of kings. And by the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we have access to God.

This is the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ that God set forth in His word (the bible) and in our hearts. With the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can defeat the errors or heresies of the world.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com