Tag Archives: jesus

The Will of God.

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The bible says that Jesus made everything including earth. After God set everything up and gave it to man, man rejected God. It was by God’s will that the earth and mankind be made to share with Him all that God has. God has continually tried to bring man back into the fold. God has not given up on mankind. But mankind has given up on God. Ever since Adam and Eve received the knowledge of good and evil, man has declared his godhood. He can do what ever he wants. The only problem with that is that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Then mankind does not have the power to correct his mistakes. In which they lead to death and destruction. That is why there is so much devastation in this world.

God has from the beginning intervened in the affairs of man. He has tried and with some success, helped man to create a stable world to live in. It is funny, interesting, that man knows and proclaims who the devil is. But is unwilling to confess the same for God. In 1982, a US Congressman, who was dying of cancer, tacked a bill on the wall of Congress for anyone to sign. This bill would proclaim that 1983 was the Year of the Bible in the US. It didn’t go through any committee or any debate. It was just up to the Congressmen and Senators to sign if they wanted it to become law. Well it passed and the President Reagan signed into law. It was the first time in 2000 years that any government had acknowledged God. The GNP for the US increased by 100% over the passed 20 years. People became wealthy by the will of God.

The bible is a written history of what God has said and done for mankind. In every case, those people who did the will of God have prospered. And those who did not, fail in their efforts. We ,with free will, have to decide if we are going to do the will of God. God did not make His will complicated. He made it simple for man to follow. But we have to decide what we are going to do. I would ask you and implore you to follow God. This is the only way that we will succeed in this life and in the world to come. Yes there is another world. It only has two place to go to. There are heaven, God’s home, and hell, the devil’s home. God does not send anyone to hell. Anyone who goes to hell has to choose to go there. Although God is sovereign with all power to do anything, we have to choose where we are going after death on this earth. God’s will is there for anyone to choose. And I highly recommend to follow God home to heaven.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

What do You see?

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In high school, my professor teased us saying that we had myopia, near sightedness, for not seeing or understanding what he was talking about. It’s Christmas time again and we are singing Christmas carols. Just like the angels sang to the shepherds watching the sheep in the fields around Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. I want to ask you a question, what did they see? Then when Gabriel announced Jesus and told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, what did they see? When Mary, Joseph and Jesus stayed in Bethlehem and the Magi (Wise Men) came and found Jesus, what did they see? When John and Andrew heard John the Baptist point at Jesus and say, behold the Lamb of God that takes the sins of the world away, what did they see? When Jesus called Peter to ask if they had fish. Peter said that they didn’t have anything. Jesus said to throw their net over the side and it filled with fish. Then Peter jump over the side and swam to Jesus. When he did, what did he see?

When the Roman Centurion who had crucified Jesus and watch Him die, said truly this is the Son of God. What did he see? After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to the Apostles and spoke to Thomas, saying place your hand in My side and in My hand. What did he see?

Now it’s over 2000 years later and the world is rolling along. We look at this world and wonder how long before it all blows up in our face. You look and look, then I ask you, what do you see? The bible says that you must first believe, then you will see. And if you see the truth of God, what are you going to do about it?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Pearl Harbor Day – What does it take to go to war?

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I served in the US Air Force during the Vietnam war. I went to basic training like everyone else. I went on to advanced training school. Then I was assigned to my post. I left home not knowing what to expect. Even when I was at my post, I still did not understand what it took to go to war. The basic training I received was just that. It was the basic knowledge of being in the military. Training for war was more of advanced than that. Also the knowledge of war or the understanding of that knowledge had to be experienced. I was stationed state-side for my tour in the Air Force. Three of my sons served in the Iraqi and Afghanistan war. Two came back with PTSD. They all understood what it took to go to war. They had experienced the trauma of war. It’s been 15 years since they served and are coping with the understanding of war.

War is not natural to man. It goes against everything that we are. It takes a little bit by bit of our heart each time anyone serves in the front lines. But it is a conscious decision on our part to go to war. It is not surprising that many people choose not to go to war. There are cost to war. The bible says that before a king goes to war, he sits down and counts the cost. To see if he is able to wage the war and win. If not he sues for peace. This comes from an understanding of war.

Jesus calls us to be good soldiers to put on the armor of God to fight the enemy. Many people when they first start with God are on fire and press against the enemy. I have watched them falter and stop their fight with the enemy. The cost became to high for them. They saw and understood the cost of war. Jesus fought the fight everyday. He did not stop just because the devil was pressing in on Him. People say He is God and can do that. Jesus proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that man can live righteously on this earth. He was a man was all the frailties. The bible says that Jesus learned obedience by things which He suffered. God’s call to man comes with many promises. These promises can be had if we stand up and press into God. It all depends on what you decide to do. Whether to go to war and follow Jesus or not. Yes it does cost us everything we have, our life. But once you have given your life, what else can the enemy take from you? He can’t take anything from you because God has promised.

I saluted all the men and women who have served their country with honor. Some paid the ultimate price. But all gave their lives to serve with duty and honor. God bless you all.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

It’s Christmas Season again.

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Black Friday is today and Cyber Monday is to come. In my many years in retail, my favorite time of year has always been Thanksgiving. People would come into the store with a smile. It is because Thanksgiving as apposed to Christmas, is a time about friends, family and food. There is always too much food and discussions about anything and everything. Unfortunately, Christmas has become commercial. Tis the season to spend all the money you have to try and stay up with your family or neighbors expectations. The real reason for Christmas seems to be shoved aside. Usually for unnecessary things that don’t last more than a few months. I know that businesses have been trying to recover from the Covid pandemic. It seems that the thought of the gift is not as important as the price. Which makes it very hard to give to people. As I have gotten older, I see the value in the thought of the gift, than the price.

My maternal grandmother, after granddaddy died, lived on Social Security. She lived on $125/month. My mom and her two sister’s helped her with the bills. When it came to Christmas, my grandmother had this inner sense of what to get her grandchildren. Her gifts were never expensive, but she knew what to get for us. She would give gifts that were tailor made for us. She was always amazing. She could make cookies faster than anyone I knew. Yes, I loved my grandmother. She was a real blessing in my life. And I miss her very much. I miss my whole family.

Christmas started as a point in time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. He really was born in the springtime, right before Passover. In Israel, winter is the rainy season and no one can travel around the countryside with any ease. Caesar called for the taxation in the springtime allowing everyone to travel to the cities of their birth. When Jesus was born, there was much celebration. Western culture chose December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth. Saint Nicholas lived in the 3rd and 4th century. His was a bishop of Patara in Asia Minor. He would give food and gifts to the children. This is where the custom of Christmas began. In Holland, Saint Nicholas day in celebrated. He is called Sinterklaas. Translated into English, it is Santa Claus.

Christmas has never been about gift giving. It has always been about giving of yourself to others, your time, your attention and yes your money. Saint Nicholas never sought gifts in return. He did it out of the love in his heart for Jesus. This is what Christmas is about. Find someone that you know that can’t return a gift and give yourself instead. And be blessed in this season of giving love to one another.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

I msut be about My Father’s business.

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For thousands of years, before colleges were commonplace, people would apprentice with their fathers or mothers. If a father had a business, the son and sometimes the daughter would join their father to learn the business. The child would apprentice for years. It would depend on how intricate the works was. Jesus apprenticed with His father, Joseph, as a carpenter. Jesus was called a carpenter. And so it was for many sons and daughters. Usually the daughters were taught home economics by their mothers. This is why so many wives and mothers were in charge of the money for the business.

When Jesus was 12 years old, Joseph and Mary decided to take Him to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When the caravan was ready to leave Jerusalem after Passover, Joseph and Mary joined their family and left Jerusalem. They thought that Jesus was with the other children playing. The caravan traveled a day journey and Joseph and Mary began looking for Jesus. When they didn’t find Jesus, they immediately returned to Jerusalem. On the third day, they found Jesus in the Temple listening and asking questions to the doctors of the Law. This is what Mary said to Jesus and His reply.

“And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Luke 2:48-49.

The question wasn’t only to Joseph and Mary, it is directed at us. The bible says that Jesus submitted to His parents and return home. Where He grew in wisdom and statue and in favor with God and Man. What Jesus was asking, if we understood that the Father’s business in our business. And the we must be about that business. You see we are God’s apprentices. Therefore we must be about our Father’s business.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

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

There are Good and Bad Conseqences.

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Consequences, most people think about bad ones instead of good ones. There are both good and bad consequences. Sometimes making a bad choice turns into a good one. Those are few and far between. For the most part, we think that our decisions are the right ones. The bible says that man thinks he is right in his own eyes. Until everything goes south quickly. Then we are in fix it mode and try not to tell anyone about. Unless it is monumental and we can’t get out of it. I am not saying that everything we choose is bad. The good is mixed in there with the bad. Unfortunately there is more bad than good. And you know that this is true.

I am writing this because my mother in law died last Saturday. Her life, as far as I saw was that mixture of good and bad. I have plenty of good memories about her, but the bad memories have influenced her family far greater than the good ones. My wife would go to her aunt for advice and comfort, knowing that she could not or would not talk to her mother about whatever. My mother in law had progressive dementia the last few years of her life. My father in law is a decent man, but he also made good and bad choices. Everyone has. There is no getting out of them, unless God changes the circumstances. Both my father and mother in law are Christians. I have seen them live a life for Jesus. So I know where my mother in law is, in heaven. Her trials and tribulations are over. I am grieving for my mother in law. Not only for her absence, but for our family and the legacy that she left behind.

When we think that we are completely right, that is when we need to look at what we have done in this world. To see whether or not it was right. Or whether we need to change our ways. We need to stop and consider what our decisions have done to our family and in general the world around us. And if we judge rightly with the wisdom of God then we can be satisfied with the decisions we have made. God bless and keep you wherever you go.

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