My first thought on finishing it was, however,
a memory of my step-dad forcing me to do the other half of a pocket-knife castration of a pig we were raising to sell, as I recall, during my teen years.
The next task was to pour a great deal of salt into the wound . . . which the pig did not greatly appreciate at all . . . but which prolonged his life by cleansing and sealing the wound, hastening healing . . . toward getting fatter . . . for his eventual destiny.
There are a LOT worse things than salt on a wound. Sometimes, it's precisely what the Doc orders whether the patient thinks so, or not.
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Americans have come to the conclusion that we have a right to avoid being offended. That we have a right to all our petty sensibilities, biases and the like. And, under the shredded Constitution, there's been some truth to that.
But that's not true of Christians.
We sold our rights to Christ in exchange for His Blood; His Blood covering; Eternal Life and Joint Heirship with HIM.
HE TOOK on Himself
--our offenses to God;
--our offenses to each other;
--our offenses to God's Creation;
--all our offenses.
To then take the offense back, or up, as our own right and duty to have a chip on our shoulder and huffily rant and rave about how horribly we've been wounded . . . when Christ bore it all . . . is AT LEAST
More than a little askew of God's priorities for us VIRTUALLY all the time.
There was a time when Paul insisted on being let out the front door by day by the officials who put him in prison vs the back door in the middle of the night. There is a time to stand tall and firm OVER WHATEVER PRIORITY GOD IS CALLING US TO STAND TALL AND FIRM OVER.
But most of the time, it's our pride, ego, sensibilities, constructions on reality, biases, pettiness etc. that gets our dander up the most. I think God is rather underwhelmed or worse about such goings on out of our flesh driven junk.
IF GOD IS TRULY OUR ALL IN ALL; OUR HIGH TOWER; OUR DEFENSE; BORE ALL OUR OFFENSES . . . then what do we, 'legally, spiritually-dead-in-the-flesh--alife-IN-HIM' critters--where do we get off getting our dander haughtily up about anything?
If it's negative--we learn from it whatever Holy Spirit would have us learn from it and pass it on up to Jesus for His disposition, handling.
If it's positive--we learn from it whatever Holy Spirit would have us learn from it and pass it on up to Jesus for His disposition, handling.
If it's a mixture--we learn from it whatever Holy Spirit would have us learn from it and pass it on up to Jesus for His disposition, handling.
We have been bought with a Price.
We are either His love slaves, or we aren't.
For Americans unreared or without the experience of living in an Asian or other culture where serf/master mentalities are much closer to our era than in the USA . . . I think we have lost something of the AUTHORITY of GOD ALMIGHTY.
Scripture says even slaves are to work cheerfully--not just for good masters but for horrible masters AS UNTO THE LORD.
Doesn't sound like a part of the bylaws of the United Auto Workers or Carpenters Unions, to me.
Imagine the Roman Master who's wife or mistress or best buddy gets assaulted by a vigorous protest from a slave for a perceived/projected attitude of the wife/mistress/best buddy toward the slave. I'm sure the Roman master would have been real sympathetic to the slave's opinion about the slave's wounded ego, sensibilities or whatever. . . . NOT!
Jesus even said to Peter, IIRC, WHAT IS THAT TO YOU, YOU--FOLLOW ME! [end of issue. end of story].
No, I'm not saying all Christians in all circumstances are to roll over and play dead. There's a time to stand tall with a fierce response to unmitigated UNBiblical destructiveness in our sphere of influence. But we do exceedingly well to insure to the best of our abilities that doing so IS part of God's call for us in that situation, at that moment.
Will we miss it? Of course. Will we still act partly out of the flesh and human sensibilties--probably--especially the younger and more inexperienced we are in fiery furnaces and long dark nights of the soul.
But lots of things are not as they appear on the surface on all sides of most issues. The discerning look deeper, prayerfully and with Holy Spirit's wisdom.
The merely reactive don't seem to give a flip about Holy Spirit nor about much else other than their wounded sensibilities and pontifically polished shoulder chips.
All of us are prone most to squealing most about our sacred oxen being gored. Again, the best and only Biblical thing to do with sacred oxen is to sacrifice them on God's Altar. Kill the suckers. Quickly and emphatically--whether the sacred ox is within or without; a habit, belief, 'doctrine,' sensitility, hobby, hobby horse, group, leader, symbol, or whatever.
THEN we are free indeed. Free to walk in Christ's wholeness REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE THROWS AT US ABOUT ANYTHING. We are free to walk in Christ's love and forgiveness toward others WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED.
Without demanding that the other person relate to us strictly according to our sensibilities, priorities, sacred cows, hyper-sensitive boundary lines and the like.
If folks have not yet learned to Love their fiercest, most painfully destructive enemies, then I encourage them to ask God to give them, teach them that Love. Just realize it's a bit like praying for patience, humility, brokenness, wisdom, understanding, Christ's empathy--all together. The training program is . . . interesting.
But there's a measure and quality of understanding Christ and His love; of identification with Christ that will not come any other way.
Either we are dead to sin and the world the flesh and the devil in a given area--or we aren't.
And believe me, Christ knows very well now to assist us in CRUCIFYING THE FLESH. He's even well able to manage layers of such training without our explicitly asking for it at a given time on a given issue. After all . . . haven't we given him carte blanche to overhaul us and conform us to His image as we professed that HE IS -->OUR<-- LORD, MASTER, SAVIOR, ALL IN ALL?
Even my enemies do me a favor if they surface a sacred cow and a flesh-driven tendency to squeal inappropriately over inappropriateissues. They alert me to something else needing to go to The Cross. Something else needs more of my flesh to die to. Something else needs more LETTING GO AND LETTING GOD in a given area. Something else needs HIS SERENITY REGARDLESS.
I think far too often for my comfort--any would be far too often--folks seem to assume that my starkest fiercest satire comes out of great personal emotional hostility and the like toward whoever or whatever the target happens to be at the time.
Merifully, that's far from the truth virtually all the time. I don't know how to articulate the capacity to be detached yet intensely involved all at the same time. And, I haven't always been 'there.' But, by His Grace, I've been there more the last 10-15 years than ever before in my life. And it's very freeing.
I don't have a great personal . . . something that's at risk, at stake. I've already been shredded dozens of ways from every angle over and over and over and over. There's few existential, emotional, psychodynamic, even spiritual and philosophical ways I haven't been shredded by others; by circumstances, by relentless demonic forces etc.
So, most of what anyone says to me as an assault, I've virtually always already been there and done that. No great surprise. It may be weary-some in it's repetition or familiarity. But it's not all that novel or devastatingly new.
Yeah, there's still occasionally enough of the REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDERED little country hick, poor white trash, shy, embarrassed, humiliated, aw-shucks-farm boy left lurking here and there to get occasionally pricked or tweaked unnecessarily, unfittingly because he hasn't been perfect enough to insure that 100% of everyone loves him 100% all the time 100% about everything. But he's quickly jerked back in line, most of the time.
But if Jesus in us cannot help us BE EFFECTIVELY LIKE HIM where the rubber meets the road in such matters . . . then there must be something lacking in our relationship with Him because there's no such lack in Him.
And we'd best be learning to put on the whole armor of God and flow in His Grace, Spirit, Life in such matters as the tests are going to get tougher, heavier and more frequent for most of us in the coming months and years. THEN, on-the-job-training will be a hazard. God is offering us many opportunities ongoingly to AVOID BEING OFFENDED.
We'd best learn to practice and practice well.
GOOD ONE, Quix.
And part of that is learning that without Him, we can do nothing - and also, so that we can bring forth Spiritual fruit, we will be pruned.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. - John 15:1-5
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians:7-9
And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. – Matthew 10:23-25
Two [things] have I required of thee; deny me [them] not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who [is] the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God [in vain]. – Proverbs 30:7-9
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33
Moreover, Christians should always beware the distractions and idolatries of mortal life.
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. - Matthew 13:18-23
Maranatha, Jesus!!!
To then take the offense back, or up, as our own right and duty to have a chip on our shoulder and huffily rant and rave about how horribly we've been wounded . . . when Christ bore it all . . . is AT LEAST More than a little askew of God's priorities for us VIRTUALLY all the time.
Yes, that's right. I was only referring to the Biblical exhortations that all of us be gentle and loving in our own exhortations to others. But God never promised us a rose garden, so we all should be able to roll with the punches.