God's works are never without reason

We must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause; No, the wise God doth every thing in number, weight and measure; he doth everything upon great reason, upon the highest reason. God will not do the lowest thing, but upon the height of reason, he doth the least thing upon great reason than the greatest politiican in the world do the greatest. Therefore God had reason, important reason to give Job up to be afflicted. He did it for the trial of Job, he did it for the magnifying of his free grace, and the graces of his free Spirit in his weak creature, he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience, he did it to discover the slander of the devil; therefore he did it for strong reasons; it was not without cause in reference unto God himself. [Joseph Caryl]

God's works are never without reason

We must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause; No, the wise God doth every thing in number, weight and measure; he doth everything upon great reason, upon the highest reason. God will not do the lowest thing, but upon the height of reason, he doth the least thing upon great reason than the greatest politiican in the world do the greatest. Therefore God had reason, important reason to give Job up to be afflicted. He did it for the trial of Job, he did it for the magnifying of his free grace, and the graces of his free Spirit in his weak creature, he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience, he did it to discover the slander of the devil; therefore he did it for strong reasons; it was not without cause in reference unto God himself. [Joseph Caryl]

God's works are never without reason

We must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause; No, the wise God doth every thing in number, weight and measure; he doth everything upon great reason, upon the highest reason. God will not do the lowest thing, but upon the height of reason, he doth the least thing upon great reason than the greatest politiican in the world do the greatest. Therefore God had reason, important reason to give Job up to be afflicted. He did it for the trial of Job, he did it for the magnifying of his free grace, and the graces of his free Spirit in his weak creature, he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience, he did it to discover the slander of the devil; therefore he did it for strong reasons; it was not without cause in reference unto God himself. [Joseph Caryl]

When truth and ignorance meet

I  heard a saying by Pastor Joe Moorecraft some time ago, that where Calvinism and ignorance met, one of them left the field.   Yet sometimes ignorance can be all prevailing in subtle or not so subtle ways in our own lives that the Calvinists themselves are ignorant.  They may know the five points of TULIP and be able to defend it, but  ignorance in applying or living the faith can be a different matter. I guess its often the difference between faith and knowledge, though not always as black and white as one or the other.

I’ve struggled it seems since forever with some stuff to do with my affliction. The severity of it, and how I couldn’t see good in it, ultimately.  How my body screaming at me feeling tortured would obliterate any sense of good.  But the last week or two God has been opening my eyes, to see that its not the illness that is not good, but my sense of what exactly does equate good that is off, at least sometimes and often the majority of time.

Many people I know or have known, because of how sick I am, they are soft and don’t feel they  have a right to judge or say this is wrong or that is wrong in your thinking.   Somehow they don’t feel it would be fair to. And its true, the list of what I call faithful friends has shrunk over the years since first becoming sick, most of it not my fault, but  some times I have pushed people away cos the truth was too hard to cope with. But those who have been faithful will always tell me the truth no matter what.  Because many Christians hold to airy fairy Christianity that is not practical in the day to day of living and ultimately dying with an affliction such as this.  Their well intended often trite and shallow encouragments will get my goat and I will back off from them feeling it is more frustration to be around such shallowness even if well intended than to be even more alone. Friends who tell you the truth can be an annoyance if we rise up against it, which was something a year or so ago I did continuously,  but,  even though I still couldn’t see what they may say is true,  I am glad to have friends that have persisted in telling me the truth when I  felt too low to be able to see it at all or the truth of God’s Word felt too painful to accept. That by doing so, I would be submitting to a life of utter affliction unto death. Which isn’t an easy thought, but you can’t actually change providence, so its a bit dim to argue against it.

But as Pastor Joe Moorecraft said. When Calvinism and ignorance meet. One of them has to leave the field and its not usually Calvinism.  Sometimes God puts things or people in ones life for a reason I believe. Soemtimes you can see His providential hand even though it turned out in a way you never initially expected.  But some times the truth can be an immovable object and I think it mostly is that. In that the bible is the same for anyone and the truth is the same at all times and for all people.  But my brick wall of defences that always seemed to hinder accepting what seemed unacceptable,  submiting in a way that seemed not good, and admitting that a brick wall may keep bad things out, but can also keep good things out too, including the truth in all ways,  seems to have come crashing down.  And like Pastor Joe Moorecraft said about Calvinism and ignorance, when an immovable object and a brick wall meet, one of them eventually has to leave the field.  Jesus said, The truth shall set ye free.  And imprisoned in this body I am. But I can see how the truth  will set me free way and above what this body does.  As imprisonment comes in many forms.  The darkness of not seeing clearly or our vision of the truth being distorted,  being just one of them. And I seem to have been shackled for a very long time by the truth being distorted in things to do with this affliction, and that ultimately kept the shackles tight for being able to rise above the prison of this body.

Should this child be taken into care?

For his own protection re: obesity?  He weighs 15 stones at eight years old. Four times the average weight. I could say plenty on this but would probably need to choose my words carefully, but if folks are going to have kids, you’d think the least they could do would be to learn to look after them properly. Theres no doubt its the mothers fault at the size of her son. He may be taken into care to protect him from his mothers care.

Talking of food and drink, I currently have a chocolate moustache. Courtesy of MacDonalds milks shake. YUM!

Would you go to this club?

Crying Club

Apparently it is the new idea for stress relief, and they are open in England too. Clubs where people can go to have a good bawl and boo hoo and all cry togther! I dunno about anyone else, but I feel crying is a private thing you do on your own, and it should remain that way.  On the other hand, if you go to one of these clubs to cry, and are surrounded by another 500 people who are all also crying, you may go in depressed and come out suicidal it seems to me.

GREAT IDEA CHAPS!

 

I hate stupidity

I hate stupidity I always have done. Yet suddenly I feel one of the stupid people for want of a better term, that has nothing to do with this illness or the toll it takes on my brain.  Someone who has spent a life time, always having a "ready answer" even if it was the wrong answer, it was still an answer, one that would fill a gap, maybe cause laughter,  I could bluff my way through anything, and   wouldn’t be left looking empty or vacant, or unknowing.  When all the fun answers or stop gap answers are no longer suitable, and the only thing left is an ignorant opinion,  you really start to feel one of the stupid people.I hate supidity, especially when its looking back at me when I look in the mirror. The most frightening thing is, I’m not real sure I shall ever know the correct answer and so shall always be the person with an ignorant opinion.

Immortality comes by sinlessness

Why should I, by the fears of death, strive against the common course of nature and against my only hopes of happiness? Is it not "appointed unto men once to die?" Would I have God make sinful man immortal upon earth? When we are sinless we shall be immortal. The love of life was given to teach me to preserve it with care, and use it well, and not to torment myself with the continual foresight of death. If it be the misery after death that is feared, O what have I to do, but to receive the free, reconciling grace, which is offered me from heaven, to save me from such misery; and to devote myself wholly to him, who has promised, "He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out?" Had I studied my duty, and remembered that I am not my own, and that my times are in God’s hands, I had been quiet from these fruitless fears. Had my resignation and devotedness to God been more absolute, my trust in him would have been more easy. But, Lord, thou knowest, that I would fain be thine, and wholly thine, and that to thee I desire to live; therefore let me quietly die to thee, and wholly trust thee with my soul. [Richard Baxter]

Lines in the sand

Sometimes with things that have happened to us in the past, I think you can only draw a line in the sand under them to get beond them, and not ive in a constant state of "what if’s" or "if only’s".  I never thought my past wouldl be  a thing I could do that with, until the present became  harder than the past had ever been.  Sometimes trying to alter what you cannot, can be an all consumng desire. I think when its something in the present and ongoing, its much harder to draw the line in the sand, and accept you can’t change it, and so live with it as best and as fully as you are able. Perhaps especially if the thought of doing so is reprehensible to you to do so.  On a logical level, drawing a line in the sand, is the right thing to do, but inisde internally, to accept something that seems unthinkable, and seems to slay you at the very thought of "this is it." "Why bother about something I can’t change" "What’s the point of worrying over spilled milk" etc, 

Drawing a line in the sand is often the only logical way forward.  Yet to do so, or even think of doing so, leaves ones soul exceedingly sorrowful,  at what that line in the sand would be acceptance of.

Staying together for the kids…

Sometimes you see couples who have had children together, who are no longer together themselves and are at total war. But other tmes you see the parents at total war and they stay together "for the sake of the kids" yet the home is a permanent battle ground and it cannot be healthy for kids to grow up in such an environment.  Sometimes the parents are so warring against each other, you wonder how they even made children together.  But, I’m not arguing that divorce can be wrong in many circumstances, as it stands Scripturally. But think it proves really, how not marrying in haste and making sure the man or woman you do marry, is the person God intended for one, is the most important ting in the first place.

Often of course, in these days, the parents aren’t married anyway. They have a civil union or whatever they call them. Common Law. But,  sometimes  when you see how these parents are warring against each other, you can see the very just  instructions of Scripture against fornifacation outside of marriage, as these children should never have had to endure being born to such warring parents or into such a hostile environment. And they don’t have a choice in the matter, but the parents lusts imposed it upon them.