Jeremiah 10 - The Absurdity of Idolatry

Pardon my absence from the blogosphere. I know it has been awhile and I hope that this post will be convicting and edifying.

Ever read through the book of Jeremiah before? Old Testament Israel seems to have this motif: when things are going great, they forget the Lord; when things aren't going great, they're wondering where He is. Specifically here in Jeremiah we see Israel before they were taken captive by Babylon; the Jews had once again forgotten the Lord of hosts, and clung themselves to the god Baal. Though the Lord had extended his hand toward them to repent, they neglected to do so; and consequently, God would punish them. What we find in chapter 10 of Jeremiah is a conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord concerning the spiritual adultery of Israel: in abandoning the worship of the one true God, they look to things that by nature are not divine at all.

Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: "Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good. 

But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish." - Jeremiah 10:1-5, 10-15

10 Things I've Got Going for the Ladies

1) I work for an office cleaning company, and I make it look good.

2) I love traveling; I once spent 24 hours flying to Thailand. We could go places.

3) The Notebook. No, not the movie, but I have one that I write in.

4) I too like shoes.

5) I can do my own laundry.

6) Love cooking? If so, the kitchen is yours. I can make you breakfast in bed...because that's about all I'm good at.

7) I can live without a TV; besides, I'd rather be cuddling on the couch.

8 Grey's Anatomy--not fond of it at all. But, if I must put up with that and/or the Gilmore Girls, I'll be down.

9) I'll rub your feet, I don't mind.

10) I own a suit.

Honest Grief

As I've read through the Psalms, and especially Job, I've noticed that these men of God lifted up genuine complaints that they had to the Lord--basically various "God, I don't get it!" moments. In all of Job's complaints he never sinned, and obviously the various cries heard in the Psalms weren't transgressive either because they're inspired Scripture. I feel as if I must vent a little here...

Since early 2006, I've been single. As God drew me to himself during the Spring of that same year, he was tearing away different things from my life--things in which I sought security, satisfaction, and significance. God brought me out of a terrible past with worldly dating. Post-conversion, I knew I had to figure out my new identity and couldn't get involved with any kind of relationship for a little while. But, as I grown and matured, I began opening that door and putting myself out there--to see if God's got someone out there for me...and it's only been frustration since.

A New Bad Habit

Heading to work!

Unfortunately I'm getting into a bad habit of starting a blog, saving it as a draft, adding a couple things to it here and there, and not completing it or just trashing it altogether. I've got 3 in the draft pile at the moment, really want to finish them but I can't seem to get myself to do it. I have to be in a particular mindset and mode to write, I can't write or finish if it isn't just flowing in my mind and my fingers motion along with it. I wish I could pop out at least 1 or 2 a month, but with the growing responsibilities I find it hard to be able to work on them. And even if I do find time, it's still a struggle to make sense of what I want to portray--writer's block, ahh yes. I hate it.

Background of the Johannine Epistles

Although outside sources concerning the historical background of the biblical times are not infallible like the Holy Scriptures, it's good to do some research as to what scholars have found what was most likely going on around the time a biblical letter was written. For example, we see in Peter's first epistle that his letter was written to those who were spread out in "Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." And scholars believe that he put it in this form because this was most likely the route in which the letter would be passed on. And so if you look at a Bible map, you'll see that it could very well be the reason. I took a seminary class last week on John's epistles and was surprised by the scholarship done on what seemed to be going on around the time of the letters being composed. Here's a few tidbits of information as to what John Stott and D.A. Carson have concluded.

Here It Comes

So this coming up Sunday I will begin teaching the adult Sunday school class at Kirk 'O the Isles. This opportunity came as a surprise to me after a morning service a couple months ago. Someone came up to me and said, "Travis we're really excited about you teaching this summer." I'm thinking: I am? As it turns out, Pastor Neil granted to me this summer to teach--to get my gifts looked at by the church, and to hopefully edify and exhort the congregation.

While the Bridegroom Tarries

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. --Matthew 25:1-13

     The Bible gives us a description of what will happen at Christ's return. The Church (all born-again Christians) will be united with him in heaven with a marriage-like ceremony.

William Jay's Insight on Trials

The following is an excerpt from a British pastor from the late 17/early 1800's. He gives an amazing insight into why God seems to be distant from us at certain periods of our life. (Be sure to read it slow)



May 8.—"I will look for him." Isaiah 8:17

     This is peculiar language. It is the language of none in heaven. There all have found him, and are for ever with the Lord. It is the language of none in hell. There they are only concerned to escape from his hand, and to elude his eye. It is not the language of any in the World. There they are sufficiently active and eager ; but they rise early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrow, to glain some temporal advantage, honour, or pleasure —but none saith, "Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night ?" It is not the language of all in the Church. There are some happy souls who know the joyful sound, and walk in the light of God's countenance: in his Name they rejoice all the day, and in his righteousness they are exalted. But there are others, whose desire is to his Name, and to the remembrance of him; whose wish is, " O that I was as in months past, when the candle of the Lord shined upon my soul, and the Almighty was yet with me." These, these are the persons who are saying—and they cannot do better than say—" I will look for him."

Why I Feel Called to Full Time Gospel Ministry

4 years ago this wretched young man had his eyes spread open to fully see the Gospel in it's true beauty. It was not as if I never heard it, because I was in church twice a week as a youth and didn't neglect it my freshman year. But even though I was amidst the Gospel, the Gospel hadn't changed me--because I didn't want it to. I wanted my life the way I wanted it. My mindset was: Jesus would be #1 when I'm dead, but I'm #1 now. Would my soul have been demanded before April '06, I would've never known the Gospel and an eternal separation from God in hell would've been the just and true consequence for my disobedience to God. I committed cosmic treason, sinned against an infinite God which brings his holy wrath. I can say with Paul in Titus 3 that I was foolish, disobedient, led astray, in slavery to various passions and pleasures, passing my days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another (v. 3). But God, being rich in mercy as Paul states in Ephesians 2, for reasons unknown to me, made me alive with Christ, His grace appeared and saved me according to His own mercy--having regenerated me to seeing my sinfulness and His holiness, and sending me the Holy Spirit whereby I became His adopted son. God granted me repentance, leading me to repent of almost 19 years of iniquity and raising up my filthy hands to reach out in desperation to a great Savior.

So Long Childhood, Hello Manhood

Proverbs 20:29 "The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair."

     I can remember vividly the first moment I saw a gray hair sprouted from my scalp, I was about 16; it was right in the front, though a needle in a haystack, the light beamed off of it to show it's presence. Since my hair is black is wasn't that hard to notice, but it did come as a shock: "I'm not supposed to get these until I'm older; what's the deal?" Fast forward to today, almost 23, more and more have sprouted along the sides and it's no longer hidden: T-rav's clearly got miniature patches of grays. In this particular proverb, Solomon shows the difference between the delights of a young man versus an older one: physical strength versus applied knowledge.