Text 927, 131 rader
Skriven 2006-02-27 12:30:36 av Bob Hoffman (8:8/2)
Ärende: Unstaggering Trustfulness
=================================
Faith's Checkbook

February 27

Unstaggering Trustfulness

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the
LORD" (Psalm 112:7).

Suspense is dreadful. When we have no news from home, we are apt to grow
anxious, and we cannot be persuaded that "no news is good news." Faith is the
cure for this condition of sadness; the LORD by His Spirit settles the mind in
holy serenity, and all fear is gone as to the future as well as the present.

The fixedness of heart spoken of by the psalmist is to be diligently sought
after. It is not believing this or that promise of the LORD, but the general
condition of unstaggering trustfulness in our God, the confidence which we have
in Him that He will neither do us ill Himself nor suffer anyone else to harm
us. This constant confidence meets the unknown as well as the known of life.
Let the morrow be what it may, our God is the God of tomorrow. Whatever events
may have happened, which to us are unknown, our Jehovah is God of the unknown
as well as of the known. We are determined to trust the LORD, come what may. If
the very worst should happen, our God is still the greatest and best. Therefore
will we not fear though the postman's knock should startle us or a telegram
wake us at midnight. The LORD liveth, and what can His children fear?

======================================================================
Here's the Skinny on Fat Tuesday
By Daryl Wingerd

Fat Tuesday is another name for Mardis Gras, the raucous annual parade and
party held in the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. The tradition is many
centuries old and was originally known as Carnival. It is held in various
places around the world under different names. Mardis Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is
the American version.

Carnival comes from a combination of Latin words meaning "farewell to the
flesh." There is a great deal of irony in that name because Fat Tuesday is by
no means a time when the desires of the flesh are denied or bid farewell.
Instead they are lavishly indulged. Anything goes—gluttonous eating, massive
consumption of alcohol, even public displays of sexual immorality (to say
nothing of what goes on behind closed doors). The streets, sidewalks, shops,
and hotels on Bourbon Street in New Orleans are indeed X-rated during this
festival of debauchery.

So why the name "farewell to the flesh"? Why not name it for what it really is?
Fat Tuesday is known as the farewell to the flesh because Fat Tuesday precedes
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is a 40-day period of self-denial
and repentance, instituted by some in the early church as a way of preparing
Christians for Easter.

Those who are sinfully self-indulgent during Mardis Gras in preparation for the
self-denial during Lent may be likened to a camel preparing to cross a long
stretch of waterless desert. The camel drinks deeply of that which will satisfy
its thirst, not only for the moment, but also for the next days and weeks.
Likewise, Fat Tuesday revelers drink deeply of that for which they truly
thirst—the lusts of the flesh—in preparation for lean times when sinful
behavior will not be as socially acceptable. The real tragedy of Fat Tuesday is
the way "the church" has historically responded to it. Fat Tuesday has also
been called Shrove Tuesday. The word "shrove" is derived from the Latin
scribere, meaning, "to prescribe penance." During the middle ages, religious
leaders would ensure that "shriveners" (priests) were available to hear the
confessions of the multitudes of presumptuous sinners who had committed all
types of iniquity during Carnival.

The job of the priest was not to call these people to a deep and true
repentance, but rather to prepare them ceremonially for Lent. In other words:
Have your fun! Drink as deeply as you need of the lusts of the flesh! Just be
sure to confess your sins to the priest before Lent. The priest who hears your
confession will prescribe fasting and the right sort of penance (self-inflicted
penalty) for you to make amends with God. This was (and still is) the view of
many within the Roman Catholic system regarding presumptuous sin, confession,
and penance.

But what is the true Christian view of a day like Fat Tuesday?

The Apostle Paul tells us as Christians that "we all once lived in the passions
of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). But
notice the past tense in Paul's reminder—"we all once lived in the passions of
our flesh." In another place, describing the current mindset of a true
Christian, Paul asks, "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans
6:2). To the Corinthians Paul wrote about the way they were before becoming
Christians, saying,
Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And
such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1
Corinthians 6:9-11).

True Christians are not perfect. They can and do sin. But they no longer thirst
after sin. Sin is no longer where they find satisfaction. A true believer would
never consider intentionally storing up the pleasures of sinful indulgence on
Fat Tuesday in order to prepare for a "drought" of religiously imposed
self-righteousness—fasting and penance during Lent. True Christians always
"hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6), "hating even the garment
stained by the flesh" (Jude 23).

The one who says he knows Christ yet thirsts after and willfully engages in
sin, whether daily in private or annually in the great public orgy known as Fat
Tuesday, "is a liar and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). And the priest
or religious leader who affirms a person in such behavior by assuring him that
external acts of confession and penance will make him right with God, is
participating in one of the devil's most clever schemes.

The Christian who really is a Christian prays to God from the heart, Keep back
your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me
(Psalm 19:13).


Copyright C 2006 Daryl Wingerd. Permission granted for reproduction in exact
form.
All other uses require written permission www.CCWonline.org

======================================================================

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faith's Checkbook is powered by InJesus.com.

See up-to-the-minute Christian communication and start your own ministry group
at http://www.InJesus.com/


If you do not have access to the web, send a blank email to:
   Faith-s-Checkbook-unsubscribe@MyInJesus.com
      --- or ---
   Faith-s-Checkbook-subscribe@MyInJesus.com

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
 * Origin: FamilyNet Sponsored by http://www.christian-wellness.net (8:8/2)