Musings by John Weir

It was not too long ago that blogging was all the rage. Everyone was beginning a blog and everyone was talking about this exciting new medium. Today you are more likely to hear declarations that blogs are defunct, passe, a vestige of an era that has already come and gone. I say “Stuff and nonsense!” Blogs continue to flourish. The very popularity of blogs is proof that there is a lot of room for more of them; we are a long way from the absorption point. We are a long way from the end of the blogosphere.

Today I want to tell you how I would begin a blog if I had to do it all over again. I’d do it in 6 steps.

#1. Choose a Theme

A good blog will have a defined theme and you will want to then stick with that theme, something that may be especially difficult in those early stages where your enthusiasm outstrips the site’s readership. The theme may be just about anything. It may be wide and it may be narrow; it may be niche and it may be general; it may be a hobby and it may be a vocation. When choosing a theme, there are 2 general directions to take: you can take a position of leadership or you can choose an area of interest through which you can invite other people into your journey of learning about it.

The theme you choose will help define the blog’s measure of success. Success may come through sheer volume of visitors or it may come through the authority gained within a specific niche or discipline. So choose your theme. Identify an area that is of particular interest to you or an area in which you are an expert. If that area is underserved in the blogosphere, you’ve found what you are looking for.

#2. Choose a Service

Once you have your theme, you will need to find a service to actually host the blog. There are plenty of free services out there that will do a great job of it. I tend to recommend WordPress.com. By expending just a few minutes you can be set up and ready to go; all you need is an email address. If you are concerned about a professional look and feel, you may want to go with WordPress.org, a service you host on your own (which also means that you will need to arrange web hosting).

#3. Get Writing

You have your theme and your blog is ready to go. Now comes the tough part: writing. People who read blogs tend to skim rather than read, they tend to prefer shorter to longer. As you get established you would do well to focus on shorter, punchier articles. Leave the long, drawn-out expositions for another time. Focus on interacting with the ideas people are thinking about and on answering the questions people are actually asking. Be sure to link to other blogs frequently and seek to humbly improve upon what the more prominent bloggers have written. Do not try to draw too much attention to your blog yet. At the very least wait until you’ve got 20 or 30 good articles. For now just write.

#4. Build a Network

The spread of social media has allowed people to digest the content of blogs in a variety of ways. Along with your blog you will also want to create a Facebook fan page (not a personal page) and a Twitter account. You would also do well to sign up with Feedburner, which helps broadcast your content via RSS (a way that people can subscribe to the content); be sure to activate email subscriptions via Feedburner. Every time you blog, make sure that you link to it via Facebook and Twitter and encourage people to connect with you through these means.

#5. Choose a Schedule

Right from the outset you will find it valuable to maintain some kind of schedule. There is definitely a correlation between frequency of posting and the number of readers. However, since it is not always feasible to write every day or several times a day, seek to establish some kind of a schedule. When you do this your readers can build their own reading schedule. For example, if you make it clear that you will have new content every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you are serving me by telling me that I do not need to visit on Tuesday or Thursday. Blog traffic tends to be higher at the beginning of the week, so post your best content on Monday or Tuesday. Choose your schedule and, as much as possible, stick to it.

#6. Publicize It

By this point you have an established blog and have written at least 20 or 30 solid blog posts. You’ve proven that you can stick with blogging for a while and that you have something to say. Now you will want to get word out. To do that, put some effort into familiarizing yourself with other blogs in your niche. Interact with their posts and let the blogger know you’ve done so via Twitter. Try to interview some of the big players in your niche—substantial interviews that allow the experts to prove their expertise. Write reviews of the books or other media that are shaping the ideas in your niche. Post useful and thoughtful comments on other similar blogs. Let word get out, watch visitors come in, and seek to faithfully steward the opportunities you gain.

Here is a great video from Jon Acuff about following your dreams. Be sure and pick up his book. This is a non compensated endorsement because his book is awesome.

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh 8:10).

One of the overriding evidences that someone has a genuine relationship with our living Savior is their consistent attitude of joy and outlook on life. A follower of Jesus should not be a person who always looks at life as if the glass is half empty. Instead, we should be the most positive people on earth. We should see opportunity in the midst of challenges.

The light that resides in you should be like the beam of a lighthouse to a ship that is seeking direction. Our lives should have the fragrance of Christ. People should be attracted to our lives just as the bee is attracted to the nectar in the colorful flower.

The apostle Paul understood this when he said, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life" (2 Cor 2:14-16).

I must admit I’ve been with some believers whose attitude toward life is more like a porcupine. It’s painful to get too close to them because of their negative and poisonous view of life that criticizes the world around them.

No matter what circumstance you may find yourself in, the joy of the Lord must be your strength. Paul learned this truth even in the midst of his adversities. "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:12-13).

I know I have to put more effort into practicing living the Joy everyday. We all do. Just remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and there is nothing more important than living for Christ.

How would others describe your joy quotient? On a scale of 1 to 10, where would they rank you? Today, make a commitment to greet every circumstance knowing that the joy of the Lord is your strength.

By the end of Genesis chapter 3, the Lord has passed judgment on the serpent, on the woman and on Adam and he has banished them from the Garden of Eden—banished them from his presence and from the place where they could have access to the tree of life from which they could eat and live forever as sinful immortal beings. Before the entrance, to ensure they could never return to the garden, he placed a flaming sword and the cherubim.

What is a cherubim? Cherubim have gotten a bit of a bad rap, I think. When we think of cherubs we tend to think of cute, pudgy little angels that help children go to sleep. According to the Bible, though, the cherubim are terrifying warriors who are guardians of the things of God. They are described as having the general appearance of men, but also of having the face of a lion or the face of an eagle—fierce creatures, predators. They have wings—sometimes two pairs and sometimes just one. These are creatures who are created specifically to protect and to fight and to destroy. You do not want to meet a cherubim and you do not want your kids to be thinking about them when they are trying to get to sleep!

It was cherubim that were mounted on the top of the Ark of the Covenant; their wings stretched out over the mercy seat. It was from here, from the mercy seat, under the wings of the cherubim, that the Lord spoke to Moses so that in the Old Testament we read of God being the God who is enthroned between the cherubim. These are holy creatures, creatures who are near the presence of God. They aren’t cute; they aren’t pretend. They are powerful, they are strong, they are holy, they will utterly destroy any unholy thing that comes near the presence of God. They are the ultimate guardians. This is their job and they do it with perfection!

Do you see how unholy Adam and Eve have become? How unholy we have become? Between us and God we must now have this kind of a creature to keep us away from him, to guard his presence from our pollution, from our sin.

So there was the Garden and the tree of life—the tree that Adam and Eve and all their children could eat of and live. And now there between them were the cherubim with the flaming sword. The way was barred. No man could now approach God. No man could approach God and eat and live forever. Man must die. He must die and return to the dust from which he was taken. No man could brave those cherubim and live. This is where Genesis 3 ends. But, thankfully, the Bible continues. And as it continues, we meet the cherubim again. So just quickly, let’s follow those cherubim. We will follow them…

…To the Tabernacle

The next place we find those cherubim is in the wilderness. When the Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God told them to build a tabernacle, a place of worship.

This tabernacle had a courtyard where all of God’s people could go to perform their sacrifices, to be made right with God. It had an enclosed inner place, the Holy Place, where only the priests could go. And it had a Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, where only one man could go, and he only once a year. This was the center of the tabernacle, the pinnacle. This is where the ark of the covenant rested, the ark in which God dwelt between the cherubim. God had dwelt in the Garden of Eden; now God dwelt here in the tabernacle, here in the ark, between the cherubim.

Between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was a curtain, a thick curtain of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. This curtain was meant to keep everyone away—to keep them away from God. And worked into the curtain by the finest artists, was the image of the cherubim. Between God and the people, between God’s people and the presence of God in the Most Holy Place were those cherubim. There on the curtains they declared that they were still the guardians, that they had to keep unholy beings out of God’s presence, that the way was still barred. The Israelites made their sacrifices, they performed what God told them to do, but always they knew that God was hidden behind the curtain, behind the cherubim, away from sinners.

…To the Temple

The years continued to pass. When God’s people captured the land and when the Lord granted them a time of peace, Solomon built the Lord a temple. The tabernacle was for wanderers, but the temple was for people who were now settled in the land of promise, for people who had come home. Like the tabernacle the temple had an outer court for everyone, a Holy Place for the priests, and a Most Holy Place, a Holy of Holies. Inside the Most Holy Place, the place where only the High Priest could go, and could go only once every year, were two huge cherubim, covered with gold, each one 15 feet high and each with a 15-foot wingspan. These cherubim stood side-by-side, wingtip to wingtip, with the Ark of the Covenant between them, under their wings. And once more a curtain divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It divided God from man. And on that curtain were embroidered those same cherubim, those same fierce warriors. On a blood-colored veil, a thick linen curtain, were the guardians of God. And again, they declared to everyone, to all of God’s people, that the way was barred. You cannot approach God. You cannot stand in his presence. You are an unholy people and the cherubim will strike you down if you dare to approach this holy God.

The message was clear. The cherubim were a picture, an object lesson. God is holy. You are not. The way is shut!

…To the Cross

The temple stood when Jesus walked the earth. He visited the temple when he was a boy. He cleansed the temple during the years of his ministry, driving the money changers away from it. He died on a hill not too far from that temple.

Let me talk about that for just a moment. Jesus declared that he was both God and man, that as God he was free from any sin and that as a human he could fairly represent all other human beings; the man Adam had represented all of us in his sin and now Jesus would be the Second Adam, the second great representative; (we read about this in Romans). He declared that he was going to do something only he could do—exchange our sinfulness for his goodness. He would give us what we do not deserve, what we could not do on our own.

We cannot make ourselves good before God. We need someone to be good for us and to give us his goodness. It can’t come from within so it has to come from without. It has to be a gift. It has to be grace—something that is not owed to us; something we do not deserve. Jesus was good; he did not sin; not even once. And he declared that when he died he would face God’s wrath against sin for everyone who would ever want to be reconciled to God. He would face the curse for sin on our behalf.

And so he was nailed to a cross. And as he hung there he was cursed by God. He suffered not for his own sin like the common criminals beside him—Jesus had no sin!—but for the sin of the people he loved. He hung there until his work was done. And in the moment he died, a remarkable thing happened. He cried out “It is finished!” and then, as he died, as he went to be with his Father, that veil, that curtain that hung in the temple, that curtain embroidered with the image of the cherubim, was torn in two. That heavy curtain was destroyed. In the death of Jesus it was rendered obsolete, useless, passe, abolished.

God tore the curtain in two, declaring that Christ had succeeded. He had done what was necessary. This curtain was not torn from bottom to top by the hand of man, but top to bottom by the hand of God. The cherubim were gone. The flaming sword was gone. They were no longer necessary. They were ripped apart, stitch by stitch.

…To You

Do you see what this does? We no longer have to approach through the cherubim, through the guardians. Between us and God there now stands Jesus, a man like us, a man who calls to us and tells us to come. He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Man can now approach God. And man can now approach God boldly through Jesus Christ. Think of the letter to the Hebrews where we find these words: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Suddenly we can come before God, and not with terror and trepidation, but with confidence and with full assurance.

And that is an awesome, amazing thing. That is grace; that is what we do not deserve but so badly need to receive.

Jacob Wrestles with God

Genesis 32:22-32 NIV

²² That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

³¹ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. ³² Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

I have read this many times but not until today have I tried to really think about, and understand what really happened here. To do that, look at the events leading up to this. We read about how at his birth he was holding the heel of his brother Esau. We read about his dealings with his brother and his conspiracy with his mother Rebekah to steal Isaac’s blessing to Esau. We followed Jacob as he went to his uncle Laban’s home and as he worked twenty years to gain his wives and children. We currently find Jacob headed home and facing a confrontation with his brother, Esau, after twenty years. Jacob is afraid. He reaches out, he asks God for help, and he seeks to make some kind of restitution. But in all of these things, Jacob is still resisting. He is still holding back, relying largely upon himself.

Jacob had sent his family on ahead of him and he spent the night alone. We have no idea why he did this. Did he want to think? To pray? To hide? We don’t know for sure but the only way we can get right with God, is to get alone with God. So Jacob is spending time alone and we can see from the text that he struggles with an angel. The Jewish Rabbis explain this “man” was the guardian angel of Esau (Rashi) in a human guise. What we do know is that “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”. The two wrestled all night and then suddenly Jacob’s opponent touches the socket of Jacob’s hip and his hip was wrenched or dislocated. Jacob still refused to give in and pleaded for a blessing from his opponent.

Let’s notice here that Jacob did not want to wrestle anybody. He had his Uncle Laban behind him and his brother Esau ahead of him. Jacob is no match for either one and is now caught between a rock and a hard place. He is no wrestler and that night he was alone because he wanted to be alone, and he wasn’t looking for a fight.

So, who was this man he wrestled? I think that this is none other than the preincarnate Christ. In verse 30 Jacob says, “He saw God face to face.” In the book of Hosea there is a reference to this incident, “In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor.” (Hosea 12:3, 4) It was none other than Jehovah, the preincarnate Christ who wrestled with Jacob that night.

But why? Jacob was standing between his past struggle with Laban and the impending struggle with Esau. God comes at this time because he wants Jacob to realize that his real struggle all alone has been with God. Let’s go back to Hosea for the answer, in verse two: ² The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. Jacob’s wrong in receiving his brother’s blessing by fraud was again brought forcibly before him, and he was afraid that God would permit Esau to take his life. In his distress he prayed to God all night. An angel appeared standing before Jacob, presenting his wrong before him in its true character. As the angel turns to leave him, Jacob lays hold of him, and will not let him go. He makes supplications with tears. He pleads that he has deeply repented of his sins and the wrongs against his brother, which had been the means of separating him from his father’s house for twenty years. He ventures to plead the promises of God and the tokens of His favor to him from time to time in his absence from his father’s house.

All night Jacob wrestled with the angel, making supplication for a blessing. The angel seemed to be resisting his prayer, by continually calling his sins to his remembrance, at the same time endeavoring to break away from him. Jacob was determined to hold the angel, not by physical strength, but by the power of living faith. Jacob is just holding on; he is not wrestling. He is just holding on because he found out that the only way you get anywhere with God is by yielding and just holding on to Him.

I can picture Jacob just holding on to this Angel and the picture I see is like he is leaning on Him. Only a leaning man discovers himself. Only when we lean on God can we find what we need. And Jacob, while he was leaning asked for a blessing. The Angel might have exercised his supernatural power and forced himself from Jacob’s grasp, but he did not choose to do this.

But when he saw that he prevailed not against Jacob, to convince him of his supernatural power, he touched his thigh, which was immediately out of joint. But Jacob would not give up his earnest efforts for bodily pain. His object was to obtain a blessing, and pain was not sufficient to make him forget this. His determination was stronger in the last moments of the conflict than at the beginning. His faith grew more earnest and persevering until the very last, even till the breaking of the day. He would not let go his hold of the angel until he blessed him.

“And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” The angel then inquired, “What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” My Hebrew Bible explains the name Yisrael as a combination of yisrah, “to prevail,” over El “the Divine” i.e., the Angel.

But why did He ask him his name? Shouldn’t he already know the man’s name without having to ask it? God’s purpose in raising this question contains a lesson for all of us, too profound to ignore. In asking for the blessing from God, Jacob was compelled by God’s question to relive the last time he had asked for a blessing, the one he had stolen from his brother.

The last time Jacob was asked for his name, the question had come from his earthly father. Jacob had lied on that occasion and said, “I am Esau,” and stole the blessing. Now he found himself, after many wasted years of running through life looking over his shoulder, before an all-knowing, all-seeing heavenly Father, once more seeking a blessing, Jacob fully understood the reason and the indictment behind God’s question and he answered, “My name is Jacob.” “You have spoken the truth,” God said, “and you know very well what your name signifies. You have been a duplicitous man, deceiving everyone everywhere you went. But now that you acknowledge the real you, I can change you, and I will make a great nation out of you.”

And the lesson here is that Jacob and Esau represent two classes: Jacob, the righteous, and Esau, the wicked. Jacob’s distress when he learned that Esau was marching against him with four hundred men represents the troubles we face. Just like Jacob we can be filled with anguish, and see no escape. The angel placed himself before Jacob, and he took hold of the angel and held him and wrestled with him all night. So also should we, in our time of trouble and anguish, wrestle in prayer with God, as Jacob wrestled with the angel. Jacob in his distress prayed all night for deliverance from the hand of Esau. We should do no less. All who desire the blessing of God, as Jacob, and will lay hold of the promises, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded.

There is so little exercise of true faith and so little of the weight of truth resting upon many professed believers because they are weak in spiritual things. They are unwilling to make exertions, to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for the blessing, and therefore they do not obtain it. Faith that will live through the time of trouble must be daily exercised now. Those who do not make strong efforts now to exercise persevering faith, will be wholly unprepared to exercise that faith which will enable them to stand in the day of trouble.

When hard times hit, how do you handle them? Most of us pray, but that doesn’t always seem to be our main way to cope. I read this inspiring article by Jon Acuff’ about being cut off in traffic by a guy with a fish sticker on his car.

I think the same thoughts go through my head. I bet we would all like to think that when someone cuts us off, or offends someone in our family, we would react just the way God wants us to. Turn the other cheek, brush it off reactions. Of course those would be good actions… just easier said than done. When bigger things happen to you, do you find yourself leaning more on God or more earthly things like people, food or “stuff”.

I wonder about tis because I am one who has to put a lot of effort into reflecting God in my actions. We all have to do that, but often I get frustrated first, catch myself second, and pray third. The Bible tells us of other peoples struggles and how they handled them with God by their side. It was not written to make us feel better or worse about ourselves, but to show us how God wants us to become, and how we can be a better light to this world.

So, I ask, how do you handle frustrating situations? Hmmm?

Benjamin Franklin had a goal of moral perfection and he set about attaining it through living his 13 virtues. Franklin, a printer, had a small book of charts made up that allowed him to keep track of his progress in living the virtues. You can get your own Benjamin Franklin virtue chart here.
Ben admitted that he was never able to live the virtues perfectly, but felt he had become a better and happier man for having made the attempt.

Today “virtue” has taken on soft and effeminate connotations. But originally, the word “virtue” was inextricably connected to what it meant to be a true man. The word comes from the Latin virtues, which in turn is derived from vir, Latin for “manliness.” These days guys excuse their lack of virtue by hiding behind the excuse of being “just a guy.” Men need to do better and strive to improve themselves each day. It’s time to restore the tie between manliness and virtue.

Temperance

Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Franklin began his list of virtues with temperance because it was the virtue that would develop the self-discipline necessary to adhere to the other 12 virtues. Temperance calls for a man to avoid overindulgence in food or drink. By conquering your primal urges for food and drink, you’ll have the confidence to start making improvements in other areas of your life.

Silence

Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; Avoid trifling Conversation.
We live in an age of constant noise and chatter. Etiquette and polite manners have sadly not kept pace with developments in technology and our quickly changing culture. In the virtue of silence look at how a man can practice this virtue in regards to cell phone use, customer service, and the internet. A man must learn when and when not to open his mouth.

Order

Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
If a man wishes to thrive in this world, he must develop order. But the laws of physics tell us that the universe and everything in it tends towards chaos and disorganization. A man must fight against these natural laws and the path of least resistance. Yet taking on complex organization systems will only cause more imbalance in your life. Instead, make small changes by rectifying each slip into disorganization the moment it happens. Do it now.

Resolution

Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Resolution is the firm determination to accomplish what you set out to do. There is a great story of Alexander the Great conquering the island of Tyre as an example of manly resolution. From Alexander’s conquest at Tyre, you can four ways to help improve your resolve in life.

Frugality

Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
American’s savings rate is negative. That’s right, Americans are spending more than they’re saving. With the sluggish economy and soaring gas prices, practicing frugality is quickly coming back into style. While there are countless blogs that go into detail about how to live frugally, it all comes down to one principle: spend less than you earn.

Industry

Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
Hard work has been the hallmark of every manly man. However, industriousness has gone out of style. People today are looking for get rich quick schemes that will afford them a huge payout with minimum effort. In reality, honest work is a beneficial and refining endeavor that should be embraced, not disdained.

Sincerity

Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
If you frequent blogs or internet message boards, you’ve probably noticed the prevalence of gossip, sarcasm, and lying. Unfortunately, we’re starting to see the demeanor that pervades the internet rub off on people in the real world. We need to learn that gossip, sarcasm, and lying can harm you and others and practice avoiding these vices.

Justice

Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
When I look back at the men I admire most, they all had one thing in common: each of them stood up for the little guy. In a society plagued with apathy, what this world needs now more than ever are men who will stand up for justice. Look for ways you can develop the virtue of justice in your life as well as areas that you can implement the virtue.

Moderation

Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
Are you looking for more fulfillment and satisfaction in your life? Society will tell you that “more” is the answer, that more money, more stuff, more women, and more pleasure are the keys to gaining satisfaction in life. In reality the secret to a fulfilling life is moderation.

Cleanliness

Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
While many would say cleanliness is more a sign of femininity than manliness, the reality is that developing cleanliness develops a man’s attention to detail, discipline, and order. Of all the virtues, the meaning of cleanliness has changed the most over time.

Tranquility

Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
The irritations of modern life have left many men hot under the collar. Controlling one’s anger is the mark of a cool and composed gentleman. There are many social and health benefits to controlling your anger. Look for ways you can control your anger and start living more peaceful and tranquil lives.

Chastity

Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Of all the virtues, chastity is probably the least popular these days. We live in a society in which that glamorizes and exploits sex. Sex is everywhere, on the internet, on T.V. and in our magazines. But the ubiquity of sex has only cheapened a once sacred act and turned it into just another consumer good to be selfishly consumed.

Humility

Imitate Jesus.
The typical image of a manly man is one who is supremely confident, bordering or arrogance. Humility doesn’t seem to fit in that manly image. However, some of the greatest men in history have been the most humble. Humility isn’t weak, submissive, or self-abasing. Humility means having the quiet confidence to allow your actions to speak for themselves.

Elijah is one who called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, prayed that it would not rain and it did not and prayed that it would rain and it did. This is the man who faced down the infamous Jezebel and lived to tell about it. However, despite his amazing deeds in the power of God, the New Testament Book of James (James 5:17) gives us a good perspective by saying that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. In other words, he was just a regular Joe who happened to be used of God.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough now O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.

It was amazing that the man who was never to die, for God had a better plan, and this man would be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. This man who would not see death, prays take my life, I’m no better than my fathers.

Here is proof that God does not always answer prayer in king, though he does in effect. He gave Elijah something better than he asked for, and shows he really heard and answered him.

It seems strange that the strong Elijah should be so depressed by Jezebel’s threat as to ask to die. And yet it was so kind on the part of our heavenly father not to take his servant at his word.

Faith in prayer must have limits. We should not expect God to give us everything we choose to ask for. Sometimes we ask and do not receive because we ask wrongly. Sometimes we ask for something counter to God’s will, perhaps for selfish gratification and without concern for his Glory. But when we ask in faith, without doubting, if we do not receive the very thing we ask for, we shall receive an equivalent and more than an equivalent for it.

If you are needing a river split, a wall busted down, or even just a minor miracle, you will find that the God of Elijah is still on duty, still ever-present and waiting for you to step up and proclaim your faith in him so that he can show himself to be mighty in power.

By the way, Elisha did get a double portion, as you might have already heard. Elijah did seven miracles; Elisha did fourteen — exactly twice as many. But, who’s counting? Elijah did exactly as many great deeds as God wanted him to do. The same can be said of Elisha. The issue is not how many great deeds you do, or whether you do more or less than the next person.

You are driving alone in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading…

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This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;

* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect hence to pay him back.

* However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

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He simply answered:
“I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital.
I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Moral of the story: Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations.

Never forget to Think Outside of the Box.

A story is told about a distinguished hassid, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, who wanted to see the Prophet Elijah. He had heard that certain mystics and Kabbalists had had this privilege, and he asked the Baal Shem Tov which spiritual exercises in order to merit the same.

The Baal Shem Tov discouraged him, but the hassid persisted. For months he implored the Baal Shem Tov, yet the great master kept rebuffing him. Finally, a few days before Passover, the Baal Shem Tov acquiesced. He told the hassid that he would help him to meet Elijah, but on one condition – he’d have to carry out his instructions exactly as conveyed, without deviating even one iota. The hassid readily agreed.

“If you want to see the prophet, this is what you need to do,” the Baal Shem Tov instructed. “Fill up nine boxes with large quantities of food: fish, meat, matzah, wine, etc. Then, on the day before Passover, travel to the neighboring town with all the food you purchased. At the outskirts of the town, at the edge of the forest, there is a dilapidated house.

Shortly before the holiday begins, knock on the door and ask if they would put you up for the holiday of Passover.”

With enthusiasm, the disciple followed the instructions of the Baal Shem Tov. He purchased parcels of food and drink, and on the designated day traveled to the impoverished home. He knocked on the door. The woman of the house opened it, and he asked her if he could stay with them for the holiday.

“How can I welcome you when I don’t have any food in the house?” she cried. “We are a very poor family.”

“Well, I happen to have plenty of food here with me,” he replied. “I have enough food for all of us.” The woman could not believe her ears and welcomed him into their home, introduced him to her husband and children, and gave him bed to sleep in. Seeing how the entire family was overjoyed, and the children were dancing around, the man guest realized how impoverished they truly were. These poor kids had never seen so much food in their life.

And the parents were the happiest people in the world, feeling that they could finally celebrate Passover properly, with abundant food, matzah and wine. The hassid spent with them the first two days of Passover, celebrating together. All the while, he was eagerly waiting to see Elijah. But to no avail … Elijah never showed up.

Frustrated, he returned to the Baal Shem Tov and complained: “I was in that house for two days, but I did not see Elijah! Why did you disappoint me?”

“Did you do everything I told you?” asked the Baal Shem Tov.

“Yes, I did!” he asserted. “And you didn’t see him?” “No!” “In that case,” said the Baal Shem Tov, “go back to the house for the last days of the holiday, but this time remain outside and just stand near the window, listening.

The hassid wondered about the meaning of this strange instruction. But he followed orders. He went back to the house. He stood near the window. Inside he heard the following conversation taking place between the wife and the husband: “Sarah,” the husband was saying, “Where do will we get food for the last days of the holiday? I am so concerned.”

To which his wife responded: “Why are you worried Yankel? Didn’t we see how God send us Elijah during the first days of Passover with all the packages of delicious food? Surely God will send Elijah again for the last days of Passover!”

And suddenly the man understood what the Baal Shem Tov was telling him. You want to see Elijah? Don’t look for him elsewhere, in the heavens above, or in the holy people living in the mountains or caves.

No! You want to see Elijah? Fill up nine boxes with food, feed hungry children, then take a good look in the mirror and you will see Elijah! You will see Elijah in yourself.

So yes, we can all perform miracles. We all have that power. All we need to do is to not be self-consumed … to be sensitive to others and help anyone we can.