Walking With Christ

Webers.Home · Nov 3, 2021

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• Col 3:15a . . Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members
of one body you were called to peace.

This calling to peace is probably not a call to produce peace, rather, a peace
relative to John 14:7, wherein Jesus says:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I
give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

And Phil 4:6-7, wherein the apostle Paul says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus."

Webster's defines "anxiety" as: characterized by extreme uneasiness of
mind, or brooding fear about some contingency; viz: worry-- which implies
an incessant goading, or attacking, that drives one to desperation.

If believers were never to be anxious then there would be little, if any, need
to pray and share one's concerns with their father in Heaven. The point
here, is to avoid desperation. When people get desperate, they start making
mistakes; and some of those mistakes can be life-changing; and cause
permanent damage.

Tuesday, Aug 04, 2009 a deranged man named George Sodini walked into
an LA Fitness gym in Philadelphia and gunned down twelve women in an
exercise class. His impetus? According to information police later found on
his blog, the 48 year-old man was in a mental state brought on by his long
held personal conviction that not one woman in the whole world could
possibly love him. In his mind; women were a threat to his survival-- cruel,
venomous sirens whose mission in life is to torment males and make them
unhappy. No doubt in Sodini's thinking, murdering those women was
justifiable homicide for ruining his life, viz: they had it coming.

His case is extreme, yes, but it serves to illustrate what happens to people
when they let desperation gnaw at their feelings for too long a time. Pretty
soon they crack and do something irrational.

C.S. Lewis-- famed author of "The Screwtape Letters" and "The Chronicles
Of Narnia" --once remarked that he prayed, not because he expected results
but, because it made him feel better.

Well, if prayer makes you feel better, then more power to you-- in point of
fact, I highly recommend conversational prayer because talking things out
with somebody, even an imaginary playmate, is far and away better than
holding everything in.

There are instances in the Old Testament where God actually sent His people
troubles just to get their attention and start them talking to Him again. Sort
of like a little boy in third grade spitting on the hair of a girl sitting in front of
him so she'll notice him. (chuckle) Well, if God spits on your hair, so to
speak, then maybe it's time you and He had a fireside chat.

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, and guards your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, serves to settle people down. In other
words: prevent them from over-thinking their problems. Always dwelling on
negative aspects is destructive even for strong people.

Nobody knows the trouble I've been through,
Nobody knows my sorrow.
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen;
Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down,
Oh, yes, Lord; sometimes I'm almost to the ground.

Well; some of us would be to the ground were it not for going to prayer
instead.
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Webers.Home · Nov 4, 2021

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• Col 3:15b . . And be thankful.

You know "thank you" isn't profanity; and Christ's people should never take
the attitude that just because somebody is doing their job that they don't
deserve recognition.

One of my favorite romantic comedies is "No Reservations" starring
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Prior to filming, Catherine took a
job waiting tables to get a feel for working in a restaurant.

On several occasions, patrons didn't even look up at her nor speak in a
cordial, courteous tone when they ordered. It struck her as remarkable that
some of the people whom she was serving totally took her for granted and
displayed not the slightest inclination to even so much as acknowledge her
as a fellow human being, let alone express their gratitude for her taking care
of them.
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Webers.Home · Nov 5, 2021

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• Col 3:16 . . Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and
admonish one another with all wisdom

Before attempting to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, it's
essential that the word of Christ first dwell in you richly; which is from the
Greek word plousios (ploo-see'-oce) which means: copious; defined by
Webster's as yielding something abundantly. In other words: fruitful— very
fruitful.

"By this my Father is glorified; that you bear much fruit" (John 15:8)

Col 3:16 is not an easy command to obey because it requires walking the
walk rather than merely talking the talk.

"For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon
it, and yields crops useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives
blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to
being cursed, whose end is to be burned." (Heb 6:7-8, cf. Luke 8:5-15)

In other words; the wisdom we're talking about here is gained by life
experience wherein a quantity of Christ's teachings have been put into actual
practice rather than only memorized.
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Webers.Home · Nov 6, 2021

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• Col 3:17 . .Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name
of The Lord Jesus.

In other words; Christ's followers should conduct themselves as Christians
as opposed to conducting themselves in any old way they feel like.

A simple way to apply Col 3:17 is just to ask yourself: Can my master put
his signature on this? If you know in your heart he cannot, then you do not
have Christ's authorization to proceed. If you proceed anyway, then you will
be off-reservation, in your own little world of anarchy and rebellion against
Christ's sovereign right, as the lord and master of Christianity, to manage
your affairs.
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Webers.Home · Nov 7, 2021

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• Col 3:18 . .Wives, submit to your husband, as is fitting in The Lord.

NOTE: Here's a new word for your vocabulary: Womxn. You know what that
is? It's the latest desperate attempt by man-hating women to avoid
identifying themselves with men in every way possible. I suppose they'll
next revise the spelling of their gender to look like this: femxle.

The word "submit" raises a lot of unnecessary hackles. But it isn't referring
to a pecking order. What it is referring to is just the opposite of defiant,
stubborn, uncooperative, domineering women. Especially wives that tend to
marginalize their husbands in everything.

For example: there was a wife in one of my Sunday school classes who
made up her mind to go back to school and work towards a degree
regardless of how her husband felt about it. She actually had the chutzpah
to announce her intentions in class while her husband sat there in silence
with his head down in utter shame and embarrassment.

Anyway: in a nutshell; the submission we're talking about here is related to
a Christian husband's position in the home rather than his gender in the
marriage.

For example; we ought to respect senior citizens not because they
themselves have done anything to earn it, rather, because it's a respect that
their age deserves. (cf. Lev 9:32)

Back when Queen Elizabeth Second became monarch, her husband Philip felt
humiliated to have to kneel to his own wife till she explained to him that he
wouldn't be kneeling to her, rather, to the crown.

In other words: it's the position that deserves the respect rather than the
person in it. So, Christian wives ought to give their husbands the respect
due to his position in the home rather than the blokes they are.

"Wives, submit to your husband as to The Lord." (Eph 5:22)

In other words: if it's unchristian to be assertive and confrontational with
Christ, then we ought to agree that it's unchristian to be assertive and
confrontational with one's husband too.

That's a pretty tall order for Christian wives in a modern culture that
constantly pressures them to be strong and masculine rather than soft and
feminine; to be superiors rather than subordinates; and to be assertive,
confrontational, and defiant rather than reasonable, peaceable, and
cooperative.
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Webers.Home · Nov 8, 2021

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• Col 3:19 . . Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

The Greek verb translated "love" is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which doesn't
necessarily imply either affection and/or fondness. It's more about civility
than emotion. This is the kind of love that we extend to everyone-- friend,
foe, and stranger alike--regardless of how we might feel about them. It's the
very same love that Jesus taught in Matt 5:44 which reads:

"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate
your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,"

In other words; you don't especially have to like your enemies, but you do
have to be civil with them, i.e. courteous, kind, charitable, tolerant, patient,
diplomatic, tactful, gentle, reasonable, fair, deferent, approachable, cordial,
genial, affable, sociable, helpful, thoughtful, sympathetic, considerate, and
cooperative, etc.

I readily admit the difficulty of being nice to people who rub us the wrong
way; but still, Christian men whose marriages resemble an on-going cold
war would greatly ease the tensions in their homes, and make the situation
bearable for both sides of the bed, were they to simply practice agapao.

"Harsh" can be exemplified any number of ways.

Abrasive
Abusive
Critical
Cruel
Demanding
Fault Finding
Giving Her No Say In Important Decisions
Hostile
Impatient
Insensitive
Intolerant
Laying Down The Law
Loud
Marginalizing
Mockery
Money Rationing
Nit Picking
Oppressive
Penny Pinching
Public Scolding
Remarks About Her Appearance
Rough
Uncivil
Unfriendly
Unyielding

Those behaviors are very effective at making a Christian wife's existence
bitter, i.e. a living hell; especially a Christian wife who's making an honest
effort to comply with Col 3:18.
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Webers.Home · Nov 9, 2021

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• Col 3:20 . . Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases The
Lord.

That command pertains only to Christian kids; not to just any kid who
happens to be looking in. And it needs to be said that not every kid in a
Christian home is a Christian kid. Some are demon seeds: that's just a fact
of life and it can't be helped.

The Greek word for "obey" in that verse is hupakouo (hoop-ak-oo'-o) which
is somewhat ambiguous. It can mean, variously, to hear under (as a
subordinate), i.e. to listen attentively; by implication, to heed or conform to
a command or authority.

Too many television sit-coms today portray kids who don't listen to their
parents. But of course those sit-com kids typically have no desire to please
The Lord.
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Webers.Home · Nov 10, 2021

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• Col 3:21 . . Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become
discouraged.

The Greek word translated "discouraged" is athumeo (ath-oo-meh'-o) which
has to do with breaking the spirit. Really bad cases of athumeo can cause a
child to lose the will to excel; sometimes even the will to live, i.e. suicidal.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 11, 2021

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• Col 3:22-25 . . Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it,
not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of
heart and reverence for The Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for The Lord, not for men

Some Christians tend to forget that they live in a fishbowl; a sort of Big
Brother society where God misses nothing.

"Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the
grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children,
do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But
just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:
Be holy, because I am holy. Since you call on a Father who judges each
man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."
(1Pet 1:13-17)
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Webers.Home · Nov 12, 2021

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• Col 4:1 . . Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because
you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

I have yet to find a passage in the Bible condemning slavery as a moral evil.
I'm not saying that such a passage doesn't exist; only that in my 53 years
as an ongoing Bible student via sermons, books, seminars, lectures, Sunday
school classes, radio programs, and personal study, I've yet to run across
one. The Bible's primary issue with slavery is the treatment of slaves.

The master in heaven is providential. In other words: Christian masters have
a sacred obligation to house their slaves in decent accommodations, clothe
them with adequate garments, and nourish them with good food too
because slave masters are a father to the souls in their house; they depend
on him to care for them; there's no one else; and according to Gen 1:26-28
and Matt 12:11-12, people deserve to be treated better than an animal.

Whether the above rule should be taken to apply in normal labor relations
can be disputed, but in my judicious estimation; Christian employers really
ought to pay their workers a living wage-- augmented with timely
adjustments for inflation --rather than just paying them the least they can in
order to keep profits up and overhead down. (Just saying)
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Webers.Home · Nov 13, 2021

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• Col 4:2 . . Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

The Greek word for "devote" is proskartereo (pros-kar-ter-eh'-o) which
means: to persevere; viz: not give up and/or lose interest.

"And he spoke a parable unto them to this end: that people ought always to
pray, and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1)

For many of us, prayer is a last resort; a grasping at straws because we
simply have nowhere else to turn. We wish for success with prayer, while
not really expecting it because we already know from plenty of experience
that prayer too often leads into a cul-de-sac of perplexity and
discouragement; so then, what's the use? In other words: prayer is very
difficult for some Christians because it's often so futile.

Why doesn't God respond? And if He's not going to respond, then why keep
on making a fool of ourselves trying to get through to an imaginary
playmate when all the while its phone is off the hook?

It was this very issue that led Mother Teresa of Calcutta to question whether
there really is a God out there. During virtually her entire five decades in
India, Teresa felt not the slightest glimmer of The Lord's presence and
suffered a good deal of anxiety wondering why Christ abandoned her.

I'm not making this up. You can read it for yourself in a collection of Teresa's
private letters titled Mother Teresa / Come Be My Light; The Private Writings
of the "Saint Of Calcutta" published with hierarchy approval by Father Brian
Kolodiejchuk, director of the Mother Teresa center and a postulator for her
canonization.

In one of Teresa's private letters, penned to a Father Picachy, Teresa
complained: I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness &
coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.

In yet another letter, penned to a Father Joseph Neuner, S.J. Teresa again
complained: Now Father-- since 1949 or 1950 this terrible sense of loss--
this untold darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which
gives me pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not
see neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul
is blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I
just long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me--
He is not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own
heart cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I
can't explain.

In yet another letter, Teresa complained: When I try to raise my thoughts to
Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return
like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. How painful is this unknown pain-- I
have no faith.

If the most pious nun the 20th century ever produced found heaven's phone
off the hook for virtually five decades, then why should John Q and Jane Doe
pew warmer persist with prayer? Well; primarily because it's commanded. I
would suppose that's reason enough for most. I mean; were God to ask us
to throw a baseball at the Moon every so often; wouldn't we comply just to
please Him, even knowing we couldn't possibly hit it?
_

Webers.Home · Nov 14, 2021

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• Col 4:3-4 . . And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our
message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in
chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

Proclaiming the mystery of Christ clearly as one should means to avoid
sophisticated intellectualism. (1Cor 2:1-5)

For example: when physicist Stephen Hawking set out to write his fabulously
popular book "A Brief History Of Time" he determined to make an effort to
speak of complicated cosmological concepts in layman's terms. Well; he
succeeded, and consequently just about anybody with an average IQ and
the ability to read can pick up Stephen's book and get something out of it.

When the Bible is taught with too many uncommon words, the result isn't
much different than speaking in a foreign language. So to avoid a language
barrier, I suggest keeping one's presentation colloquial, i.e. informal.

"In the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others
than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1Cor 14:19)
_

Webers.Home · Nov 15, 2021

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• Col 4:5 . . Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of
every opportunity.

I once heard a story about a well-meaning sidewalk evangelist who was
handing out Gospel tracts. A man came by and asked the side-walker what
he was doing. The side-walker handed the man a tract and said: Here, read
this. Well, the man was illiterate. So he told the side-walker: I can't read
your tract, so I'll just watch your tracks.

In other words; don't just talk the talk; walk the walk too: live it because for
some people, your life speaks volumes.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 16, 2021

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• Col 4:6 . . Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

Grace can be defined as kind, courteous, gentle, patient, lenient, inclined to
good will, generous, charitable, altruistic, compassionate, sympathetic,
thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive,
hospitable, considerate, and tactful.

It appears to me from the language and grammar of Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50,
and Luke 14:34 that the primary purpose of salt is to enhance flavor and
make otherwise naturally insipid and/or bad-tasting things palatable, viz:
salt can be thought of as diplomacy; roughly defined as conversation that
makes an effort to maintain peace rather than provoke conflict and/or annoy
people and make them uncomfortable.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 17, 2021

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• 1Thess 4:1-2 . . Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in The
Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to
walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still
more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of
The Lord Jesus.

The commandments instituted in the apostle Paul's letters are given to the
Lord's followers for the purpose of taking the guess work out of walking and
pleasing God; viz: nobody should expect to excel in the Lord's
commandments when they don't even know what they are.

"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of
God: I speak this to your shame." (1Cor 15:34)
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Webers.Home · Nov 18, 2021

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• 1Thess 4:3-5 . . It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you
should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his
own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the
heathen, who do not know God;

The Greek word translated "sanctified" speaks of purity, i.e. clean living.

Some folk, not quite understanding the nature of the Spirit birth about which
John wrote in John 1:12-13 and about which Christ spoke in John 3:3-8,
have been led to believe that born-again Christians are supposed to be free
of their libido and their romantic impulses. Well, obviously not, or why else
would it be God's will to control them?

"and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage
of him." (1Thess 4:7)

"this matter" refers not only to fornication, but also to adultery.

"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God
will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." (Heb 13:4)

Christians commit adultery with Christians? Haw! Does that even need to be
answered? Of course they do; and it goes on all the time, even among
church officers; who by all rights should be setting the example for the rank
and file.

My wife was once friends with the wife of a counselor in a very big church in
a large California city. She confided with my wife (on the QT of course) that
it was amazing the number of church officers and their wives who were
messing around.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 19, 2021

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• 1Thess 4:6b-8 . . God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives.
Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but
is rejecting God, who gives His holy Spirit to you.

Why "gives" the Spirit instead of gave? Well; although Christ's believing
followers are all equally endowed with the Spirit (1Cor 6:19, Eph 1:13) its
benefits are doled.

His holy Spirit is depicted as a source of living water.

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud
voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes
in me, as the scripture has said: streams of living water will flow from within
him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later
to receive." (John 7:37-39)

When Christ's followers go rogue, and allow human nature to dominate their
lives instead of complying with Christ's commandments; the water is
withheld. Consequently it's possible for them to dry up and become like yard
debris. (John 15:1-10, Rom 8:5-13)
_

Webers.Home · Nov 20, 2021

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• 1Thess 4:11a . . Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,

I highly recommend avoiding political activism like the plague.

Demonstrations, protests, marches, and the like are not what I call a quiet
life; and they sometimes result in violence and civil disobedience; which are
really bad things for Christ's believing followers.

"and tend your own business." (1Thess 4:11b)

Getting one's self involved with stuff that doesn't pertain to you whilst
neglecting your obligations. commitments, and responsibilities is
irresponsible.

I think this rule may be intended to regulate meddling too; which in my
opinion is a very annoying habit practiced by people who honestly believe
they know how to live your life better than you. Well; maybe they do; but if
there is one thing I and quite a few others really despise it's unsolicited
counseling.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 21, 2021

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• 1Thess 4:11c-12 . . Work with your own hands, just as we instructed you,
so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders; and so that you will
not be dependent on anybody.

In times of economic stress-- e.g. the 2008 Wall Street collapse, downsizing,
wage reductions, corporations expatriating for tax advantages and/or
outsourcing and moving their manufacturing offshore to take advantage of
cheap labor and skimpy government controls, and the covid-19 virus chaos
--a pretty large percentage of America's employable Christians were, and
have been, out of work not because they were lazy free-loaders; but
because their opportunities for full time work with decent wages and benefits
evaporated.

So tread lightly when services like unemployment benefits, SNAP, and TANF,
etc, come up in conversations. Innocent people's feeling might get hurt if
you become too critical of those kinds of relief systems. And don't ever
assume that you are immune to poverty. It can happen to anyone; even
overnight and then you'll be looking around for assistance; maybe even from
the very agencies that you at one time thought were below you.
_

Webers.Home · Nov 23, 2021

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• 1Thess 5:5-6 . . We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then,
let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self
controlled.

Is it possible for a Christian to be asleep at the wheel? Yes, absolutely or
why else would Paul encourage his friends to remain wide-awake and bushy
tailed?

"Others are like seed sown among thorns: they hear the word; but are
distracted by the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth; and longings
for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Mark
4:18-19)

Well, the lesson is obvious. Christians ought not to be distracted by worldly
pursuits to such an extent that the day about which The Lord spoke comes
as a big disappointment. No; they ought to be glad to see it rather than be
all broken up about it because like it nor not; Christians take no more out
with them than the lost when they leave this sphere. So try not to get too
attached.

"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry
nothing out." (1Tim 6:7)
_

Walking With Christ

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