E-pistle for August 12. 2005
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay
Foundation August 12, 2005
The E-pistle is changing a bit. We will now be doing some devotional
thoughts in the form of stories as told by
Dr. Scarborough from Philippians chapter 4. I will also be including some
devotional thoughts form some other
books of the Bible. I hope you enjoy this and get a blessing from reading
it.
"A Cow Chewing Its Cud"
When my fifth grade teacher made me spit out my chewing gum for
the
umpteenth time that semester, she said: "Mr. Scarborough, do you know
what's
the difference between your chewing gum and a cow's chewing its cud?" . . .
"No ma'am." . . . "The intelligent look on the face of the cow!" (I can
remember
that occasion well, whether it happened or not!)
There really is one thing, however, that we can profitably learn
from a
cud-chewing bovine. The cow first munches a clump of grass and swallows it.
Later, the animal brings up the partially digested food from one of its
multiple
stomachs and repeats the process . . . maybe several times over the course
of
the day.
This process (chewing the cud) is called ruminating, and it is
the origin
of the word "meditate." The connection is obvious. Meditation involves
pondering, musing over, and thoughtfully considering an idea . . . chewing
it
over and over, so to speak.
In some Christian circles, meditation is a "4-letter word"
because it has
become identified exclusively with Eastern mysticism and the occult. Yet
King
David wrote of meditation a thousand years before Christ: "Let the words of
my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O
Lord,
my strength and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14.
A thousand years before David, the book of Genesis records that
Isaac
was outdoors in meditation when he first laid his eyes on his new bride,
Rebekah.
The site of that historic meeting was "Beer Lahai Roi" . . . meaning
literally:
"Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me." (Genesis 24:62-64) To a
Christian,
meditating is the practice of pausing quietly long enough to become aware of
the living God, Who always is present and watching over His children.
In his epistle to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul recommended
meditation
as a Christian discipline. ("Meditate on these things," Philippians 4:8)
Then he listed
eight practical topics worthy of our meditation, which I plan to highlight
in subsequent
devotional thoughts.
Prayer for the day: Lord, in my daily quiet time, help me to take
"time-out" to
meditate on You and Your word, and to listen
for Your
"still small voice."
Meditation On The Basis Of Forgiveness
by Dr. Curt Scarborough
Did Jesus forgive the thief on the cross? Yes, because he
repented,
exercised faith, and asked for mercy. But what about the Roman soldiers who
crucified Him? Jesus asked the Father to forgive them (and His prayers
always
are answered). But, this forgiveness was only for their specific sin of
killing Jesus;
it was not a "blanket" forgiveness for all their sins (salvation). Their
"sin" was
forgiven because (1) they were ignorant of the fact that Jesus was the Son
of God,
and (2) they were acting lawfully as official executioners for the Roman
Empire.
Did Jesus forgive Judas for betraying Him? No; apparently Judas
did not
repent, have faith, or ask Jesus for forgiveness. We know the Judas died as
a lost
sinner because he went "to his own place" (hell), Acts 1:25; Matthew 25:41.
Note the downward spiral of Judas' life:
1. Sin: Judas was a thief, John 12:6. (Satan comes to steal, John
10:10)
2. Satanic influence: he put betrayal into Judas' heart, John 13:2
(Acts 5:3)
3. Demonic possession: Satan entered into Judas, Luke 22:3.
4. "One of you is a devil," John 6:70. When Satan controls a person,
that
individual "is" the devil (Satan's slave), Matthew 16:23; Romans 6:16.
5. Judas was remorseful (not repentant); he confessed his sin, but not
to
Jesus; he committed suicide (Satan's aim: to kill and destroy, John
10:10),
Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:18-19.
Did God forgive (or offer forgiveness to) Satan (Lucifer) when
he rebelled? I
do not think so. Holiness and unholiness (sin) cannot co-exist; they are
mutually
exclusive. Forgiveness, cleansing and restoration only are possible upon
the payment
of God's established penalty: death (Romans 6:23). However, God and the
angels
(including Satan) are immortal beings (having an eternal, undying
existence), so the
only penalty available for the fallen angels is exile: everlasting
punishment in hell.
Before God created the earth and placed Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden,
He knew that man would choose to sin, and need a Savior. So, God planned
for man's
redemption by foreordaining that His divine-human Son (The Lamb) would be
slain
to provide the blood sacrifice (death) necessary to provide forgiveness,
Revelation 13:8;
I Peter 1:18-20; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22. Only human beings can be
redeemed by
the blood of the Lamb, and sing the song of redemption, Revelation 5:9;
14:4.
APPLICATION: As a Christian, I must always exhibit Christ's
forgiving spirit,
offering forgiveness to those persons who have sinned against me. Yet,
offering
forgiveness and receiving forgiveness are two different transactions.
Forgiveness
only becomes operative when it is requested and received. Further, can I
and should
I offer my forgiveness to Satan (or to those human beings who are
possessed/controlled
by demonic spirits)? Jesus' example was first to cast out the demonic
spirits, then to
deal redemptively with the person's physical and spiritual needs. This
involves my
engaging in spiritual warfare with the Holy Spirit's enlightenment and
power.
Accreditation of Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College & Seminary represents a personal and practical
distance-learning alternative approach to Christian education. By its very
nature, Pillsbury is too innovative and experimental to fit into the
traditional mold established by most official accrediting agencies in the
United States. At its founding, however, the College & Seminary did adopt
and meet all the structural, financial, and academic guidelines established
by an officially recognized accrediting agency.
Pillsbury, furthermore, does uphold the highest standards of
academic excellence, ethical conduct, and moral integrity to assure that all
the degrees awarded are absolutely legitimate and totally honorable. The
College & Seminary is owned, controlled, and operated by Freeway Foundation
. . . formerly Christian Civic Foundation . . . a widely respected, legally
recognized Christian educational institution chartered by the State of
Missouri in 1890.
As a Christian school, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
an "exemption" by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education of the State
of Missouri on August 19, 1992.
In January, 2003, Pillsbury College & Seminary was granted
"Accredited" status by the Accrediting Commission International for Schools,
Colleges, and Theological Seminaries. ACI is an independent non-profit
corporation chartered as an accrediting agency for small Bible colleges and
specialized Christian schools, institutes, and seminaries.
ACI is dedicated to assisting those institutions of Christian
higher education to gain a quality, non-regional accreditation,
characterized by academic excellence and ethical practices. It has a
current membership of over 250 schools in 39 states. Because of the
convictions of its member schools in support of religious freedom and the
separation of church and state, ACI has elected not to request official
recognition as an accrediting agency from the U.S. Department of Education.
Persons whose professional or career goals require certification
by a state or federal government agency should check to determine whether a
degree from Pillsbury College & Seminary would be acceptable. Individuals
needing to earn a regionally accredited degree in one of the disciplines
offered by Pillsbury may wish to investigate comparable programs offered at
more traditional on-campus institutions currently accredited by a regional
association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For more information contact info@freewayfoundation.org or call Dr.
Scarborough at 314-739-1121
"Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by
giving them sensible tokens of your love."
-Socrates
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