In the story of Davids son, Amnon and the rape of his step-sister, Tamar, Amnon was at full fault.

He knew it was wrong before he did it. His prolonged thoughts about Tamar made him appear distraught.

This was noticed by a friend,
Jonadab. The description given by the scripture about him was than he was a “subtil”, crafty man.

In Genesis 3, scripture defines the serpent as “more subtil” than any beast of the field.

You know what influence it exerted over Gods highest creation.

Jonadab was crafty. He asked Amnon
what made him appear so down.
Hearing Amnon say he loved Tamar .

Jonadab crafted the plan which became the sin Amnon committed.

Be careful of any Jonadab in your life.

Those who have encouraged you in and toward misbehavior.

Proverbs 1 refers to this when the words instruct the reader to “consent not” when sinners entice you.

It’s naked manipulation.

To see you fall or to get them gain.

As the Scripture defines this type person in a similar way as It described the devil….
This person is serving the manner of the devil when they seek to manipulate and encourage you toward misbehavior, mischief and sin.

Discernment and maturity will assist you in eyeing these influences. Be careful when you are weak…
for they come then.

These people may appear to be your friend and to be looking out for your interests.

The serpent appeared to be helping Adam and Eve understand that their Creator surely would not allow their death.

Be alert.
Be aware.

As a “roaring lion” the Jonadabs In the world seek whom they may influence.

Terry
February, 2016

Currently we hear of the contaminated water system in Michigan.

A few years ago a heavily trafficked  bridge in Minnesota collapsed.

Yankee Stadium had a portion of its concrete collapse years ago.

The city where I work has extensive plans to redo most of the elevated roadways in the busiest part of downtown because the bridges
which carry heavy traffic around, over and through downtown are almost 50 years old. The expansion joints are failing therefore the strength and integrity of those bridges are weakening.

And, the city government has or is about to file a lawsuit to stop the project because the demolition and reconstruction will inconvenience those trying to make their way through those areas.

These are visible examples of the crumbling infrastructure in our country.

Comparably, there are people you know whose lives are crumbling apart because of needed inner reconstruction.

There are families whose foundations are rusting and wasting away because of the lack attention to detail and maintenance.

Is there an element of your life beginning to rust…?

Could there be a part of some relationship you have which has developed a weakness which is causing faultlines and cracks …?

Just as the Infrastructure across our country was build many years ago… and without strengthening it will crumble….

so to our lives and relationships will fall to rubble without a rebuilding once in awhile.

Our Maker made His Greatest Creation to heal itself in some ways.
After having a small cut, your skin bleeds, the blood coagulates, forms a scab and eventually the cut is repaired.

Our bodies do that because of His Hand.

Our hearts, minds and lives cannot do that without His Hand.

Crumbling Infrastructure will injure us off we fail to fix it.

When it’s visible everyone helps in the recovery.

When Haiti was “earthquaked” and crumbled…the world came to Its aid.

When someone has an automobile accident the sirens announce help is on the way and emergency rooms spring into their full intended use to help.

When a marriage is failing and wasting away….do you reach out, interject yourself to help?

When you see a life ruining and running to destruction ….
are you an ambulance …
or do you do, as the city filling a lawsuit to get out of repairing what’s needed because of inconvenience, neglect the obvious?

Inconvenience is temporary irritation.
Without it though, progress fails to be generated.

Looking inwardly…
we should watch ourselves to be aware and cognizant of the first cracks and failures in our body…

in our minds and in our hearts.

Because if we falter and fail within ourselves…
then we become a part of the crumbling infrastructure in our family, in our Church,
in our Company…..our World.

It’s easy to shake our heads at a city choosing, with eyes wide open, to neglect the obvious…

Therefore, let us do the harder task of choosing to take the difficult steps to correct any old and crumbling structures in our lives.

Inspect what is causing the deterioration. Fix or eliminate It.

Nehemiah fret over the crumbled Walls around Jerusalem.
He prayed, sought assistance….
received more help than he expected….
and did the hard but needed work of  restoration and reconstruction.

Be a builder.

Terry
February, 2016

 

We all have seen these signs mostly from the past.

NO LOITERING

Basically it meant not to just hang around somewhere.

Definitions…
To linger aimlessly.
Remaining in a public place for a prolonged period of time with no apparent purpose.

We can do this in every area of life.

It is wrong in every area of life.

It is not taking a break.
Not a vacation.
It’s not catching ones breath.

Read the definition above.
Aimless….No apparent purpose.

Consider for a moment your most important horizontal relationship.

Your marriage.

You loitering ?

What work have you put into it since January 1st ?

Have you asked how your spouse is?
Have you invested any time together?
Having small children is not a viable excuse.

What about your second most important relationship here??

Your children.

You paying attention?

Do you know who they are seeing?
Do you read their texts?

Do you know what influences are exerting themselves on your children?

If you do not know then you may have no purpose regarding your child.

You can love them in the abstract…
but be ignoring them in the specific and difficult areas.

I know some parents who say…
” If I am paying for your phone and you are living in my house…. Then I will be able to check each text on your phone at any time”.

I do not think that to be overbearing….
It’s parenting in the modern world.

If you are not holding them accountable….
You might be “loitering” as a parent.

Some are loitering but couch it as not wanting to cramp their children’s style or personality.

Inject yourself with purpose into your child’s life.

What about your vertical relationship with God???

Loitering?

When have you read and considered
Scripture…allowed yourself to meditate and think on It.

When have you read a whole Chapter ?

I ask you and I implore myself to pursue God, His Word and His Presence every day.

Loitering can lead to being lackadaisical.

Lackadaisical life opens up our minds to what David dealt with when he stayed home from fighting, enjoyed his success,
was aimlessly out on his porch when he saw Bathsheba.
In the loitering mindset he was in…
he was struck by what his eyes saw,
his feet were not aimed at the battle.

Because he was not operating with a purpose….a temptation took hold of him and his laziness led him to watch, think, consider, and then his decisions walked him into adultery, deceit, manipulation, plotting,
and to an arranged death of a
loyal subject.

Loitering kills initiative.

Loitering creates rationalization.

Loitering slowly takes you away from a higher Intentionality.

Catch yourself before remaining dormant for very long.

There is a time for rest and recovery….
but extended and protracted periods of aimlessness breeds stagnation and death.

Catch yourself.

Get your eyes and mind fixed on the proper course.

No loitering.

Terry
February 2016

We are born with it.

It begins to be revealed sometime within our first two years. What was a wonderfully cute little being pitches a small fit over not getting its way.

From where does that come?

There was no training…
there was no class we attended.

It’s the Nature that lies within us.

I see it in my grand daughters. They smile and make everyone else do the same as they make noises, do things which amuse us.

Out of the blue they will react with a
frown, or with a thrown down toy, or
some demonstrative act.

Fitzgerald defined it as he described
his most famous female character, Daisy. …
” she wants what she wants when she wants it, and she makes everybody miserable until she gets it.”

The grand daughters are not purposely acting out of sorts.

We are all of that sort .

It’s the Nature within us.

Why does a one year old cry when you shake your head side to side and say no?

Why do some people react to another’s promotion with jealousy?

That nature.

The bed is comfortable, the alarm goes off. What do you do?

If that “nature” rules you, you do not get up. You hit the alarm for more time.

Why do ones eyes go to particular body parts when they meet a person of the opposite gender?

If that ” nature” continually rules you,
It will lead you to harm, imaginations
and eventually, destruction.

Pure discipline can present a person with the tenacity to refuse that existing Nature….temporarily.

But discipline in its purest state can build up the ego so much that the existing Nature manifests itself even greater in pride and arrogance.

Mere discipline is not enough to over rule and overcome that inborn Nature.

There must come into our lives a Nature from another Source.

A higher Nature must come from a higher place. The Apostle said to think on things that ” come down from above”.

The only way we overcome our existent Nature is to receive this other “higher” nature …. earned by Our Advocates Suffering
and presented to us upon His Resurrection.

Remember, even though the Disciples became better men during Christ’s time with them….they did not receive any new strength or evidence of a new and higher Nature …, until after He died, ascended and filled them with His Spirit when the “rushing wind” blew them into their New Nature.

This New Nature allowed them access to do greater things.

It was their decision to daily access that New Nature.

As it is ours.

They were fulfilled and successful in this new Nature…. but were continuously dealing with that older Nature, as well.

As we are.

Everyday, we make decisions as filled and potential Christ- followers … whether or not we succumb to the Nature which makes our eyes wander or whether we allow the new Nature
to lift our hearts, minds, hands and feet to exemplify The Christ Who both possessed it and has gifted it to us.

The old Nature or the New???
We possess both.

Which one will we pursue today?

Terry
February 2016