Quarrels and Deceit,

Proverbs 26:17-28

“Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.  Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!  For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.  As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.  The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.   Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart.  Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.  Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.  A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”

These two morsels have no place in a Follower of Christ's heart, quarrels and deceit, yet we know that those who walk in the flesh and not by the Spirit do such things.  My first boss in the Electrical Markets Division of 3M was from Chicago, and he was Irish and liked to say often, “I was only kidding.”  You never knew when he was telling you the truth, and his saying when a customer caught him telling a lie was, “I’m Irish what do you expect?”

I heard a man of God tell a group he was teaching this; “God does not give grace to a person who takes up another person’s offense.”  His teaching was, God would show grace and mercy to the one offended but not to the one that meddles and takes up another’s offense.  Unless you are walking in the Spirit, it is easy to become emotional and attack the wrongdoer, when they have not done anything to you.

Often, I find myself getting emotional about the corruption in our Congress, where dishonesty runs amuck, and they do not need truth to destroy a man who has lived a life of integrity.  So I do find great comfort in verses 24-27.  Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.  Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.   I believe we have seen that stone beginning to move.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Where did all the Sluggard go?

November 1, 2018

Proverbs 26:13-16

“The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.  The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.  The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.”

Sluggard, not a name used often in our culture, and one must wonder why not? We now have a larger population of them, not so just 20 years ago.  They range in age from early teens to the retired; I would say that covers a lot of people, we even have them in all professions.  So what is a sluggard?   It is a person that is lazy, not wanting to work, and often in this society believes others owe them what they have not worked for, nor will they work.

Yes, they come up with any excuse to not work, as Solomon states, even a rumor that a lion is in the road.  Some of their best times are in bed while others are working, laying on the couch or comfortable chair watching T.V. or playing a video game.  They are so lazy that if given a choice to bring their clothes to a washer for someone like his mother to wash or just wearing them dirty, they will choose dirty. 

Now if you do not believe they are wiser than anyone around ask them, and they have the answer about how to do most anything, they are the same one that likes socialism, thank the Lord most are too lazy to get off the couch and vote.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

King Solomon was not Politically Correct

Proverbs 26:1-12

“Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.  Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!  Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.  Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.  Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.  Like a thorn bush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.  Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.  As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.  Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

For 12 verses the King is addressing a fool, with the exception of verse two.  Solomon begins with nature, and it could be devastating to have snow in summer or rain in the middle of harvest.  It is the same when a fool is honored.  When we get to verse three it is not politically correct, but then neither is God, I have chosen God, and not the fools that are only interested in money and power.  Fools need to have help keeping them on the right course when it comes to Congress your vote is that whip.

Since I began with Congress and it is such an easy target of the many we could have chosen; we the voters have allowed the reprobates to vote themselves money and maybe it is the voter that has become foolish.  Yes, a fool like an animal needs a bridle or a whip to guide them so does the Congress of the USA.  Staying on the subject of Congress and fools, in verses 4-5 we the voter should not entertain the rhetoric or empty talk of many of our Congress but should make sure we reply with both truth and facts.  Many in Congress and those who only read a few papers or listen to just one source would find that a new phenomenon.

One would not trust a fool to take an important message it would be the same as taking poison and expecting someone else to die.  Verse seven compares a proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a person with lame legs who cannot use them.  Once more I must go back to our Congress, they are a lot like a sling with a stone tied in it, it has no power, no value as a weapon so it is an honor to such people. 

Verse nine compares a fool using a proverb to a drunkard swinging a thorny stick; it is only going to turn out bad.  Once more verse 10 makes me think of how foolish the voter is when picking people to run for Congress.  Why would we allow someone with a bad history to manage the affairs of our Nation?  Should we not ask more questions, like would I trust this person to drive my child to school, or to be alone with my husband or wife?  Staying the course verse 11 tells us a fool always repeats their foolishness, they never accept correction.  And we made it to verse 12, “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”  A fool might respond to punishment but a person who is never wrong will not listen to counsel, you are wasting your time talking to them.

Let me close with Proverbs 1:7; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

 From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

King Solomon and honey

Proverbs 25:16

“If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.”

King Solomon must have been into keeping bees or at least having someone who talked to him about Gods amazing creatures.  In Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”  In Proverbs 24:13-14, Solomon is comparing honey to wisdom; “My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.  Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” And later in Proverbs 25:27-28, he gives this analogy of eating too much honey is like a man without self-control.  “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.   A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

I’ve been keeping honeybees for over 30 years and yet for many years in the Houston area I quit doing so.  Once more I have a couple of hives, and much has changed, and we have many problems that in the past were not there.  But this I’ve learned when taking the honey, if you begin to sample and then start eating the cuttings you will get to the point of almost being sick of honey.

Both Mark 1:6 and Matthew 3:4, in describing John the Baptist, talk about honey.  Mark has this to say; “John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.”  We find the Psalmist in 119:103, tells us the Word of God is like honey; “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

I've been so busy with many new projects that my bees have been ignored, and after reading and studying this, I’m ready to work my bees and see what the Lord has to provide for Jan and I, and the family.

Bob Rice

It requires the Spirit of God to understand

Proverbs 25:11-13

A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray.  A wise correction to a receptive ears, like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.

I’m a follower of Jesus and a conservative in the management of what rules I live life by.  When it comes to sin, I’ve been its friend, its victim, and I now understand that in me trying to get my needs met outside of Christ I am open to sin’s control.

So let me share how these verses speak to me, “Words mean something,” and a poor listener will often not understand what is said.  E-Mail and letters are often misunderstood.  My dad often came across as being angry when making a point, and I inherited that in my personality.

I've have been told I was ignorant, and I confess I am about many things, but then I do not know of anyone who is not.  I've never been a middle of the road type; I know what I believe and yet I have a lot to learn.  With that said I must confess I have little patience with those who have no desire to get understanding and have small or zero values.

So it comes down to what seems to me that if words mean something one should have a receptive ear to understand what is said before forming an opinion.  Many a person owns a Bible; I’ve read that the average home in the U.S.A. has 4.4 Bibles and yet most are never read, and often misquoted. 

The Scripture is very clear that it requires the Spirit of God living in a person to understand the Bible, you will find that in 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, ^“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

In that God has instructed each follower of Christ to be a trustworthy messenger, if you find the Bible hard to understand or uninspiring have you done what 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to do?  ^“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Now only you understand your relationship with Jesus and the Father, but if you fail the test, are you on the right path to a new beginning?  It is your choice, but if you are wanting to have a relationship it begins with asking God the Father to give you the faith needed to believe what Romans 10:9, teaches:  “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Exalt ones self

Proverbs 25:6-7

“Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.”

Jan and I did not attend any high school reunions until my 25^th, and it was a shock, people change, some had changed wives, others had changed husbands, and others did not have hair, and some of those cute little girls were not so little, and many of the guys had gained a few pounds.  Now if I had looked in the mirror, I might have seen a few changes in myself, and for one of the first times in my life, I was thankful for the picture buttons from High School they had given each person as we came through the door.

We looked for the few faces we might know, and I recall seeing Jerry Wheatley who was best man in our wedding.  Then I begin to see people who looked like they had not changed any, like Butch, Billy, Gail, James Roy, and Nancy. 

I will always recall sitting at one of the back tables and as others began to sit Jerry came back to our table and said, you and Jan are at the wrong table, but because there were no name tags on the table I wondered what he was talking about?  He said you are supposed to be sitting up front with the group you ran around with in school. 

 I was a little embarrassed, but pride soon replaced that and I was once more back with the in-group of my high school days.  But as I reflect on that, I did feel honored, but I also have realized how many beautiful people I missed seeing by wanting to be with the kids who were popular.   I was more of a groupie, far from being popular and was included because people like Jerry and James Roy liked to do some of the same things as I.

Years later I was also asked to give a talk at a national sales conference for my division, the person introducing me was one of my bosses and Kim knew that many in middle management did not want me to speak.  So Kim who is a great guy and I can say for sure the best person I worked for, and I worked for some very good ones that gave a defense of my career then introduced me.  It was very uncomfortable to follow that so-called introduction, but I was not nervous.

I had asked the Lord to speak through me, and He did, it was a compelling talk, and I used it to encourage a room full of young men and women and shared the many pitfalls of my own making and talked about how excellent Company 3M is to work for. 

In that, I was the last speaker of the night, the ones who came with an opinion of ill will went to the bar with the same attitude, but a few of those who were open to listening came and shared how needed that talk was and how much they would miss me.  I went back to the 3M Center ten years later, and only a hand full of people who knew me were there, and most did not know who I was and could care less.  That was very humbling, and guess what, they are doing great without me!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

New goals & new dreams

Proverbs 24:30-34

“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.  I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”

In the U.S.A., we have two groups a person does not talk about critically unless among good friends.  They are children and those who have retired from working from the job market.  Now I’m not about to talk about children, I’m not that brave, but since I am of the “retired” group, mostly “tired,” I dare to share what this Scripture means to me.

I’ve observed that this quote is not the marching orders for most retiree’s, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” (C.S. Lewis)  It is my opinion it should be everyone’s goal, for when we quit setting goals, having new projects, dreaming new dreams, sharing our lives with others, we begin to die. 

I enjoy giving and for me to give I’ve come up with a plan; I have a vegetable garden, and a wood shop and both require me spending time working in them.  The garden only produces by how well I prepare the soil, remove the weeds, and kill the bugs, lots of bugs.  The shop requires me first to be willing to share it with others who want to learn or need help with a project.  I spend time looking for new ways to make tools and things that help me as I work on projects.  I’m always looking to build something I have never tried before, and it is often a disaster, but I’m learning and that is all good.  The end game is I get to share my life with others, and life in the full is first a relationship with Jesus Christ and then others.

I’m not sure about you, but I know folks that all they do is travel, Jan and I also did some of that for a while, but then what?   I also know people who sit and let someone else do all the work like mowing the lawn, when they could be doing it, but they only watch others do it for them.  I’ve also visited the nursing home where the forgotten people of old age are put to die.  That is sad, and something all of us hope does not happen to us.

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”  Poverty may not be in the form of money but in your health, both your physical and mental health.

My dream is to honor my Lord, to serve others as He did and to be the best husband to Jan, dad to our daughter Natalie and her husband Byron, and our two wonderful grandsons, John Mark and Zachary David.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Life withot a plan

Proverbs 24:27

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

It seems like good advice but what good is good counsel if as a nation there are people you have branded their advice or counsel as nonsense?  Yes, in many countries and even people who live in free nations where the Scriptures are easy to obtain, many have an opinion about the source Christian’s refer to as the Holy Bible as not worthy of their valuable time.

But if one did read Proverbs 24:27 and wanted more information they would turn to King Solomon’s insights in 1Kings 5&6, and see how he organized things to build the Temple that is referred to as Solomon’s Temple.  Many years later Dr. Luke shared these words of counsel from our Lord, Jesus the Christ in Luke 14:28-29.   “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay, the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”

Many years ago as a young married man I was going to build a gazebo, it was going to be an octagonal structure in our backyard.  I bought some lumber and poles and began, how hard can it be, I had no plans and did not seek any advice I began, and for more years than I want to admit that mess was in our back yard, and it was a disaster.  Where did I go wrong?  I did not have a plan, did not ask for counsel, and did not have the skill set or money to do the job right, so I ended up with a mess.  I was not yet a follower of Christ, nor was I teachable, at this time of my life I was flying solo.

But what happens to a Nation that has publicly declared it has no God, it needs no God, such as China?  China has become a world power; she has people, lots of people, they offer cheap labor and have become one of the biggest manufacturers of other nations products.  China also has a five-year national urban development plan, where she has built over 100 what is now being called ghost cities.  The farms only know how to farm, we purpose to abandon that way of life and move to the town with no skills and no jobs, but at very high cost, but they did not come.  So the slogan, if you build it they will come has not worked for China.

Maybe China and you and I would be wise if we took the counsel of Solomon and much more important than Solomon, our Creator, Jesus Christ’s words in the gospel of Luke.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Living in the last days

Proverbs 24:24-25

“Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.  But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.”

The prophet Isaiah spoke about such people in Isaiah 5:20-21, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!”

When someone makes the statement, “We are living in the last days” it is my understanding that is one hundred percent correct.  May I explain why, on the cross, as Jesus was about to die, His last words to us were; “It is finished.”  What was finished He conquered death, sin, the grave, but also all that was written about Him in the prophets and in the Law of Moses had come to pass. 

Do you recall in Acts of the Apostles we find these encouraging words from two angels; “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  He is no longer on a cross, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and He is a promise keeper, He is coming back!

A quote from our lesson last week in adult Bible Study from Hebrews 8:1, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”  “Do you know what Jesus is sitting at God’s right-hand means for us?  It means His mission is complete.  His work is finished.  There is nothing left undone.  He has offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.  There is nothing we have to pay, no wrath we have to bear.  If we are united in Christ, nothing can take our complete forgiveness away from us.  Nothing can stop God’s project to transform us more and more into the image of our Savior.”  (Author unknown)

So as you explore the Revelation to John, you will see we are in such a time for Jesus’ soon return, but it has been that way for many years.  I’m sure you have noticed that the world is not improving, never have we in the United States of America seen such evil.  And you have seen it from the leadership, from the President down not all but in my life beginning with Nixon, many have become evil men who call good bad and encourage evil.  If I started to list names, it would do no good for many people, both male and female have allowed money and power to make them into tools of the devil.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What would a Billion Dollars do to your Life?

Proverbs 23:4-5

“Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it. As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.”

As of this day, many are making an investment in two jackpots worth $1.6 Billion in cash.  They are Mega Millions and Powerball.  It is the most massive drawing in U.S. lottery history; without a doubt, it would change one's life.  It's reported that if you won these Mega Millions, you could take home $904 million. 

Millions of people are pouring money into this investment, what are the odds of winning both jackpots, about one in 88 quadrillions. Now I am about as good in math as I am in grammar, so you understand I’m somewhat challenged, with math, but a quadrillion is a significant number!  If you came to me as an investor and said I have a new business and I would like you to invest in it.  My first question would be, how long before I get my investment back? You said it’s about 88 quadrillion chances you will never see it again but if we hit it, your set for life, would you invest?

As the saying goes, a fool and his money are soon parted, and one must ask what would 904 million do for your soul?  It is not a new question, it is one Jesus asked, and both Matthew and Mark gave an account of this in Scripture.  Shall we look at what Mark recorded; Mark 8:36-38, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

I had a young man out to work on my garage doors, and I ask him are you buying tickets for the big 1.6 Billion jackpot?  His answer was no sir, and so being a salesman I probed a little deeper.  The essence of our conversation was that neither he nor I were willing to allow that kind of trouble in our lives.  We got to the same point but came from different directions, and mine was I’ve lived a long time and found God can be trusted to meet all my needs.  The young man had served our country in the military and was very content with the life he had.  He also understood the problems that come with cash one has not earned and had read the accounts of others who had lost everything after winning a jackpot.

But if you ask what I would do with that kind of power and money, I must go back to the prayer of a wise man named Aqur.  “Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need.  Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the LORD?”  Or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A lack of Understanding

October 20, 2018

John 10:10

“ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

One Sunday morning as Jan and I were participating in an adult Bible Study in large class a man name Bill says to the teacher.  I’m furious at God for all the injustice and cruelty I seen as an assistant district attorney to children.

 

My first thought was, did I hear him correctly, and did this creation  say he was mad at his Creator?  But that is what he said, and old Bill is not just talking about my Creator, he is talking bad about my Father, and in my family.

I said how could you say such things, how could anyone be mad at God?

But now a few years have passed, and I’m no longer in that class, and I never see old Bill but one wonder, does Bill have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?   Does he have a time of sitting still with the Scriptures asking the Father to show him the truth, for Jesus, has made it clear in the Word of God, He is Truth.  You will find that in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  C.S. Lewis had this to say; “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.”

The questions I should have asked old Bill, was God just, when He ask His Son, His only Son to step out of heaven, where He was worship and become lower than the angels, by taking the form of a man?  Was God just when He asked Jesus to take your place on the Cross and die for your sins?  

I believe anyone who believes as old Bill has never understood grace, or mercy and love.  A young lady I met in a Law Witness at San Antonio many years ago name Carol had this to say about our Father. 

“Carol, “How much do you love me, Lord?”

God, “I love you so much Carol that I did not let my emotions and feelings for my Son get in the way of everything that had to happen to him for your sake.  I didn’t give in to the terrible hurt and anguish I felt as they rejected and beat my Son.  I never lost sight of what was best for you as I watched them mutilate and tear my Son’s body apart.  Your life is more important to me than preserving any dignity or thought for myself.”

I never saw Carol after that Lay Witness mission, she was just a teenager, but she understood Grace and God’s love in a way many of us should search and ask the Spirit of God to teach us.  Maybe you also have put yourself up as the moral authority on the question of God goodness, then let me share more of C.S. Lewis with you.

“Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael.” C. S. Lewis

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” – C.S Lewis

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” C.S. Lewis

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Moral Authority

Today I heard the Governor of Virginia say the reason he would not resign was that the State of Virginia needed a strong Moral Authority.  Is this the same Governor who said he was for a mother having her child but if after birth she desired to kill it, he was all for it.  He is not in trouble for that statement with the Democrat party or the people of Virginia for wanting to kill a child, no it is for blacking his face when he was a college student.  Am I missing something?

 I’m not well educated as is the governor, but his using the word moral authority; does it no longer mean an understanding of right and wrong?  The dictionary states; Moral is according to common standard of justice.  Let me state, I thank God I’m a Texan, that my governor encourages goodness and decency, and has a standard of that based on the Scriptures of what is right and that murder of a child is wrong.

It makes a person wonder if you are for killing those who are helpless, why not kill all the old people who can no longer add to the government funds through taxes?  In that you are such a strong moral authority, I bet that plan “B” after killing the helpless babies, are you for killing anyone that no longer holds value. 

Yes, governor, you have authority given you not by the people of Virginia, but by God, and it seems you have no fear of Him, the Bible is very clear that kind of man is a fool.  If I were giving you counsel, it is do not fear the voter or your party, fear God, for He takes no pleasure in fools.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Holy Catholic Church

The Holy Catholic Church

Ephesians 2:18-22

Now let’s be clear, all who are in Christ and He is in them, are the Church, let us be well-defined on what the Church of Jesus Christ is and is not.  First, it is not your denomination it is much bigger than that.  As a young man Jan and I were talking with Major Ian Thomas and in that, we had returned from England, I was an expert on the Church in England, (joke,) but I did say the Church of England seems so dead.  The Major looked at me and said: “ Young man the Church of England is powerful and very small, it is not like the promotional Church in the U.S.A. that shows up on Sunday morning but is not seen Monday through Saturday.”  I was very much aware he had just told me off, and it stuck with me in that I can recall it after all these years.

So what is the Church, look at Ephesians 2:18-22, “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” 

This Scripture teaches us that the Church’s foundation is Jesus Christ and built on the apostles and prophets, and you and I are that holy temple in the Lord.  The Church is one Spirit and is one body.  The apostle Peter makes this insight in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Now it took me years to believe God included me in the chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for his own possession, because of my performance, and feelings, not by the authority of Scriptures.  Jesus calls us a friend; have you entered into a friendship with Jesus?  The Father has a name for each of us we are His Children, and He knows our names.  We are of many races and backgrounds, but we are all one family, the Church, it has many members, but it is one body.

A quote from a great teacher; “Paul isn’t saying the church is a building made out of mortar and brick, but that we are the stones, the living stones, as 1 Peter 2:5 tells us. Each believer is part of this church just as each stone is part of a building. The church, the new temple, is still under construction. Every day, new stones are added. This new temple will not be finished until Jesus returns to consummate His kingdom. Christ is still building His church, not by adding cement but by adding people who are the stones that hold together in Him.” (R.C. Sproul)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Is Winning is Everything?

Proverbs 24:17-18

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”

A confession from the writer of the Back Porch, I’m a mess.  I often fall short in what this verse is teaching us.  I hope you are victorious in this area, for I’m hoping that you apply all the Scriptures you have been taught to your daily walk.

As one who follows Christ how are your actions stacking up with the above verses in Proverbs 24:17-18?  In 2018 in the U.S.A. we have a culture that wants to win at all cost, lying is ok if you win.  But is it?  Have we as a nation agreed with Harry Reid, the ex-Senate Majority Leader, from 2007 to 2015.  When asked years later if he regretted lying about Mitt Romney not paying his taxes, his reply was; we won didn’t we?

Is that the leadership you desire?  I do not believe in winning at all cost, for Jesus ask a question, what will you give in exchange for your soul?  I think the answer for many is power and money, and it is my belief that too many in our government live by that charter.  That is the bad news, but the good news is some do have integrity and values and are not willing to trade their souls for things that do not last.

Since I used Mr. Reid’s name, I just read that he has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer and that is not good at any age, much less 78.  So will you join me in praying that God’s healing hand will be on Mr. Reid and be with his family?

As I prayed for Mr. Reid, I was asking for the same mercy and grace that has been extended to me, by our Lord Jesus Christ.  I told the Lord what He knew before a word came from my mouth, I do not like Mr. Reid’s actions, his lack of integrity but he and his family need the Lord’s healing hand, and the truth of the gospel to penetrate their hearts. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Honey & Wisdom

Proverbs 24:13-13

"My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.   Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

For years I've had an interest in honeybees, they are a fantastic creation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Thirty-two years ago in Odem, Texas, Jan and I had fourteen hives and we took and gave away a lot of honey.  About three years ago I got a hive and in just one day it was gone, not the hive but the bees, so I'm not a quitter. And I now have had two hives for about two years and still have not been able to take honey.  But I am so looking forward to the day they fill up a box so I can enjoy some hill country honey.

When I read this verse, it came to my mind that King Solomon must have enjoyed honey and I wonder if the wisest man, who had an earthly dad, watches or worked with the honeybee?  In that, he compared the goodness of honey to wisdom for one's soul.  Once more what is the soul, it cannot be seen but it is always on display, for it is your mind, your will, and emotions?  One's personality, passion, and spirit come out of the soul, but it's the nonphysical aspect of a person.

So as honey is of value in many ways to your body, in the same way as wisdom is to one's soul.  But it must be something we have to search for, and it is not knowledge, for many a learned person is void of wisdom.  Maybe we will find the answer in the Scriptures?

Shall we begin in Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."  As we seek the answer our next verse is Proverbs 3:7, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil."  Next verses are Proverbs 4:6-7, "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.  The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." 

A word from King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:26, "For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, He gives the task of gathering and accumulating to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind."

The New Testament gives us this insight in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."  Shall we close for today with these words from the Apostle Paul found in Colossians 2:2-3, "My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

True religion is like the smallpox

Proverbs 24:10-12

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.  Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?”

A modern day Christian living in the USA, in 2019, does not expect hardship but King Solomon tells us it is a sure thing, and Jesus gave us this insight; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  In Isaiah 41:10, God is speaking through the prophet who also gave this encouragement; “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I’ve always been encouraged by men who live out their faith, like C.T. Studd, who said the following; “ True religion is like the smallpox.  If you get it, you give it to others, and it spreads.” I did not tell you, but C.T. Studd was a famous Cricketer, ”I do not say, don't play games or cricket and so forth. By all means play and enjoy them, giving thanks to Jesus for them. Only take care that games do not become an idol to you as they did to me. What good will it do for anybody in the next world to have been the best player that ever has been? And then think of the difference between that and winning souls for Jesus.”   This quote from Mr. Studd has never left me; "Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell."

I’ve often wondered why are we so timid when it comes to sharing the good news of what Christ has done for us?  Why do I not tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Lord, am I more concerned about the opinion of men than of bringing someone from darkness into the light?  

These are questions that weigh on my heart, how about you, how are you doing in the area of running a rescue shop within a yard of hell?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

It all about the Foundation

October 11, 2018

Proverbs 24: 3-6

“By wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.   A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

Both Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ words in their gospels, Matthew 7:24-27, and Luke 6:46-49, and let us see what they recall Jesus saying.  “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?  Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house he dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

When building a house, a marriage, a career, or your life and especially your spiritual life it must have a solid foundation.  When making my home in Spring Branch, the builder first had an engineering company do a soil sample to see how stable the ground was.  After doing so, they designed a foundation that was engineered to support the structure, and because my builder was wise, we did as the engineers told him to do.

So as one who is building a marriage, a career, or a family and you call your self a Christian, do you do what the Master Builder tells you to do, or do you lean to your own understanding.  The Master Builder, Jesus Christ is very clear on what happens when we believe our plan will work and ignores His.

One must ponder on what is being put into your rooms, in your marriage, it must be trust, respect, and all built on love and understanding.  As you look at the rooms in your house, it matters not what facet or time of life, where marriage, family, business, or relationships, are these items in your home?  Integrity is a must, an active prayer life, learning to serve others, building your life on wise counsel, and seeking God’s leadership for all the rooms in your home.  If you rely on stuff, putting self-first, and how one looks, or wealth, the storms are coming, and it will fail. What are you filling the rooms within your marriage, family, business, and the many relationships of neighbors, friends, and family?

What about your family, dad’s is it all about you and what you desire, is golf, sports, and making money the number one priority, or is it investing in your growth in holiness and the spiritual growth of your wife and children.  All of the above have some amount of importance, but if you are not building a spiritual foundation not just for yourself but your family when the storms come, and they will come, it will fail.

What about counseling?  Men seem to have a problem with doing that and one wonders why could it be pride; do you see men who seek counsel as weak men? That is a lie from the pit; one only has to look at Scripture to know it is a lie.  But before one picks counselors, they should pray and ask God to send the right men to mentor or counsel them.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice