Sunspots 725

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity:  A Sojourners writer points out that churches for African Americans in Louisiana, burned recently, were just as sacred as Notre Dame. 

Finance: Catherine Rampell reports that multinational financial institutions have quickly gotten over their outrage at the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

Food: (and politics?) NBC News, and other outlets, report that the government is planning to stop regulating how many cherries are in frozen cherry pies. Seriously.

Health: (or something) Gizmodo reports that some entity poured lots of wet concrete into the London sewer system. Bad idea.

Politics: Catherine Rampell doesn't want a question on citizenship included in the 2020 census.

On the Mueller report: NPR reports that, based on Mueller's work, there were several people, associates of the President, but did not carry out his orders to do questionable things. Good for them!

Science: Gizmodo reports on the discovery of an ancient, and very large predatory mammal.

Scientific American uses an experiment which found some cell function in pig brains, a few hours after the brains had been removed, to ask questions about when, and if, to harvest organs for transplant.

Scientific American also reports that "bubble boy" disease (a non-functioning immune system) can be fixed, by correcting mistakes in the child's own DNA.

Gizmodo reports that the US Department of Agriculture is undercutting the system of peer review of scientific reports, which system has been in place for several decades, and works.
 
The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 75

As his book comes toward an end, Watson lists ways that a believer shows that she has divine contentment:

How may a Christian know that he hath learned this lesson of contentment? I shall lay down some characters by which you shall know it.

Character 1st. A contented spirit is a silent spirit; he hath not one word to say against God; “I was dumb and silent, because thou didst it.” (Ps. 39. 9) Contentment silenceth all dispute: “he sitteth alone and keepeth silence.” (La. 3. 28) There is a sinful silence; when God is dishonoured, his truth wounded, and men hold their peace, this silence is a loud sin; and there is a holy silence, when the soul sits down quiet and content with its condition. When Samuel tells Eli that heavy message from God, that he would “judge his house, and that the iniquity of his family should not be purged away with sacrifice forever,” (1 Sa. 3. 13,14) doth Eli murmur or dispute? no, he hath not one word to say against God: “it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.” A discontented spirit saith as Pharaoh, “who is the Lord?” why should I suffer all this? why should I be brought into this low condition? “who is the Lord?” But a gracious heart saith, as Eli, “it is the Lord,” let him do what he will with me. When Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, had offered up strange fire, and fire went from the Lord and devoured them, (Le. 10. 1) is Aaron now in a passion of discontent? no, “Aaron held his peace.” A contented spirit is never angry unless with himself for having hard thoughts of God. When Jonah said, “I do well to be angry,” this was not a contented spirit, it did not become a prophet.

Character 2d. A contented spirit is a cheerful spirit; the Greeks call it euthema. Contentment is something more than patience; for patience denotes only submission, contentment denotes cheerfulness. A contented Christian is more than passive; he doth not only bear the cross, but take up the cross. (Mat. 6. 24) He looks upon God as a wise God; and whatever he doth, though it be not willingly, yet sensibly, it is in order to a cure. Hence the contented Christian is cheerful, and with the apostle, “takes pleasure in infirmities, distresses,” &c. (2 Cor. 12. 10) He doth not only submit to  God’s dealings, but rejoice in them; he doth not only say, “just is the Lord in all that hath befallen me,” but “good is the Lord.” This is to be contented. A sullen melancholy is hateful. It is said, “God loveth a cheerful giver,” (2 Cor. 9. 7) aye and God loves a cheerful liver. We are bid in Scripture, “not to be careful,” but we are not bid not to be cheerful. He that is contented with his condition, doth not abate of his spiritual joy; and indeed he hath that within him which is the ground of cheerfulness; he carries a pardon sealed in his heart. (Mat. 9. 2)

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays.

My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.
  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. (World English Bible, public domain.)  

Sunspots 724

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

The Arts: (And Christianity) Reviews of Mary Magdalene in Relevant, and Plugged In.

Yo-Yo Ma plays Bach on his cello, near the border, in Texas.
Christianity: Relevant has a good article on things newlyweds should know, but probably didn't learn about in church (if at all).


Computing: Google doesn't index everything. Here are some suggestions on how to find things that Google can't.

Christianity Today reports on a statement by evangelical leaders (mostly Southern Baptists) about the implications of artificial intelligence.

Finance: (and politics) Catherine Rampell on why confirming Herman Cain and/or Stephen Moore to the Federal Reserve Board would be a disaster. (I don't believe that either of them have been officially nominated yet, but the President is making noises about doing so.)

Rampell also tells us about what she says is a sensible tax plan, which would help working families, but should have Republican support.

Philosophy: (and Christianity, and History) Joel Edmund Anderson on the question of the source of morality.


Politics: (and health) A USA Today opinion writer, a psychologist, with experience in dealing with dementia, believes that President Trump has dementia.

Michael Gerson warns about the dangers of the partisanship which is so prevalent in our society.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 74

Watson continues to describe how a Christian grows:

He grows in the exercise of his grace; he hath not only oil in his lamp, but his lamp is also burning and shining. Grace is agile and dexterous. Christ’s vine do flourish; (Ca. 6. 11) hence we read of “a lively hope, (1 Pe. 1. 3) and “a ferverent love;” (1 Pe. 1. 22) here is the activity of grace. Indeed sometimes grace is a sleepy habit of the soul, like sap in the vine, not exerting its vigour, which may be occasioned through spiritual sloth, or by reason of falling into some sin; but this is only for a while: the spring of grace will come, “the flowers will appear, and the fig tree put forth her green figs.” The fresh gales of the Spirit do sweetly revive and refacilitate grace. The church of Christ, whose heart was a garden, and her graces as precious spices, prays for the heavenly breathings of the Spirit, that her sacred spices might flow out. (Ca. 6. 16)

A true Christian grows both in the kind and in the degree of grace. To his spiritual living he gets an augmentation, he adds to “faith, virtue: to virtue, knowledge: to knowledge, temperance,” &c. (2 Pe. 1. 5,6) Here is grace growing in its kind. And he goes on “from faith to faith;” (Ro. 1. 17) there is grace growing in the degree; “we are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, because your faith groweth exceedingly;” (2 Th. 1. 3) it increaseth over and above. And the apostle speaks of those spiritual plants which were laden with gospel-fruit. (Ph. 1. 11) A Christian is compared to the vine, (an emblem of fruitfulness) he must bear full clusters: we are bid to perfect that which is lacking in our faith. (1 Th. 3. 10) A Christian must never be so old as to be past bearing; he brings forth fruit in his old age. (Ps. 92. 14) An heaven-born plant is ever growing; he never thinks he grows enough; he is not content unless he add every day one cubit to his spiritual stature. We must not be content just with so much grace as will keep life and soul together, a drachm or two will not suffice, but we must be still increasing, “with the increase of God.” (Col. 2. 19) We had need renew our strength as the eagle. (Is. 40. 31) Our sins are renewed, our wants are renewed, our tentations are renewed, and shall not our strength be renewed? O be not content with the first embryo of grace; grace in its infancy and minority! You look for degrees of glory, be ye Christians of degrees. Though a believer should be contented with a modicum on his estate, yet not with a modicum in religion. A Christian of the right breed labours still to excel himself, and come nearer to that holiness in God, who is the original, the pattern, and prototype of all holiness.

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays.

My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.
  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. (World English Bible, public domain.)  

What the Bible does say about End Times

I'm uncertain about when what is going to happen, as regards End Times. Christ said that He was coming back, and we should be ready. He also said that even He didn't know the timing of these events. To me, trying to figure out when (or if) there will be a Rapture, when the Tribulation will be in relation to the Rapture, when, and how long the Millennium will be, and other such event timings can divert believers from the main purpose of the Gospel, and cause unnecessary conflicts with the Body of Christ. See here for a discussion of the difficulty of predicting future events, judging by scriptural fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the New Testament.

But (duh!) it recently occurred to me that there are things about End Times that we can be certain of, even if we don't know when, or in what order, they may occur. Here's a probably partial list of what the Bible has to say about things that will happen:

Promises of what’s to come (from World English Bible, public domain)

Reward to the faithful: Matthew 13:43a Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.

Matthew 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47 Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.

Matthew 20:23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

New, resurrected bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:42b The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body. 53 For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Earth remade: 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness, 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

Romans 8:19 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.

Death destroyed: 1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

John 11:23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”

Job 19:25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth.

Being with Christ: Revelation 22:2 On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

Thanks for reading!

Sunspots 723

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

 
Christianity: The He Lives blog on what theistic evolution (aka evolutionary creationism) is, and is not.


Finance: Catherine Rampell hopes that President Trump does not appoint Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve.

Food: The Trump administration is being sued by some states, because of roll-backs in standards for school lunches.

Health: FiveThirtyEight discusses the unfairness of the organ donation system.

Politics: S. E. Cupp says that Democrats have repeatedly made errors in reacting to President Trump, and they are doing it again on the Muller Report.

The Associated Press on the recent shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security.

The Associated Press has fact-checked many of President Donald Trump's recent utterances. He has gotten a lot wrong, including where his father was born (!). And he also has been far from the truth on immigration, healthcare, hurricane aid for Puerto Rico, and other issues.

Science: Scientific American reports that cats recognize their names (although the reaction is often not what the owner wants.)

Gizmodo reports that gorillas may grieve for their dead.

Sports: (and race) Kyle Korver, long-time NBA player, who is white, has written an essay on racism.

Sports Illustrated on the struggles, and triumph, of the NCAA women's champion basketball team, Baylor.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.

Thanks for looking!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 73

Toward the end of his book, Watson tells us how a Christian grows:

A true Christian grows in beauty. Grace is the best complexion of the soul; it is at the first plantation, like Rachel, fair to look upon; but still the more it lives, the more it sends forth its rays of beauty. Abraham’s faith was at first beautiful; but at last did shine in its orient colours, and grew so illustrious, that God himself was in love with it, and makes his faith a pattern to all believers.

A true Christian grows in sweetness. A poisonous weed may grow as much as the hyssop or rosemary, the poppy in the field as the corn, the crab as the pearmain; but the one hath a harsh sour taste, the other mellows as it grows: an hypocrite may grow in outward dimensions, as much as a child of God, he may pray as much, profess as much: but he grows only in magnitude, he brings forth only sour grapes, his duties are leavened with pride; the other ripens as he grows; he grows in love, humility, faith, which do mellow and sweeten his duties, and make them come off with a better relish. The believer grows as the flower, he casts a fragrancy and perfume.

A true Christian grows in strength: he grows still more rooted and settled. The more the tree grows, the more it spreads its root in the earth: a Christian who is a plant of the heavenly Jerusalem, the longer he grows, the more he incorporates into Christ, and sucks spiritual juice and sap from him; he is a dwarf in regard of humility, but a giant in regard of strength, — he is strong to do duties, to bear burdens, resist temptations.

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays.

My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.
  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. (World English Bible, public domain.)  

Sunspots 722

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: resurrecting orthodoxy has a fine review (I haven't read the book, so I think it's a fine review) of John Walton's new book on how people in Bible times understood the Torah. Says resurrecting orthodoxy: "Someone who scoffs at the valuable insights scholars try to give about the Bible is someone who is not serious about understanding the Bible." 

Computing: (and Politics) A Section 230 of a law, passed a number of years ago, which protects on-line publishers, and means, for example, that this blog is not liable for the articles it links to, is now under attack. Gizmodo says that it shouldn't be.

Education: Grammarphobia tells us how to punctuate "yada yada yada," "blah blah blah" etc.

Health: (or something) Relevant reports on a survey that indicates that we are having less sex now than we used to.

(and Politics) Catherine Rampell says that if Republicans develop an alternative to Obamacare, it will look a lot like Obamacare.

Humor: (or something) Listverse tells us 10 interesting things about horses.


Politics: (And Finance) Catherine Rampell is unhappy with the President's choice to fill a vacancy on the Federal Reserve.

FiveThirtyEight has an essay on the differences within the Republican Party.

Relevant has compiled what Democratic candidates for President have said about their faith. (Some haven't said much, some have said quite a bit.)

S. E. Cupp says that all Presidents, and candidates for that office, should be as thoroughly scrutinized as President Trump has been.

Catherine Rampell reminds us that we still haven't seen President Trump's tax returns, and what we might learn if and when we do. She understands that he is not legally bound to let us (or Congress) see them, unless Congress asks for them.

Michael Gerson believes that the President is very wrong in his desire to cut off aid to Central American countries.

Science: Gizmodo reports on a study of the positions animals take when they relax.

NPR reports that up-to-date astronomical discoveries are being translated into Blackfoot, a native American language, by the mother of one of the scientists. She has had to make up words for some scientific terms.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain. 

Thanks for looking!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 72

As he comes toward the end of his book, Watson gives three warnings. This is the third of these:
3d. The third caution is, though in every condition we must be content, yet we are not to content ourselves with a little grace. Grace is the best blessing. Though we should be contented with a competency of estate, yet not with a competency of grace. It was the end of Christ’s ascension to heaven, to give gifts; and the end of those gifts, “that we may grow up into him in all things who is the head, even Christ. (Ep. 4. 15) Where the apostle distinguisheth between our being in Christ, and our growing in him; our ingratifying, and our flourishing; be not content with a modicum in religion.

It is not enough that there be life, but there must be fruit. Barrenness in the law was accounted a curse: the farther we are from the fruit, the nearer we are to cursing. (He. 6. 8) It is a sad thing when men are fruitful only in the unfruitful works of darkness. Be not content with a drachm or two of grace; next to a still-born, a starveling in Christ is worse. O covet more grace! never think thou hast enough. We are bid to covet the best things. (1 Cor. 12. 31) It is an heavenly ambition when we desire to be high in God’s favour, a blessed contentation when all the strife is who shall be most holy. St Paul, though he was content with a little of the world, yet not with a little grace: “he reached forward, and pressed towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Ph. 3. 13,14)

A true Christian is a wonder; he is the most contented, and yet the least satisfied; he is contented with a morsel of bread, and a little water in the cruise, yet never satisfied with grace; he doth pant and breathe after more; this is his prayer, “Lord, more conformity to Christ, more communion with Christ; he would fain have Christ’s image more lively pictured upon his soul. True grace is always progressive; as the saints are called lamps and stars, in regard of their light, so trees of righteousness, (Is. 61. 3) for their growth: they are indeed like the tree of life, bringing forth several sorts of fruit.

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays.

My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.
  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. (World English Bible, public domain.)  

Sunspots 721

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Computing: PC Magazine tells us about some ways to use Google Calendar that you probably don't know about. (Anyone with a Google account and an internet connection can use Google Calendar.)

Gizmodo reports on the sophistication of various methods of phishing. Scary.

Your Android device may have anti-virus software that is not as good as it should be.

Gizmodo reports that t he CEO of AT&T apparently got a robocall while he was giving a presentation.

Education: (and Finance, and Politics) The Associated Press reports that some Republican state legislators, and governors, have suddenly become supporters of public schools.

Humor: (or something) Listverse tells us 10 interesting things about horses.


Politics: S. E. Cupp examines the field of Democratic candidates for President. She concludes that only Oprah Winfrey (who isn't running) can beat the President.

Catherine Rampell discusses socialism, and analyzes the President's warnings about it.

Science: There is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, but Gizmodo reports that a woman has won the equivalent Abel prize, and discusses her contributions.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
Thanks for looking!

Christians are expected to grow

1 Thessalonians 3:12a and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men

Matthew 7:19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

Mark 4:8 Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”

Part of John 15:4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (Implies growth!)

2 Corinthians 10:15b having hope that as your faith grows, we will be abundantly enlarged by you in our sphere of influence,

Ephesians 4:11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds;

Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby. 14 But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

1 Peter 2:1 Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,

2 Peter 3:18a But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The scripture above is quoted from the World English Bible, public domain. There are probably other passages that encourage and expect growth in the Christian life.

Thanks for reading. I mistakenly posted part of my series on Divine Contentment on the 20th. God willing, that series will resume on March 31.