Some Things Work Better Together

 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 and 13 (NKJV) 

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:  You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many. 

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,  but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,  that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts.

And yet I show you a more excellent way.[1] (emphasis added)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked,  thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.[2] 

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[1] https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_corinthians/12.htm 

[2] https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_corinthians/13.htm

There is Hope

A day is coming, hopefully soon, when Jesus Christ will return from heaven to take His redeemed out of this world.  When He does, we will go to be with Him forever.  As we are caught up, those who have died in Christ will be resurrected from the dead, and given new immortal bodies, while those who are living will be transformed into new immortal bodies.  Praise God!  Even so come, Lord Jesus! 

 

Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 

But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”  Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.  And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.  There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 

“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” 

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

(1Corinthians 15:34-58 NKJV)  https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_corinthians/15.htm 

 

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

(1Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV) https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_thessalonians/4.htm

 

After the End Times are finished, we will enjoy forever the blessed promises given to us in God’s Holy Word:

 

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  Then I,  John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

(Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV) https://biblehub.com/nkjv/revelation/21.htm 

 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

(Romans 8:28-30 NKJV) https://biblehub.com/nkjv/romans/8.htm 

 

You can have this blessed hope, too.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

(John 3:16-21 NKJV)  https://biblehub.com/nkjv/john/3.htm

 

Issues for the 2022 Midterm Election - National Defense

The latest voter opinion polls vary considerably about which issues American voters find to be most important.  The most recent poll I read was a Fox News poll of registered voters taken October 9-12, 2022.  It showed (in order of importance) that voters found: 

1. Inflation/Higher Prices,
2. Higher Crime Rates,
3. the Russia/Ukraine Situation,
4. What’s Taught in Schools,
5. and Abortion[1] 

 to be most important to them. 

Other polls listed the Economy, Immigration, Climate Change, Guns, Voting Policies, Energy, Race Relations, and Foreign Policy (among others) as their most important issues for 2022.[2] 

National Defense was notably absent from any of the lists I found.  It would be interesting to know why?  Were respondents offered the opportunity choose National Defense as an issue of importance to them?  If not, then why not?  Was it an error of omission by the pollsters, or did they exclude National Defense on purpose?  If it was excluded on purpose, then why? 

I believe that National Defense is an issue that is vital to the continued existence of the United States of America as we know it.  Let me explain why I think voters must vote for candidates who favor a strong National Defense.  Hopefully, I can raise the consciousness of a few of my fellow citizens on this issue before November 8^th. 

At times, an issue may be understood when studied by itself, or by considering it and two or three variables that influence outcomes.  Often, issues are part of a dynamic in which many things are interrelated.  Our ability to defend our country is impacted by many of the other issues voters say they are concerned with in the upcoming elections in 2022 and (hopefully) in 2024. 

Voters are concerned about the Economy.  Our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has posted negative growth for the previous two quarters of 2022.  Traditionally, a recession is defined by two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.  There is some disagreement among the experts about whether we are in a recession, but it is clear that the U.S. economy is not performing well.  Our government’s primary source of revenue comes from taxing economic activity.  When the government spends more money than it takes in, the result is called deficit spending.  Accumulated deficits become the national debt. Our current national debt is $31,148,224,201,748. (31 trillion dollars)  Opinion varies as to how much debt we can accumulate before we are forced to default.  It seems clear to me that, without large annual revenue surpluses, we will not be able to reduce the national debt significantly, let alone pay it off.  To compound the severity of the problem, the government has embarked on programs that will increase federal spending by trillions of dollars.  The result has been another issue of concern to voters in 2022 – Runaway Inflation. 

The Biden Administration has shut down American energy production.  The result has been higher fuel and utility prices, which are contributing to inflation.  President Biden has attempted to lower fuel prices by increasing the supply of oil.  He has asked oil producing countries to increase their oil production, and he has released oil from our strategic reserves.  The result has been a small, temporary reduction of the price of refined petroleum products.  However, these actions have damaged our ability to defend ourselves.  Other nations have lost confidence in our competence to govern ourselves and to lead the free world.  Further, if we have to go to war without strategic oil reserves, what will we use to fuel our ships, airplanes, and tanks – fumes? 

Despite some improvement during the Trump Administration, too much of our productive capacity remains overseas.  Many things like computers, shoes, batteries for our electronic vehicles, and pharmaceuticals are made in China.  In an ill-considered statement during an interview recently, President Biden said that he would use American military personnel to defend Taiwan if the Chinese invaded.  Now, help me understand because I’m getting a little older myself.  How, pray tell, are we going to fight China if we are getting the things we need to support our troops and our home front from them? 

The history of modern warfare shows us that, in most cases, the nation with the most resources, money, and productive capacity is the nation that will prevail in a shooting war.  See how it all works together to make us or break us?  Our present government is flushing our economic power and the value of our money down the toilet.  In short, the United States cannot afford to fight a big war for any length of time, and our adversaries know it. 

It has been obvious for a long time that the Democrats want to keep themselves in power by providing social programs that will make large groups of Americans dependent on the government for one or more of them.  Military spending takes away from the government’s ability to fund more and bigger social programs.  Consequently, whenever they are in control in Washington, D.C. the Democrats limit military spending.  In the Clinton and Obama Administrations, the cuts were drastic.  Acting on ideology, rather than on pragmatism, President Obama also unilaterally reduced our nuclear capabilities in the futile hope our adversaries would follow suit.  It didn’t happen.  They know that in international relations it is important to deal with other nations from a position of strength. So, if International Relations is an important issue to voters in 2022, we must understand that International Relations do not exist in a vacuum. 

When military appropriations remain static, or are reduced, one of the areas that is affected is weapons development, production, and distribution.  Since World War II, the United States has faced adversaries with numerically superior forces.  The only way that we have been able to hold the strategic advantage is through superior weaponry and the nuclear deterrent.  Presently, we can see how the effectiveness of American and NATO weapons has helped the Ukrainians in their struggle with Russia.  We have, however, lost much of the lead we had in weapons development, and we must elect leaders who understand the importance of getting it back.

The issue of Education is related to the National Defense.  As weapons systems become more sophisticated, our war fighters need to have strong educational backgrounds in Science, Mathematics, Geography, Engineering, and Computer Science to operate them and assist in their development and improvement. 

Much as I hate to advocate for increased spending, I believe it is imperative for the United States to have enough military power to simultaneously defend our interests and our allies on three fronts … Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.  To help offset increased military spending, it is important to cut spending on social programs and remove the need for them by bringing our industrial production back home.  People with high paying jobs do not need social programs. 

China has built a powerful navy, tested weapons in outer space, has a first-rate air force, and has nearly achieved parity with the United States in military strength.  Despite their poor showing in Ukraine, Russia remains a formidable military power, with land based hypersonic missile systems that can evade anti-missile defenses and are capable of delivering nuclear warheads.  There are reports that the Russians will soon deploy hypersonic missiles on some of their surface vessels and on submarines.  North Korea has nuclear weapons and large conventional forces.  They continue to develop more sophisticated delivery systems for their nuclear weapons.  Iran will become a nuclear power in the foreseeable future.  They have missiles capable of striking targets in the Middle East and Europe. 

The Chinese, Russians, Iranians, and North Koreans are forming mutually supporting diplomatic and economic relationships.  They are not blind.  They know that the United States cannot fight all of them at once.  It is entirely possible that they might agree to act simultaneously to achieve their various ambitions by using military force.  What would happen if China invaded Taiwan, North Korea invaded South Korea, Russia attacked Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland, and Iran and other Middle Eastern countries attacked Israel – all at the same time? 

Americans, we do not need to panic or start digging holes in our backyards.  We do need to elect leaders in 2022 and 2024 who have some sense of the real problems we face that may mean the difference between the survival of our society as we know it, or living with an oppressor’s boot on our necks.  No joke.  Vote the Democrats and RINO Republicans out of office – now.

 

 

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[1] https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-polarization-defines-midterm-election

 

[2] https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/23/midterm-election-preferences-voter-engagement-views-of-campaign-issues/