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When the Lord says His mercy endures forever, it does NOT mean His mercy will forever be available. If that were the case, there would be no reason to fear judgment, would there? The most lawless of beings could do as they please in life, then repent before the Judge of creation to receive mercy & pardon for his crimes. So much for justice! Even the Devil would get off scot-free. On this Earth, it is said that justice is blind; but scripture plainly depicts that God is not.

When He sits & the books are opened that record the content of our lives, it will be too late to seek mercy. Those who have received mercy in Christ Jesus will find that it carries them beyond the proceedings. Having been acquitted, their pardon will never expire; THIS is how the mercy of God they have received endures forever. MERCY ENDURES FOREVER, BUT THE TIME IT IS AVAILABLE DOES NOT!

The Word says that God is not reluctant to fulfill His promise, but is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would receive His gift of eternal life. If the will of God was always satisfied on the Earth, there would be no sin, & therefore Christ would not have been crucified. Sadly, His will is not always done in this world. He is never surprised when that happens — He knows the outcome before every beginning — but He kindly provides every meaningful opportunity for men to repent. Once the response to those opportunities dries up, there is no point in offering more.

For those who receive Him & the hope of salvation, waiting for the fulfillment of His promise takes a toll. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) We stand by faith on His promise, but faith has limits. Jesus was always amazed by how little faith His own hand-picked disciples displayed! Nevertheless, His prayer in John chapter 17 stated that of all the Father had given Him, He had lost none, except for the son of perdition (Judas), that the scripture might be fulfilled.

My point is, do you think the Father will delay sending Him for us until some of us slip through His fingers? Will Jesus have to amend His statement, because the delay was too much & the faith of some in His hand was inadequate to cope with it? When and if we die physically, He will resurrect us; we know that is in His power. But if our faith in His word fails and passes away, a second spiritual redemption would be meaningless, since He was unable to maintain the life He provided the first time around. I know there are those who will say that man’s failure is his own, it does not reflect on Christ. But if our trust truly IS in Christ, I don’t believe HE would agree with that. To take that stand, He would cast aside His responsibility as our Shepherd, which HE WILL NOT DO!

He who spared not His own Son does not spare us from pain & difficulty, either, but He will not take us so far down that road that He nullifies the good He has accomplished by losing us! One of the last things Jesus cried out on the cross was “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” The agony in that cry is heartrending, but because He endured that moment, we’ll never have to! Which of us COULD? What if Jesus had said, ‘Because You have forsaken Me, You are no longer my God!’ That would have rendered His crucifixion POINTLESS, & we would have no hope of salvation at all. If Jesus could not have endured the cross faithfully, the Father’s act of mercy on our behalf would have been nullified. He DIDN’T put more on His Son than He could endure, so rest assured He won’t do that to us, either.

Job once stated, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Jesus didn’t say that, but He did it, and now His name is exalted higher than any other in heaven or on earth. We always have the choice to turn from faith in Him, but if we hold to it, He’ll sustain it, even if it’s less than perfect. When we see Him, it will be revived, for HE IS OUR TREE OF LIFE!

Today I posted a title for the book in progress on my page “More Foolishness”. It seems like a milestone to me, something permanent to replace the generic working title I’ve been using. The strikethrough makes it unique. My fun explanation for it is that I have Erin proofreading my draft & she took exception to my original title, so she lined it out and made the change. I respect her opinion and appreciate her input; also, I’m all too aware of her ability to persuade me to see things her way, so I’m not about to make an issue of it. Smart people pick their battles, & I choose not to have this one! I left the correction in place because I’m not sure her description of me truly fits, but I’m not about to argue the point. It’s not that important.

On Tuesday 10/15 at about 2:15 in the afternoon, I began experiencing pain between the shoulder blades. Two days earlier, I had a similar episode that lasted nearly 2 hours & left me exhausted, but it passed. This time, it intensified & pushed forward to my chest, radiating out to both arms, particularly the left, but only to the elbows. After Mom prayed with me, I consulted with the clinic where my doctor practices & decided to go to the ER. (I have to feel like I’m dying to do that!)

Arriving at 6 p.m., it was 9 p.m. by the time I was informed that I had a heart attack. I was admitted to the hospital & administered Heparin (a blood thinner) for the symptoms, which slowly subsided. An angiogram showed a rare condition the cardiologist called a dissected artery. The inside layer of an artery near the heart separates to obstruct blood flow, which stresses the pump & causes the pain. The prognosis is GOOD; the condition will heal, eventually, on its own. The patient is not stented, but placed on blood thinners for 1 year so the flow will not be impeded while the vessel heals. The condition is found in women more than men — the doctor said that in 30 years of practice, I am the 3rd man he has treated for it. I always knew I was a bit weird; this just bears it out!

Before being released Friday morning, he told me my heart is strong & my vessels are otherwise clear & healthy, with no evidence of plaque or clots. I thank the Lord for that! As I told them at the ER & in my room later, I have no problem with death — it just means I’m going to be with Jesus — but I REALLY dislike pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, at its worst my pain was a 12 for nearly 90 minutes. I have no desire to repeat that feeling!

Anyway, that’s why my story & my blog have been neglected in recent days. I’m doing better now. It’s satisfying that my lifestyle & dietary habits IN NO WAY contributed to this event (not just my opinion, but the doctor’s, as well; I asked!) Not many people are told that! My Master had a purpose for allowing this event to take place, He assured me, & I believe Him. If He uses me in a way that seems rough or careless, He doesn’t do so frivolously. I have a son. When he is in pain, it hurts me to see it; so I have an idea how it rends His heart when we cry out to Him. Like Jesus, who suffered more than I ever will, GOOD will come out of what I have to endure, even if I don’t see it yet. The time will come when He will show it to me proudly, His arm around my shoulders. I can wait for that — barely!

Yesterday I posted the page ‘More Foolishness, explained’. It exposed me even more than my story already does, which is not smart in a world where people amuse themselves by tearing down peers who display vulnerability. Ah well, my blog is aptly named & I am a fool, but at least I recover some value by being a fool for Christ! He said we should not cast our pearls before the swine, yet He is the pearl of great price that costs everything. The gospel by which He comes to us is the greatest treasure we have on this Earth, yet we are instructed to cast it out like a fisherman’s net again & again. Our most prized valuable is constantly cast before swine at His command!

Why does He put us in such a predicament? One, to prove us faithful. We overcome the world by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of our testimony. It completes the victory we obtain in Christ our Lord. Two, to reap a harvest. Salvation is propagated via the gospel; there is no other way for people to obtain it. The saved vindicate Jesus’ work on the cross, else it would have been pointless! Three, the swine must be judged. What people do with THIS pearl is the basis on which they will be judged!

The desire of my heart, which is to have unreserved companionship (like Allen is blessed with in my story; Erin is so amazing!) & to bear fruit in Christ (I don’t want to be ashamed in His presence, folks) seems very unrealistic. I am without reputation & beneath the notice of most everyone. When I speak, my voice is lost among millions of others who have better platforms than I do. What are the chances that anything will come of my feeble efforts? Astronomical is a good term to describe it. The thing is, I don’t rely on my chances. I am relying on Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. He loves me & sees the motivation of my heart. I am convinced that what He sees in me moves Him, so He will grant my request!

(If you are one of the dozen or so who haven’t watched Endgame, spoilers are ahead.)

We’d have to listen close to hear what they say. Their voices would be tiny, given their small size. I recently watched “Avengers: Endgame” (oh, yeah, I grew up on those comics & still have a soft spot for them.) It seemed to me that the one on Scott Lang’s dashboard had something to say. If anyone missed it, I thought I’d relay it here. The voice sounded a lot like Stan Lee grumbling — this is what it said:

“Come in here & destroy half my creation? You big purple party pooper! 14 million to 1 chance of getting away with it? I don’t give a rat’s — well, you know, what the odds are! The apparently random footstep of common vermin will begin a chain of events that will be your undoing. This is MY endgame & I have a different outcome in mind!

“Oh, and Josh, don’t go snapping your fingers in MY house again! If you feel the urge to do that coming on, take it to the DC universe next time! Don’t make me set Deadpool on your trail; NO ONE needs that kind of hassle!”

Getting ‘Stan the Man’ riled was never a wise choice! If any decide to take issue with what I’ve written here, let me remind you that you are reading a blog that calls itself Foolishness. What did you expect?

If history is ‘his story’, then whose story is it?  Publishing gives credit to the author, regardless of the content, whether fictional or non-fiction.  Characters in the story are just that; the story belongs to the teller.  If he is a man, then like a man the story has a beginning & an end.  Man admits freely that he was not always here, so necessitating some kind of pre-history that tugs at the imagination.  Any evidence of intelligent behavior having been at work in prehistoric times challenges explanation.  If man wasn’t responsible for the evidence, then who was?

Everything changes if God is the storyteller.  Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,” leaves no room for prehistoric notions.  He is the beginning and the end, so it is impossible to look outside His story; there is no such time & place.  There are other created beings (angels) that predate humans in the order of God’s handiwork (angels in day two, man in day six of creation.)  If one does not accept the Biblical account, he will have to turn to ancient alien theory, which basically just kicks the can down the road.  Then the question arises, where did the aliens come from?

Folks who don’t know where they come from CAN’T know where they are going!  That may sound like it opens unlimited possibilities, and maybe it does; but like religious freedom, it does NOT ensure a good outcome.  The freedom to worship what you will as you will allows for the truth that is Christ Jesus; however, that freedom does not benefit the one who rejects Him!  Likewise, mankind charting his own future doesn’t necessarily lock the species into a future of grand adventure.  Unlimited options are narrowed down with every step taken, every choice to proceed, & every day lived.  I can say that with authority because death is inevitable for all of us.  Only Jesus can continue the story, because He alone has conquered death!