Snips 3

Snips 3                                    November 2017

Together

When attaching two pieces of metal, the material and method for doing so must be stronger than the pieces which are attached.   In Kansas City many years ago a large number of people were killed when a balcony collapsed during a celebration.   The balcony was solid and well built but the developer had cheated the materials used to connect to the walls.   In marriage it is the same. The wills of the man and the woman will vary just as the steel of the balcony, but the covenant between them can stand if it is well designed. The marriage vows, when agreed to as strongly as a weld, will keep the union despite the variances in the individuals who are so joined. In sickness and in health, etc. It is about the covenant.

If a Man

If a man kills me, he saves me from my temptations. If a man burns my house, I shall build another more suitable. If a man takes my wife he too will have challenges and joys. If a man maims me, it will surely bring me closer to my God. If a man destroys my transportation, I will walk and the exercise will do me good.  If a man steals my wealth, I shall earn more and learn by doing so.   If a man slanders my name, he cannot be far from the truth or others will laugh at him. But, if a man curses my God, then that will be between he and the Maker of the Universe. My life, my house, my wife, my body, my transportation, my wealth, and my name are on loan to me from Him, and who am I to say to whom they will belong next?

The Great Anonymous

A friend went to a wedding recently. The officiating person talked and administered the vows. Mentioned were kindness, gentleness, devotion, dedication and many other Christian principles of living.   God was never mentioned. As a Christian I am always fascinated by godly attributes which are “assigned” to some ambiguous authority. The problem with this is that as social morays change, so do the supposed “permanent” rules of society. If you talk to a purely militant, ungodly soldier he will have his own rules for life and for death.   If there is no overseeing source of authority, then the passing fancies of society will set the patterns. Throw in the choices of individuals and you end up with chaos. Just looking at the commandments given to the prophet Moses, you can see the profit in using them. What parent doesn’t want children who are obedient? What society doesn’t want a lack of murder? What couple doesn’t want marital faithfulness? If you don’t put the Author of these directives above the directives themselves, then you have removed the dependability of their Maker and thereby the validity of the directions.

Just Once

Do you want to know how fast you can mess up your life? Eve met Satan, the snake, one time. They exchanged four sentences. She and Adam ate the apple. Total time: 6.66   minutes. End of lesson. One drink, one snort, one toke, one kiss, one website, one advantage, one mile over, one affair, one sock, one cake, one lie, one rumor, one of this, one of that; the list is endless.

Clarity

The screen on my car radio tells me that I am listening to Telemann and not Bon Jovi. The computer in my car can’t tell the difference. The radio station broadcasting Telemann or Bon Jovi sends a text signal interspersed with the music. So when we communicate with people we must be very obvious about what we want them to understand. It is not up to them to clarify what we mean if we cannot deliver our message in a simple way. Sometimes our speech is just music with a few words hidden in it. Perhaps the music IS the communication and the text is all they hear.   Or they understand only the music and ignore the text. A mixed message can be very confusing. Just say what you mean.