Late Spring… Early Summer

WED., JUNE 14, 2000, 9:58 AM
FARM, DECK

You sit here on this wonderful deck, built some years ago by your sons (even Matthew)… and consider life with Me. You have, today, the Midwest version of “trade winds”, with the leaves moving constantly and with occasional gusts. It is warm and quiet. Your Bible study group, the six of you, “finished” Deuteronomy (until next time) and also shared some early, personal experiences with Sunday School, Church, and the Bible. (Quite a gust… the rabbit speeds and cans are dislodged. Perhaps a storm approacheth!?)

You love this place, but you are not satisfied with its “look” just now… but you also accept that this is one of your ongoing tasks, and you haven’t given it sufficient time and effort. The cause of your discontent is you… and I, as Almighty and Father God know what this feels like.

Your study of this early portion of My Old Testament does present you with the “picture’ of a God of many, and often conflicting, emotions… and actions therefrom. Oh, you could “blame it on” Moses and his hearing of Me, but that finally leads to cynicism, even disbelief, regarding the veracity of these Holy Scriptures. Just accept, I tell you, that I love diversity, including in Myself, much more than I favor consistency. You note that I killed, directly, “enemies” of My chosen people (all, presumably, being Children of Mine in some ways)… and I also punished, even killed, some of My own. Justice seemed to be a higher priority than love and mercy.

You spoke of the “apparent fact” that My motivations and behaviors as this God of Moses’ time was quite different from the God Who was in Christ, Jesus. Was this latter an “improvement” over the “older God”? No, I’d just say “different”, for I embody diversity… supremely.

You also raised one of your fundamental theological questions: is it any “easier” to accept salvation through My sacrifice as Jesus than to “earn” salvation by keeping all facets of the Law… quite a diverse and somewhat inapplicable set of prescriptions, and restrictions? And… if I was quite willing and able to kill off folks of whom I didn’t “approve”… and if I am concerned (as I have told you often) about damage to the ecosystem brought on by an increasing human population, why don’t I use powers that I still have to have My Way prevail? Is cancer now a present form of “slaughter”? Will increased toxicity in the “developed” environments of the earth increase “premature deaths”? The Scriptures you just have finished tells of Moses being 120 years old and in wonderful health. Is such longevity likely in the future… or am I already in the process of shortening individual lives?

You are enjoying this time in this earth life, a time of good, apparent health, despite concerns. Yet you remember your Dad’s discontent, with a body that was increasingly dysfunctional. He felt as though he were a “burden”, but he did have some wealth to share. The work of his earlier years was at least some means to reward those who took care of him.

You “almost” welcome the cancer and its projected action as a “means” of avoiding such an “end”, marked by dependence. Just hear again… and believe it as Truth: I have “counted” and will continue to “count” the years of your life. I shall decide how long you shall live and how these last years could be. You will have many opportunities for spiritual growth, and increasing number being in this contemplative mode… rather than the “activities” of life as you have lived it.

A fine “legacy” in these Teachings and in Our Ruminations shall be your “gifts” to the future. Worry not about how this shall be. It is not yet time to withdraw from the University, nor is it clear how your church life shall be, in the future. Just wait on Me, accepting that I know what is best for you.