Mark Jerde

Isaiah 55

When I first read Isaiah 55 as a Christian, probably 1979 or early 1980, I felt like God included it in His Book just for me. Though I have many other scriptures that have become very meaningful in the 37+ years since, Isaiah 55 remains in its own special category. I often have a feeling of nostalgia when I read it. It was the first whole chapter that spoke to me.

I prefer the King Jimmy.

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah 55:1-13 KJV

Here are just a few comments. 🙂

Verse 1. The invitation. Nothing is needed except yourself.

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Verse 2. Honestly consider your current life.

Verses 3-4. Though David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then killed her husband, God forgave him and still used him. It’s not too late for you either.

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Verse 5. Salvation is available for all people. A “What About The Heathen?” verse.

Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Verse 6. Seek the Lord now. Don’t wait until it is too late!

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Verse 7. Repent and receive mercy and pardon.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Verses 8-9. God thinks on a higher level than we do.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Verse 10. Meditate on “that it may give seed to the sower.”

Verse 11. God’s Word never fails!

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Verses 12-13. Are you following God’s plan for your life? You should. It’s a really, really good plan.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Are You a Scoffer?

Beware this passage applying to you.

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2 Peter 3:1-7 ESV

A lot of us believe something major is going to happen this September. This is not a case of one egomaniac doing some funky calculations and coming up with a date. The alignments of the stars and planets provide the major sign. No man set up those alignments. Have a look at these resources. My story is a little different. I came to believe these are the end times because of the great, worldwide wickedness, and the sad state of earth’s ecology. The Revelation 12 sign is just a confirmation of what I had come to believe. Image

This sign could not have been found without modern astronomy software. The sun is too bright to see the alignment. This is one reason many of us feel the knowledge that was sealed in Daniel’s time is now unsealed!

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.“

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
Daniel 12 ESV

Did you catch the part about the wise will understand?

“Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”
Daniel 12:10 ESV

There are many other things pointing to the end of the age. Image

As humans, we have a natural bias to take our cues from each other. Beware the Normalcy Bias.

The normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster and its possible effects, because it causes people to have a bias to believe that things will always function the way things normally function. This may result in situations where people fail to adequately prepare and, on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations.

…

“With a normalcy bias,” writes one observer, “we project current conditions into the future. Normalcy bias is a form of denial where we underestimate the possibility and extent of a looming disaster even when we have incontrovertible evidence that it will happen. We assume that since a disaster never has occurred, then it never will occur. Consequently, we fail to prepare for a disaster and, when it does occur, we may be unable to deal with it.”^[1]

A famous observation by Patrick Henry can be seen as a reference to the normalcy bias: “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”^[2]

God’s pattern is to let His prophets know before He does things.

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
Amos 3:7 NIV

Blessing follows.

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”
2 Chronicles 20:20 NIV

Investigate these things for yourself. Do not be destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Punctuation

The KJV of John 9:1-4 makes God seem like a child abuser to our modern ears.

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
John 9:1-4 KJV

That is, God made the man be born blind just so Jesus could heal him later. This doesn’t fit very well with the God I have come to know in the rest of the Bible.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12 ESV

It is my understanding that the original texts did not have punctuation. Three of the four Greek texts I checked at this site have no punctuation in the Greek. Image

The translators added the English language punctuation. In this case I think they could have done a better job. This is my re-punctuation of the passage.

The stage is set

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

The disciples ask a question

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answers the question

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents.

Jesus talks about His ministry

But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. The night cometh, when no man can work.

This re-punctuation makes a lot more sense to me.

The man’s blindness had nothing to do with sin. Period. Full-stop. End of thought.
Jesus worked His works so the blind man could see.

Punctuation is the only difference in these two.

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. The night cometh, when no man can work.

I like my punctuation better. I don’t have to try to accept a child-abusing God.

Hat tip to Charles Nieman.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Maturity Meter

This verse often comes to my mind when something or someone is getting on my nerves.

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Psalm 119:165 KJV

I consider this my maturity meter verse. When I’m irritated and lacking peace I’m reminded my meter is not reading in the maximum range. It is time to examine myself and improve.

But I have learned to check to check the words in the KJV. Some words have a significantly different common, everyday meaning than they did in 1611. I have had to discard some interpretations of KJV verses because the modern meaning of words did not apply to them in 1611. Most translations of this verse use some form of stumble.

Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Psalm 119:165 ESV

Taking a look at the Hebrew:

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance 4383. mikshol
caused to fall, offence, nothing offered, ruin, stumbling-block
Or mikshol {mik-shole’}; masculine from kashal; a stumbling-block, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol), scruple) — caused to fall, offence, X (no-)thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block.

There is enough there I have no trouble using the KVJ nothing shall offend them as a valid warning of the danger of discontent, of irritation.

I’m glad that many things that used to bother me no longer do. I have reached some level of maturity in these things. But in other areas my needle is barely off zero. I admit to being rather a musical snob with definite musical preferences. If someone plays a song I do not like so loudly that the speakers can’t handle it — if the sound is distorted — my maturity meter rapidly drops to just above the bottom peg.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

The Cattle of His Pasture

Bummer. The Bible doesn’t say we are the cattle of his pasture. It doesn’t say we are the buffalo of his pasture. It says we are the sheep of his pasture.

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3 NIV

Wait! Maybe the writers of the Bible didn’t know about cattle. … Oh, they did.

For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psalm 50:10 NIV

More comparisons of people to sheep. Double bummer.

For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:7 NIV

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Psalm 23:1 NIV

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John‬ ‭10:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The reason it is a bummer to be compared to sheep is I have a ranch background and know a bit about sheep, cattle and buffalo. Cattle and especially buffalo can take care of themselves. I have been on horseback in a big pasture, far away from fences and trees, and had momma cows start looking at me through their nostrils. They were irritated that I was around their baby calves, and they were prepared to defend them. There isn’t the slightest doubt in my mind that if my horse had suddenly had a heart attack, the cows would have beaten me up really bad, and perhaps killed me. I couldn’t have outrun them, and there was nowhere to hide.

Sheep, on the other hand, are like meals-on-wheels for predators. They don’t protect themselves very well at all. They’re also the definition of followers, and are pretty, well, stupid. There was a blizzard and my dad and I were trying to get our small flock into the garage. We could not get them to go in. As the flock milled around it was as if each one looked in the warm garage, out of the wind-driven snow, and said, “Baaaa. I’ve never been in there. I’m not going in. Baaaa!” Then dad grabbed one and took it inside the garage. The rest of the sheep followed immediately. “Baaaa. It’s a good idea to get out of the blizzard. Baaaa!”

I will have a more successful life if I embrace my Biblical sheep-ness, and not try to pretend I’m compared to a species more capable of taking care of myself.

I’m a sheep. I need the Good Shepherd to protect me. By myself, I’m just dinner for predators. The closer I stay to the Shepherd the better off I will be.

As a sheep, I’m naturally prone to following the crowd. I’m very good at behaving like the rest of the crowd, just because they’re doing whatever they’re doing. Then we all decide that God is going to grade on a curve.

As a sheep, I’m a poor judge of where the good pastures are and how to get to them. I need to follow the commands of the Shepherd.

I might wish my survival didn’t depend so much on the Shepherd, but it does. I am created to require an intense personal relationship with God, where He is definitely in charge!

P.S. (July 25, 2017) The Strange Sounds web site has too many ads for my taste, but it has an interesting article you can read if you like. One sheep jumped to its death, and 79 others followed right behind. 80 sheep commit suicide in Turkey

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Make Bible Ribbon Placemarks

I like to have at least four place mark ribbons in my Bibles, to keep track of where I am in the Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament.

But few Bibles come with more than one ribbon. If there is a gap between the stitching that holds the pages together and the leather cover, you can make your own. You will need a stiff piece of paper like an index card, ribbon, and glue. I prefer rubber cement because I’m impatient and it dries quickly. 🙂

Fold the index card in half lengthwise, then trim it so it slides easily between the cover and the binding.

Glue the ribbons to the inside of the folded index card.

Get them nice and flat before the glue dries.

Glue the index card shut and wait a bit for it to dry. Then slide it into its new home in your Bible.

Put the ribbons into the Bible.

Cut the ribbons to the length you want.

How long will it last? I bought this Bible in December 2002, and probably made the ribbon placemarks within the first week. So they last a long, long time.

Just a note. If you make one with eight placemarks, this might be primarily a reminder that you’re not doing as much Bible reading as you thought you would. 😉

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Hell Outlasts Earth

Enjoy this earth while you can. It’s not going to last forever.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35 NIV

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10 KJV

This doesn’t happen until after Jesus reigns 1000 years.

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-6 NIV

Earth goes bye-bye at the beginning of The White Throne Judgment. Hell is cast into the lake of fire sometime after that.

Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books. And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done [according to their motives, aims, and works]. Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15 AMPC

I don’t know of any great theological meaning to this, it’s just something I find interesting. I have been researching hell for another post. This is an interesting, and I think pretty accurate, article. Hell, Sheol, Hades, Paradise, and the Grave.

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

On the Death of a Dream

I started writing software for a living when most personal computers came with two floppy drives. I bought my first PC back in 1983. It was a real screamer in the day. (The passage of time may have corrupted some of these details. But IIRC:) It ran at a full 8 MHz instead of the 4.77 MHz of the IBM-PC. Its 8086 16-bit data bus was over twice as fast, effectively, as the 8088 chip in the IBM-PC, which fetched 16 bits by doing 8 bits twice. It came with a full 64k of memory. (Yes, kilobytes. Not megabytes.) But the single biggest thing that made it a good system for developing software was its $2000, 10 megabyte hard drive. (“10 MEGAbytes? What on earth will you do with all that space?”) At that time, programming involved constantly loading different programs. The text editor did not run in memory with the compiler and linker. In a day of programming you could easily load programs off the disk more than a hundred times. The speed of the hard drive vs the floppy could save an hour of load time in the day. The real benefit, however, is that the load was fast enough I didn’t lose concentration. When I worked on a dual-floppy system, the ank – ank … ank ank ank of the motor moving the read heads was always a reason to think about something else, or go get another cup of coffee. The expensive hard drive easily let me be twice as effective in a day’s work.

This trend continued. I was a very early adopter of multiple monitors. In fact, this 1983 photo is a picture of the world’s first dual monitor PC, as far as I know. (The primary monitor is not visible.)

I had extended the keyboard driver of the PC to “hot key” sending output either to the printer, or to the “glass printer”, the Heathkit terminal beside it. Technically, this wasn’t a 2nd monitor. But my Eagle 1610 was pre-graphics. It did not have the capability of drawing a diagonal line from one corner of the monitor to the opposite corner. Like the terminals to the mainframe computers I had used in college, it only wrote to the next available line. When it got to end of the bottom line, it would scroll the lines above. It was very limited. So, functionally, my “glass printer” was a 2nd monitor. I could dump the current monitor page to it and keep going. It was very useful, and much faster than writing down funky file names etc. (This was MS-DOS 1.0. Filenames were limited to 8 characters, and a 3-character extension. Compiling and linking produced tons of files. To help keep things straight I had many different extensions: *.ssa, *.ssg, *.ssx, *.ssy, etc.)

When multiple monitors became easier, I had a lot of them. My work needed keeping lots of reference documents open. Multiple monitors made this easier. Also, when writing web software, it is necessary to test on many different browsers and operating systems. I could do this from one keyboard and mouse using virtual machines and/or remote control of other computers. It was much faster, and of course, easier to maintain concentration, to do this from one chair than get up and walk somewhere else. This is a picture of my main software development computer when Microsoft Vista was the latest and greatest operating system.

But it was not easy to get these beasts to run. I routinely used computers I would not have inflicted on everyday users. They were temperamental, finicky, and prone to crash. Also, since I tended to get high-end computers, they tended to run hot. Heat is hard on computers. Mine definitely had a more limited lifespan than slower computers. I learned to notice little things — indicators of impending problems.

I had a high-end system when I fled the Washington DC area several years ago. When I bought it I thought I would make money using it by writing software. That didn’t work.

Later I tried to use it to make money from the 300,000 photos I’ve taken. That hasn’t worked yet either. And over the past few years, I have witnessed its decay and impending death. To “fix” one problem I removed most of the monitor cards. Later I had memory issues and “fixed” that by removing memory. Then I had a serious problem, again “fixed” by disabling memory, and the computer ran noticeably slower. The past few times I have used it, I have noticed other things just not quite right. So I wasn’t really surprised when today it decided to no longer boot. The machine is now dead, and my “gut” is that it’s not worth trying to get running again.

Yesterday’s post was, Discouragement is a Choice. Today, I got the opportunity to see if I believed what I wrote yesterday. After an hour or two of mourning, perhaps I have. On one hand there is the try, try again of Thomas Edison.

On the other hand, I can view my programming and photography income attempts as pure folly.

I’m choosing to view this as an opportunity to focus on the truly important for now. If someone were to show up with a gift PC to replace my now dead one, I’d be really tempted to say, “No thanks.” I expect to leave earth soon. If I’m still here in October, I’ll reconsider. 🙂

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

Discouragement is a Choice

I really don’t believe in synonyms, where synonyms are English words that mean exactly the same thing. For me, there always seems to be some shade of difference in meaning. For example, grateful and thankful mean the same thing to many people. To me, they are different. I can force myself to be thankful even when I don’t want to be. But grateful is a feeling over which I have at best, indirect control. If I’m feeling a little down, I can make myself be thankful to God, and often a feeling of gratefulness will result. Other times, a colorful sunset or beautiful flower will give me a feeling of gratitude, and then I’ll often pray a thankful prayer. For me, grateful and thankful are quite different.

Some online dictionaries agree with my interpretation of grateful and thankful. Others say they are exactly the same.

I recently read this passage in the New International Version.

Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
1 Chronicles 22:13 NIV

The “Do not be discouraged” caught my attention. Discouragement is something I’ve been fighting recently. I felt the need to study this, so I looked at the other translations on the BibleHub page. I was dismayed to see most of the translations used dismayed instead of discouraged. The reason is, dismayed and discouraged are very different to me. Suppose I observe something funky, like someone shoveling garbage out of a pickup truck onto my driveway. These are some of the words that could describe my feelings, in order of increasing severity.

Aware, interested, concerned, disappointed, dismayed, angry, discouraged.

The last one, discouraged, is the only one that would prevent me from taking appropriate action. It is an, “Aww, what’s the use?” feeling. Note that for me, dismayed is a much weaker reaction.

To make a long story short, my research showed dismayed has a stronger meaning than I was aware of. Both the Hebrew word and the dictionary have a meaning of dismayed that is about the same as my understanding of discouraged. Interesting. I did not know that. Information that led to my discovery is below for those interested.

Discouragement is a choice. I choose to not be discouraged!

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.

This is a screenshot from BibleHub, with the words highlighted in the several versions listed. Image

The definition of discouraged from dictionary dot com.

discourage

verb (used with object), discouraged, discouraging.

1. to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirit.

2. to dissuade (usually followed by from).

3. to obstruct by opposition or difficulty; hinder:

Low prices discourage industry.

4. to express or make clear disapproval of; frown upon:

to discourage the expression of enthusiasm.

verb (used without object), discouraged, discouraging.

5. to become discouraged:

a person who discourages easily.

The definition of dismayed from dictionary dot com.

dismayed

verb (used with object)

1. to break down the courage of completely, as by sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunt:

The surprise attack dismayed the enemy.

2. to surprise in such a manner as to disillusion:

She was dismayed to learn of their disloyalty.

3. to alarm; perturb:

The new law dismayed some of the more conservative politicians.

noun

4. sudden or complete loss of courage; utter disheartenment.

5. sudden disillusionment.

6. agitation of mind; perturbation; alarm.

The Hebrew from BibleHub. Image

Strong’s 2865 BibleHub main column. Image

The Best Part About Romans 8:1

Here is the first verse of the eighth chapter of Romans.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 ESV

That’s a great verse all by itself. What I really like, though, is it comes right after the tail part of Romans 7, where Paul says he still acts like a dirtball.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Romans 7:15-25 ESV

This is the very next verse!

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 ESV

This side of eternity, the daily will always be a challenge. For me, anyway, given my track record. I’m really glad this passage is in the Bible.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:8-10 ESV

I am looking forward to many things in heaven. But the thing I think I’m most looking forward to is getting rid of my sinful nature. 🙂

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2 ESV

This is gonna be great!

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

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

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 ESV

Are you following God's plan for your life? 
   You should.
      Your plan sucks.
      It really, really sucks.
      Suckage Maximus.

Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Jesus is coming.
   Are you ready to meet Him?
   Give your life to Jesus Christ.
   Time is running out.