(04/18/2017) Chocolate Bunnies! Easter Eggs!

© The Associated Press FILE - In this April 1, 2013, file photo, children participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.

Today, focus is on the place of spring baskets, colored eggs, and candies in acknowledging the resurrection of Christ.  Right away, mature Christian believers may discern the sacred principle, “the elder will serve the younger.”  To “stair-step” information as we minister to the young is not the same as betrayal, deceit, or lying.  For the simple, such concepts as the cross, new creation, rebirth, restoration from death, and eternal life are made more memorable and understandable through devices that address carnal, material, and social needs.  Christian parents should be unafraid and unashamed to comfort, nurture, protect, and support their young ones using balance, for in following Jesus Christ their children will be exposed to the fullness of life that includes bereavement, disappointments, loss, persecution, and sorrow.  Many sophisticated doctrines and teachings will go over the heads of their little charges.  Even so, the children’s discernment (i.e., ability to use their own spirit substance from the makeup of divinity to recognize and respond to the spirit matter residing in events, other persons, practices, promises, the holy writings, etc.) will be heightened and sharpened.  Inseparable aspects of the divine makeup will become increasingly “visible” to them including faith, forbearance, forgiveness, grace, gratitude, holiness, hope, joy, lovingkindness, meekness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.

Going further, mature believers should be willing to give consideration to the divine process and operations for communication, exchange, and interaction between and among the Creator with his created beings and living creatures.  A corollary and parallel truth is seen to “first that that is natural, then that that is spiritual,” namely:  First that that is visible, then that that is invisible; first that that is openly displayed, then that that is hidden; first that that is simple, then that that is profound.

For both adult and child believers, spiritual development and growth are gradual, and may often require responses that are distinctive, one-of-a-kind, and unique.  Sacred knowledge, relationships anchored in love, and perfection do not progress in accordance with fixed cycles, worldly expectations, and time-tables as seen through the patterns of chronological, emotional, intellectual, and mental development.  It is not sin or wrong-doing to respond to children in the terms of their emotional and social development, yet, care must be taken with an eye to their preparation for adult accountability and independent decision-making.  The wisdom of the Scriptures also counsel, Children, obey your parents in all things:  for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged (Colossians 3:  20-21, King James Version, KJV).


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Charity never faileth:  but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.  When I was a child, I spake 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 through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:  now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  (1st Corinthians 13:  8-12, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Completing Divine Unfinished Business (04/17/2017); Resurrected With The Lord (04/16/2017); African American Christmas? (12/15/2015); The Resurrection of Jesus Acknowledged? (04/03/2015); Beliefs, Customs and Racism? (09/24/2014); Are Holidays Bad? (11/16/2013); Denying GOD by Eating Shrimp? (11/17/2013)


I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(11/07/2013) Unguarded Chocolates?

A parable is used, today, to share points on the fall of Adam and Eve.  Also, there is more on knowledge of GOD among the holy angels.  A “Yahoo! Answers” writer using the ID “william” (Level 2 with 354 points, a member since September 30, 2013) posted the following originally asked at Yahoo Answers United Kingdom:


Why did god get so cross when adam and eve ate an apple?
 
I mean seriously it's not like the raped or murdered anybody
if he didn't want them to eat it he shouldn't have put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden


THE BATTLE AXE:  Does Satan Know? (11/06/2013)—The holy angels appear as divine instruments and spokespersons in prophecy; and may appear in forms that exhibit animal features, geometric polygons, or beings that fly using wings (see Ezekiel 10:  6-22, Genesis 28:  10-17 and Revelation 14:  6-12, KJV).  Confronting Jesus in the wilderness, Satan could not recognize the Son of GOD as someone he had seen before in the celestial presence, and so challenged Jesus to “appear” in his form as Son of the Highest.  Similarly, Satan came into the presence of Jesus, however, not in celestial form.  With this in view, believers are always wise to “try the spirits” (see Matthew 4:  1-11, Hebrews 1:  1-14, 2nd Corinthians 11:  13-15, 1st John 4:  1-6 and Revelation 22:  8-9, KJV).


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:  shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:  nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.  (Hebrews 12:  1-11, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Why Jesus Used Parables (11/03/2013); Denying Baptism to Others (11/04/2013); Balaam (10/15/2013); About Sabbath (10/16/2013); Freewill is Finite (06/30/2013); GOD Intervenes? (07/01/2013); Words Spoken By GOD? (06/05/2013); Teachings on Judgment (06/06/2013); Those Who Never Heard? (06/07/2013); A Second Adam (03/25/2013); GOD Hiding in Plain Sight (03/26/2013)


“william”, here is a parable making a few points that help Christian believers understand the account of Adam (the single name given by GOD to both the male and female who existed before the Almighty as a single person):

Dad brought home a lovely box of assorted chocolate candies for mom on Valentine’s Day.  In celebration, she allowed each of her three little charges to choose from the assortment.  The next day, while she was out shopping, one of her boys decided he would have a sweet; so he went into mom’s room looking for the candies.  He reasoned that, she loved him so much she would want him to take freely of what dad had provided.  Besides, there were so many, she would still have plenty left.  He would only sniff out the mints; she probably would not miss one (or two); and, should she become angry, no one would ever trace the deed to himself were he careful to leave no trace of his having been there, and wash any residue from his hands.  After some searching, he found where the candies were “hidden” (i.e., stored to keep from melting, spoiling, etc.), carefully lifted the lid of the box, removed two stunners, and tried to carefully replace the tissues and wrapping paper as though they had not been disturbed.

Later, upon her return, mom went to her chocolates and found the box had been rifled.  She called the children to her, and asked what had gone on.  After several minutes of awkward denials and protestations of innocence, the matriarch “arbitrarily” declared that all would be on punishment (we say, lock down) until she would be told the truth concerning the “harmless” prank.  The children were sent to their room, where a pair of them insisted the culprit surrender himself.  As they heard their mother crying from her room, the innocents tried to explain why the game was up; that mom could see the stain of chocolate on his tongue, like they had done, and could smell the mint on his breath.

The mother could have taken the chocolates with her, or eaten them all; and could have avoided leaving the candies as if bait or something to deliberately entrap her children.  Surely she knew, even from her own experience as a child, what could happen to luscious chocolates left unguarded.  Knowing her own children, she should have realized whether they all (or who would be the lone suspect that) might yield to appetite, and seek to gobble a treat from her treasure trove.  Had the offense remained only a simple filching of chocolates (i.e., taking what belongs to someone else without authority and permission—we say, stealing), the outcome might not have been a personal breakdown, maternal heartache and weeping.  No less important than a theft of unguarded chocolates, there also had been covetousness, deception, disrespect, dissembling, greed, impatience, lying, passive aggression, presumption, pretext, separation, trespassing into ones private space, and violation of trust.  A “hate crime” had been committed in the home.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually understood.  I trust this fragment will be useful.  Even so, be it unto you according to your faith.  Jesus is coming.  Grow in grace.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC