Bel Air 1950

Bel Air 1950

Spring is here, but then again, what does this mean for you? For most of us living in the south and in the country, it means, besides rain, which we so desperately need, lambs, calves, and birds being born, bees starting to buzz around, blossoms in the orchard, and bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes popping up all over southern Texas.

Bing Crosby's love songs play on the radio, bringing smiles to people's faces. Hmm, that Bing thing might be just with a select bunch of enlightened people, though.

Okay, to continue, all in all, this weather puts a spring in your step and a circle around your work schedule. It's time to go and work outside, take in the fresh air, and be ready to start planting. Can you imagine that there are not just kids, but even adults in inner cities who have never touched a goat's kid or a lamb before? I know I've spoken about this before, but if the news channels would just start reporting 15 minutes of positive news each day, crime rates would drop dramatically, maybe even by 5 percent. There have been several studies over different universities on this topic, and there is a report of 4219 pages that can be read from the University of British Columbia on this topic too.

But you Christians always have something to complain about, I can hear people say. That Bible of yours is filled with horror, murder, war, and betrayal. What these attackers and complainers, however, do not see and most likely do not know is that this is not the red thread that is woven by God in His word. Because that red thread that keeps it all together is God's covenant, His, I would almost say, His yearning to have a relationship with mankind. All those wars, all that killing, all that whoring around, all that wrongdoing, all that is brought forth out of the behavior of mankind. Mankind who possesses a will of its own and a mind to choose to have this relationship with God, or not.

"Oh yeah, but God is not always good," you might hear too. He had Israel in Egyptian captivity for 400 years. Yeah indeed, He also had announced that it would happen so that the people would know that this was a punishment from God. Can you imagine 318,9 million people suddenly having their pants dropped, man, woman, and children alike?

Then all standing bent over and receiving 3 swats.

Okay, I know this is truly silly, but you get the picture.

The person we elect, the person that acts on our behalf, does something that goes against the principles of the covenant that this country had made in the past with God and through which this country had received many blessings. Then this elected person, let's call him, the president. Okay, let's say it was our president, Barack Hussein Obama. Let's say he tells Israel that they need to give land away that not America, but God had provided to them. How would your dad react?

Your dad has 3 cars, a truck that he drives to work back and forth, a nice sedan, and an antique 1950's Bel-Air. Now we also have a problem, there is a railroad track dividing our neighborhood with another neighborhood. They really don't like us over on this side, we have three cars, they have a bicycle. We have a garage, they have a carport. We have nice yards and gardens, they have a concrete playground. But you know there is that girl, that cute one, just on the other side of the tracks. And Joey, our neighbor's son, is always looking at her. Sometimes he sits with me on the roof of our garage, looking at her, because ours is just against the tracks. Joey came up with a plan. He said to me, "Now to make things right with the people on the other side of the track, and to give me a chance with this beautiful girl, I'm going to tell your dad that he needs to give this piece of land with the garage and the 1950's Bel Air to the people on the other side of the track. This way the track can be moved over to the other side of your garage, and they will be happy and I can date the girl, because we all have peace."

Now I start, of course, to get a little agitated about all of this. Joey has his eye on this girl, he wants something from the railroad track people. And to get that, he wants my dad to give some of his land, including the Bel Air, just to swoon the girl. And the protection for what is his, the cars and the garage, he wants that to be given away so that he can get what he wants under the umbrella that it would be better this way. Do you think my dad would go for that? No, I don't think so. It is not Joey's to give away in the first place. I surely think that Joey can no longer be my friend.

This is, however, a very simplistic way of telling you what has been happening in the Middle East, with in the role of Joey, the United States of America, the Track People, the West Bank and the Palestinians, and in the role of Me and My Dad, the land of Israel. If I would agree with this, what do you think my dad would do to me? Joey, he would chase away, and say not to come back anymore, or with some justice from the 40's, he would switch his behind. My dad is the Lord God Almighty who has the land and the Bel Air. God has all the land and has given a large tract to the tribes of Israel, and we will read about this in a minute.

So then, do we now see everyone suddenly bent over with their pants dropped, or do you think other events have transpired over the last 100 years as we went against the will of God the Father? Indeed, we all know the answer, because I've never witnessed 318.9 million people bent over at the same time, screaming in agony. The problem is that people keep repeating the same mistakes, and we fail to learn from our errors. How can we be part of this change? How does God want us to be different and make a difference? Where does it all start? I believe the simplest and most truthful answer would be:

• Give your life to Christ.
• Accept Him as your Lord AND Savior.
• Accept His Holy Spirit as your guide and conscience.
• Then, when this choice is made:
• Repent, move away from, and cease doing what is not in God's will.
• Study God's will, the Holy Bible.

With this, become a better person, or in other words, grow progressively in holiness.

Be better, get better, eat better, live better, work better; in other words, stand out because you are better.

Why will you be better? Because God's best way of living is all described in His Holy Word, the Bible. When this happens, you will be able to share this success and this success story with others, convincing them that a life with Christ is not just for a better life now, but that it is a covenant that lasts throughout eternity.

Then, after addressing these three topics, what do they have in common? God is a God of relationships, and we are created to be in this relationship, singing His praises.

Psalm 67 from the Tree of Life Version "Let All Peoples Praise You" states:

For the music director, with stringed instruments, a psalm, a song.

May God be gracious to us and bless us. May He cause His face to shine upon us— Selah

So that Your way may be known on earth, and Your salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God. Let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples fairly, and guide the nations on the earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise You, O God. Let all the peoples praise You.

The earth has yielded its harvest— God, our God will bless us.

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

From this psalm, we hear the words echoing back: When the praises go up, the blessings come down.

• Why is it, then, that the biggest complainers are filling the pews in the church?

• Wow, today a message of questions.

• But are we, and when, how, are we receiving the answers?

So then, tell me, is this a negative message, written by someone down and not looking up to all that is bright and good? I really do not think so. I believe that today's message is a realistic look at the situation. The land-for-peace deal, or the Bel Air exchange that we talked about earlier, is just an example of how people keep repeating mistakes from the past, and when you look at it clearly, how foolish it is.

The story before that about the news broadcasting is true and tested, and it shows us how people are influenced by what surrounds us. Isn't it true that our languages are filled with proverbs that tell us this? Like father, like son. The apple does not fall far from the tree. A man is known by the company he keeps. From nothing, nothing will come. Words disturb the air, but deeds bring success. He's putting new wine in old skins. And with that last word of wisdom, we see that we do as we are raised, not just by our parents, but by society as a whole. And we never learn because we keep on putting new wine in old wineskins, and most of it will be lost again. Then, of course, we will be sitting down and out, asking ourselves how it is possible that we have lost so much of that great and delicious wine.

What I'm saying with this, through those proverbs that are hundreds of years old, is that people still have not changed a bit. We are still pessimistic and still counting on the actions of others, instead of our own actions. "Why would I do this for God? Let Him do something for me first." Yes, we do not learn from history, because He has already done for us. Genesis 12:3 tells us how we can receive a blessing while we are still lost and not part of His people. Psalm 122 tells us how we can have peace within our walls by praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Then, in the good news of the Gospels, announced in the words of Isaiah, He gives His son, as John 3:16 states, to die on the cross to create a blood covenant with us so that we can be His adopted children and be part of the whole, complete deal. The forgiveness of ALL our sins and transgressions. Entrance into the Kingdom of heaven, and supper with our Lord at the wedding supper of the lamb.

So those last two questions were not answered yet.

1. Why is it, then, that the biggest complainers are filling the pews in the church?

2. But are we, and when, how, are we receiving the answers?

Back to those proverbs again, because most of our people that sit in the church these days—yes, I say it and am going to say it again—MOST of our people that sit in the church these days sit there because of a combination of any or all of the three reasons:

1. It is expected of them to be in church.

2. "My parents raised me in the church, so I go."

3. "It is the right thing to do and a good place to go to."

NOT because they have received THE life-altering, life-touching, Holy Spirit overpowering experience of a full surrender to Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. If you are going to church because your parents did, and because you are reformed and you are Dutch, you are now Dutch Reformed. Or because your parents had you baptized and John was a baptizer, that is why you are a Baptist. Or, or, or—those are all the wrong reasons, filling up the pews with people not truly willing to change the world. Not truly willing to lose it all because Jesus, Yeshua, wants THEM to make a difference. "No, no, no, not me, Lord, I'm not good enough, take him, he sits on the first pew."

Are you by now receiving the answer, and are you by now receiving it clearly? When you surround yourself with people filled with the ideas, words, music, movies, language, foods, and thoughts of this world, then what goes in must come out. And when it is not good in the eyes of the Lord that goes in, then what is not good in the eye of the Lord WILL come out. Surround yourselves with the word of God, for all your senses—taste, eyes, ears, for your feet, your hands, your body, your soul. Then what comes in, must come out.

"Oh, I don't care if I do this right or not, as long as I make my eight hours." It will then indeed come out as poor quality for your boss, and he will see that what you provide for him is subpar. BUT those who give it all they have, because they are filled with the Holy Spirit Power of our Lord, will provide a top-of-the-line quality product and will be seen by their employers as the providers of top-of-the-line quality products. They will move on, and they will move up. Better position, better pay, better pay, better food, better food, better health, better health, better quality work. Circle complete, life gets better and better. The Bel Air is in your garage, and the other side of the track is still driving the old beaters like they have in Communist Cuba. Why? Because you are God's people, that is why you are envied, but that is also why you are better. When you have nothing to live for, there is also nothing to enjoy. But when you have everything to live for, you can stop that Bel Air beside the road and be in wonder at how that nice-looking heifer is giving birth to that calf.

Oh, my God is good, life is good.

Amen.