KennethBow's Blog

This story is about a beautiful, expensively dressed lady who complained to her psychiatrist that she felt that her whole life was empty, it had no meaning.So, the lady went to visit a counselor to seek out happiness.

The counselor called over the old lady who cleaned the office floors.

The counselor then said to the rich lady “I’m going to ask Mary here to tell u how she found happiness. All I want u to do is listen to her.”

So the old lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story:

“Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later my only son was killed by a car. I had nobody. I had nothing left. I couldn’t sleep, not even with my backrest pillow for bed, I couldn’t eat, I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life. Then one evening a little kitten followed me home from work. Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided to let the kitten in. I got some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean. Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and, for the first time in months, I smiled.

Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile, may be doing something for people could make me happy.

So, the next day I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbor who was sick in bed.

Every day I tried to do something nice for someone. It made me so happy to see them happy.

Today, I don’t know of anybody who sleeps and eats better than I do.

I’ve found happiness, by giving it to others.”

When she heard this, the rich lady cried. She had everything that money could buy, but she had lost the things which money cannot buy.

“The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are; but on how happy others can be because of you…”

Happiness is not a destination, it’s a journey.

Happiness is not tomorrow, it is now.

Happiness is not dependency, it is a decision.

Happiness is what you are, not what you have.

Thanks for reading today….

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Hebrews 6.4-6

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

6.4-6 this short passage may qualify as the most misunderstood passage in the Bible. This short concise concept sheds great enlightenment on enlightenment. True revelation only comes once on a particular subject. These believers had experienced that moment of illumination at salvation. The author is again letting them know there is no more enlightenment available. That is impossible. You have already been enlightened. The impossibility is because a one time moment has already occurred. Much like being born in the natural. It is impossible for that to happen again. If the believer allows the vessel to leak out and become empty, the believer only needs to refill the vessel. There is not another conversion experience for them to experience. That would in essence require another crucifixion of Jesus to replace the crucifixion they have already been blessed by. The author is holding up the cross of Jesus Christ as the ultimate conversion. There is none other. The cross is the final act of propitiation. This they had already experienced.

Thankful for the propitiation today!

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Hebrews 5.11.14

5.11-14 for the first time the author seems to be disappointed in these wavering Christians. He appears to want to say more of Melchizedek and Christ but senses they are dull of hearing and immature. Dull here is nothros and means sluggish or lazy. The author fears their sluggish, lazy approach to Christianity will cause them to go back to Judaism. They could allow the priest in Judaism to make all decisions for them and Christianity demanded they grow into maturity. The author warns those who do that are nepios (an infant, a simple minded person). In the closing verse of this chapter the writer uses the word exercised. The Greek here is gumnazo (to practice, to train). This is the contrast of work and completion of work. The author is again stressing we do not work to earn salvation, but we work, train, practice to enter into this rest Christ has provided. In 1 Corinthians 9.24 the Apostle Paul likens this Christian walk to running a race. This will be the continued ideology in chapter six, we must move forward and grow up in all things in Christ. These Christians must leave the basic doctrines of a Nepios and move on to the knowledge and fullness of Christ

May we all strive to grow up in God to the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Keep growing my friend!

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I read this story recently and enjoyed pondering the meaning.

All of us can choose how to experience the river of life we all travel. We can fight, conquer, and feel dominant, or we can learn to adjust, understand and flow with life. I do not suggest either is better than the other. I only observe the choices that are presented to each of us. We can grapple with life and all it’s challenges, or learn how to find peace with it roaring in our ears. Hope you enjoy. I do not know who the author of the story is. 

By good fortune, I was able to raft down the Motu River in New Zealand twice during the last year. The magnificent four-day journey traverses one of the last wilderness areas in the North Island.

The first expedition was led by “Buzz”, an American guide with a great deal of rafting experience and many stories to tell of mighty rivers such as the Colorado. With a leader like Buzz, there was no reason to fear any of the great rapids on the Motu.

The first half day, in the gentle upper reaches, was spent developing teamwork and co-ordination. Strokes had to be mastered, and the discipline of following commands without question was essential. In the boiling fury of a rapid, there would be no room for any mistake. When Buzz bellowed above the roar of the water, an instant reaction was essential.

We mastered the Motu. In every rapid we fought against the river and we overcame it. The screamed commands of Buzz were matched only by the fury of our paddles, as we took the raft exactly where Buzz wanted it to go.

At the end of the journey, there was a great feeling of triumph. We had won. We proved that we were superior. We knew that we could do it. We felt powerful and good. The mystery and majesty of the Motu had been overcome.

The second time I went down the Motu, the experience I had gained should have been invaluable, but the guide on this journey was a very softly spoken Kiwi. It seemed that it would not even be possible to hear his voice above the noise of the rapids.

As we approached the first rapid, he never even raised his voice. He did not attempt to take command of us or the river. Gently and quietly he felt the mood of the river and watched every little whirlpool. There was no drama and no shouting. There was no contest to be won. He loved the river.

We sped through each rapid with grace and beauty and, after a day, the river had become our friend, not our enemy. The quiet Kiwi was not our leader, but only the person whose sensitivity was more developed than our own. Laughter replaced the tension of achievement.

Soon the quiet Kiwi was able to lean back and let all of us take turns as leader. A quiet nod was enough to draw attention to the things our lack of experience prevented us from seeing. If we made a mistake, then we laughed and it was the next person’s turn.

We began to penetrate the mystery of the Motu. Now, like the quiet Kiwi, we listened to the river and we looked carefully for all those things we had not even noticed the first time.

At the end of the journey, we had overcome nothing except ourselves. We did not want to leave behind our friend, the river. There was no contest, and so nothing had been won. Rather we had become one with the river.

It remains difficult to believe that the external circumstances of the two journeys were similar. The difference was in an attitude and a frame of mind. At the end of the journey, it seemed that there could be no other way. Given the opportunity to choose a leader, everyone would have chosen someone like Buzz. At the end of the second journey, we had glimpsed a very different vision and we felt humble – and intensely happy.

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4.1-8 the incomplete rest of the Old Testament. The author presents the case for the failure of the rest in the Old Testament. It is evident the rest is ensconced in the gospel. The rest and the gospel are indivisible. When you receive the gospel, you receive the rest. (3) when you believe you enter into this rest. God did rest, not from fatigue, but from completion. We rest today because the gospel completed the “work” of salvation. The door to rest is belief. Unbelief closed the door for the Old Testament people, and it still closes the door today. The author reminds us if we will hear His voice, and not harden our heart, we will enter His rest. (8) clear admonition this is not about a literal day, but about the rest Christ gives through the Holy Ghost. The author fears that these wavering saints may have lost sight of the fact that the whole way of salvation is through faith. This faith in Jesus Christ promises the rest that accompanies the gospel. This rest is eternal. God did not begin work again on day 8. God has been at rest since that moment he finished creation! This is accented by the fact Moses noted the end of the first six days but does not mention the seventh day ending.

4.9-13 the complete rest of Jesus Christ. As God ceased from his works when he entered the rest, so now the people of God rest concerning their own works. Salvation’s work is finished! The only labor the child of God needs to do now is labor to enter into that rest where salvation is complete. In verses 1-8 the word rest is katapausis-reposing down, abode, rest. Here in verse 9 the author uses another word sabbatismos- the repose of Christianity, as a type of heaven. The former rest was never a type of heaven. It was simply intermittent rest from physical labor. The rest of Jesus Christ is a type of heaven. It is a repose we enter into and never leave. The rest (peace) is inside us through the power of the Holy Ghost! We no longer have katapausis, we have sabbatismos. In verse 8 the author boldly proclaims if Jesus had given them katapauo, He would not have spoken of another day! Jesus Christ replaced Katapauo, (temorary repose) with sabbatismos (permanent repose). Therefore the rest of Christianity is better than the rest of the former covenant. The rest of Christianity, (sabbatismos), is the rest when a work is finished! Death is no longer the gate to eternal rest, now that door is faith in Jesus Christ.

4.14-16 the closing admonition on rest in Jesus Christ. Our High Priest hath passed into the heavens where he intercedes for us continually. The lamb has been slain, the sacrifice complete, we rest in his all sufficient priesthood. Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace (getting the things we do not deserve) that we may obtain mercy ( not getting what we deserve: judgment), so we can find grace ( the good things we do not deserve), to help in time of need. Christ’s rest is better.

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3.1-6 Christ and Moses. Knowing the reverence that was given to Moses, the author reaches for the most esteemed leader in Judaism to present Christ’s superiority. The comparison includes faithfulness. It states the glory of Christ is better than the glory of Moses. Christ as the eternal God built the house that Moses was faithful over. Moses was faithful as a servant to the house of another. But Christ was faithful over His own house! Moses was a servant in the house, Christ enters the house as master. This house is the believer himself. The author takes the superiority of Christ beyond Apostle, High Priest, or messiah. He presents Christ the creator of redemption. Like an attorney laying out the evidence of the case, he presents irrefutable evidence of Christ as better. Christ is better than Angels. Christ is better than the esteemed Moses. These wavering believers are encouraged to persevere and to get a firm grip on their confidence and rejoicing to the end.

3.7-19 The rest. Having launched his epistle, the author now unfolds the beauty of the true rest of God brought by Christ. Again he admonishes them to listen to the evidence being presented. The former rest did not produce a faithful generation. Rather, it presented a generation that provoked God to anger. Thus, that rest was insufficient and not permanent. God swore that generation would not enter into His rest because of their unbelief. If the sabbath of Judaism was sufficient, why did God reject their observances? The children of Israel kept that sabbath for hundreds of years. It did not produce rest at all. Christ has brought the perfect rest that produces faith and perseverance in the believer. The unequivocal proof is what each rest produced. The former produced unbelief and angered God. The rest Christ offers produces faith and pleases God. It produces daily rest, as opposed to weekly rest. It produces emotional, mental,and spiritual rest as well. Therefore, Christ’s rest is better than Moses’ rest. Jesus said by the fruits you know. The former sabbath produced an angry God and disobedient believers. Christ’s sabbath has produced love, joy, peace and an untold number of permanently transformed lives by the Holy Ghost. 

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2.1-4 The author of Hebrews now begins a different approach. This is the launch of the superiority of Christianity. He reminds the reader of the glorious witness of signs, wonders, and miracles. If the word of angels was steadfast, how much more the words of Christ? The phrase lest at any time we should let them slip can be rendered lest at any time we should leak out. The idea is vessels with leaks and cracks. Something has leaked out of these believers and the author is challenging them to be vigilant and regain the fullness they once experienced. 

2.5-9 Continuing the point that Christ is better than the Angels, the author establishes that the world to come will be in subjection to Christ. Christ is more than a man. Normal men are lower than the Angels. Man was crowned with glory and honor and put over the work of God’s hands (Adam). Therefore the path of Jesus incarnated as a man, exalts Christ to being the ruler of all things. All things are now subject to Christ. Christ is our example in all things. He was abased therefore He is exalted. Christ pioneered the way to salvation by His death, His burial, and His resurrection. We follow this example by also dying (repentance), being buried (water baptism by immersion), and being resurrected (receiving the Holy Ghost). We also shall be exalted with Christ, the pioneer of our salvation, in due time. 

2.10-13 the excellency of Christ is presented. Christ made all things. All things are for Him. Christ allowed His humanity to endure sufferings so He might sanctify the sons of God, and be sanctified as the son of God. The bond of sufferings joins Christ to us and we become brethren. Christ became what we are so we might become what He is. Christ reveals God’s eternal name unto his brethren. All these components are what creates the completeness of Christ that brings many sons to glory. 
 

2.14-18 Here the author presents an irrefutable argument. He argues that death was destroyed by our captain. Now there is no fear of death as there has been for many centuries. Death has been conquered. Christianity is better for yet another reason: death is vanquished. The author continues to pile on evidence of a better way. The author establishes Jesus is the seed of Abraham, but even more Christ is a High Priest and reconciliation for the sins of the people. Here the author assures these former Judiaistic believers they still have a high priest. Because Christ has been tempted (Peirazo: to test), He can now succor them (boetheo: to aid or relieve), with their present tempting (testing) to go back to the Law. The author now turns to Jesus our high priest, showing that truly Christianity is better than Judiaism!

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I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes, I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift, I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.
‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’ ‘Oh, you’re such a good boy’, she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’ ‘It’s not the shortest way’,’ I answered quickly. ‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.’ I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left’, she continued in a soft voice. ‘The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now’. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. ‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse. ‘Nothing’, I said ‘You have to make a living’, she answered. ‘There are other passengers’, I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. ‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy’, she said. ‘Thank you.’ I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware – beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Author: New York City taxi driver

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Chapter One
1.1-4 The voice of God: Jesus Christ. There is no greeting here, no words of introduction. This is so God-like! Like Genesis, like the Gospel of John, the writer simply launches the matter, and the matter is: the voice of God is now Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the heir of all things. It was by Jesus Christ God made the worlds. Jesus Christ is the brightness of God’s glory. Jesus Christ is the express image of God’s person. Jesus Christ upholds all things by the word of His own power. Jesus Christ has purged our sins and now sits on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Jesus Christ is better! He is better than the Angels. He has by inheritance a more excellent name than the Angels. The opening salvo leaves no doubt of what the tone of this epistle will be! Jesus Christ is better. The time for New Testament ideology to morph into God’s eternal plan has arrived. The messenger of that eternal plan was Jesus Christ.
1.5-8 Angels. Angels are called sons of God (Job 1.6), but are never called begotten. Angels were created, but not procreated. The writer wants to separate Jesus Christ from all other creation. Christ stands unique and supreme as begotten. Jesus Christ is the emanation of God. He is the true, natural born son. Therefore the angels worshipped Him at his birth! Christ has a more excellent name than the Angels. The power of the name of Jesus is manifested throughout the New Testament. At the name of Jesus Christ demons were cast out, people were healed and the dead raised to life. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4.12). Angels will never sit on a throne, but to the son he saith, thy throne O God is forever and ever! In the opening eight verses the writer establishes and emphasizes the Son is better than the Angels. 
1.9-12 why is Christ better? Because He laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of His hands. When all has perished, Christ will remain. When all of creation is folded like a garment and tucked away, Christ is still the same. Jesus Christ is the eternal, ever living, everlasting God manifested in flesh. As such, He is immutable. 
1.13-14 no angel has ever held the exalted position Christ has been given. Angels are spirits sent with a purpose. That purpose is to minister to the heirs of salvation. Jesus Christ is better than the Angels. The writer builds his case for Christianity being better!

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WARNING! This post may cause people to be offended at my statements! I am serious.  I make no apology so read on at your own risk.

Several times this year, and over the last forty years, I have heard people say that God has lead them to change their beliefs.  They have informed me personally that God has directed them to change beliefs they have held for years.  They have emphatically stated that God has led them to a more mature stand.  They have said God directed their life and no longer requires them to live under the same holiness standards they held for years.
They have told me that God directed them to allow their women to cut their hair, begin to wear pants, wear gold and other jewelry, use cosmetics, attend worldly ball games and professional sports events.  Each time they have assured me God was the source and approval of these actions.
WARNING.  The next few statements are offensive to people who say these things.  WARNING. Do not read on if you are easily offended!
God did not tell you to take this road or make these decisions.    That is right, I said God DID NOT tell you to do this or approve of you doing it!  There is not one example in the entire Bible where this occurred.  God never one time in the Holy Bible instructed people to live with lesser standards of outward holiness.  That’s right, not once. If you say that, you, as the old Bishop on the radio used to say “if any man be sayin that he be lyin on God”.
There are repeated instances of God telling people and nations to repent, change their lives and be more holy.  In fact every recorded revival in the Bible was preceded by this injunctive.  More holiness, repentance, and drawing closer to God was always, without exception the path to revival.  In the Old Testament men like Josiah and Hezekiah prove this.  In the New Testament men like Paul and Peter prove this.  People never had revival by modernizing, and becoming like the contemporary religious set.
You may decide to allow women to wear men’s attire, put on gold and jewelry, attend worldly sports events, and let down the standards of holiness.  But I assure you, God DID NOT tell you to do that!
If you are offended, remember I told you not to read this.  One last time…WARNING….God never told anyone in the history of the world to live a lesser standard of holiness. 
To the friends I have left after reading this post….Thanks for reading today!

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