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Today’s verses … Luke 10:17-24  …

Seventy go wary .. seventy return buzzing … even the demons submit!  

And Jesus is buzzing as well.  So “buzzing” that he thanks God for keeping the “wise and learned” from getting the message.

Excuse me … ?

Jesus thanks God for keeping his own precious creations from knowing God?  Is that really how this all works?  It must be.

Because these are the actual words spoken by Jesus who is the Son of God.  If the bible is inerrant and infallible (or even the lesser validation of being God-breathed and inspired).  I was taught the bible is both.

I was taught to defend the bible because it is just that.  And I have yet to hear “official church teaching” that it isn’t.

I have a small concern.

That “love” is a tough love kind of love.  A stern unforgiving Godly Judgement kind of tough love.  A stern unforgiving commandments and covenants kind of love.  A weird “conditional” stern unforgiving “unconditional love” love.  The kind of stern unforgiving conditional love at which we excel:

If you love me back I will love you.  And then we will be in love.  And we will have children.  And we will love them and make them successful and happy … if they do what we tell them, believe in the things we believe in, and marry someone just like them (and us).  Then – if that person loves them back – they will be in love and have their own children.  And we will watch over them just like God watches over us.

That’s how God does it … we get saved and God loves us.  Because if you are not saved you make God sad and will spend eternity in hell because God loves you and I love you.  But we can only REALLY love you when you get saved.  Or else you are a just a guest who I can’t love like I can love my own family.  That’s how God is – look in the bible …

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.  Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.“

And if it’s in the bible – then that is the Word of God because God said it – and that’s why we don’t mess with the bible.  And nor will you – not if you are really saved.  

Which means I choose whether to have a relationship with other Christians … to be accepted by other Christians … to fit-in with other Christians …  

Or to “mess with bible” in search of God herself.

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I will mess with the bible.  I can mess with the bible.  I believe I have a duty to mess with the bible.

As in a “you have seen it written but I say” duty to mess with the bible.

Because anyone who loves me … even when I don’t love them back (as I did for decades) … deserves nothing less.

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