Hot Air

Scripture

Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.

~Psalm 62:9, NIV

Quote

If we trust God supremely, we no longer fully trust anything else.

~Timothy Keller

If I were starting all over as a pastor, I would probably use the NIV. I love all translations but I have really been impressed with the NIV in the last year or so. Psalm 62:9 is a good example. The CEV [which we are reading in 2019 at GP] reads…We humans are only a breath; none of us are truly great. All of us together weigh less than a puff of air. I don’t see how anyone could find fault with that translation. The NLT which I used for years reads…Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air. All of them say the same thing but in different ways and all three are understandable. For my generation and those raised on the KJV, the CEV is a huge jump and so is the NLT. I have come to realize, it is a jump that some congregations can’t make. The NIV is very readable and understandable and it is not an incredible jump.

The basic thrust of Psalm 62:9 is that all human are in the same boat and have basically the same worth. If you put a poor man or common man like myself on God’s scales, we weigh nothing or no more than a breath and to my knowledge, a breath is hot air and has no weight. BUT, and this is the part I like, if you put Michael Bloomberg on God’s scales with all of his billions, he weighs the same as me which again is nothing. This truth doesn’t offend me but it would upset Bloomy. When God does the actual weigh in, I am not going to be shocked, I know I’m nothing but Bloomberg and all the Sadducees will be shocked. In there minds, wealth makes them greater than others, especially Gentile peasants like me. The NIV says the “Highborns are but a lie.” The NLT makes is very clear, “They are not what they appear.” Let me give you an example: the Clinton’s are now worth millions [52.7]. They are not billionaires but fifty two million is not bad. How did they acquire such wealth? Did they earn this wealth? The unbiased media says that they earned this money through book deals and speaking engagements but that is not the whole truth. The Clinton’s sold secrets to China and Hillary was privy to insider trading tips. In my 401K doubled ten times in 12 months, I would be a millionaire. The point is this: they are rich, famous and considered accepted as comrades among the elites but how much character do the Clinton’s have? People who think money gives them worth are living a lie. They, like myself, are nothing but a puff of hot air.

One additional note: what if we put all the elites on God’s scales at one time; what would be the net weight? According to the word of God the answer is nothing, they are but a breath, a puff of hot air. Hey, don’t tell them; they think they are better than we are but they are in for a shock when the weigh in comes.

Joe David sent me an article about these “So called evangelicals against Trump.” They are nothing but a puff of hot air. They are still clamoring, “The lesser of evils is still evil.” Yeah right, like a homosexual baby killing democrat is not! Every sin is offensive to God but socially some are far worse than others: Alcohol kills far more than tobacco, therefore it is the greater evil. Abortion is a far great evil than womanizing or whatever they accuse Trump of doing. Liberals don’t read the bible, Israel’s greatest king was a womanizer. Y’all need to pray for me: it is awfully difficult for me to say anything nice about a liberal.

Went to both LIFEWAY stores yesterday looking for a commentary on Romans. They don’t have a single W.W. Wiersbe book in the story or the Holman Commentary. They are still not marking down the really good stuff. Their bible inventory is horrible but I found what I was looking for at Barnes and Nobles–a NIV giant print.

Big Mama made me some Red Velvet mini-cup cakes: about 48 I think. They will be gone by in the morning. Eat your heart out Jason.

Holly sent me some old pictures the other night…here is one of them…Looks like I am missing my partial. I guess this was made in the Clinton years because I had a full beard. I do miss my wife suit. Big Mama hated it and she paid the cleaners to ruin it. I really miss Hugh. The way we locked horns in our first couple of meeting, I never dreamed we become friends.

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