Posts Tagged ‘ Jesse Walker ’

Wow. 11 years.

WordPress just let me know that I started blogging 11 years ago.

Whoa.

There some interesting insights, as well.

  • Of over 43,000 views, a third of those were just from the past 2 years!
  • Of the 2,400 posts, half of those were just from the past 3 years!
  • I have almost hit 500 blogging subscribers. At least a third of those were from this past year or so. (I remember being at 365 at the end of 2020!)
  • I lost some e-mail subscribers, but I know several were elderly who either passed away or deleted their accounts (my wife’s grandmother deleted hers this past year.)
  • I used to be the most prolific commenter on my blog, but then I got to digitally know SlimJim. He is not a spammer, but he can talk like one! (Love you, brother!)
  • Of my top commenters, Anthony has dropped down, but he is the only one I have met in person! (Love you, too, brother!)
  • Jesse Walker started blogging on here, and his stuff is also great! (Also love you, too, brother!)

Thinking about how my theology has solidified over the past 11 years, the number of people I have come to know and friends made through this online medium, and some of the stories of people deepening their faith or even coming to faith – whether through this blog, Proverbial Thought, or the blogs of friends I have contributed to – it is humbling.

(Half of my Christian walk has been spent blogging. Huh.)

Thanks to everyone who has joined me on this wild ride.

Thanks especially to our Lord and Savior.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18, ESV

In His Love,

Daniel M. Klem

2022
01/18
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CATEGORY
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Thanksgiving

The Psalmist says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Some scholars have deemed this “The protocol of heaven,” that is to say, that if one were visiting royalty in another country (England for example) there is a protocol for what you do and say when meeting with them. It is similar when meeting with God Almighty. Similar, but not the same. Why, because God generally meets you where YOU are. He is wonderfully personal and too many people don’t understand that. He wants to meet with YOU, He wants to talk to YOU! You don’t need to go to a pastor or priest in order to hear the voice of God. There is one simple thing that you must do – be real with God.

God knows your heart anyway so why try to hide anything? He knows your thoughts, fears, worries, concerns, hopes, pride, and yes, even your sins. You see, “thanksgiving and praise” are not the protocol of heaven, but are evidence of the condition of your heart. No matter where on earth you are, you can connect with the God of eternity if you are simply real and honest with Him, because “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” “Real” people are humble people because their self-perception and world view are grounded in reality and the way things actually are. People who are proud or haughty are generally putting on a facade in order to present themselves as better than others. But as we know “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So as a humble person, you will recognize that we all (including yourself) need a Savior.

Humility unlocks the gate and then thanksgiving can begin. Otherwise we become like the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14 who thanks God that he is more righteous than other men, obviously his prayer of thanksgiving was wrought with pride (which God opposes) and the gate of thanksgiving that he was trying to enter remained locked. But there was another man there who was humble when he prayed to God, and we’re told that he went away justified by God.

So humility unlocks the gate and you enter the gate by thanking God. This Thanksgiving, lets remember to be humble and real with God and others so that our thanksgiving is not in vain, and perhaps we can draw even closer to Jesus.

About Jesse Walker

2018
11/22
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Bible
Psalms
Thanksgiving
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Complete Forgiveness

Forgiveness is such an important topic and yet it is perhaps one of the hardest to not only grasp, but articulate. However, nearly two decades ago I heard a pastor being interviewed about a book he had written on forgiveness, and the interviewer asked “What is the primary way you know that you have totally forgiven someone?” The pastor replied simply “When you can sincerely wish them well and ask God to bless them.”

The moment I heard this, it’s as if I had just received a little treasure, for all of us have people who have hurt us, some very deeply, and it’s even more important for us to forgive, than it is for them to receive it. At that moment, I integrated that nugget of wisdom into my life and it has helped me on the path of forgiveness throughout the years. The Pastors’ name is R.T. Kendall and his book is called “Total Forgiveness.” It should be, in my opinion, required reading for every Christian.

Something I have encountered in life is that forgiving is particularly difficult when the hurt is perpetrated by someone who should know better, such as a pastor. They should know better, but clearly they do not, which is why Jesus said regarding the Jewish leaders who sneered at him upon the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Even though they should have known better, they did not, and regardless of the fact that they should have known better, Jesus still asked the Father to forgive them.

Some hurts are so painful that we have buried them deep down in our hearts so that we don’t feel the pain, but that doesn’t fix it. When you bury things in your heart, whether it’s unforgiveness, sin, emotions, etc., there is less and less room for Jesus. What have you buried in your heart? Who do you need to forgive?

About Jesse Walker

2018
11/04
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CATEGORY
Forgiveness
Relationship
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