What do scoffers of God look like?

2 Timothy 3

¹ You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ² For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³ They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴ They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵ They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

When you read these verses what images pop into your head of what these people may look like? Is it like this?

 After all these are some pretty wicked people we are talking about. They have to look like this, don’t they? However that fact is the people these verses are talking about are more likely to like this.

Yes they look normal and some of them even sit in churches. They look like “good” people. Verse five really says a lot about these type of people they act religious while rejecting what can make them godly. It’s actually quite sad, if God has shown you grace and made you one of His children thank Him for it today. If not ask Him today and He will listen.

Drill Sergeant, Kindergarten Cop, or Clam?

 2 Timothy 2:25

²⁵ Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

 I will be honest this is a tough one for me. This goes with what has been on my mind for some time now and that is to tell the truth in love. In most cases instructing those who oppose the truth like the drill sergeant pictured above will not work, this will turn practically everyone off. This I could not do. I however tend to fall in error on the opposite end of the scale and when it comes to those who oppose the truth I clam up and don’t say a thing. This is actually worse than the drill sergeant mentality the drill sergeant is at least saying something. The clam is endorsing the unbeliever’s way of life. Perhaps the best approach comes from the movie Kindergarten Cop, here Arnold or John Kimble comes in and tries to run the class like a boot camp and fails miserably. It was not until he built a relationship with the kids and they trusted him did he ever get their attention. Just like in the picture below he was big enough to crush them, but instead he put on a sweater and led by example.  Drill instructors get results in the army, kindergarten cops get results for the LORD, and clams get eaten. Which do you want to be?

Cindy Lou You

No I didn't misspell the title, and no this is not a Christmas blog. Read on to understand Cindy Lou You

2 Timothy 2:24

²⁴ A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

As Christians these are things we are instructed to do, not quarrel, that’s not too hard, to be kind to everyone that’s a little tougher but doable none the less. However it’s this last one that we struggle with, to be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Now that one wow, that’s hard because difficult people are simply difficult to deal with. In reading today’s verse I was reminded of Cindy Lou Who. Who would have been more difficult to deal with than someone who was trying to steal Christmas? She is a good example of what it means to teach, and be patient with difficult people. She was never fazed and in the end sat right next to the Grinch eating roast beast. If you are able to teach, and be patient with difficult people you too could be sitting right next to them not eating roast beast, but at the great banquet table in Heaven and what a joy that would be. So instead of Cindy Lou Who. Think of Cindy Lou You.

Top Ten Pizza Places

Last night we went to a Bordenaro's in Des Moines that inspired me to attempt what I once thought was impossible and that was to list my top ten favorite pizza places.  A very hard task with the vast varitey of pies that are out there. Most of my list is from memory so I very well could have forgot a place or two so read on and see where the latest fell on my top ten.

1.       Pizano's Pizza (Chicago)

 A thin crust pizza in Chicago tops the list of my favorite pizza, strange coming from the deep dish capital of the world. The crust is the best part, I swore there was cornmeal in the crust but they assured me there was none, still puzzled by that. The décor was kind of neat felt like a gangster could have walked in at any moment.

2.       Wig and Pen (Iowa City)

The flying tomato pizza and the onion rings are out of this world. Not sure if they serve anything else. That is all I’ve had and don’t plan on trying anything else.

3.       Breadeaux (Mount Pleasant, IA only)

I’ve had other Breadeaux’s but none compare to the one in Mount Pleasant not sure why? I have said it before that I think Roger has some special ingredient that makes you eat the pepperoni until it’s gone. If I’m ever in a pizza eating challenge this is the one I want.

4.       Giordanos (Chicago)

Even though I am more of a thin crust kind of guy now the deep dish monster here is delish.

 5.       Pagliai's Pizza (Iowa City)

An Iowa City Tradition I have an aunt and uncle that live outside Tucson Arizona that bring a cooler the size of a coffin with them and fill it with pizza from Pagliai’s to take back with them.   

 6.       Bordenaro’s  Des Moines

This is one of those places that the normal person would drive right past not much for looks but some good pizza. The pepperoni had just the right bite to it and the taco was good as well. A not so much crisp but what I would call a firm crust. Firm enough to pick up everything piled on the taco pizza. Saw some onion rings delivered to a table as we were leaving, looks like a must have next time.

7.       Bambinos West Des Moines

A great pie with a West Des Moines where you drive out in the country past cows to get there. Thought it was funny that the lady that owns the place has a business across the street that is in Norwalk.  

8.        Torino’s (Fairfield IA.)

A good what I call greasy pizza, but not in a bad way. The highlight Torino’s is the free ice cream that comes with the meal. Not only is it free it is possible the best soft serve ice cream around.

9.       Dino’s Washington IA.

An old standby that introduced me to the thin crust world.

10.   Mazzios’s Burlington IA.

The best Canadian and sauerkraut going, I really appreciate the owner and the way he has taken care of me over the years.



What's left?

Today when I read 2 Timothy 2:19, I was reminded of this picture that we took just in October when we drove through Joplin Missouri 6 months after that devastating tornado. It says

¹⁹ But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,”^[a] and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”

God’s truth stands no matter the powers that come against you, the devastation in your life that comes, or just the inconveniences you face. The truth will stand. Just like in the picture everything else is gone only the foundation is left. The foundation is God’s truth and the LORD knows who are His. If He is calling you answer, and if you have answered His call make sure you turn away from evil because that temptation is there every day.  Someday the your foundation may be all that’s left, make sure you have one.

What does 2 Timothy and Jethro's BBQ have in common?

2 Timothy 2:10

10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

This is one of those things in the Bible that quite frankly is very hard for people to understand and I’m not just talking about people in general I am talking, born again believers, church leader, and yes even some pastors and that is why would Paul or anyone do the things that they do to the point of even enduring suffering to spread the Good News when God has already chosen those who have been saved? Just the fact the God does the picking really bothers some and they refuse to believe it even though it’s spread throughout scripture. That however is another topic and another time. The question at hand is why would a person endure anything for something that will happen anyway? The answer is Love and I’ll use myself in a silly example. I just love Jethro’s Barbeque in Des Moines & Altoona and by the way they are opening a new location in Waukee in a couple of weeks. (get the idea) Any way anyone who knows me and many that don’t have heard me talk about Jethro's. Now are people still going to show up and eat delicious barbeque rather I say anything or not? Of course, so why do I say anything? I say it because I love the place and I feel like I have a connection to the place. So now let’s translate that over to today’s question at hand. If a Christian loves Christ they want to tell everyone about Him just because they love Him and they have a connection with Him. The amount a person is willing to endure for Christ is directly tied to that person’s love for Christ. Now the new question is how much are you willing to endure for Christ? God can do this all on his own, but he wants to use you  and let you to share in the glorious process. He’s kind of that way.

Just call it Turkey Day

How would you define Thanksgiving Day?

A:  a day appointed for giving thanks for divine goodness:  

B:  the fourth Thursday in November observed as a legal holiday in the United States

C:  the second Monday in October observed as a legal holiday in Canada

 All of these answers are correct the question becomes what is Thanksgiving Day really. Unless you are reading this in the great white north your answer would not be “C’. If you answered “B” enjoy your day off from work, time with family and watching football. However if you answered “A” when you give thanks, who are you thanking?

As I thought about Thanksgiving this week I thought you know what this is a day about thanking God for all of His many blessing so I thought I would look up the history of Thanksgiving and on Wikipedia there was not one single reference to God. There were mentions about giving thanks but never to who. Thanksgiving could possibly be even more co-opted than Christmas and Easter. There will be people gathered all over the country today thankful for many things and they will give thanks to the wrong person because  they don’t know who to thank. Thanksgiving should be about thanking the One who made everything possible and that is Jesus Christ. Below are a few words from my song of thanksgiving this year. They are from The Stand by Hillsong.

So what can I say What can I do But offer this heart O God Completely to You

So I'll stand With arms high and heart abandonedIn awe of the One who gave it all

 If you can’t stand in awe and give praise to the One who paid it all, you just as well call this legal holiday Turkey Day.

Psalm 69:30
Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE STAND.

http://youtu.be/0-YUU-MRjw4

When just becasue is all there is

Sometimes just because is all there is. Sounds like a strange statement but when you read 2 Timothy 1:9 keep that statement in mind. It says:

 ⁹ For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

 My new definition of grace could be, “just because.” Like Wayne and Garth in the picture we truly are not worthy of His Grace. They only way we obtain it is just because that was His plan from the beginning. Something to be very thankful for.

Fear this!

2 Timothy 1:7

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 This is a verse that I have to remind myself of constantly. We were not created to be scared and timid. In Christ we have power, love, and self-discipline. The evil one uses fear and timidity to get us to be who we are not supposed to be.  Fear in this context is nothing but a lack of trust, so when we trust in Christ we should not fear and be bold. The only fear we should have is the fear of the LORD and that is a healthy fear one that many do not have. They may not show it now, but someday those who do not fear the LORD will have the same expression that the two people in the picture do and it will be forever. SO when you hear the phrase fear this. It should be the LORD.

You have to decide

There is one fork in the road that will determine where you will spend eternity and the fork is Jesus Christ. How a person views Jesus does without a doubt determine your very fate. There are those that say they believe in God. Actually depending on where you look anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of Americans say they believe in God. It must not be the real God or this country would not be in the shape it is in. The percentage of people that believe in and trust is much less and I’d hate to even take a guess at that. Just because you believe in a god does not make you a Christian. Trusting in Christ and making him Lord in your life does that. If you don’t think that Jesus is who he says he is be careful. If you think that he’s not really that big a deal. What if you’re wrong? You’re betting your life. Consider Jesus today before it’s too late. Because in the end Jesus will be revealed to all for who he really is and if you don’t trust in him then it will be too late. You have to decide how you will view Christ.

1 Timothy 6:15

 ¹⁵ For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Spotting Knock Off's

Knock off’s are a funny thing, sometimes you can spot one right away other times you may never know. However in the end there is the truth and the truth will come out under a close examination from and expert. I had never really thought about it much but there could be a time were a person would just assume that something was a knock off and dismiss it as such however the same thing applies here too. Under a close examination by an expert it will be found out to be the real thing. People are the same way, some are obvious knock offs and others it will take a close examination by an expert and others will seem like a knock off but after the expert weighs in they will be found out to be genuine. There are a couple of things to take away from this one is we are not the expert. Jesus is the only one who determines fake or real. The other is to be aware that those we think are real could be fake and those who we think are fake could be real. That is why we should let Jesus be the judge and we should not assume either way. Because he can’t be fooled and we can.

 1 Timothy 5:24-25

²⁴ Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. ²⁵ In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

Excuse me, have you been working out?

I decided to look up some benefits of physical exercise and found the following on WebMD

·         Makes you feel better.

·         Helps you fall asleep and sleep well.

·         Gives you more energy.

·         Helps you think better and faster.

·         Helps you handle stress.

·         Makes you healthier.

·         Helps you live longer.

 

Now with this in mind read 1 Timothy 4:8

⁸ “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

 Look again at the list and think about how training for godliness affects these things even more than physical exercise. You can exercise all you want but if you don’t have Christ in your life you don’t have anything. Also when a person has been seriously working out for awhile people will notice a difference in them, the way they look, act and carry themselves is evident. The same can be said of those training for godliness. If you are serious someone should eventually come up to you and ask “have you been working out?”

Still the one

1 Timothy 2:5

 ⁵ For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

 The need to reconcile and the need for a mediator can only mean one thing that there are two sides that cannot come together on their own. To reconcile means there is a discrepancy and when the two sides can’t come together a mediator is the only way. Between God and man there is a huge discrepancy and its called sin and on their own there is no getting together. Until God sent a mediator and his name is Jesus. To settle the sin between God and man as this verse says there is only one who can accomplish that. Some will say there are other ways or that you can find your own way. However this tells us the truth there is only one and He's still the one, Jesus

Comes with the territory

1Timothy 2:3

³ This is good and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

This is one of those verses that some will point to and say see if God wants everyone to be save then everyone goes to heaven. However if they would actually take the time to read and understand the rest of the book they would see that this is not the case. If you use their logic then Satan himself would be in heaven. In looking at this verse this is how I would explain it. A doctor wants everyone to be healthy but realizes that’s not the case. A policeman wants everyone to obey the law, but realizes that’s not the case and a good judge wishes that they would not have to sentence anyone, but realizes they will have to. (at least a good judge) They all realize it comes with the territory. The same exact thing goes for Jesus. He does want everyone to be saved and understand the truth, but realizes that is not the case. It is not part of God’s plan and is what makes grace all the sweeter.

Buried Alive

Jesus came to the world to save sinners.  Why did he do this? For the simple fact that we cannot save ourselves, as sinners we are no different than the guy in this picture. You would have to agree that it would be impossible for this guy to dig himself out. To live he is going to have to have someone save him. Sinners are no different they cannot save themselves no more than this guy can get out of his hole. They are in a sense buried alive. We all need a rescuer and that is Jesus. If you’re buried just call for help from the only one who can help and that’s Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. ¹⁶ But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

From bad to good

No matter what you have done it’s not too late. Paul spent a good portion of his life persecuting Christians and God decided to use him. And use him he did, to the point that outside of Jesus he had more influence on Christianity than anyone else. So what’s your excuse, what influence are you having in your family, your work place or your community?  Jesus will also give you the strength to do His work you just have to ask. Christ turned Paul from bad to good I’m sure he can change you as well.

 1 Timothy 1:12-14

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, ¹³ even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

How do you plead?

1 Timothy 1:8-11

⁸ We know that the law is good when used correctly. ⁹ For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. ¹⁰ The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders,^[c] liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching ¹¹ that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

When you read these verses did you find yourself saying, whew….. not me, not me, not me? Please read them again and don’t forget the last part of verse 10 and verse 11 where is says “or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.”

No you may have not done any of those other things that we tend to rank high on the sin chart but to God sin is sin and if you have done anything that is contrary to the Good News you have also broken the law and for that justice needs to be served. If you don’t feel that you have broken any of God’s laws please contact me. I would like to meet you, or better yet take some time to read the Bible and see if you meet God's standards. If you can tell me you do, you just lied and thus  just made the top ten list.

If life does not make sense, stop running

We do live in a time that is filled with depravity. All you have to do is look at any news paper, turn on the TV for just a few minutes, or listen to the people around you. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. The condition this world is in should come as no surprise. It was predicted or better yet promised since Adam and Eve attempted to be like God.  The Bible promises that it will only get worse. Every promise God made in the Bible has come true up until this point in history. The next one in line is Jesus’ return. All of the other ones have come true so there is  no reason to doubt this one won’t. When Jesus returns there is literally going to be hell to pay. Even though all mankind is nothing but a bunch of depraved sinners, none of which deserve anything but hell from Jesus, God chooses to show grace to some and save them. He will not destroy all of mankind, He will save His children. If you feel that by the circumstances in your life that God is pursuing you, stop running. He will get you eventually. The sooner of you get caught the better off you will be.

 Isaiah 65:8

⁸ “But I will not destroy them all,”
says the Lord.
“For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones
(and someone will say, ‘Don’t throw them all away—
some of those grapes are good!’),
so I will not destroy all Israel.
For I still have true servants there.

When will you stop and ask?

Something that is hard for a lot of people to understand that as sinners there is not one person who on their own will seek God. The Bible says it over and over again and we keep missing it. Any time someone says that they found God the first thing that goes through my head is I didn’t know he was missing. I can’t say this enough but we must come to grips with how bad, depraved, how sinful we really are. Once we do that we can better appreciate the grace of God and be better suited to tell others about that grace. Then once we realize all of this then we can trust in Jesus and ask him for directions, call on his name and praise Him for His constant pursuit of us.  

When will you stop and ask? Will you before it's too late?

Isaiah 65

¹ The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
to a nation that did not call on my name.

I’m good compared to……… what?

I’m good compared to……… what? Other people or God?

The biggest problem with good people is that they do not understand how bad they really are. It is not until a person realizes how sinful they really are that they can experience the grace of God. We all tend to say at least I’m not as bad as that other guy (especially the guy in this picture.) The truth is in fact we may be possibly worse. The “good” people of the world are in so much trouble and the scary thing is they don’t have a clue. Stop today and consider how far you are from God’s standard. Think about while here on earth there is no way you can ever achieve that standard and know the only way to gain favor with God is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just trust him.  

 Isaiah 64:5-6

⁵ You welcome those who gladly do good,
who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
how can people like us be saved?
⁶ We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Just becasue......

Just because you do Christian things does not make you a Christian. Just because you go to church does not make you a Christian. Believe or not just because you pray does not make you a Christian. The only thing that can make you a Christian is Christ. If Christ does not make you a Christian then all of the things you do are only in the end for yourself. Before you can do anything Christ first has to come into your heart and change it. Then after that it’s how you apply that new heart in the way that you live and the things that you do that can make a difference in your life and the lives of others. If things you do are not for the Christ reasons they are the wrong reasons.

Isaiah 58: 2-3

² Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
³ ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.

Know your role

Being the sinful creatures that we are, we are continually trying to elevate ourselves above God’s level. However we need to know our role. While on this earth we will never even get remotely close to God’ . And if we think we can, things will be really messed up, just like in this picture.  We must understand that our thoughts are nothing like His and His ways are not just far beyond anything that we could do but anything that we could even imagine. So again we must know our role and give God all the praise and glory.

 Isaiah 55:8-9

 ⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

You are invited

Isaiah 55:3 ³ “Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

 You are invited and what an invitation it is. You are invited to come to Christ and with that invitation comes promises that cannot be broken. In today’s society that is extremely hard for us to imagine. But it is absolutely impossible for God to break a single one of His promises. What a comfort that is. Take some time to read the Bible and see what promises He has made. The one that comes to mind for me is that He will never leave or forsake you.

Romans 4:21 He (Abraham) was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

People's Pathetic Paths.

Isaiah 53:5-6

⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.

 Sometimes it’s best if best if I just don’t say much and let God's word do the talking. Jesus endured so much for your sake. Do you ever really stop and think about what he did? He died on the cross so that you may live. How do you thank Him for it? By following your own path? We all do at times. We need to thank and praise God for what Jesus has done and then work our way back to God’s path and get off of our pathetic path.  

Pointless

There are some things in life that are just pointless. Like in the picture, even if you do everything you can do you’re still not going anywhere. So why is it that so many of us argue with God and tell Him what we are going to do and better yet what He should be doing for you. This is something that is once again pointless, so stop arguing with God and sit back and listen to what He is trying to tell you instead of trying to tell Him what you are going to do. God is sovereign and in control once you understand it’s better that way the better off you will be.

 Isaiah 45

⁹ “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’

Simply Behold

I may have said this before but it is worth repeating. We are on this earth for one reason and one reason only and that is to bring glory to God. That is why he made us. (see below) One thing that we can to do to bring glory to God is to behold the glory of Christ. Behold is not a word that gets used to often today so I looked it up. It says to perceive through sight or apprehension or to gaze upon. Not a bad thing to do when it comes to Christ. There are some who profess to be strict, disciplined Christians, but who never put aside time to meditate on the glory of Christ. When a person falls in love with someone they cannot stop thinking or talking about them. So when we fall in love with Christ are we always thinking and talking about him. Good question, are you? There are so many who claim to know Christ, yet so few behold his glory, fewer are transformed into his image and likeness.

Take some time everyday and especially today and behold (gaze) upon Christ.

 Isaiah 43:7

⁷ Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”

Good luck with your case

There are some things in life that we don’t want to hear or don’t want to do. I’m sure you would not have to think too long to come up with a short list. But just imagine the LORD himself asking, no not asking but telling you to present your case for your idols. Just so you know an idol is not just a little golden statue or something carved out of wood. An idol is anything we place before God like money, our jobs, TV, food, yes even our families. The list of idols today is almost endless. But again just imagine being asked by God to explain why you considered any of things more important than Him? You may have been able to justify these things to yourself or perhaps maybe even some others but it won’t fly with Him. If you even try and present your case for your idols to Jesus you will immediately be guilty of perjury. The best way to avoid this is to determine what your idol is and get rid of it now. The way to find your idol is to look where you spend your most time, effort, and or money. There you just may find your idol.

 Isaiah 41:21-24

²¹ “Present the case for your idols,”
says the Lord.
“Let them show what they can do,”
says the King of Israel.^[a]
22 “Let them try to tell us what happened long ago
so that we may consider the evidence.
Or let them tell us what the future holds,
so we can know what’s going to happen.
²³ Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.
Then we will know you are gods.
In fact, do anything—good or bad!
Do something that will amaze and frighten us.
²⁴ But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all.
Those who choose you pollute themselves.