365 – Page 48 – Watch. Stand. Pray.

330 – Morality & Sentience

The brain is only a buffer, a temp folder, a cache where memories eternally stored in the soul can be directly accessed during our temporary lives on Earth.

In the theory of pre-existence, humans existed in some state of God’s foreknowledge and choice, from which the names were written in the Book of Life before Earth’s founding. This theory implies that there may be additional memories and character-shaping choices that date earlier than our memories currently cached in our brains can remember.

If this is true, then part of our own “innate” personalities might not be “innate” at all, but could have resulted from a willful, intentional choice before our present session of consciousness. In other words, we may have already had some say in our own personalities, passions, and talents we were born with—before we were born. But, since that was “pre-life”, we can’t remember in this life.

The Bible is not clear about this, but its teaching on foreknowledge and the Book of Life from before Earth’s founding do allow for such things. Regardless, our sentience—our free will, the “eternal human” in everyone—does not exist in our brains. Brain damage cannot remove our memories in the next life, of course. So, our brains are not actually where one’s core, true sentience abides.

In a sense, our own brains are an “Artificial Intelligence” working to calculate and access memories and conclusions about them, but our actual sentience remains in our souls, inaccessible from anything made during this temporary life on Earth. Only God can create our souls and only God can connect our souls to our bodies. To argue that sentience could be duplicated, created, reassigned, or rearranged by humankind is to degrade all humans to an AI that only exists in this natural world.

Treating AI as being equal to Created-by-God-alone Imago Dei, humans, would demean our entire Eternal existence, and dispute every benefit of “morals from above”. Therefore, any moral code applying equally to AI and to humanity would be a self-made moral code.

An AI is a useful machine, but it is not equally valuable to a human, no matter how good at acting it learns to become.

331 – Spirit & Worship

Biblically worshiping God involves spirit and truth. At the beginning of the 21st Century, most Christians worshiped God in one or the other, but rarely both. God offers such wonder to our spirits and truth to our minds that we easily become satisfied with only one of the two. This creates an imbalanced heart since the heart is a junction of the thinking mind and the emotional spirit.

Mostly peer-motivated, few Christians of the last two thousand years tapped into the immense, intrinsic, self-motivated power of the human will to pursue worshiping God in both spirit and truth. This captivating energy is only discovered when one has a deep, burning fascination with God Himself. Once this is discovered, “encouragement” from other Christians fades to static because God is that fascinating.

Gathering to study and learn, encouraging each other, talking through our challenges together, checking our moral compasses—these are good and necessary. But, they have been oversold by leaders in the Church—both professional and volunteer, both lay and trained—to such a point that they unintentionally invalidated the value of individual motivation. To be fully healthy as humans, each of us must chase after both spiritual and truthful things that can only be found in a relationship between God and one, single human.

While we must interact with each other on the level of truth and spoken ideas, we also require awareness of each other’s spirits. Christianity often describes the Christian life as having horizontal and vertical “growth”, with God and with our fellow Man. Both of those involve spirit and truth. Emphasizing the horizontal relationship to the exclusion of the individual-vertical also imbalances the spirit-truth element. When that happens, the condition of the human heart becomes akin to a body builder who exercises only upper or lower body, or only right or left.

Balance is for all people. Spiritually, that means getting comfortable with the discomfort of emotions, whether in repentance or worship. Balance strengthens one’s genuine connection to God while entertainment-driven excitement is a poor substitute for the real thing. “Spiritual” growth requires that we diligently pursue spirit-inclusive truth—neither trying to contrive one’s own truth nor dismissing academic diligence as “unspiritual”.

332 – Law of Foundations

Every structure shadows the base on which it is built, whether area, manner, or strength.

A foundation determines the size and specific location of its building. It thus keeps the building in place, preventing it from wandering or sliding. A castle build on sand will collapse because it is not suited for the ground on which it is built. If you live on a sand dune, don’t build a castle, build a grass hut. That way, when—not if—it falls down, it won’t be that big of a deal. If you can afford a castle, however, buy appropriate real estate.

This Law of Foundations governs other Laws themselves. Every Law in Earth exists as it is because it was made in Heaven first. To pray for God’s will to be done in Earth as in Heaven is to pray for Earth to be aligned with the foundation of its existence: Heaven. Evil sprouts from the attempt to contend with the Laws written in Heaven, hoping to rewrite them. But, Laws can neither be rewritten nor invented by those whose very existence is governed by them.

The American concept of “government of the people” founds the government upon the consent of the people so governed. Government, therefore, rebelling against its people is as much an absurd self-degradation as the evil attempt to change the Laws written in Heaven.

Foundations affect learning. Strong elementary skills will speed up education that follows. Likewise, friendship is built on trust, not excuses and loopholes. Companies, countries, institutions, and families without moral direction always implode. Morals are a foundation.

Bigger, taller buildings need foundations complex, agile, and strong enough to withstand earthquakes and sway from wind. Strength is not brittle; it must be elastic enough to adapt to stress, yet maintain its identity to prove that its original form does not change once that stress is released. Justice must be blind so as to be impartial, but not deaf to the needs of the needy. In this, mercy and grace provide the agility needed to keep justice unbreakable.

Nothing is stronger than its foundation. Structures built atop shaky foundations cannot be re-founded, only condemned, demolished, and rebuilt—it’s the Law.

Matthew 7:24-27, Romans 15:20, Ephesians 2:19-22

333 – Happiness Is Contagious

It should be no secret that happiness are a sheer choice. The reason that so few people know this is because so few families teach this at the dinner table and in the car. If you understand that happiness is a choice, you must teach everyone around you actively and often. Even at work and among peers, encourage and counsel everyone with the undeniable truth of life that happiness is a choice. If you don’t teach an idea to others, then you will forget it yourself.

Uncontrolled anger is easy to recognize in children, while adults mask their emotions by “acting mature”, but the untame emotions remain the same. For the child, hold him and let him cry on your shoulder; after a few minutes, poke his cheek and provoke a smile. Help him see that happiness is still a choice. For the adults around you, even yourself, find whatever way this truth applies to the situation. Proactively seek out opportunities to inject the small, subtle presupposition that happiness is a choice. Do it everywhere you can.

This does not mean silencing people with “negative energy”. Happiness being a choice means being happy when other people are not. “Getting rid of the negative people” may be necessary for family and organizations. But, in brief times like staff meetings and dinner out, the ability to choose happiness means overcoming negativity with your own joy. If you can’t, then you are the one who needs to learn.

One example was Brad Pitt’s character in “Fury” when he wouldn’t let his fellow soldiers ruin his dinner. People who reject the truth that happiness is a choice label it “propaganda”. Whether they doubt the choice or they try to be happy by “negating all the negative people”, such people did not grow up knowing about the choice. At one time, they wanted to be happy too, but it’s not easy. When we try and fail, we want to give up.

Happiness must be contagious. Once you stop sharing your happiness with others, you’ll stop being happy. There are plenty of sad people who need cheering up. But, happy people can become happier still. Choose happiness by spreading it everywhere.

334 – Be Ridiculous with the Persistent

Everyone has limits, so everyone should expect everyone to have limits, but since everyone’s limits are different no one can expect anyone else to know their own.

Unfortunately, many people often presume what other people’s limits are. Don’t assume what is good for others. When other people do that with you, some diplomacy may be in order so you don’t spoil the moment.

Generally, being pushy with the small things is rude. When people tell you no, you need to accept their answer, unless you’re in sales or dealing with a bureaucracy that doesn’t know how much it bumbles. Either case is the same, whether you must say no or someone else gives you a no that you can’t accept.

Gandalf was excellent at politely “misunderstanding” the message when kings and their courts told him no. He dealt with those matters as you should deal with any situation: tact, wit, and charm. Use humor; exaggerate if necessary.

A man sat next me on the airplane. Just after takeoff he asked to use the restroom, the crew told him no. Another man used the restroom and he protested to a member of the crew, who just told him to stay seated before dashing away. Frustrated, he crossed his arms. “Sometimes, it’s easier to get forgiveness than to get permission,” I told him. “Just go. If they object, humbly apologize and say, ‘I didn’t want my seat to get wet.’ They’ll leave you alone.” He laughed, stood, and went to the restroom without incident.

I have suggested ginger ale to many an Asian friend with the flu. They never accepted it, unless I buy it and poured them a glass. Then, they ask where I learned about ginger ale.

If your limits are ridiculous, accept them and act in kind, diplomatically of course. Confront the matter with humorous melodrama so others save face and you save yourself a mess. When your overly accommodating hosts aggressively serve you food that you know will ruin your week, no need to ruin dinner also; just look at them with a twinkle in you eye, love in your heart, two teaspoons of sass, and say, “Are you trying to start WWIII?”

Proverbs 15:1; 25:15, Ephesians 4:15

335 – The Middle Demotivation Trap

Poverty and affluenza are two extreme demotivators, but the most common is in the middle: averageness. Medium-sized success can be the biggest obstacle to success. Stay on your guard so that success never gets in the way of your success.

Routines sneak up on us. Ruts attract rivers and rats. Graduate, then find yourself driving on the road during the same two 30 minute rat races as everyone else, morning and night. Once rat-race fever sets in, many buy their dreams on borrowed money, locking themselves in even more. They didn’t plan to get there because “not planning” is exactly what got them there. They don’t lead their own lives, so their families don’t respect them either.

By the time they see it, it’s seems impossible to get out. The only way out of a rat race requires sacrifice. Once you recognize that “average normalness” has its noose around your neck, the next step is to recognize what holds you there. Getting out may not be as difficult as it seems.

Consider the monkey trap in which the monkey won’t let go of the peanut, even to save his own life. The monkey can never get the peanut, but opening its hand will allow it to slip away.

Let go of whatever keeps you stuck in whatever rut finds you. The most common rut is impatience. If you’re willing to learn a little from personal study every day and add a few doses of delayed gratification, you’re more likely to break your cycle. But, that will involve pausing, stopping, reassessing, taking a deep breath, releasing frantic feelings, and, of course, praying.

Few people get themselves trapped in any vicious rut because they prayed for it. Prayerlessness helps get us into ruts and prayer helps get us out.

Ruts find us more easily when we over-extend ourselves until our ships are too bulky to steer. Over-spending is only one subcategory of over-extending. Over-working oneself is another, the cause behind prayerlessness and too many resources squandered on unprofitable hobbies.

Determination keeps us out of ruts. Breaking out of ruts requires enormous determination—the same amount of determination that will prevent the next rut from pulling you in.

336 – Law of Generational Sin

The Law of Generational Sin causes the sins of a father—a male with Y chromosomes—to embed his own sinful behavior into the genetic makeup of his children for three to four generations; the mother—who has only X chromosomes and no Y—cannot. This genetic design from our Creator is one of His greatest gifts to humanity by making sin easy to track while limiting sin’s ability to spread.

Generational Sin explains why “personality disorders” are “enduring” and can neither “adapt” to truth nor circumstances. Whatever sin a father fails to expunge before fathering children will be seen in those children. This is a warning that fathers must take their responsibility seriously and will surely face consequences of seeing their own neglect oppress the children they love. In this manner, fathers who do not lead themselves early in life become tyrants toward children. The only way to break these seemingly unbreakable “personality disorder” patterns is for children to forgive their fathers of the sin passed down to them. This insight helps solve problems only solvable by recognizing morals and guidance that can only come from above.

Generational Sin proves every father an inescapable failure, defining every human “in need of forgiveness”. But, sin doesn’t win.

God’s grace through women is their exemption from participating in this power of sin. Mothers are not allowed to genetically pass on their sin—it’s the Law. Because of this, mothers have grace to err and the objective viewpoint to love their children in hope, nurturing younger generations to walk in love and forgiveness. Forgiveness not only looses Heaven into action on Earth, it looses the sinful circumstances into which we were born.

Mothers have this new power by lacking the power to destroy. This explains a morsel of God’s beautiful mind. Jesus himself had no sin because he was born only of a mother with no human father. Because of Jesus’s sinlessness, all humanity can be saved, forgiving previous generations by repaying debt from the infinite riches generated by Jesus’s crucifixion.

No stronger force exists in the created order to hold us accountable to live and breathe and swim in forgiveness as the Law of Generational Sin.

Exodus 34:6