Two Brothers Part 4

If we were to believe that the purpose of this parable was only to illustrate the attitude of the younger of the two brothers, we would be mistaken. The preconceived notion that only the babe of a family suffers from the syndrome of the ungrateful, unthankful and unsatisfied heart is a persistent idea within both society and family alike. If however, we were to look within our own hearts with honesty, there is a chance that we might find the bitter roots of ungratefulness there as well, growing in secret.
An ungrateful, or unthankful attitude concerning present circumstance oddly enough does not spring up due to a certain unmet need, or a lack, but rather from the foolhardy practice of comparing ourselves with others. Whether we compare ourselves to others in more limited circles such as family or church, or more broadly such as society or the workplace, the outcome is always the same, that feeling of dissatisfaction, of being unfulfilled, ungrateful for that which we have already been given, hungering for more.
We have helped create and perpetuate such a self-centered society, that most people imagine love to mean that every one of their faults will be overlooked, all their desires and wants summarily met, and that by right of birth in this country, they are entitled to respect and unconditional obedience by all. I could go off on a tangent here, and point out some painful truths concerning how we are viewed by the rest of the world, why other nations view us as such, and prove by out very actions and reactions that most of it is due to how we view ourselves. When one looks down upon a person, simply because they were born on a different continent, even though that person may be better educated, well versed and intelligent, it tends to birth a sense of dislike if not outright hatred in the hearts of those who were so readily dismissed.
It all goes back to that feeling of entitlement that so consumed the young son, wherein he believed himself wiser than his own father, more capable of mapping out his life’s journey than one who came before him, who had dealt with the same trials, seen the same pitfalls, and successfully evaded the same snares.
Now that we’ve discussed if only in broad terms the younger of the two brothers, his rebellion, his stint in the far country, the disappointments he faced there, and finally his return home, we would assume that by contrast the older sibling, the one who was content with living in his father’s house, would be portrayed in a far more favorable light. Surprisingly things are not as they seem, as we discover in the second half of the parable of the lost or prodigal son.
As long as his brother was away from home, his older sibling did not feel his absence. He used the circumstances to his own favor, polishing his own image, and garnering more favor for himself from their father. We see him wrapping himself contently in the illusion of his own self-righteousness, with no one to oppose or contradict him. Feet firmly planted upon his own pedestal, the older brother looked down upon his younger sibling, judging and condemning him in his absence. He finds virtue in himself, thereby justifying his elevated perception of his own works, if only in his own eyes. His comfort level however, would soon be shattered by the unforeseen. The image that man tries to project to others concerning himself may fool those around him, but only until the day of difficulty and crisis arises. Only in times of crisis does a man’s true character come to light.
Receiving the repentant young son back into his home after his journey to the far country, the father of the two had yanked the pedestal from underneath the older sibling’s feet, depriving him of his elevated status and object of comparison. The Pharisaical mindset of comparing oneself to others rather than the standard of God, had been deeply ingrained in the older sibling, and when the object of his scorn had been forgiven, shown grace, and embraced as a son once more, his true heart began to show.
The unanticipated twist, at least from the viewpoint of the older sibling, was that his brother had been restored to the status of son, even after his rebellion. No, he was no longer entitled to an inheritance, he had already squandered that which fell to him, but the older brother went into a frenzy at the thought that his sibling’s deeds could be forgiven and he could be restored.
In order to understand the true reason why Christ had told this parable, we must take it in the context of two previous parables He spoke, as well as who his intended audience was. The crowds that Jesus drew, were not the sophisticates, or the higher echelons of society, on the contrary the first verse of Luke 15 tells us that tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. This did not sit well with the Pharisees and scribes, and they murmured saying that Christ not only received sinners, but also ate with them. While the young son in the parable that would follow represented the tax collectors and sinners, the older son represented the Pharisees and the scribes.
As the Pharisees listened intently to the first two parables Christ uttered, the parable of the lost sheep, and the parable of the lost coin, they were pleased with His words, for He spoke of sinners, those who were lost and needed to be found. It was not their spiritual condition that Christ was rebuking, at least not yet, and this pleased the Pharisees.
One could only imagine the surprise on the faces of the Pharisees, a surprise that could in no way be anticipated given the context of the first part of the parable. They had to sit and listen until the end of the parable concerning the prodigal son, to realize that within this intricate masterpiece of oration, their own spiritual condition did not go overlooked.
While the father received his young son with open arms, forgiving the insults and rebellion, the same could not be said of his older brother. For the older sibling his brother’s return was not a reason for rejoicing, but one of mirth and sadness. Although by the father’s standards the prodigal son was welcomed back into his home, it was not so with his brother. Two surprises were in store for the younger brother upon his return to his father’s homestead. The first was that his father had received him with joy, restoring his status as a son publicly, and the second was his older brother’s rejection.
Christ’s piercing gaze made its way over the faces of His listening audience, a gaze that pierced the heart, as they felt the searing, saw the knowledge in His eyes, that although they were able to hide their inward sin from the eyes of mere mortals, they could not so readily hide them from the Son of God. Their hidden sins were indiscernible to the naked eye, for the naked eye only sees the flowing robes, and pious countenance, but the eye of God sees beyond the shell, sees beyond the robes, and knows the hearts of men.
The life of routine the older son had come to enjoy, doing all the right things, at all the right times, only needed to be shaken, for his true nature to come to light. One small crisis, and all the beautifully arranged cosmetics, all the illusion that men have so craftily fashioned, fall away and the true heart comes to the surface. The sins of the heart, the sins of attitude, invisible and unsuspected, materialize and manifest when provoked. Even a joyous occasion, a moment of happiness such as the restoration of the prodigal son, the return of his brother to the bosom of his father’s home, was enough of a reason to provoke an outburst of rage in the heart of the older brother.
The first sign of the mask slowly slipping from his face, the first action that could be directly attributed to his true nature, was that as he came in from the field, and drew near to the house, once having heard the music, and having been informed of his brother’s return, the older son refused to go in. It was as if he could not bear to be in the same room with his younger brother, could not risk contaminating himself, could not breathe the same air as one who had gone off into the far country. Love and mercy had never taken root in the older sibling’s heart. He lived the letter, not the spirit of his father’s teachings, and for this reason forgiveness was a foreign concept to him. All those inward sins came boiling to the surface, jealousy, envy, hatred, righteous, or self-righteous indignation, all of them creating a perfect storm in the older son’s heart, blinding him to the beauty of forgiveness, love’s power to restore, and the endurance of mercy and grace.
No longer able to control his rage, unable to forgive, the older brother also betrays an attitude of disrespect toward his own father. It had always been there, this attitude of impertinence, it just needed a catalyst, a reason to come to the surface and make itself known. Not only is he unable to forgive his repentant brother, he also finds fault with the best father in the world.
His words, dripping with disgust suggest that he no longer considered his younger sibling a brother, no longer viewed him as a relation. While the older son refers to his brother as ‘this son of yours’, the father does not hesitate to remind him that he still considers him his son, and so he must accept him as his brother.
Is it possible that some persons we have written off, persons we no longer consider brothers, might still be considered sons by the heavenly Father?
The Pharisee personifies a person who neither acknowledges or appreciates the treasures he has in Christ, and as a consequence lives a life of spiritual poverty, similar with a life of servitude as the older son states: ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I have never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.’
Even though all the goods in his father’s home were at his disposal, even though he also was rightful heir, his attitude prevented him from seeing this. In his boundless love, the father spoke to the older son, informing him of two very important things, first that he was always with him, and second all that his father had, was also his.
Another shortcoming that the older son manifested was that he believed he could have a relationship with his father, based on his labors alone. He refused to acknowledge that not only the formal obedience was important, but also respect for one’s father, and love for one’s brother. Again we see the dissatisfaction ceremony and formality absent of relationship and love can spurn in the heart of even the most devoted of sons. Yes, the older son had been serving for many years, and had never transgressed his father’s commandment at any time, but there was no joy in his labors, no desire to know his father, no love in his sacrifice, just a mechanical repetition of those things which he felt he had to do.
Pharisaical righteousness will always point the finger, will always account for the failings and shortcomings of others, judging, despising, never willing to look in the mirror, never willing to acknowledge its own wrongs.
Rather than react as the older son did upon the return of a prodigal, may we rejoice for one who was lost has been found again. Rather than stand outside, attempting to find fault in the Father for showing love, mercy and grace, may we enter in, and realize it is reason for merriment when one who was dead, is alive again.
If we possess the Father’s heart, our constant quest will be to reach out to those who are in the darkness, hoping to bring them to the light. When love guides us, we will live in anticipation and joy of the day when we look afar off, and see a son returning to his father’s home, one whose eyes have been opened, and whose heart has been flooded by repentance.
You might never have traveled to the far country, you might be one of those who has never transgressed one of the Father’s commandments, and served for many years, and if this is the case, remember always, the Father is with you, and all that He has is yours. Rejoice in the knowledge that you never had to endure hunger, rejection, or living among the swine in order to appreciate the benefits of living in your Father’s home.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Two Brothers Part 3

I liken trying to get an internet connection here in Romania to panning for gold. Sure you can go days and days with seeing nothing more than stones and dirt in your pan, but once you see a spot of yellow at the bottom of the pan, all those days of being wet, muddy, achy and stiff backed, seem to melt away. Every day I wake up and am greeted with no signal found most of the time. On those blessed days however, when the little icon pops up and says I have a signal, all the frustration of being isolated from the rest of the world seems to melt away.
For the past couple posts we have been discussing the parable of the prodigal son, but as we edge, inevitably so to a hopefully satisfying conclusion, we begin to see that the parable was more about the two brothers, than it was about the prodigal himself. Jesus was speaking to the pharisees, and in his trademark subtleness it is the end of the parable that rebukes them, and shows them the truth of their error. For now however, we continue with the younger of the two, who at the end of the last post had happened upon an epiphany of sorts.
We see the shift in the young man's perception, even in the words he uses. Before leaving for the far country, the young man stood before his father expressing his feeling of entitlement by saying, 'Father give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' Now, after having experienced need, after having seen the cruelty of the far country, he returns to his father and says, 'make me like one of your hired servants.'
Within these subtle nuances we discover another spiritual principle that is applicable to the life of every believer. The immature Christian clings to the perception that he is entitled to everything, and so as he stands before the Father he is likely to demand, to say 'give me'. The mature Christian however, realizes that he needs to be transformed, he needs to be made, chiseled and molded, by the renewing of his mind, and is more likely to stand before God in humility and say, 'make me.'
Rather than stand before God, list of demands firmly gripped in our hands, unconcerned with whether or not we are ready to receive our inheritance, but merely saying 'give me' like some spoiled child, may we be wise and humble ourselves. May we stand before the heavenly Father, and before we utter the words 'give me', may we respectfully request that he make us, transform us, into worthy heirs of the divine inheritance, that we may not squander the priceless things, but prize them and make them dear.
Seeing as some who call themselves Christians choose to live their lives here on earth, unaccountable, unchanged, pursuing the same practices as before they found Christ, i wonder if they truly understand the worth of that which He did for us on the cross. Like the young son living in his father's house, many go about enjoying grace, salvation, and mercy, without ever realizing how precious and priceless they are. So removed are they from the reality of the favor they've been granted that some even choose to leave His presence, growing dissatisfied with the standard and requirements.
It would be mere speculation and supposition of the worst kind to assume that in order to reach spiritual maturity one must first visit the far country. If we are content with our place in our Father's house, the journey to the far country, and the pain and disappointment experienced there are not necessary at all. For some however, there seems to be no other path to greater understanding and appreciation of that which they already possess, than visiting the far country with all its disillusionment and heartache. It is detrimental to be sure, for the individual, as well as those around him, and for some it becomes their final destination as they are unwilling to humble themselves and return to the Father's home, asking to be made a servant. The wise man learns from those that came before him, while the foolhardy is doomed to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors.
The young man had come to a crossroads. Either humble himself, return to his father's house without pretense, or feelings of entitlement, or starve among the swine. Although the choice seems evident to most, for some it is not that simple. Again, human pride and arrogance have their say, and some continue living in a state of near death, rather than humble themselves. Once, the young man saw himself as great in his own eyes; once the young man believed that he could conquer the world; once he looked down upon his father, but no more. Now he chose the path of humility, longed for the familiarity of his home.
Once the young man arrived, new surprises were in store for him. He realized he had never truly known his father, his capacity for love, mercy, and grace. He also realized he had never learned to be grateful for all the benefits that living in his father's house in submission, patience, and thankfulness entailed. The young man who left his father's house thinking he knew it all, returned with the newfound understanding that he really didn't know much. The prodigal who repents of his actions, and returns to his father's embrace, is offered, by grace a new beginning in his father's house.
It is said that a man in South Africa, obsessed with dreams of wealth and riches, sold his farm and went in search of diamonds. when finally he came to the point of having squandered all his savings, having run out of resources, not having found the sought after diamonds, disillusioned and depressed, he threw himself off a bridge into a river where he drowned.
After a few years, the man who had bought the farm spotted an unusual stone int he creek bed that wound its way through the property. He picked up the stone, had it polished and placed it on the mantle in his living room, where it became a topic of conversation every time he had a visitor. One day, a guest who was a specialist in precious stones, took a closer look at the stone sitting on the mantle, and concluded that it was in fact a diamond. Having the stone discreetly seen by another specialist, the farmer soon discovered that he was in possession of one of the biggest diamonds in the whole of Africa.
The farmer returned to the creek bed, and to his surprise he saw more such 'stones', which he gathered, and had polished. They were there waiting to be discovered all along. The ex owner, had sold a veritable diamond mine, one of the richest deposits in the world, having gone off in search of precious stones.
The lesson is as simple as it is relevant. Often times, we go searching for something when it was right under our noses all along, ignored and overlooked. Today, many Christians are enchanted by newness. Whether or not this new movement, experience, or revelation is scriptural or of God, is inconsequential as long as it is something new. They travel, they gather in stadiums and coliseums, they wait in lines hours on end, all so they could say they were there, they experienced, they saw and they felt. All the while, that which is most precious, most profound, most glorious, intimacy with Christ, is left unattended, ignored and overlooked.
I do not know when the next post will be, but what I do know, is that it will be the conclusion of our study of the two brothers. I am returning to the States this Friday, and will hopefully be able to get back to a normal pace in posting my thoughts. Thank you all for your prayers, and may He who sees all, guide you in all things.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Two Brothers Part 2

As we continue our study of the two brothers, I am glad to see, by the comments some of you have written, that the subtleties of the younger of the two brother's journey into the far country are not lost on you. Yes, there is much wisdom and knowledge to be gleaned from this parable, and as yet we have barely scratched the surface.
The young man finally arrived. In his mind he had broken free. Blinded by illusion and driven by desire, he soon forgot that no matter how much money he had, it was still numbered. No matter how deep the barrel, dip into it often enough, and eventually it runs dry. He began spending his inheritance with largess and ostentation, attracting a group of profiteers and good time friends, who further assisted in squandering everything. Ignorant of the tried and true adage that when goods increase, they increase who eat them, the young man spent as though there were no tomorrow. Tomorrow became today, and the day after became tomorrow, time passed and the wheels of fortune began to turn, at first imperceptibly so.
Eventually the young man woke up one day, eyes bloodshot, lips dry, pockets empty. If in the bosom of prosperity that had been his father’s house the young man was able to blame others for his imagined unjust fate, here in the far country he was confronted with the enormity of his sin, and the fact that the blame could only be placed squarely on his shoulders. When we run out of people and circumstances we realize most often that we have no one to blame for our choices but ourselves. The young man was ever so slowly coming to the realization that he had not only sinned against his own life, but against his father and against heaven itself. He had squandered that which his father had set aside for him, on worthless, meaningless, trivial things, with nothing to show for it than an aged, pale face and a feeling of regret.
Rather than finding the joy he had so been looking forward to, rather than finding his happiness, or his bliss in the far off country, all he found was lack. The young man began to be in want, a new experience for him, something he had never before encountered while living in his father’s house. After having gathered all together, the young man had summarily wasted his possessions, with nothing left to show for it. Every commodity can be wasted in the far off country, where the specter of hunger and lack is watching from the shadows ready to consume the unsuspecting, ignorant and foolhardy traveler.
The young man begins to taste the bitter cup of being in want, the bitter pill of loneliness, uncertainty and danger. In his moments of desperation, man is forced to resort to anything, and anyone, and accept any chance he is offered. The young man no longer had the luxury of choosing his station in life; he no longer had the option of living in his father’s house carefree and sheltered. His time of having choices, or making choices had passed, there were no cards left to play, no emergency rewind, and he resigned himself to the only place that would have him, the fields wherein he was commissioned to feed swine. No longer did he consider his father’s house, and his father’s rules a burdensome thing, no longer did he consider the feasts at his father’s table ordinary, he would have been content with filling his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, but even those were out of his reach. He learned that not all men were like his father, giving and merciful. No one gave him anything.
The young man’s journey describes, vividly so, mankind’s fate throughout history, that of gathering all, squandering all, and wanting for all. This cycle began with the advent of the first man and woman God ever created, having been given everything in the garden, they wanted more, ignoring the simple fact that there is nothing more than everything. It is the cry of the modern age, a cry, which is like fingernails upon chalkboard to God’s ears, ‘we want more, we want more’, and God, shrugging his shoulders whispers to those who would hear, ‘but I’ve already given you everything. What more could you want, what more could you desire?”
This perpetual dissatisfaction with what God has already given us, is the bane of the human condition going back to the genesis of human history. Just as the young man in Christ’s parable, and even Adam and Eve, man usually realizes the error of his ways long after he has settled in the far off country, long after he has wasted and squandered, long after he has either left his father’s house of his own free will, or has been evicted for disobedience. For some all that remains is the nagging memory of what once, the painful reminder that once they lived in paradise, once they lived in their father’s house, and it was their choices that brought them to the lowly existence of living among the swine, and envying them for having pods to eat.
There is nothing greater than what God has for you. Nothing in this world, nothing of the material earth can equal the beauty, grandeur, and worth of what God freely gives His children. If we live in constant knowledge of this reality, we will no longer look toward the far off country with longing, but be grateful and thankful to our Father for making provision for us, for loving us, and keeping us.
When the young man began to be in want, this experience was so new for him that it immediately called to mind memories of his home, and the abundance he had access to there, a home of which he was no longer certain, but which invoked a sense of hope, in that he came to himself. It would seem man does not realize the reality of his circumstances except in extreme situations. Either he is lacking everything, or he has everything in abundance but is not grateful for that which he has. It is inconsequential how many things we possess, if we are never satisfied, or how many things we lack, if we are thankful, grateful, and content with our circumstances. This present life cannot be evaluated merely in quantitative terms, for as Christ Himself stated, one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. I realize this statement is revolutionary and goes against the grain of all that is being taught in the church today, but they were not my words, they were the words of Christ Jesus the Son of God, and perhaps it would be wise and prudent to heed His words rather than the words of men in possession of nothing more than over inflated egos, and a propensity for scripture twisting.
Few things are more comforting to a soul than finding that blessed balance, wherein we are not forever bouncing from one extreme to another, never finding our footing. Balance brings about contentment in the Christian life, wherein we accept the seasons of plenty with as much gratitude and thankfulness as we accept the seasons of scarcity.
Philippians 4:11-12, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
Perpetual dissatisfaction of the soul is a wretched disease, an ailment from which many a Christian suffers. Often drastic measures must be taken, in order for God to open our eyes to that which He has given us, that it may be viewed in the context, and in contrast to that which the flesh desires to possess. Contrary to popular belief, I do not subscribe to the idea that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince mankind that he did not exist, but rather that he convinced mankind the things of this earth are more worthy of pursuit than the things of heaven. This spiritual blindness concerning the Kingdom of God, and our responsibility to pursue it, has caused many a soul, which considered themselves redeemed and sanctified to return to the far country, to grovel among the swine, hoping to get their share of the pods. Far too many reject the banquets and feasts at their father’s table, demeaning and degrading themselves in pursuit of lesser things.
The young man had everything in his father’s house, all that he could ever desire, all that he could ever want, yet in his heart he was dissatisfied. He had to be brought to the point of envying the swine which ate hungrily at the pods which he distributed, to come to himself and realize that even the servants in his father’s house, the lowliest of serfs had bread, and even enough to spare while he perished with hunger.
The young man no longer dreams of the high life, he no longer dreams of greatness and opulence as he did before. Only a realistic evaluation of one’s situation and circumstances causes us to come to our senses, to realize certain truths, and establish with precision our course of action from that point forward.
The crushing weight of truth opened the young man’s eyes to the enormity of his sin. He realized he had sinned not only before his father, but against heaven itself, having by his own actions given up the right to be called his father’s son. He had lost the dignity required of a son, and acknowledged he was no longer worthy of that standing. He purposed in his hear to return to his father’s homestead, not with the feeling of entitlement he had previously expressed, but with the minimal request of being made like one of his father’s hired servants. He would appeal to his father’s sense of goodness and mercy, rather than his own legal right of being called his father’s son.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Two Brothers Part 1

It is the most discussed parable that Christ ever spoke, second only, as far as emotional impact is concerned, to the parable of the lost sheep. A studious man could busy himself for years on end discovering the intricacies of this parable, the underlying messages, the warnings and the lessons that can be gleaned from the twenty verses, which this parable encompasses.
For most believers it is the lost son that is most compelling and interesting to study, for it was the consequences of his decisions that led him to a far off country wherein he became a feeder of swine, on the precipice of starvation.
Although the lessons one can glean from the younger of the two brothers are more obvious, there are more subtle lessons one can learn from the behavior and reaction of the older sibling as well. For a long time I have wanted to do a comparison study between the two brothers, to see their virtues and their shortcomings their decisions and the consequences thereof. We will begin with the younger of the two brothers, since as has been previously stated he is the more interesting of the two siblings.
Anxious to assume control of his own destiny, to blaze his own trail and be out from under his father’s shadow, the younger of the two brothers stood before his father one day, and demanded that to which he felt entitled, the portion of the goods that fell to him. No one was prodding this young man to go out and attempt to make his own fortune, his father had not given him a time limit in which he must be out of his home, it was the young man’s decision to leave all that he had known behind and venture out on his own.
To demand what one perceives they are entitled to, is so engrained in human nature, that long before a child is able to form words, long before they are able to articulate, they inherently know how to demand. They demand with their eyes, with their hands, with their tears and with their cries, until the parents relent and give in. Whether due to their insistence, or the parent’s love for their child, it is true that most often, children get what they want, even if they have to cry and holler for a while. Parents know it takes time, patience, solid fundamental education and good upbringing, for a child to reach understanding and mature his character to the point that he realizes he is not entitled to anything, and as such has no right to demand.
Tragically some never grow out of the entitlement mentality, and live their entire adult lives feeling as though they are owed, they are entitled, and react violently upon realizing the contrary. In the eyes of one who has no life experience, who is lacking in wisdom and understanding, money can be viewed as both the source and condition upon which the fulfillment of their desires and happiness are contingent.
The first lesson, and perhaps the most important we glean from this parable, is that contrary to popular belief, money does not bring happiness, contentment, or fulfillment in one’s life. Fulfillment comes about from the subtle, often overlooked areas of our lives, and some discover this truth well into the twilight years of their existence.
It is unknown how long the young man in this parable harbored feelings of resentment, convinced that he deserved more than wasting his life away working for his father, caught up in the daily routine, but his actions confirm that these feelings existed. He was not content with his place in his father’s house, there was no gratitude nor thankfulness in his life for having been born into a family of means, he wanted something different, something more, not realizing the blessing that had already been bestowed upon him.
The thought of leaving did not come about overnight. It was nurtured, fueled by the idea that he deserved in fact was entitled to a life of liberty and independence, without the restrictions imposed upon him by his father, not understanding that absent of order, absent of rules liberty is nothing more than disguised chaos.
A great many things may have seemed wrong to the young man, as he lived comfortably in his father’s house. His heart wanted for something different, his flesh desired to unfetter itself from the confines of his father’s rule, loving, merciful and understanding as his father might have been. The parallels we can draw between some Christians today, and the young son who did not know to appreciate His father’s goodness are countless, and each of us can see an area in our lives, a moment in time when we acted like this young man.
Although he was legally entitled to his portion of goods, due to the lack of maturity expressed in his hasty decision to come into possession of his inheritance before he was ready, he disqualified himself as true possessor of his inheritance. It is a spiritual principle that is often overlooked within the house of God, but one to which God holds every believer. Before we can come into possession of our promised inheritance, we must first reach the level of maturity, accountability and responsibility that God requires.
Luke 16:12, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
In light of this truth we also make the humbling discovery of how good God truly is. We see the level of grace with which He treats His sons in that He will allow them to administer the spiritual goods of another, even at the risk of them being squandered, that they may become good and faithful stewards of the future inheritance promised them by covenant which is kept for them in heaven.
In his typical straightforward fashion, the apostle Paul clarifies this spiritual principle in his epistle to the Galatians, as he focuses on the need for a certain level of maturity.
Galatians 4:1-2, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.”
It is often a dangerous thing to demand of God the portion of the goods that fall to us, to demand our inheritance, before we are ready to administer them wisely and faithfully. God knows when we are ready. He knows when we have matured sufficiently. He has an appointed time for every one of His children wherein He will give what was promised them. For many believers the waiting is the hardest part, zeal absent of maturity driving them to ask of God those things for which they are not ready. If the waiting seems difficult for you, if it is hard being a servant, remember that you serve in your Father’s house, not at the whim of some merciless master, and only temporarily. Never forget that you are an heir. Sooner or later, you will inherit that which the Father has set aside for you. By laboring now, as a servant in our Father’s house, He is preparing us to be approved workers for when we receive our inheritance.
Impatience drove the young son, and after receiving that which fell to him, and gathering all together, he wasted no time in putting as much distance as humanly possible, between himself and his father’s house. He deposited nothing in the bank, chose not to invest in real estate, put nothing aside for a rainy day, left nothing in his father’s house for his eventual return. He took everything and traveled to a far country, a place where he could dedicate himself to the life that his heart yearned for, far from the prying eyes of family and friends.
Material wealth is easily squandered in the far country, in secret and darkness, where the heart is constantly and feverishly searching for that new and different experience. This far country whose existence the young man discovered perhaps through stories he’d heard, or in his own adolescent imagination, is the irresistible mirage that beguiles those absent of maturity. The glorious promises the far country makes never seem to materialize, for they are a lie, an illusion. The far country remains permanently rooted in the land of fantasy, haunted by the fertile minds of men given to dreaming with their eyes wide open.
The young son saw this far country so often in his imagination, believing so vehemently in the illusion he had constructed, that he was ready to do anything in order to reach it, including breaking his father’s heart. He was convinced that true happiness could only be found in this imaginary place, and he would let nothing stand in his way. With wild abandon he traveled to this far country believing what seemed to good to be true. Yes, life was good in his father’s house, he lacked for nothing, and had everything, but the young man believed in his heart that there was more. Once he found his place in this new country, once he tasted of those things his father forbade, then he would know the heights of happiness and fulfillment.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

A Story of Love

I realize this article is somewhat belated, as is my greeting of a happy new year, but the weather has not let up, and the frozen power lines make it impossible to do anything substantial. We wait patiently, and once in awhile I check to see if I have a connection, and today, circa two in the afternoon, I saw the words that brought me more joy than they rightly should, 'connected, signal very low'. I don't know how long this will last, and so I thought I would make the best of it. Whenever I get a signal, low or otherwise, I will be posting something, anything. I guess global warming isn't all it's cracked up to be. Minus 20 degrees isn't all that warm to me, and that's in the daytime. Please remember the people of Romania in your prayers, as many are going without the basic necessities this winter, as well as firewood to warm their homes. Will write again soon. God bless.
It was time and He could put it off no longer. It has been promised that the King would come and visit His province, a province that was His by inheritance and birthright. His ambassadors had spoken of His imminent arrival far in advance, but few paid any mind, few heeded. All went about their business, aware but dismissive of the fact that divine royalty was about to grace their barren land with the light of His presence.
He chose to enter the world, not in a palace, not to the sounds of trumpets and harps, but in a lowly manger. He was born not to the house of a magistrate or high-ranking official, but as the son of a carpenter. He took on the appearance of a mortal being, although He is eternal, and was from the beginning of all things. Although He tried, one such as Him could not disguise His true nature. Cloaked in the garments of the common man, one need only peer into his eyes, open their hearts to His words in order to realize that He was not of this place, He transcended this plain this earth, this existence. He was divine, He was royalty, and those who chose to see, followed Him wherever He went.
Those that followed Him marveled at His heart of compassion. They marveled at His capacity for love. He reached out to the forsaken, the unwanted, that segment of society that had long been written off by pompous men full of themselves, offering them freely what could never be purchased.
Many turned their back on the King of kings, rejecting eternity, rejecting hope, while others more brazen spat upon Him and mocked Him. He who could call down hosts of angels, He who had command over the unseen hosts of the heavens, the Son of God, born of a virgin, made flesh, He who had all power and all authority, did not react as mortals would. Christ did not retaliate against those who rejected Him, who mocked Him, even those who spat upon Him. He felt compassion for them, realizing that they had chosen eternal judgment, eternal sorrow, when they could have chosen eternal life.
Some received His offer, were plucked from the mire of sin and desperation, were made clean and renewed, were given new garments, and a new reason to hope. A new heart was beating within the chest of those blessed few, and they worshiped at His feet knowing that they could never repay Him for the gift He had bestowed upon them.
The Christ walks among us today, making the same offer He made over two thousand years ago, inviting all who would hear to come and partake of eternity, to enter into their eternal rest, to know the fullness of He who was, and is, and is to come. Now as then, a great majority reject and mock Him, but a blessed few see Him for what He is, the embodiment of love, and have no choice but to surrender their all to Him, to be consumed by His grace, and take their rightful place within the body of Christ, living in Him, for Him, and through Him.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Blackouts and Cold Nights

Yes, I am still alive. I just haven't been able to get to a computer, or for that matter an internet connection for a few days now. The Christmas tree lights in the town square over solicited the power grid, so over half the city was blacked out during most of the festivities over the past few days. Since the heat in my apartment is electricity generated, I ended up spending much of my time huddled in my father in law's house since he has a wood burning stove.
As soon as things get back to normal, and we have power, and it's not so cold I will post something more relevant and substantial. For now I leave you with the peace of Christ our Lord and Savior.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea jr.

A Little Leaven

I cried last night, twice in fact. I went to listen in on our choir rehearsels, both the adult choir, and the children's choir. And while the children sang 'silent night' in such a way that it brought me to tears, the adult choir sang one of my favorites, Handel's Messiah. I began to ponder the beauty of innocent and heartfelt worship, and how retaining our purity, and keeping ourselves spotless from the world is a grace and a virtue. I came home, and happened upon this well known verse in Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 5:6, “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
So what’s wrong with a little compromise? Under the guise of tolerance and interfaith relations, the church has been enjoying a peaceable truce with the world for decades now. It has been hugely productive for both camps. The world attends our special productions and concerts, we attend the world’s movies and plays, why, we have proven that all can live as one, coexist, and get along if only we meet halfway. They give a little, we give a little, and behold no more fierce opposition, no more debates and deliberations concerning the one true God, or the one true path, we’re all going to heaven anyway, just using different paths to get there. What’s worse, we glory in our foolishness and our blindness, we consider it a success merely because the pews are filled never giving a single thought to whether or not the souls that fill them are redeemed, saved and sanctified, or are merely ambulatory corpses.
One world, united in tolerance and acceptance of other religions, other gods, even the atheists and agnostics have a seat at the table. We have achieved in accomplishing what four thousand years’ worth of generations could not, we have united the world under the banner of mediocrity, inclusion, and ecumenism. Never mind that the Bible tells us to separate ourselves not only from the world, but also from immoral believers, to keep ourselves spotless and separate. Those were just shortsighted individuals who could not see the bigger picture. Fear mongers is what they were, scaring people into believing that a little compromise would lead to the unraveling of all that had been built on the foundation of purity and righteousness. They just didn’t get it. We’ve come such a long way, our thinking has evolved to such an extent that we can now plainly see what they could not, a little compromise is good for the bottom line, for the building fund, and for the church’s slush fund.
If you take a cup of sewer water and pour it into a gallon of the most expensive wine in the world, that wine becomes nothing more than sewer water. If you take a gallon of the finest wine in the world and pour it into a cup of sewer water, once again, you have very expensive sewer water.
What some refuse to acknowledge is that no matter how little leaven we allow into the church, it compromises the integrity of the whole. However little the compromise, we are making in order to achieve a certain agenda, it has successfully spoiled the entire lump, for compromise begets compromise, and sin begets sin. However little the sin we allow to reside in the camp might be, we must realize that it is the nature of sin, the nature of evil, to defuse itself, to spawn, to grow, to spread to eat away at righteousness, and destroy the souls of those that allow it to flourish.
Rather than actively seek out the leaven in our midst, and purge it lest we become contaminated, we welcome and invite compromise with open arms, and warm smiles. It is not the church’s job to make the sinner comfortable in the midst of the congregation. It is not the church’s job to seem compassionate and sympathetic concerning the sins that are evident in the lives of those who attend service. It is not the church’s job to tolerate anything less than the standard that God has set forth for His children. The church’s one duty, it’s primary goal, is to preach repentance, to point the way to Christ and the cross, and compel those who would hear to be born again, to receive the gift of salvation, to be renewed in mind and spirit, and pursue holiness.
One cannot make deals with the darkness, or with sin and expect them to keep up their end of the bargain. Sin will always renege on its promises it will always go back on its word. Once sin has a hold of a soul, once the darkness has talked it into compromise, it will be merciless in its struggle to reach its final objective, the destruction of the good.
We have been beguiled and seduced by the world, and by we I am referring to the modern day church, not realizing that the world has its own agenda, it has its hidden motives for treating us with a modicum of kindness and false sincerity. We revel in the glory of the world, and glory in our own ingenuity for building bridges and mending fences, not realizing that slowly but surely we are becoming the world.
Those who see beyond the now, those who perceive the outcome of compromise by spiritual insight, are troubled, vexed, heartbroken, and rightly so. For not only will the entire lump be leavened by the little we have allowed, but those who refrain from joining in with the unclean things, will be viewed as dissidents, dissenters and nonconformists, enemies of progress, and spoilers of unity.
If you believe it will only be the world that will persecute the people of God, you are in for a rude awakening. The outline of what is to come is already taking shape, like the first strokes of a painter’s brush upon the canvas. We can see where it’s headed; we can deduce the finished product, long before the finishing touches are applied.
There are those who give themselves freely to sin within the house of God, which allow compromise and selfish motives to dictate the sermons that are preached, and the path that is followed. Then there are those who have chosen to purge out the old leaven, to hollow out their hearts in anticipation of the new resident that will soon reside there, and soon there will be an inevitable clash of these two camps.
The persecuted or the persecutor, the divine or the profane, each must choose a side in the battle that is to come. God will stand with those who are His, who have chosen the narrow path of uncompromising faith, and will rightly judge those who claim to be His, but whom He does not know.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.