Who, me?
Anyone who knows me might well ask, “What? Larry
Gibbons writing about spiritual matters?” Good question. Isn't that
something only for theologians or "men of the cloth." Well, I own no titles before my name nor letters following it, never
have been to seminary nor otherwise can I lay claim to anything else very
impressive. I must rest my case, as every Christian should, on God's promises that
he who seeks shall find. After wasting the first 30 years of my life, for
the last 45 plus years I've been drawn to God's word.
I am convinced that God is not the author of confusion, that the Bible,
properly understood, never contradicts itself; and I am always challenged to
unravel passages that appear so. Judge for yourself whether or not what I have
discovered is accurate and true to scripture. I can't emphasize enough how
much I have yet to learn in areas not explored and in gaining fuller insight
on more familiar ground. I don't pretend to be one who has all the answers.
I'm one who has no end of questions, still looking to the promise of God to
reveal His truth. You gotta have questions if you want answers.
My venture started when
a Christian business associate answered a question I asked as a skeptic.
Assuming Christians must be perfect and noticing that my friend had not yet
licked the smoking habit, I confronted him with his "sin."
Instead of getting defensive, he looked me square in the eye and replied,
"You know, Larry, I don't know how God can love a sinner like me, but I
know He does and I know I'm going to heaven." Talk about getting smacked
with the truth! Don't ask me how I knew it, but I did; and when I asked him
how he could be so sure, he simply said, "Just pick up your Bible, Larry,
and see for yourself." I did that and have long since given the same
advice to others.
God didn't give me any 90-day
crash course; no, he spent years letting me fail. Though I am still so slow to understand, He
won't let me quit. Always,
in a way that I know couldn't be of myself, He has gradually increased my
understanding and appreciation of Him, as revealed in His book. I owe much to Christian friends,
who
God invariably brought on the scene just
when I needed their encouragement and counsel. I’ve enjoyed the good fortune of reading the works of notable
Christians, but I make no claim to be an authority on the extensive works of
theologians. Though I’ve memorized my share of scripture, I have a heck of a
time recalling chapter and verse anymore, although in times of need God seems
to bring appropriate verses to mind. As I’m getting to be an old geezer, my
recall is not what it used to be, and that wasn’t much to begin with. I make
notes but I lose them. Maybe my claim to fame is associated with the apostle
Paul’s remark in I Cor. 1:26 that “not many wise according to the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”
Here I’ll have you know I qualify. The Bible refers to us as vessels
that He desires to fill with His Spirit. It's not the vessels that are so
important; it's God who fills them. In short, any old pot will do. What started
for me out of quiet desperation has ended in happiness and contentment. I stand amazed that my Lord and Savior could
change my life so completely and bless me in so many ways, even in the midst
of trials.
I hope something of what I’ve offered on this web site may be of help to
someone. There is a diversity of material that I've tried to categorize as
best I can. Hopefully, there's more to come in due time. Shop around and check
me out. If you disagree with what I say, let me know where you feel scripture
proves me wrong. Hey, I don't claim infallibility. If you find anything noteworthy, credit the Lord, not me. I
don't want anyone parroting anything just because I say it. I simply want to encourage every
Christian to study the Bible in honesty and faith and to endeavor to
communicate what he learns.
May the only true God cause you to increasingly enjoy all the blessings that
are ours in Him and His Son Christ Jesus.
Larry Gibbons
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