The algae seems to still be stable, so today I decided to double the dose. This is recommended where the tank is heavily infested. and I think my tank qualifies for that.
The plan is for 3 weeks of double dosing to see if that improves things. If there is ot significant improvement by then, I will have to conclude that “Vibrant” does not work, and return to my long standing regime of mechanical cleaning.
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 2:17-18. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 2:17-18
And he [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Jesus came and preached peace to those who were far off (i.e. Gentiles) and to those who were near (i.e. Jews)
The word for preached is derived from the word for Gospel or the good news – euangelion. This is the word from which we get words like evangelism and evangelical.
Jesus came and he preached a message of peace. It was not any message of peace; it was the good news.
This message is that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The message of peace was firstly a message about peace with God.
Because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, we are now able to come into God’s presence and enjoy relationship with him. The enmity that results in sin and rebellion against God has been dealt with.
Sin sets us against other people at a personal, community, and even international levels. We cannot have peace with others if we do not have peace with God first.
Paul views this as being exemplified as the division between Jew and non-Jew. The Jews had access to the Father through obedience to the Law. So now peace is possible because both parties can have peace with God in Christ.
It cannot be said often enough that the Jews are no longer separate from the Gentiles. They do not have a different path to Heaven. Paul says over and over that the Law was abolished in Christ and that there is no difference anymore between Jew and Gentile.
The destruction of the temple, never to be re-built, in 70 AD demonstrates that God has done away with the old covenant forever.
Through Christ (particularly His death on the cross) Jew and Gentile have access in the one Spirit to the Father.
The cross and the blood of Jesus wash away every sin. “God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God loves the people of this world and brings us all the opportunity to repent and receive salvation in Christ – Jews and Gentiles, people from every tongue and tribe and nation.
Through Jesus we have access to the Father. When we know that our sins are forgiven, and there is no penalty to be paid, and no punishment to be feared, then we can boldly approach the Father.
The Father is “Abba”. He is not a distant almighty fearful deity to be approached with much abasement and the strict following of protocols. No, to those who are redeemed he is Dad.
Because of Jesus we can know God , an intimate experiential knowledge of our Creator. We can talk to him about the concerns that we have, the desires of our heart, and the needs of others. We can also listen to his voice , reassuring us of his love and grace, that he is handling the issues on our heart.
This access to the Father comes through the Holy Spirit. When we first came to faith, the Holy Spirit entered into us. The Spirit leads us and directs us, equips us and enables us to do impossible things for Christ.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, give us the miraculous powers of Christ, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 give us the character of Christ. As we grow in maturity into the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we become true representatives of Christ in the world .
In this sentence we again have a strong statement about the Trinity. The word Trinity is never used in scripture, but it is always present. Through Christ we have access to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Our God is three persons in one God, a community of eternal love – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Scripture
And this is the message I proclaim – that the day is coming when God, through Jesus Christ, will judge everyone’s secret life.
Observation
The Gentiles will be destroyed for their sins even though they didn’t have God’s written law. The Jews also will be judged because they had the Law but failed to obey it.
Obedience to the Law makes us right, not just knowing it. Even Gentiles instinctively know what is right because they have a conscience.
God is going to judge everybody through Jesus Christ.
Application
Salvation from the judgement is not just about the Law.
The Jews had God’s written law but many failed to obey it. They will be judged by the Law they disobeyed.
Gentiles will likewise be judged by their actions because their conscience told them what was right.
But Christ will judge everybody by their secret life. It is our actions at home or alone that show our hearts. Since God has access to our secret thoughts, He will be able to judge by our heart attitudes.
God is not impressed by people who live respectable or successful lives, and who go home and abuse their spouse or children.
Jesus said that murder has its roots in anger and that adultery starts with a lustful heart. It is these attitudes that will be judged, not just the outward actions.
This is not abut occasional bad thoughts, but a mind set that glories in sin.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you see into my heart and so I have no secrets before you. Please forgive me for my sinful thoughts and convict me of attitudes that I need to change. Amen.
Scripture
But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good- for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles.
Observation
You may think that you can judge the “sinners”, but if you are self-righteous you will simply be storing up judgement for yourself. If you judge people for their sins, you must realise how patient and tolerant God is with you for not judging your sins.
There will be a time when God’s judgement is revealed. He will pour out His wrath on those who do wrong, but He will pour out His glory, honour and peace upon those who do what is right.
Application
God is not interested in our blood lines, but He is interested in our attitude towards Him.
The topic of God’s judgement is very unpopular these days. In fact, we do not like the idea that anyone, let alone God, should judge us.
The truth is that there is a day of judgement coming. Those who have chosen the way of life will be raised to eternal life. Those who have chosen the way of sin will be condemned to hell.
People say they don’t like to believe in such things. They are on the same level as those who do not believe in the corona virus or that it somehow doesn’t apply to them. They then spread the infection across Melbourne and into other parts of Australia.
The virus is real, and it brings its judgement on all who ignore it. Sin is also real and it brings its own judgement, but with eternal consequences.
On the other hand, those who put their trust in Jesus and live for Him, will have their sins forgiven and will enjoy glory, honour and peace from God.
Prayer
Lord, I confess my sins to you today. Thank you for your promise that when we confess our sins to you, you forgive us and make us clean. Amen.
Scripture
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Observation
Even people who don’t know about God should see from the creation that God is real and powerful. There is no excuse for not knowing God in some way.
Because people refuse to worship the God who is there, their minds become dark and confused. They start to worship idols.
Because they worship created things rather than the creator, God has abandoned them to their shameful desires. Homosexuality is a case in point, but it applies to every form of wickedness.
Application
Wickedness abounds in this world because people refuse to acknowledge God. God lets them have their way, and so they continue to bring judgement on themselves.
Paul mentions homosexuality, but also a lot of other sins. Sexual sins get a pass in our culture, including among some christians. The reality is that God is our creator and has the right to set the boundaries for the life style which people should follow, including how we act on our sexual desires.
If I say that I will let my sexual desires overrule what God says, then I am making an idol of my body and that of the person I lust after.
We cannot allow our sexual desires to rule our lives at the expense of our relationship with God. This applies equally to other sinful desires such as gluttony, anger and greed.
To be a follower of Jesus means that I must be holy- set apart for God. This means a constant process of allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse every unclean thought and every unholy action from my life.
Prayer
Lord I acknowledge that you are the one who sets the standards by which I should live. You are the one who determines how I should live. Help me to worship you alone, and not to make idols of the things I want. Amen.
The algae in the fish tank is still stable, possibly a little worse.
During the water change today, I noticed that the filter was not operating properly. It was running but no water was going through. That might explain why the Vibrant is not very effective. Also cyanobacter prefer still water so perfect conditions.
I cleaned out all the accumulated gunk from the filter and reinstalled it. It took a while to get the pump primed and running, but now it is doing well.
After the day started with thick fog, we were treated to a hailstorm late in the afternoon.
Lots of weather in one day!
It was a delightfully foggy morning in Narrabri today. Fog is always good as it means there is plenty of moisture in the air.
The visibility was down to about 50 metres which is about as thick as fog gets around here.
