Personal insight

Unique source of Personal Insight

Rationalizing is common way to deal with personal failures, but not a way to self-improvement.

I have learned so much about myself when I finally got some insight to being judgmental of other people’s actions.  I started with self-appointed right to judge another person because I am not like them or even better than them.  This is not so.  The something I dislike in the other person turns out to be in reality something deficient in my life that I do not recognize or am not willing to admit.  I can see it in them but not me.  Therefore, I am free to be judgmental.  After receiving a little insight, I saw I was doing the same thing or had the same motive I am judging.

In psychology it is known as projection.  I place or project upon the other person unrecognized actions or motives that are in my life.  My dislike for their action or motive is the same dislike I would have for myself if I had any insight at all.

The Bible was first to bring this psychological principle to light.  The bible says judge not least you be judged in like manner. 

Matthew 7:1 says ““Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”. 

What you are judging in another person just happens to be one you share.   You are doing the same thing or have the same motive.  The judgement you are rendering will come back on you with the inherent consequences in same manner and magnitude.  This principle is universally activated just like the law of gravity.  You cannot see the law of gravity until you jump.  Being judgmental will fulfill the principle of reaping what you have sown.  The agricultural analogy of like kind is if you plant a seed of corn, you will get corn, not sunflowers.  How you judge another will be a judgment coming back on you so you may gain personal insight.  You are doing the same thing or have the same motive.

My most memorable example of being judgmental I have labeled the hemorrhoid story.  In Deuteronomy 28;27 it says that a curse of the law is having “emerods,” readily understood to be hemorrhoids.  There is no Biblical or non- biblical argument that hemorrhoids are not a curse.  I personally had hemorrhoids when out of fellowship with the Lord and know the condition is not a blessing.  After repenting and being restored I was walking the best I knew in righteousness and no hemorrhoids for years.  Then one day in surgery I had the sudden feeling of a hemorrhoid.  I knew that could not be since I was in right relationship with God.  Yet it felt like what I remembered.  I even told God this could not be since I was so righteous. I should have said self-righteous.  However, just to be sure, after the surgery I went to the locker room for the confirmation.  To my surprise, I had a hemorrhoid.  I again told God this could not be even though the evidence was to the contrary.

I then accepted the diagnosis and asked again, “How could this be?”  The immediate response was that I judged two Christian friends who had hemorrhoids as not being righteous like me.  The answer was a simple truth, “Judge not least you be judged in like manner also.”  This is the most tangible example of the Word of God in action I can remember, the hemorrhoids.   Think about this and avoid the consequences.  What you see in others you do not like might just be something you would not like in yourself especially if raised to the level of being judgmental.

Since I became aware of the personal weakness of being judgmental, I quickly change to plan B when I see the fault in another.  I immediately self-examine for the same issue in my life.  I am doing the same thing as those I have judged.  A common desire to be judgmental happens when I see a colleague with an insatiable appetite for recognition.  It must have started as a youth by “hey, mom, no hands, look at me” when riding a bike.  They cannot restrain from talking about themselves.  They want to be loved and have recognition.  I am not going to judge.  I also what to be loved and have recognition.  I have gone about it more silent manner having learned the Biblical truth over and over that pride precedes a fall.  This is what I like about the Bible where it gives instruction not to let your praise come out of your own mouth.  I recognize what I have been given is a gift and the blessings are not of my doing.  Therefore, I must move forward asking for the creation of a humble spirit within me to counter my carnal desires.  I want a steadfast spirit to keep humility going.  I will stay away from being judgmental and another hemorrhoid story.

After that experience, if someone asked me what did I think about a well known good Christian who was reported to have cancer. My immediate response would be “no opinion”.

I do not need to correct them but me.  I have learned that I am a full-time job.  We are cautioned to exercise good judgement, without being judgmental.  Being judgmental is casting dispersions.  After all we are not the ultimate judge.  That job has already been taken by God.  No “Help Wanted” signs have been posted.

Never to old to keep learning

I often have disagreement with what the Bible states.  I have challenged the following verse many times.  “No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11)

There were relationships and or my medical initiatives in years past in which I was positive at the time that God was acting contrary to His Word.  He was withholding a good thing.  I have lived long enough to learn what happened to those from the broken relationships and have thanked God.  I keep learning the principle over and over with my medical ventures.  I argued repeatedly He was withholding a good thing.  Of course, to no avail.  I would check to see that I met the condition of walking uprightly.  If I was not, then I would repent and make sure I was qualified.  No one, even the Holy Spirit could convince me that a good thing was being withheld.   His Word was to the contrary to my experience.  As time passed, I learned the ultimate outcome, it was clear God was not withholding any good thing.  It was hard to believe at the time.

The most recent disagreement accompanied my application for US patent that protocatechuic acid would treat osteoarthritis. The submitted claims were limited to only osteoarthritis on synovial joints in that there as clear evidence of prior art for treatment of other forms of arthritis; rheumatoid or psoriatic.  I had solid supporting evidence from human in vitro testing and animal research.  I went through refusal after refusal, each one modifying the claim language hoping for acceptance.  The was one prior art from a US patent that was in no way directly related nor ever activated from 26 years ago.  The examiner continued to use that patent against my application.  I went to Washington D.C with my attorney to meet with the examiner, but to no avail.  I wanted to tell her but did not that she was interfering with God’s will in my life.  If I had, she would have been sure I was a nut case and exercise her authority to protect society from me.

While that patent was withheld, I had the time to learn what other potential medical applications there could be for protocatechuic acid.  There were many.  Subsequent study and research led to more than 20 additional valuable medical application patents for protocatechuic acid which I am pursuing translation to clinical medicine.

I continued to petition the US patent office to grant my osteoarthritis patent.  I spent lots of money and time.  I had my 4^th patent attorney and several patent examiners.  After 14 years the patent was granted by a subsequent examiner, but not what I had asked, but better.

I had asked only for osteo arthritis limited to synovial joints.  The issued claims includes all forms of injury and or disease to any type of joint which if applied for by specific name would not be possible to achieve.  This is the exact claim #1 language.

A method for treating or reducing the severity of a joint injury or disease in a mammal comprising: orally administering a composition consisting of protocatechuic acid in a capsule to the mammal, wherein the composition is at least 0.035 mmol protocatechuic acid per kilogram bodyweight of the mammal.

Remember the original claims were limited to osteoarthritis in synovial joints because there as clear evidence of prior art for other forms of arthritis; rheumatoid or psoriatic.   The granted patent by its language included any and all “joint injury or disease”.  Therefore, all joints, all injuries and all disease are protected by this intellectual property. 

Amazing, God was not withholding any good thing.  I was granted a patent with the most board claims possible and 20 plus other valuable medical patents I never would have considered if granted the first one in a timely way. 

 I now have more evidence that His Word is true, and He is not a person that he should lie.  By now, you would think I should trust His Word over my experience.  I guess that is why the Word says we should “go by faith not by sight”.  Also, it says, and I can now confirm “Do not lean on your own understanding.”

Asking God for Evidence of a Tangible Reality

Asking for a tangible reality of Jesus is not new.  If fact it is a good idea.

Thomas called Didymus who became better known as doubting Thomas said, “until I see the imprints of the nails on his hands and feet and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Fair enough.  Seems reasonable.

Then the Word says in John 20:27-29, Jesus became present and knowing ahead of time of Thomas concerns starts by saying, “Peace be with you.” 

 ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Two messages in this account.  One is that Jesus welcomes our need for a tangible reality of Him, as when the Word became flesh as in John 1:14 and Thomas’s need for confirmation.

The other one is more amazing that how blessed are we who have not seen Jesus in the flesh and believe on the written Word.

Insight to God’s requests of you.

What God is asking of you in the natural should be an introduction to what He wants to do for you spiritually.

The basis is John 4:7-10.  ⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^[a])

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Thanking way through anything.

5/14/2022:I have learned I can thank my way through anything.

The Word teaches that we are to be thankful for all things and thankful in all things.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18). “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” As a result, I have learned I can choose to thank my way through whatever circumstance comes my way. I do this by speaking out loud and prefacing the name of whatever the circumstance is with “I am thankful for ….

The recipient of my thanksgiving is God. I then have peace in every circumstance according to 2 Thessalonians 3:16. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.”

It then occurred to me that the continually offering of thanks is the Biblical way to approach the presence of God. In Psalm 100:4 it says, “Enter the gates with thanksgiving” and then pass through the courtyards with praise on the way to the Mercy Seat.

This is really a good prescription for all life events, whether judged good or bad.

Maturity

4/24/2022: In natural life maturity is met as one becomes more independent.

In Christianity the relationship with Christ requires us to become more dependent (on Him). We are not to lean on our own understanding. We are to do everything in word and deed in the Name of Jesus. In fact, we are to get to the place of dependency that outside of Him we can do nothing.

What in the natural may appear as weakness results in great strength.

All the while we are to be mutually inter-dependent with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Woke identifications

07/11/2021: I have just learned that people from all spectrums of society now follow their preferred name with pronoun in parenthesis. The president of Michigan State University listed following his signature to all alumni (he/him).

It occurred to me that should Jesus submit to such foolishness he would sign Jesus (Iam/et al). By this he would let it be known that he called himself “I Am” and since he was synonymous with the Father God and the Holy Spirit the (“et al..”) would be similar to standard published contributing authorship identification since they have been recorded to have authored the universe.