{"id":2091,"date":"2018-12-31T11:09:13","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T19:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2018-12-30T22:17:14","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T06:17:14","slug":"karma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/31\/karma\/","title":{"rendered":"Karma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"hand in hand\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are within this universe a set of rules which apply across the board to all people. Gravity is the first. What goes up will come down. Granted the duration between the upside and the down side is not determinable in many cases, however, the effect always comes.<\/p>\n<p>This brings me to another rule: Cause and effect. This is a big one, probably the most important one. In Christian parlance it might be called the law of sowing and reaping, or the Golden Rule. On the streets it\u2019s known as what comes around goes around. In the writings of Paul to the gathering in Galatia he declares it as,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.\u00a0<\/em><em>(Gal 6:7)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>According to Matthew, Jesus taught about it in the following manner,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Mat 7:12)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I want to step back to Paul\u2019s take on this matter and couple it with another mystic statement made by Jesus in the fourth gospel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (Joh 12:24)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There a lot of people who enter into this life as the underclass, the down trodden, the hopeless. How does their station in life align with the law of sowing and reaping if they had no ability to determine the seed? Are these lives the cause or the effect?<\/p>\n<p>Now take the opposite extreme, people like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Amin and many others who humanity has deemed the cruelest people ever to live. After having wreaked havoc upon humanity through various atrocities, where is the reaping from their sowing? Some would proclaim that their death was the sowing for the works that they accomplished against humanity, as if their death atoned for the millions they killed. According to Jesus, the death of these few should bring forth fruit to be harvested. Since they died, has their reaping been completed?<\/p>\n<p>We fall somewhere between the extremes I\u2019ve mentioned. We live a life of the of the grandest nose-picker, a social pox on the fabric of humanity. Our very existence inflames the emotions of the masses since we appear to have no concept of what is morally acceptable behavior. Day in and day out we flick buggers upon the unsuspecting while we smile at them as they bolt from their path of intention to evade our slimy projectile. Never do we consider that our actions will have a consequence simply because it\u2019s only a bugger, right?<\/p>\n<p>Then a day comes and goes. Suddenly we discover that we too went with the day. No amends made, no reaping for a field of buggers sown. I\u2019m okay; you\u2019re caked in slime. It would appear that sowing and reaping is a fallacy to the nose pickers in the world. But what was Paul\u2019s injunction? God will not be mocked!<\/p>\n<p>Have you ever considered that sowing, reaping, even death, are all actions which occur on earth? While heaven is home base, these laws I am are describing relate to this physical planet. And according to Paul and Jesus, God will see to it that the cycle is completed on this planet. Death, it appears is merely the transition between sowing and reaping. That is something you probably didn\u2019t consider. When Jesus claims that with God all things are possible, you better think he mean \u201call things.\u201d Yup, there is a reaping coming along after death\u2026on this planet for us \u2013 buggers and all. But as dire as this might appear, God, who is love, knows what the harvest will bring. Flick or not to flick. That seems to be the question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are within this universe a set of rules which apply across the board to all people. Gravity is the first. What goes up will come down. Granted the duration between the upside and the down side is not determinable &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/31\/karma\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-2091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2018-postings","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s2ITDy-karma","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":452,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/11\/grace-the-agent-that-tarnishes-gold\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":0},"title":"Grace \u2013 The agent that tarnishes gold","author":"mike","date":"November 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Cause and effect. Reaping and sowing. The Golden Rule. Doesn\u2019t matter how you describe it, grace overwhelms it. How is that possible? Let\u2019s consider the verse from the book of Galatians, 6th chapter. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2016 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2016 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2016\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2464,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/25\/the-three-pillars-of-grace-pt-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":1},"title":"The Three Pillars of Grace Pt. 5","author":"mike","date":"March 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In the first issue of this series, I made the follow distinction of grace: A \u201cthrone of grace\u201d is a description of what proceeds from the seat in thought and action rather than its construction. Just as your friends recognize you in your car, we are supposed to recognize God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2021 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2021 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2021-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2925,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/09\/the-mulligan-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":2},"title":"The Mulligan Life","author":"mike","date":"February 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the world of golf there is a term called \u201cthe mulligan.\u201d When a player makes a shot which is not to their liking in the early round of the game, they are permitted to call a mulligan, or a do-over shot without being penalized. This rule is typically practiced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1032,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2017\/09\/08\/silence-the-golden-rule\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":3},"title":"Silence \u2013 The Golden Rule","author":"mike","date":"September 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Silence. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Uncomfortable, isn\u2019t it? We are inundated by noise. From the moment we come into this world, we are forced to contribute to the cacophony of humanity while being encouraged to also be quiet. Quite a paradox. Do unto others as you would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2017 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2017 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2017\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2781,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/24\/lost-in-the-land-of-and\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":4},"title":"Lost in the land of \u201cAnd\u201d","author":"mike","date":"September 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Duality is the blight of mortals. It affects all that we see, do, touch, taste, smell, and hear. It permeates every institution developed for the advancement of humanity. It has so stained our lives that any attempt to call attention to its trickery is often met with ridicule. I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2380,"url":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/22\/gracethe-morning-after\/","url_meta":{"origin":2091,"position":5},"title":"Grace\u2026the morning after","author":"mike","date":"September 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On the first Wednesday of November of this year, vast multitudes of people will awaken from a dream and wonder what is happening. Dreams don\u2019t only play out in the darkness of our bedroom, but also in the darkness of our mind. In the movie The Matrix, there is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020 Postings","link":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2093,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions\/2093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}