Doing better today, weather is a lot milder and no wind.  Part of my problem, we think, is that one of my meds dehydrates me, the warning is to be careful about vigorous exercise where I might sweat too much – which means I have to be careful and make sure I drink more fluids.

Hopefully that will help with my sinus headaches, it has been a few years since I have them with such intensity.

We shall see, or not.....

Carla has about 26 tomato plants in the ground with maybe another one or two (or ten or more) to go.  Still have a quite a few to give away.

John 8:15-16 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

¹⁶ And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

The world in general, but Americans in particular have a difficult time with the sovereignty of God.  In giving Him His rightful place we turn over all our ‘rights’ to do what we see fit.

We vote on those that rule over us.  We have a part in the decision making of our government in one way or another.  While some of our politicians have acted as if they are invincible and must be obeyed, the citizens usually call them to task and make them aware that they are not dictators.

One of the things I did not cover yesterday in my post on the court system is the propensity of a defendant to be able to negotiate his charges and/or his sentence to a lesser degree.

Negotiations have become a major part of our judicial system.  While most Police Officers are unhappy when they see a criminal skate on some of his crimes, instead of holding him accountable on all of them, it does accomplish a couple of things.

There is no trial.  Trials can be very expensive costing the state and county hundreds of thousands of dollars for the more serious crimes.

If a defendant cannot afford an attorney the state pays for one – and if it is a murder, usually two attorneys are appointed.  The state pays for the defendant’s investigators that go over the evidence and talk with witnesses to see if they can pick holes in the state’s case.

If there are multiple victims the state tries to wrap them all into one trial – but sometimes it cannot be done for one reason or another, which means even more expense.

Often the defendant is charged with several crimes that occur in one incident.  The prosecutor paints with as broad a brush as possible to make sure that all bases are covered.  While the defendant may ‘weasel’ out of one charge, there is another one that covers the crime.

As time goes on charges are dropped – or negotiated to the lesser offense to expedite the process and move on to the rest of the heavy court docket.

Negotiation is the key on many criminal trials, especially when the case is strong.  The prosecutor wants to convict the defendant and the defense attorney wants his client to serve as little time as possible.

So, the defendant pleads to a lesser crime, or if he is charged with multiple crimes against multiple victims he only pleads to some of them and the others are dropped.

Part of that rational is that rarely does a defendant serve consecutive terms for multiple offenses.  They are served concurrently, meaning that all the years that a person serves for one crime is done at the same time for other crimes.

A defendant that is found guilty of crimes that in total the incarceration time could be 10 years on each crime, he only serves 10 years – less other considerations.

Because of our experiences with our government we think we should have a say in all that occurs in our lives, if we disagree with a mandate or law we try to change it or at the least negotiate it so we are not as hampered or our life is not as difficult with the mandate.

I can remember when we had a couple of teenagers from the Portland area commit a crime on the Warm Springs Reservation.  The Tribal Police arrested them and put them in their jail for a couple of days before bringing them up to The Dalles.  They would be charged in District Court – the Tribe Courts are basically for the Indians.

They complained of their treatment by the Indians.  One of their father’s was an attorney and the young man was sure that his father would sue them.  He was pretty cocky until it was pointed out that the Warm Springs reservation was a sovereign government and they made their own laws – just as any other foreign government.

In other words, he didn’t have a case.

Often we succeed, and we equate our systems with God’s system.  But just like these young men learned that the reservation had a separate set of laws and the Tribal Police treated them on that basis, God has a separate set of laws – laws that are set in stone and unchangeable.

No matter how much we may disagree.

No matter how much we plead for leniency after rejecting God’s Son.

There is no negotiation with God.

Either we recognize God’s Word and accept His Son as Savior and follow Him, or we don’t.

If we don’t we can’t go before Him and say “Lord, I have done all these good things, so that should be taken into consideration when passing judgement on me and you should let me come join you in heaven.”

The basic question God asks is “What did you do with My Son?”  If it is anything other than “I accepted Him as my Savior!” we are condemned. 

Period.

No negotiations.

No retries.

No entry into heaven.

Just eternity in hell.

May we never hear as in Mathew 7:21-23  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Later, Art :-)