Luke 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
This verse has been so true. How many times have we seen dark hidden scandals come to light in recent years. Somehow, they all seem to revolve around sex in some way. If there seems to be one gotcha thing, sex seems to be the one temptation that befuddles many and brings the mighty down low.
There are two high profile cases in the news right now. We have Denny Hastert who seemed to be one of the only squeeky clean politicians who we find out has been secretly paying to keep quiet homosexual encounters with former underage students when he was a high school wrestling coach. Then we have the Duggars who has a child who while still a child molested his younger siblings. Locally we had a high school swim coach having a lesbian affair with a student, and a custodian who was accused of assaulting an underage girl. Even a local youth pastor was caught with child porn in his computer. It seems to be everywhere. Go look on any sex offender list and you will be shocked how many are right in your neighborhood.
It is not really new though, but over the last years has really had some spotlight cases. Tonight, as an oddity, and could seem almost intentional by the DJ, the radio station right after news about Hastert played the molester Michael Jacksons PYT (pretty young thing) which now really has a sick connotation knowing what we know now about the Jackster. Recently we found out about sex island where underage girls were trafficked for the pleasure of the rich and famous. We had the assistant to one of the most famous football coaches ever, Joe Paterno, who was found to have been molesting boys right on the campus of Penn State and everyone seemed to have a blind eye to it. We of course know about the Catholic Church and its scandals with homosexual pedophiles.
Seems to me it was a part of the "sexual revolution". I remember watching a late 60s movie starring William Holden who played an old rich widow who took up with an underage teen hippie. In the end of the movie, he decides that love is love and it is OK and beautiful as he knowingly commits statutory rape. You had Buddy Holly who married his 13 year old cousin. Songs on the radio about "Sweet 16" and "Young Girl" as well as others skirted the idea of sexual relations between adults and underage girls. It's always been a wink and a nod as girls as young as 12 are allowed backstage to have sex with rock stars.
2 Tim 3:13 tells us about these things when it says. "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." That has been pretty much all I have seen since the first Catholic pedophile story broke and all of these evil deeds began to be brought to light over the years. Our morality is degenerating to where folks thing they can get away with and even in cases celebrate their perversions. Groups like NAMBLA are now seeking normalcy on par with what the homosexuals have done in their war on sexual morals.
Many of these predators are imposters who pose themselves as persons of good report who can be trusted, and in the end do untold damage not just to themselves but to entire organizations, groups, religions, and the like. They are doing the Devils work in making a mockery of the word of God and His standards by posing as an angel of light and doing dark and dirty deeds behind closed doors in the secrecy of darkness.
Each time one of these cases arises, I can hear the anger and hurt in the responses of folks who have been victims of these activities. They lash out, seeking to avenge their pain on others. The cycle of hurt and heartache can last into future generations. There is only one cure for this. Jesus Christ.
It saddens me to think how many folks will reject the one who can heal all of their pain from being victimized by these predators because they posed themselves as representatives of Jesus to be able to get that access. I've seen this especially with the Duggar case where folks are lashing out against Christianity and acting with hatred towards God, not understanding that what happened was against what God says and wants.
Psalms 34:18 says, The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. God wants to heal your wounds. If you have been hurt by abuse in any way, God knows and He cares. He wants and desires for you to turn to Him. He can wash that pain away. He can teach you to forgive. He can replace the pain with love and tear down those protective walls and set you free from your anguish. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Whosoever the Lord sets free is free indeed.
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
2015/06/10
2014/12/09
Turn It Around
We got a lot of problems in our nation right now. I don't think I need to go through the list because most of us in this country have an idea. Republicans blame democrats, democrats blame republicans, conservative v liberals, black/white/brown, men v women, You name it, there is a side and an opposite duking it out. Meanwhile there is the 400 pound gorilla sitting in the room. The Gorilla is sin.
Sin is something that for us humans comes natural. Lying, cheating, stealing, hating, blaming, accusing, slander, violence, bloodshed... it's there throughout our history as the human race. In the times we live in now, many sins are not only tolerated but even celebrated. There does not seem to be much holding back the sinfulness any longer. It goes on unabated and the sinners just puff their cigars and swig their brandy snifters all while chuckling their way to the bank enriching themselves with worldly lusts at the expense of others without even the slightest twinge of a guilty conscience.
Sin is a destructive force. It decays and rots things away. It leads to disease and war, famines and unrest. No good end comes to where sin reigns. Anger, hatred, suffering, poverty, and revolution are just some of the consequences that can be expected when sin has settled into a culture and permeates the fabric of a nation. It is characterized by self centeredness and self pleasure with a lack of caring about others.
I paint a grim picture, yes, but we are in grim times where we are witnessing what I have said and more. Our future looks even dimmer as the consequences of sin bury us ever deeper into chaos and anarchy. We are near the edge of collapse.
What we are seeing is a result of our choice as a people to walk away from Yahweh, the God of the Bible. We rose from a tiny little union of loosely confederated states to the greatest and richest nation in the history of the world based solely upon the principles of God found in scripture and extrapolated into the national culture. God honors those who honor him.
We have long ago left that path though, removing Bibles and prayer from the everyday teaching of our people. We took God and unceremoniously dumped him into the trash bins of our society and decided we in our greatness no longer needed His divine blessing or protection. We've spent the last 50 years removing every symbol of God from our town symbols and public places. The creator of the universe is relegated to a Sunday morning service in which many of the congregants don't even know God's ways much less desire to follow them.
While up until this point this seems like just one big rant, but it isn't. I am taking a brief look at the state of affairs as they are and considering how they might be fixed. There is only one way that I know of, and that is a revival. We as a people have to turn back from our wicked ways and commit ourselves to follow the Lord, and to do what he says to do.
It's funny how some people can't even stand to have the ten commandments in a courtroom, but if we would humble ourselves just a little and decide to follow them instead of trashing them, we would see a turnaround like no one has ever seen. Is it so bad to tell the truth? to honor parents? to not go after the neighbors wife? Isn't it best to have fair business dealings and not to cheat people?
I suppose in our sinful nature that might be too much to ask of any individual. We don't have to do this in our own strength though. God will help us. He will empower us to do what is right. He will give us a new heart that will desire to do what is good in the sight of Yahweh. We just have to acknowledge that we are screwed up, that sin controls us.
Once we come to that realization, we are then open to accept Gods fix for our sinful ways. God came down in flesh and dwelt among men. He lived a perfect life that we are unable to. He was beaten and killed; a punishment that we deserve for our wrongdoing. He took all of our guilt upon himself and offers to give us His righteousness in exchange so that we might be reconciled with our creator, Yahweh. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you love him, keep his commands. Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The reward is far more long lasting than just seeing the repair of an earthly nation, but it comes with an eternal reward of spending eternity with our creator in a perfect place where sin and corruption do not exist. There is no more pain, or sorrow. The streets are made of gold and the gates of fine jewels. A river of life runs through it. It is hard to even imagine such a place. No crimes, no hate, I don't know this for certain, but I don't even think there will be any dust bunnies collecting behind the sofa to have to clean up. lol.
The choice is yours. As for me... I choose the Lord.
Sin is something that for us humans comes natural. Lying, cheating, stealing, hating, blaming, accusing, slander, violence, bloodshed... it's there throughout our history as the human race. In the times we live in now, many sins are not only tolerated but even celebrated. There does not seem to be much holding back the sinfulness any longer. It goes on unabated and the sinners just puff their cigars and swig their brandy snifters all while chuckling their way to the bank enriching themselves with worldly lusts at the expense of others without even the slightest twinge of a guilty conscience.
Sin is a destructive force. It decays and rots things away. It leads to disease and war, famines and unrest. No good end comes to where sin reigns. Anger, hatred, suffering, poverty, and revolution are just some of the consequences that can be expected when sin has settled into a culture and permeates the fabric of a nation. It is characterized by self centeredness and self pleasure with a lack of caring about others.
I paint a grim picture, yes, but we are in grim times where we are witnessing what I have said and more. Our future looks even dimmer as the consequences of sin bury us ever deeper into chaos and anarchy. We are near the edge of collapse.
What we are seeing is a result of our choice as a people to walk away from Yahweh, the God of the Bible. We rose from a tiny little union of loosely confederated states to the greatest and richest nation in the history of the world based solely upon the principles of God found in scripture and extrapolated into the national culture. God honors those who honor him.
We have long ago left that path though, removing Bibles and prayer from the everyday teaching of our people. We took God and unceremoniously dumped him into the trash bins of our society and decided we in our greatness no longer needed His divine blessing or protection. We've spent the last 50 years removing every symbol of God from our town symbols and public places. The creator of the universe is relegated to a Sunday morning service in which many of the congregants don't even know God's ways much less desire to follow them.
While up until this point this seems like just one big rant, but it isn't. I am taking a brief look at the state of affairs as they are and considering how they might be fixed. There is only one way that I know of, and that is a revival. We as a people have to turn back from our wicked ways and commit ourselves to follow the Lord, and to do what he says to do.
It's funny how some people can't even stand to have the ten commandments in a courtroom, but if we would humble ourselves just a little and decide to follow them instead of trashing them, we would see a turnaround like no one has ever seen. Is it so bad to tell the truth? to honor parents? to not go after the neighbors wife? Isn't it best to have fair business dealings and not to cheat people?
I suppose in our sinful nature that might be too much to ask of any individual. We don't have to do this in our own strength though. God will help us. He will empower us to do what is right. He will give us a new heart that will desire to do what is good in the sight of Yahweh. We just have to acknowledge that we are screwed up, that sin controls us.
Once we come to that realization, we are then open to accept Gods fix for our sinful ways. God came down in flesh and dwelt among men. He lived a perfect life that we are unable to. He was beaten and killed; a punishment that we deserve for our wrongdoing. He took all of our guilt upon himself and offers to give us His righteousness in exchange so that we might be reconciled with our creator, Yahweh. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you love him, keep his commands. Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The reward is far more long lasting than just seeing the repair of an earthly nation, but it comes with an eternal reward of spending eternity with our creator in a perfect place where sin and corruption do not exist. There is no more pain, or sorrow. The streets are made of gold and the gates of fine jewels. A river of life runs through it. It is hard to even imagine such a place. No crimes, no hate, I don't know this for certain, but I don't even think there will be any dust bunnies collecting behind the sofa to have to clean up. lol.
The choice is yours. As for me... I choose the Lord.
2014/12/02
Restoring Love
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
When I was a younger man, there were many things that I held onto in my heart that happened to me in my childhood. I was angry about those things and rather than dealing with them, I stored them deep inside. Perhaps it was because at the time I did not know how to deal with them, or I did not want to; maybe a bit of both. Whatever it was, those hurts that went unresolved that I was mad about began to work on me.
As time went on, I began to use that anger and those earlier events as an excuse. They were things I would use to explain away my failures and shortcomings and lay the blame upon someone else rather than upon myself. I became bitter towards those who I felt had wronged me; family, former friends, crowds, women... whoever.
This bitterness took root in me. I couldn't trust people. They would only hurt me in the end; make fun of me, hurt me, reject me. I isolated myself so that I couldn't be hurt. This was only self perpetuating though. You can't form good relationships with others if you don't trust. It would only lead to more hurt and more blame; more hardness in the heart.
Over the years, I had become estranged from family, had few friends, and became somewhat of a hermit. This continued even though I had accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. There were other issues that the Lord had decided to deal with first. I guess like an onion, He had to peel away the layers to reveal the next one. While it is true that His word is sharper than a two edged sword, He uses it with skill and precision like a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon.
While long ago I had dealt with some of those bitterness issues and let go of most of those burdens I carried, there were still things unresolved. God just does not cut away the bad stuff, but He also heals and restores the good things. He just does not take away the pain and leave an empty dwelling, but wants it filled with His love.
Over recent times, the Lord has reminded me what it is like to have friends. He has slowly returned me to my family. It's been a blessing that I really find difficult to describe. It's been over 30 years since I have seen some of my family. All those years I let be robbed because I let the sun go down on my anger, it grew into bitterness, showed forth as wrath, and led to malice. I guess it takes time to root that stuff out?
It makes me think of another important aspect... fellowship with the spiritual family. We are told not to forsake the gathering, but when you get angry and hold it in, you begin to set the stage for that fellowship to be cut off. Not only with other believers, but with the creator himself we can find ourselves distanced from. How can we hear our heavenly father when we have ought against our brother? How can we be blessed when we can't bless? While I certainly don't feel totally estranged from Yahweh, we could be closer, and in this restorative process I think that closer is what He wants.
It's a good thing to find out that you are loved. It is especially sweet when you have not felt all that loved. When rejection turns to reception we can rejoice on the reclamation. Would you like to feel that restoration? Would you like to feel the love that you have never felt or that has been put so far away from you that you can scarcely remember how it feels?
God so loved you that He came down here to earth in the form of a man, lived the perfect life that we are incapable of, and sacrificed it so that we may take His place in righteousness. No greater love has someone than this, that he lay down his life for you. That is what Jesus has done. Accept His sacrificial offering and believe that Jesus is Lord. Believe that he rose again on the third day. Believe that He has ascended to be on the right hand of the father making intercession for us always. He is making those intercessions for us so that we might have restored what sin has taken away, the devil has stolen away, and what we have given away. Begin reading His word and applying it in your life, and let Him work in replacing anger and restoring love.
When I was a younger man, there were many things that I held onto in my heart that happened to me in my childhood. I was angry about those things and rather than dealing with them, I stored them deep inside. Perhaps it was because at the time I did not know how to deal with them, or I did not want to; maybe a bit of both. Whatever it was, those hurts that went unresolved that I was mad about began to work on me.
As time went on, I began to use that anger and those earlier events as an excuse. They were things I would use to explain away my failures and shortcomings and lay the blame upon someone else rather than upon myself. I became bitter towards those who I felt had wronged me; family, former friends, crowds, women... whoever.
This bitterness took root in me. I couldn't trust people. They would only hurt me in the end; make fun of me, hurt me, reject me. I isolated myself so that I couldn't be hurt. This was only self perpetuating though. You can't form good relationships with others if you don't trust. It would only lead to more hurt and more blame; more hardness in the heart.
Over the years, I had become estranged from family, had few friends, and became somewhat of a hermit. This continued even though I had accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. There were other issues that the Lord had decided to deal with first. I guess like an onion, He had to peel away the layers to reveal the next one. While it is true that His word is sharper than a two edged sword, He uses it with skill and precision like a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon.
While long ago I had dealt with some of those bitterness issues and let go of most of those burdens I carried, there were still things unresolved. God just does not cut away the bad stuff, but He also heals and restores the good things. He just does not take away the pain and leave an empty dwelling, but wants it filled with His love.
Over recent times, the Lord has reminded me what it is like to have friends. He has slowly returned me to my family. It's been a blessing that I really find difficult to describe. It's been over 30 years since I have seen some of my family. All those years I let be robbed because I let the sun go down on my anger, it grew into bitterness, showed forth as wrath, and led to malice. I guess it takes time to root that stuff out?
It makes me think of another important aspect... fellowship with the spiritual family. We are told not to forsake the gathering, but when you get angry and hold it in, you begin to set the stage for that fellowship to be cut off. Not only with other believers, but with the creator himself we can find ourselves distanced from. How can we hear our heavenly father when we have ought against our brother? How can we be blessed when we can't bless? While I certainly don't feel totally estranged from Yahweh, we could be closer, and in this restorative process I think that closer is what He wants.
It's a good thing to find out that you are loved. It is especially sweet when you have not felt all that loved. When rejection turns to reception we can rejoice on the reclamation. Would you like to feel that restoration? Would you like to feel the love that you have never felt or that has been put so far away from you that you can scarcely remember how it feels?
God so loved you that He came down here to earth in the form of a man, lived the perfect life that we are incapable of, and sacrificed it so that we may take His place in righteousness. No greater love has someone than this, that he lay down his life for you. That is what Jesus has done. Accept His sacrificial offering and believe that Jesus is Lord. Believe that he rose again on the third day. Believe that He has ascended to be on the right hand of the father making intercession for us always. He is making those intercessions for us so that we might have restored what sin has taken away, the devil has stolen away, and what we have given away. Begin reading His word and applying it in your life, and let Him work in replacing anger and restoring love.
2014/10/08
Trading Places
It kind of struck me this evening that this is kind of what God has done for us. He took His only begotten son Jesus Christ, and traded places between he and us. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life. We on the other hand have not. Even our best is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). God allowed Jesus, in our stead, to become as we are, taking upon himself all our sinfulness when He was nailed to the cross.
Now, in the movie, it was not enough that the Eddie Murphy character Valentine was just given the position. The offer was made and he could have declined the offer. He could have checked it out and walked away. He didn't though. While at first he seemed apprehensive, he soon took to the new role and started acting in a manner which fit the position to which he had been given, through no effort of his own. By mid movie we see Valentine now a hard working, honest individual whose tastes and interests had changed. He accepted the position which had been given him whole heartedly.
In the same way, we too must accept the position that we have been given. It was not enough just for Jesus to take our place on the cross and take upon himself our sins. We had to accept that and take on the role Jesus had. Jesus' position of righteousness, power, and authority is given to us if we accept the trade. We then grow into the role of Jesus and our character and interests become fitting to the role we accepted. We become more Christlike. After a while, we are no longer recognizable as the person we used to be, but instead are seen as the person whose role we took on, Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Mathew Poole Commentary:
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: Christ knew no sin, as he was guilty of no sin; Which of you (saith he, John 8:46) convinceth me of sin? 1 Peter 2:22, He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: but God made him to be sin for us. He was numbered with the transgressors, Isaiah 53:12. Our sins were reckoned to him; so as though personally he was no sinner, yet by imputation he was, and God dealt with him as such; for he was made a sacrifice for our sins, a sin offering; so answering the type in the law, Leviticus 4:3,25,29 5:6 7:2.
That we might be made the righteousness of God in him; that so his righteousness might be imputed to us, and we might be made righteous with such a righteousness as those souls must have whom God will accept. As Christ was not made sin by any sin inherent in him, so neither are we made righteous by any righteousness inherent in us, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us; as he was a sinner by the sins of his people reckoned and imputed unto him.
Accept the offer to trade places, letting Christ take your place and you taking His.
Romans 10:
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2014/09/27
Time to Shape Up
The last couple of weeks have been very introspective. Some long and arduous issues had come to at least a temporary end and as we moved into the new year season. I was hit hard with the Romans 12, 1-2 theme of having a renewed mind through submission to the Lord. Not only did I write about it, but was also presented with several teachings from various sources on those exact verses.
One of the things I got to look at was the fact that there is sin in the camp. With that there are two options. Either there is a lack of faith that God can deal with it, or there is willful disobedience in just flat out wanting to continue in sin. Neither one is that good. We can be confident that God will forgive us if we confess our sins. If Jesus asks us to forgive 70 X 7 in a day, surely the Father will exceed that in mercy.
Another thing we have to look at is , do we fear the Lord? This should be one of the drivers to be obedient unto Him. If we are being disobedient, than we do not have the proper fear of the Lord. Our fear should be two fold. We should be scared of what God may do to us in disobedience. Punishment is never fun. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. On the flipside, and what we need to have more of, is not the fear of punishment, but fear in letting God down. When I was a child, there was nothing worse than disappointing my Dad. I loved him so much and wanted his love. If I broke the rules, I knew that I had hurt him, and that was worse than any punishment. We should feel the same way towards God.
Another aspect I have been looking at is being the living sacrifice being our reasonable service. If we were to totally commit to God, what things are standing in the way? Is there a hobby we love that we might have to set aside? Is there a job we have that is taking all of our time and energy? Would we rather sit around and watch our TV program than to get down on our knees in prayer time, or to study God's word? Our reasonable service calls for us to put God first, and our desires into submission.
All of these issues could be blocking the Lord from using us mightily, or preventing our prayers from being answered. Our blessing could be right around the corner, but we can be just like the wanderers in the wilderness who, when within just a few miles of the promise, lost their chance and spent the rest of their days just wandering about because they were unable to trust in God with all their hearts. Why would God use us and bless us mightily if we are unwilling to submit ourselves to Him? How can we hear Him and get His guidance if we have an unrepentent heart and choose to sin against Him?
In this new year and as we approach the day of atonement, we need to be taking stock of ourselves and ask as David did, to ask God to examine our hearts and see if there be any wicked way in us. If you are serious, don't be surprised to see trying situations arise. It is when we are jostled about that what is on the inside of us spills out. How we react to situations reveals to us what is in our hearts. Do we fret and cry and moan and groan, complaining why me, oh poor me? Or do we get down on our knees in prayer and open up our books and ask God to show us what He is trying to teach us?
We are coming up on trying times, my friends. We need to be getting our houses in order. We need to be getting ourselves right with God. Playtime is over and it is time to grow up. God isn't seeking ability, but availability.
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
One of the things I got to look at was the fact that there is sin in the camp. With that there are two options. Either there is a lack of faith that God can deal with it, or there is willful disobedience in just flat out wanting to continue in sin. Neither one is that good. We can be confident that God will forgive us if we confess our sins. If Jesus asks us to forgive 70 X 7 in a day, surely the Father will exceed that in mercy.
Another thing we have to look at is , do we fear the Lord? This should be one of the drivers to be obedient unto Him. If we are being disobedient, than we do not have the proper fear of the Lord. Our fear should be two fold. We should be scared of what God may do to us in disobedience. Punishment is never fun. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. On the flipside, and what we need to have more of, is not the fear of punishment, but fear in letting God down. When I was a child, there was nothing worse than disappointing my Dad. I loved him so much and wanted his love. If I broke the rules, I knew that I had hurt him, and that was worse than any punishment. We should feel the same way towards God.
Another aspect I have been looking at is being the living sacrifice being our reasonable service. If we were to totally commit to God, what things are standing in the way? Is there a hobby we love that we might have to set aside? Is there a job we have that is taking all of our time and energy? Would we rather sit around and watch our TV program than to get down on our knees in prayer time, or to study God's word? Our reasonable service calls for us to put God first, and our desires into submission.
All of these issues could be blocking the Lord from using us mightily, or preventing our prayers from being answered. Our blessing could be right around the corner, but we can be just like the wanderers in the wilderness who, when within just a few miles of the promise, lost their chance and spent the rest of their days just wandering about because they were unable to trust in God with all their hearts. Why would God use us and bless us mightily if we are unwilling to submit ourselves to Him? How can we hear Him and get His guidance if we have an unrepentent heart and choose to sin against Him?
In this new year and as we approach the day of atonement, we need to be taking stock of ourselves and ask as David did, to ask God to examine our hearts and see if there be any wicked way in us. If you are serious, don't be surprised to see trying situations arise. It is when we are jostled about that what is on the inside of us spills out. How we react to situations reveals to us what is in our hearts. Do we fret and cry and moan and groan, complaining why me, oh poor me? Or do we get down on our knees in prayer and open up our books and ask God to show us what He is trying to teach us?
We are coming up on trying times, my friends. We need to be getting our houses in order. We need to be getting ourselves right with God. Playtime is over and it is time to grow up. God isn't seeking ability, but availability.
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
2014/08/31
Drama in the Weather
I suppose the world of weather is not unlike the rest of the world. There are always people ready to criticize, ready to pounce on an error, ready to believe that their own knowledge or skill is superior to that of another, and that others don't know what they are talking about. Maybe it is just a sign of the times, or of the upcoming generation, but it feels like that this is getting worse and worse as time goes along.
In the weather world, this sort of criticism is far more critical. People get upset because a forecast did not occur exactly as predicted in their driveway. It doesn't matter that the forecast was right for the region and occurred exactly as expected, if that rain did not fall on their yard, you are an idiot. Most of these types of people really don't know anything about the weather to begin with. They don't understand that predicting the future isn't exactly easy.
The ones that are worst though are those folks who think they know something. Well, they do know something about weather and have experience and training, but, they don't seem to think they have the same predictive limitations that face us all.
About a week and a half ago, for example, someone had made a report to the local weather service office of observing a rotating wall cloud. Another amateur meteorologist jumped all over the report and ridiculed the person because they thought the conditions were such that this would not happen. They figured it had to be some idiot who had no clue what he was looking at made an erroneous report. Oh and did the people pile on their FB post all piling on the stupid person who made that report. There was one problem with this... The person who made the report was correct. I had observed and filmed it prior to the report.
There also seems to be a rigidity in folks that expects other people to be perfect. Good example happened to me last night. I was going through weather data for the upcoming weekend and based on what I had observed and read put out my forecast. Within a number of minutes I was getting more feedback on that one post than I had gotten in weeks of correct forecasts. One of the pages I was getting info from had not fully updated their information when I viewed it so I saw two days of weather information that was supposed to be one. It was changed after I had viewed and gone over the info. Ooops, I goofed (or they did), and the forecast 3 days out was wrong.
That one minor and correctable error brought people out of the woodwork with criticism. Why? People are so quick to criticize others while excusing themselves. People need to recognize their own imperfection and extend the same courtesy of excuse to others that they claim for themselves. It is a principle that extends beyond weather and into every facet of life.
Jesus Christ had put it this way in Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. I don't think most people like to be criticized, or made fun of, or have the inevitable mistakes pounced on. I think we would like people to gently point out and/or correct our errors, be forgiving of the gaffs we may make, and to be praised for the good work we do. What a monumental world changing thing it would be if people would follow that one simple verse.
In the weather world, this sort of criticism is far more critical. People get upset because a forecast did not occur exactly as predicted in their driveway. It doesn't matter that the forecast was right for the region and occurred exactly as expected, if that rain did not fall on their yard, you are an idiot. Most of these types of people really don't know anything about the weather to begin with. They don't understand that predicting the future isn't exactly easy.
The ones that are worst though are those folks who think they know something. Well, they do know something about weather and have experience and training, but, they don't seem to think they have the same predictive limitations that face us all.
About a week and a half ago, for example, someone had made a report to the local weather service office of observing a rotating wall cloud. Another amateur meteorologist jumped all over the report and ridiculed the person because they thought the conditions were such that this would not happen. They figured it had to be some idiot who had no clue what he was looking at made an erroneous report. Oh and did the people pile on their FB post all piling on the stupid person who made that report. There was one problem with this... The person who made the report was correct. I had observed and filmed it prior to the report.
There also seems to be a rigidity in folks that expects other people to be perfect. Good example happened to me last night. I was going through weather data for the upcoming weekend and based on what I had observed and read put out my forecast. Within a number of minutes I was getting more feedback on that one post than I had gotten in weeks of correct forecasts. One of the pages I was getting info from had not fully updated their information when I viewed it so I saw two days of weather information that was supposed to be one. It was changed after I had viewed and gone over the info. Ooops, I goofed (or they did), and the forecast 3 days out was wrong.
That one minor and correctable error brought people out of the woodwork with criticism. Why? People are so quick to criticize others while excusing themselves. People need to recognize their own imperfection and extend the same courtesy of excuse to others that they claim for themselves. It is a principle that extends beyond weather and into every facet of life.
Jesus Christ had put it this way in Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. I don't think most people like to be criticized, or made fun of, or have the inevitable mistakes pounced on. I think we would like people to gently point out and/or correct our errors, be forgiving of the gaffs we may make, and to be praised for the good work we do. What a monumental world changing thing it would be if people would follow that one simple verse.
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