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.
Showing posts with label saved. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saved. Show all posts
2014/12/09
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.
2014/10/05
Desire
What is it that you desire? What is it that you are passionate about? Take a mental moment and think in your head about what you most want....... Do you have it? How many of you thought about a job or career goal? How many thought about some sort of personal achievement, such as completing a marathon, or mastering the guitar? How many thought about that nest-egg for retirement, or your children's college education? Perhaps it getting into a position of leadership? What we desire and aspire tells us a lot about our state of being and who we are.
It is our desires and passions that drive us. We often do what we do so that we may move toward attaining what is is we want. We build relationships with people who will help us further along towards our goals. We make choices of attire, change our look, move to certain neighborhoods, drive certain types of cars, etc etc, just so that we can fit in and move ourselves closer toward that goal we have our eyes upon.
For many people, that ultimate goal must be obtained at all cost. People will turn on thier friends and family, lie about a coworker, steal someone elses ideas and claim it for their own. They will lay traps and snares to catch their competition off guard and destroy their reputation, and besmirch them just so you can advance towards your end. You want what they have and you will do whatever it takes to get it, even at the expense of others.
Most of the things that people desire are just temporary. Even when they get to where they think they want to be or achieve what they wanted, they still find emptiness and therefore are driven to keep on pushing and pushing for the next thing and the next thing. No amount of money ever seems to satisfy, no amount of possessions ever seems to quiet the hunger; no amount of subjects ever satisfies the lust for power.
I don't think that many people even realize they are doing this. We've been raised to think that we are just evolved animals that need to look out for number one in a dog eat dog survival of the fittest struggle to pass on the best genes to the next generation as we grow ever closer to a utopia that we will never see as we die and become part of an empty nothingness to be long forgotten except for some sort of legacy we can leave behind to future generations. It is sad and pitiful.
All is vanity. We may never reach those goals we have, and when we do, they can be stolen away by others, crumble away due to some unforeseen circumstance. Our life can be cut short before ever reaching the plateau we were ascending to. Our schemes can backfire and we lose all that we worked towards and put our hopes in. Why put our trust in things that are so unstable and that will pass away? Why do we waste our energies on efforts that over time will not matter at all and will pass away into forgetfulness.
Oh what a sad state we humans find ourselves in running to and fro, working and striving for things that in an instant will be gone, putting our trust and hope in activities that lead us to nowhere. There is nothing in this world that we can take with us when we leave it. We have no real control over who takes over what we have achieved and what they do with it, nor will we really care. We will have passed on.
In Luke 12, Jesus is with some folks and is asked by a man to convince his brother to divide his inheritance with him. Jesus replied, Man, who made me a judge or divider over you? Then he makes a profound and life changing statement if people understand it. (v15) Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Remember the desires we thought about at the beginning? For most, what came to mind Jesus said is not life. The cars, jobs, achievements, wealth, houses, trophy spouses, contacts, power, whatever, are not what life is about.
Jesus illustrates this point with a parable beginning in v16 "And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
"rich towards God".....
That is the key, isn't it? In Mathew 19, Jesus puts it this way, 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The reason that earthly desires never satisfy is because we were designed to please God, not ourselves. We try to fill that void with things that will never satisfy that desire. The only way we will ever find true peace, happiness, fulfillment is when we make our desires match Gods desires. It is when we love God and our neighbors as ourselves that we find true life. When we understand that all these temporary things are not ours, but are Gods for us to use for His purpose and not our own, our lives are transformed from the slavery of always striving to achieve to the freedom of knowing that God has already achieved what we most want for us through His son Jesus Christ; the forgiveness of sin and being made right with the Father and given the Holy Spirit by which we are refreshed and renewed and given a new view of life that is on an eternal scale, rather than a temporary one.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. When we do delight in the Lord, He gives us what to desire, and fulfills it. And God may love us so much that He may also allow us to enjoy some of those other earthly desires we have, knowing that we will use them for His glory and not our own.
If you have been down this road of constantly striving to achieve things, and finding yourself constantly unsatisfied and frustrated, why not try a different way? Let someone else do all of the effort and striving. Give the reins of your life over to Jesus Christ. Let your desire and goal to be to better understand The Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. Jesus made a promise to those who do this. He said in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
It is our desires and passions that drive us. We often do what we do so that we may move toward attaining what is is we want. We build relationships with people who will help us further along towards our goals. We make choices of attire, change our look, move to certain neighborhoods, drive certain types of cars, etc etc, just so that we can fit in and move ourselves closer toward that goal we have our eyes upon.
For many people, that ultimate goal must be obtained at all cost. People will turn on thier friends and family, lie about a coworker, steal someone elses ideas and claim it for their own. They will lay traps and snares to catch their competition off guard and destroy their reputation, and besmirch them just so you can advance towards your end. You want what they have and you will do whatever it takes to get it, even at the expense of others.
Most of the things that people desire are just temporary. Even when they get to where they think they want to be or achieve what they wanted, they still find emptiness and therefore are driven to keep on pushing and pushing for the next thing and the next thing. No amount of money ever seems to satisfy, no amount of possessions ever seems to quiet the hunger; no amount of subjects ever satisfies the lust for power.
I don't think that many people even realize they are doing this. We've been raised to think that we are just evolved animals that need to look out for number one in a dog eat dog survival of the fittest struggle to pass on the best genes to the next generation as we grow ever closer to a utopia that we will never see as we die and become part of an empty nothingness to be long forgotten except for some sort of legacy we can leave behind to future generations. It is sad and pitiful.
All is vanity. We may never reach those goals we have, and when we do, they can be stolen away by others, crumble away due to some unforeseen circumstance. Our life can be cut short before ever reaching the plateau we were ascending to. Our schemes can backfire and we lose all that we worked towards and put our hopes in. Why put our trust in things that are so unstable and that will pass away? Why do we waste our energies on efforts that over time will not matter at all and will pass away into forgetfulness.
Oh what a sad state we humans find ourselves in running to and fro, working and striving for things that in an instant will be gone, putting our trust and hope in activities that lead us to nowhere. There is nothing in this world that we can take with us when we leave it. We have no real control over who takes over what we have achieved and what they do with it, nor will we really care. We will have passed on.
In Luke 12, Jesus is with some folks and is asked by a man to convince his brother to divide his inheritance with him. Jesus replied, Man, who made me a judge or divider over you? Then he makes a profound and life changing statement if people understand it. (v15) Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Remember the desires we thought about at the beginning? For most, what came to mind Jesus said is not life. The cars, jobs, achievements, wealth, houses, trophy spouses, contacts, power, whatever, are not what life is about.
Jesus illustrates this point with a parable beginning in v16 "And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
"rich towards God".....
That is the key, isn't it? In Mathew 19, Jesus puts it this way, 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The reason that earthly desires never satisfy is because we were designed to please God, not ourselves. We try to fill that void with things that will never satisfy that desire. The only way we will ever find true peace, happiness, fulfillment is when we make our desires match Gods desires. It is when we love God and our neighbors as ourselves that we find true life. When we understand that all these temporary things are not ours, but are Gods for us to use for His purpose and not our own, our lives are transformed from the slavery of always striving to achieve to the freedom of knowing that God has already achieved what we most want for us through His son Jesus Christ; the forgiveness of sin and being made right with the Father and given the Holy Spirit by which we are refreshed and renewed and given a new view of life that is on an eternal scale, rather than a temporary one.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. When we do delight in the Lord, He gives us what to desire, and fulfills it. And God may love us so much that He may also allow us to enjoy some of those other earthly desires we have, knowing that we will use them for His glory and not our own.
If you have been down this road of constantly striving to achieve things, and finding yourself constantly unsatisfied and frustrated, why not try a different way? Let someone else do all of the effort and striving. Give the reins of your life over to Jesus Christ. Let your desire and goal to be to better understand The Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. Jesus made a promise to those who do this. He said in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
2014/07/18
Watches and Warnings
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX
328 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2014
NMC035-182145-
/O.CON.KEPZ.SV.W.0065.000000T0000Z-140718T2145Z/
OTERO NM-
328 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2014
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL OTERO
COUNTY UNTIL 345 PM MDT...
AT 322 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS REPORTED...PRODUCING
QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 17 MILES EAST OF CLOUDCROFT...MOVING SOUTH AT 5
MPH. THE CORE OF THE STORM WAS PASSING JUST EAST OF MAYHILL.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SIXTEEN SPRINGS...
WEED...
SACRAMENTO...
MAYHILL...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM... PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
The above warning is an actual weather warning from the National weather service as I am typing this article. The national Weather Service puts out various types of weather related watches and warnings to help protect the public from the danger that are posed from severe weather events. They are intended to save lives of people in the area from the potential dangers of the incoming severe weather by informing them of the current and future location of the threat and the nature of the threat faced.
Having been involved in the world of weather for many years, I have seen people who continually ignore these watches and warnings. they don't take them seriously. They have become complacent because they have not experienced the worst of what they are being warned about. I've had people tell me in tornado warnings that they did not need to pay attention because the tornado never strikes where they are. just because it hasn't, does not mean that it won't this time. Just because it did not strike here, does not mean it did not strike there.
Other people actually get mad at the messengers. They complain about the weatherman, and about the weather service. They complain about how they are always wrong and never know what they are talking about. They then make claims that they think they know more than the weatherman and "prove it" by repeating old false wives tales and such. It never occurs to them to think that they really could be in harms way and that they really do need to take the watches and warnings seriously.
I've seen people who are in a panic at the last minute realizing that the storm is actually really heading toward them this time. Panic and confusion set in. They are unaware of what to do or where to go because they have never really paid attention to what they were being told in the watches and warnings that were put out to inform them. Some of them actually further endanger themselves by doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing.
This is exactly what happens with God and the Bible too. People of God go out and share the word in various ways, warning of various dangers facing people and the possible consequences of those dangers. They give notice of what one should do to avoid those dangers and be safe from them. They are words of life when facing death.
People do Gods messengers just like they do the weatherman. They make fun of them, laugh at them, disrespect their knowledge, and generally think they know better than anyone else. They come up with all kinds of reasoning to justify why they are right and the messenger of God wrong. They will arrogantly make false proclamations about the situation when in truth they know nothing about it.
Unbelievers are often lulled into a false sense of security. They think that because a particular warning has not come to pass that it isn't ever going to, or that it is even possible. This false sense of security causes them to become bolder and bolder in their disregard of the warnings provided in scripture. They will ignorantly put themselves further into harms way being totally oblivious to the dangers.
The weather service and the Christian can only put out the warnings, and pass along information to help people to survive. Neither can make people heed the warnings or do what it will take to stay alive. Neither are responsible for those who do not heed the warnings. The job has been done to sound the alarm. It is up to the individual to accept the warnings, and heed the advice. We all hope and pray that people will survive the storms in life and live, both in this life and the next.
Hurricane Andrew:
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX
328 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2014
NMC035-182145-
/O.CON.KEPZ.SV.W.0065.000000T0000Z-140718T2145Z/
OTERO NM-
328 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2014
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL OTERO
COUNTY UNTIL 345 PM MDT...
AT 322 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS REPORTED...PRODUCING
QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 17 MILES EAST OF CLOUDCROFT...MOVING SOUTH AT 5
MPH. THE CORE OF THE STORM WAS PASSING JUST EAST OF MAYHILL.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SIXTEEN SPRINGS...
WEED...
SACRAMENTO...
MAYHILL...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM... PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
The above warning is an actual weather warning from the National weather service as I am typing this article. The national Weather Service puts out various types of weather related watches and warnings to help protect the public from the danger that are posed from severe weather events. They are intended to save lives of people in the area from the potential dangers of the incoming severe weather by informing them of the current and future location of the threat and the nature of the threat faced.
Having been involved in the world of weather for many years, I have seen people who continually ignore these watches and warnings. they don't take them seriously. They have become complacent because they have not experienced the worst of what they are being warned about. I've had people tell me in tornado warnings that they did not need to pay attention because the tornado never strikes where they are. just because it hasn't, does not mean that it won't this time. Just because it did not strike here, does not mean it did not strike there.
Other people actually get mad at the messengers. They complain about the weatherman, and about the weather service. They complain about how they are always wrong and never know what they are talking about. They then make claims that they think they know more than the weatherman and "prove it" by repeating old false wives tales and such. It never occurs to them to think that they really could be in harms way and that they really do need to take the watches and warnings seriously.
I've seen people who are in a panic at the last minute realizing that the storm is actually really heading toward them this time. Panic and confusion set in. They are unaware of what to do or where to go because they have never really paid attention to what they were being told in the watches and warnings that were put out to inform them. Some of them actually further endanger themselves by doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing.
This is exactly what happens with God and the Bible too. People of God go out and share the word in various ways, warning of various dangers facing people and the possible consequences of those dangers. They give notice of what one should do to avoid those dangers and be safe from them. They are words of life when facing death.
People do Gods messengers just like they do the weatherman. They make fun of them, laugh at them, disrespect their knowledge, and generally think they know better than anyone else. They come up with all kinds of reasoning to justify why they are right and the messenger of God wrong. They will arrogantly make false proclamations about the situation when in truth they know nothing about it.
Unbelievers are often lulled into a false sense of security. They think that because a particular warning has not come to pass that it isn't ever going to, or that it is even possible. This false sense of security causes them to become bolder and bolder in their disregard of the warnings provided in scripture. They will ignorantly put themselves further into harms way being totally oblivious to the dangers.
The weather service and the Christian can only put out the warnings, and pass along information to help people to survive. Neither can make people heed the warnings or do what it will take to stay alive. Neither are responsible for those who do not heed the warnings. The job has been done to sound the alarm. It is up to the individual to accept the warnings, and heed the advice. We all hope and pray that people will survive the storms in life and live, both in this life and the next.
Hurricane Andrew:
2014/03/13
Dear Diary
I was walking along, minding my own business, when all of a sudden something caught my eye that seemed out of place. Indeed it was something that was out of place. It was some sort of binder that had gotten left behind by someone. Forgetting that I had been minding my own business I began investigating the object.
The outside was covered with doodles and band names and such. There were little flowers and puppy dogs and the like drawn randomly around. It seemed pretty obvious that this belonged to a teenage girl. Upon holding the item, it appeared to be extra heavy to one side. Feeling around it seemed like a small book size. I was thinking maybe something like an ipad; something of value. I probably needed to find if there was some sort of lost and found nearby, or some sort of official place for this to go. Curiosity got the best of me though and I thought I had better look inside to confirm my suspicions and see if there was any sort of identification that would reconnect this lost item with its owner.
I unzipped the zipper and opened up the binder thing. Sitting there staring at me was a little red book with silver edged pages titled with big bold letters.... My Life.
Ok, so what would you do? Of course I totally abandon the "minding my own business" and opened up the book and found myself reading the diary of a teenage girl. For some reason I felt a little giddy about the possible entertainment I might come across. Stories of puppy love? Perhaps a little juicy gossip about a cheerleader? Or how boring the history teacher was? That is not what I found.
On the first page I opened to, I began reading about a friend of this girl... how she had been bullied by others in the school... how she had committed suicide because of the bullying. I began reading about the pain and confusion of this girl trying to figure out why bullies could be so mean to drive someone to kill themselves. I read of the loneliness and emptiness this girl felt by her friends absence, and the anger at those who could not leave her friend alone.
I closed the book. I could not read any more. I cursed myself for having let my curiosity get the best of me, and cursed the bullies who could cause so much hurt to others. I said a silent prayer for the girl who wrote out her feelings there, never expecting that anyone besides herself would ever read those words.
It hit me hard too because I could relate to this story. I was once a victim of bullies, and their relentless attacks. It ruined my middle school years all the way until late my sophomore year. I hated going to school to have to face it every day. No one seemed to understand. No one was there to support me. Day after day, the jokes, the pranks, the physical abuse.... I did not think it would ever end. That is where that girl was who committed suicide.
I wish for her that someone had known. If there had been someone who would have helped her through, helped her to feel loved, helped her to feel she was not alone. Did her parents know? Or did they just seem to pile on top of it? Did her friends know? Or did they just seem dismissive? Did anyone try to share the love of Christ with her? For me those were all no's as I went through my own private hell. She could not take it anymore and snapped, ending her life. I snapped too, but lashed out on the bully.
We need to watch out for others. We never know what a person is going through. We will never know if a kind word or gesture in a given moment could be a life saver. We never know if showing and sharing the love of Jesus might at a moment be preventing another suicide. If you see bullying say something. Don't be afraid to step up and defend the person being bullied. It is never cool to call people names, or belittle them, or abuse them in any way. It is evil.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Love others in the same way Christ loved us, putting them first, and ourselves last.
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only that which will lift others up.
Don't be selfish. If someone has a need, meet it if you can. If they are hungry, feed them. Thirsty? Give them a drink. Need clothes? give and share.
Love is patient, kind. It is not jealous. It does not boast of self, or brag. It does not act badly, nor is it selfish. It is not easily provoked. Love thinks no evil nor has fun in doing wrong, but instead rejoices in truth. It bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all. Love never fails.
Those are all scriptures and are bully beaters. Do good to those who use and abuse you. Let God take your vengeance, for it is His. Pray for the bullies.
How is that possible? You don't know what they have done to me? Maybe not, but there is one who does. His name is Jesus. He was bullied, beaten, abused, mocked, made fun of, and chased away. And He was God. He could have at any time called down legions of angels to stop others. He did not though. He still loved those who hated him without a cause. Jesus had done no wrong to anyone, but was hated so much he was put to death. He did this to save you. He knows just what you are going through. Believe on Him and you will be saved. Trust in Him and He will enable you, through His spirit, to be able to be obedient to loving your enemies and doing good to those who persecute you. And you have His promise that you will never be alone for He will never leave you nor forsake you.
The outside was covered with doodles and band names and such. There were little flowers and puppy dogs and the like drawn randomly around. It seemed pretty obvious that this belonged to a teenage girl. Upon holding the item, it appeared to be extra heavy to one side. Feeling around it seemed like a small book size. I was thinking maybe something like an ipad; something of value. I probably needed to find if there was some sort of lost and found nearby, or some sort of official place for this to go. Curiosity got the best of me though and I thought I had better look inside to confirm my suspicions and see if there was any sort of identification that would reconnect this lost item with its owner.
I unzipped the zipper and opened up the binder thing. Sitting there staring at me was a little red book with silver edged pages titled with big bold letters.... My Life.
Ok, so what would you do? Of course I totally abandon the "minding my own business" and opened up the book and found myself reading the diary of a teenage girl. For some reason I felt a little giddy about the possible entertainment I might come across. Stories of puppy love? Perhaps a little juicy gossip about a cheerleader? Or how boring the history teacher was? That is not what I found.
On the first page I opened to, I began reading about a friend of this girl... how she had been bullied by others in the school... how she had committed suicide because of the bullying. I began reading about the pain and confusion of this girl trying to figure out why bullies could be so mean to drive someone to kill themselves. I read of the loneliness and emptiness this girl felt by her friends absence, and the anger at those who could not leave her friend alone.
I closed the book. I could not read any more. I cursed myself for having let my curiosity get the best of me, and cursed the bullies who could cause so much hurt to others. I said a silent prayer for the girl who wrote out her feelings there, never expecting that anyone besides herself would ever read those words.
It hit me hard too because I could relate to this story. I was once a victim of bullies, and their relentless attacks. It ruined my middle school years all the way until late my sophomore year. I hated going to school to have to face it every day. No one seemed to understand. No one was there to support me. Day after day, the jokes, the pranks, the physical abuse.... I did not think it would ever end. That is where that girl was who committed suicide.
I wish for her that someone had known. If there had been someone who would have helped her through, helped her to feel loved, helped her to feel she was not alone. Did her parents know? Or did they just seem to pile on top of it? Did her friends know? Or did they just seem dismissive? Did anyone try to share the love of Christ with her? For me those were all no's as I went through my own private hell. She could not take it anymore and snapped, ending her life. I snapped too, but lashed out on the bully.
We need to watch out for others. We never know what a person is going through. We will never know if a kind word or gesture in a given moment could be a life saver. We never know if showing and sharing the love of Jesus might at a moment be preventing another suicide. If you see bullying say something. Don't be afraid to step up and defend the person being bullied. It is never cool to call people names, or belittle them, or abuse them in any way. It is evil.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Love others in the same way Christ loved us, putting them first, and ourselves last.
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only that which will lift others up.
Don't be selfish. If someone has a need, meet it if you can. If they are hungry, feed them. Thirsty? Give them a drink. Need clothes? give and share.
Love is patient, kind. It is not jealous. It does not boast of self, or brag. It does not act badly, nor is it selfish. It is not easily provoked. Love thinks no evil nor has fun in doing wrong, but instead rejoices in truth. It bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all. Love never fails.
Those are all scriptures and are bully beaters. Do good to those who use and abuse you. Let God take your vengeance, for it is His. Pray for the bullies.
How is that possible? You don't know what they have done to me? Maybe not, but there is one who does. His name is Jesus. He was bullied, beaten, abused, mocked, made fun of, and chased away. And He was God. He could have at any time called down legions of angels to stop others. He did not though. He still loved those who hated him without a cause. Jesus had done no wrong to anyone, but was hated so much he was put to death. He did this to save you. He knows just what you are going through. Believe on Him and you will be saved. Trust in Him and He will enable you, through His spirit, to be able to be obedient to loving your enemies and doing good to those who persecute you. And you have His promise that you will never be alone for He will never leave you nor forsake you.
2014/01/05
Loving or Judging?
I John3: 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
These verses were presented in an article I read this week. At first it disturbed me a little. The author was saying essentially that if you sin, you are not saved because if you were saved, you would not sin. This is really a disturbing message for many Christians. At least to me it was disturbing. Why? Because we all still sin.
The argument then goes, “they will continue to sin but they won’t make a pattern of it, but if a person continues to sin, then they were never saved in the first place.” If that were the case; if everyone who was truly saved was not even capable of sinning, then why would John write earlier in chapter 1 on I John, v9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If a Christian never sins, what would they need to confess?
Now I am not arguing that a Christian can just go ahead and sin. Paul asks the question, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1) “God, forbid” was the answer. Much of Romans 6 continues about how we are dead to sin and won’t continue therein. But in verse 7 we find out that we still do sin, even intentionally, knowingly, willfully.
Romans 7: 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
So what of the I John 3 verses? They seem to say we won’t sin if we are truly saved. Don’t they contradict what Paul is saying here in Romans? Not at all. Look at verse 15 of Romans 7; but what I hate, that do I. Often a Christian will sin, even willingly and knowingly, but the pleasure of it is not there. A Christian will feel guilty. They will feel remorse, sorrow in their sin. They will recognize the wrong. Going back to I John 1:9, we will confess our sins and be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness.
The key to what is being talked about in Chapter 3 is the condition of the heart. If one is sinning, and they enjoy it, feel no remorse over it, and plan to do it again for their own amusement, then we could say that they would not be abiding in Christ. Such a person would also have no desire to do what God says is right. They will create for themselves a God that excuses their behavior. A God of love who doesn’t condemn anyone.
I write about this because I want to encourage others. Young believers especially can have their faith shaken by such proclamations as Christians won’t ever sin if they are true Christians. Immediately they begin to doubt their salvation because it is impossible for us to live sinless, even after being saved. The real danger is when we no longer or don’t even care if our actions are sinful or not.
We as believers also have to remember what Jesus taught, Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Mathew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
We would do much better loving one another.
2013/12/22
That's Not Fair!
It was a beautiful Saturday morning so Betty brought over
her son Bobby for a play date with her best friend Sherry’s boy Stephen. The two boys were playing in the yard as
the women sat on the porch sharing a cup of coffee and parenting stories. Right in the middle of a good laugh they were
having, a ruckus between the two boys erupted.
Bobby came running to his mother, tears in his eyes. “What’s the matter Bobby?” “It’s not fair!”, Bobby blubbered. The two women gave each other a knowing
glance for a moment. “what’s not fair
Bobby?”, Sherry asked. “Stephen won’t
let me play with his truck.”, cried Bobby.
“Well, there are plenty of cars you can play with”, said Batty. “But I want to play with the truck!” Bobby screamed. “It’s NOT FAIR!”
Oh how I wish that this was only the problems of 4 year olds playing with hot wheels on a Saturday morning. Unfortunately it isn’t. I hear this same type of cry coming from adults nearly every day. It’s not fair that they make a lot of money and I don’t. It’s not fair that they get to get married and I don’t. It’s not fair… It’s not fair… It’s not fair… I could list a hundred things I have hears in the last month or so that someone argued that something wasn’t fair. Usually when a child claims something isn’t fair, they really mean that they did not get their way, or get the toy they wanted. It is no different in adults. They want to have their own way, or they are unhappy that someone has something they don’t, or they are unhappy that someone disagrees with them. Then comes the temper tantrum.
The adult children are just like little bobby in the short story above. You try to explain to them that the truck doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to Stephen, but they don’t seem to hear or care and just scream and cry louder about how unfair that is. No matter how hard you explain to some adults that someone else worked harder than them and earned the right to have more money, they still feel it is unfair that someone else gets it and not them, even though they did nothing. Just like the child, many adults want the “parent” to step in and make Stephen share the truck. This is how people feel justified in taxing the rich and giving it to others who did not earn it through entitlement programs. I don’t have what you do so I’ll have someone bigger than you take it away and give it to me.
Someone just recently was telling me about how greedy capitalists are and how CEOs don’t need that much money and how unfair it was to workers that they did not get as much as the CEO. I finally had to ask them; maybe it is you who is the greedy one. You want what they have, but you don’t want to put in the work they did to get it. You just expect that you deserve it for no other reason than your idea of “fairness”.
Then it hit me. This is really a problem with human nature, the sinful nature of man. All of this crying and moaning I hear anbout all of the things that are unfair boil down to this, someone else has something that you want. It can be something material like money, or it can be something intangible like being happy, or being able to marry, privilidge, power, influence, whatever. It all boils down to one thing, coveting.
Exodus 20:17
Oh how I wish that this was only the problems of 4 year olds playing with hot wheels on a Saturday morning. Unfortunately it isn’t. I hear this same type of cry coming from adults nearly every day. It’s not fair that they make a lot of money and I don’t. It’s not fair that they get to get married and I don’t. It’s not fair… It’s not fair… It’s not fair… I could list a hundred things I have hears in the last month or so that someone argued that something wasn’t fair. Usually when a child claims something isn’t fair, they really mean that they did not get their way, or get the toy they wanted. It is no different in adults. They want to have their own way, or they are unhappy that someone has something they don’t, or they are unhappy that someone disagrees with them. Then comes the temper tantrum.
The adult children are just like little bobby in the short story above. You try to explain to them that the truck doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to Stephen, but they don’t seem to hear or care and just scream and cry louder about how unfair that is. No matter how hard you explain to some adults that someone else worked harder than them and earned the right to have more money, they still feel it is unfair that someone else gets it and not them, even though they did nothing. Just like the child, many adults want the “parent” to step in and make Stephen share the truck. This is how people feel justified in taxing the rich and giving it to others who did not earn it through entitlement programs. I don’t have what you do so I’ll have someone bigger than you take it away and give it to me.
Someone just recently was telling me about how greedy capitalists are and how CEOs don’t need that much money and how unfair it was to workers that they did not get as much as the CEO. I finally had to ask them; maybe it is you who is the greedy one. You want what they have, but you don’t want to put in the work they did to get it. You just expect that you deserve it for no other reason than your idea of “fairness”.
Then it hit me. This is really a problem with human nature, the sinful nature of man. All of this crying and moaning I hear anbout all of the things that are unfair boil down to this, someone else has something that you want. It can be something material like money, or it can be something intangible like being happy, or being able to marry, privilidge, power, influence, whatever. It all boils down to one thing, coveting.
Exodus 20:17
Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's house, thou shalt
not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing
that is thy neighbour's.
Whether it is gays who want to marry, or people who want to raise the minimum wage, or have universal healthcare, or whatever, it is all about being unsatisfied with your own condition and coveting another’s. The carnal man always wants something more than he has and usually wants what he sees others have.
For the spiritual man it is different though. And to be clear, by spiritual man, I mean a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior and submitted themselves to His Lordship in their lives. Someone who has put their trust in God through Jesus does not have these concerns of the material world. For the unbeliever, here is all there is. For the believer, here is just a temporary passage and our eternal state lies ahead. This is what allows the believer to not be greedy and covetous and learn as Paul did, Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. This is the antidote to greed and covetousness; Contentment that is to be found in Christ Jesus.
This contentment and satisfaction found in Jesus is probably one of the most “fair” things available to us humans. It is available to any human being at any time during this earthly life. You have the same opportunity to receive it as any other person on the face of the globe. You don’t have to worry about being too poor to get it. You don’t have to be concerned that you’ll be turned away for any reason. There is no way that would disqualify you from this offer. There is no discrimination based on any type of division of color, race, creed, sex, disability, age, orientation, or any other distinction one can come up with.
All you have to do is recognize your sinfulness and your need of savior and believe in Jesus. Believe that He was who he said He was, the son of the living God, the Messiah, sent into the world for forgiveness of sins. That He died on the cross in your place. And believe that God raised him from the dead on the third day, overcoming death so that you too could overcome death to spend eternity with God, in Heaven.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
2013/09/12
You Gotta Serve Somebody
If the Son
therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed.
This is one of the most well-known verses and concepts in Christianity; the idea of being set free. We talk about it all the time. We speak of the freedom we have in Christ Jesus on a regular basis in the Christian world. For God to have taken the steps to send his son down to suffer and die to set us free there must have been something that we have been set free from, right?
So romans 8:2 says we are freed from the law of sin and death. What is the law of sin and death? What is sin? Whatsoever is not of faith is sin we are told in Romans 14:23. So anything we do, say, or think that does not include, recognize, thank, and/or glorify the Lord and put Him first is sin. This is actually the default state of mankind. In Romans 3, Paul quotes the old testament in v 10-12, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” We all tend to seek our own way; look out for old number one: ourselves. This attitude of the heart is what leads to lying, cheating, stealing, murders, gluttony, and any other “sin” you can come up with. It all starts in the heart.
God has a standard though, Jesus lays it out in simple terms when asked in Mathew 22: 37-40, Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Paul further expands this concept to show that this state of the heart does lead to righteous action in Romans 13:8-10 ~ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
We, in our natural selves are incapable of fully living in the way God would have us to live. To be in the presence of perfection, one must be perfect. Since we have not been perfect (or have been sinful) we are unable to enter into Gods presence. This manifests itself in death. Sin leads to death, or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. So, what we are set free from is sin, our natural desire to have self as number one, and the result of that sin, death; or separation from Yahweh.
But, we were not set free from sin and death just to be free. We are not given a license to do whatever we want to. Before we accept Jesus, we did not have a choice whether we sinned or not. John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. It was our nature to sin. We were bound to it and are now set free from that to… commit more sin? No! (Romans 6:1) We are set free from sin so that we may do what is right. Romans 6: 17-8 ~ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Did you catch that? We then become servants of righteousness. A sinner saved through the grace of Christ by his death and resurrection becomes free from being bound to sinful selfish ways and is freed to love others and seek to serve others, putting self aside, just as Christ put his own desires aside to serve us.
In the words of the Bob Dylan song:
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
The Devil really doesn’t care who you serve as long as it is not the Lord. There are a million paths to hell, but only one way that leads to heaven; Jesus. The devil will even try and trick you and tell you that staying away from Yahweh and His son is freedom, when the truth is it is only death. Choose this day whom you are going to serve. As for me and my household, we serve the Lord.
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