It was back in the early 70's, circa 1973. The youth group at church had gone to Lake Aquabi for the annual youth retreat in August as was becoming the tradition. As state parks go, Aquabi is well maintained and beautiful and has been so since I can remember. The bass fishing is good, but there is never anything larger that 20 inches or about three pounds. That's OK. It's always fun. They have those red eared sunfish that are both beautiful and delicious. There is also a swimming area and camp grounds. It is a wonderful place, even at night.
It was on an August night that we were encamped. It was too hot to stay in a camper or tent so some of us slept on the ground outside, laying on sleeping bags and staring up at the stars. There was me and my cousin, and let's call him Bob. As we talked and ogled the stars in the night sky, we were awed by the number of "shooting stars". It was amazing. They would light up the sky as they entered the atmosphere. Some would give off colors like bright greens and blinding whites and a few of them seemed to make a whooshing noise as they burnt out. We felt incredibly blessed to be able to witness the event and the watching stirred thoughts about the power behind the universe and we knew there was a God.
At that time, our entire lives lay before us. We had not yet entered the real world. We had not experienced life as we would later. We talked about things. Personal things. It was a rare conversation for three people so young to have. It was open and honest and we became transparent to each other. I knew then that life in my real world was not going to be easy. My cousin had his own adventure ahead and it would collide with mine from time to time, but I would not have traded my life for his as his road was rough too. I can only speculate about Bob's adult place in the universe, but I would bet real money that he has lost much because people would not accept what he had no choice but to be. I wish him the best if he still lives. It might be interesting to talk to him. We were similarly conflicted.
It's odd how events in the macrocosm of the night sky can stir thoughts in the microcosm of the human soul. I have to wonder about Abraham all those millennia ago staring up at his sky only to discover that there is but one God and then to follow Him in faith. Abraham viewed the same stars I did in 1973. He may have seen the same annual meteor shower (Perseid's) I saw in 1973. And likewise, he was moved seek the Power behind it.
We seek and find God in strange places. We see His story in the night sky, in the lives of our friends and in the words that come from the inspired hearts of musicians. He is a powerful force that cannot be ignored if you are really...really....paying attention.
Go out tonight and have a look. He may have a meteor with your name on it. He is showing himself to you in so many ways. Just relax. Clear your mind. Discover what everlasting really means. He is there.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Back In the 70's I Had No Grace
Yes, I am kind of old. I came of age in the late 1970's. It was an interesting time. The Viet Nam was was over. The draft had ended. Eighteen year old's could consume alcohol and vote - hopefully not at the same time. Large cars were still prevalent and many drove them with pride despite the skyrocketing price of gasoline. My generation came in on the tail end and also start of many things.
We enjoyed the freedoms that came out of the sixties, but we did not have the philosophical ties to those freedoms that our for-bearers did. What they did out of principle, we did out of pleasure and we were not sure what was behind it, but we would not be giving it up anytime soon. There was also, the recessions. Repeated economic back sliding throughout the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan years that I believe goes back to Nixon's decision to kill the gold standard and let the dollar float on it's own. It was and is economic tyranny, but I digress.
They were interesting times. I had many 'rite of passage' friendships that enabled me to see many aspects of the real world that I had been carefully protected from for my entire childhood. I had gay friends and stoner friends and mentally ill friends and stupid friends and really intelligent friends that may have been any one of those other things too....from time to time. None of them seem to have any guilt or trepidation about who they were. Some were believers and some weren't, but they accepted there lot in life and pushed forward to where they thought they should be going.
With a Christian fundamentalist background, many of these things were a sort of revelation to me. They were a shock as well. All my prejudices were being challenged. People were all these things and they did not die (though some did later), they did not hate, they lacked fear and they loved life and the world around them.
My point here is that I believe this is where Christians, and particularly Christian parents, get it wrong. It's not a good idea to shelter your young people from real life and expect them to continue as if the actual world does not exist when they become adults. Once they are adults, they will need to be able to live and work in the world. It's realities can be crushing unless they are prepared.
I was not prepared for many of the world's realities. Some of this stuff came as a shock to me. It did not sit well with my faith and it started a questioning that did not stop until 1997. To say that everything I was taught about the world and God was wrong would be quite a stretch, but I was woefully unprepared. I blame no one for this. I tend to take things way too seriously and sometimes to an extreme degree and that was part of the problem. I had to learn grace. I had to learn that God had it and wanted to share it. It is what was missing from my faith and it's why it did not work. I was a Christian in name, but I was a spiritual Jew. I was unable to live up to God's standards or my standards (which, oddly, were higher than God's) and so I was crushed, discouraged and thought I was hell-bent. It's because there was no grace for me. It was there, but I did not recognize it. It was there, but I refused to take it. It was there, but I thought I didn't deserve it. And that's thing I could not wrap my mind around. Grace is not grace if you deserve it. If you deserve it, it becomes a reward for something earned. You cannot earn God's grace.
My life from that time eventually brought me to this here and now time. I am a better man because God taught me grace. He taught me how to love and forgive myself and that made me able to love and forgive others.
"love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all."
Lord thanks for this gift. I am yours. Take me where you will.
We enjoyed the freedoms that came out of the sixties, but we did not have the philosophical ties to those freedoms that our for-bearers did. What they did out of principle, we did out of pleasure and we were not sure what was behind it, but we would not be giving it up anytime soon. There was also, the recessions. Repeated economic back sliding throughout the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan years that I believe goes back to Nixon's decision to kill the gold standard and let the dollar float on it's own. It was and is economic tyranny, but I digress.
They were interesting times. I had many 'rite of passage' friendships that enabled me to see many aspects of the real world that I had been carefully protected from for my entire childhood. I had gay friends and stoner friends and mentally ill friends and stupid friends and really intelligent friends that may have been any one of those other things too....from time to time. None of them seem to have any guilt or trepidation about who they were. Some were believers and some weren't, but they accepted there lot in life and pushed forward to where they thought they should be going.
With a Christian fundamentalist background, many of these things were a sort of revelation to me. They were a shock as well. All my prejudices were being challenged. People were all these things and they did not die (though some did later), they did not hate, they lacked fear and they loved life and the world around them.
My point here is that I believe this is where Christians, and particularly Christian parents, get it wrong. It's not a good idea to shelter your young people from real life and expect them to continue as if the actual world does not exist when they become adults. Once they are adults, they will need to be able to live and work in the world. It's realities can be crushing unless they are prepared.
I was not prepared for many of the world's realities. Some of this stuff came as a shock to me. It did not sit well with my faith and it started a questioning that did not stop until 1997. To say that everything I was taught about the world and God was wrong would be quite a stretch, but I was woefully unprepared. I blame no one for this. I tend to take things way too seriously and sometimes to an extreme degree and that was part of the problem. I had to learn grace. I had to learn that God had it and wanted to share it. It is what was missing from my faith and it's why it did not work. I was a Christian in name, but I was a spiritual Jew. I was unable to live up to God's standards or my standards (which, oddly, were higher than God's) and so I was crushed, discouraged and thought I was hell-bent. It's because there was no grace for me. It was there, but I did not recognize it. It was there, but I refused to take it. It was there, but I thought I didn't deserve it. And that's thing I could not wrap my mind around. Grace is not grace if you deserve it. If you deserve it, it becomes a reward for something earned. You cannot earn God's grace.
My life from that time eventually brought me to this here and now time. I am a better man because God taught me grace. He taught me how to love and forgive myself and that made me able to love and forgive others.
"love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all."
Lord thanks for this gift. I am yours. Take me where you will.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Another Sign of the Times...I Want One In My Yard
I love the sarcastic truth of it. She and her hubby need to go to jail for a whole list of crimes that go all the way back to Arkansas. I need to be careful. Even though I live in Iowa, I could die from Arkancide. Many have. Poor Vince Foster. Enough. Here it is...
Sitting In the Parking Lot
You are probably not aware of it, but, with the exception of the weekends, I write most of this stuff from a grocery store parking lot. I use the free wi-fi and the time I have in the morning to answer emails, visit my favorite websites and ponder what's next for the Daily Ground Hog. All this occurs in my mobile office, the Tacoma, prior to my final departure for work.
Some have noticed that TDGH is not always so daily. I would agree with that. I try to write something everyday, but there are times it just does not happen. It's probably not writer's block, but there is no inspiration either. Today is one of those days. I got nothing much to say other than...
It was a pretty good weekend. I particularly enjoyed teaching my Sunday school class. We have spent the last two weeks on Matthew 7:1-6. Good stuff. Good discussion.
Dad was good. There was a general lack of confusion for him. I think its helped that he has cut back on the ice cream. His mind seems clearer when he avoids the sugar and the high fat items. I hope it continues for him.
Another thing that I might share. It's more of a creeping feeling of impending doom. You can chalk it up to my fascination with conspiracy theories, but I think there is going to be a rough ride ahead with the economy. The stock market is overdue for a severe correction, economic growth is nominal or flat and unemployment is continuing to be an issue even though the official government figures do not indicate the scope of the problem. There are over 90 million people in the US that are unemployed. I'm thinking that the social safety net cannot support this many for much longer. We will see.
September and October will tell us if I'm right. These are traditionally times when we feel economic pain. I know in October, there will be an official international move away from the US dollar as the preferred currency for trading. This may cause some general economic unsettlement here at home. There is the specter of a interest rate hike from the Fed. This may play havoc with the bond market and retiree investments. There is also an election here in the US next year. It worries not just me, but many people. The choices are awful. No one wants to address real problems. And then there's the clown factor...Donald Trump and his three ring circus. He does serve as a warning post. Our empire is in the last throes of an unintended death. There are so many things our leadership could have done or avoided doing over the last 60 years that would have lead to a different outcome. There is also the baby-boomer problem. We have never really tried to reign in this out of control government because we are the beneficiaries of the largess for the most part. We lived and and continue to live well off the US military industrial complex, even when we oppose it.
I can go on, but it's starting to sound like rambling...probably is. And it is what it is. Let see it play out. Probably won't be fun, but it will be interesting.
Later!
Some have noticed that TDGH is not always so daily. I would agree with that. I try to write something everyday, but there are times it just does not happen. It's probably not writer's block, but there is no inspiration either. Today is one of those days. I got nothing much to say other than...
It was a pretty good weekend. I particularly enjoyed teaching my Sunday school class. We have spent the last two weeks on Matthew 7:1-6. Good stuff. Good discussion.
Dad was good. There was a general lack of confusion for him. I think its helped that he has cut back on the ice cream. His mind seems clearer when he avoids the sugar and the high fat items. I hope it continues for him.
Another thing that I might share. It's more of a creeping feeling of impending doom. You can chalk it up to my fascination with conspiracy theories, but I think there is going to be a rough ride ahead with the economy. The stock market is overdue for a severe correction, economic growth is nominal or flat and unemployment is continuing to be an issue even though the official government figures do not indicate the scope of the problem. There are over 90 million people in the US that are unemployed. I'm thinking that the social safety net cannot support this many for much longer. We will see.
September and October will tell us if I'm right. These are traditionally times when we feel economic pain. I know in October, there will be an official international move away from the US dollar as the preferred currency for trading. This may cause some general economic unsettlement here at home. There is the specter of a interest rate hike from the Fed. This may play havoc with the bond market and retiree investments. There is also an election here in the US next year. It worries not just me, but many people. The choices are awful. No one wants to address real problems. And then there's the clown factor...Donald Trump and his three ring circus. He does serve as a warning post. Our empire is in the last throes of an unintended death. There are so many things our leadership could have done or avoided doing over the last 60 years that would have lead to a different outcome. There is also the baby-boomer problem. We have never really tried to reign in this out of control government because we are the beneficiaries of the largess for the most part. We lived and and continue to live well off the US military industrial complex, even when we oppose it.
I can go on, but it's starting to sound like rambling...probably is. And it is what it is. Let see it play out. Probably won't be fun, but it will be interesting.
Later!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Friday, August 7, 2015
Which Countries Are Most Likely to Default on Their Debts
Here's a nifty "default" map supplied by Tyler Durden over at Zero Hedge via The Bank of America. I find stuff like this fascinating. We've been hearing a lot about Greece lately, but it looks like Venezuela has out paced them by several orders of magnitude and yet we've heard little about their economic troubles. I was also surprised by the placements of the US, Russia and China. Apparently, even though the US has maxed out the credit cards, we still have a very valuable line of credit available from somewhere. We are the 4th least likely to default. This means that someone somewhere believes that we will at least keep up with the interest payments. We are apparently good slaves. Only Germany, Switzerland and Sweden have better rankings. Meanwhile, Russia is the 7th most likely to default. China is firmly toward the middle of the list.
I Would Like To....UPDATED
It's the perfect day for it. It's Friday. It's summertime. My boss is in town. I really feel like quitting. Unfortunately, I have nothing in place to allow that sequence of events without some kind of disaster befalling me in the process. I need to to get my ducks in a row and make it happen. I am fed up.
I feel better now. I have vented.
Looking forward to the weekend; to getting my lesson ready for my Sunday school class. I enjoy the process. I almost wish I could do it everyday. It's like my escape mechanism from the troubles of my present life. I hold up on the lower level of the house, pool what I already know, expound on it in writing, look up the connections in scripture (my favorite part) and prepare to present. Then Sunday, I will ask the relevant questions to the Wise that gather in my 8 AM group and we will discuss and fellowship over the promises of the Lord our God. It's a short lived, but invigorating event.
That's the way I feel about it anyway. They may be board to death and have nothing better to do at 0800. Whatever the case, I am glad they come.
I'm going to work now. Pray that I don't do something stupid! (;^))))
UPDATE - I made through the day without quitting. My boss went home before I got to work. Made it easier to resist the urge. I do need to do something though. I hate feeling like this every Monday and Friday.
I feel better now. I have vented.
Looking forward to the weekend; to getting my lesson ready for my Sunday school class. I enjoy the process. I almost wish I could do it everyday. It's like my escape mechanism from the troubles of my present life. I hold up on the lower level of the house, pool what I already know, expound on it in writing, look up the connections in scripture (my favorite part) and prepare to present. Then Sunday, I will ask the relevant questions to the Wise that gather in my 8 AM group and we will discuss and fellowship over the promises of the Lord our God. It's a short lived, but invigorating event.
That's the way I feel about it anyway. They may be board to death and have nothing better to do at 0800. Whatever the case, I am glad they come.
I'm going to work now. Pray that I don't do something stupid! (;^))))
UPDATE - I made through the day without quitting. My boss went home before I got to work. Made it easier to resist the urge. I do need to do something though. I hate feeling like this every Monday and Friday.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
The End Times
We have been living in the last days...the end times if you will...since the day Christ ascended into heaven with His promise to return. There have been many perilous events in history that have occurred since that time 2000 years ago, but Jesus has still not returned. Empires and Kingdoms have come and gone. Great and infamous leaders leaders of men and women have stood for and against the Church, but still Jesus has not returned.
In one of his epistles, the apostle, Peter, said that to God, 1000 years was like a day and a day like 1000 years. By that reckoning, it's only been a couple of days since Christ left. He will probably be back by the end of the 3rd day...that's a guess. You see, as Jesus said, no man knows the day or hour except His Father.
Which brings me to this. I am tired of all the endless speculation about eschatology within God's church. I am particularly worn out by the premillenialists that rattle on about the alleged new temple in Jerusalem, Israel, the rapture, the 7 years of tribulation and the 1000 year kingdom of God on earth. It just amazes me how Christians get embroiled in these distractions to the detriment of the Church's mission on earth - seek and save the lost! Love God and love your neighbor.
Eschatology is interesting. There is much in scripture and most of it, I believe, is symbolic. No one agrees on how it will all pan out. Even the premil camp has major disagreements about timing and whether the church will be pulled out before or after the tribulation begins.
None of it really matters except for the fact that....WE WIN!
Having said that, I will give you my brief take on how it is playing out. As I said, we have been in the end times since Christ left the earth. Immediately after that, on the first Pentecost after His resurrection, His apostles laid the foundation for the Church. This, my friends, was to be and is the new and 3rd temple of God on earth. It is a spiritual edifice.
The last Jewish temple and the last legitimate Jewish state was destroyed by Titus and the Romans in AD 70. This completed the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and Mathew 24. Judaism was and is officially done; the current illegitimate state of Israel notwithstanding. (Most of them are European Jews that do not have any Semitic heritage in any way and are either agnostic or atheist in their spiritual outlook.) Today, the Jews can get in to God's Kingdom in the same way we do. They must turn to the Messiah and repent; become part of His Church. Their one time privilege as God's chosen has been revoked. Jesus said as much. Their status before God is the same as that of the unconverted Gentiles. (Is everyone pissed off now? The truth will do that. So will opinions)
Anyway, for my money, as the saying goes, the new temple is the church. The beast is already ruling both inside and outside of God's temple - The Church. He is and has been actively worshiped since the time of Christ. The abomination that causes desolation is in God's temple, The Church. This is not a new development. He is there because he has lost many due to the blood of Christ. We have to try to keep him out without destroying the purpose of the Church - to seek and save the lost. It is a continual battle. He always seeks to divide. One of those divisions is eschatology.
Christian, we need to let it go. We need to get to what Christ commanded. We need to love God, love our neighbors and preach the Gospel. Let the rest of it play out as God wills. No man knows the day or hour. Instead, let us live everyday like Christ will be back in 30 minutes. There's a sobering thought. What would change if we knew that was the case?
World events may well be shaping up for His return. I do not know, but I will be glad to welcome Him when He arrives. But friends, please drop the obsession. Live your life in faith and obedience. When He does come back, you will be ready. Do not be deceived by false teachers and books by alleged messianic Jews that think they know something or seek to renew their Judaizing behavior by pointing to the Talmud or the Mishnah or, heaven forbid, Kabbalah. Do not be tricked. Keep the faith. Be patient. He will return on His Father's time table and the promise will be ours in fact. We will be victorious. The King is coming! It will be a glorious day.
In one of his epistles, the apostle, Peter, said that to God, 1000 years was like a day and a day like 1000 years. By that reckoning, it's only been a couple of days since Christ left. He will probably be back by the end of the 3rd day...that's a guess. You see, as Jesus said, no man knows the day or hour except His Father.
Which brings me to this. I am tired of all the endless speculation about eschatology within God's church. I am particularly worn out by the premillenialists that rattle on about the alleged new temple in Jerusalem, Israel, the rapture, the 7 years of tribulation and the 1000 year kingdom of God on earth. It just amazes me how Christians get embroiled in these distractions to the detriment of the Church's mission on earth - seek and save the lost! Love God and love your neighbor.
Eschatology is interesting. There is much in scripture and most of it, I believe, is symbolic. No one agrees on how it will all pan out. Even the premil camp has major disagreements about timing and whether the church will be pulled out before or after the tribulation begins.
None of it really matters except for the fact that....WE WIN!
Having said that, I will give you my brief take on how it is playing out. As I said, we have been in the end times since Christ left the earth. Immediately after that, on the first Pentecost after His resurrection, His apostles laid the foundation for the Church. This, my friends, was to be and is the new and 3rd temple of God on earth. It is a spiritual edifice.
The last Jewish temple and the last legitimate Jewish state was destroyed by Titus and the Romans in AD 70. This completed the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and Mathew 24. Judaism was and is officially done; the current illegitimate state of Israel notwithstanding. (Most of them are European Jews that do not have any Semitic heritage in any way and are either agnostic or atheist in their spiritual outlook.) Today, the Jews can get in to God's Kingdom in the same way we do. They must turn to the Messiah and repent; become part of His Church. Their one time privilege as God's chosen has been revoked. Jesus said as much. Their status before God is the same as that of the unconverted Gentiles. (Is everyone pissed off now? The truth will do that. So will opinions)
Anyway, for my money, as the saying goes, the new temple is the church. The beast is already ruling both inside and outside of God's temple - The Church. He is and has been actively worshiped since the time of Christ. The abomination that causes desolation is in God's temple, The Church. This is not a new development. He is there because he has lost many due to the blood of Christ. We have to try to keep him out without destroying the purpose of the Church - to seek and save the lost. It is a continual battle. He always seeks to divide. One of those divisions is eschatology.
Christian, we need to let it go. We need to get to what Christ commanded. We need to love God, love our neighbors and preach the Gospel. Let the rest of it play out as God wills. No man knows the day or hour. Instead, let us live everyday like Christ will be back in 30 minutes. There's a sobering thought. What would change if we knew that was the case?
World events may well be shaping up for His return. I do not know, but I will be glad to welcome Him when He arrives. But friends, please drop the obsession. Live your life in faith and obedience. When He does come back, you will be ready. Do not be deceived by false teachers and books by alleged messianic Jews that think they know something or seek to renew their Judaizing behavior by pointing to the Talmud or the Mishnah or, heaven forbid, Kabbalah. Do not be tricked. Keep the faith. Be patient. He will return on His Father's time table and the promise will be ours in fact. We will be victorious. The King is coming! It will be a glorious day.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Who's Reading The Daily Ground Hog This Week You Ask?
| Entry | Pageviews |
|---|---|
United States
|
198
|
Russia
|
89
|
Portugal
|
9
|
France
|
8
|
United Kingdom
|
3
|
Italy
|
2
|
Poland
|
2
|
Belgium
|
1
|
Japan
|
1
|
Ukraine
|
1
|
It seems the Russians are moving in. Not sure what that's about unless Putin is just keeping an eye on me along with the NSA here. Get in line boys; read carefully cuz there will be a test.. I'm not as subversive as you think, but I am a lot of fun.
I need some hits from the southern hemisphere. I will be waiting. Send me an email if you like. I will be here.
|
We the People or We the Church?
Are you an American-Christian? Or are you a Christian-American? Can a Christian really be hyphenated like that?
I was reading and article by (the Calvinist) Scott Lively on WND today where he discusses why he believes the American Church has lost the culture war. He says the American Church has lost God's favor.
"“Why don’t we have God’s favor?”
Some will say “It’s because we’re killing the unborn,” or “the pastors aren’t teaching Christian responsibility to vote,” and such like. But I tell you these are only symptoms of the disease, not the cause.
We don’t have God’s favor because we have officially rejected Him as the God of our land."
With all due respect Reverend Lively, I believe you are wrong. You seem to conflate being American with being Christian. You seem to think that America and the Church are similar or in fact the same. You cite passages from the Old Testament about Israel to bolster your case.
Rev Lively, America is not Israel and neither is the Church.
Our culture in the good ole US of A began as a Christian culture because it was founded by middle class Christian protestants from Europe that actually believed what was in the Bible. Our ancestors were Christian men that desired the unfettered freedom to worship as they pleased without the interference of government.
This is not the case today. America is a polyglot. Unbelieving Americans do not take Jesus or the scriptures seriously because they do not believe. They are from many traditions besides the once dominant Christian one and they have no reason to live in either fear or love of a God they do not believe in.
This is not a Christian nation. Maybe once, not now. People are free to make choices and they do. Right now they are choosing against the faith and for themselves. Deal with it Rev. Lively. Your recriminations and hand wringing will not change it.
This has always been the choice. From Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Isaiah and the prophets and finally to Jesus and the apostles, this has always been the choice. God says we can choose and America has chosen...for now. I do not know if America ever had God's favor, but He has used her to achieve His purposes. The gospel has gone places it never would have gone because we were free to tell the story.
If that freedom ends for His Church, it will not be because the Church has lost God's favor. It will be because the Church has lost it's fire. Maybe a few centuries of persecution will put that fire back into God's people. Maybe American Christians will finally divorce themselves from their earthly nationality and become full citizens of the Kingdom of God. When that happens Rev. Lively, when we once again become the Church Militant and lay down all loyalties except those to Christ, then we will be the nation God wants. America is not that nation anymore than Rome was Paul's nation.
We must come out and be separate. We must reveal the word of God. We must reject our culture and at the same time offer it hope.
The Church is and will continue to be blessed by God. Our salvation is secure because Christ has already paid for it. Our job is to plant the seeds so that everyone can enjoy that opportunity if they wish. We cannot force people to behave in the way we do. They must come to believe what we believe if we want them to live as we live. Again, that will be their choice. We plant the seeds. God takes the harvest.
The Christian majority in America is gone Rev. Lively. God's fire still smolders in His Church though. Let's fan it to flames. If God wants a Christian culture here, He can make one by using us. But please do not confuse me with claims to dual citizenship. "This world is not my home. I'm just a passin through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. Jesus beckons me from heavens open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I happen to live in America. It's a mess, but I live here. It was not my choice. I will make the best of it until God comes back to take me Home. I have God's favor. That's all I need. I leave America in God's hands.
I was reading and article by (the Calvinist) Scott Lively on WND today where he discusses why he believes the American Church has lost the culture war. He says the American Church has lost God's favor.
"“Why don’t we have God’s favor?”
Some will say “It’s because we’re killing the unborn,” or “the pastors aren’t teaching Christian responsibility to vote,” and such like. But I tell you these are only symptoms of the disease, not the cause.
We don’t have God’s favor because we have officially rejected Him as the God of our land."
With all due respect Reverend Lively, I believe you are wrong. You seem to conflate being American with being Christian. You seem to think that America and the Church are similar or in fact the same. You cite passages from the Old Testament about Israel to bolster your case.
Rev Lively, America is not Israel and neither is the Church.
Our culture in the good ole US of A began as a Christian culture because it was founded by middle class Christian protestants from Europe that actually believed what was in the Bible. Our ancestors were Christian men that desired the unfettered freedom to worship as they pleased without the interference of government.
This is not the case today. America is a polyglot. Unbelieving Americans do not take Jesus or the scriptures seriously because they do not believe. They are from many traditions besides the once dominant Christian one and they have no reason to live in either fear or love of a God they do not believe in.
This is not a Christian nation. Maybe once, not now. People are free to make choices and they do. Right now they are choosing against the faith and for themselves. Deal with it Rev. Lively. Your recriminations and hand wringing will not change it.
This has always been the choice. From Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Isaiah and the prophets and finally to Jesus and the apostles, this has always been the choice. God says we can choose and America has chosen...for now. I do not know if America ever had God's favor, but He has used her to achieve His purposes. The gospel has gone places it never would have gone because we were free to tell the story.
If that freedom ends for His Church, it will not be because the Church has lost God's favor. It will be because the Church has lost it's fire. Maybe a few centuries of persecution will put that fire back into God's people. Maybe American Christians will finally divorce themselves from their earthly nationality and become full citizens of the Kingdom of God. When that happens Rev. Lively, when we once again become the Church Militant and lay down all loyalties except those to Christ, then we will be the nation God wants. America is not that nation anymore than Rome was Paul's nation.
We must come out and be separate. We must reveal the word of God. We must reject our culture and at the same time offer it hope.
The Church is and will continue to be blessed by God. Our salvation is secure because Christ has already paid for it. Our job is to plant the seeds so that everyone can enjoy that opportunity if they wish. We cannot force people to behave in the way we do. They must come to believe what we believe if we want them to live as we live. Again, that will be their choice. We plant the seeds. God takes the harvest.
The Christian majority in America is gone Rev. Lively. God's fire still smolders in His Church though. Let's fan it to flames. If God wants a Christian culture here, He can make one by using us. But please do not confuse me with claims to dual citizenship. "This world is not my home. I'm just a passin through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. Jesus beckons me from heavens open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."
I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I happen to live in America. It's a mess, but I live here. It was not my choice. I will make the best of it until God comes back to take me Home. I have God's favor. That's all I need. I leave America in God's hands.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Transparency Within The Church
In my adult Sunday school class at church, we have been working our way through Matthew. We are currently in the Sermon on the Mount. I do not know if Jesus delivered the entire sermon at once, but it is quite lengthy. The sermon itself has a general theme. Jesus is laying down for His people just exactly what it means to be righteous in the eyes of God. The people of His time had been told many things about this by their leadership. Jesus took this opportunity to correct those errors. The standard set is high.
One of the things we discussed yesterday was Matthew 7:1-6; it's also discussed in a previous post here. This short section is about judging others. Jesus is emphatic. We are not to participate in this behavior - at least in the context that He is speaking. Our job is to love and help - our job is not to judge. We leave that to God. If the love and help is refused, we use our discernment of the situation and move away from the individual. That is what the whole 'pearls before swine' thing is about.
That is not what I wanted to discuss today. During our conversation yesterday, I asked a couple of questions.
1. Why is that the rank and file sinners of Christ's time were at ease - comfortable if you will - around Him?
2. Why is it that the religious people of the time - the God followers if you will - were so very uncomfortable in His presence?
Cursory answers to those questions come easily. The sinners of the time tended to know who they were. They knew each other. They knew they were entirely dependent on God for His love and grace and forgiveness. The religious folks of the time thought they were sinless and they did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Beyond that, they thought that Jesus was one of the "sinners" and not one of them - even though He taught in a fashion that had never been witnessed before and with authority much like the old prophets. He was, at the very least, a source of confusion for them that required sorting out.
Those answers really just scratch the surface though don't they? Sinners loved Jesus. Professionally religious folks hated Him, judged Him and thought He was of the devil. A few religious folks were on "the fence", but most had already judged Jesus as a charlatan.
The reasons for these attitudes is clear. Jesus did not judge for the most part. Rather, He loved. He would guide his listeners. He would reveal the Word of God to them. He would allow that Word to convict them and then He would help them and forgive them. This is one reason why the "sinners" were so at ease with Jesus. Beyond that, the very attitude of the sinners of the time toward their God was one of transparency. They knew who and what they were as I said earlier. They did not pretend to be anything other that who they were. And they knew they could not hide any of that from God.
The religious folk of Jesus' day were anything but transparent. They did not acknowledge the flaws or sins or imperfections in their spiritual lives and they resented anyone that would come along and point this out - as Jesus was wont to do. They would pretend to pursue God and His righteousness, but they would not acknowledge that perhaps they too had failed Him.
I think this is the cross road that we are at today in the Church. Many of us are not comfortable or at ease with people that are transparent about who they are or who they once were before Christ was in their lives. We want to shush up the fact that there are Christians that regularly fail in their walk with Jesus. It is some how in our heads that this might indicate Christianity does not work or that a person's conversion failed.
This is dishonest in the extreme. It is dishonest toward God and toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. It shows itself as hypocrisy to the unbelieving world. It is a lack of transparency if you will.
Christians sin. We are sinners. We are sinners saved by the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ, but we are still sinners. Even the best of us fails from time to to time. We need to acknowledge this and become churches that not only confess Jesus, but also confess our failures to each other and the temptations we have to deal with on a daily basis in our walk with Him. We are stronger together. We can help each other and we can love each other. Judgement should not be in this mix unless one's rebellion has gone beyond the point of conviction.
If we want to seek and save the lost, we have to be transparent about who we really are. We have to make the "lost" feel comfortable with us while we show them Jesus. Let Jesus convict them of the sin in their lives and show them the way of hope. Then we can all work together to move toward that goal that seems so piercingly impossible that Jesus laid out in the Sermon on the Mount.
"Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
No, we will never make that goal here. Some of us are going to be much more dependent on His grace than others, but you know what? That well is eternally deep. Let's all have a drink of that water and love each other.
So let me ask you. Would sinners feel comfortable at your church or would they be faced with a facade of sinlessness blocking a transparency that really does not exist?
One more question. Would Jesus be comfortable in your church? Or would he be vexed by the lack of transparency in the lives of a people wearing His name as their label? Would He deliver Woes to you as he did the scribes and pharisees (Matthew 23) or would you receive His love and support for your efforts?
Let's lighten up and stop pretending. Let's love each other and not fear each others judgement and condemnation. Let's be who we really are and let Jesus change us into His Kingdom. Eternity is coming people. Let's get there together. I love you. So does Jesus.
One of the things we discussed yesterday was Matthew 7:1-6; it's also discussed in a previous post here. This short section is about judging others. Jesus is emphatic. We are not to participate in this behavior - at least in the context that He is speaking. Our job is to love and help - our job is not to judge. We leave that to God. If the love and help is refused, we use our discernment of the situation and move away from the individual. That is what the whole 'pearls before swine' thing is about.
That is not what I wanted to discuss today. During our conversation yesterday, I asked a couple of questions.
1. Why is that the rank and file sinners of Christ's time were at ease - comfortable if you will - around Him?
2. Why is it that the religious people of the time - the God followers if you will - were so very uncomfortable in His presence?
Cursory answers to those questions come easily. The sinners of the time tended to know who they were. They knew each other. They knew they were entirely dependent on God for His love and grace and forgiveness. The religious folks of the time thought they were sinless and they did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Beyond that, they thought that Jesus was one of the "sinners" and not one of them - even though He taught in a fashion that had never been witnessed before and with authority much like the old prophets. He was, at the very least, a source of confusion for them that required sorting out.
Those answers really just scratch the surface though don't they? Sinners loved Jesus. Professionally religious folks hated Him, judged Him and thought He was of the devil. A few religious folks were on "the fence", but most had already judged Jesus as a charlatan.
The reasons for these attitudes is clear. Jesus did not judge for the most part. Rather, He loved. He would guide his listeners. He would reveal the Word of God to them. He would allow that Word to convict them and then He would help them and forgive them. This is one reason why the "sinners" were so at ease with Jesus. Beyond that, the very attitude of the sinners of the time toward their God was one of transparency. They knew who and what they were as I said earlier. They did not pretend to be anything other that who they were. And they knew they could not hide any of that from God.
The religious folk of Jesus' day were anything but transparent. They did not acknowledge the flaws or sins or imperfections in their spiritual lives and they resented anyone that would come along and point this out - as Jesus was wont to do. They would pretend to pursue God and His righteousness, but they would not acknowledge that perhaps they too had failed Him.
I think this is the cross road that we are at today in the Church. Many of us are not comfortable or at ease with people that are transparent about who they are or who they once were before Christ was in their lives. We want to shush up the fact that there are Christians that regularly fail in their walk with Jesus. It is some how in our heads that this might indicate Christianity does not work or that a person's conversion failed.
This is dishonest in the extreme. It is dishonest toward God and toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. It shows itself as hypocrisy to the unbelieving world. It is a lack of transparency if you will.
Christians sin. We are sinners. We are sinners saved by the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ, but we are still sinners. Even the best of us fails from time to to time. We need to acknowledge this and become churches that not only confess Jesus, but also confess our failures to each other and the temptations we have to deal with on a daily basis in our walk with Him. We are stronger together. We can help each other and we can love each other. Judgement should not be in this mix unless one's rebellion has gone beyond the point of conviction.
If we want to seek and save the lost, we have to be transparent about who we really are. We have to make the "lost" feel comfortable with us while we show them Jesus. Let Jesus convict them of the sin in their lives and show them the way of hope. Then we can all work together to move toward that goal that seems so piercingly impossible that Jesus laid out in the Sermon on the Mount.
"Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
No, we will never make that goal here. Some of us are going to be much more dependent on His grace than others, but you know what? That well is eternally deep. Let's all have a drink of that water and love each other.
So let me ask you. Would sinners feel comfortable at your church or would they be faced with a facade of sinlessness blocking a transparency that really does not exist?
One more question. Would Jesus be comfortable in your church? Or would he be vexed by the lack of transparency in the lives of a people wearing His name as their label? Would He deliver Woes to you as he did the scribes and pharisees (Matthew 23) or would you receive His love and support for your efforts?
Let's lighten up and stop pretending. Let's love each other and not fear each others judgement and condemnation. Let's be who we really are and let Jesus change us into His Kingdom. Eternity is coming people. Let's get there together. I love you. So does Jesus.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Ghog at 22...what Happened to You Ghog?
Dude, what's in that baggie stuffed in your boot? I bet it ain't oregano!
Ghog Explained by Plato
“Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.”
― Plato
This Might Explain It...
Wouldn't it be funny if The Donald was just running Republican interference for his good friends, the Clintons? How do you prevent Jeb Bush? Throw a hornet's nest named Trump into the ring. No one can hear any of the other Republicans because Trump...
He could run his campaign on the interest he makes on his 10 billion. He can say anything he wants because he has 10 billion. He is beholden to no one because he has 10 billion.
But Hillary? She will owe Trump big time if this succeeds.
Jeb, you are going to have to deal with him somehow. Trump needs a scandal that will stick. Do you have any pics of him copulating with a manatee? You'll need something like that Jeb. Just saying.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Matthew 7:1-6 Judging Others
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus now moves on to a personal character issue. He says flatly that we are not to judge others. The reason for this is that we will be judged by the same standard we apply to others. We have sinned. Our neighbors and friends have sinned. If we condemn them without first acknowledging our own sin, our penalty will be just as severe.
Jesus illustrates this point with a humorous story about two people that have something in their eyes. You can't very well help your friend take a speck of sawdust out of his eye when you have a 2x4 in your own eye. Or, put another way, you cannot condemn your neighbor for flaunting his wealth when your heart is filled with envy and covetousness.
We need to tend to our own spiritual problems rather than point to the failures of others. Once we acknowledge those failures before the Great Judge, then maybe we can use what we have learned from the experience to help (not judge) our failing brother or sister rather than condemn them.
God has little patience for hypocritical, judgmental people, but at the same time, I think He wants us to use an enlightened discernment about others. there are those in this world on whom words of warning and judgement would be wasted. Even offering an opinion about their behavior might be dangerous. We need to steer clear of these people because they are not in a place where a call to righteousness would have any value to them. This is what Jesus is talking about in verse 6. You can't give a new car to a 4 year old to drive and you should not waste scripture on a reprobate mind. Neither makes sense and both could be dangerous. We have to wait until God has made them ready and receptive.
-So what do you think was going on in the Judaism of Christ's time that He felt He needed to address this issue of judging others?
It's what has always gone on among human and even among God's people. They were judging each other. In Judea, the religious leadership regularly passed judgement on others using their interpretation of God's laws. However, their interpretation and practice of God's law was, as Jesus pointed out time and time again, a sin itself. They were no more righteous then the people they condemned, except in their own minds.
-What was the result of the self-righteous attitudes of the religious leadership?
Rank and file sinners were barred from their only source of help and salvation. They were separated from God by the rule keepers. There was no place for them to turn.
-What did Jesus' illustration about eyes and bits of wood say to His listeners?
We all have sin in our lives. Some have a lot and some not so much, but it all separates us from God if we let it. Pointing out a brother's sin does nothing for the sin in our own lives. Instead, we should all look to clearing our own spiritual vision by removing the sin from our own lives and then helping - not judging - our brothers and sisters with their sin problems.
-Have you ever noticed, after reading the gospels, just how comfortable sinners were in Jesus' presence? Why do you think this is the case?
He did not judge them. He helped them. He helped them see for themselves what their problems were and He had compassion on them and He forgave them.
-Have you sen the opposite pattern in the gospels where the religious people were very uncomfortable in Jesus' presence? Why do you think this was the case?
He convicted them of their abject failure to keep their own rules, let alone God's law. See Luke 7:36-50 and John 8:1-11 for examples of this. These are amazing examples of how, without judging, Jesus led people to see their own sin. The sinners in the story were glad for God's grace. Those that considered themselves religious, sort of slunk away in horror.
-So what about today? Do you think unbelieving sinners would feel comfortable with us today as they did with Jesus?
If you are honest, can you really say yes to that question?
-Has the Church become a fortress to protect the "pure" and keep out sin? Should it not be more like a hospital, admitting the diseased and injured in search of a cure or healing?
These are worrisome questions. We do not want to become like our world's culture, but we do want to welcome them in when they are ready and not beat them up for their former lives. We want them to know they have a place with us in His kingdom if that is what they want. We must not put up barriers of prejudgment.
-So is there ever a time or place for judgement of others?
Check out Romans 2:1-4. Read about the situation in Corinth in I Corinthians 5. Then see the best policy about the matter in I Thessalonians 5:14-24.
If we avoid sin, we will likely NOT be judged by anyone - God or man. Barring that, I think we have to immediately throw ourselves on the mercy of God's court. Grace is available. Men may not be so generous, but God will take up for us if repentance is in evidence.
Bottom line...don't judge others. Just don't. It does not help them or you.
Matthew 6:25-34 Do Not Worry...Really???
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
So...If we are to seek and serve God and not pursue or store up material things, who is going to pay the bills? There are no free lunches right? We still need food and drink and clothing and a roof over our heads...and maybe some health insurance wouldn't hurt either now that I think about it.
So where is all that going to come from? It stopped raining manna in the desert centuries ago. The answer, according to Jesus, is simple and obvious. If you seek and serve God, He is going to take care of you.
What does Jesus say? "Don't worry". Worrying about your personal or financial condition is a waste of time and energy. After all, do the birds eat? Who feeds them? It's God. And what about the flowers? Do they worry about what they will wear? The answer is no. God made them and they are already beautiful.
So what's Jesus' point? If God cares so much about flowers and birds that are here today and gone tomorrow, then how much more must He care about us - right? It's just not productive to worry about material things or what might happen tomorrow. God knows what we need and He knows what we will need. He will take care of us.
So, rather than worry, we need to spend our time seeking Him and pursuing His righteousness. If we do these things, then all that other stuff that preoccupies us so much of the time will be taken care of by Him. As Jesus says, "each day has enough trouble of its own." We need to leave tomorrow in God's hands.
-Do you believe that? Do you practice it...or do you worry?
It takes some faith not to worry, but as Jesus said, worrying will not fix a problem. God did give us all brains. There are things we can take care of ourselves. But there are also things that are totally out of our control - things that we must leave in God's hands - things that we cannot change of our own power.
-So should we prepare for tomorrow - for the future? Is being willing to dress like flowers and eat like birds enough to get us through this life, especially in our time?
Again, God gave us brains and the ingenuity to help us take care of our selves in cooperation with His gifting. If we genuinely seek Him and His righteousness, we will be all right.
-But what if it kills me?
Silly Christian. What if it does?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
So...If we are to seek and serve God and not pursue or store up material things, who is going to pay the bills? There are no free lunches right? We still need food and drink and clothing and a roof over our heads...and maybe some health insurance wouldn't hurt either now that I think about it.
So where is all that going to come from? It stopped raining manna in the desert centuries ago. The answer, according to Jesus, is simple and obvious. If you seek and serve God, He is going to take care of you.
What does Jesus say? "Don't worry". Worrying about your personal or financial condition is a waste of time and energy. After all, do the birds eat? Who feeds them? It's God. And what about the flowers? Do they worry about what they will wear? The answer is no. God made them and they are already beautiful.
So what's Jesus' point? If God cares so much about flowers and birds that are here today and gone tomorrow, then how much more must He care about us - right? It's just not productive to worry about material things or what might happen tomorrow. God knows what we need and He knows what we will need. He will take care of us.
So, rather than worry, we need to spend our time seeking Him and pursuing His righteousness. If we do these things, then all that other stuff that preoccupies us so much of the time will be taken care of by Him. As Jesus says, "each day has enough trouble of its own." We need to leave tomorrow in God's hands.
-Do you believe that? Do you practice it...or do you worry?
It takes some faith not to worry, but as Jesus said, worrying will not fix a problem. God did give us all brains. There are things we can take care of ourselves. But there are also things that are totally out of our control - things that we must leave in God's hands - things that we cannot change of our own power.
-So should we prepare for tomorrow - for the future? Is being willing to dress like flowers and eat like birds enough to get us through this life, especially in our time?
Again, God gave us brains and the ingenuity to help us take care of our selves in cooperation with His gifting. If we genuinely seek Him and His righteousness, we will be all right.
-But what if it kills me?
Silly Christian. What if it does?
Matthew 6:19-24 Is It a Sin to be Rich?
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Jesus expounds on the proper attitude toward wealth and again, He sets the bar high. His concern is that we should not be greedy, by hoarding our wealth, and further, that we should not become dependent on money or the many luxuries it can buy. Most of this has to do with the passing nature of material things, including money. They just do not last over the long haul. Stuff gets broken. Things get stolen or moth eaten or they fall apart with corrosion or rot. It's all just stuff anyway. For the most part, you can't eat it or drink it and clothes come and go over time.
Beyond all this, money has no eternal or lasting value. Jesus says that if we have an interest in storing up things - hoarding things - they should be things of spiritual value. These things can be stored up securely in the heavenly record - things like good works, generosity, honesty and compassion. These things do not rot. Moths do not eat them. They will not rust and they will not get stolen.
But we have to be careful because our eyes can lead us astray. If we use our eyes to seek good things - spiritual treasures - we can store these things in heaven. Our eyes will be full of light. However, if we allow our eyes to be distracted by material or fleshly things; if we let our eyes lead us into covetousness, envy and greed, then we will be filled with darkness - spiritual darkness that can overwhelm us.
Jesus' point in all this is that no one can serve two gods. We cannot serve both the one true God and also money and material possessions. We will either ignore God and love money or we will be devoted to Him and the pursuit of wealth will take a back seat. There is no middle ground. Greed and the love of money and material things is idolatry.
-So how do you store up treasures in heaven?
Through good works. By using the wealth that God gives us to help others. By being compassionate, generous, honest and forgiving.
-What does Jesus mean in verse 21 hen He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"?
The things that we value in life say much about who we are and what our priorities might be. If our jobs or our personal property or our hobbies or accumulation of wealth are more important than loving God and our neighbors - that reveals much about where our hearts are. It says much about where we put God in the great schemes of our lives. I tells us who we love most. Is it ourselves or is it the Lord? The answer will be obvious.
-So is it a sin to be rich then?
That's a fair question. It again depends on how you view the things you have and what you do with them. For myself, I would say that God gives us everything to one degree or another. It is by His grace that I have anything at all, so it behooves me to share what He has made me the steward of.
Jesus tell three stories about rich men in the gospel of Luke that create a compelling answer to this question.
In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells a story of a rich man that had a bumper crop and decided to build bigger barns and sit back and live off his wealth. The plan was to eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy a life of leisure. Do what others only dream of. The problem was that there was no place for God in this plan. There was no place for sharing the wonderful wealth that God had so graciously given. There was only blatant self interest. It was obvious that the only god the man had was himself, so God took his life and others enjoyed the fruits of his treasures.
In Luke 16:19-25, Jesus tells the story of a rich man and a poor, lame beggar covered in sores named Lazarus. Daily, the rich man would see Lazarus by his gate begging. Daily Lazarus was ignored. Though the rich man had been given much by God that could have been shared with Lazarus to help with his health issues and make him productive in his life again, the rich man did not see it that way. What was his was his.
When the time came that both men died, Lazarus went to paradise, to the bosom of Abraham and to eternal comfort, but the rich man went to hell and eternal torment. He begged for relief. He begged that Lazarus be allowed to bring him water to quench his torment. Abraham advised that would not be happening.
Had the rich man's attitude toward his wealth been different when he was alive, his situation might be different after his death. As it was, he was in torment. He loved his wealth more than God.
In Luke 18:18-30, Jesus meets a rich, young ruler; probably a member of the Sanhedrin. The man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life and he assures Jesus that he has kept all the commandments since he was young (which is probably a lie). Jesus advised him that he lacked just one thing. He needed to sell everything he had and give to the poor so that he could have treasure in heaven. This made the rich young man very sad. He had much and even though Jesus had not advised that he give it all away, he was still deeply disturbed by what Jesus had said.
When Jesus was questioned about it, He advised that is was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The crowds then wondered out loud if anyone could possibly get into heaven and Jesus said, "what is impossible with men is possible with God."
I think Jesus' point in all these stories about rich men is about their attitude toward their wealth.
If we see our wealth as things that God gives us, things that He has made us stewards over, then we will be on the right path. So how can we be proper stewards over the wealth God gives? By sharing and caring in our actions as well as our words.
This is not a Marxist ideology. This is simple sharing and caring for our fellow human beings. We need to be helping each other in the material sense and in the spiritual sense with what ever talents and treasures God gives us. He will bless those efforts accordingly, maybe now and most definitely in the Kingdom that is to come. There is nothing wrong with being rich. Money wealth and talent are gifts to us from God who owns everything. We must use them wisely as His stewards for His glory until He returns.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Jesus expounds on the proper attitude toward wealth and again, He sets the bar high. His concern is that we should not be greedy, by hoarding our wealth, and further, that we should not become dependent on money or the many luxuries it can buy. Most of this has to do with the passing nature of material things, including money. They just do not last over the long haul. Stuff gets broken. Things get stolen or moth eaten or they fall apart with corrosion or rot. It's all just stuff anyway. For the most part, you can't eat it or drink it and clothes come and go over time.
Beyond all this, money has no eternal or lasting value. Jesus says that if we have an interest in storing up things - hoarding things - they should be things of spiritual value. These things can be stored up securely in the heavenly record - things like good works, generosity, honesty and compassion. These things do not rot. Moths do not eat them. They will not rust and they will not get stolen.
But we have to be careful because our eyes can lead us astray. If we use our eyes to seek good things - spiritual treasures - we can store these things in heaven. Our eyes will be full of light. However, if we allow our eyes to be distracted by material or fleshly things; if we let our eyes lead us into covetousness, envy and greed, then we will be filled with darkness - spiritual darkness that can overwhelm us.
Jesus' point in all this is that no one can serve two gods. We cannot serve both the one true God and also money and material possessions. We will either ignore God and love money or we will be devoted to Him and the pursuit of wealth will take a back seat. There is no middle ground. Greed and the love of money and material things is idolatry.
-So how do you store up treasures in heaven?
Through good works. By using the wealth that God gives us to help others. By being compassionate, generous, honest and forgiving.
-What does Jesus mean in verse 21 hen He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"?
The things that we value in life say much about who we are and what our priorities might be. If our jobs or our personal property or our hobbies or accumulation of wealth are more important than loving God and our neighbors - that reveals much about where our hearts are. It says much about where we put God in the great schemes of our lives. I tells us who we love most. Is it ourselves or is it the Lord? The answer will be obvious.
-So is it a sin to be rich then?
That's a fair question. It again depends on how you view the things you have and what you do with them. For myself, I would say that God gives us everything to one degree or another. It is by His grace that I have anything at all, so it behooves me to share what He has made me the steward of.
Jesus tell three stories about rich men in the gospel of Luke that create a compelling answer to this question.
In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells a story of a rich man that had a bumper crop and decided to build bigger barns and sit back and live off his wealth. The plan was to eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy a life of leisure. Do what others only dream of. The problem was that there was no place for God in this plan. There was no place for sharing the wonderful wealth that God had so graciously given. There was only blatant self interest. It was obvious that the only god the man had was himself, so God took his life and others enjoyed the fruits of his treasures.
In Luke 16:19-25, Jesus tells the story of a rich man and a poor, lame beggar covered in sores named Lazarus. Daily, the rich man would see Lazarus by his gate begging. Daily Lazarus was ignored. Though the rich man had been given much by God that could have been shared with Lazarus to help with his health issues and make him productive in his life again, the rich man did not see it that way. What was his was his.
When the time came that both men died, Lazarus went to paradise, to the bosom of Abraham and to eternal comfort, but the rich man went to hell and eternal torment. He begged for relief. He begged that Lazarus be allowed to bring him water to quench his torment. Abraham advised that would not be happening.
Had the rich man's attitude toward his wealth been different when he was alive, his situation might be different after his death. As it was, he was in torment. He loved his wealth more than God.
In Luke 18:18-30, Jesus meets a rich, young ruler; probably a member of the Sanhedrin. The man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life and he assures Jesus that he has kept all the commandments since he was young (which is probably a lie). Jesus advised him that he lacked just one thing. He needed to sell everything he had and give to the poor so that he could have treasure in heaven. This made the rich young man very sad. He had much and even though Jesus had not advised that he give it all away, he was still deeply disturbed by what Jesus had said.
When Jesus was questioned about it, He advised that is was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The crowds then wondered out loud if anyone could possibly get into heaven and Jesus said, "what is impossible with men is possible with God."
I think Jesus' point in all these stories about rich men is about their attitude toward their wealth.
If we see our wealth as things that God gives us, things that He has made us stewards over, then we will be on the right path. So how can we be proper stewards over the wealth God gives? By sharing and caring in our actions as well as our words.
This is not a Marxist ideology. This is simple sharing and caring for our fellow human beings. We need to be helping each other in the material sense and in the spiritual sense with what ever talents and treasures God gives us. He will bless those efforts accordingly, maybe now and most definitely in the Kingdom that is to come. There is nothing wrong with being rich. Money wealth and talent are gifts to us from God who owns everything. We must use them wisely as His stewards for His glory until He returns.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Cecil....Really? Your Upset About Cecil???
Cecil is one lion. He may have been a popular lion, both in his pride and in the world, but really people, he is just one lion that was killed by a dentist from Minnesota.
So what is all the angst and acrimony about here?
Since the Roe V Wade decision, over 50 million unborn humans have been killed by their own mothers. The unrealized potential there should be enough to make you question the human decision making process and how corrupt it must be. One of those kids might have cured cancer. One of them might have brought world peace. One of them might have been the greatest president in US history. One of them might have saved Cecil. Now we will never know what they could have been.
Where is the outrage over 50 million human lives lost in this genocidal holocaust? The hard hearted nature of humanity never ceases to amaze me. One lion makes worldwide headlines. Daily human holocaust (abortion) is a woman's right to her own body and not a big deal at all.
What a screwed up world we live in. Hitler and Stalin would think it's just great. Chairman Mao and Pol Pot would love it. Satan, I am sure, is loving it too.
Our race is bent.
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