It is a bit of a cliche in this modern time to ask the question, "What is wrong with the world?". It seems like everyone has asked this question so many times, without receiving an answer that is acceptable to their heart that the question is no longer worth asking. Furthermore, anyone who insists upon asking it is branded a zealot at best. To avoid this conundrum, I ask the question in only the rheotorical sense. Because I already know the answer and I think alot of other people do too.
Obviously, if asking the question relagates the inquistor to something less than desirable, the question must either be unanswerable or the answer would be unacceptable, despite its truth. This falls into the second category. No person wants to hear the truthful answer for fear of what it would do to them. I can hear the reply now, "The problem is with the world, not me." But, this only furthers the distance from where we believe the world should be, because the world is made up of flawed people, just like you and I.
The answer is Jesus of course, but that is unacceptable to people that have been exposed to His followers without being exposed to Him. How can someone be willing to forego the pleasures they experience when they see "Christians" so unhappy? It is the "Church" that has seperated itself from God and it very well could be the "abomination that causes desolation". So, what to do from here?
As a person, look to your spiritual left, right, front, and rear. On your right hand you will find "Christians" that we will call "X-ians" that are modern day Pharisees. On your left hand you will find the spiritual black hole of atheism. To your rear you will find the live you lived. To your front you will find a narrow path, that despite its destination is overgrown with briars. You have to make a decision of where to travel because the time of accounting is near and not making a decision is a decision in and of itself.
We all need to take the narrow path that leads to our Lord and Savior and because the day of judgement is near we need to bring others with us. They shouldn't have to "join" us because they are already co-heirs to the kingdom.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sept 11, 2011
The anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001 is upon us again. The shock, fear, and pain has dulled over the past decade, but it takes little effort to remember where we were on that fateful day. For most on the East Coast, it was just the beginning of another day at work, college, school, or life in general. Some rode the elevator to the upper floors of the Trade Center. Others boarded planes for a multitude of destinations. And more gathered their Gear for another day at the firehouse. The only people that knew what that day would hold were the murderers that planned this act. I daresay that some of those 1st Responders would not have changed anything if they had known.
In the ten years that have passed people have married, had children, divorced, died of natural causes, or otherwise lived their lives. Outside of that, men and women have fought, been wounded, or died on foreign soil in the name of retribution. Later, the purpose for their combat was muddied under the strain of reports of abuse, civilian casualities, false intelligence, and questionable interrogation tactics. Now these soldiers are burdoned with the memories of combat gained from multiple tours. Some suffer physical wounds that will last a lifetime, others are missing limbs, and still others bear the brunt of mental health issues. I would imagine that less of these "1st Responders" would do it all over again.
Now we are being asked by the media to decide for ourselves whether we are safer ten years later? Some have even asked if we are better off than we were ten years ago? I believe safety to be a relative factor. While I believe that we are at less risk of murderers taking over a passenger plane and using it as a missle, I believe we are at no less risk of a lone plotter detonating a car bomb on a busy city street. In a more general study, what is life when safety overtakes living? One cannot be a contributing part of this world and not be exposed to disease, threat of violence, risk of injury, or worse yet, a differance of opinion. If safety means a protective and isolating bubble, I don't want it.
I am not sure how our country could have gotten "better", given the extended wars we have fought and the finicial diseaster that still assails us. Nothing can be better when hundreds of thousands of people are without jobs that keep a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and shoes on their feet. As if it couldn't get any worse, these same people are now at the end of their government support. Nevermind that the U.S. government is nearing the end of its own support system. No, I believe it dangerous to say anything is better than it was ten years ago. Even if only because we cannot view the world through rose colored glasses anymore.
The final questions is, what do we do with the past decade and where do we go from here? I believe September 11th was a horrible tragedy of unspeakable depth. Thousands died in the blink of an eye at the hands of other people. But to say the tragedy ended once the recovery was complete is ignoring the unfathomable depths of the years and decade that followed. We must also mourn our soldiers, innocent casualties of American weapons, and the culture that brought young men to battle and die for our attackers. Human life deserves more than what we offered in our wounded dog response to September 11th.
Where we go from here is no longer up to people. The ways to peace have been obscured from us and despite a draw down from combat, we will continue to see battles fought and lives lost. Our "leadership" does not have wisdom and does not know where to find it. The "American Christian Church" has done nothing but beat the drums of war and minimilize the works of Jesus Christ. Unsaved people are driven off by the people that have saddled themselves to the Gospel. As a follower of Christ, we must be vigilant because we know that the Lord can return like a thief in the night. But, we must also know that not even the Lord Jesus knows when He will return. We must be prepared for the long haul, instead of hoping for heaven, we should be working to bring His kingdom here. Faith without acts is dead and this world needs acts.
Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. The second most important commandment is to love people. All of the commandments fall into either of those two categories. This is the crux of Jesus' message. We must love because He first loved us. We demonstrate love by extending grace and forgiveness, even when it is undeserving. We must show love.
In the ten years that have passed people have married, had children, divorced, died of natural causes, or otherwise lived their lives. Outside of that, men and women have fought, been wounded, or died on foreign soil in the name of retribution. Later, the purpose for their combat was muddied under the strain of reports of abuse, civilian casualities, false intelligence, and questionable interrogation tactics. Now these soldiers are burdoned with the memories of combat gained from multiple tours. Some suffer physical wounds that will last a lifetime, others are missing limbs, and still others bear the brunt of mental health issues. I would imagine that less of these "1st Responders" would do it all over again.
Now we are being asked by the media to decide for ourselves whether we are safer ten years later? Some have even asked if we are better off than we were ten years ago? I believe safety to be a relative factor. While I believe that we are at less risk of murderers taking over a passenger plane and using it as a missle, I believe we are at no less risk of a lone plotter detonating a car bomb on a busy city street. In a more general study, what is life when safety overtakes living? One cannot be a contributing part of this world and not be exposed to disease, threat of violence, risk of injury, or worse yet, a differance of opinion. If safety means a protective and isolating bubble, I don't want it.
I am not sure how our country could have gotten "better", given the extended wars we have fought and the finicial diseaster that still assails us. Nothing can be better when hundreds of thousands of people are without jobs that keep a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and shoes on their feet. As if it couldn't get any worse, these same people are now at the end of their government support. Nevermind that the U.S. government is nearing the end of its own support system. No, I believe it dangerous to say anything is better than it was ten years ago. Even if only because we cannot view the world through rose colored glasses anymore.
The final questions is, what do we do with the past decade and where do we go from here? I believe September 11th was a horrible tragedy of unspeakable depth. Thousands died in the blink of an eye at the hands of other people. But to say the tragedy ended once the recovery was complete is ignoring the unfathomable depths of the years and decade that followed. We must also mourn our soldiers, innocent casualties of American weapons, and the culture that brought young men to battle and die for our attackers. Human life deserves more than what we offered in our wounded dog response to September 11th.
Where we go from here is no longer up to people. The ways to peace have been obscured from us and despite a draw down from combat, we will continue to see battles fought and lives lost. Our "leadership" does not have wisdom and does not know where to find it. The "American Christian Church" has done nothing but beat the drums of war and minimilize the works of Jesus Christ. Unsaved people are driven off by the people that have saddled themselves to the Gospel. As a follower of Christ, we must be vigilant because we know that the Lord can return like a thief in the night. But, we must also know that not even the Lord Jesus knows when He will return. We must be prepared for the long haul, instead of hoping for heaven, we should be working to bring His kingdom here. Faith without acts is dead and this world needs acts.
Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. The second most important commandment is to love people. All of the commandments fall into either of those two categories. This is the crux of Jesus' message. We must love because He first loved us. We demonstrate love by extending grace and forgiveness, even when it is undeserving. We must show love.
Deception
The enemies primary weapon is the use of deception. Some may view deception as merely a lie, but it can be so much more. If the devil only lied, his own actions would betray his evil motivations. No, deception is best defined as something less than the truth. It is a departure from clearly defined black and white to a fuzzy picture in some shade of grey. This is troublesome because we operate in this grey spectrum. With the exception of Jesus, no person has lived a life as pure as snow. Furthermore, no human has lived a life as black as tar. The enemy operates were we live our lives.
Maybe the most troublesome is that the enemy isn't calling us into complete darkness. He simply wants us to be one shade darker, to move ourselves one step further away from the light of God. I say "ourselves" on purpose, because the devil can only make recommendations, albeit deceptive ones. It is "us" that makes the move. The serpant did not force the fruit into Eve's mouth, he just gave her the idea.
Unfortunately, this deception can finds its way into the Christian fold. What better method to deceive believers than by making an entire denomination one shade darker? I bring this up because the evil one has primary and secondary objectives. If he cannot budge you from your faith, he will try to minimize the impact of your ministry. He can do this by making your beliefs look stuffy and unloving to non-believers. He would like it more if you took his recommendation and actually made your beliefs stuffy and unloving. Or, barring that, he would even be okay with a congregation that talked a good talk, but was a hollow as a log.
So what is a believer to do? The most important thing to do is open your Bible. Only there will you find the truth, and this truth isn't found in continuity of story telling. It is a message given to people by God, written through the lens of each authors experience and painted for us in the splendor of understanding that only a believer can fully comprehend. Once we acknowledge the truth as God intended it, only then will we see the devils deception in its disgusting glory. Yes, you can find salvation without the Bible, but only there will you be given the tools to live a life to the glory of God.
Maybe the most troublesome is that the enemy isn't calling us into complete darkness. He simply wants us to be one shade darker, to move ourselves one step further away from the light of God. I say "ourselves" on purpose, because the devil can only make recommendations, albeit deceptive ones. It is "us" that makes the move. The serpant did not force the fruit into Eve's mouth, he just gave her the idea.
Unfortunately, this deception can finds its way into the Christian fold. What better method to deceive believers than by making an entire denomination one shade darker? I bring this up because the evil one has primary and secondary objectives. If he cannot budge you from your faith, he will try to minimize the impact of your ministry. He can do this by making your beliefs look stuffy and unloving to non-believers. He would like it more if you took his recommendation and actually made your beliefs stuffy and unloving. Or, barring that, he would even be okay with a congregation that talked a good talk, but was a hollow as a log.
So what is a believer to do? The most important thing to do is open your Bible. Only there will you find the truth, and this truth isn't found in continuity of story telling. It is a message given to people by God, written through the lens of each authors experience and painted for us in the splendor of understanding that only a believer can fully comprehend. Once we acknowledge the truth as God intended it, only then will we see the devils deception in its disgusting glory. Yes, you can find salvation without the Bible, but only there will you be given the tools to live a life to the glory of God.
Peace
I have always questioned what the peace was that God offered. Yes, I knew the definition of peace in the context of conflict, peace as the opposite of fighting. But, as the Koreans are aware, this kind of peace is not always peaceful. Or, as another possibility, peace could be viewed as carefree living saying "money doesn't buy happiness, but it surely buys peace." I believe a majority of people subscribe to one of these beliefs.
I could not see God offering either of these to us as a gift, but I could not find an acceptable answer to my question, so I became a Christian without knowing what peace really meant. The problem is that I missed a key component of what God offers to people who believe in Him. Peace is not a forced hiatus from conflict, nor can it be purchased with money. Thankfully, peace is calmess of soul in the face of adversity, brought on by an unyielding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
If faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, than peace is the evidence of faith. In this definition, peace is the opposite of worry and can be experienced best in times of conflict. This is where we find truth in the love of God for His creation. We entered this world as a people seperated from the will of God and through His Son we can serve our King knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us. What better reason to have peace in our hearts when we already know our disposition and the righteousness of the One we follow.
The Bible tells us that we cannot add a single hour to this life through worry, but if anyone follows Him, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily. We are to do this, not for long life or even for good life, but for the joy of following a righteous and loving King.
I could not see God offering either of these to us as a gift, but I could not find an acceptable answer to my question, so I became a Christian without knowing what peace really meant. The problem is that I missed a key component of what God offers to people who believe in Him. Peace is not a forced hiatus from conflict, nor can it be purchased with money. Thankfully, peace is calmess of soul in the face of adversity, brought on by an unyielding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
If faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, than peace is the evidence of faith. In this definition, peace is the opposite of worry and can be experienced best in times of conflict. This is where we find truth in the love of God for His creation. We entered this world as a people seperated from the will of God and through His Son we can serve our King knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us. What better reason to have peace in our hearts when we already know our disposition and the righteousness of the One we follow.
The Bible tells us that we cannot add a single hour to this life through worry, but if anyone follows Him, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily. We are to do this, not for long life or even for good life, but for the joy of following a righteous and loving King.
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