Maybe, you are like me when it comes to thinking about where we are in relationship to our values, morals, personal, as well as, religious beliefs. It wasn't that long ago when we could talk about our faith and even have an open and honest discussion with another about our different or even oppositional views...IT SEEMS THOSE DAYS ARE LONG PAST AND ARE NO LONGER EVEN VISIBLE ON THE HORIZON.
So, what has happened to us; to our fellow believers and to those who are un-believers regarding coming to know Jesus as a friend, confidant, guide, moral counselor and most of all, LORD AND SAVIOR? Over the next few days, I hope to address this malady that has befallen us and what it is doing to our society; to our churches and to our personal and professional relationships with those we know and love. First let's start with our society....we used to be civil to each other and sought to listen to our fellow citizens voice their opinion, before we began shouting them down, calling them names and looking for ways to "cancel them and their ideological rants." We say we believe in tolerance; however, if their viewpoint/truth does not totally align with our own viewpoint/truth; then we begin to look at ways to belittle them for their "backwater views", 'hillbilly ways" and "intellectually deficit mindset"....in short, we plug our ears, make loud, gibberish noises and try to get them to shut up and quit spewing their "nonsense". Oh yes, we are TOLERANT... as long as they believe what we believe, with very little to no deviations. In fact, for many there seems to be an unwritten rule...TWO THINGS WE DON'T DISCUSS; RELIGION AND POLITICS!
So what was the first step down this road to disenfranchise those with which we disagree....I call it....SELECTIVE TRUTH! It seems there is no such thing as ABSOLUTE TRUTH any more, for we have all fallen for the devil's lie that we each can have OUR OWN TRUTH! Fortunately, this way of thinking has yet to invade the laws of physics like gravity, laws of motion, laws of thermodynamics, etc...get my drift? I believe we can all agree that if you jump off of a 10 story building, even if caught by a upward wind current, eventually you are heading for a nasty, downward fall....and remember, it is not the fall that will kill you...IT'S THE SUDDEN STOP!!
It would seem, to any observant person, that we have laid aside the moral laws of the one true God and have decided that we know better than the God of the Universe. After all, that nonsense of evolution, if true, says mankind is always evolving into something "higher and better, more enlightened." Therefore, what we know now, surely makes us better equipped than our ancestors to discern our OWN TRUTH. So, rather than relying on an ancient relic named the BIBLE, we, as enlightened, evolving, logical and rational human beings, have earned the right to discern truth and to determine how to administer truth to others. However, one quick look around the world with all its problems, plagues and persecutions of our fellow brothers of humanity tells us (if we are honest)...WE ARE FAILING MISERABLY WITH LITTLE OR NO HOPE FOR A FUTURE if we continue down this road.
So how did we end up so far off course from the road that God set humanity upon when He gave us HIS ten commandments" I believe it starts with PRIDE AND SIN....TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. What do I mean by that? Well, in each word, smack in the middle of each word is the letter, "I"....I don't need a God to tell me right from wrong; I get to decide that for myself. In fact, I don't need a God for anything; I got this! Now if that is not a bad case of prIde which leads to all kinds of sIn, I don't know what is?
Yes, sin, and the pride that precedes it, always takes us away from the TRUTH...for Jesus said it best in John 14: 6. "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Caps, my emphasis)....and so, it is our sin that separates us from the God who loves us; created us; died for us; rose again to complete our redemption and now reigns for us and with us in this world, and the new world that He has gone ahead to prepare. So don't be deceived by the prince of the air, the Devil and his lying minions; but take this scripture from 1 Peter 5:8 to heart... Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Now, more than any other time in history, we need to be ready to stand firm in our faith and take heed to the message of Paul to his young pastor-in-training when he said; "Timothy, do everything you can to present yourself to God as a man who is fully genuine, a worker unashamed of your mission, a guide capable of leading others along the correct path defined by the word of truth." 2 Timothy2:15 The Voice
With this mindset as our goal and with the help, guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, our words should never bring anger or resentment into any of our conversations regarding Jesus and His teachings; rather, they should show our love and our compassion for those with whom we differ and should be the bridge of God's TRUTH that leads them to the Savior and to their eternal home with HIM... MAY IT BE SO IN THE POWER OF GOD THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT....
AMEN AND AMEN,
WPQ
Poem for the day...
Truth...Naturally?
Our parents often fail to see;
Though they saw an angel,
There's a little devil in you and me.
They surely give it their best;
But often we come up lacking
And fail to pass the test.
Without having to be told;
So we cling to them; we cry and scream;
No strong man could break our hold.
That lies shattered on the floor;
We tell them, "I didn't do it"
For it comes so naturally;
All because of the bite Eve took
From the apple of the forbidden tree.
If we do one simple thing...
Ask ourselves, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
Then, live like a child of the KING!
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