The Cross and/or the Flag

An area I have struggled a bit with is patriotism.

My dad was a lifetime member of the VFW, and he instilled in us kids a deep sense of patriotism.

That sense was diffused by my 'liberal' education at college and I actually, for a time, was more ashamed of my country than proud.

Then I repented of my sins and received Christ as Lord and Savior.

Now scripture talks about the "church" as the "body of believers" and this body transcends the boundary lines of any country. In fact, we are told that we are really citizens of another place, being alien visitors (not the kind found in flying saucers, but the kind that have immigrated to a new place). We are warned not to get too attached to this world, but to live in it, obey laws, be kind to others, live at peace, and basically be good neighbors and citizens.

The "line in the sand" comes when we are required by our country (government) to violate the doctrines and tenets of our faith. We are to obey God over man.

So where does Patriotism fit in with all this? Should the flag of the country be flown in the place where God is being worshiped? Do songs that mix God in with country truly glorify and honor Him?

My sense is that we need to be discerning about this, that we need to make sure we have not become syncretic - trying to reconcile or blend those sometimes opposite emotions of a strong love of country with the deep love of God. God should always be first.

We should participate, vote, pay taxes (yes, pay taxes), support candidates, discuss issues (from a Biblical perspective when possible), but not be fretting over loss or salivating in any win.

We need to remember that it really all is about God. He is sovereign. He is in control. Today is just one more step closer to the completion of His plan which will restore His Glory and man's relationship with Him and no win or loss at the polls will thwart or impede His will.

Psalm 10 - a big question answered

Psa 10:13 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"?
(esv)

This is a big question.

One of the blessed curses of the internet is instant access to information and news, and so often that news is not good for Christians. It seems that the world is spiraling downward rapidly, especially on the moral front (just look through your junk mail file and see what most of the spam is about). It seems that humans are not becoming "better" but actually worse. The depth of how people are denigrating and harming their fellow human being almost makes Hitler's perversions seem mild.

It can seem overwhelming and faith busting. Read Psalms 10.

It starts our faith-busted: "Where are you God?", it asks, as the wicked prevail. One can almost hear the sound of gnashing teeth and the ripping of clothing. People doing evil and mean and rotten things are getting away with it. They are shaking their fist in Your Face and spitting on Your Sacred Ground!

Not only are they opposing You, God, they are getting away with it and prospering!

The psalm asks "Why don't You do something about this Lord?" and "How can You let this happen?" One can almost hear an unspoken whine of "That is not fair!"

Then, the psalmist comes to right mind. The psalmist sees, for the moment, Who God really is and who the psalmist is before Him. "You do see".

It is interesting how comforting that is: "You do see". It means that He is watching. It means that He is working. It means that He is waiting. His ways are not our ways. He is doing as He wills for His purposes. He is not unsympathetic nor unloving. He is in control and we need to understand that He works all things out for good.

These terrible times we think we are living in, worse than ever before, are really not the worst of times. They are just times, and God is patiently playing out His plan and we need to stop, take a breath, and realize that.

Response to Clostridiophile on Homosexuality

>Clostridiophile said...”Peck, are you for putting homosexuals to death? It is Biblical, afterall.”

Response: No, I am not for putting “homosexuals” to death unless they commit a crime that is against the law of the country they live in whose consequence is death.

Leviticus 15:33 & 20:3 says that if a person engages in the homosexual act, this is an abomination and that person should be put to death. There are also a number of other actions that are abominations and require that the person who engages in those behaviors be “put to death”. These include adultery, cursing their parents (maybe not a bad idea…) or engaging in sorcery.

Generally speaking, when a law-maker (King, legislature, city council, and parent) makes a law, they require a consequence for breaking the law – in the hope that this consequence is sufficient enough to make one think twice about breaking the law. It is also a statement about how terrible the behavior is viewed by the law-maker. The more an action is wrong, the more severe the consequence or punishment.

For example, it used to be that a drunk driver was usually escorted home by the police. Today, because we view drunk driving as a terrible crime, the consequences are large fines, loss of license to drive, jail time. The idea is to make it not worth the cost to drive drunk and to make a statement about how terrible a think it is to drive while intoxicated.

The reverse occurred with the crime of adultery. It used to be that if a man committed adultery, he could be imprisoned. Now it is not even viewed as a crime and seems rampant in our culture.

So, God is the ultimate Law maker. He obviously views homosexual behavior, along with a lot of other behaviors, as a terrible offense to Him, and the consequences are that if you engage in this behavior you should be put to death…if you were in the nation of Israel while it was a theocracy (interestingly, the Israelites later on asked God for a king to rule them for they did not trust God, but that is another blog at another time). Perhaps it is because God’s Law was perfect and man, being imperfect, cannot keep the law or it is too great a burden.

Now, why am I not running out stoning or executing men who have sex with other men or adulterers or my children who curse me? Because in Matthew 5:17 Christ tells us He is the fulfillment of the Law. That means that when He died on the cross, He took our punishment for breaking God’s Law, even homosexual actions, and we are no longer required to exact the consequences, since it has already been exacted on Christ.

As Christians, we are no longer required to enforce God’s Law on others (though we should strive to keep it ourselves). The exception to this is when it is for the good of the church (the body of believers) – Matthew 18:15-20 – and then it is only to remove that person from fellowship until the person repents of the action that caused the division.

Homosexual actions are no different than lying or stealing or adultery or fornication outside of marriage (or cursing parents) and it really bothers me how some of my brothers and sisters in Christ have conveyed it as more of sin than any other.

The reality is that we have all failed to meet God’s standard (even Bill Graham, even Mother Theresa, even the Dahlia Lama). We are doomed by our own actions, but are saved by Christ when we repent of our sins and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Then, we no longer define ourselves by the color of our skin, the heritage of our genes, or our sexual desires. We define ourselves in Christ and seek to deny ourselves and glorify Him. Not always good at that last part, but it is our goal.

Response to Capt. Howdy part 2

>Captain Howdy wrote: Most evangelicals believe a huge chunk of people will end up in the Lake of Fire. That means that every child born faces a huge risk of being damned to hell.

By aborting the unborn, you're ensuring all those little souls go right on up to heaven.

Those babies are giving up a speck of time here on earth in exchange for eternity in heaven by aborting them.

Why aren't you an enthusiastic supporter of abortion? You should be doing it even if it's a sin, because you're ensuring paradise for dozens; hundreds of their unborn little souls even at your own soul's expense.

[Note: Don't actually even consider really doing anything like this. I'm just showing how weird your religion is.]

Response:

Christians are not in the position to decide who goes to hell or who goes to Heaven. Only God knows the heart. (Psalms 44:1). We have been commissioned to tell the Gospel (Mark 16:15), not to build Heaven or Hell. We are messengers, not provocateurs.

As to the comment in the bracket: “I'm just showing how weird your religion is”. I would agree to some extent – it is weird in that Christianity rejects many of the ways of the world but many Christians either don’t or fail in that rejection.

I would disagree about the religion part. Christianity is not about “becoming” a Christian; it is about repenting of our sins and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, we sometimes ignore the Lord part and rest too easy on the Savior part.

Response to the question: Is the pro-life position the most logical?

>Captain Howdy asked: “Why is the pro-life position the most logical? (see comments under the entry entitled:

Abortion and voting

Response: The “pro-life” position is most logical because it does not place a value on one stage of human development over another. To do less is tantamount to racism or sexism or xenophobia: it is saying that a person who has not achieved a certain developmental stage is not afforded a basic right of all people – the right to live.

We make laws to protect children (birth to 18) from abuse or neglect, but if those same people are at the fetus stage, then they lose those legal protections, merely because they are fetuses.

The “right” of the mother to not have a babe supersedes the right of the fetus to live, yet, magically, when that fetus leaves the birth canal, suddenly those rights get reversed.

So, if a mother was to drink excessively during pregnancy and the child is born with fetal alcohol syndrome and dies, she could be arrested. If a mother drowns her 4-year old child, same thing. If she fails to protect the child or neglects to assure food or shelter, same thing.

Yet, if that same mother had aborted that child at fetus stage, then there are no legal consequences. Where is the logic in that?

There isn’t. The most logical position, then, is that all human life – be it zygote or fetus or baby or toddler or teen or adult or senior – should be valued enough to be protected from arbitrary death at the hands of another.

Encouragement from Saginaw 6-24-08

This is the latest Encouragement from Saginaw e-letter.

Dear Brothers and Sisters through Christ,

Greetings from Saginaw where it appears that summer has finally arrived (though our April showers have come here in early June). As a result, the grass is green and the Michigan State Bird (the mosquito) is in full force.

Since my last letter, Pastor Mark has completed the Romans series and embarked on a summer look of people in Scripture who had Encounters with Christ, and what we can learn from those Encounters. (by the way, shameless plug alert: all sermons are available on line at http://podcast.immanuelbiblechurch.com/).

The two so far brought home some very solid, and simple, reminders about who He is and who we are (or aren’t, as the case may be).

It is so easy while we are in this world to be distracted and pulled off course. Sometimes it can be big, life changing events like a marriage, a death, a divorce, a birth. Sometimes the littler things like a change in job duties or a rough (or good) phase of a relationship. It seems we have poor spiritual attention spans.

Earlier this year, Pastor preached on the need to encourage new believers to seek to know Christ more and to seek to fall in love deeper with Him – that we did not exchange one set of rules, the Law, for another set: the 35 things every Christian must do. No, we exchanged the rules for the relationship, and just like any relationship, it takes both parties effort to make it better, to have it grow stronger, to have it achieve a depth of meaningfulness. Christ is already there with us, but we are not there with Him, I would assert, until the day we go before Him and truly experience the joy and pleasure and sensation of His love in His presence.

What we are living now is just a plodding along as we struggle with our sinful flesh, but it is a trek worth taking and one that we are not walking alone as The Spirit is with us and Christ is interceding for us.

If I remember just one thing from the list of conclusions that Pastor culled from the encounters of others, is that this is not a journey to Him but with Him, for I have already gained through Christ.

My hope is that you are remembering what you gained from Christ and that your journey is with Him in all that will come your way. His is our goal, He is our aim, He is who we now are.

For His Glory,

Tom

Abortion and voting

For me, the stance on the legalization of abortion is a high priority. Putting my faith aside, where Christ showed us, through His sacrifice on the cross, that every life is important to Him, the pro-life position is most logical.

How can one draw a line and say that life is only worth protecting if it has reached a particular point in development. Whether you call it a fetus, an embryo, a baby, a toddler, a teen, an adult, or a senior - they describe the various phases of human life.

The highest measure of a person's integrity is how that person views life. This will play in a lot of areas of public policy. For instance, why is protecting a child at an elementary school in a poor side of town not as important as protecting a fetus in a middle class high school teen or a frozen embryo that might one day after millions of dollars lead towards a cure for cancer?

Most stances are arguable. Raise taxes, lower taxes (I prefer the lower); end the war, continue the war (I prefer end, but in a way that does not endanger my family); help the poor (but not through conscripted and involuntary donation).

But for me , a stance on abortion is one of those "make-it-or-break-it" issues. It says much about how important life is to that candidate, so I will never vote for a pro-choice candidate because I cannot trust him or her to protect all lives, especially our most vulnerable ones.

It is pretty simple as that.

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service

Hypocrit Christians

I recently received a communication that called me a hypocrite.

My first response was, yes, I am a hypocrite. I sometimes do opposite of what I profess. I stumble. I sometimes do, as Paul said in Romans 7:15 - I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

But actually, that is not hypocrasy, at least as the word is defined.

Hypocrasy has an element of not doing what one believes, but it is actually pretending to believe something and doing the opposite of that. Hypocrasy involves not the action, but the belief.

So, for me to be hypocrite, I would have to profess something that I do not believe and then act in an opposite way.

So, after this introspection, I am not a hypocrite. I am a sinner. I have sinned and will sin until the Lord returns, but I strive to live as I believe though I fail. I am inconsistent. I fail to live as I profess. I make poor decisions. I succomb to temptation.

The real hypocrite is someone who professes with their mouth but does not believe in their heart.

Since a true Christian is one who believes in their heart and professes with their mouth the Christ is Lord (Romans 10:9), then a true christian cannot be a hypocrite even though they sin.

A false Christian, one whose profession is from the head and not the heart, even though they live as they profess, they are hypocrites.

If we profess Christ, we must first search our heart if it is turned to Christ, submitting to Him, and seeking His glorification and pleasure above our own.

I just read an article where the (alleged) footprint of Jesus (when he was a child) in a rock was damaged in a fire in a Church in Egypt:http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080618/32871_Egypt_Church_with_Jesus_Footprint_Damaged_in_Fire.htm

Supposedly, this was a footprint from when Joseph & Mary fled with their child from Herod.

I won't go into how far fetched it seems to me that, first a child's footprint would be in a rock and second, of how anyone could possibly know it was Christ's since this event would have to have occurred some 25-30 years before His ministry.

Putting that aside, which is hard, the article, from Christian Post, allows for discussion. These discussions are usually as interesting and telling as the article itself. Christians have some pretty strong and diverse opinions on these things and non-believers often jump in the mix.

One post really struck me. The author was arguing that, despite the danger of idolitry, people need something tangible to grasp onto, and this helps their faith to grow.

I am not sure about that. Hebrews tells us that "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)

I would like to visit the Holy Land, to see where Christ walked in His human form, speculate on what He touched, what He saw, but I should not worship that ground. I should not "venerate" or make holy some object that was His (or in most cases might or might not be His).

He, Christ, is about salvation. We, us, are about knowing Him better and doing His will.

It is interesting that in the New Testament we are given few "rituals" to perform, and the focus is on the inner man and not the outer appearance. We are told we are new creations, made children of God, freed from the bonds of sin, and that we have the Holy Spirit living within us.

The Christian walk does not require pilgrimages to some sacred site or paying homage to some iconic object.
It IS about seeking more of God and less of self. It IS about sharing the good news and doing good. It IS about standing firm for His Word and His Way.

Our response to these should be, well, that would be really interesting it really was Christ's footprint as a child in a rock, but what is important is Christ's imprint in my heart and life. That is where I would prefer to place my energies.

For His Glory,
Tom

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is much different than Mother's Day.

There is an intrinsic bond to our mothers that goes deep. We were once as close as two human beings could be, nuzzled inside her, relying totally on her for our nourishment. Over time, the developmental process continued until the inevitable day of separation from her physical connection.

We don't experience that with our fathers. There is a different kind of emotional link. Our mother's comes almost instinctively, our father's is because he chose to do this (and there are many fathers who choose not to do so).

This is our relation with the Father. He chose to link to us. He chose to make that route to us through Himself as Christ. He softens our heart, which is not naturally linked to Him, opens up our eyes, and draws us to Him where He makes us His child.

So, this Father's Day I am reminded that it is a day to remember the ones who chose to love us - our father here but more so Father God.

The hardest form of persecution

As Christians, we should expect persecution to come to us from any side, at any time as our faith is a radical repudiation of the world's standards.

I think, though, that the hardest persecution comes from within. It is those moments of doubt. Those times of realization that I am so far from being the Christian that I want to be or think of myself as being that the pain runs the deepest because it lingers the longest.

I wish I could point you to a Bible verse, snap my fingers, and say "go away", but that is a power God has not given to me or the Scripture. Perhaps because this is the reminder that I am not only not God, but that I am so far from being God.

The other day I got into a "pity" party with some friends about the state of the world. It is spiraling so far away from the Creation He made that it is hard to fathom...but then when was this world as God created?

The solution to this problem is to accept that one is a flawed individual. That one has great penchant for doing evil - as defined by God. That one cannot change one self but must relinquish the power to change over to God.

That is not a pretty sight. It is not an easy road. It leads to more purifying and testing and struggle. It is the hardest persecution, but it is also the best because we become just that much closer to God.

The Change Christ Brings.

When you become a child of God...
You will want to change some habits.
You will want to change some friends.
You will want to change some attitudes.
You will want to change the way you've been.

You will want to change obedience.
You will want to change your life.
You will want to change to go His way,
You will want to change to no longer strife.

The reality is we cannot change
Just because we want
Our old self resists to conform
And our sins in us do haunt.

Instead of striving with your own flesh
That way to change is absurd
Rather seek to know Him deep and more,
Through prayer and through His Word.

Come towards the place where self is gone.
Where our past no longer defines.
Our self is now changed by our Lord,
By Him in His own time.

Who Is Under Attack?

I get a number of newsletters and email alerts about censorship of various kinds and from various perspectives.

The almost universal element in all of these citings is that "we" are under attack from those who oppose us. Whether it is left, right, liberal, conservative...the theme is the same - "they" have censored what "we" have said.

As a Christian, I should expect persecution. I should not be surprised when people oppose me or disagree or are even hostile (don't have to like it, just remember it is reality). From the get-go, the message of Christ is offensive - you are a sinner (i.e. a bad person) and need a savior.

In this age when "offense" is anything you disagree with, then being accused of wrong-doing should be our norm.

How we respond, though, should not be as the world - which is to either attack in kind or wimper in pacificity - but to speak the truth in love. To stand firmly but not obnoxiously. To speak straightforwardly but not coarsely. To defend but not be defensive.

We should expect our words to be misconstrued, mistaken or even purposely distorted.

It does not matter. As Christians, we are called to do what is right in the eyes of God, as He has commanded, not as we desire.

To do this, though, takes a power greater than our own, and that is where Christ comes in for us. He has not left us alone in this battle, but gives us the Holy Spirit who will give us our words, control our emotions, strengthen our resolve, and comfort our wounds.

Let us remember that and respond to this world in a way that brings the Glory to God and not embraces the world.

For His Glory,
Tom

Where have I been?

It has been over 3 months since my last blog. What happened?

Well, life kind of got in the way of this "hobby". Mostly, I started teaching a class at church on Apologetics and Worldview. I was using a variety of sources and it took me a lot of my free time to research and pull together.

The other aspect was that I decided to take a break from writing and then writing took a break from me. Also, caught a flu/cold that has lingered for over a month and turned into a cough but am doing better now.

Finally, this was a rough winter. I think I caught a touch of SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) and the Michigan winter seemed long, or at least bleak. We seemed to have just a few days of sun and it has been somewhat bitterly cold for a long time.

Well, nice weather has come, my cough is much better, and baseball season is here (though the Tigers have been struggling a bit).

Also, I get a daily email with a Bible verse and a quote (http://www.cqod.com/cqodlist.htm) and this one struck home and I just had this unction to write.

The verse is:
"Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks areshattered before him." -- Nahum 1:6 (NIV)

It reminded me that while we have a God of Love, we also have a God of (righteous) Wrath.

One of the things I have been thinking about while "off-line" is how miserable I was feeling- sick, cold, drab, yucky is only a taste of His Wrath.

Now, I am not saying that God brought these to me, but they are the result of Adam's sin (thanks Adam!) which brought death and pain and misery to this wonderful world created by God.

It also reminds me that most people walk around in dire straights in their relationships with God and they are blindly walking into that wall of His Wrath because so much that passes for Christian faith and general spirituality shouts about His Love but mumbles about His Wrath. They don't want to talk about it because who wants to hear all that negative stuff!

The end result will be a lot of people existing in a permanent long, suffering, miserable, winter of eternity. There will be no spring or summer for the lost.

(warning: a Tom non-biblical supported pontification alert) One wonders if the only tears we will have is all the times we failed to speak His Truth in love.

For His Glory,
Tom

Not all is ever lost

I have to admit that I am a reforming political junkie.

I love to read about politics and love the campaign season (though I have to admit that starting two years before the next election is wearing thin on me), and have been somewhat following the various trials and tribulations on the trail to the White House.

What makes this year's race interesting, so far, is that there is not a clear favorite on either side, and there seems to be a bigger lament about the choices. No one is "perfect".

I know that is the case in all elections. We really do tend to have to vote for the least candidate no matter what since every candidate, being sinful humans, have dark elements in their background. Those things that are wished to remain private.

The other aspect is that there are no two people in the whole world who agree on every issue equally. It would actually be kind of scary if two did, so we have to evaluate a candidate on those issues that we view as highly important down to those we could care less about and measure a candidate on this.

One aspect is the candidates faith system, and, if they live that system in their lives. Obviously, I am going to lean to that person who agrees with my faith over one who disagrees or disregards or even is hostile to my faith. One's faith system will drive what public policies one supports or opposes.

So, of course, what one believes is important and not just a personal matter because it will drive their public policy, and we would do well to find out what they believe and how strongly.

Isolation in a time of joy

there is a problem with modern life.
It has lots of toys...cell phones, pocket computers, video games, ipods, HDTV, but they do not replace people.

God said that it is NOT good for man to be alone, but I know so many who seek aloneness through treating their relationships like they treat their toys - that relationships are all about self instead of about us.

I have someone whom I love dearly trade our relationship for a cell phone, for a cigarette, for a joint, for a way of living that even they found despicable, and it has left a hole in my heart that aches constantly.

And it makes me wonder, during this Christmas season, when even the ads trying to get you to buy a bra talk of the importance of family and friends and loving relations, how much some suffer self-imposed isolation in a time of joy, because they traded in life for a toy.

For His Glory,
Tom

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service

Responding Differently

I was pretty appalled at some of the Christian response to the recent situation where a schoolteacher in the Sudan was arrested and threatened with prison and lashing for allowing a child to name a Teddy Bear after the Islamic prophet Mohammed.

A pastor on You Tube named a pig that same name and even on the View there was a discussion on how Christian's would have had cows if someone had named a Teddy Bear "Jesus".

I disagree. As individuals and as a church we hold His name as holy with reverence, but no where are we told to force others to do the same.

You see, our faith is based on a personal relationship with God. We are His children and He is our Father, our Savior, our King, our Counselor, our Deliverer. He will never leave us and will always be with us.

Yes, we should defend His name when it is misused, but these should be personal actions.

The hub-bub over some company's not using "Christmas" reaches a fever pitch. Like the Christian faith hinges on whether Lowe's calls something a "Holiday Tree" or a "Christmas Tree".

Back to what makes me sad, though, is that so often we, in responding to these events, forget about grace and being gracious and kind. Naming a pig after another religion's revered leader is just plain nasty. Where did Christ or God ever tell us to act in that manner?

It is one thing to write to Kohl's and ask them why they ommited Christmas (they told me they were going to use that term closer to the day) and another to organize mass boycotts over this.
We can lose sight quickly of our main purpose, to bring the good news and become just like the world we are told not to be like.

A couple of years ago there was a boycott of Blockbusters here in our area. We have an East side of town that is very poor, high crime, and mainly ethnic minorities and a West side and suburbs that are not. When Blockbuster opened a video store, the only one, on the east side, they used the usual price to rent a video. On the west side there are a number of video outlets so Blockbuster has a lower price (in response to the competition).

A local activist Christian group organized a boycott of Blockbusters because they charged more on the east side, claiming racism (which is an odd claim for a belief system that sees only one race from Adam and Eve) and exploitation.

In furthering this boycott, they partnered with some of the competing video stores. The tragic witness of this is that those stores refused to open stores on the east side and some of them offered x-rated videos. It was a horrible witness and one that certainly did not glorify God.

My point is that we are no longer individuals but are part of the family of God and what we do, what we whine about, how we act all reflect on our Lord - the one who died on the cross for us.
I hope that we all keep that in mind the next time the line is long at the store or some unbeliever shows their ignorance.

For His Glory,
Tom

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service

Thoughts on the News

There has been some ruffled feathers lately with comments by Kathy Griffin (said she wan NOT thankful to Jesus), Will Smith (he said that 98% of what Scientology teaches is also taught in the Bible) & a public official who equated having a difficult time with Christ's crucifixion.
In all three situations (and a few others), righteous outrage was expressed by a noted Christian leader with demands for apology.

Righteous outrage and demands for apology are not exclusive to the Christian community. Actually, this has been a fad amongst the secular world for some time. It is linked with Political Correctness. Someone says something stupid or idiotic ly offensive and the world comes crashing down on them.

My question is how should we, as Christians, respond to an inane statement or even one that is patently blasphemous by a non-Christian?

I contend we are to respond in grace, not outrage. This would involve, in some cases, a gentle response - such as correcting a misconception. In other cases, just ignoring and realizing that Pagans will be Pagans is the best response.

Our example is Christ. Time and again he corrected errors or ignored stupidity. Even at the cross, He responded directly and simply, not showing outrage.

He DID indicate outrage, though, at those who should know better - the religious leaders of the time who were adding to the Law and being self-righteous.

Showing tolerance for ignorance can be difficult, but it is the best response to glorify our Lord and show Him and His ways to the world.

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service

Whose view?

My last entry I mentioned that it was time for America to bless God as a nation as a whole.

I know that there are many people who are striving and giving up themselves for Christ, but as a nation, as a government, as a people, we are turning from God while still expecting Him to give us something.

There has grown in this country a mentality that we are 'owed' or 'entitled' to being blessed. I think of this as having the view of God as a grandpa than as a Father. That when something 'bad' happens it is God's
fault.

When I was in high school (yes, they had them back then) I had a girlfriend.

We had been going 'steady' for two years when she suddenly. I fully expected her to be my wife one day and to live out my days with her.

One day, rather unceremoniously, she broke off our relationship (and broke my heart).

I was really upset about this because I had already planned out our lives together and now we were not going to be together.

I blamed God.

How could He do this to me? If He was so loving how could He allow me to be hurt so much? What had I done to Him for Him to do this to me?

OK, at 17 we can be pretty convoluted, but how many 30 or 40 or 60 year olds have this same attitude. That the world is spinning around and for them.

One Sunday I had the privilege of teaching the High School group.

The subject was "Giving", so I asked them to tell me what they had done for God this past week, in what way had they honored our Lord.

It was interesting to see the looks on their faces as they pondered this, and as I went around the room to hear their answers (a few honest ones actually said that they had not done a thing in this area).

Most had never really looked at their world from God's perspective

Of course, as usually happens in teaching, I had to confront this in my life as well.

How often do I fail to see my world through the eyes of our Lord?

Let us remember to open our eyes to see our lives through His eyes and in that opening to strive for His Glory and our humbleness.

For His Glory,
Tom

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service

Praying for Blessings

A few years as the city I live in went through a difficult time. A rash of gang killings and general crime, sent a fear into the hearts of the citizenry. A couple of major employers were either on the brink of bankruptcy or threatening to close plants, threatening thousands of jobs. Due to large budget deficites, cuts to programs loomed and services reduced. There were some scandals in the city offices as well and the city was very divided between black and white, liberal and conservative, middle class and poor. It was a very dark time for the city and it has not yet emerged from those times, but it is doing better.

At one of the bleakest moments the mayor asked for the residents to pray for the city. A number of prayer vigils and gatherings of religious leaders held. A group even went around to the various parts of the city to pray.

In many ways it is sad that we only acknowledge God in times of trouble. Where are the gatherings during the good times? Where are the neighborhood praise parades for the street being fixed? When does the mayor come out and direct people to thank God for what He has bestowed?

There is an ever asked question – “Why God allows bad things to happen?” Maybe – just maybe, because that is the only way He gets our attention.

After the horrific attack on the US of September 11, the red, white & blue came out in a flourish. Every other car sported sticker saying "God Bless America". However, America continues to refuse to bless God, to honor Him, to thank Him.

Now I am not advocating that the US was created to be a 'Christian' nation. I am not sure what that would even look like (though I would think heaven would be such a nation, one nation, under God as we bow before His Majesty).

What I am advocating here is that we believers need to recognize that God is more important than patriotism or ideology or philosophy. That our purpose for existence is to give God another conduit to show His glory, and how much more glorious is He, then when a sinner is saved through His blood! Not when a nation triumphs in a war, has a booming economy and safer streets.

In fact, we Christians should expect that matters will get worse as the world spins towards the final days, so our response to the tragedies of life need to be more than platitudes, more than prayer. We need to be expressing the hope of Christ and not just asking for the blessing of God.

For His Glory,
Tom

Subscribe Now! Enter your email address below





Powered by Christian eMail Service