On the way DOWN

My belief

I was sitting on the couch with a few guys up in New Jersey and I was struck by what I saw on TV. I DO watch a lot of TV, but I am very limited in my selection. For the most part all I am usually interested in watching is News or NFL Football. Well, while I was sitting watching a program called Tosh 2.O, which is a celebrity talk show, I was quite disgusted with what I saw. I would guess that 80% of the images and jokes were homosexual in nature. What seemed even more surprising to me was that everyone in the room thought it was hysterical. I think I was particularly sensitive to this because of a sobering sermon that I had just heard from Lon Solomon. The sermon was all about the descent of man and the decay of society. God lays this process out clearly in the last part of Romans chapter 1. Pastor Solomon explains how God has 3 stages in which He “gives man over” to his own sinful nature and allows him to condemn himself to the eternal wrath of God. Sadly, from what I see around us in America I think this process is nearly complete.

Stage 1 Humanism – Where people replace The Creator with what is created. In ancient times people replaced God with animals, the sun, and even hand made idols. Today we have progressed passed this and now we worship ourselves. We worship celebrities, the rich, and the beautiful. We celebrate and praise our own ingenuity. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are our Kings. Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie are our Queens. We revel in the innovations of Google, Microsoft, and Apple. In the hit show American Idol only the talented and beautiful have the “IT” Factor. America’s new god is man.

Stage 2 Embracement of Homosexuality – Where men and women give up the natural way for what is unnatural. Recently President Obama signed the repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”. Gay’s now serve openly in the military. The U.S. is now in the process of changing American passports to say Parent #1 and Parent #2 instead of mother and father. In my business it is especially normal to be surrounded by gay and lesbian coworkers more often than not. In my opinion America is “out of the closet” and gay is now normal. Pastor Solomon says that any society that has ever made it past stage 2 has never recovered. We are well on the way to repeating the mistakes of the Roman Empire.

Stage 3 The Hardening – Where there is no more right and wrong, and wrong is preferred. I am not sure that America has completed this step, but we are working on it fast. It is now considered good and right for a woman to have the right to choose, or gays to have equal partnership rights to heterosexuals. We are used to people saying “Well, this is RIGHT for me”. In my opinion we are very close to completing this stage of our destruction. Is it any wonder that the worlds largest super power (America) now seems to be riddled with financial and social problems that no one has an answer for.

Scripture

Romans 1:24-25

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Application for Life

America seems to be on the same track that so many other mighty and prosperous nations have been on. Our job as followers of Christ is to be Salt and Light in an ever crumbling world. I feel that so many hearts in our country have become hard and lean on there own understanding. However, there are still some who have not hardened their hearts and are willing to listen to the message that God has to offer. We must continue to preserve our testimony, let people know where we stand, and watch for that person who wants to know more. Anyone who studies God’s word knows that America and our way of life are temporary, but the HOPE that we have is that the next way of life will be perfect and permanent.

Hate to RUN!

My Belief

I really hate to run for exercise. It is so boring! There is nothing to hit or throw. There is no goal to score in or defender to get past. It is really just not my sport. It is just a repetitious monotonous chug along sort of thing where the world passes you by. Even though I hate to run for exercise, I do it anyway. I think it is good to help me build endurance for when I do get to play those other sports that are much more engaging to me. I have only started to run again for about the last six months. I put my headphones on and take my dogs plodding around the neighborhood or I hit the hotel gyms on my overnights, like I did today. I realized something while I was running today. I hate to run, but I love it when I do it. It is always a drag to start off on the cold sidewalk or treadmill, but when I put on my favorite praise and worship music from my iPod things start to change. My body starts to warm up and the music starts to take over my mind. I begin running faster and faster and at times break out into a full on sprint. The songs penetrate my heart and turn my thoughts toward Jesus and his sacrifice for me. The more I like the song the harder and faster I run. Before I know it I have run a few miles and for a decent amount of time. I arrive back at my house or step off the treadmill feeling refreshed like my entire body has just been in praise and worship to the Lord Jesus. I don’t end feeling tired, but alive. My heart is pounding and my thoughts are driven toward God.

I started thinking this dilemma I have with running is very similar to the dilemma I have with God’s word. I start out feeling like I have chores to do and I don’t have time to sit down with that “old book”. There are bills to pay and I don’t have the energy to listen to that “preacher” again. It is always the same old repetitious monotonous stuff. Even though at times it seems like it will be boring and take up my time, I do it anyway. I open the Bible or push play on that sermon and before I know it I feel like my entire perspective on my life has changed. I feel like all those silly chores and bills just melt away and I am left with a renewed energy. I am left with a humbled spirit because of what Jesus has done for me and a great hope fills my heart because of His soon return. I don’t end the sermon or close my Bible thinking I have wasted time, but that rather I know how to make the most of my time. Afterward I can focus and put life into the proper context of what is really important. My stress fades and my worries subside. I know that all these chores and bills are temporary and very soon I will see my savior face to face.

Scripture

Matthew 4:4 ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[a]”

2 Timothy 3:16 ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Application for Life

It is so important to take care of our mind, body and spirit. Exercise helps us keep our body in shape and God’s word helps us tune our minds to the world around us. By carefully studying the Bible we can know everything that we need to know. We get the answers to where our world has been and where it is going. We can then focus our lives on the things in this life that really matter. Our perspective becomes sharp and we know that we are only passing through. Spend time meditating on God’s word and letting Him speak to you through it. It will allow all your cares to fade and give you a bigger picture of what life is really all about.

               

It’s ALL just a Test

My Belief

Uncle Charlie is a great guy. He is one of the people that I like to chat with most in my family. He is just one of those really relaxed objective people that has been “around the block” a few times. Uncle Charlie is not a Christian but he plays nice with the rest of us in the family that are. I was privileged to get to have a great conversation about FAITH with him over this past Christmas Holiday. I was really praying that God would present an opportunity to share my faith with him as I went over to his house. Faithful as ever, God gave me a perfect opportunity to talk with him alone after Christmas dinner. We went back and forth a bit about science and other stuff that did not really matter much to him. He felt that all of that could be debated either way. One of the biggest problems he has with “Christianity” has to do with fairness. He said to me, “How is it fair that one person is given the chance grow up rich in America and another is given a lousy hand growing up poor and persecuted in the Congo?” Charlie told me that IF there is a God, then He is not a fair or just God.

This is a hard question and the answer to it is found in the same place all of the rest of life's answers are found. Over and over again in The Bible God shows us it is not about “the hand” you are given, instead it all about what you do with that hand. What ever life gives us God wants us to adhere to His principles. He wants us to do EVERYTHING His way. The story that stands out most to me is of Abraham and Isaac. Why would God tell Abraham to sacrifice his son on an alter? The answers is just to see if he would do it. God wants to see will you take whatever you have been given and give it back to the Lord. Are you willing to put God first and in front of everything in your life. This life is short because it is just a test. God is going through time watching who will use the free will that is given to them to choose the Lord over all else. Then He will use that group of people to set up the perfect Heaven on Earth.

Scripture

Luke 12:48

⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Application for Life

Even when this life is Great it is still not that great. If you sat on the beach in Hawaii it would be AWESOME…for a minute. After 10 years of sitting on the beach in Hawaii I bet it would lose a little luster. If you had all the money in the world to spend, it would be INCREDIBLE…until you owned one of everything. Then you would be the same as all the other rich people who get in loads of trouble because they are bored. This life is God’s test for choosing his own. No matter how much or little we are given God wants us to put it at His feet. This life does have some High points, but the next life with Jesus Christ will never have a LOW point.