31 Years

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

I've been told I have very low self-awareness by people who are trained in the science of psychobabble.  They're probably correct because I still picture myself as a young, connected, and in shape, yet strenuous physical activity is becoming more and more difficult (Ok, the impossibility of paddle boarding in the surf at Waikiki humbled me greatly!) and recovery is measured in days to weeks.  So it is with great surprise that I awake today and am confronted with my thirty first anniversary.  THIRTY ONE years.  How did I suddenly get so old.  More importantly who is it that puts up with me for so long and how does she do it?
Clearly God has anointed and blessed our marriage.  Without Him, I'm sure I would have screwed this up years ago.  I'm only just beginning to learn how to agape and yet Reja has endured.  What a Saint!
I'm clearly convinced that God created Reja just as uniquely for me as He created Eve for Adam.  What He joined, He sufficiently graced so that today we enjoy the fruit of what He has done way beyond our own deservedness.  I'm thankful that when God knit me together, he already had Reja in mind.  I don't look upon today with pride as I am still not the husband Reja deserves, but I do look upon today with deep appreciation and admiration at what He created in her and what He has done to see us to today.  Happy 31st Reja!  I love you!

Anger

Eph 4:26a  And "don't sin by letting anger control you."

In this election season, I find much on social media to get angry about.  I'm angry that some of the candidates have very questionable records and character, but are not held accountable and even supported by the electorate.  I'm angry that the election and poll results show a clearly divided nation on fundamental issues of values and character.  I'm angry that the media seems clearly biased.  I'm angry about the condescending and judgmental lectures by youngsters on who I should be for or against.  I'm angry about the choices I have in candidates.  I long to debate, but I find myself having great difficulty choosing a champion to back and wax enthusiastic about and that makes me angry!  You all know I have no patience, so to sit on the sidelines of an important issue or worse, watch people misuse scripture or Christian beliefs to justify their position makes me angry! 
I've wanted on numerous occasions to sit down and respond to postings or opine about issues of character, yet I'm mindful that social media is not a good forum for debate or accountability.  Were I to respond to posts, it wouldn't solve anything, but instead fan the flames of division.  Since when did we become so sensitive that we think everything is a personal indictment rather than and indictment of issues, approaches, or someone else's character?  It seems we've become so self-centered we can't accept someone who disagrees with us and we choose instead to sacrifice relationships rather than agree to disagree.  So, I sit and seethe or even "unfollow" a few who just irritate me to no end. 
I'm mindful that while I continue to pray about the election and our nation, I need not contribute to its division in social media.  We seem to have lost our ability to really listen to others, myself chief among us, and debate has instead become a contest which simply must be won at any cost.  In fact, I overheard Kerianne discussing the TV show "Downton Abby" the other day and remarked at how civil the debates were "back in the day." 
So, although dissatisfying and maddening, I think it best for me to simply hold my social media tongue lest I become a stumbling block particularly to younger generations.  Although angry, I think it best to look for opportunities to join in face-to-face dialogue where I can make it clear that the dialogue is about a candidate or issues, not the person with whom I'm engaged in debate.  Holding my tongue is hard stuff (and that makes me angry)!

The Power of God

I’ve struggled for some time in my Christian walk.  Mostly over the power God.  I remember walking through Haiti on my first trip wondering why, as a supposedly saved person with the Holy Spirit inside of him, couldn’t walk over and heal them.  The land was as close to the times of the Disciples as I think I’ll ever see.  It has bothered me ever since. 

What am I lacking?  It has to be faith, right?  I can testify to God’s answering some of my prayers, but sometimes, it just feels like a crap shoot.  Will He answer this one or that one?  Why am I so off in my prayers if He only answers a few?  If I was closer to Him then I’d have to believe my prayers would be exactly what He would pray and it would be done, or He would reveal His will and I’d know why it wasn’t being done.  I would do that for my own children and my love for them is imperfect.  So, what is the deal?

To top it off, I read this text in 2 Timothy and it scared me as to what kind of person I might really be.  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Am I one of those?  Do I have a form of godliness but deny its power?  Very scary stuff if such a person is also all the things described above it.  My heart has been very broken because it knows that it is indeed such a person, except for the intentional intervention of God, my Father, the only father who has ever loved me.

So, where is His power then?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1:16

The power of God is in the gospel.  What is the gospel?

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

So, the power of God is God Himself, who is love, for “the world”.  Well, of course the power of God is God Himself.  I think it is obvious that only the Creator of all that is, is the power.  But the application of His power is towards people.  This is very important.  We can never live in His power unless we are intentionally and purposefully loving people.  All of them. 

Now I know why I haven’t lived in His power.  I love some of them.  I know I don’t love all of them.  For every person I know or meet, I have to ask myself a few questions.  “Do I love them?”  If not really, then I need to make a conscious choice to love them.  Next, “Why do I love them?”  Is it for what they can do for me, or what they do for me, or is it simply because God wants them to be loved.  It must be the latter or my heart will never show them true love.  And without that true love, His power cannot be made manifest.  Only true sincere love changes people – and that type of love is of God and is the power of God.

If I ever want to walk the Earth as a true disciple and even remotely have the possibility of the power of God being transmitted through me, it will have to come through God’s intense love being given to others.  Then, miracles will happen and people’s lives will be changed.

Dear Lord, help me to love the people You created with the love that You love them.  I know I am incapable of such a task!  Lord, change my heart so my only concern is loving others the way You love them and not being fearful of how they will hurt me, or use me, or manipulate me.  I pray that Your power will infuse their heart and change their life so they might see You and be healed forever.  Through the Christ I pray, Amen.

Fear

Pro 9:10  Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
Luke 12: 5  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I've always thought a little fear is a great thing.  We should have a little fear of weather so we don't venture out fishing in bad weather.  We should have just a little fear of heights so we're careful on ladders and rooftops.  We should have a little fear of rejection so we treat others with respect.  Too much fear, however, defeats us and we don't even try.  We don't ever go fishing, or we won't fix the leaky roof, or we won't commit to long term relationships. 
Scripture tells us that true wisdom begins with fearing God.  I find many people can't wrap their brains around fearing God, but when I think about how my parents raised me, fear of punishment often kept me out of trouble.  Jesus even instructs us to fear The One who will most certainly banish us to hell if we don't trust and commit to Him.  But it doesn't end in fear.  John tells us that perfect love casts out fear.  So our relationship with God only begins in fear - fear of temporary and permanent punishment, but there's more to it than just fearing hell and breathing a quick prayer of acceptance.  Once we commit to being a disciple of Christ, He can cast out all fear.  Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of failing health and ultimately dying can all be eradicated through Him who IS love.  That elimination of fear isn't automatic, however.  Instead, we must constantly place those things the we fear in His trust.  For me, this is a daily process and one that does not come easily, yet I believe that fear can reveal to us those areas of our lives that we don't completely trust to God. 
What strike fear into your heart?  Perhaps that is where God is trying to get your attention. 
Ps 55:22  Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Courageous Leadership

Luke 17: 1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister^a sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.

I love teaching and serving with the youth in my church for so many reasons, but once in a while service has its difficulties.  Having to reprimand a misbehaving youth seems simple until one chooses to rebel against authority and avoid accountability.  Through the years I've witnessed several who chose to drop out of youth rather than submit to authority and these events always lead me to second guess my own behavior.  Was I unfair?  Did I over-react?  Knowing myself, both are likely.  Yet, when one particular youth is disruptive to the event, particularly if it is prayer or scripture reading, they deserve quick and decisive accountability.  Jesus expressed no patience with those who become stumbling blocks to others and it is very difficult to hold a misbehaving person accountable without becoming a stumbling block to them. 

The key is the continuance of the relationship is through repentance and forgiveness.  Note the conditional statement here which is often ignored in today's mindless rants on social media.  Yes we are commanded to forgive, but forgiveness demands repentance.  The person who was interrupting the event needs to own that sin as does one who rebukes disproportionately (IF a trusted witness bears testimony to an over-reaction.  Complaints by the original transgressor about mistreatment aren't a trustworthy source.) 

Its unfortunate that today's society shuns accountability as I fear many will be lost because of the stumbling blocks who are not held accountable.  So, while the current situation on my heart is not one in my own church, I pray for those in difficult leadership situations who are confronted with unrepentant interrupters.  I pray that this situation will not fester into a long-term stumbling block for anyone, that reason may follow, and fellowship be restored such that growth in Christ may continue for all involved. 

Birthday Reflections

Life is interesting.

We as humans are so very different from all other animals.  We don’t have to run in flocks or packs, but we can.  We don’t have to run alone, but we can.  Sometimes it is those in the pack that we have to be more fearful of than those outside the pack.  Sometimes it is the loneliness that we must be more fearful.  Somehow, we can be lonely in a group or we can be completely satisfied alone.  How confusing we are!

Everyone has their own birth; their own growth; their own pains/hurts/scars; their own regrets; their own successes; their own ambitions; their own motivation; their own love.  And it is very different than everyone else’s.  We are incredibly unique.  Every person is invaluable as a priceless work.  The most valuable part of each person is the part we can’t see.  It is the depth of someone’s soul – their spirit.  The wholeness of who they are that drives their actions and well-being.  It is the deeper dimension of a person beyond this world.

Yet, it is only the one living Creator who knows this or who can make the value of each person known.  Only the Spirit of God within us can truly satisfy us whether we are in a group or alone.  Only the healing hand of Jesus can heal our pains; replace our hurts; cover our scars.  We work in vain without the integral and inclusive love that God Himself is.  Without Him holding that part of us no one can see, that part that transcends our physical body, how can we be more than the simple result of the world’s stimuli as we try to survive each day?

Man is incomplete without the touch of the hand of God.  Man is incomplete without the breath of God upon His very soul.  Man is incomplete without the integral companionship of God – spirit-in-spirit. 

People either accept this reality or they rebel against it.  We all get to choose.  The depth of man is tested in this way.  First, he is asked to believe.  Then he is asked to sacrifice gifts.  Then he is asked to sacrifice through gifts and effort (time).  Lastly, he is asked to commit, even if it costs the whole world he knows.  All for something he cannot even show to another person.  He can only speak of it and be the result of that Godly internal Spirit.

I have never been more satisfied, more complete, than when God was close to me.  I could feel His presence.  I knew His hand was upon me and He had a real purpose for even me.  I have never been more broken, shattered, than when someone God created and loved was deeply hurt because I live.  They depended upon me and I was not complete enough to meet it.  One is satisfying in the fullness of love and one is the absence of love.

God alone completes us and it is my hope that everyone finds Him while they have the time.

Do YOU Believe

John 20:29  Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me."

I truly enjoy watching movies that I don't feel the need to apologize for and especially those that encourage my faith.  Risen is a great movie that challenges a mythical Roman Centurion's beliefs and generates good discussion among Christians and non-Christians alike. 
Among the many verses quoted as the movie tracks Jesus death, burial and resurrection through the experiences of the centurion, is John 20:29.  Jesus remarked to the centurion who was clearly shocked and amazed that the Jew He had just seen dead on a cross just a few days previous, was clearly very much alive and talking to him.  Yet he struggled in his belief.  Jesus simply defied all of his daily experiences with death and that impracticality made it nearly impossible to believe. 
How about you?  Do you believe?  Do you live like you believe?  We have the benefit of being raised in a Judeo-Christian culture that has adopted core Christian theology including a miraculous birth of the Messiah, the One who ultimately conquered sin and death for us all.  Then He sent Himself to live within those of us who believe.  That last fact is one I find that we don't fully comprehend today.  We pray for God to join us in places.  We sing songs about Holy Ground or meeting Jesus in places.  I like to recall circumstances including places where I enjoyed a moment in the Spirit, but I don't find many people who really live like they believe Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit lives within them.  I find most of us believe we need to go somewhere or do something to "go to God."  This is false theology and leads us to live "on the fence" struggling like the centurion to truly live out an abundant life of faith in the One who became flesh like us, died for our sins, conquered death, and has now made His Holy Spirit available to live within us so that we are never apart from God. 
We need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that for those of us who believe, God lives within us.  All the strength, knowledge, wisdom, and power of God is literally resident within us, yet we live life from a belief system of doubt, worry, and defeat.  We wonder how awesome it would have been to have seen and spoken with a risen Jesus, yet we carry Him with us every where we go and don't seem to fathom that reality.  Are you waiting on your next encounter with Christ?  Are you planning to go to a place to find Jesus?  Do you pray for God to join you in a place?  WHY?  He is with you ALWAYS.  He lives within you.  He can inspire, council, comfort, and help you always.  You must simply live as if you believe that simple fact. 
The Roman centurion had a very difficult time believing what his eyes and ears were clearly observing.  Today, we as Christians seem to struggle in a similar way with the reality of the Holy Spirit.  What if every Christian live every day KNOWING that Christ was in them, with them, and available to them each and every experience of each and every day? 

Old Time Religion

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Isn’t this a verse for our times!  A time when the church puts aside clear teaching to have ministers that suit society and not the written Word of God.  A time when people are encouraged to live how they want to live, rather than live in faith, to make them happy.  A time when people of a race are encouraged by their church to promote racism and rebellion against those who keep the law.  A time when a primeval religion using beheadings and who treat women as slaves or lower class would be allowed to promote itself while the religion of peace, love, and forgiveness is obscured and opposed in all possible ways.

The people gather around them those who tell them what they want to hear. 

“Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!  Let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” – Ps 80:19

“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” – Ps 85:6

The time is now Christian.  “Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).  Let us not be double-minded with thoughts into the world and also into the Words of God, His sound doctrine.  Decide today that there is only one authority and one truth.  Draw near to God - “Seek and you will find”.  May God “Create in me a clean heart … and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10).

Maybe we need to sing the old songs again. 

Now give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
And it's good enough for me
…

Now it will take us all to heaven

It will take us all to heaven

It will take us all to heaven

And it’s good enough for me

O Lord, I pray that I would long for Your Words, Your sound doctrine and not want to only hear what I want to hear, but what You want to proclain.  Lord I pray that I would seek You in all things and crave for revival in my heart.  Lord, revive me again!  Amen.

Risen

This morning my mind is still reflecting on the movie Risen that we went to see last night.  I told Julie that overall, I was disappointed in the movie, maybe because it was very methodical and steadfast in its movement.  I almost used the word “slow”.  But I think this has more to do with my movie expectations set by others than what this movie’s intent was reaching towards.  If I compare it to War Room, I’d have to say it is a better movie production.  Although, that old woman’s prayer at the end of that movie will be very hard for anyone to top.

A key element in this movie is an unbeliever’s journey from killing Jesus to recognizing that He is much more than any other crucified person.  The difference between this man and any person today is he gets to see and talk with the risen Jesus.  The similarity is the draw of the believers to Jesus.  He is a man very tired of fighting and his only goal is to have a day without death.  He has become unmoved by death because he has seen so much of it.

I like the very personal aspect of the movie.  This is a man’s personal discovery of who Jesus is and it is the change within him.  It is his rejection of all his life values in the pursuit and his peace with it.

For me, seeing the reality of people walking with the risen Christ brings it home.  That really happened.  He did come back from the dead and walk with them.  They witnessed Jesus do miracles in their time with Him.  I’ve witnessed what I believe to be miracles, but they seem so subtle when compared to seeing a blind man see, the lame to walk, or a leper healed.  This doesn’t mean they are any less miraculous though.

Overall, the feel of the movie makes me ask the question: what barriers exist in my life that keep me from believing in Jesus as the son of God with every cell of my body and every fiber of my being?  Where does doubt live and what is the fear tied to that doubt?  For those of us who believe, we must know and not think we know.

There are some obvious draws to things we see and know today.  The Shawl of Turin makes a show and the portrayal of Jesus dead on the cross is a human replica of every Jesus on the cross in every Catholic Church that I have ever entered.  

God-Centered Universe

Have you ever considered what it means that all of Creation revolves around God?  This is a God-centered universe.  We tell one another we need to live God-centered lives.  What exactly does that mean?

Centuries ago, man thought the sun and the stars in the night sky revolved around the Earth.  (Many also thought that if you sailed to far in one direction, you’d fall off.)  Considering what we know today, doesn’t that seem so very ignorant?  Yet, at that time, I can assure you it wasn’t.  Ignorance was perceived as thinking the opposite, which turned out, was the truth. 

How can we open our minds to not get caught up in the worldly view that this is not a God-centered universe?  And even more, how can we open our minds to understand what a God-centered universe really means?  These are important questions as we continue to walk daily in a world where each person spins in their own solar system not recognizing that they are in a bigger galaxy and a bigger universe all revolving around something even bigger.  More importantly, most people don’t recognize that they are in a solar system revolving around something in their life at all, but that the world they see is revolving around them. 

The initial step is to realize that God is the only authority and that He and He alone authored the universe as it exists.  We must have faith and know that this is the truth.  No matter what happens, no matter what we see, hear, or sense in any other way, we must know this truth.  This leads us to recognize that everything God says to us and shows us is truth and can be nothing less.  Maybe we feel like that truth opposes our experience, our knowledge, our understanding, our wants, or our reasoning, but it doesn’t make it less true.  In fact, it SHOULD oppose everything we have learned from our world, or at least sinful man’s part in it.  Understanding God’s single authority and maintaining a very focused faith in Him and Him alone will lead us to a God-centered lifestyle.

However, understanding what a God-centered universe means is very difficult for me.  It requires me to think in ways I don’t understand and can’t imagination.  John Lennon did a good job of reaching into a society concept using imagination with his song “Imagine”.  Although the song is beautiful, I find that song to be very unchristian.  The world refuses to recognize that they will never accomplish anything of the sort without Jesus as the cornerstone.  It is the reality of a God-centered universe.  All things stand on the Messiah who brings us from the false world of a man-centered world into the reality of a God-centered world; from death to life.

If we think of our own individual dimensions, we can recognize that we are physical beings.  We also will admit that we are more than that.  There is an internal spirit or soul that is more than just our physical body.  In addition to those, we are our thoughts, our conscious.  God teaches that all things come from the heart of man which means our desires and actions are the result of our spirit or soul.  A God-centered life is one where the internal spirit is joined by God’s Spirit so He is the center of our desire.  From that Spirit, our thoughts and our physical actions can revolve.  This is the second step of seeing a God-centered universe following our decision in faith regarding God’s single authority.

Now, imagine every person with God’s Spirit guiding them everywhere, if you can.  I cannot.  However, I can see the order that this would bring to all things emotionally, functionally, relationally, and in regard to everyone’s fullness of life.  The world would be complete as the hole in each person’s internal voids are filled. 

With that concept in mind, walk out into this world and you’ll see God everywhere in everything at every moment.  He is reaching for people to draw them into the life that knows the reality of the God-centered world.  We look past it so often, yet His hand is everywhere.  We let the world pull us into the ignorance of man-centeredness too easily.  We are sailing on an ocean and we think if go further our ship will fall off the edge; we regress into a comfortable ignorance.  We must maintain our focus on the reality that God is at the center of everything and that no matter how hard man rebels against Him it is folly.  Who can say with authority that the Earth is not round?  It is foolishness to say that and it is just as foolish to say God doesn’t exist, or that He isn’t at the center of all that exists.

Dear Lord, help me to see You everywhere today and to join You where You lead me.  Help me to see and hear what I can only do through You.  Lead me to a life that desires and loves only to live with You at the center.  Thank you for including me in Your universe and bringing me out of death into life.  Amen.

Why do bad things happen

Gen 2:  15The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.   16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Gen 3: 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

I always wonder why bad things happen to seemingly undeserving people after all it seems like a God who loves us would want only good things for us.  I'm mindful, however, that Genesis chapter two reveals that God's intent all along was for us to simply live in his creation as obedient people in relationship with him.  Can you imagine literally walking with God in the cool of the evening? (Gen 3:8).  It wasn't until sin came into the world that our relationship with God was broken and death entered into creation.  We barely get into Genesis chapter four and barely into the second generation of mankind before we see the first innocent victim of murder.  Why does Abel die?  Did he deserve it?  I suppose one could argue that we all deserve death (Ro 2:23 and 6:23), but did Abel deserve to be murdered an apparently young man, it doesn't seem so.  Clearly Cain had the freedom of choice to act out of a jealous rage and kill his brother who was an apparently innocent victim. 
So I don't know exactly why bad things happen except long ago when sin entered an otherwise perfect creation, that sin set into motion an endless cycle of poor decisions by people throughout history which has consumed otherwise innocent victims in its wake. 
I'm comforted, however, that Romans 6:23 doesn't have a period after "the wages of sin is death."  Instead there is the singularly most important comma in all of history followed by a statement of hope in Christ.  We who have taken up the yoke of Christ have hope beyond all of the decisions we and those around us have made.  Christ has conquered death and offers us His victory.  So today rather than dwell on the negative, I choose to cling to the great promise Jesus made in John 14:1-4:1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.^a If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?^b 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4And you know the way to where I am going.”

The New Morality

I read in a Reader’s Digest where a Miami Beach thief snatched a necklace from a tourist and took off.  He was arrested when he returned to berate the victim over his “fake” jewelry.  Such a thing is really hard to get my mind around as it by-passes logic, common sense, and my understanding of moral rights and wrongs in basic thinking.  Yet, I find myself in the same dilemma often when trying to understand today’s society.

How can someone who has stolen something from someone else believe it is that person’s fault that they can’t sell the jewelry for more money?  How can a man who texts lots of other women and commits adultery believe it’s his wife’s fault and that they, and I quote, “are just bad at relationships”.  How can someone believe that everyone of a certain skin color has an unequal advantage and they should be penalized for their skin color, or gender?  How can someone who receives free food, free cell phone, free rent and who doesn’t pay taxes believe other people should pay more?  How can anyone believe that someone who has committed a crime, been found guilty, and is in jail should have the right to do, well, anything?

And if we look around, these examples just pile up higher and higher and higher, so much in fact that I can’t contemplate them anymore so I stop looking at them in a seemingly apathetic manner.  But it’s not apathy, it’s an overwhelming inability to change the course of the ship’s direction.  The extent and infusion of this “new morality” regarding what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable, is so deceptive, so corrosive, and so extensive that I can’t engage in a forward fight, but am entrenched to just defend what I know and to reassure myself what is truth.  It seems almost daily know that we have to remind ourselves we aren’t crazy.  The truth is still the truth. 

Today’s society wants us to believe that all truth is relative.  In other words, the truth for you might be different than the truth for me depending upon our heritage, our society, our family, or our experiences and more commonly in today’s society, our race (which I find mind-blowing considering we have a black President - race issues are 10x worse now than any time in my lifetime – so much for the celebration of equal achievement).  But this is false.  There is an absolute truth just as there is an absolute authority just as there is only one true living God. 

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the truth”.  God is the truth.  He is the righteous – Him and Him alone.  The truth comes through God’s Word, His son Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit.  2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  Jesus instructed in John 16:13), “When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth … and He will disclose to you what is to come.” 

The simple solution to our society today is the adoption of God and His Word as our point-of-reference.  Our society has and continues in every possible way to move the cornerstone of the foundation of its existence.  It can and will fall.  The time table is set only by how quickly and forcibly that cornerstone is removed.  The answer is really that simple.  The answer has always been the same whether we want to believe it or not.

The answer is Jesus and it always will be.

Lord, please help me to desire to know Your Word, Your precepts, Your instruction.  Help me to listen to Your guidance and to follow Your Spirit in my heart.  Lead me to stand on Your right and wrong and to be able to sort out the world’s new morality so it does not corrupt me.  Protect me from this world.  In the only answer Jesus I pray.  Amen.