Evolution Revolution

    Although no one has ever been able to prove Darwin’s theory of evolution to a positive and decisive conclusion, the word evolution has been given a bad rap over the years. Stand back for a moment and one will see that mankind has been involved in a world wide evolution revolution for centuries. There’s not a day passes but millions of people have changed their life by incorporating some sort of new development invented to make life easier or more exciting. If you’re fifty plus years of age, you’ve witnessed a dramatic change in architecture, modes of transportation, and a definite change in communication all having brought huge changes to your way of life. Planes, trains and automobiles; telephones and televisions; medicines and health care; nutrition and the lack there of; politics and work ethics; neighborhoods and families; faith and beliefs are all evolving into something different, even to the point of being the opposite of what they were at the beginning of the twentieth century. I read an article, not long ago, about the “new world of credit”. One of the thoughts that struck me funny was the fact that credit rating firms consider people “deadbeats” if they’re not in debt up to their eyeballs and living from payday to payday exhausting every dime on payments toward “things”. To me, a “deadbeat” is a person who owes everybody in the world and isn’t making any payments. Not anymore, evidently. You are now a “deadbeat” if you’re not making interest payments to someone, essentially sending someone else’s kid to college. Change is good, but I think we’re leaving something important behind.
    A man left his car running as he dashed into a convenience store for just a second. When he ran back out of the store he found his car was gone. He felt so stupid for doing what he did. Police and insurance were notified and the man walked home. Upon his arrival, he found his car parked in the driveway. While inspecting it he found a pair of Cowboy’s football tickets and a note which read, “Please forgive me. I had an emergency and I borrowed your car. You’ll find the gas tank is full and please accept these tickets as payment for your distress.” Police and insurance were notified once again and all was forgiven in the man’s heart. He and his wife went to the game and enjoyed the great seats. Upon arrival back home they discovered their house had been thoroughly gone through and burglarized of all their valuables. The thief wasn’t after the car; only the keys to the house, which he made a copy of for use during the game.
    [2 Corinthians 5: 1-10] I today am very skeptical of the way the thoughts and ideals of religion and mankind’s relationship with the Creator are evolving. There is a story about some scientists that came to the conclusion man no longer needed God and challenged God’s creativity. Advancements had brought science to the point of being able to make a man from the “dust of the earth”, just like God. God accepted the challenge and asked the scientist’s to proceed. One bent toward the ground and with a scoop retrieved some dirt for their procedure. God immediately jumped in and said, “Wait just a minute! First of all, get your own dirt!” So who is it that is deciding we can get off the train any time we want so we can evolve into our own god? Likewise the world is creeping into worship, gratifying the “worshipper” to the extinction of giving thanks to God and remembering all He has done for each and every one of us. Man’s evolution revolution with God will eventually spell eternal destruction for most.

Have You Forgotten?

The family took a little vacation last weekend, six of us all together. Getting ready for such an event is always a little nerve racking. I generally worry my brain senseless, getting the vehicle ready, trying to not forget something important to bring and trying to prepare for every scenario under the sun, or in this case, rain. The first 50 miles of traveling is always spent in review, hoping I haven’t forgotten anything. After that it’s too late to do anything about it anyway, because turning back just isn’t an option of embarrassment. As usual, I over extended my imagination and found myself ready for Armageddon. Though the weather looked to be threatening every day leading up to, and throughout the weekend, our excursion wasn’t dampened and fun was had by all. Have you ever gotten so busy you forgot what your doing? If you’re old enough you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, here’s a story to explain what I’m talking about. It seems a man had finished his meeting at the church building and was desperately giving himself a TSA pat down looking for his car keys. He soon discovered they were not in his pockets. He returned to the meeting room for a quick search, which revealed nothing. Then he concluded he must have left them in the car. In a frantic panic he headed for the parking lot. On the way he recalled all the times his wife had warned him about the consequences of leaving the keys in the ignition, even though his theory was the ignition was the best place not to lose them. As he burst through the doors of the church building he came to the realization that her theory of the car being stolen was more correct. The parking lot was empty. He immediately called the police, gave them his location, confessed that he had left the keys in the ignition and the car had been stolen. Then he made the most difficult phone call of his life. “Honey”, he stammered. He always called her “honey” in times like these. “I left my keys in the car and it’s been stolen.” There was a period of silence, long enough he thought the call had been dropped. Then he heard his wife’s voice. “Ken,” she barked, “I dropped you off for your meeting!” Silence again. Embarrassed he asked, “Well, can you come and get me?” Silence yet again, then she retorted, “Yes, I will. Just as soon as I convince this fine young police officer I haven’t stolen your car!” Doh! [2 Peter 3] Everything that has a beginning will eventually come to an end. Every living thing has an appointment with death, even every man, “…is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27). Birds build their nests and rear their young, and so far as is known no bird ever tried to out-build or build more nests than its neighbor; no fox ever fretted because it had only one den; no squirrel ever died of anxiety because he had not laid up enough nuts for two or three winters ahead, and I doubt any dog ever lost sleep because he didn’t think he had a sufficient amount of bones buried in the back yard for his declining years. Don’t get me wrong here. Everyone must continually prepare and think ahead as to our long term needs of life while we journey on our road to forever upon this earth. But, I also see, and we have been warned not to do, people who are so wrapped in the world that they have forgotten that God has dropped us off here for only a short while and one day he’s coming back to pick us up. Will you be found as a goat of the world or a sheep of the shepherd (Matthew 25:31-ff)? Are you forfeiting your soul to gain the world (Mark 8:36)?

At Least Try

We have a new gas station in town which has prompted a gas war of sorts. The price is down and the activity surrounding the pump is like bees to nectar or ants to sugar. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to wait in line to put gas in my vehicle. Sitting and waiting and watching the hub-bub, makes one think and wonder, “Where’s everybody going, and what are they going to do when they get there?” Yeh! My turn!
I have oft times felt alone in my thoughts and question the success of my weekly devotion to writing about, and sharing, my spiritual faith and its impact on my life. My quest is to show others that a fulfilled life has to include the God of the Bible and the truths found within its pages inspired by the Holy Spirit. Then I come across an article written by someone like me and I rediscover I’m not alone in my ministry and am encouraged to press on. The following is written by Don Huddleston of Crosbyton, Texas. “It ought to make our blood boil, get our dander up! As we live in this world we are surrounded by lost people everywhere. Look to the right, look to the left, across the street, at the folks in front of you at the check-out. Everywhere you look, you will see them. They go about their business blissfully unaware of the danger facing them. They laugh, cry, celebrate, go to work, run to play and take their rest. They dream, scheme, try hard, succeed and fail. And all the while their greatest enemy weaves a lie before their eyes that keeps them from even questioning what’s going on. Jesus said that few would find the way that leads to everlasting life. Now we know the reason why. If it wasn’t for him who has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning, everyone would see and know and follow the truth. As it is, most do not have an inkling of what is the truth. The ancient deceiver has them thinking that truth is what they think, what they believe, what they want it to be. Consequently, most of the folks we know are headed for an everlasting future of nothing but unspeakable terror! Their minds and hearts have been blinded. They swallow whole lies. Satan has most so deluded they never even think about the most important issues of life. He tells them that they are basically good enough and they really don’t need saving. He has filled the hallways and airways with confusion and complexity so that people despair of ever knowing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What can we do, we are so few in number? That’s part of the deception the devil works upon the world, to lead us into thinking there is no need to even try. But if we can’t teach everyone, can we not at least teach one? We can and we must!” I totally agree and couldn’t have said it better myself.
[2 Corinthians 4] Three friends posed a question to each other. “When you’re in your casket and friends are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?” One said, “I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader and a great family man.” The next said, “I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people’s lives.” The last said, “I’d like them to say, ‘Look, he’s moving!’” I’m afraid a lot people will be wishing they could come back after the inevitable arrives. Even those things you possess and use to the glory of God upon this earth, you’ll have to leave behind as meaning nothing. In the end it will still be the grace of God that opens the gate to heaven. It will take my unswerving obedience and dedicated love for God, through Jesus, to receive that gift.

Be Still and Know

Isn’t it weird how in tune your ears are to the environment? I mean, walk into an empty apartment or house and you immediately feel the emptiness because every little noise of speech and action bounces and collides with itself. Fill that same space with your “stuff” and those same noises become personal sounds of comfort. Why? Because the space can now absorb and control the sound waves, quieting and mellowing that which enters your ear. Several months back, in the tranquility of the early morning, as I walked down my driveway with a southerly breeze in my face, I heard a loud hissing noise, which I perceived to be a leak from a rather large hose of compressed air. I stood still thinking, “That can’t be right” and started to listen even closer, trying to identify this odd new sound. It took a few minutes of quiet concentration to determine that the noise was coming from our new found heavy traffic flow on the state highway about a mile away. The local oil boom is as welcome as rain, but both can be noisy at times.
A young fellow was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple of friends late one night. “What’s with the big brass gong?” one of the friends asked. “It’s not a gong. It’s a talking clock,” the fellow replied. “A talking clock? Seriously?” asked his astonished friend. “Yup”, replied the fellow. “How’s it work?” asked the other friend. “Watch”. The fellow picked up the mallet, gave the gong an ear-shattering pound and stepped back. The three men stood gazing at one another. Suddenly, someone on the other side of the bedroom wall screamed, “You idiot! It’s one-fifteen in the morning!”
(As I read this story I had a few flash-backs, for as a teen I worked for a furniture retailer who used an old ice house for a warehouse. With sixteen inch thick walls and a very high roof line, with the door closed there was no intrusion from the outside. Every sound inside was unmistakable and clear as a bell). Back in the days before refrigerators, people used ice houses to preserve certain foods. Ice houses had thick walls and a tightly fitted door. In winter when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the ice houses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer months. A worker lost a valuable watch in one such ice house. He search diligently for it, carefully racking through the sawdust, but couldn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy, who heard about the fruitless search, slipped into the ice house during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. “I closed the door,” the boy replied, “laid down in the sawdust and kept very still. Soon I could hear the watch ticking and the sound led me to its hiding place.”
[Psalm 46] Too many times the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough to hear. I believe there are many times when God is giving us plenty of answers, but we’re missing them. We are so busy hearing our own voice, making a racket and thrashing around all we hear is empty noise. Sometimes we simply need to stop …be still …and wait quietly. When the day has been long and challenging, when you are frustrated and hurt and feeling anguished, how do you find the answers? Jesus says we need to close the door on the world and talk to our Father. He already knows what you are in need of and He will answer you if you will quietly show Him your love and thanksgiving. (Matthew 6:6-8) Be still, and know He is God.