As I’ve openly
admitted often, I don’t consider myself the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I
can recognize the fang-barring wolf staring at me, especially since it has
become so brazen it doesn’t even wear sheep’s clothing any longer. I don’t want
to get off on a rant here, but; Fifty plus years ago I graduated from high
school and I don’t think I even knew what an abortionist was. The annual report
of “Planned Parenthood,” FY-June 30, 2018-19, supported by your tax dollars,
outside influences and the sale of aborted baby parts, page 24, states
“Abortion Services” 345,672 procedures. Now take this in: That’s 947 legal
murders per day! That’s only one of the several questionable “services”
provided by Planned Parenthood. They are also involved heavily in culture, law
and government manipulation, much of it against the will of the people of this
nation. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision made the procedure
legal in 1973, it is known that 50 million abortions have been performed. The
National Highway Safety Board works harder every day trying to save the lives
of 100 accidental deaths, (average per day in the U.S.) with a louder voice than any
protest against Planned Parenthood policies.
[Psalm 33:12-22;
Proverbs 14:34] Sadly, this nation and the world have changed morally and
spiritually. The gospel of Christ is no longer accepted as the “one way” and
the thought of “God’s way or no way” has become a case of unfair judging
because God’s Word demands obedience. Today we are told we must become progressive
in our thinking. If our faith is truly based on love then we must be tolerant,
open to all ideas, open to all people and open to every way of thinking. To be
anything less is intolerant and old fashioned. Progressives throw Romans
chapter 14 at the conservative Christian in an attempt to belittle their
religious faith. Romans, is a letter written by Paul to the believers in the
church at Rome.
Their faith is still transitioning from a physical only relationship with one
another to an added spiritual relationship with one another. Judging one
another based on one’s cultural background will not help any of them grow in
their faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This letter has nothing to do with
getting along with the unbelieving world, nor accepting or being tolerant with
its evil desires. Then throw in Matthew 7:1 and the Christian must, according
to the “new mindset,” accept anything and anyone’s ideas. In the sense of the
matter I do not have the right to judge anyone as to what I think they are doing,
right or wrong, and what their reward or punishment ought to be. But, I do have
the right to judge whether or not I wish to be a part of another’s activities
according to my moral and ethical beliefs. And, excuse me, I have the right to
speak just a loudly about my conservative lifestyle as anyone has about their
lifestyle. I will continue to be aware and vigilant of the wolf - to avoid his
advances as he attempts to devour my faith in Christ. Consider this before it’s
too late to save our nation. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the
people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees
all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth - he who
forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by
the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a
vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But
the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his
unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We
wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts
rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O
LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
On April 30, 1789
George Washington was sworn in as our first President of the United States of America.
Placing his hand on the Bible, he affirmed the following oath as given by
Robert Livingston: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office
of President of the United States,
and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution of the United
States.” Although there is no record of it
happening, it is legend that after affirming that oath, he added the words, “So
help me God” and kissed the Bible. It is not true that every President has
taken it upon himself to add this phrase to his oath as some would like to have
you believe. At Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration he did indeed speak the
phrase and kiss the Bible. In 1881, Chester A. Arthur affirmed the oath given
by the Chief Justice by saying, “I will, so help me God.” Herbert Hoover simply
affirmed the oath of office by saying, “I do.” The phrase, “So help me God”
established a partial tradition that has been repeated by many, but not all
President’s at the end of their oath of office affirmation. So anyway, at the
inauguration of Washington, the United States
had begun a system of government that had never been tried before. It was an
experiment that many believed would not work. But, George Washington knew that
the fate of this new nation rested upon how well he executed the office of
President, and that it could only be done with the help of God.
Henry VIII is the
most well-known of the British kings. When he died on January 28, 1547, his
nine-year-old son Edward took the throne. At Edward’s coronation, three swords
were presented to him as symbols of the three kingdoms that he would rule over.
Upon their presentation, the boy king cried out, “There is a sword that is
wanting!” Quietness fell over the ceremony as the officials looked at each
other, not understanding what young Edward meant. When they asked him what
sword was missing, he replied, “The Bible!” This sword is still missing from
many governments around the world today. Leaders wield the swords of party and
popularity, but not the most important sword of all, The Word of God. Decisions
are being made every day with little or no regard for what the Word of God
says. We the people have been derailed by self-centered socialists who are
doing everything they can to destroy our Constitution. They are doing their
best to convince you that our government is a democracy and that the majority
is right and always win. Our government is a republic, governed by the people
for the people and our elected representatives in government offices are there
to administer the will of the people, not dictate and implement their personal
beliefs on the masses against their will. We have many of our representatives
up for election this year, 2020. Pay attention to what they are really saying
and are they willing to execute their office, “So help me God”
[Romans 8:35-39] We
all have rolls that we follow. We are husbands, wives, sons, daughters,
volunteers and workers. Sometimes it seems there are not enough of us to go
around. We stretch ourselves to the limit and find ourselves exhausted from our
efforts. Where do we find our strength? If we find it in ourselves we will
eventually be tapped out. If we look for that strength and help in our God, we
will be successful. It’s when we put our hope in God that we can and will
conquer the evil in our lives. We will always have trouble, but we always have
someone we can turn to. When troubles come and when you’re tapped out, ask God
for help and strength. He will help you through those rough times, and help you
establish a legacy in your family that will last forever. Pray for all of our
elected officials that they return to the righteous government of our sovereign
nation.
If you’re a follower
of the old “Andy Griffith Show” you’ll remember Otis, the town drunk, who
periodically checks himself into jail to sleep off his inebriation. Otis is a
lovable character, who would never hurt anybody else, although he doesn’t know
how to handle the bottle. On one show Otis receives a letter from his brother
stating he was coming to visit. Otis had foolishly told his brother he was a
deputy sheriff and didn’t know what he was going to do. Andy, who always tried
to accommodate anyone, offered to let Otis become a temporary deputy, only
while his brother was in town. The catch was that Otis had to stay sober. Of
course, his wife wouldn’t believe it was true until he destroyed his liquor at
home. Everything went according to plan when his brother came. Otis was even
strong enough to refuse to drink on duty when his brother invited him to go out
for a drink. Otis wanted to make sure his brother knew he was a success, not
the failure his brother expected him to be. But then something completely
unexpected happened. Otis kept expecting to get caught in his masquerade, but
then his brother did the unimaginable. As Otis looked on in surprise, his
brother came into the jail drunk, and checked himself in just like Otis did
every weekend. The brother was appropriately sorry as Otis lectured him on how
he had let down the whole family by his actions. Andy’s lesson to Otis was that
he shouldn’t have been so self-conscience about trying to impress others. But I
believe there was a greater lesson. Otis had the chance to see himself as he
really was. He had a chance to hear, “You are the man!” When King David stole
Uriah’s wife, and then had him killed to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11), he
thought he had covered up everything. But then Nathan told him a story about a
rich man who took a poor man’s one ewe lamb to feed a traveling visitor. David
was incensed about this man’s wickedness and vowed a four-fold retribution, and
the man should die! Nathan boldly concluded, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel
12:7). To his credit, David responded in penitence, and accepted his punishment
(2 Samuel 12:7-23). But Otis never changed. He never reformed. He could see how
his brother embarrassed him, but he never saw himself
[Proverbs 14:12]
“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” So
many times in life we chose a way or path that isn’t God approved. We do this
because it “seems” or “feels” right. This can be very damaging, spiritually
speaking, to ourselves and others. How would any of us know what is right or
wrong without consulting God and His Word first? Peter often went down a path
of his own choosing, before coming to his senses. But, he made a very profound
and wise statement when answering Jesus about leaving Him. (John 6:60-69) Simon
Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” We need to ask
ourselves this when facing tough situations. Will we go with what is popular?
Will we go with our “feelings”? We must turn to the Lord and His Word. Many
decisions have consequences not only for us but for others around us. What
would Jesus do? This is a valid question when we are in a decision making
process. Let us always seek a way that is right, and not one that “seems”
right. The footsteps of Jesus will never lead us astray. Look to the Master for
what we should do and the correct attitude that we should possess. Our
spiritual future, and possibly that of others, hangs in the balance. “Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Thank-You
Lord!
Fasten your seatbelt!
2020 is going to be a bumpy, muddy ride to say the lease. Science fiction is
becoming reality right before our eyes. At the same time greed and the
apostasies of both political and religious common sense are about to destroy
every good thing mankind has ever produced. Are the stresses and strains of
this pressure-cooker world beginning to take their toll? Do you long for a
return of “the good old days” Perhaps you can identify with the frustration of
this disillusioned observer: “The world is too big for us. Too much going on;
too many crimes; too much violence and excitement. Try as you will, you get
behind in the race. In spite of yourself, it’s an incessant strain to keep pace
and still you lose ground. Science empties discoveries on you so fast that you
stagger beneath them in hopeless bewilderment. The political world has news so
rapidly you’re out of breath trying to keep pace with who’s in and who’s out.
Everything is high pressure. Human nature can’t endure much more.” So, I’ll ask
once more: Do you long for “the good old’ days” when today’s problems were yet
unknown? If so, you might be interested
to know that the quotation above is excerpted from an editorial in the Atlantic
Journal. The date: June 16, 1883! Yes, the more things change, the more they
seem to stay the same. Solomon’s wisdom still rings true: “Do not say, ‘Why
were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions”
(Ecclesiastes 7:10). Regardless the time, regardless the culture, regardless the
particular problems of the moment, the words of the Savior bring comfort to the
troubled soul: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33).
Douglas Malloch
(1877-1938) was an American poet, short story writer and associate editor of
American Lumbermen, a Chicago
trade paper. He loved his beloved Michigan
and was commissioned to write her state song. Having grown up in the midst of
the forests, logging camps and sawmills of Michigan, Malloch became known as the
“Lumberman’s Poet”. He is probably best known for his wonderful poem, “Be A
Bush If You Can’t Be A Tree”. ‘If you can’t be a pine on top of a hill, be a
scrub in the valley – but be the best little scrub by the side of the rill; be
a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
doing something for somebody’s sake. If you can’t be a muskie, then just be a
bass – but be the liveliest bass in the lake. We can’t all be captains, some
have to be crew; There’s something for all of us here, there’s a big work, and
little for people to do, and the task we must do is the near. If you can’t be a
highway, then just be a trail; If you can’t be the sun, then be a star, it
isn’t by size that you win or you fail – be the best of whatever you are!’
Those with one talent fret that they do not have two. Those with two talents
fret that they do not have five. In the parable that Jesus told (Matthew
25:14-30) the focus was not on the number
of talents a person has, but on the use
of the talents one has. Those who used their talent, whether five or two,
received the same approval and reward (v. 21, 23). The one talent man was not
condemned because he only had one talent, but because he did not use the talent
he had. He was a “wicked and lazy” servant (v. 26). What is the moral of the
story? You can sit and mope because you do not have the talent of others, or
you can use the talent you do have in the service of the King! In other words,
“Be A Bush If You Can’t Be A Tree”. Be the best scrub, bass, crewmember, trail,
star and servant of Christ you can be! ”Be the best of whatever and whoever you
are!” Make this your 2020 resolution for the rest of your life.