God's Mirror

 

A mirror is proba­bly one of the most honest things there is. It doesn’t lie. Every time one looks into a mirror there is an accurate reflection of exactly what we are. About the only way to make a mirror lie is to distort it. Even then, the reflection is not flattering.

James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote, looking into the Bible one can see self in his natural face. This means bare bones, nothing doctored up. An actor can be made up to appear very different than natural, but that becomes hypocrisy. The word hyp­ocrite is an old word for an actor, one who pretends to be someone else. The Bible rips away the veneer of pretense and lays bare what we are in God’s view. The Mirror of the Soul (the Bible) reveals the origin of the soul (Genesis 2:7). It equally tells us the great value of the soul (Matthew 16:26). The mirror God holds up before us also shows us our personal defects and shortcomings (Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). Most important of all it shows us the eter­nal destiny of the soul (Matthew 25:46).

The mirrors we use sometimes get smudged and dirty. Good housekeepers will clean them with diligence. A dirty mirror tends to blur our vision of what we actually look like. When clean, a better and accurate image is reflected. The Word of God is ever clean and pure (Psalm 12:6). It never fails to show us what the Lord thinks of us. James pictures one who, after seeing self in God’s mirror, instantly walks away and for­gets what was seen. The tenses show that one takes a look (once) then instantly ignores it and continues to avoid the mirror. The only one blessed is the honest person who sees self as God sees him, makes whatever corrections are needed, and does what God would have him do. Take a good look at yourself in the Bible. What do you see? What does God see? “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer; he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:23-25).

[Hebrews 11] A ship was damaged and disabled causing it to be wrecked off the Rhode Island coast one winter day. A father and son managed to get into a lifeboat. The father refused to let his son help row the boat. Upon reaching land, the father found his son frozen to death. The boy needed activity in order to live.

What is true of the physical body is true of the Body of Christ, the Church, there needs to be an active faith in following God. Yet, what I often encounter with many people today who claim to be Believers, is that having “faith” simply means that one just acknowledges that there is a Christ. Some today think that if you merely confess that Jesus is one’s Savior, and you pray that He will come into your heart, you will be saved. That just going to a church building is good enough to express one’s faith in God. That if you give a little money here and there to the church everything will be alright with God. In God’s Word, faith is action, obedience, it is a response to God and not just a mental belief alone. Our faith in Christ causes us to act in ways God has prescribed, and Christianity, then, becomes an active lifestyle. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). I am encouraged to see that legislators in many states are returning to look into the mirror of God’s Word, passing legislation to reinstate the Ten Commandments in public schools and appropriate common-sense education. God-fearing parents are speaking out causing this action, and many more, and God is answering our prayers. God save America!

Fathers Are Essential

 

Mark Twain quipped, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.”

Several years ago, rangers in the Kruger National Park in Africa needed to reduce the elephant population. They decided to send a large number of elephants to other parks. Because of the size of the elephants and the difficulty in transporting them long distances, it was decided to only send juvenile elephants and adult female elephants. Adult bull elephants were just too large to transport. All seemed to go smoothly until rangers at a National Park in South Africa--the new home of the first shipment of elephants--began to discover dead white rhinos. At first, they suspected poachers. However, upon closer investigation, they discovered that the rhinos still had their precious horns, which was the usual target of poachers. Additionally, they were not killed by gunshot wounds but by deep puncture wounds to their bodies. To discover what was happening, the rangers set up hidden cameras throughout the forest. What they found astonished them. The culprits were bands of young, aggressive male elephants. They would knock down a rhino and then gore him to death with their tusks. According to zoologists, this kind of behavior is unheard of in elephants. What could have caused this abnormality in their behavior? The rangers speculated that it was the absence of the leadership of adult bull elephants. They knew that in normal circumstances, the adult bulls kept the younger bulls in line. To test their theory, the rangers brought in several older bulls. Sure enough, in a brief period of time the older bulls let the younger ones know that such brutal, cruel behavior was unacceptable. Within weeks, the harassment of other animals in the park ceased. The young bulls were photographed following the older bulls around and imitating their more appropriate, civilized behavior. So, what does that have to do with us? Simply this: what happened to the elephants is happening in our society today. Fathers are an integral part of the family!

[Revelation 21:7] Inheritance is important. Good fathers de­sire to leave something behind for their chil­dren. As fathers, what sort of inheritance would we like to see our children get? Material Possessions. There is nothing wrong with money, if possessed and used in godly ways. The Lord certainly wants us to provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8). How­ever, Paul also warned Timothy that the “love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), and Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). So, while we cer­tainly can be interested in provided a materi­al inheritance for our children, we must also be aware that riches will grow wings (Proverb 23:5). Worldly possessions will rust and are subject to the thievery of men (Matthew 6:19). A material inheritance can be good for our fam­ilies, but isn’t there something better? Eternal Possessions. While fathers cannot literally pass down eternal life to their chil­dren, they can certainly influence their chil­dren towards it by storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20-21), and in so doing set the right example for our children. Fathers are tasked with the responsibility of bringing up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). In so doing, we can pass down to our children a legacy of faith that could last them for eternity! Fathers, it is good to provide for our family’s physical wellbeing. But the greatest legacy you can leave your children is faith in God and a Christian example that will span the ages!

“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him” (Proverbs 23:24). It takes work, but the father who guides well is rewarded.

Who's Controlling Your Ship?

 

A certain sea captain and his chief engineer argued as to which of them was more important to the ship. Failing to agree, they resorted to a unique plan of swapping places. The chief engineer ascended to the bridge and the captain went to the engine room. After a couple of hours, the captain suddenly appeared on the deck covered with oil and soot. “Chief!” he yelled, wildly waving aloft a monkey wrench. “You’ll have to come down here; I can’t make her go!” “Of course you can’t,” replied the chief. “We’re aground!”

What kind of world would we have if there were no rules to live by? Think of the resulting chaos. We have just about reached that point in our world today. Many have come to believe that the rules that govern others simply do not apply to them. One sees them in traffic, and in stores. They are rude and hateful. God speaks of those who have become “a law unto themselves.” With such people others do not matter. They are more important than others for they make their own laws. One day the Great Law Giver will return, and all will be judged by His Law (Revelation 20:21). In a world where men make their own rules what would your life be to those kinds of people? It produces men without conscience.

[Luke 2:7] The world has always had trouble finding room for the Son of God. From His birth to this very day, He often finds Himself an outsider. 1) No Room In Politics, Government and Business. Christ has largely been banished from the halls of government. Much of the framing of our country purposely reflected much of the teachings of God. But the principle of “separation of church and state” has been distorted to mean total isolation of Christianity from the process of government. Nor is there any evidence of the influence of Christ in the boardrooms of our giant corporations! Is there no room for Jesus in public life? 2) No Room In The Schoolhouse Christ has been barred from the classroom. It is permissible to speak of Hitler, Napoleon, Stalin, and other figures of history who bathed the world in blood, but it is not permitted to speak of the Prince of Peace! The ideals of Karl Marx and Charles Darwin are welcome in the classroom but not Jesus Christ! 3) No Room In Many Churches Modern religion is often embarrassed by Christ and His teachings. Liberal churches deny the virgin birth, the resurrection, or the divinity of Christ and feel no loyalty to His standards of morals and ethics. Many churches are more interested in social issues than they are in atonement. 4) No Room In The Lives Of Many Who Claim To Follow Him Often there is little evidence of the compassion, mercy, love, and morality of Christ in the lives of His would-be followers. Christ should be more visible in our lives! (Galatians 2:20) Many call themselves Christians but can’t make room in their life for regular worship attendance, generous giving, Bible study, prayer, and Christian service to others! We are living in a world that has frighteningly veered out of control. We have become so advanced technologically and scientifically, yet our world is full of loneliness, heartbreak, and sin! Is there any wonder? We have rejected and left Christ out of most everything! Life will always be empty and off course as long as we refuse to make room for Christ. The poet has said: “No room for Him, We grieve that it was so, And then we go, busy upon our way, With no more courtesy than they who turned our Lord away.”

Jerimiah spoke the truth when he wrote, “Oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jerimiah 10:23). In fact, when you and I seek to take control of our own ship, we often “run it aground” for “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). We need direction! The real issue is Lordship. Who is going to be the lord of our lives? Me or Christ?

Don't Be Deterred

 

In the light of the recent historical decision that has come out of the New York courts of justice comes yet another deterrent to quash our constitutional right to a fair trial before an unbiased justice and a jury of peers without prejudice. Although the decision is very unpopular, fear has been sown in the minds of those who desperately wish to express their opinion. If anyone thinks the fear of reprisal doesn’t work, then let him consider the effect of fear in a different context: the fear of being punished for doing good. Fear of punishment, whether physical or verbal, keeps a lot of people from doing right! Hollywood and the news media belittle and criticize any group that believes in Christ and the Bible. But movie makers and newscasters will not dare mock the “religion” of Islam. Why is there a double standard? Intimidation works! Network executives don’t want to incur the wrath of Muslims. Politicians are reluctant to tell the truth about this dangerous cult because they are paralyzed by the fear of Muslim retaliations. But Muslim terrorism is not the only or even the worse form of reverse deterrence we’re facing. People are dissuaded from saying and doing the right thing because they fear being humiliated and criticized. They are deterred from speaking the truth for fear of being fined, sued, or imprisoned. The Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriages are legal. Presidential executive orders have demanded that restrooms and school locker rooms be open to the opposite intended sex as the person sees fit under reprisal of losing federal funds and lawsuits. Gender confuse persons are invading school sports and the critical structure of moral decency including the family structure. These high-handed tactics show us just how much freedom we have lost.

[Acts 5:28-29] The Jewish leaders told the apostles not to teach the gospel anymore. Peter replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” This is the same Peter who said we should obey our rulers (1 Peter 2:13-17). Here I will interject the fact that today’s government projects the thought that our freedoms come from the government. Nay, nay! Our freedoms are God-given, and the purpose of government is to protect those freedoms from being overtaken by evil greed. Our Declaration of Independence from the king of England and the Constitution of the United States, when read, understood, and followed, will allow our representative government to perform in this exact way. We are once again being taxed without representation and frivolous spending is destroying the country.

These intimidation tactics are even in the church. It comes from members who threaten to leave if the preacher and/or the elders don’t comply with their demands. They are spiritual terrorists who do their best to spread fear and compromise in the church. Sadly, many give in to spiritual terrorism. King Saul said, “I have sinned …because I feared the people, and their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but he allowed the Jews to intimidate him into sentencing Jesus to die (John 19:8-16). The Jewish leaders were spiritual terrorists. They bullied and intimidated anyone they could. Though the common people had opinions about Christ, the Bible says at the temple “…no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews” (John 7:13). There is a right and a wrong kind of fear in the Bible. It is good to be afraid of disobeying the Lord (Matthew 10:28). It is wrong to fear man and compromise the truth. John records what Jesus had to say, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly (fearful) …shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:7-8). Consider reading and understanding Romans 13. Because government is no longer Godly, God’s wrath is near to defend us.