Like Night and Day

How do you know it’s summer in South Texas? Well, while one is adjusting the water temperature of a much anticipated evening shower, mixing cold water with the hot and all that happens is – the water gets hotter – you know it’s been a hot day. Yeh, this is the time of year when all one needs is to turn on the cold water for a good refreshing shower. It’s only July and we’re experiencing August temperatures already. The big city has imposed water restrictions in an attempt to help the aquifer maintain a safe level of adequate water but I’m afraid it’s going to take serious prayer and rain. I believe I heard this is the earliest in any years previous that water restrictions have come into effect. I guess it’s just one more thing to add to our already too long list of things restricting our everyday life. The presence of the evil one comes in many different forms to aggravate and taunt us into a froth of frustration, but calm heads will prevail – Pray in earnest.

[John 1:4-5; 3:16-21] While things of this present sphere remain, political kingdoms will rise in dominance, peak and fall. There are, however, two spiritual kingdoms which will continue until the end of time: one is the kingdom of darkness which is ruled by Satan and his evil cohorts; the other is the kingdom of light (heaven), also known as the kingdom of Jesus, the Christ and His church. In addition to having different rulers, they have distinctive features. * The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light have distinguishing objectives. The kingdom of heaven seeks to bless God’s creation, especially mankind; the other to curse and destroy. The purpose of one is to provide life, give meaning and fulfillment, while Satan works to rob, steal and kill, to make us despondent under the gloom of misery and hopelessness. * The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light bear distinguishing fruits. One produces chaos, confusion, lawlessness, selfishness, hatred, strife, division and death, while Jesus creates peace, unity, joy and love. * The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light have distinguishing destinies. The kingdom of darkness will be completely overwhelmed and utterly conquered by the power and glory of Jesus at his coming. Darkness will vanish in the presence of His light. Satan, his angels, his willing and deceived followers, will be vanquished in everlasting destruction. Jesus, the king of righteousness, along with his angels and faithful followers, will glow in radiant splendor as He places on their heads the eternal crown of victory over Satan, sin and death. Presently, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to translate you from the power of the kingdom of darkness, to deliver you from death and give you life in the eternal kingdom of light. Jesus said of himself; “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” Today there is plenty of darkness around us and Satan is very busy deceiving those who refuse to walk in the light of truth. It seems we are faced with an uncompromising enemy on all sides. The apostle Paul said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). It’s not easy to do. Our first temptation is to strike back – to get even! A wrong has been done, and we are going to see at he doesn’t get away with it. One side wants to loot and riot under the cover of darkness while the other side wants to bring the problems to light and expose the truth. Which side would you want Jesus to find you on when He returns? It may be very soon.

It's Time to Forgive and Forget

These United States of America, a Constitutional Republic, drawn up and based on the moral and ethical notion of God’s Word, for the people and governed by the people, is failing because its people are eating the wrong food to sustain a strong spiritual lifestyle. Without a high level of Godly spirit, this country is doomed to fall into the hands of the evil one. Mankind is sinful, weak and selfish, which brings about poor judgement producing huge mistakes at times. Ethnic cleansing and destruction of history is futile. Recourse in the proper use of our Constitution and obedience to God works.

We are told that a bird can go nine days without food, a dog 20 days, a turtle 500 days, a snake 800 days, a fish 1000 days, and some insects 12,000 days. For a human – three to six weeks is about the limit. Sooner or later nourishment is necessary for all God’s creatures. Have you noticed that we are not often asked to “read” the Word of God? Rather we are urged to study it, meditate upon it, and compare spiritual things with spiritual. In other words, God wants us to put in a consecrated effort when we approach the Scriptures, for in this way we will more readily assimilate its sweet nourishment and good doctrine. Many are starving to death spiritually; not because food is unavailable but simply because they will not eat of it. What home does not have a Bible or opportunity to attend worship? A Bible on the shelf is of no more value than food in the refrigerator. Feed your soul! America is going to die without the Creator.

[Luke 6:20-36] The phrase “forgive and forget” has been in the English language for a long time. An older member of the church once commented to me concerning forgiving and forgetting, “I don’t know which is harder to do!” As difficult as they are for us humans to do–do them we must if we are to have forgiveness from our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:15). Forgiveness in the original language of the Bible has the connotation of “to send away.” For example in Micah 7:19 we read that God will “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” When God forgives us, He sends our sins (and the guilt of them) so far away they can never be reached again. Truly God is the epitome of “forgive and forget.” But I wish to examine the phrase “forgive and forget” from another angle. I noticed that inside the words “forgive” and “forget” are the words “give” and “get.” In other words, to truly get the benefits that forgiveness can bring, we must first give something. For those of us desiring the forgiveness of another, we need to give that person a truly repentant attitude and lifestyle (Matthew 3:8). Then and only then will we get reconciliation with our brother or sister in Christ. For those of us needing to forgive another, we need to give an attitude of compassion and willingness to work out/forget our differences toward the one who has wronged us (Matthew 5:23-24). As a wise person once noted, we may not be able to totally forget that we were wronged, but we can act like it never happened. The Christians at Corinth were to forgive a brother who obviously had repented. Paul writes to them “you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him” (2 Corinthians 2:7-8). The wayward brother was giving to them, and now they were to give, as well. They were to confirm their love once again for him by forgiving and comforting him. All involved would benefit from this. So let’s always remember to “forgive and forget.” And let’s always remember that to get, we must first give. Our founding fathers gave everything for the freedoms we enjoy today. Isn’t it time to forgive and forget their mistakes and move forward?

Life Can Be Tough

For me a vehicle is like a comfortable pair of shoes or a just starting to fad pair of jeans. The driver’s seat is set perfect and is molded to my shape. The height of the ride and its reactions to the road are predictable. After one drives a vehicle a couple of hundred thousand miles it seems you know it better than some of your best friends. But, like shoes and jeans things wear out and need replacing over time. A few years back the overdrive became intermittent and a part in the transmission was replaced. The interior of the transmission looked good and convenience prompted the replacement of the torque convertor as long as the transmission was out of the vehicle. To make a long story short, the replacement torque convertor was noisy from day one. Not something easy to replace again, so I resigned to living with it. A couple of years have passed and the noise has worsened. Fluid changes and medicine seemed to help but had me concerned. Well, this past Monday the old girl let me down. Sitting in the middle of a super busy intersection at a traffic light that just turned green, I stepped on the gas and – nothing! When one drives an older vehicle, jumper cables, a tow strap and a box of tools are a must-have at all times. Of course I don’t like using them on my own equipment; they’re mostly for helping others out of predicaments I now find myself in. Luckily, I got a guy to drag me off the road and by the time I checked the fluids and such, which were clear, clean and odorless by the way so not the transmission, it went into gear again. To make another story short, I tried to make it home – made one mile and no drive again. It has to be the torque convertor losing its grip when it gets heated up. I called a friend and we got it towed to the house. I tell myself things could have been worse. I literally praise God I broke down in suburbia and it didn’t happen in the middle of the big city. I thanked God for a good brother-in-Christ who forfeited his lunch date with his wife to come to my rescue without question. I thanked God for a good “Plan B” - my wife’s car which rarely gets used. I thank God I have the money to repair it and trustworthy mechanics to fix it. Monday was a good day because God was with me and blessed me.

[John 16:33] Jesus never promised us that everything would be perfect here on earth. He recognized that we would encounter trouble. But his instructions were to be of good cheer not to let it get us down. As we encounter difficulties in life, it will help us to remember the big picture; God is our Father and has a wonderful eternal plan for us. We are his children and he loves us. We are supposed to be learning to trust God to obey him. As we do, every problem we ever face is an opportunity to walk in faith and please God. Every problem is an opportunity to overcome with God’s help. How can we expect to receive the blessings promised to the victorious if we never have anything to overcome? What is the answer when we seem overwhelmed with trouble? Look to Jesus. He has already won the victory. He has overcome and defeated the world. In him is victory. How can we look to Jesus? It is mostly a matter of focus; what we chose to think on. What God says in His Word will set us free and give us peace. What our circumstances say is not the final word. So, go to God’s Word. Cling to the promises. Speak them. Sing them. Shout them. Rejoice over them. And thank God for them. Also, we need to develop a closer relationship with the Lord. That is His desire and it should be ours. All relationships are based on communication, so we must talk to the Lord to deepen our relationship with him. Develop a habit of talking to Him about everything. We can speak freely with him – after all, he knows what we’re thinking anyway, always.

Fathers Are Vital!

It was the peppery Erma Bombeck who once said of her father, “I never knew what to do with the daddy doll, so I had him say, ‘I’m going off to work now’; and I put him under the bed.” One of the most precious things a father can give his child is a solid work ethic. It is vital that children see their father work hard, honestly, and to take pride in what he does. 

As a child, I remember that when something broke down, my father would get out his toolbox and make the repairs. I was always fascinated by his toolbox and its contents. It seemed my father could fix almost anything with the tools inside. From the very beginning, God has designated husbands/fathers as the leaders of the home (Genesis 3:16). Fathers have a great responsibility in making sure the whole family goes the right direction in the name of the Lord. The Christian father needs to have his spiritual toolbox at the ready to make sure this is the case. Some of the tools that should be in it are: Adjustable wrench – Fathers must be able to adapt to any situation that arises, so that they can continue to lead properly. Carpenter’s pencil – Fathers must be able to draw the boundaries for the family and keep them so that all can clearly see them. Level – Fathers must be fair and keep a level head in all circumstances. Pliers – Fathers must be able to hold everything together even when everybody else may be losing their grip. Hammer – Fathers must be effective in driving home important truths. Utility knife – Fathers must be able to cleanly separate and remove undesirable things and influences, so that they do not harm the family. Screwdriver – Fathers must be willing to keep turning the right direction to help keep the family secure. Tape measure – Fathers must be measuring and monitoring the family’s use of time, resources, and priorities. Duct tape – Fathers must be ready to apply a quick fix to problems so that they don’t get out of hand, holding them in check until a permanent solution is found. Extension cord – Fathers must plug into the proper power source and distribute it to every family member. Fathers are important, and they must use the proper tools and take the time to build and mend the family into a strong structure for the Lord. 

A child learns responsibility and integrity from such a role model. There is nothing sadder than a child whose father is a deadbeat, a bum, or even worse, dishonest. But sometimes dads take this too far. They become consumed with their work, and become unavailable to their children. Studies have shown that it is vital for both sons and daughters to develop this relationship with their father. A boy learns how to be a man from his father. This goes far beyond the realm of learning how to throw curve balls and attach a lure to a line - it has to do with the son’s view of ethics and integrity, and especially the view of his spiritual self. A girl learns about femininity by using her father as a guideline for what is opposite. If her relationship with her father is distant or strained, the studies say, her marital relationship later in life will be impaired and dysfunctional. Not a happy life.

[Psalm 78:1-8] The Bible speaks frequently and eloquently about the need for fathers to pass their Godly life on to their children. “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things, things from of old – what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and wonders that he has done” (v’s 2-4). Someone has observed that in state penitentiaries prisoners frequently request “Happy Mother’s Day” cards. They almost never ask for “Happy Father’s day” cards. I wonder why that would be? Fathers need to pass on their Godly life to their children. Be there!

No Compromise

There once was a man, while preparing for the upcoming winter, decided he was in need of a new fur coat to help keep him warm. There once was a bear who was preparing for hibernation, a nice long winter’s nap, roaming the woodlands in search of a good meal. The man spotted the bear and drew down on it with his rifle taking careful aim not to put a hole in his new fur coat. The bear saw the man, stood up on his hind legs with his front paws up in the air and shouted, “Why are you going to shoot me?” The man explained, “I need a new fur coat.” The bear reasoned with the man, “Does it have to be from me you get your coat? Come and meet with me so we can talk about this situation.” The man thought about the winter cold and began to squeeze the trigger. The bear insisted there must be some sort of compromise in the offing that would satisfy both of them. If only the man would put down his gun and they could meet to talk. Well, the man thought about it and lowered his rifle thinking maybe the bear was right and perhaps the two could work something out. They met to negotiate over the matter and arrived at a compromise that fulfilled both their needs. You probably think, “Oh, that’s great. See, we can always come together and talk things out, negotiating our differences to a satisfactory compromise.” By the way; the compromise between the man and the bear which gave both of them what they wanted in the first place? The bear had a great meal and the man got his new fur coat. 

Compromise is gradual, but the damage it causes is permanent. Our culture has been in a state of decay for several generations, but many have been too busy to notice. Many have been too selfish to care. Now our civilization is crumbling before our eyes and we feel powerless to keep it from falling. Should we be surprised? Some in our land wanted sexual liberation in the 60’s and 70’s, and now we have same-sex marriages. They wanted freedom of choice, and 56 million babies have been massacred as a result. They wanted tolerance and diversity, and now there is jihad. They said we must teach evolution to meet academic standards, and now they have no standard of right and wrong. They have fallen into the age-old trap of following a multitude to do evil. There is no compromising with the evil one (1 Peter 5:8).

[1 Thessalonians 5:21-22] Willing participation in sin just does not make any sense. To defy the will of God is not only wicked and damning, it is irrational. Knowing that sin separates one from God (Isaiah 59:2), who would venture down such a path? The answer is disturbing: all of us (Romans 3:23). But such does not have to remain the case! We can lovingly and humbly submit to the Creator of all (John 14:15)! To highlight the irrational nature of sin, consider just two examples from the book of Acts: First, the high priest put Peter and the other apostles in prison at a time when they were healing all that were brought to them. Who puts a stop to miraculous healing? Those who are filled with irrational jealousy (Acts 5:12-18). Second, a mob formed in Ephesus that could best be described with the word confusion. Who screams “great is Artemis of the Ephesians” for two solid hours? Those who are filled with irrational anger (Acts 19:23-34). Karl Marx said, “My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” The stage of apostasy is being set by Marxist and Communists this very day with that same goal in mind. We cannot compromise with evil and retain our freedoms, nor can we compromise with God and retain eternal life (1 Corinthians 10:21-22). Let us love our God with all our heart, soul and mind; especially our minds (Matthew 22:37). Be joyful; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).