Test of Orthodoxy?

We all tend to have our favorite Bibles and maybe even translations, but it shouldn't be a test of one's orthodoxy to the faith to be partial to one translation, e.g., the Authorized King James Version. You are really only reading the true Word of God when you read the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic because all translations fall short. You need to realize that the Word is verbally inspired and the exact word in the original is inspired for a purpose. Settle all doctrinal issues with exegesis, or returning to the original text.

I realized the problem we have when at Bible study yesterday that someone said, "I like that translation!" just because of the choice of wording that hit his funny-bone. It is not what words impress us in the translations that are paramount, but the original text. The best translations are more difficult to read because they don't do all the work for you and call a spade a spade and don't use idioms that become obsolete and are only fashionable and current for a while. I'm not saying a young believer shouldn't read the NLT (New Living Translation), the CEV (Contemporary English Version), or other modern-day translation for example, but he must realize what he is doing and compare versions. Don't get stuck in only one version, which will take away much perspective and insight: by resorting to this one can get Bible fatigue, where it seems like you are bored with an all-to-familiar text. Variation brings challenge and new input or inspiration and illumination.

I find that my doctrines don't depend on any one translation and I can read without hesitation almost any translation; however, I know hundreds of verses by memory and I am able to compare these verses, and I already know what I believe through good Bible-teaching exposure.  I feel free to use any translation and to quote Mother Teresa of Calcutta, though I am not a Catholic. Notes of explanation should be given to the reason for a specific translation being favored: Is it more literal or easier to understand, for instance? (Not that it sounds good or catchy!)

Once you have studied what the original language or wording says you will be somewhat disillusioned about the quality of a translation and lose faith in a so-called "King-James-only" faith. In conclusion, God can speak through any translation, but we are to exercise common sense and not be ignorant about what we are doing, but not skeptical either.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Universal Love

Modern-day evangelicals like to stress the fact the God "loves" everyone. The only verse they can use and I mean misuse is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that...." Don't they know that there are seven meanings to the world or cosmos in the New Testament? In the very next verse, it is obvious that God isn't planning on saving everyone: "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."

There are several verses that indicate that God "hates" individuals: Ps. 5:5 and Ps. 11:5 say that God "hates the wicked." In Romans and Malachi, it says that God hated Esau. Now they say that "hate" just means "reject" but if this is so why does God reject those he loves. On the judgment day, Christ will say, "I never knew you, depart from me...." Note that it is not that he used to know them, but that he never knew them. "For whom the Lord foreknew he predestined..." (Rom. 8:29). This word for foreknow means to know in a loving way.

I don't go around telling people that Jesus loves them as if that is the key message because I only believe it confirms them in their sin and they lose respect for God as their judge. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him" (Psa. 103:11). "I love those who love me..." (Prov. 8:17). If God does indeed love everyone it is only in a very narrow way of "caring" for his creatures as Psa. 145:9 says that God "[is] good to everyone, and takes care of his creation." This is called "common grace" and God does make the rain to fall on the unjust as well as the just as we well know.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Polarizing Political Hay

I was watching the History channel presentation "The Bible" the other day and a fellow "Christian" persecuted me for watching a "politically correct" version of the Bible (it had a black Samson). When he found out from listening to Fox News that the man who portrayed the devil had an uncanny resemblance to President Obama, he said he "owed me an apology" because he obviously liked that part.

The biggest problem we have in Congress is gridlock and dysfunction. Everyone seems to think that being pragmatic is evil and that compromising politically is like compromising your morals. Many politicians are beholden to the NRA for instance because of intimidation and financial ties even though the silent majority of Americans disagree with this organization. (For instance, 91 percent of Americans favor background checks for all gun purchases, while the NRA is against this.) What we need is the great compromise of 2013 just like there was a Great Compromise of 1850. Both parties are adamant and intransigent and unwilling to see the others' viewpoint.

We owe respect to our elected officials no matter what their personal religious beliefs or economic theories are. God has placed these rulers in their place of power over us for a reason and we are to "obey the rulers who have authority over [us]." When we call someone a devil or demonize we are judging and I hope I don't have to remind fellow Christians that it is unwise to judge. Even if we see the president as our "enemy" we are to "love [our] enemies." I have seen what appears to be nothing but hate and intolerance for Obama, and the Word says that "If we hate others we are walking in darkness." Paul said in Acts after making this mistake: "Do not speak evil of a ruler of your people." We are to pray for those in authority and I wonder if all these critics actually do pray like commanded.

To render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's is to show due respect, honor, and obedience. I'm not saying we can't disagree but we can do it in a civil manner. Paul says to fear God and honor the emperor and I think that would be the president in our application. Yes, there are several reasons to respect the president. Soldiers are sworn to obey him and they learn to salute the office of an individual whether they personally like him or not.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Thanksgiving As Sacrifice

"Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving..." (Ps. 95:2a). God isn't looking for a great sacrifice to impress Him; "...the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." "For you will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering" (Ps. 51:16-17). You may feel a cleavage betwixt you and the Lord and the only thing you might need to do is to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving ("Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name!" (Ps. 100:4). "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good" (Ps. 107:1).
Who glorifies God? "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me..." (Ps. 50:23).

Remember the sobering words of Paul about those who were not thankful: "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him..." (Rom. 1:21a). Everyone has a treasure chest to thank God for in spite of his circumstances: I recall the man who felt sorry for himself because he had no shoes until he saw a man without any feet. Looks like we have no excuse. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Ps. 103:2).

Conclusion: "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?"--being thankful is a start-- (Ps. 116:12).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You Self-Made?

"...IN ALL THAT HE DOES, HE PROSPERS..." (cf. Ps. 1:3). "...For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (cf. Josh. 1:8).
Pertinent verses to ponder:

"...I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go" (cf. Isa. 48:17). "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well" (3 John 2, NLT). "If your riches increase, do not set your heart on them." "For one's life doesn't consist in the abundance of his possessions" (cf. Luke 12:15). "He who mocks the poor insults his Maker" (cf. Prov. 17:5).

They say that the classic definition of an Englishman is a self-made man who worships his creator! Did you ever wonder what was more important: Your ambition or the grace of God? I thought it curious that President Obama says his favorite word in any language is "grace." This is what sets apart Christianity from religion which relies on merit or works for salvation.

Have you ever heard of a taxi driver with a Ph.D.? Eccl. 9:11 says: The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise are often poor and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives..." (The New Living Translation). "Time and chance happen to them all."

If you are successful it is because others have suffered, and if you are suffering, it is so others may succeed," a wise preacher named Judson has said. Amos had a lot to say to the rich of his day: "And just as stupid is this bragging about Lo-debar [nothing]. You boast, "Didn't we take Karnaim [something strong] by our own strength and power?" Isaiah says in Isa. 26:12: "All we have accomplished you have done for us." Remember that the poor and the rich have this in common, according to Proverbs: God is the maker of them all. "And always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get rich" (cf. Deut. 8:18). They say There, but for the grace of God go I. "I am what I am by the grace of God" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10).

I heard about one politician say that in an economic system the cream always rises to the top. This is another form of class warfare and thinking we should live in a dog-eat-dog world or a system of evolution where the "survival of the fittest" rule rains in the law of the jungle. I think the ideal of American society is that we are really a classless society and that people should remember their roots ("...Look to the rock from which they are hewn, the quarry from which they are dug" it says in Isa. 51:1) and know from where they came. I believe that in a free society all can aspire to improve themselves because they are no "untouchables" and there no caste-system. "Do not abhor an Edomite [who is offensive], for he is your brother," (cf. Deut. 23:7).

Money is not how we keep score: Like they say that he who dies with the most toys wins! Rather the better measure of our riches is not in the abundance of our possessions, but in the fewness of our wants according to Billy Graham.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Marching To The Beat Of A Different Drum

Years ago my coworkers couldn't understand my ways and said I marched to the beat of a different drummer--it was when I had rededicated my life to Christ. I seemed to them like a mystic that listened to the "inner voice" like a Quaker does. I believe this is okay as long as the "User's Guide" is the Scriptures. God has no general M.O. to reveal His will for our lives. It is a walk, step by step, day by day--we only know the next step when we are obedient to the previous one. "Job One" is knowing God's will but and we will not be given an itinerary or master plan, but shown an open door and maybe some closed doors. We "walk by faith and not by sight" and "the righteous shall live by faith" and progress "from faith to faith" growing in glory into the image of Christ himself.

Sometimes we may have to go against the grain and take chances, just like Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, he took a leap of faith. The Christian life is a journey, not a destination, and no one can say they have "arrived." If we do make mistakes, God turns them into blessings according to Rom. 8:28, which says all things will work together for our good.

David was a "man after God's own heart" and the reason he was is that he was willing to do all the will of God. There is no "1-2-3" method of finding God's will because we are all unique individuals in God's eyes. However, He does have a master plan according to Jer. 29:11 which says, "I know the plans I have for you...." Yes, "let the chips fall where they may," because God cannot be thwarted and He has a custom-made plan for each of His children. 

There are many "no-brainers" in the Bible that declare God's will like 1 Thess. 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." We are commanded to know God's will and not be ignorant of it: "Do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is." We have the privilege of being given the will of God: "...[God] has chosen you to know His will" (Acts 22:14). We are not to sing with Doris Day: "Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be." We are not subject to impersonal fate. Nor can we be like the blind kismet of the  Muslims who proudly say in a catastrophe: "It is the will of Allah."  

 As a matter of definition, there is the preceptive will of God laid out in Scripture, and His secret, sovereign, decreed will that is secret and none of our business. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, and those that He has revealed belong to us and to our children..." (Deut. 29:29). When we discover the will of God, like an epiphany or "Aha!" moment in the Scriptures, we will have peace (cf. Col. 3:15).    We are to claim promises like Psalm 32:8 saying: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you shall go, I will counsel you with my eye upon you." We can get in sync with God's will by knowing the Word: "I desire to do your will O my God, your law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8). "Send forth your light and your truth, let them lead me" (Ps. 43:3). "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105). "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Ps. 37:23).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Prayer?

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples..."  (cf. Isa. 56:7).  When we pray we enter and gain access or entrée into the throne room of God and into another dimension.   We are not overcoming His reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness--not so much getting our will done in heaven as His will done on earth.  The best and most complete prayer is simply:  "Thy will be done!"  This divine power lies dormant in all believers and they don't realize their potential.  Prayer is where the action is and the goal of prayer is prayer, i.e., it has its own rewards!  We should enjoy dialog with the Almighty.  The problem with most prayer warriors is that they don't listen.  "But for me, it is good to be near God"  (cf. Ps. 73:28).

 It is better to be plainspoken than to preach and it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.  Indeed, we must learn to be straightforward and bare our souls to God.  If we really want the glory of God we have the right attitude and motive.  It is more an attitude than a dialog when we say we "pray without ceasing."   Prayer doesn't waste our time, but someone has said it is "the ultimate time-saver."  Saying "Amen" is not a magic word or formula, but an expression of faith and means essentially "so be it."  My tribulations and trials have kept me on my knees--so how's your prayer life?  Lincoln said that many a time he was driven to his knees, simply because he had nowhere else to go." 

One keynote:  Keep short accounts with the Father they say and remember the most important verse to keep the conversation going is 1 John 1:9  which says:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Did you know that we can't pray for too big a request or to small a matter--His love is great enough for everything and nothing is too great for an infinite God.  How big is your God?   He has not given us a blank check or carte blanche but must ask in Jesus' name, which means we seek to honor Him and are asking on His merits, not ours.   Other provisos are abiding in Christ (cf. John 15:7) and obedience (cf.1 John 3:22).   "Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live"  (cf. Psa. 116:2). 

Seek God with all your heart!  Call upon His name in the day of trouble (cf. Ps. 55:22)!  Cast your burden upon the Lord cf. (cf. Phil. 4:6).  Continue in prayer (cf.Col. 4:2).  And above all be thankful!  This is only Prayer 101!  Some wise believer said to work as if everything depends on you, but pray as if everything depends on God. 

By definition, prayer is a two-way dialogue with the Heavenly Father or one of the other members of the Godhead, in the name of Jesus, according to God's will, in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are conditions: Prayer is communion (we bare our souls) and the Lord's Supper, or Communion, is an analogy or type of prayer whereby we cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of flesh and spirit and renew our fellowship with God. "If we regard iniquity in our heart the Lord will not hear us" (cf. Ps. 66:18). Peter said that a lack of harmony in a marriage can be an impediment to a person's prayer life and may hinder effective prayer. It is the "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that avails"(cf. James 5:16) and so we must meet all the conditions of prayer: humility, reverence, and sincerity, for example.

Prayer is only to the Deity of the Trinity of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit and invocation to any other person, saint, or deity is idolatry (cf. Ps. 5:2). We must pray according to God's will to be heard according to 1 John 5:14. We must pray in Jesus' name (our mediator) according to John 14:13,14, and not give up but importune according to Luke 18:1 ("One ought always to pray and not to give up"), and Matt. 7:7 ("keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking"). To gain entrée into God's presence, as if to another dimension, we must "enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter His courts with praise" (cf. Ps. 100:4).

Brother Lawrence wrote a book, Practicing the Presence of God. He learned to keep the conversation going. We aren't always uttering prayers, but the channel is open and we are in fellowship in an attitude of prayer, sensitive to His promptings. President Lincoln is quoted as saying that many a time he found himself on his knees, simply because he had nowhere else to go! It is well said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Posture is not that important per se, but the attitude in prayer: i.e., we don't always have to lie prostrate or lift our hands to heaven.

 Scripture teaches both the efficacy of prayer and the sovereignty of God and we conclude that God ordains the means of prayer to His glorious ends. When we say "Thy will be done" this is not a cop-out but faith and it isn't trying to make a loophole if it isn't answered, but this is commanded by God and His will will be done despite our prayers, but He has chose as the means to His ends, that He will use our prayers. The prayer of relinquishment is the greatest prayer one can say.

Yes, indeed, prayer is the "acid test" of one's spirituality and as the famed follow-up counselor of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc., Charlie Riggs was known as one who could only pray and quote Scripture, and look at his success to become the head of follow-up. Many famous saints spent a lot of time in prayer, Martin Luther would spend at least 2 hours to start the day in prayer, and if he was busy he would spend more time! Yes,  again:   "Prayer doesn't just take time, it is the ultimate time-saver."

Prayer is entering God's presence (like into another dimension) or His sanctuary: We are to seek His face and His presence continually. "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him" (cf. Hab. 2:20). "Be still and know that I am God" (cf. Ps. 46:1). Genuine prayer will always be answered: sometimes no, sometimes yes, and sometimes wait or I have something better! God does answer prayer: "Call unto Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me" (cf. Ps. 50:15); "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (cf. Jer. 33:3); "Before they call I shall answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear" (cf. Isa. 65:24).

My pastor keeps reminding us that prayer is where the action is and one cannot have a healthy relationship with God without a growing prayer life. We either grow or go backward; there is no treading water or standing still spiritually. To open prayer, it is helpful to just praise God for who He is and thank Him for your blessings. He is interested in everything ("Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you"). No problem is too big or too trivial; they are all small to God. The best single prayer I have ever seen is the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

In summary, prayer is seeking God and aligning ourselves with His will--we don't change God, prayer changes us! "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (cf. Isa. 55:6). "You shall seek Me and find Me, when you seek for Me with all your heart" (cf. Jer. 29:13); "The Lord has not forsaken those who seek Him" (cf. Ps. 9:10). "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (cf. Prov. 8:7). "Sow for yourselves in righteousness, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you" (cf. Hos. 10:12). Prayer is a blessing to God and to have a vital relationship with Him we must thirst after His Spirit and yearn for His presence, and seek His face. The Lord's Prayer is a paradigm prayer, not meant to be uttered word-by-word, but as a model and it is the prayer par excellence of Jesus. It is important to say, "Amen!" (So be it!) to our prayers as a confession of faith and relinquishment to God's will.  To reiterate let me say emphasize my point.   A word to the wise is sufficient: the goal of prayer is prayer.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Did God Promise A Rose Garden?

Job wasn't surprised that God dealt him a hand of trouble for he said, "Shall we accept good at the hand of God and not evil?" Surely, one can postulate that our life is no bed of roses; but don't get a martyr's complex either. However, everything that happens is Father-filtered and Isaiah says, "When you [not if you] pass through the waters I will be with you." Jesus says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Charlie Riggs says that"adversity builds character and Christlikeness."  Indeed, adversity is the crucible that prepares us and helps us to share in the holiness of God, as Paul referred to the "fellowship of His sufferings."

Rabbi Harald Kushner wrote a book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Well, they happen to bad people too! But the point is that there are no good people either. Adversity, discipline, suffering, trials, grief, heartache, and even ordeals and tragedy can happen to any Christian. Christ didn't exempt himself from suffering and was honest enough to warn us of it. Trouble inevitably comes to all believers: "Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward" (cf.Job 5:7). The Psalmist says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..." (cf. Psalm 34:19). Riggs says that Hardship is part of the divine curriculum, part of Reality 101, as it were.

The famous Viennese Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, was in a concentration camp known as Dachau and Riggs points out that the secret to his success in enduring was that he had a purpose (if you have a why you can endure the how); we can endure anything if we have hope! What they say as a cliche is that it is not what happens to you, but in you; you either become bitter or better.

We may have a "thorn in the flesh" like Paul and we are to remember that God works everything together for our good (cf. Rom. 8:28). Phil. 1:29 says, "For it has been granted unto you not only to believe in Christ but to suffer for His name." Even "Christ "learned obedience from what he suffered." C. S. Lewis says, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, but shouts to us in our pain."
As a matter of discipline per Heb. 12: 5-6 and Prov. 3: 11-12 and Job 5:17, God is pruning and not punishing us. "It is good that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes;" "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your Word" (cf. Psalms 119: 71, 67).

"Lay out the welcome mat" and rejoice with thanksgiving at trouble--no problem! Negative stress is good for you. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice" (cf. Phil 4:4). Remember, God sees the long-term advantage and result, and we must keep the faith. Our walk is at stake and the Lord will "lead us in the path of righteousness for His namesake [our testimony]."

As an illustration, Riggs mentions a sculptor making a horse out of a stone; "How can you make a horse out of that? One inquires. "Oh, I just chip away at anything that doesn't look like a horse." God does likewise with us. To sum it all up, I quote Job 23: 10. "But he knows the way that I take when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold." In sum, God promises no bed of roses, but don't get a martyr's complex either, thinking the more you suffer, the better saint you are.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Doctrinal Testimony

A testimony is to attest to a first-hand account and account for it--it is hard to argue, like a man saying, "I was blind, but now I see." In a testimony, we give the synopsis of our life before conversion, how we got converted, and life after the leap, so to speak. Before the conversion, there is unrest and perplexity, then there is a turning point or climax, then there is peace, fulfillment and rest in Christ according to Billy Graham. They all tell of the person's personal pilgrimage and usually don't spare the details, as some like to glorify the past. I will spare you the details; believe me, I was a bad boy and a prodigal son and went through the school of hard knocks and had to come to the end of myself before I would cry out to the Lord in saving faith. I was surely depraved and knew it; I had been there and done that!

Conversion is the act of repentance, faith, and regeneration all occurring together by an act of God ("Salvation is of the Lord.") We do the repenting and believing and God does the regenerating which is passive. Faith is a gift of God and repentance is just the flip side that occurs simultaneously; it is either believing repentance or penitent faith that saves.

 My first step was to admit my need; like they say the preacher has to get the lost before he can save them. I was at my wit's end and at the end of my rope! Confirmation in the Lutheran church had been to no avail and I had lost what faith I had in college. It was in the Army that I came to know the Lord. I was not a very good soldier and didn't think I was going to make it as the loner I was. I wasn't getting out of life what I wanted and was existential in my philosophy thinking there was no purpose in life but to party. But I don't want to give "too much info!"

Before I was saved my life was dominated by sin and pleasing myself; I had no peace of mind and was looking ours for Number One! There seemed to be pleasure in sin for a season as I went to the bar scenes and learned to drink. I was also looking for love in all the wrong places if you know what I mean. I was separated from God and there was a cleavage or chasm between us. My life was empty, void and seemed boring in a vacuum. I yearned to have a relationship with God, not just know that He exists,  and didn't know what I was searching for; however, I wanted to know the truth. As Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in us that only God can fill." And Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee."

  We are made to know God and have a relationship with Him.     I like Psalm 107:2 which says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so"); if you have been redeemed speak up, in other words! Now how I got saved listening to Billy Graham. I was listening to the sermon being translated into Korean and it was going so slow I got every point he made!   He was talking of repentance and that seemed the missing link in my life that I had never done; I had to renounce sin for good. First I realized my need: "Indeed it is the straightedge of the law that shows us how crooked we really are" (Rom. 3:20). Then I recognized that Christ was indeed God in the flesh who died on my behalf personally. I received Christ with saving faith, which is either called believing repentance or penitent faith as my personal Lord and Savior. Note that I realized that repentance was imperative or mandatory according to Acts 17:30, "Now He commands all men everywhere to repent." Acts 3:19 says, "Repent and turn to God that your sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

I made a clear commitment that was a response to the wooing or tug of the Holy Spirit and I literally gave up, surrendered, and committed to following Christ. I went from the "gutter most to the uttermost."    The result is not that I am everything I ought to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be!  I have peace with God, others, and myself ("Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God..."; "My peace I give unto you..."; "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace....")

I have an assurance that I am going to heaven because I am not ignorant of God's Word and take Him at His Word. "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). This is my spiritual birth certificate you could say! As they say:  "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind."    Most important I have an abundant and fulfilling life according to  His promise of abundant life with a capital L (in short purpose in living).  I am now learning to overcome sin, know His will and seek His kingdom. But faith is manifest only in obedience; it has legs and must be followed by action or it is dead (no fruit, no faith);we must turn our beliefs into deeds, for we are saved unto good works though not by them,  and we are His masterpiece (says Paul in Eph. 2:10).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Voting Your Duty?

According to Rom. 5:14 there was sin even before the Law was given and no explicit commandment existed--men should've known right and wrong. All wrongdoing is sin, e.g., budding in line or road-rage, to name two. We have a civic duty to fight evil in whatever way we can and as citizens, we should be "good" citizens and vote in my opinion; or else we forfeit the right to complain. The argument from silence is a ploy that tricks naive people that know they are a rationalization and defense mechanism. Our liberty is curtailed by our brother's conscience and we certainly aren't supposed to encourage others in our sin or questionable acts as citizens. A good rule of thumb for morality would be the following: What would happen if everyone did it?

We are to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." We will have to give an account of ourselves as to what we did with evil and not voting is trying to be neutral and there is no neutral as far as God is concerned. Are we part of the problem or part of the solution?

As long as we are in an imperfect world before the Millennial Kingdom of Christ we will always be choosing between the lesser of two evils; no one is perfect! It is just as wrong to exalt someone as a hero and "savior" than it is to demonize. God is a jealous God and doesn't appreciate us thinking someone is the panacea for our societies woes. The choice will always be between the lesser of two evils until Christ comes--so don't be disillusioned or disenchanted! I want as little evil as possible, don't you?  Soli Deo Gloria!