The City To Come - Hebrews 13:14

  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. - Hebrews 13:14

    Watching the news these days is a form of terrorism all its own. How can a Christian not be intimidated by the various stories that permeate the media. From the lawlessness and riots in our own cities to the current push by government agencies, the schools and the media to endorse and support the homosexual agenda to the mass murder of innocent lives in the abortion clinics of hometown America to the ISIS-controlled towns and villages in the Middle East we see nothing that encourages us. Nothing gives us hope. It would seem that all is lost. Fatalism infects the singular heart as it does the entire world!
    This may be true for many people but we Christians do have hope. A hope that is guaranteed to us by the words of Holy Scripture. - “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” - Hebrews 11:16.
    True to His word, God has prepared a place for us. We know this because He has told us as much. Jesus revealed His plan to his disciples - “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” - John 14:2.
    It is true: we have no continuing city here. All of life in the world is straw . . . stubble that will be burned away in the end. Nothing here will last. Neither the good here nor the bad. So why do we fret and worry over things we know will come to an end?
    Sin has always ruled this fallen world. As long as we live here we are forced to accept the tolerable and the intolerable. We have no choice. It is, as they say, “the way of the world.” The way of the world has made all of us merely “wanderers.” Like the Israelites who wandered the desert for forty years we too wander our own desert called “the world.” It is no true home to us; it is no true sanctuary for us. Our home, our sanctuary awaits us as promised us just as surely as the land of Canaan awaited the twelve tribes of Israel.
    We can look past the desert where we wander. We can look past the miseries that engulf us. We can look past the death and the terrible machinations of men to a better place; to a Godly place where such things will never occur. “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,” - Hebrews 12:22-23. And we will find ourselves in a place where “ . . .God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:4.
    May we all persevere by faith and by faith continue to rest in our hope for the city to come.

It Is What It Is?? - Ecclesiastes 1:9

That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 1:9

    One of the most constant quips we hear in nearly any set of circumstances sets the tone of this post: It is what it is. Is that really the attitude people take away from life experiences? It is what it is? What a fatalistic and dark view of the world and our experiences in it. Do we not understand that if we place our trust in God we never need accept the satanic notion that “nothing can be done about it?” God is always working behind the scenes and He will complete His work through us. “ . . .  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ . . .” - Philippians 1:6.
    Can we all not see that everything that happens is part of a greater picture? Is it truly that hard to see that everything that takes place is like a series of small cogs working within a greater pattern? We don’t (can’t) necessarily see the connections but believe me - everything is connected to God’s greater plan for His universe. Do things always work out in our best interest? The answer to that depends upon whether your definition of best interest is defined and confined by our limited humanistic view of life or seen by God’s eternal, unsearchable, and elusive holy standard.
    We are so used to seeking accountability in life-happenings that whenever something tragic or seemingly unfair takes place we immediately want a an account of who, what, when, where, and how. We want answers . . . and we want them now. And when we are unable to get those answers there is always one wry individual who is quick to quip: “It is what it is.”
    Perhaps we’re simply not looking in the right place for the answers we seek. And in the broadest sense, perhaps we’re simply not entitled to some answers, regardless of how determined we are to solve the issue. This again falls under the purview of God’s unrevealed or “sovereign will.” Be that as it may, whether our circumstances are tragic or blessed we must always and everywhere give praise to our holy God. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” - James 5:13.
    We all to often simply dismiss many of the events and circumstances of our lives with a flippancy that amounts to irreverence. For the unbeliever this is to be expected but for the true believer this attitude reflects our lack of faith, our lack of trust. When we display an attitude of “it is what it is” we are saying that even God doesn’t seem to be able to influence what is taking place around us or in our lives. We are saying that neither prayer nor praise will impact the outcome of these circumstances when, in fact- we have no idea what kind of blessings God has in store for us until He actually bestows them upon us. Yet we doubt. Is that what we are called to do? “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” - Colossians 3:17.
    Let us never forget that all our circumstances and all our experiences, both the great and the tragic, are all part of God’s ordained will for us. He alone knows the outcome of our blessings and our reversals - “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6: 9-10. No, something which affect our lives, either positively or negatively, is NOT “what it is.” What it is . . . is God’s will. We do have an option - unconditional faith in God! And we need to keep that in the foreground of our lives - praise and prayer should be in our hearts both in times of peace and times of pain.

Secret Sins - Joshua 7:19

 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”. - Joshua 7:19

    Following their astounding victory over Jericho the Israelites were poised to strike at the insignificant town of Ai. And what did they have to fear: God had been with them during the seven days they marched around Jericho and finally delivered the town into their hands. But then the inexplicable happened - the Israelites lost 36 men and were routed in their attempt to conquer Ai. But how could this be?
    Joshua was beside himself. His very confidence was shaken to the core. Why? How could God have allowed this tragedy to take place? God responded - “So the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.’” - Joshua 7:10-11. It suddenly became clear to Joshua why the battle had been lost. Because of unconfessed and hidden sin in the camp.
    How many of us remain with hidden sin in our lives? How many of us have sewn fig-leaves together to cover the nakedness of our sins? How many of our heart aches, failures, and defeats have come to us because of undisclosed and unconfessed sin? Can we even admit to the reality, the truth, of our hidden iniquities? Mind you - it is not simply sin in our lives; we all have sin in our lives. It is the sin within. It is the unconfessed secret sins that we fail to disclose. These are the sins in our camp. These are the sins that bring us defeat!
    We must realize that God truly knows all our secrets . . . nothing eludes Him. All our thoughts, words, and deeds come into the clarity of His holy light.  “You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.” - Psalm 90:8.
    In Achan’s case he had no idea that he, his family, the tribe of Judah, indeed all of Israel would suffer because of his sin. This is a common effect of undisclosed sin in our lives. Those we least expect to suffer will often suffer greatly upon the revelation of such hidden sins. Our spouses, our children, our family and friends often suffer because of the sins we believe are secret . . . known only to ourselves.  “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” - Numbers 32:23.
    There will always be a price to pay for our sins. Even confessed sin will reap its own consequences. None are spared some payment for their sins. “Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.’ So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.” - Joshua 7:24-25.
    Had Achan but confessed readily and openly to his sin how much pain and suffering would have been prevented? His family and tribe would have been spared the embarrassment; Joshua would have been spared the rebuke of the Lord; Israel would have been spared the disillusionment brought on by their defeat. By virtue of Achan’s forthright confession the whole of Israel would have seen the reason for their humiliation at the hands of the warriors of Ai. No one would have questioned the motives of God! But Achan, having been given opportunity after opportunity to come forward and confess his sin doubled-down and sat pat until the lot came down to him. His “confession” was not one of repentant sorrow; he confessed only when he had been discovered. How many of us are holding out? How many of us are dreadfully awaiting the discovery of our own secret sin?
    Would all of us not benefit from confession to our sovereign Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? How much pain and consternation could we spare those around us if we were but to confess our secret sins, now before the light of God’s omniscience falls on us? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 Yes, God is faithful to forgive us all our trespasses if we but come to him with a repentant heart. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” - Psalm 32:5.  May we all lay our sins at the Lord’s feet and pray for His forgiveness.

Y.O.L.O? - Galatians 5:19-21

 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-20

    There is a popular mantra among young people today that is referred to as Y.O.L.O, or “you only live once.” You’ll see the letters emblazoning hats and tee-shirts. This ridiculous mantra now stands as the rationale behind one of the leading causes for hospitalization and death among these impoverished souls. Researchers from CDC´s “Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention” refer to a number of “games” played by young people as “Risky Youth Behavior,” (ya think?). Here is a short list of some such games (Note: I am merely going to list them. Google them for more detail as I don’t have the stomach to describe them here.)
1.    Choking Games
2.    Cinnamon Challenge
3.    Huffing volatile chemicals, paints, or fuels.
4.    Car Surfing
5.    Drinking Hand-Sanitizer
6.    Vodka Eyeballing
7.    Salt & Ice challenge
8.    Condom Challenge (You wouldn’t believe me if I told you . . .)
9.    Fire Challenge
10.    Gallon Challenge

    Apparently, many young people engage in such self-destructive behavior for the very same reason some of their parents did: there is an emptiness inside them that could only be properly filled by the word of God. And what a sad world-view to adopt as one’s personal mantra - You only live once? Really? Are their hearts so empty and destitute that risky behavior is the only balm they imagine will soothe them? Our title verse accurately reflects that mind-set of those who engage in risky behavior. These are people, both young and old, who have no concept of the love and mercy of God. They have no concept (or they don’t care) about the blood sacrifice Jesus made for them and unless they repent and believe in Christ before their natural physical death they will also die “the second death” - “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:8. Make no mistake about it: they will all die a second time when they are finally and eternally separated from the mercy, grace, and love of God!
     I’d like to clue my young brothers and sisters into another mantra which is a far cry older than theirs - “Born once; die twice - born twice; die once.” Look at John 3:3 - “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
Rather than face an eternity where “their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched” I would implore these young people to come away from the world that inspires their risky behavior and seek Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So that rather than face the second death they can confidently look forward to everlasting life! “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Your lives are valuable to God; they should be valuable to you to and if they are valuable to you then treat them that way!
    Most of the irrational games these young people are playing are called, “Challenges.” I challenge them to do the unthinkable, the impossible, the unheard of . . .  I challenge them to seek God with all their heart and all their mind and all their strength. Let us all pray that our young people see the Way, the Truth, and the Life . . . rather than live only once just to die a  second death.

A Supreme Mistake By Any Measure - Romans 1:24-27

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. - Romans 1:24-27

    The Supreme Court has now decided to “back a dog” in the fight over same-sex marriage in America. Reviewing the case in April, their decision should be announced in June. As a Christian I strongly oppose such meddling in the affairs of the traditional family structure that has existed for the better part of 6,000 years. And while there have been periods of history in some cultures where the practice of polygamy was culturally acceptable no where in the world has same-sex marriage ever been acceptable, let alone regarded as a “right!” My point here is this: the government has no business attempting to “redefine” the human state of matrimony. It is a time-honored religio-sociological tradition that no nine judges should have any say upon regardless of the plaintiff’s grievance.
    The homosexual lobby has linked arms with traditional “civil rights” groups such as African-Americans and women. Even the devil knows there is strength in numbers. There’s one slight problem though - no one is born a homosexual. . . NO ONE! Suggesting that one is born a homosexual is like saying one is born a liar, an adulterer, or a thief. Homosexuality isn’t an innate characteristic; it is a learned activity, a behavior. Try as they might they have never been able to identify the “gay gene.” Never! Why? Because it doesn’t exist. Nor do “bestiality genes, necrophilia genes, or rape genes” exist. Now while on a rare occasion one might be born with both sets of genitalia or be born with an effeminate nature, no one is born a homosexual - that is a CHOICE ONE MAKES.  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. - Genesis 1:27.
    In addition, homosexuality is rightly defined as an aberration from the perspective of nature. Life, as we understand it, exists primarily because of the way the sexes compliment one another in regard to procreative activity. There are certainly “normal sexual roles” reserved for the healthier members of any species. This isn’t just a matter of perception or social bigotry: it is the reality of the sustainablilty of the highest form life on earth! Think about it for a moment: among other mammals there is no “natural homosexuality”maintained at a level we could ever call “normal.” Why? Obviously because if it were so their numbers would be decimated by the very behavior. They would simply fail to breed and cause their own extinctions. No where in nature do you see homosexuality as generally expected normal behavior among mammals under “normal” conditions! The defining reason for this is the human will. Animals don’t possess such a characteristic and so, under normal conditions, they behave as nature intended for them to behave. Animals behave normally. Therefore to practice homosexuality is a human choice, not a nature born into us!
    So where will the eventual verdict leave our culture? I suppose it depends on who you ask. If you were to ask the advocates themselves, the homosexuals and lesbians, they would tell you that they don’t care where the culture is left, nor the nation, nor the sensitivities of the people. All they care about is the high court’s declaration of their erroneously contrived imaginary  “right to marriage.” They don’t care if you are forced to have to explain to your child why the little boy or girl next door has “two mommies,” instead of a mommy and a daddy. And make no mistake: single parent families fare no better in many cases than do same-sex parents. Even in our divorce prone culture children of single-parent homes sense a disconnect with their friends who are blessed to have a mom and a dad at home. But that doesn’t make having a “two mommy home” a better developmental environment for children. (See: “Social Science Research - July 2012)
    As far as the percetange of Americans that are homosexual? “A survey released Tuesday by the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports:
Based on the 2013 NHIS data [collected in 2013 from 34,557 adults aged 18 and over], 96.6% of adults identified as straight, 1.6% identified as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% identified as bisexual. The remaining 1.1% of adults identified as “something else[]” [0.2%,] stated “I don’t know the answer[]” [0.4%] or refused to provide an answer [0.6%].
More specifically, 1.8 percent of men self-identify as gay and 0.4 percent as bisexual, and 1.5 percent of women self-identify as lesbian and 0.9 percent as bisexual.
The results are generally in the same ballpark as past estimates — and far below the long-debunked 10 percent estimate.” - The Washington Post (July 15th, 2014)
So all this hoodoo is coming from less than 5% of the total population of this country!
    So let me suggest how a favorable decision for the homosexual community will actually effect America.
1.    The traditional concept of the American family will be gone forever.
2.    The polarization of the American family will reach epidemic proportions.
3.    Mental depression and anxiety will reach unheard of levels.
4.    Studies have shown higher poverty rates, mental health issues, more drug-addiction, and higher suicide rates among members of such households.
5.    Christian ministers will face hate crimes charges if they preach from the Bible.
6.    Avowed Christian businesses, owned and operated by Christians would be forced to compromise their values and do business with homosexuals under threat of criminal action by state authorities and threat of civil litigation.
7.    By lending legitimacy to this deviant endeavor there is simply no way to avoid following suit with polygamy, beastialty, pedophilia, necrophilia and other rank deviant behavior.
8.    An obviously minuscule demographic would immediately be portrayed in the popular cultural avenues as a brightly shining majority. We would see homosexuals presented in every tv program, in every magazine and book, and every motion picture film as though they held a dominant position in society rather than the marginal place they actually occupy.
9.    The notion that the role of a father or a mother is expendable in this new society despite study after study that indicates homes with both a mother and a father are generally more conducive to raising a child who develops into a psychologically stable and happy adult.
10.    To use the Constitutional Right argument is pure drivel and completely disingenuous. None of the Founders ever imagined (let alone anticipated) a time in this nation’s future when homosexuals would protest for their imagined “right” to the union of marriage. The mere activity of homosexual relations was seen as an abomination by the civil leadership. In fact, Thomas Jefferson even authored a bill which called for “castration” as the penalty for the crime of sodomy! (The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew A. Lipscomb, editor (Washington, D. C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), Vol. I, pp. 226-227, from Jefferson's "For Proportioning Crimes and Punishments).

    No, only three kinds of people could ever support and defend such a deviant and sinful lifestyle or it’s validation by law: the practitioners themselves, atheists, and those who are mistaken about the characteristics God’s mercy. The latter have designed a God in their own minds that is the antithesis of His Second Commandment: You shall have no strange gods before me! They have cherry-picked God’s most “seeker-friendly attributes” and formed a mental picture of a God who exists no where in the pages of the Bible . . . nowhere! They have made it clear that the true living God of the Bible is not the one they choose to follow. And neither is the Jesus of the Bible the Jesus they choose to follow! The God of the Bible, the true living God finds homosexuality an abomination, and so should we all!
    But I fear this sitting Supreme Court bench will rule in favor of the same-sex initiative. The homosexuals will have their day in the sun. And American will take yet another step away from the God who gave this once great nation its birth, its prosperity, and His providence. Now America enters its twilight to the cheers of the pagan hoards.
    “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.’” - Jeremiah 7:20. May God help us all.
                           

A Pope Worse Than Borgia - 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. - 2 Corinthians 11:14-15.

    The pope recently made the ridiculous statement that  "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ . . . Even the atheists. Everyone! We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don't believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there." Yeah, of that I am certain; they will meet one another there. Although I’m just as positive that the “there” they are thinking of isn’t the “there” they’ll be meeting in. One doesn’t need to believe in God to go to heaven? Seriously!??
    Let me preface my defensive position here for those of you who don’t know me. I’m a former Catholic. I was raised a Catholic and attended Catholic schools from 1st to 12th grade . . . but I’m okay now. Please don’t allow my tone here to cause anyone to misconstrue what I am trying to say - I do believe that Catholics who put all their faith in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone are bound for heavenly glory. But their ritualistic religion will not benefit them because it is the grace of God alone that saves the sinner from his well-deserved punishment. Novenas, rosaries, Stations of the Cross, praying to saints, confessing sins to a priest - none of these have the power to save even one soul from eternal damnation. Only the blood of Jesus Christ has that kind of power. And as for listening to the pope? Please!  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” - John 14:6. These are Jesus’s very words!
    Notice there is no where in the Bible that our Lord and Savior says anything about the way to heaven including the pope. And it’s a good thing because the current pope is worse that Alexander VI, the infamous Rodrigo Borgia. There is a darkness about this pope that permeates his whole way of thinking. From welcoming homosexuality into the church (July 2014) to this latest foible suggesting that one need not have faith in Jesus to be saved. Where this wolf in sheep’s clothing leads millions who believe in the notion of Apostolic succession is absolutely frightening. At least it should be to them.
    Many will defend him suggesting that he is only reaching out to the unsaved. Then I would suggest the pope read his Bible (possibly for the first time) and turn to  - “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12. That name is Jesus Christ, not Jesus Christ and . . . .” As for reaching out to the unsaved? We do that with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and . . . nothing else! All praise, honor and glory to Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Speed of Darkness - Proverbs 4:19

 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. - Proverbs 4:19

    Everyone talks about the speed of light. They even have it down to a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Scientists say that light travels approximately one foot in a nanosecond. That is one billionth of a second. We have all kinds of measurements for the speed of light. But how fast is the speed of darkness?
    Many argue that it is a nonsense question because darkness is merely the absence of light while others conclude that darkness is actually faster than light. Try this experiment: go into a room that is lit by a single bulb and close the door or pull the blinds. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that the single bulb is the only source of light in that room. Now, turn off the light. The darkness will envelope you immediately. That is exactly how quick darkness fills the void left by a light that has gone out. The speed of darkness is astounding and fearful . . . and it should be. But there is another grim reality about darkness. When used as an allegory for the absence of God in our lives it is both brutal and sufficient to bring condemnation upon those who dwell in it. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” - Matthew 22:13.
    We know that before we have God in our lives there is a darkness that pervades every facet of our humanity. The negative metaphors for darkness are countless: blindness, confusion, ignorance, unconsciousness, obscurity, uncertainty, ambiguity, foreboding, sinfulness, fear, and the list goes on. Darkness reeks of instability. In fact, we instinctively “reach for the light,” when we enter a darkened room because darkness closes our perspective on things while light gives us the perspective we need to maneuver without stumbling. Analogically, we should all be reaching for the light. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” - John 8:12.
    We know that wherever there is no light all is darkness. In the very same way wherever there is no God, all is of sin - “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23(b).
    Prayer, Bible study, fellowship, more prayer, and faith in Jesus Christ keeps us in the light of God and out of the darkness of Satan! May we all be constantly “reaching for the light.”