Bailout or bad business?

I've been inspired to blog about our countries status by the lblog of the leader of the company that I work for, Restek. To mirror what he shared .....

He posed the question to us, "Is anyone else concerned about the $876 Bazillion “stimulus” package that our government just passed? I know I am.

“The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced. The arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn’t want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Rome 55 BC

I find it interesting that over 2,000 years ago leading thinkers were concerned about the same type of things that we’re seeing in today’s government and society. The bottom line is that there is no “bailout”. Our results are based on our efforts to create positive change and accept personal accountability for our actions."

WOW <---- this is my only contribution

We are nothing but talk

Talk is cheap. So why is it that we like to talk so much? This is another thing I've been pondering lately. A lot of people, who have no place to talk, are the quickest to give their input and advice. Strange isn't it? Is it too hard to keep our mouth shut and just live a holy life .... to do what is right and let our actions speak for themselves? Will God not defend us?

In my life, I have found that a majority of the time the people that talk the most are the people you should listen to the least. I found a few scriptures along these lines that I thought were pretty interesting. Proverbs 10:19 says, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise." James 3:2 says, "If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."

Another scripture that really grabbed my attention is James 2:14-20, "What use is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?"

Is there really a faith that cannot save? The Bible says there is. We cannot be nothing but talk. We cannot talk about helping people and do nothing. We cannot talk about living holy and then live like the devil. We cannot claim that we have a saving faith when we have no works. If we claim to have faith, let us stop yapping all the time, and starting backing up our claims with the lives we live. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

A not so little rant

Many Christians use the term "sold out" for Christ. I question, however, whether most of them truly know the term that they are using. When I read Chapter 16 of "The Challenge of Missions", I really started to think about this topic.

In Chapter 16, Oswald J. Smith talks about encounters he's had with other religions and their cruel traditions. He talks about a mother having to suffocate her baby to appease the spirits, or a widow being sacrificed because she must escort her husband to the afterlife, or a man in Mohammedanism torturing himself and lighting himself on fire. These people are making enormous sacrifices for a dead religion. As Christians, we have found the answer, we have been born again. We have relationship with Christ and the answer to eternal life.

But even with the truth that everyone needs to hear, we complain about having to drive to church and fit bible study into our schedule. We are unwilling to make even the smallest sacrifice or go through the least inconvenience. Are you telling me that you are "sold out" for Christ when a Mohammedan will go through torture and give up his life .... but we won't even go out of our comfort zone for Christ, who we know gave His life for us? May God change our hearts!

We MUST be "sold out" for Christ and remain "on fire" for Him always, not just occassionally or when it is convenient for us. Revelation 3:15-16 says, "I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth." Being cold or lukewarm are not options. If we claim to be Christians and want to please God we need to be hot. Christ is the only answer for the witchdoctor, the evil spirits, the Mohammedan, and all the rest. We must be radical. We must love God above all else. We must take Christ to these dead religions and make sacrifices so the gospel can be spread. Let us not be put to shame by the heathen who are more committed to their dead religion than we are to Christ!

The "On the Clock" Christian

Most of us have been to jobs where you have to "clock in" when you get to work. For those that haven't, I think we can all agree when you are scheduled to be working you are using company time. In almost any work environment, many of us realize that there are people that try to cheat the system. Co-workers wasting company time and robbing their employers by taking extra and extended breaks, being lazy, talking on the cell phone, etc.
However, I think that many may be unaware that people that go by the name of Christian do the same thing to God. I call these "On the Clock" Christians, people that claim the name of Christ and then try to cheat God. How many of us have been "On the Clock" Christians? We may wake up in the morning and "clock in" with God and do our 30 minutes of reading and prayer and then we "clock out". Or maybe we go to all our bible studies, prayer meetings, and church during the week THEN we feel have put in our time with God. We do these things where we give God a small portion of our day, or an alloted time during the week, to ease our conscience and make ourselves feel better that we made room for God.
How many people just do not get it! Christianity is not about making room for God. Christianity is about giving up all for God, and letting Him be in control of all that we do so that "in all we do, in word or deed, we do ALL to the glory of God". We cannot be Christians for one hour a day, or 3 days a week. That is not a Christian at all. Our lives are to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God. Is the Lord who gave His life for you only worthy of an hour a day? It ultimately boils down to your heart motive. If you are an "On the Clock" Christian, then you have not given control over to God. You are still master of parts of your life. You cannot serve two masters .... Christ must have your heart! Once Christ has your heart, it will be your desire to be in His presence .... to give Him your all .... to please Him morning, noon, and night.
There is no greater joy or purpose than giving Christ the throne of your heart and letting Him rule your life. No more "making time" for God to ease your conscience. You don't have to because you are no longer your own, you were bought with a price. All you have is now God's and all your time is God's. No more "duty" in reading the Bible and doing devotions. These things that were once duties turn into desires. Serving others, prayer, worship, reading .... all the things that are a grind for the "On the Clock" Christian now simply come naturally out of a heart that is totally surrendered to Christ.
Let us make sure that Christ is not a duty that we attend to as an "On the Clock" Christian. But let Him be the Lord of our life, who we serve naturally out of a thankful heart as "On fire" Christians .... willing to give all for the Lord who has given all for us. How can we ever re-pay? How can we ever express in words the gifts He has so freely given? Let us give back to a God that is worthy than so much more than we can give. Let us not insult the Lord by giving him a spot on our calender. If you have been an "On the Clock" Christian, examine yourself and see where you need to change ... and in the areas where you still sit on the throne, give them over to Christ and let Him rule your life.

Fattened ... Part Deux

After my last post, I continued reading through "The Challenge of Missions" by Oswald J. Smith and found that he talked about the ideas mentioned in my last post. So, I thought I'd share what he had to say about the topic. In chapter 7, he talks about his trip to Palestine and getting the chance to swim in the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee.
And he says, "I thought of the difference between the two bodies of water; one, the Sea of Galilee, teeming with life, and the other, the Dead Sea, stagnant and lifeless. 'Why', I asked myself, 'the difference?'
The Dead Sea takes in and takes in, but it never gives out; hence it is stagnant. The Sea of Galilee takes in but it also gives out; hence, it is filled with life; and its water is fresh. There you have a perfect illustration of the missionary church and the church that is not interested in missions. The latter takes in but it uses everything on itself. It never gives out. Hence it is filled with all sorts of loathsome creatures like a stagnant pool-criticism, gossip, fault-finding, division, and strife, etc., etc. The missionary church takes in, but it also gives out. Hence it is alive and aggressive and God's blessing rests upon it.
The same is true of the individual. The one who keeps everything for himself and refuses to share it with others, becomes a stagnant pool-a Dead Sea, a blessing to no one. The one who invests in foreign missionary work, is living an abundant life. It is for us to decide whether our lives are to be symbolized by the Dead Sea or the Sea of Galilee."
I think that goes along perfectly with what I was trying to say, and he did it shorter and more to the point. We must not become stagnant pools only focused on ourselves! God wants servants that a ready to do his will, not leeches just want to suck out the things that benefit them. Life is too short, we must not be useless and unfruitful.
As Oswald J. Smith wrote, "God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His only Son. He gave Heaven's best. What have you given?" Are you holding back? Saving the best for yourself? We are blessed to be a blessing! Let us go and bless others!

Fattened in a day of slaughter

James 5:5 states, "You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." This chapter of James talks about the misuse of riches and the sin of loving the world, and it also exhorts the christian to be patient and look for the coming of the Lord.
In my opinion, the verse above describes the church of America today pretty accurately. Judgment begins in the House of God and I believe we need to wake up. We are living lives of pleasure and fattening our hearts for a day of slaughter. We lavishly spend money on ourselves. We are focused on bettering ourselves and marketing the gospel to make ourselves prosperous. We need to wake up! Being a Christian is not about becoming a better you or about you being comfortable and prosperous. A Christian is dead so that Christ may live! Christianity is about serving others and bringing the good news of the gospel to a dying world at any cost!
Something that God has been speaking to me is that I need to stop talking and start doing. Many of us (myself included) have a collection of Christian books, dvds, tutorials, etc. Everytime a new book comes out or there is a big stir about something we grab the merchandise for it. What God has been telling me is that I need to get my head out of the books and off the t.v. screen and look up at a lost and dying world. Now please dont misunderstand me, I don't believe it is wrong to read Christian books or that it is a bad thing to have Christian merchandise. However, we cannot constantly fill ourselves all the time and simply read the next thing and have our head stuck in a book while a dying world goes to hell. We cannot be always learning and never doing anything. We must take what we learn in those books, and then get our head out of the book and use what we learned to help a world in desperate need of a Saviour. The purpose of filling ourselves up, is so that we can be prepared to pour ourselves out to others and be a blessing to them. Too often I think we get caught up in "I need to find the secret to prayer" or "I need a new special revelation of the Word" or "I need this guy's new secret for world evangelism". But if we would only look to God first and seek first His kingdom, he would show us these things Himself. Where do you think the people that wrote these books got their revelation and inspiration? If we would ACTUALLY pray ourselves, read the Word ourselves, and seek God with all our heart than we wouldn't need someone else's revelation. There is not going to be a secret formula for some special experiences in these books. We simply need to walk daily with God ourselves, pray, read the Word, and let Him mold us into what he wants us to be. My hope for you after reading this is not for you to think I am against Christian literature or merchandise, because I have a collection of it myself and some that I cherish because I believe we can learn from men and women of God and be encouraged by brothers and sisters in Christ. I am just firmly persuaded that we need a healthy balance of filling ourselves up without forgetting to pour ourselves out. We must serve others, not simply focus on ourselves and accumulate head knowledge. If we do not do this, I believe we are going to be doing exactly what James 5:5 says and be fattening our hearts in a day of slaughter.
My pastor talks quite often about those who claim "The message hasn't changed, only the methods have changed." I believe that anyone with any sense would realize this is not the case. I saw a church sign driving down the road on Sunday that said "We don't change the message, the message changes us." Now that is a much better quote. In the book "The Challenge of Missions" by Oswald J. Smith there is a quote about missions support that is "We do not raise it by means of suppers, bazaars, concerts, rummage sales, or oyster stews. Not because I am against these methods, but because they will not work." This is the same message my pastor has been giving for some time on reaching the lost. These things do not work, but this is where we put all our money. There is so much we could be doing, but we are wasting our time. If we would just be willing to give up one McDonald's value meal a week, or one movie ... I think you get the point ... we could send a missionary to share the gospel that could save souls for eternity. What are we going to tell God when we face Him in Heaven and he says, "Look at the misery you have caused. All your treasures have rotted away, rusted, and been eaten by moths. All that you have built has been consumed by fire and nothing is left but rubble." Those are not the words I want to hear when I see my Lord and Saviour. I want to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Share in the joy of your Lord." We need to wake up and make some major changes in order for this to happen. We need to seek God with all our heart and see what He would have each of us do.

Drifting

On August 17, 2008 Pastor Darrell used in his sermon Hebrews 2:1 which says, "For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it." He then went on to ask, "Why would the Bible say not to drift away if it was not possible to drift away?" This is a very obvious but good question. The question touches on the issue of eternal security (another blog for another day), but I'd like to focus simply on drifting right now. I would like to look closer at Hebrews 2:1. It begins by saying "For this reason" ... for what reason? To be able to understand and logically interpret this, we must read before this in Chapter 1 to find out what reason he is talking about. As Pastor Darrell teaches CONTEXT IS KING. So, if you read Chapter 1 to get context, you find that it talks about God who spoke long ago to our fathers in the prophets. It talks about God in the last days speaking through His Son. It talks about Christ being made lower than the angels for a while but then given a greater name and place than the angels. It also mentions the angels being ministering spirits for the sake of us who will inherit eternal life. So what this verse is saying is that FOR THIS REASON .... meaning that since God has spoken to us through prophets, and angels, and even His Son .... since God has so clearly communicated to us through signs, miracles, wonders, prophecies, and undeniable events .... since His chosen vessels sacrificed so much .... since His only begotten Son became flesh and gave His life for us .... that FOR THIS REASON we should pay closer attention to what we have heard so that we may not drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

I was thinking about drifting after the sermon and was reading Proverbs and came across Proverbs 19:15 and it seemed to explain some ways that maybe I tend to "drift". The verse says, "Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger." Reading that started to convict me. I started to think about times where I've gotten lazy. Have you ever been there? Lazy in prayer time? Lazy in reading the word? Stay up late and forget about God? Sleep in instead of doing devotions? Watch tv instead of pray? Substitute any reason or excuse in place of spending time with God? We know that the problem is never with God, the problem is always with us. So we have to figure out where we are going wrong if we feel that we are drifting from God, or that our spirits are dry, or the heavens brass, or our spiritual man is starving. Pastor Darrell once said that "what you feed will grow, and what you starve will die." I think that is a very simple but very important statement. We need to watch what we feed in our lives, and we have to make sure to starve the wrong things out of our lives. We should be feeding the Spirit, and starving the flesh.