Tag Archives: Opposing Views

Ownership

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Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ! (Photo credit: wormwould)

 

We say a man owns a business.  We say we own a house.  Slave masters have said they own people.  Or, we have said, “I own that!”  Really.

 

The way I see it no one owns anything but the Father in Heaven.  Angels owe Him their very existence.  So do demons.  Jesus owes His Glory to the Father.  A man owes his very breath to the Father.

In the picture here, that statue was burned to the ground by a strike of lightning.  I pass that place from time to time.  Who owned it?  Who owns it now?  And who owns the burnt piece of ground where it used to stand in that man made pool?  They say they intend to rebuild it.  Right…………

But if you want to slice and dice the matter:

 

Jesus owns the end result of every soul.

 

A Time of Clarity

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This picture shows an instance of the Sun’s “lifetime”.  That flare will soon be swallowed back into its place of origin.  Yet, the picture is proof of a moment extraordinary.  It is the same with man.  There are moments of clarity and beauty rarely matched in his lifetime.

How beautiful is the Lord Jesus.  For He gives portions to men.  “Portions of what”, you may ask.  Jesus gives portions of heavenly understanding to men.  Who has seen the Lord?  Who has entered the throne of the Glorious Father of Light?  And who of those have returned to speak of that encounter?  In the lives of men, the Lord quickens the heart and mind to understand His ways.  And I know that there was a place where He did that for me.

I give the Lord Jesus Glory for His gentle kindness, to allow me to see for a time.   I was shown understandings of the nature of man and God the Father.  It was the Lord who bathed me in mercy that I might perceive things of salvation.  Thank you Lord for that moment in my life.  May Your Holy Will be done forever.  And may Your people praise you with exceeding great joy!

Amen.

Speak Now, or Your Children’s Children Will be Silenced.

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c. 1482

Image via Wikipedia

 

In response to a lament of the current state of affairs in the world, I responded, “Nothing is ever won by a defensive posture.  Winning requires an aggressive offense.  The more Christians speak up, the less room for the anti-Christian values to prosper.”

 

 

 

Perhaps you think you can’t talk about Jesus in public.  And perhaps you’re right.  Perhaps you know so little that you can’t really add much to the debate between wickedness and godliness.  But consider this:  Every day millions of words are being written and spoken against Jesus and His perfect values among His people.  And every time another word is uttered against Him, space is taken from Christians to speak of what is true.

 

With this in mind, I think it’s clear that if we don’t speak “something”, we are losing ground.  In the end, we will become the hunted.  Though this might be the case regardless how we go on the offensive, we still live in a free society.  You didn’t inherit this place of freedom of speech from those who kept silent in the face of opposition.  Your grand children will not inherit a free society if you keep silent.  What you hold dear is being undermined by those who would be quite happy to see you simply disappear (regardless the method).

 

Either speak now, or keep silent when your rights are taken away.  Do you really think evil will allow you to worship Jesus when they finally take over all the power structures of this world?  Surely you’re not that blind to their agendas.

 

You don’t have to be a “Know-it-All” when it comes to Christianity.  All you need to start doing is mentioning the name of Jesus, virtually everywhere you speak.  The first few times are difficult to muster the strength to utter.  But soon, you’ll find speaking of Jesus comes naturally and easily.  If you can’t speak of Christianity, out of whatever keeps you back now, at least link to it on your facebook page or blog.  And if you don’t use either of those, simply refer to Christian authors often (such as C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Or perhaps John Bunyan’s “Pilgrims Progress.)

 

Speak up folks.  The time for offense is nearing an end.  Personally, I know it’s an opinion, I think we have less than 5 years left to make a dent in the way this world is headed.  My life is full of things that others can attack.  I have not led a godly life very much.  Yet, I will still speak of Jesus, for the sake of His Holy Name and His people.

 

By His Grace.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch ...

Image via Wikipedia

 

Famous Bad Advice. Stupid is What Stupid Does.

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Thinking RFID
Image by @boetter via Flickr

CAUTION:

WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ MAY OFFEND YOUR SENSE OF SELF WORTH.

MY INTENT IN THIS POST WAS NOT TO CONSOLE THE MASS OF HUMANITY.  I’VE REALLY TRIED HARD TO OFFEND EVERYONE IN THIS POST.  IF YOU FIND YOURSELF UNOFFENDED AFTER READING THIS, PLEASE INFORM GOD.  PERHAPS HE WILL REMIND ME OF SOME OTHER STATEMENTS. 

“You’re not in a boat that is sinking.  You’re getting ready to go swimming.”

“You’re not about to drown.  You’re about to drink a whole lot of water.”

“You’re not going to be eaten by sharks.  You’re helping feed the earth.”

“The world isn’t corrupt.  It’s only doing what it can get away with.”

“You wouldn’t have done that if you knew what was going to happen.”

“You’re not sinning.  You’re only doing what comes natural.”

“Liberal thinking isn’t wrong.  It’s simply questioning the definition of the word truth.”

“You don’t have to work for a living.  If you look pathetic enough long enough, someone else will feed you.”

“Nobody owns anything they weren’t given by the government.”

“If you do enough good deeds God will accept you.”

“The state of the world is God’s fault.  After all, He’s the one who put the two trees in the Garden of Eden.”

“I am not a liar.  I just don’t tell the truth sometimes.”

“Just because somebody asks you to stop doing something doesn’t mean they really mean ‘stop’.”

“Sexual immorality isn’t sin.  It’s just testing the waters.”

“I know you didn’t mean to kill him.  After you stabbed him the first time you were just being merciful to stab him the other hundred times.”

“It’s only a yellow light.”

“The cops won’t give you a ticket for only breaking the speed limit by 5 miles an hour.  Besides, you’re in a hurry.”

“Jesus isn’t the only way to God.  God just thinks of Him as His Son.”

“God watches to see how you dress, what kind of car you drive, how much money you can make, and how popular you are.  He uses those things to determine how good of a person you are.”

“You can make up your own rules about God.  It’s ok.  There’s too many versions to be sure anyway.”

“It’s ok to believe God is just a myth.  After all, no one has seen Him.”

“Panic on my part is justified if you failed to plan your life.  After all, I am my brother’s keeper, right?”

“Marriage isn’t restricted to a man and woman.  It’s the union of really good friends.”

“It’s ok to take that paper clip from work.  They’ll never miss it, and you need it more than the company.”

“You didn’t kill anybody.  You just caused them to cry a little bit.”

“You were only late for work because you over slept.  It doesn’t mean you don’t care.”

“It’s ok to not read the Bible.  After all, it only makes you feel bad.  And there’s just too much bad feelings in the world already.”

“You’re not a bad man.  You just get a little violent once in a while.”

“It’s ok to look down on the stupid people.  After all, you know what’s right.”

“Prayer isn’t all that important.  (shrug shrug)  God knows everything anyway.”

“If you do what everyone else is doing, God will forgive you.  After all, you’re only human.”

“When you find someone who’s done something worse than you, it’s ok to hate them.”

“Jesus is willing to forgive everyone’s sins (even the most horrible).  But your sins are too much.”

“You’re not going to be judged by the Most High God.  You’re only going to get a chance to see what this ‘Hell’ thingy is all about.

Eternity isn’t that long.

Here Comes the Next Second in Your Life. Are You Ready?

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The Passage of Time

Image by ToniVC via Flickr

The seconds of a day tick by and we all do as we can, each according to our ability.  Some seconds tick by without fanfare or notice.  Some record a giggle, a tear, a foolish moment, surprise, worry, anxiety, fear, and memories.  Some seconds announce a memorable moment.  These last according to their severity or impact.  Regardless how each second presents itself, time has passed.  And with each passing second we are hurled toward singular moments of enormous importance. 

When someone is shot, there were moments before that led them to that place.  When a car wreck happens, there were moments before.  When we do something really stupid, there were moments before that didn’t announce it was going to happen.  And isn’t that a shame.

And so it goes.  controversy is like that.  We pound our hearts and brains with all we can muster to enter into a contract with each second of our lives.  Struggling to maintain sanity, we live our lives.  Yet time has a way of providing proof that we are not perfect. 

I present this post as a simple notice of something true.  To me it speaks of both my failings and my successes.  But most of all, it speaks of something profound:  The only man to enter life innocent and leave this life the same way was Jesus, the Son of God.  With the Lord Jesus, there is no regret or stumbling.  His performance before His Father was flawless. 

And, by the way, I’m likely about to regret a couple seconds in this very day. 

By His Grace.

Where do I Stand?

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c. 1632

Image via Wikipedia

Many look at the Lord Jesus and say, “That’s nice.”  Most hear of Him and His expectations for His people and turn their heads another direction.  Some hear of the Lord of Glory in Jesus and reach into their pockets to give alms to those who appear to serve Him.  And some study their entire life to learn of His secrets.

But a few will lay down pride and gain in this world to receive the Glory of His promise.  Some have given all they own to be a part of His Testimony.  Some are looking at Jesus and pondering what all this “giving of self” means.  And they are about to cast in all they own to join the Glorious war of God.

Where do I stand?  What have I left that can be thrown down for His sake?  What do I hold dear in this world?  How close am I to being counted as one who threw it all away for His Glorious Name?

To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.   But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.   And who is adequate for such a task as this?  (2 Corinthians 2:16 [the Living Bible])

By His Grace.