We are living in religious, social, political, and probably personal turmoil. Fortunately, Isaiah 26:3 gives us these comforting words; ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’
Here are some things that the Christian whose ‘mind is fixed’, who ‘stays the course’, or ‘who perseveres’ in keeping their thoughts stayed on the Lord knows:
I know my redeemer liveth. Job 19:25
What would be the point of trusting in the ideology of a dead philosopher? The Redeemer of the Christian lives eternally. He has power of death for Himself and for those who believe in Him.
I know Jesus is the Christ. John 4:42
Christians need look no further for their salvation.
I know all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
How hard it is to see this with our eyes when facing turmoil. Matthew Henry explains it this way.
‘That is good for the saints which does their souls good. Every providence tends to the spiritual good of those that love God; in breaking them off from sin, bringing them nearer to God, weaning them from the world, and fitting them for heaven.’
The good may not be that the event itself works out for good, although it often does. There will always be good in events that draw us closer to the God of our Salvation.
I know that if our earthly house is dissolved, we have an eternal home with God.
2 Corinthians 5:1
Based on God’s abilities, we have a secure future in heaven. We will have health for eternity. We can lay up treasures now for that bright future.
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12b
God Almighty who created all things is able to keep and sustain all things.
I know believers are sons of God. When He appears we shall be like Him. 1 John 3:2
Christians have been adopted by the King of all kings.
We have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. 1 John 3:14 God gives His children love for the brethren. Like God’s love, it is unconditional. (This does not mean we approve of or accept immoral behavior. It means we love the brethren regardless. Of course, how much easier it is to love those who are of like mind and are in fellowship with God.)
In facing the turmoil or storms of life, first consider the things that you do know regarding the character of God and His care for His children. Then obey Philippians 4:8 which says, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
This will help you to keep your thoughts and actions in harmony with each other.
This will help you have perfect peace in your own heart.
Your life may encourage non-believers to reflect on how it is that you have peace in the turmoil of our times.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Frivolity - AKA Stupid Self-indulgence
Does a Life of Frivolity Lead to Hell?
By Barbara Henderson
Frivolity – unbecoming levity of disposition – the act of being frivolous – aka stupid self-indulgence
Frivolous – lack of seriousness
From the moment of conception to the moment of physical death, every human being lives under the curse of death. The body is bound to die, whether it is sucked out of the womb before it is born, or lives to be very old. Death is the way of all the earth. (Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 2:2)
It is pretty much a no brainer that what happens in between the beginning of life and the end of life does matter. It matters while we live, and it really matters after we die. The decisions we make are all serious decisions, even the smallest decisions.
To the frivolous at heart, nothing is serious, and trivial things are important. They have a flippant attitude that ignores the gravity of their situation. They are living on death row here on earth, yet they scoff at the path to eternal life. They take nothing seriously except their own egos and passions.
The frivolous at heart defy authority. In fact, their lifelong passion is to do whatever is considered outside the realm of old fashioned correct and right behavior. The heart of their problem is rebellion. They are living a life of frivolity. There are people of all ages who live their lives as though continuing the same rebellious behavior of their teen years will keep them youthful. How many forty, fifty, and even sixty year olds still live their lives for weekends of drunkenness?
Television shows in general establish characters who refuse to grow up as normal and even enviable. The characters live their lives as though they were fifteen to seventeen years old. They still make the same mistakes they made as children; they spend their time doing the same silly things, only as older people who are not answerable to their parents. This behavior is done both in situation comedies and dramas. No one on television is ever in a faithful and fulfilling marriage. Christian faith never enters into anything except in a negative way. No one ever winds up really satisfied or content with the life they live.
Sadly, this behavior is what is going on in the lives of many people. I don’t know if television is just mimicking society, or if society is being led by television. Probably both. Regardless, there are many real people refusing to grow up and face reality.
The reality is this. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.’ Hebrews 9:27
There will be no lightheartedness or frivolity on judgment day.
There will be no one doubting the gravity of their situation.
No one will be flippantly defying God on that day.
Stupid self-indulgence will have come to a bitter and final end.
The way to avoid disaster on judgment day is simple repentance today.
Repentance is to be sorry for sinful conduct; to be so sorry that one turns from that conduct and begins a new course of personal action.
The first action is:
Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved. (Acts 16:31)
The second action is:
Be baptized as a symbol of having turned from old ways to the ways of Christ. (Acts 10:48)
The third action is:
Do the things of Christ. (Luke 6:46) In other words, take your commitment to Christ seriously. (This does not ‘earn’ salvation for salvation is by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8 It does show your commitment to Christ.)
It is easy to look at the great sin around us and justify the small sins in our own lives.
This is frivolous behavior for the Christian.
Christians are to do the things Christ says to do.
Christians living a life doing the things Christ taught us in the Bible stand out as different from those living a life of frivolity (aka stupid self-indulgence).
Matthew 5:13-16 says:
13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14. Ye are the lighty of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick: and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The silly self-indulgent really don’t have time to listen to what Christians have to say. They are too busy working at ‘having fun’, and ‘staying young’.
They do occasionally have time to watch what a Christian does.
Be sure that you are living Matthew 5:16. ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
By Barbara Henderson
Frivolity – unbecoming levity of disposition – the act of being frivolous – aka stupid self-indulgence
Frivolous – lack of seriousness
From the moment of conception to the moment of physical death, every human being lives under the curse of death. The body is bound to die, whether it is sucked out of the womb before it is born, or lives to be very old. Death is the way of all the earth. (Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 2:2)
It is pretty much a no brainer that what happens in between the beginning of life and the end of life does matter. It matters while we live, and it really matters after we die. The decisions we make are all serious decisions, even the smallest decisions.
To the frivolous at heart, nothing is serious, and trivial things are important. They have a flippant attitude that ignores the gravity of their situation. They are living on death row here on earth, yet they scoff at the path to eternal life. They take nothing seriously except their own egos and passions.
The frivolous at heart defy authority. In fact, their lifelong passion is to do whatever is considered outside the realm of old fashioned correct and right behavior. The heart of their problem is rebellion. They are living a life of frivolity. There are people of all ages who live their lives as though continuing the same rebellious behavior of their teen years will keep them youthful. How many forty, fifty, and even sixty year olds still live their lives for weekends of drunkenness?
Television shows in general establish characters who refuse to grow up as normal and even enviable. The characters live their lives as though they were fifteen to seventeen years old. They still make the same mistakes they made as children; they spend their time doing the same silly things, only as older people who are not answerable to their parents. This behavior is done both in situation comedies and dramas. No one on television is ever in a faithful and fulfilling marriage. Christian faith never enters into anything except in a negative way. No one ever winds up really satisfied or content with the life they live.
Sadly, this behavior is what is going on in the lives of many people. I don’t know if television is just mimicking society, or if society is being led by television. Probably both. Regardless, there are many real people refusing to grow up and face reality.
The reality is this. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.’ Hebrews 9:27
There will be no lightheartedness or frivolity on judgment day.
There will be no one doubting the gravity of their situation.
No one will be flippantly defying God on that day.
Stupid self-indulgence will have come to a bitter and final end.
The way to avoid disaster on judgment day is simple repentance today.
Repentance is to be sorry for sinful conduct; to be so sorry that one turns from that conduct and begins a new course of personal action.
The first action is:
Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved. (Acts 16:31)
The second action is:
Be baptized as a symbol of having turned from old ways to the ways of Christ. (Acts 10:48)
The third action is:
Do the things of Christ. (Luke 6:46) In other words, take your commitment to Christ seriously. (This does not ‘earn’ salvation for salvation is by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8 It does show your commitment to Christ.)
It is easy to look at the great sin around us and justify the small sins in our own lives.
This is frivolous behavior for the Christian.
Christians are to do the things Christ says to do.
Christians living a life doing the things Christ taught us in the Bible stand out as different from those living a life of frivolity (aka stupid self-indulgence).
Matthew 5:13-16 says:
13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14. Ye are the lighty of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick: and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The silly self-indulgent really don’t have time to listen to what Christians have to say. They are too busy working at ‘having fun’, and ‘staying young’.
They do occasionally have time to watch what a Christian does.
Be sure that you are living Matthew 5:16. ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Friday, June 5, 2009
Do We Need to Save the Planet?
Is this planet in jeopardy?
Is it too late to save the planet from manmade destruction?
Can the climate be changed to benefit mankind instead of destroy mankind?
Is the earth in fact a living being who plays host to the inhabitants who live here?
Are the inhabitants of earth ungrateful parasites, filled with disrespect toward our benevolent hostess Mother Earth?
Is it time to whip the masses into shape, live green, fear environmental change, and utterly rethink and revamp civilization as we know it?
The answer to all of the above question is NO!
No, the planet is not in jeopardy.
We don’t need to save the planet from manmade destruction.
The climate cannot be changed by man or the actions of man.
The earth is a created mass. It has no ‘life’ of its own.
It is not time for the inhabitants of the world to fear environmental change so much that they will accept a civilization filled with rules and peer pressure that demands worship of an inanimate object know as ‘earth’.
Here’s the truth.
The earth has a Creator. That is God Almighty.
The earth has a sustainer. That is God Almighty.
The earth has a savior. That is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
You can forget ‘saving the planet’.
The planet will be fine just as long as God has a purpose for it.
When God’s purpose is done, the planet is toast. (Don’t worry. God promises a new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13) It will be like moving from the shack out back to the mansion on the hill.)
There is absolutely nothing at all that can be done to change God’s plan.
HOWEVER, in the mean time, it suits God’s purpose and plan to sustain the earth.
So don’t worry that you/we, your children/our children will wake up one morning without a planet that has the necessary elements to sustain life.
It ain’t gonna happen.
This planet is sustained by the hand of God alone, and mankind has nothing to do with anything regarding how it operates, or how long it operates, or the level of oxygen in the air, or the ozone layer, or anything else that actually affects what is going on climatically speaking. It requires arrogance and folly to believe anything else.
The heathens and infidels of the world can worship mother earth as they like. The Christian has a higher calling. The Christian is to obey the commandments and rules for living that are set down in the Bible. Do not let yourself be distracted by fearmongers shouting ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling.’
Christians are to actually follow the example set by Christ. These rules include:
the ten commandments:
the examples of Christ in how He lived His life while here.
the ‘love one another clause:
I think you know are at least familiar with the ten commandments.
Christ gave us an example or instructions on:
WASTEFULNESS
He fed the 5,000, and then gathered up all the leftover food so as not to be wasteful. Now, that is an example worth following in how we live our lives. Don’t waste things.
CARE OF ANIMALS
‘The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.’ (Proverbs 12:10)
How about that. The simple regard for the life one’s animals is better than the most tender mercies of the wicked. An example of that is PETA – people for the ethical treatment of animals.
They scream loudly for ethical care and treatment of animals.
YET, what do they do with abandoned animals entrusted to their care?
According to this report, PETA kills 97% of the animals they take in.*
Now excuse me, but gramma running a home for stray cats can do better than that – and probably on a fixed income!
Matthew Henry’s commentary on Proverbs 12:10 says, ‘A godly man would not put even an animal to needless pain. But the wicked often speak of others as well used, when they would not endure like treatment for a single day.’
SOWING AND REAPING
‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ Galatians 6:7
If a man would have food for next year, he must replant his crops every spring.
If a man would have timber for homes in the future, he must replant harvested trees today.
If a man would have material possessions such as houses and land, he must sow in hard work today.
While we have no power to determine the ultimate destiny of the earth, our actions do give us some control over our daily lives and the comfort in which we live.
Obedience to God is the first and foremost action that will have immediate and lasting effects.
The ‘love one another’ clause, which is often repeated in the Bible, says:
Ephesians 4:32 ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
John 13:34 ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’
John 15:12 ‘this is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.’
Also see John 15:17, Romans 13:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:22, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11, 1 John 4:12, and 2 John 1:5.
If you love your brother, you will not harm your brother, but will do good to him. The Bible actually tells us to love our neighbor as well. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:42, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Romans 12:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8)
Luke 10:29 says, ‘But he willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?’ Then Jesus proceeds to tell him the story of the good Samaritan. The Samaritan cared for one he did not know.
Honestly, nothing good can be done to ‘save the planet’ or save mankind as a whole from the destruction that lies ahead.
What CAN be done is to give as many as possible the opportunity to reconcile with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
Christians live as though on the Titanic. The ship is sinking. It cannot be saved. Yet, many of those on board are willing to be saved from sinking into the sea. They are looking for a way out of their danger. Point them to the way out which is Jesus Christ.
AND – remember, there is a time coming on THIS planet called the Millennium Kingdom.
In that Kingdom:
The earth will flourish. Isaiah 35:1
Christians will rule and reign with Christ. Revelations 20:6
Satan will be bound up during the thousand years. Revelations 20:3
So, don’t let the environmentalist, PETA, globalists, fear mongers, go-greeners, or anyone else distract you from the REAL problem. Actually, the whole environmental movement is set up to change your perception of the real problem to something of no importance what so ever.
The REAL problem is separation of mankind from God. The heart of man is in effect at war with God. Anyone who so chooses can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. In Jesus there is peace; and there is safety – which includes a stable planet on which to live.
PETA Euthanizes 97% of Animals http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=13568
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