Elections

Elections are almost here. The part of me that does not like the ads, brochures, flyers and signs will cheer when it is over. The part of me that senses accountability is uneasy.

Every important privilege brings with it duties. We live in a country of freedoms. So, Christians have responsibilities to the government. Rom 13:1 says, "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities for there is no Authority accept from God and those which exist are established by God."

And responsible citizens vote.

In many countries, Christians do not have an opportunity to improve, correct or refine their nation, their state, or county through democratic voting.

Voting brings with it four challenges.

The first challenge is to vote for the man most moral. Morals are founded on principles of right conduct rather than legalities, enactments, or customs. Since my country is needing to return to the principles of right conduct, in the presidential race I must vote for the man following God's principals.

From http://evanolsen.org/

God gave up on homosexuals thus setting a principle of right conduct. We will not vote for a man who endorses homosexuality as an "alternative lifestyle".

The second challenge is to vote for the man with the best employment program. God wants us to work. 2 Thessalonians 3:10. "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busy bodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread."

Some states, such as Arkansas, can also vote for issues that keep their citizens working.

We should NOT vote for candidates who allow able workers to stay on welfare programs.

Challenge #3 is to vote against issues, or candidates, that will ruin people. Colorado shows was clearly legalized medical marijuana does not work. Law enforcement officials believe it results in more pain than it removes. In Arkansas, we need to vote against legalizing medical marijuana.

The final challenge is to vote for a candidate that practices good stewardship. Companies such as T.D.Ameritrade and Edward Jones are practicing stewardship. They manage properties and financial matters.

My bank helps me practice good stewardship. If I spend more than I have deposited, I am charged a severe penalty. Good stewards do not spend more then they take in. Nor do good stewards "gamble" with someone else's money (mine) in an attempt to spend their way out of debt. Will your bank let you spend your way out of debt?

Straight Line

I managed to do it again, and I did it very well.

I'm mowed a straight line across my wide yard.

Not amazed? You should be. My yard is 75 yards wide.

How do I do it? I stare at an object 100 yards beyond where I need to go. I fix my eyes on the object.

As long as I keep my eyes on the object, I can drive a straight line. But the moment I look away, I get out of line.

As long as Peter stared at Jesus, he walked on water. When he looked away and saw the waves, he sank.

Luke 9:51 indicates that when Jesus realized his ascension was approaching, he became determined to go to Jerusalem. Going to Jerusalem would cost him his life. So he 'fixed' his eyes on heaven and he endured the cross.

Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us about 'fixing' our eyes on Jesus. The passage has 2 challenges:

• to put aside the sins that weigh us down,
• to live with patience the life before us, keeping our eyes 'fixed' on Jesus.

If I fix my eyes on Jesus, I will see him:

• overcoming temptation with Bible verses.
• preaching repentance.
• serving the ill.
• telling people how to be happy.
• warning people about following him, and the trouble that will come.
• teaching the extent of our influence.
• indicating the importance of conflict resolution.
• teaching the extreme need to not stumble with sins like adultery.
• urging careful mate selection.
• promoting promise keeping.
• retarding retaliation.
• loving his enemies.
• practicing a non-showy piety.
• praying.
• mastering money.
• wiping out worry.
• showing the self-condemning nature of judging others.
• handcuffing hypocrisy.

This is the author and perfecter of our faith. When I fix my eyes on him, I will walk his straight line.

Why Bad to Worse

Ever experience someone who could not stop being bad? People reason with them, but they will not listen. Nothing works.

Why will they not change? Today, I grasped an answer.

It is in Proverbs 17:4. "An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue."

Evil people do not follow watchful, loving men or women who recognize the inevitable consequences and endeavor to provoke change.

Instead, self-destructing humans, bent on being bad, solely pay attention to others voicing agitation, discord, depression, and grief. Like zombies, blundering along, they follow the directives of the discontented driving to desecration and disaster. (Is this selective hearing?)

When do people become selective for evil? Where is the proverbial 'point of no return'?

What does God do with the selectively evil? Two answers are:

• Hebrews 10:26-27 "26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries."
• Romans 1:28-32 "28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."

Are you listening to God himself, solidly on good ground, gaining His grace, taking His advice, and struggling to imitate Him?

He Wept Twice

Borrowed from http://27.media.tumblr.com/

Twice Jesus was mournful.

Twice his emotions were visible.

Jesus was close to Mary, Martha and Lazarus, two sisters and a brother. In the early part of John 11, Lazarus dies. Jesus goes to the sisters to comfort them. He tells Martha He will raise Lazarus.

And then it hits Him. He already is experiencing Martha's sorrow. He saw Mary crying out. He saw others mourning and lamenting. "He was deeply moved". All this sorry agitated him and make him restless.

He wept.

Silently, He stood with tears flowing down His cheeks.

He hurts when His disciples hurt. He understood their pain. He, too, had possibly lost his father and felt their pain, even when He knew He would make things better very soon.

Jesus sees your pain. He knows those emotions. And today, as your heart and soul may be aching, He sobs. He will help you soon, but now He weeps with you.

A few days later, on the other side of the Mount of Olives, Jesus was riding a donkey. He was entering Jerusalem as a victorious king. People began cutting palm branches and waved them (palm branches to a Jew is like the 'Stars and Stripes' to an American). They placed these political symbols in front of His donkey to walk on. They started chanting an anti-Roman political statement, "Hosanna". The word means "God save us," from Psalms 118:25. These people with their 'flags waving' and demands for him to 'save them' was an appeal to Jesus to remove the Romans. Their statements were near treasonous. Luke's account recalls the Pharisees urging Jesus to make the crowd hush.

He rode a little further. He saw Jerusalem, the city.

He wept, again.

But this time He did not sob streams of tears. This time he cried out load. He mourned. He lamented.

Why?

The people had missed their chance. They were chasing a political idea that would lead to their destruction in 37 years. They were not chasing "what makes for peace," Luke 19:42. They chased politics instead of a spiritual leader.

Jesus hurts for people who miss His point. He cried when people try to gain  peace through sexual immorality, education, money, power, prestige, bragging, or envy. The Devil's ways do not bring peace. Sin in your life makes Him cry for you.

NO THING, NO IDEOLOGY, GIVES PEACE.

Jesus' way gives peace.

• "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace." John 16:33
• "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
• "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:6
• "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace..." Romans 14:19
• "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace,..." 1 Corinthians 14:33 
• "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..." Galatians 5:22
• "...endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3
• "...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
• "... having made peace through the blood of His cross." Colossians 1:20
• "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,..." Colossians 3:15
• "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way." 2 Thessalonians3:16
• "Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James 3:18

If you are not at peace, your must be following the wrong leader. STOP MAKING JESUS CRY!

Strange Coffee

I like coffee. I like flavored coffee, especially Hazelnut. And who would have ever thought that chocolate flavor in coffee could be good? And each person has their favorite roast of coffee for their preferred strength. Me? I like simple dark roast Community Coffee -- a strong taste.  But have you ever considered what it took to get those flavors in coffee?

As a scientist I can see many ongoing experiments. I could see someone trying to put pepper flavor in coffee. That won't work. I could see someone trying to put chicken or beef flavor in coffee. That won't work, either. Have you every heard of mixing curry flavor with coffee? I haven't either. I am certain that someone is always trying many experiments to devise a new, great-tasting coffee, thus creating a niche in the market for them to make millions.

But why haven't we heard of some strange flavored coffees? Simple. They just won't work.

It seems to me that some favors are not meant to work with other flavors.

In a similar way there are some patterns of living that are not meant to work in any life. It is one thing to be a Christian in the counter-cultural 'lane', and it is another to be in a 'lane' leading to trouble, heart-ache and death -- the 'lane' God has warned us about.

What are the God-warned 'flavors' of living that won't work? In Rom 1: 19-32, Paul listed some impossible 'flavors', including:

• men and women in homosexuality
• unrighteousness
• wickedness
• greed
• evil
• envy
• murder
• strife
• trickery / deceit
• malice
• talking bad about other people (gossip, slander)
• hating God
• insolence
• arrogance
• bragging / boasting
• inventing ways to do evil
• those who don't obey their parents
• those who don't have (or choose to not to have) understanding
• being untrustworthy
• displaying no love for others.
• displaying no mercy for others.

 Galatians 5:19-21 is another list of awful tasting 'flavors'. They are:

• being sexually immoral (any sex outside marriage)
• impure
• doing anything to excite the senses
• honoring anything as more important than God (idolatry)
• 'druggies' (either prescription or illegal)
• being hostile
• personal animosity
• being and creating jealousy
• emotional explosions
• the spirit of causing division
• being preferential to hurt others
• envious
• drinking alcohol  and being in parties to become intoxicated. 

And as if these weren't enough, he added a phrase to including everything in-between ("and such like").

There should be no struggle in enjoying good tasting coffee. And there should be no struggle to enjoy life. All we have to do is not 'experiment' by trying to add things to this good life that will make it taste 'yucky!' We have already been told these experiments won't work.