Harassed and Helpless

Matthew 9:36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” This was a major problem in Jesus’ day. Those in authority were heaping more on the people than the people could bear. Their actions were burdening; and as a result of the harassing, the people felt helpless.

Though Deuteronomy 8:1 does say, “Be careful to follow every command that I am giving you today”, the problem was, those in authority kept adding commands. Thinking they were clarifying, they instead were making it so difficult, nobody could measure up.

Though it is true that the framer of this great nation of Israel wanted them to follow His commands, He also had mercy on them when they didn’t. The current leaders had missed that part. Jesus let them know it.

Our rulers today are doing the same thing to us. By focusing on a phrase or two in the Constitution, they squeeze out meanings that our framers clearly did not intend. They create more and more laws, more and more regulations; the result of which is this same burden. To the point of harassment, it is becoming more than we can bear.

Our government is out of line. They do more to protect a tadpole that will one day turn into a frog than they do to protect a fetus that will one day turn into a baby. The list could go on.

 

 

Rev 12 – The Dragon

 

I was watching a documentary a few nights ago about the role video games are playing in these mass murders that are happening in our schools and elsewhere.  The point was made that man has a natural tendency to not pull the trigger—to not take another man’s life.  In combat, men have to be trained to overcome that tendency.  Courses are set up where they are trained to shoot instinctively and by this repetition, the tendency is overcome.

Video games have the same effect.  By repetition—realistic repetition—a person can potentially overcome the tendency to not pull the trigger.  It is this very thing that enables a kid to walk in a class room and just start shooting or gang members to think nothing of shooting each other.

All this has caused me to consider, a little more than I ever have in the past, the need of making sure I have the ability to protect my family should I ever encounter one of these insensitive individuals; which makes me go through the mental steps of one day having to pull the trigger myself.

All the thought made me think of a verse in Revelation 6.  It is the beginning wave of judgment.  It is a result of the second seal—the beginning of the beginning.  “When the Lamb opened the second seal . . . its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.”  It is at least possible that this answers the question, “Why is all this happening?”  I’m not saying for sure that it is, but it is at least possible.

One thing is for sure; things will get worse and worse.  We are in a funnel.  We are all heading to one great and final conflict.  John, in chapter 12, I think, stops for a minute and goes back in time to show the root of this inevitable conflict.  It all started in heaven before man was ever created.  Rev 12:7-9 says, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

So the dragon (Satan) lost his place in heaven.  John uses this chapter to give us the why.  Why is the dragon against us?  Quite simply, he wants to take as many as he can with him.  He wants to keep as many as he can from making it to heaven.  He has been against us ever since we showed up.  In the garden he deceived us.  When Mary was giving birth to Jesus, he tried to destroy them both.  Rev 12:4 says, “The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.”  Later in vs.13, John says that, “he pursued the woman”, but God protected her.

Since the dragon couldn’t take the holy family out, he has had to settle for the next best thing . . . us.  John concludes this 12^th chapter with this: “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring-those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”  Why is life so hard?  Why will it continue to get harder?  Because the dragon has declared war on us and as he sees his remaining days coming to an end, he will try even harder to take us out.  He will try until that great and final conflict when God takes him out once and for all.

Rev 4,5 – Will We Bring God to His Feet

 

In the first 3 chapters of Revelation, John, while he writes the series of letters to the churches, is on the island of Patmos.  This 4^th chapter begins with John being called up to heaven where he will remain throughout the rest of this book.

The first thing John describes is the throne in heaven.  The thing that struck me was his description of the four living creatures around the throne.  One was like a lion.  One was like an ox.  One had a face like a man.  One was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four creatures “never stopped saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

I had a thought I had never considered before.  By the lion doing what it is created to do, day after day after day, is it not perpetually declaring, “holy, holy, holy”?  The eagle, as it does what God created it to do, is it not also declaring . . . and the ox?  All three with different design do what they were designed to do.

And then I thought about the one that had a face like a man.  Do we do what we were created to do?  Do we all work to provide for the betterment of our families?  Do we all choose as a mate, a member of the opposite sex that we might produce a family?  Do we honor God in and with our lives?  It is the only one of the 4 that chooses.

As a side note, I thought of when God created man.  If God had intended for man to be with man and woman to be with woman in addition to man being with woman, He would have created 6 people – 3 men and 3 women – but He didn’t.

There is a verse in chapter 5; “with your blood you purchased men for God”.  Funny, He didn’t have to purchase the other creatures; they do what they were made to do.  But man . . . we had to be “purchased”.  And then, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”

I’ve wondered more lately than ever if I am doing what I was created to do.  I watched Men of Valor a few nights ago.  Trained Men of Valor fought against evil to rescue a woman who had been taken hostage and was being tortured.  These trained men who rescued her cussed and drank a little, but I couldn’t help but to wonder if maybe they didn’t cause God to stand up and take notice.  I wonder if He didn’t stand up and say, “Now that’s what I’m talkin about”.

In both the 4^th and 5^th chapters, John refers to “the seven spirits of God”.  Could these spirits be like facets of a diamond?  Isn’t there a part of God that both loves and hates?  Is He not both full of mercy and yet He will eventually judge?  Is He not both gracious and jealous?  Is He not also a God of vengeance?

We are at a critical point in our nation’s history.  A couple of states just voted to accept gay marriage.  Our government is leaning toward raising taxes so that it does not have to cut its, out of control, spending.  Both financially and morally we are bankrupt.  Business as usual is as much out of line for our government as it is for us.  Personally I am searching for a better way “to serve our God” in these trying times.  I believe the question we should all be asking is, what will we, who have “with blood” been “purchased for God”, do to serve Him?  And will it be enough to bring Him to His feet?

Contend For What You Believe

Where I grew up in the south, there were a few dirt roads.  Back then, we didn’t think that much about them.  They had been that way.  We accepted them.  Today, many of them have been paved over in an effort to make things better.

In our not too distant past, intolerance was a little like those dirt roads.  There were many who had been intolerant for years.  We didn’t think that much about it; it’s just the way it was.  It was common.  It was acceptable.  But someone decided if intolerance could be paved over, it would make things better.

Travel was a little slower on dirt roads.  Similarly, when there was more intolerance, immorality moved a little slower.  Intolerance kept it in check.  It didn’t prevent it any more than dirt roads kept people from driving on them; but when intolerance was taken out of the way, immorality hit the superhighway.

Have you noticed how those who initially pressed for tolerance has now become the intolerant ones?  If anyone today does try to voice an opposing opinion they get blasted – just as the owner of Chic-Filet.

As a result of this push against intolerance, many have simply shut down.  Over time we have been conditioned.  Now we tolerate everything.  We tolerate a government that is out of its mind fiscally.  We tolerate an arrogant President who thinks he can snub his nose at half the nation and the other half of our government.  We tolerate both sides of our government for allowing things to remain “business as usual”.

It was announced yesterday that the Supreme Court is considering the issue of gay marriage.  Now there’s an issue that has hit the freeway.  Years ago it was suggested that people are born that way, and with the intolerant ones quieted to little more than a whisper, there was no one to stand up and said “No!  That is not true.  We are all created in the image of God.  We make choices as to how we will live.”  And so now, because intolerance was removed, we are where we are.

I recently read a letter that was written many years ago.  It was written to a group of people who were being pressed to believe things that were not true.  Much like today, when our media no longer has to travel the back roads, they now push immorality freely down the interstate with wide open lanes free of traffic and speed limits.

In the letter I read, the writer (whose name was Jude) said, “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for what you believe”.  He goes on to tell of the “godless men, who were changing the grace of God into a license for immorality.  By following their own ungodly desires, they divide you.”  Sounds a little like today doesn’t it?

Among Jude’s final words he suggests that his readers “build themselves up”.  In other words, become more familiar with what God actually requires.  He’s given us an entire book that tells us.  Read it.  Study it.  Then . . . contend for what you believe.

Is God Giving Us What We’ve Asked For

In Ben Stein’s response to the White House’s referral to the “Holiday Tree”, he quotes Billy Graham’s daughter when she was asked:

“How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said: “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

For the rest of the transcript click here.

Gaining Control of Ourselves

In Ron Paul’s farewell address to Congress, he includes with the following in his concluding remarks:

“The ultimate solution is not in the hands of the government.  The solution falls on each and every individual . . . ”  And then, “The #1 responsibility for each of us is to change ourselves with the hope that others will follow”.

In one of my previous posts – Time We Inquire – I said the same thing in a little different way. “I believe it is time we take a fresh look at what God requires – not just a focus on what it will take to fix our nation – what it will take to fix us.”  I believe it has to start there.

For the video of Ron Paul’s speech, click here.

For the transcript, click here.

Time We Inquire

 

Have we already gone over the cliff and we just don’t know it?  Obama seems to be hell bent on destroying our country.  He is approaching his new with defiance and with what seems to be intentional provocation.  If I understand what he said in his first press conference, he is pushing for no government cutbacks while increased taxation.  And that’s just the fiscal cliff.  The moral cliff is a different story.  He mandated Hobby Lobby – a Christian owned company – to provide the health coverage that includes birth control and abortions?  If they don’t comply, they will face 1.3 million in penalties every day.  Is he mad or what?  Read for yourself here.

It is like he senses he can’t be stopped.  How does this happen?  How have we let it happen?  Is it too far gone?  Does he have such a head of steam that we will be unable to stop him?  Evil is unrestrained.  For far too long we have done little to restrain it.  Are we reaping what we’ve sown?  Is the enemy just taking advantage of the lack of restraint?  Is God just giving us what we deserve?

Consider these thoughts from Revelation.  In chapter’s 2 & 3 is the record of 7 letters John wrote to the 7 churches of the day.  Each had their respective issues.  I find what he had to say to all of them interesting, but the problem in the church of Thyatira might be a little insight into our problem today.

They were doing more and more good stuff, but they “tolerated that woman Jezebel who misleads my servants into sexual immorality”.  As Revelation is a revelation of what will one day take place, consider from chapters 17 & 18 what will one day take place regarding this misleading that is so rampant today.

Revelation 17:2 says, “The inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries”.  Could that apply to us?  What about 18:3?  “For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.  The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Because there have been no serious repercussions, we have tolerated.  Maybe we have concluded – again because of a lack of repercussions – that God is okay with our tolerance.  But consider again what He said to the people in John’s day; “Come out of her, my people.”

John tells us in his writing that there would come a day when there would be repercussions.  Are we beginning to feel the pains – see the signs?  Have we tolerated so long that we will now pay the price for it?  If there is one thing I have learned about life, it is that the consequences resulting from years of mistakes we make in our personal lives don’t automatically get erased if and when we finally come to our senses.  What took years to ruin will often take years to fix.

I believe it is time we take a fresh look at what God requires – not just a focus on what it will take to fix our nation – what it will take to fix ourselves.  His invitation is standing.  It is simple as His advice usually is.  Wherever we are in life, He invites us to follow Him.  Step by step by agonizing step, if we are willing to follow, He will show us the way out and back.  Thomas Paine wrote, “A long habit of not thinking a thing Wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being Right”.  We are not right; and it’s time we inquire as to where we went wrong.