Anything Goes

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Ignorant and Rebellious

A Rebellious Nation

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!

For the Lord has spoken:

“I reared children and brought them up,

But they have rebelled against me.

The ox knows its master,

The donkey its owner’s manger,

But Israel does not know,

My people do not understand.”

One could rightly substitute America for the word Israel and do no harm to the charge against the insurrectionary nation.

Isaiah chapter one is worth reading again for the comparison of Israel and America is worth noting.  This nation was founded by people whose faith was centered in Jehovah and not in one of the many foreign gods people are espoused to today.

As people are being welcomed to this country they bring with them false gods and deny the almighty his rightful place as King of Kings over this nation.

Isaiah 1:7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Could this be the future of America?  What we see happening in other countries may soon be happening here in America.

The event that occurred on September 11 may eventually be dwarfed by what may ensue.

Like Israel of old the people of this country will ignore GOD’S warnings and refuse to return to HIM.  While we do not have a modern Isaiah the warnings being preached from some pulpits in America are as in Isaiah’s day being ignored.

Where is the nationwide revival?  It doesn’t exist.

Should this country continue to accept the condition of spiritual malaise much of Isaiah chapter one will be manifested in America and that without remedy.

Words that are most frightening are, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear.”

Our nation is being programmed to resist the ways of rightness and reject the provider of righteousness.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!”

Cole Porter wrote the lyrics to the song, “Anything goes” and it gave us a look at where we were in the forties; sorry to say we have moved way beyond that today and still, “Anything goes.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7NJ9ylAhos

If you have interest check out Billy’s sermon!

http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/june-2012/confusing-evil-with-good/

 

THE END OF THE DAY

End of the Day
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Oft times I am quicken by the realization I must face the end of the day.

Because of past experience I think of it with dread.  It makes me wish I could be one of the masses which are not burdened with thinking and live their lives oblivious to those they touch. 

They care not for others and long since their sensibilities lie in a comatose state of connivance which is a protective devise should something try to stir up empathy for a downtrodden wretch.

This is not to be for though so often I fail to feel for persons who suffer tragedy.  I know I must face my actions at the end of the day.  Beyond that I know the events are imprinted in my mind and will emerge at an importune time and inflict as much pain as they are capable of.

In the midst of this undesired happening I cry out in prayer, “Is there no answer to help me “and I always get the same response.

The first commandment is; “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is tough to swallow and I will have to deny my natural instincts to accomplish this.  Perhaps if I could have another word, one which would modify the harshness it inflicts to the present state of my soul.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart (mind), for everything you do flows from it”.

2 Corinthians 10:4 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”

It looks like the only way to change; “The end of the day” is for me to change.

The answer lies within the scriptures.  Especially, “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”

 

TOUGH WORDS

Some Words are Tough to Chew
courtesy free clip art

Some of Jesus words are too tough to chew for some (most) people.

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

One Example Of A Wrong Decision.

In 1948 there was a man who went down to the altar for he was convicted of sin in his life.  Others in the family had already repented and received Christ as their savior. This man was struggling within for he didn’t want to give up his style of living.  Over the next days the struggle continued until one night the preacher spoke of fasting and that made his decision for him.

As we were talking about serving GOD he said, “If that is what they believe (speaking about fasting) then I don’t want anything to do with it.”  He went on and said, “I promised myself long ago that I would never do without anything I wanted so I ain’t going back to that church again.”

He was a man of his word and didn’t return again.  

The rest of his life was spent trying to satisfy his wants which revolved around committing adultery and boozing.  Outside of denying Christ he was a friendly, outgoing, person who married a Christian woman while not altogether faithful to her she lived with him till his death.

He died a few years ago and whether he ever came to the point where he could deny himself - - only he and GOD know the answer.

Tough Question

Matthew 16:26 What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

While no one will gain the whole world we find many who try to excel in certain fields by compromising their service to GOD.

Christianity is to be lived where “The rubber meets the road” as the idiom goes.

My Theology

How does my purported theology match up with Paul the main Theologist of the scriptures?

Of course we must include the other writers of the New Testament for they fill in some of the blanks not addressed by Paul.

Our belief system (theology) should control our conduct but such is not always the case.  There are times when we venture outside the Christian modus operandi and expect what some call “Greasy Grace” to compensate for lax behavior.

Living in the “Greasy Grace” state can become addictive and become what we now consider to be the norm for Christians.  

 

Tis a faulty Theology that relies upon grace given by GOD to cover a sinful life style and is invoked (when convicted) by one who is deceiving themselves into thinking a little wrong is alright.

I Want It All

Matthew. 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

By the same token we can’t serve GOD and the devil at the same time and please GOD.

Shall we call it what it is, “Unacceptable Behavior.”

It can be a desire in one’s heart to want to take some “Time Off” from walking upright before the Lord.

Too late we find that exercise leads us to the “Land of Woe” and we discover while the “Blood of the Lamb” gives forgiveness it doesn’t expunge the memory of the offence nor the damage it has done.

Doing It Right

 
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

This putting on the Christian way is the place to start realizing that there is an inexhaustible supply of temptations and so many are tailor made just for you.

Seems like what the eye doesn’t see the mind creates.  They stimulate the hunger and thirst for things that are hindrances to holy living.  It is an appetite problem and salivating at the lustful thoughts.

The Only Answer

Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Another way of saying this is; if you follow the plain truth as set forth in the scriptures your spirit and mind won’t adjudge you as a spiritual failure.

Well as I said some of the programs laid out by Jesus are hard on the flesh only when you don’t avail yourself to GOD’S provisions for success.

Prayer; “Lord, deliver me from me.”

 

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This post is shared at: Tell Me a Story
This post is also shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

SOON IT WILL BE MIDNIGHT

Midnight Approaches
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Sleep is moving in, insisting that it is time to let it take over and rule the night. There are many foes that are determined to keep it at bay.

A child that hasn’t arrived home when it should have.

The need for studying for a test on the morrow.

Just have to see the ending of a movie on TV.

How to explain a wrong or failing, strategy.

The clock declares it is bedtime for it is midnight.  My body is crying out for rest and desires to be in bed.

My brothers faced the midnight hour having been beaten and in chains and in prison…

“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks”.

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.…

There are times when the midnight hour is the hour of deliverance for you.

A time when doors are to be opened and chains to be removed.

If (when) you have your own “Prison experience” it is time to take Paul and Silas’ example to heart.

At midnight be found praying and singing hymns of praise to God, until all the doors are open and everyone’s chains are unfastened.  This is important for it is seldom that there are no other people involved in your issues.

Remember each midnight is another opportunity to find release for yourself and others suffering the prison experience. The keys to the locked doors are found in praying and singing praise to GOD.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

 

This post is shared with Charlotte’s Spiritual Sundays

PLAYING WITH FIRE



Playing with Fire can get You Burnt
courtesy free clip art

If you play with fire you get burned

Meaning: If you fool around with something that is potentially dangerous, you must expect to get harmed.

One case; Timothy Treadwell lived among grizzly bears during summer seasons for 13 years.  At the end of his 13th summer in the park in 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were killed and partially eaten by a grizzly bear.

Siegfried & Roy are a German-American duo of former contemporary magicians and entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers.

From 1990 until Roy's tiger injury ended their stage careers on October 3, 2003, the duo formed Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage Resort and Casino, which was regarded as the most-visited show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On October 3, 2003, during a show at the Mirage, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck by a 7-year-old male white tiger named Montecore.  While being taken to the hospital,  Horn said, "Montecore is a great cat.  Make sure no harm comes to Montecore.  While Roy made a partial recovery they retired from public performances.

Wikipedia

We are bound as people to take risks.  The entertainment parks provide, “On the edge experiences” for those who have the nerve to ride on their contraptions.

This same thirst for living on the edge imbues people to refuse the salvation provided by God. They want to take their chances after death rather than to accept a sure thing and live eternally blessed by GOD.

People who take risks block out the factual dangers and proceed in the face of them. 

One such warning is found in the book of Revelation; He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

"If you play with fire you will get burned" yet people insist on defying the potential for harm because fire is;

A. hot

B. attractive and mesmerizing

C. dangerous and unpredictable

Happy camper

The first experimentation with “Playing with fire” occurred in the Garden of Eden and the results were devastating.

 

WHO ATE MY BACON

Image courtesy free clipart

 

Over the years working as a roofer I have installed thousands of roofs.

Starting out as an apprentice I made it a practice to try to learn something new pertaining to my job each and every day.  At the end of the day I would consciously ask myself  "What did I learn today?"  This continued for at least twenty years until I had seen just about everything.

For the first few years before I went into business for myself I worked for a sub-contractor who had a contract with Sears®.

Because I almost never saw the salesman that sold the job, I was given a packet with the information needed to explain what was to be done.  In the packet was the name of the owner, a diagram of the roof, and what was to be done. 

One thing that was not included was if it was a rental property.  This could be a problem if the owner never told the renter we were coming.  Some of the renters really gave us a bad time not wanting us to install the roof.  

Since I was working for a service company I had to take a lot of guff from these people who were renters.  It would take me about three hours to return to the shop, unload, get another job loaded, and go to the new job so I would tell them whatever came to mind such as; "The owner has a legal right to maintain this property shall I call the police to sort it out?"  

 

Sometimes I would say; "There will be a charge to the owner for me coming out here of a couple hundred dollars and I'm sure he will look to you for the cost to him.

There were several ways I developed to handle this problem, and sometimes I would just ignore them and go to work.

Then came the day when I was sent out to a neighborhood where there was a lot of shooting at various times and this always caused me a little anxiety when working in that area.  

Since I was of the wrong ethnic group that made me a little more uneasy.  In any case I went up the door of the property to be roofed and rang the bell but got no answer so I proceeded to knock and still no response.

After waiting for a while and knocking again on the door with no response I finally put up my ladder on this two story building.

The material had to be carried all the way up the two stories.  I grabbed a bundle of shingles that weighed seventy pounds, and carried it up to the roof and began to nail them on.  Then it was down to get another bundle, and as I got to the second floor the window was thrown open and this stout very voluptuous woman stuck her head out the window.

She had just got up and was wearing a loosely fitting night gown, and as she leaned out the window she had an "Oops moment."  After she gathered her self back into her garment she wanted to know the details of what was going on.

I quickly explained for my ladder was swaying from the weight of the bundle of shingles that was trying to push my feet through the rungs of the ladder.

She said all right and disappeared back into the room. I guess she was lonely for several times she would stop me while I was climbing up to the roof and wanted to talk to me.  All the time she was talking the shingles were getting heavier.

Finally it was noon time and I had seen three young boys in the house during the morning and as I sat down to eat lunch I heard a loud voice yell, "Who ate my bacon?" then silence.

A moment later I heard something that sounded like a strap slapping on flesh and there was a trio of boys screaming, “It wasn't me.”  Every so often the strap would stop and those words would boom out, "Who ate my bacon?"

This continued until I finished my lunch, the non-stop crying ceased; then all was silent.  

Later while down on the ground getting some materials the woman came outdoors and she was big. I wondered how her dress could hold all of her curves in without splitting. It looked like everything was trying to escape but

I could see she felt proud of the image she projected and I didn't act otherwise either for she was big.

She knew I heard all that screaming and felt she should explain.

It seems she had got the boys up and asked if they wanted her to fry them some bacon and they were busy playing and all said, "No."

She then proceeded to fry herself some bacon and after she finished she left the room for a couple of minutes.  When she returned her bacon was gone, hence the question, "Who ate my bacon?"

When all three denied it and out came the strap.  After over twenty minutes of strap action on all three boys, one of them confessed and that was the end of it.  She knew she had the right one because it had to be one of the three and of course the other two got the benefit of the teaching.

As she left she said; "I'm going to teach them boys not to lie to me."

I finished the job before she returned.

That evening I asked myself, “What did you learn today?

Without question the answer was; "Never to eat that bacon.”

FOR MEN’S EYES ONLY

Hubby and Wife
courtesy photobucket.

Most men know their mother wasn’t perfect but because she put up with all their foolishness they revered her.

One thing they want in a wife is perfection and they are sure they will find her.

The way it is suppose to work is all parties are to remain celibate until marriage but for many that didn’t work.

Even with that gaffe they still dream on.  Miss perfect is out there and I will find her. When it seems that everything is right and she must be the one passion numbs the brain and the biological urges drive you on.

Then sometime as early as the honeymoon the blinders come off and what I have and what I thought I had are two different things (this works both ways).

At that point the goal is to be able to live with her flaws if I possibly can.

Yes it seems that, “honey-bun has turned out to be stinky-poo.”

While she is thinking, “What did I ever see in him?” he fails to amuse, really!

While the man thinks, “Is this what GOD had in mind when he created woman?”

She reads him and boldly remarks, “Well! Eve wasn’t perfect you know, how could she be for she was taken from a man.”

But Women on the other hand can see men’s flaws as soon as they meet them. Sometimes before they meet them for their mother has imparted Clairsentience knowledge concerning men to them but then they doubt their inside information and take the plunge anyway.

Then there are those who are heathen who walk in fear and can’t find a woman who is fit for a wife so they (using a common term) shack up with them.  It is meant to be a temporary arraignment so they can take a hike anytime they want to.  

 

During the process many times they have dumpster kids that they dump by moving on and looking for another imperfect specimen for another temporary situation.

Only those of like kind will take up with them and live with them while judging their own self worth to be nigh unto zero.

Do I infer there are no successful marriages?  

It depends on with what measure you mete.  Shall we grade from the bottom to the top?  From lousy to great?

With all that having been said and you have been exposed to the trials of matrimony and you realize that marriage is like unto a job.  It must be worked at and solutions sought for each and every problem.  It’s not perfection but a perfecting process we continually experience.

On occasion it may be necessary to “Bring back that loving feeling” for life is a trial where we are constantly be put upon, in many cases without cause.

Marriage requires an overcoming life on the part each of the participants.  So what is your desire is it to be “Happy trails” or “Hit the road Jack”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5J24Ssi-k4