Just Passin' Through

               “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.” As certainly as we came into this life; we shall pass from it again. What profit is there in life seeing that it must end? If that were the whole story—there is no point in anything but to eat, drink and be merry. However, there is more to life than this world. Our life here is like a vapor. We walk the valley of life only long enough to decide the existence and justness of God. Once this matter is settled and we have given our judgment, it is God’s turn to judge.

               “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

               Christ doesn’t appear to us the second time as a suffering savior. The second time we shall see Him as He is. Judgment Day is not a far off, post-Apocalypse, meeting in the air. Judgment Day comes the moment our hearts beat no more. At that moment our fate is sealed. There will be a day when men stand before God to give an account of their life. This is not the judgment. It is our last word before sentence is carried out.

               Today, while you are working out your eternity, remember this question.

               “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

Fixations

Living on a Fixed Income

               I get tired of hearing people say: ”I’m on a fixed income.” Maybe it’s because I don’t know for sure what they are talking about. Isn’t most everyone on a fixed income? I know I am. My income is rigidly fixed by the number of hours I work every week. I’ve tried to find employment that pays for hours I don’t work, but employers can be so stubborn on this point.

               Maybe people that complain about fixed incomes are referring to sick leave. My boss doesn’t like to pay overtime so the only way I can arrange extra pay is for one of my co-workers to get sick or die. It seems so mean spirited to pray for that to happen. On the other hand, if I call in sick, my paycheck is hundreds of dollars short. Is that what happens on Social Security too? Do your food stamps go down if you get sick? I don’t know, I’m just trying to figure this fixed income thing out.

               I have health insurance, but I make it a point to know where all the exits are in my doctor’s office. If he starts talking about lab tests or xrays, I may need to make a quick exit. My income isn’t fixed to handle that kind of thing.

Volunteers

            “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves…Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”

            This message of Paul to the Christians of Rome makes me wonder where America’s Founding Fathers stood with God. We call Washington, Adams and Jefferson heroes. The case can also be made that they were nothing more than rebels kicking against the rule of Parliament and the king. (Which is exactly the case that would have been brought against them at trial had it come to that.) However, it seems to be the consensus today’s Christians, as it was among the Founding Fathers, that Parliament no longer represented them or their interests. If that is just grounds for revolution, it is time Christians examine their blind allegiance to the government in Washington. The republic to which we once pledged that allegiance, clearly, no longer represents us.

            The time is passed for any sort of Christian political activism. Our system of courts ruled by the law of cultural correctness has negated that opportunity. It is time to come out from among them and be separate. A spiritual, financial, and cultural secession is needed. Step into the ark and shut the door. Let the government fill its coffers and its military gristmill from the ranks of the worldly, the illegals and the downtrodden it loves so much. America needs the message seen on church signs everywhere—get right or get left.    

            

True Evangelicals

True Evangelicals

               Those who can—do. Those who can’t—criticize. Israel wandered forty years in the wilderness waiting for God to give them a second chance at their promised land. During all that time their clothes never wore out; neither did their shoes. Six days a week they could step out the tent door and pick up bread from heaven. Water sprang from a rock for them to drink and quail walked right up and nearly threw themselves into the pot. Maintaining a nation on the move is no easy task. Moving that same nation, intact, across the desert is impossible. Nevertheless, Moses with God’s intervention did it.

               Sure, Moses is a hero now. But, in his day, there was not a sandal print in Sinai that wasn’t accompanied by a complaint. Everybody, even Moses’ brother, knew how to do it better, faster, and with less effort. The sad part is such behavior is human nature. Man is an unhappy creature. Moreover, he is evangelical in his misery forever sharing the message of his poor condition.

               The good news is that there are those like Moses, Joshua and Caleb who remain doers in the midst of their detractors. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Lies

Lies We Believe

               Some lies make life easier and who doesn’t like easy? Easy is what Man is all about. But, lies have a way of catching up to both tellers and believers. The notion that social welfare is compassionate is a lie. Social welfare programs, as practiced in America, are nothing more than a salve for the conscious of those too self-centered to be bothered with the poor. We draw an imaginary line and say—here’s some money. Now, go away. True constructive help never enters the picture. The reason for this is simple. Building productive people is time consuming, costly, and offers few positive results.

The culture of living on the government runs deep. Sparks of incentive are quickly extinguished; usually at the family level. I’m for helping the poor, but help with no teaching or responsibility attached is no solution. It serves only to prolong dependence and stifle effort. So, do we just boot everyone off welfare? No, but we do set goals for the day benefits stop. In medicine and nursing discharge planning starts on admission. Why not welfare? For those too disabled, mentally or physically, appoint independent guardians or mentors to manage benefits.

Granting independence is not the same thing as teaching it. A child with a credit card, even a limited one, needs instruction in its use. Want can be an excellent teacher, but not long term. We have an obligation to teach or stop enabling.

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak…”

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”   

Carrying a Torch

               I recently discovered that I still carry a torch for Lady Liberty. I thought those old feelings of devotion died a long time ago. Then, suddenly, I find myself passionately opposed to those I believe are actively seeking her destruction. Who knew?

               I’m not talking about Islamic extremists or the criminals slipping over our borders. Those are external dangers and relatively easier to deal with. I’m talking about the cultural quislings among us; those whose career goals are to “get on a check” and the leaders that inspire such lofty aspirations. I’m talking about those who drop mom off at the local hospital when she gets to be too much trouble. I’m talking about farms, banks, manufacturers and ordinary citizens living on government subsidies. I’m talking about a society who thinks nothing wrong with two years of unemployment payments and columns of Help Wanted ads living side by side. I’m talking about companies too big to fail and home buyers too politically popular to lose out.

               Our country is bleeding red ink. We are told the only solutions are higher taxes and more debt. Are you kidding me? Experience, hard earned and sadly won, says differently. Uncle Sam and Lady Oklahoma were nowhere to be found when we were drowning. Are we just better swimmers? Family, friends and faith can save. Is it too much to ask our fellow citizens and governmental leaders find some?

               “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. “

               If you are too modern and evolutionary to believe that—what of survival of the fittests?

Dust in the Wind

               Adam Bonhaven rode his Harley south on I-95 headed for Miami and a lot of fun in the sun. His dark hair streamed out on the wind. The warm sunshine reached right down to his soul while the haunting melody of a Kansas tune played in his mind.  Life was good. Mile maker thirteen flew by; no hurry; he’d get there. A sparkling fleck of dust blown from the roadside hit Adam’s eye. Instinctively, be blinked back the irritation and tried to brush it away.

The Harley swerved. Still fighting the dust in his eye, Adam over corrected. The big bike laid on its side pinning Adam’s leg and dragging him across the asphalt. The trucker following Adam slammed on his brakes, but not in time for Adam to escape. The truck jack-knifed across three lanes of traffic taking out a minivan and a church bus before coming to rest in the grass. Traffic along I-95 backed up for miles as police and fire-rescue cleared the bodies.

No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. Dust we may be and to dust we return, but no life is insignificant.