What Do You Say About Sin?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 09:22 AM
The late President Calvin Coolidge returned home from attending church early one Sunday afternoon. He met his wife, who was unable to attend with him, that morning; and, he sat down to eat dinner. His wife was interested in what the preacher spoke on in his sermon. Coolidge told her that he spoke on 'Sin.' She pressed him a little further, and asked, "Well, what did he say about sin?" And, being a man of few words, Coolidge responded, "I think he was against it!"In a day of soft diplomacy, and political correctness, straight talk is a rare commodity. Most statements are couched in diplomatic terms so as not to offend anyone. Words with sharp edges are rounded off and shaped to more easily fit the ears of the hearer. T. S. Eliot was correct when he said,
"We humans cannot bear very much reality!"
We live in a day when where we are more divided than at any time since the Reformation. We are divided over what is right and what is wrong. We are divided over what is good and what is bad. We are divided over what we should do and what we shouldn't do.
However, even more tragic is the fact that we have made the wrong thing the right thing, and the bad thing the good thing. No longer is there any thought of what we should do, our decisions are based on what we want to do. And, the modern day motto holds true, "If it feels good, do it!"
J. H. Jowett aptly summarized man and God's view of sin:
Man call is an accident; God calls it an abomination.
Man calls it a chance, God calls it a choice.
Man calls it a defect, God calls it a disease.
Man calls it an error, God calls it an enmity
Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality.
Man calls it a luxury, God calls it a leprosy.
Man calls it a mistake, God calls it a madness.
Man calls it a trifle, God calls it a tragedy.
Man calls it a weakness, God calls it willfulness.
And, according to Proverbs 14: 9, God calls any man a 'fool' who looks at sin differently than He does. He is the fool who disgraces God.
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( 2.8 / 13 )Love One Another
Monday, June 28, 2010, 10:11 AM
One of the greatest autobiographies that I ever read is that of Dr. Paul Brand. Dr. Paul Brand was a leprosy specialists and one of the most renown and respected doctors in the world. He left his established career in the United States, and went to India to minister and give treatment to those of a leper colony. He went to those to whom no one else wanted to minister. And he loved them with every fiber of his being.
On one occasion, he was treating a young man, and during the exam, he placed his hand on the man's shoulder. The man began to weep uncontrollably. Dr. Brand asked the translator what he done to cause the man to weep. The translator explained it to Dr. Brand, by saying, "He is crying because you put your hand on his shoulder. Until you came here, no one had ever touched him and showed him love."
Someone has written:
"Love has a hem in its garment
That touches the very dust,
It comes down to the streets and lanes
And, because it can, it must.
Love cannot stay on the mountaintop
It must come down into the vale,
For love never comes to its fullness of mind, till it rests on the souls that fail!"
This type of love is the grandest theme of Holy scripture. However, more wonderful still is its far-reaching effect upon the human race. For, only eternity will reveal the countless number that has been won by love. Pagan powers, diabolical leaders, and satanic systems have been smitten whenever, and where ever the love of Christ has been lived. When every other measure has been exhausted, rest assured, love will break through and triumph. And, this is our responsibility to "one another." We are to "love one another" in a sacred manner, and in a shared manner. We are to "love one another" as God loves us.
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( 3 / 14 )Something to Think About
Friday, June 25, 2010, 10:59 AM
Every person approaches life with one of two basic attitudes: either optimism or pessimism. The basic difference is this: the optimist looks for the best in every situation; but the pessimist always looks for the worst. Let me illustrate the difference.A preacher and friend went hunting together on a regular basis. But this year, the preacher had a surprise for his friend. The preacher had bought this incredible dog that could walk on water. So, when the two hunters shot their ducks, the preacher turned to his dog and said, “Fetch.” The dog took out after the ducks, walking on top of the water! And then after he grabbed the ducks, the dog came back to the hunters, walking on top of the water, and dropped the ducks in front of them. The preacher turned to his friend and said, “What do you think about that?” The friend, totally unimpressed, said, “Some dog. Can’t even swim, can it?”
The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is not in the facts but in the way they look at the facts. The optimist looks at a dog walking on water and says, “That is one amazing dog!” The pessimist looks at that same dog and says, “Some dog. Can’t even swim.” The optimist always looks for the best. The pessimist always looks for the worst. As Christians, we should have an attitude like the optimist…think about it.
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( 2.6 / 14 )WWJD? Do We Really Do It?
Thursday, June 24, 2010, 11:15 AM
WWJD...you have heard that. "What Would Jesus Do? For a long time, you saw everybody wearing the bracelets that had the, WWJD on it. One of the greatest novels ever written is the paperback, “In His Steps”. The book is about a group of people in a church, who begin to try to do whatever they felt Jesus would do in a given situation. The book tells how their lives were completely changed. That is what John says. A Christian’s actions should (must) to be the kind of actions and reactions of Jesus. With that in mind, here is a test for all of us:• Are we living as Christ lived?
• Are we reacting to other people the way Christ reacted?
• Are we learning to react to situations like He reacted?
• Are we learning to relate to others as He related?
• Do we have the morals of Jesus?
Bottom line, the man who claims to be in Christ and have Christ in him gives evidence of that by his actions.
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( 3.2 / 13 )Victory Over Temptation
Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 10:45 AM
Satan knows that like metal is drawn to a magnet, the sinfulness of our hearts is drawn to temptation. James illustrates this in a very interesting picture. The word "enticed" is a fishing term. It speaks of the baiting of a hook. To catch fish, you have to put something on the hook that interests and appeals to the fish. The fish is "drawn away" by that which entices.Temptation is a pull after and a pull on certain desires we have. James speaks of our "own lust." The word 'lust' speaks of our desires or longings. All of us have certain desires and longings that have been given to us by God. They are a part of our human nature. Temptation is the method used by Satan to get us to fulfill those desires in a way that has been forbidden of God.
In the Australian bush country there grows a little plant called the "sundew." It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe to the insect, however, that dares to dance on it. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each leaf is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This innocent-looking plant then entraps and feeds on its victim.
Temptation is "sundew" of our daily experience. First we are enticed and then we are entrapped. Satan will entice us and then entrap us, and the result is always the same-death.
You may have been having a hard time saying 'no.' But remember, each time you say 'yes' it becomes harder to say 'no’. But each time you say 'no' it becomes easier the next time to say 'no’. Each victory will lead to more victories. We may never be free of temptation but we can learn how to handle it.
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