We just finished a memorable winter. I must say that as a citizen of Bancroft, I am very pleased at the skill and efficiency our city workers demonstrated in getting our roads opened up. Even on Christmas day in the middle of a blizzard, though the roads were not perfect, I could still get around town because there was a plow out on our streets. I noticed how the snow was winged back away from the streets so that there was room for the next round of accumulation when it came. I noticed the extra time that was taken to clean the intersections as they as well built up with snow. I noticed the long hours that were spent just trying to keep up. For that I say thank you.
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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to take things for granted? It is so easy to complain that the snow plow wing piled snow in front of our driveway again and forget that if they were not out on the road there would be no place to go once we left our driveway. How many times don’t we do the same thing with God? Do we realize that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
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I recently heard about a study that said that the more thankful a person is, the more successful they are likely to be. That does not surprise me. God commands us to be thankful. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) Notice how thankfulness is connected with peace in the heart. If we complain about the pile of snow in our driveway, we end up with conflict in our hearts, but if we are thankful for the snowplows we have peace in our hearts in spite of the fact that we have a huge pile of snow to shovel. You might say that thankfulness helps us to make lemonade out of lemons. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
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So should we complain about the mud or praise God that the snow has melted? Should we complain that the sun is glaring in our eyes, or praise God that it will dry the mud? Should we complain that it is now cloudy, or praise God that the sun is not glaring in our eyes?
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Actually such approaches to thanksgiving are not at all ridiculous. In fact, as we understand the goodness of God, they should be natural. It is no wonder Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So what can you give thanks for today? Have you thanked those around you? Have you prayed and thanked God?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Do We Have a Good Culture?
The following is a condensed revision of an earlier article:
Too often people form their values based on their culture. The problem with such an approach is that it allows culture to determine values rather than God.
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As we consider the subject of cultural relativism, is it acceptable to suggest that some cultures are morally inferior to others? For example, the Children of Israel were warned about a cultural practice of their neighbors the Ammonites who sacrificed their children to the false god Molech by burning them in fire. “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21. Few would disagree that the culture of child sacrifice is evil.
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The example of the Ammonites is not very controversial, for I do not know of any people who still worship Molech. Therefore I can use that example and not ruffle too many feathers.
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What about a culture that encourages its children to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in crowded public areas with the purpose of killing as many people as possible? What about a culture that prides itself in honor killings of relatives who they feel have disgraced their families? From a Biblical perspective, not only must I condemn the religious beliefs of Islam, but also their culture of violence. Some would call me intolerant for such a statement, but what is more intolerant, writing about those we disagree with or killing them? A culture of intolerance that leads to murder is something we all must be concerned about.
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I am saddened that the debate over culture often leads instead to a debate over race. Many Muslims are Arabs, but we must not come to the conclusion that all Arabs are more evil than anyone else. The issue is not their race, but what values they embrace.
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Many of those same issues come up when we examine the values of some of our inner city cultures in this county. For example, a culture that encourages drug use, out of wedlock births, and violence should be spoken against. Sadly, instead of speaking against such a culture, many speak against a race. These behaviors are wrong no matter which races are involved in them. Further, not every person of a particular race does such things, and it is wrong to imply that they do.
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At the same time, it would be just as wrong to ignore the sinful characteristics of a culture just because of a fear of offending a certain demographic within our society. What I am suggesting is judging a “culture” rather than a race by the content of its character, not by the color of its skin.
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What about the culture of our own area. It is easy to pride ourselves in our small town values, yet cultural relativism has crept in here as well. For example, we live in a culture where premarital sex (fornication) is accepted. We live in a culture where our possessions have become our gods. We live in a culture were divorce and adultery are all too frequent. We live in a culture where we covet and want whatever someone else has. We live in a culture where it is not uncommon for our citizens to get drunk.
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
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It is time for people to reject their cultures and embrace God.
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“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
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“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3.
Too often people form their values based on their culture. The problem with such an approach is that it allows culture to determine values rather than God.
-
As we consider the subject of cultural relativism, is it acceptable to suggest that some cultures are morally inferior to others? For example, the Children of Israel were warned about a cultural practice of their neighbors the Ammonites who sacrificed their children to the false god Molech by burning them in fire. “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21. Few would disagree that the culture of child sacrifice is evil.
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The example of the Ammonites is not very controversial, for I do not know of any people who still worship Molech. Therefore I can use that example and not ruffle too many feathers.
-
What about a culture that encourages its children to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in crowded public areas with the purpose of killing as many people as possible? What about a culture that prides itself in honor killings of relatives who they feel have disgraced their families? From a Biblical perspective, not only must I condemn the religious beliefs of Islam, but also their culture of violence. Some would call me intolerant for such a statement, but what is more intolerant, writing about those we disagree with or killing them? A culture of intolerance that leads to murder is something we all must be concerned about.
-
I am saddened that the debate over culture often leads instead to a debate over race. Many Muslims are Arabs, but we must not come to the conclusion that all Arabs are more evil than anyone else. The issue is not their race, but what values they embrace.
-
Many of those same issues come up when we examine the values of some of our inner city cultures in this county. For example, a culture that encourages drug use, out of wedlock births, and violence should be spoken against. Sadly, instead of speaking against such a culture, many speak against a race. These behaviors are wrong no matter which races are involved in them. Further, not every person of a particular race does such things, and it is wrong to imply that they do.
-
At the same time, it would be just as wrong to ignore the sinful characteristics of a culture just because of a fear of offending a certain demographic within our society. What I am suggesting is judging a “culture” rather than a race by the content of its character, not by the color of its skin.
-
What about the culture of our own area. It is easy to pride ourselves in our small town values, yet cultural relativism has crept in here as well. For example, we live in a culture where premarital sex (fornication) is accepted. We live in a culture where our possessions have become our gods. We live in a culture were divorce and adultery are all too frequent. We live in a culture where we covet and want whatever someone else has. We live in a culture where it is not uncommon for our citizens to get drunk.
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
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It is time for people to reject their cultures and embrace God.
-
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
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“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3.
Missionaries
We are hosting a couple of missionaries at different times this spring. On March 28th, Chris Stoll, Missionary to Ireland is planning to be with us. He will teach Sunday School and be with us for the regular morning service. Instead of the evening service, we are planning a 1 p.m. service for that day after a fellowship meal.
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We also plan to host Darrel Jingst for the morning of May 2. He is one of the Missionaries our church currently supports. He is involved in a Spanish printing ministry. If you are able to make it to any of these services, we would love to have you join us.
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We also plan to host Darrel Jingst for the morning of May 2. He is one of the Missionaries our church currently supports. He is involved in a Spanish printing ministry. If you are able to make it to any of these services, we would love to have you join us.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Learning The Child's Language
Greek and Hebrew are not the only languages I struggle with. Lately I have been challenged with “toddler talk.” Our son Jared is learning how to speak, and it is fun trying to interpret his words. Dad is Daaee, Mom is Maee, and A.J. is Zae. One of his most used words though is “snack,” or as he says it, “sna.” A.J. can’t talk yet other than saying “mumma” or “daad.”
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It is interesting how closely their language is tied to food. Not only am I learning baby talk, but I am learning what it takes to feed a couple of growing boys. Jared has gotten big enough that he can explore on his own, and often his exploits involve a hunt for a “sna.” We do not want him just rummaging through the cupboards unsupervised, so we have instructed him to ask for a snack instead of just taking it. Now he goes around pointing and saying, “wat sem” (want some).
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He still cannot say apple, but knows the word ball, so if he wants an apple he will point at the fruit basket and ask for a “bau.” He has also learned that if he scoots his stool up by the counter, he can reach the apples himself but has been told not to take them without asking. He gets scolded if he grabs one without permission. Today I caught him doing something new. Instead of actually touching the apple in the basket with his hand, he was leaning over the basket attempting to eat the apple without holding on to it.
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I must admit that it was quite clever for a two year old, but he got in trouble anyway. As I reflect on this little incident, I realize how much adults are just like two year olds. How often don’t we try to get around the clear commands of God. It was also a reminder of how important it is to work hard at training our boys to in obedience. The first word we trained them to understand was “NO”. We did this by touching their hands firmly when they reached for something off limits and repeating the word, “no”.
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Child training is hard work. We only have two, but I am already finding how different each one is. What worked for the one may not work for the other. We can read child training books or talk to others and find out what worked perfectly for them, but it may not work for our child.
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Regardless, I know that I cannot give in to their every whim. If I do, they will learn to blackmail us simply by throwing a tantrum. I have heard of parents giving into their children simply to avoid a conflict. That is a mistake. If you do not stop doing that when they are still infants, do not be surprised if you find them laying on the floor at Wal-Mart kicking and screaming until they get the toy they want.
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Scripture is very clear about this. “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18). “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” (Proverbs 29:17)
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It is sad when children become so unruly that they are no longer a delight to their parents. Often parents neglect to say “no” when the children are still babies, and then end up yelling and screaming at them when they are older. By this time the child has already learned to manipulate and often just tunes the parent out.
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There are times we need to yell. For example if the child is ready to touch a hot stove. But yelling usually just trains children that losing their temper is okay. Instead, we must calmly take the time to train and develop godly behavior in the child, both by leading and example. Spanking must also be an option. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24) The problem with spanking is that many do not understand the difference between a physical reprimand meant to train and an actual beating. A Biblical spanking is done in love in order to train. It must be done calmly and not in anger, and generally once the child is trained spankings are rare. A parent who beats their child because they are embarrassed or inconvenienced needs to repent of their abusive sin.
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Child training is hard work, but it yields lasting rewards. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
-
It is interesting how closely their language is tied to food. Not only am I learning baby talk, but I am learning what it takes to feed a couple of growing boys. Jared has gotten big enough that he can explore on his own, and often his exploits involve a hunt for a “sna.” We do not want him just rummaging through the cupboards unsupervised, so we have instructed him to ask for a snack instead of just taking it. Now he goes around pointing and saying, “wat sem” (want some).
-
He still cannot say apple, but knows the word ball, so if he wants an apple he will point at the fruit basket and ask for a “bau.” He has also learned that if he scoots his stool up by the counter, he can reach the apples himself but has been told not to take them without asking. He gets scolded if he grabs one without permission. Today I caught him doing something new. Instead of actually touching the apple in the basket with his hand, he was leaning over the basket attempting to eat the apple without holding on to it.
-
I must admit that it was quite clever for a two year old, but he got in trouble anyway. As I reflect on this little incident, I realize how much adults are just like two year olds. How often don’t we try to get around the clear commands of God. It was also a reminder of how important it is to work hard at training our boys to in obedience. The first word we trained them to understand was “NO”. We did this by touching their hands firmly when they reached for something off limits and repeating the word, “no”.
-
Child training is hard work. We only have two, but I am already finding how different each one is. What worked for the one may not work for the other. We can read child training books or talk to others and find out what worked perfectly for them, but it may not work for our child.
-
Regardless, I know that I cannot give in to their every whim. If I do, they will learn to blackmail us simply by throwing a tantrum. I have heard of parents giving into their children simply to avoid a conflict. That is a mistake. If you do not stop doing that when they are still infants, do not be surprised if you find them laying on the floor at Wal-Mart kicking and screaming until they get the toy they want.
-
Scripture is very clear about this. “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18). “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” (Proverbs 29:17)
-
It is sad when children become so unruly that they are no longer a delight to their parents. Often parents neglect to say “no” when the children are still babies, and then end up yelling and screaming at them when they are older. By this time the child has already learned to manipulate and often just tunes the parent out.
-
There are times we need to yell. For example if the child is ready to touch a hot stove. But yelling usually just trains children that losing their temper is okay. Instead, we must calmly take the time to train and develop godly behavior in the child, both by leading and example. Spanking must also be an option. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24) The problem with spanking is that many do not understand the difference between a physical reprimand meant to train and an actual beating. A Biblical spanking is done in love in order to train. It must be done calmly and not in anger, and generally once the child is trained spankings are rare. A parent who beats their child because they are embarrassed or inconvenienced needs to repent of their abusive sin.
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Child training is hard work, but it yields lasting rewards. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Iowa Marriage Debate
There has been a lot of discussion about marriage in Iowa over the last year, and I would expect even more in the days and years ahead. A few years back, the Legislature of the state of Iowa passed a law stating that marriage was between one man and one woman. In April of 2009, the Supreme Court of Iowa issued an opinion against that law. Today there is a debate on whether or not a sitting Governor would have the authority to put a stay on that decision. At the same time, many Iowans are calling for a vote to just let the citizens of the state settle this issue.
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Essentially, Iowans find themselves in a position of debating who has the right to be the final decider of this issue. In the midst of all the emotion, we run a grave danger of forgetting that this issue has already been decided. It was not decided by a legislature, or a court, or a group of citizens, or even by a church. It was actually decided by our Creator when He made them male and female and put them together in order to procreate.
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This principle of man and woman coming together predates even the Scriptures which were given to us by God. In other words, God had established the natural order of things long before He even had Moses write the Pentateuch. Even today as we go into the hardware store and ask for plumbing and electrical connections we use the terms male and female because of the nature of how God made us. This was not something established by man, but rather by God.
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If the courts were suddenly to declare that gravity does not exist, would it change the fact? Of course not. Some would then argue that if it doesn’t change anything why worry about it. I worry about it because lies are deadly. Of course I can understand that gravity does exist, but I remember when my little brother broke his arm trying to fly like Super Man.
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What it comes down to is that we as the citizens of Iowa must oppose any decision of the court that so blatantly goes against reality. We all know that marriage is between a husband and a wife. To declare differently is to distort the truth and to even change the very definition of a word that was founded upon the principles of nature. To argue otherwise is not only to argue with God, but to argue with the reality of the creation that He made.
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Essentially, Iowans find themselves in a position of debating who has the right to be the final decider of this issue. In the midst of all the emotion, we run a grave danger of forgetting that this issue has already been decided. It was not decided by a legislature, or a court, or a group of citizens, or even by a church. It was actually decided by our Creator when He made them male and female and put them together in order to procreate.
-
This principle of man and woman coming together predates even the Scriptures which were given to us by God. In other words, God had established the natural order of things long before He even had Moses write the Pentateuch. Even today as we go into the hardware store and ask for plumbing and electrical connections we use the terms male and female because of the nature of how God made us. This was not something established by man, but rather by God.
-
If the courts were suddenly to declare that gravity does not exist, would it change the fact? Of course not. Some would then argue that if it doesn’t change anything why worry about it. I worry about it because lies are deadly. Of course I can understand that gravity does exist, but I remember when my little brother broke his arm trying to fly like Super Man.
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What it comes down to is that we as the citizens of Iowa must oppose any decision of the court that so blatantly goes against reality. We all know that marriage is between a husband and a wife. To declare differently is to distort the truth and to even change the very definition of a word that was founded upon the principles of nature. To argue otherwise is not only to argue with God, but to argue with the reality of the creation that He made.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Will We Ever Get Global Warming?
Well, the groundhog saw his shadow. So what does it mean? Besides the fact that there was enough sun for him to see a shadow, it means absolutely nothing. “But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) In spite of the truth, this little varmint has become famous for predicting how long the winter will be. According to this years prediction we can expect 6 more weeks of what we have already been putting up with (well, a few less than that by now). Yes, this is turning into a memorable winter.
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I must admit that I kind of enjoy pushing all the snow though. I doubt I would enjoy it so much if didn’t have a skid steer to use. It sure is fun to ram into a snow bank and just see how far I can push it before I have to back up and hit it again. It is also fun to spin that thing around on a dime. If I did the same thing with the van, I’d risk rolling it or getting a ticket. This year, however, I have begun to wonder if I will run out of places to push all the snow.
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As much fun as I have playing on the skid steer, I look forward to all this snow melting. In fact, I have joked for years that I am in favor of global warming because I like the summer temperatures much better than the cold winters.
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In all honesty, I must disclose that I have long been a global warming skeptic. I believe God is in control of the weather, not man. It has been interesting to listen to all the debate and even the recent scandals surrounding this subject, but does the Scripture have anything to say about weather patterns?
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Psalm 148:8 tells us how meteorological activity is actually directed by the word of God. “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:” This tells us that all God has to do is speak and the weather obeys Him. Not only can Christ calm the storm, but God sends the storms or holds them back at His will. “And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.” (Amos 4:7)
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I love to watch and listen to thunderstorms. I recently had the chance to preach on Psalm 29. This Psalm uses the language of thunderstorms, and it describes the different features of what was likely a powerful supercell. Over and over again through the chapter we read that the voice of God was upon these different parts of the storm. Now that is not hard to imagine when we think of thunder, but as we reflect on Ps 148:8 as well, let us not forget that the voice/word of God directs all the aspects of the weather.
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I can’t tell you how much longer our winter will be or how much more snow we will have, but God knows. I don’t even know if the earth will warm up or cool down in the next few years, but God knows. I do however know that one day, global warming will occur and it will be far worse than anything Al Gore is suggesting. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (II Peter 3:10)
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Nothing we can do will be able to prevent this warming. The only way to make sure we are not burned up is to trust Christ as our Savior. Consider the verse right after II Peter 3:10. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness”. This whole earth will be burnt up and dissolved before a new heaven and earth are made. Because the earth belongs to God- not us, we should take care of it, but we must also keep it in perspective. The earth will be gone, but God will remain. Who should we put or greater focus on? I will focus on God.
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I must admit that I kind of enjoy pushing all the snow though. I doubt I would enjoy it so much if didn’t have a skid steer to use. It sure is fun to ram into a snow bank and just see how far I can push it before I have to back up and hit it again. It is also fun to spin that thing around on a dime. If I did the same thing with the van, I’d risk rolling it or getting a ticket. This year, however, I have begun to wonder if I will run out of places to push all the snow.
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As much fun as I have playing on the skid steer, I look forward to all this snow melting. In fact, I have joked for years that I am in favor of global warming because I like the summer temperatures much better than the cold winters.
-
In all honesty, I must disclose that I have long been a global warming skeptic. I believe God is in control of the weather, not man. It has been interesting to listen to all the debate and even the recent scandals surrounding this subject, but does the Scripture have anything to say about weather patterns?
-
Psalm 148:8 tells us how meteorological activity is actually directed by the word of God. “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:” This tells us that all God has to do is speak and the weather obeys Him. Not only can Christ calm the storm, but God sends the storms or holds them back at His will. “And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.” (Amos 4:7)
-
I love to watch and listen to thunderstorms. I recently had the chance to preach on Psalm 29. This Psalm uses the language of thunderstorms, and it describes the different features of what was likely a powerful supercell. Over and over again through the chapter we read that the voice of God was upon these different parts of the storm. Now that is not hard to imagine when we think of thunder, but as we reflect on Ps 148:8 as well, let us not forget that the voice/word of God directs all the aspects of the weather.
-
I can’t tell you how much longer our winter will be or how much more snow we will have, but God knows. I don’t even know if the earth will warm up or cool down in the next few years, but God knows. I do however know that one day, global warming will occur and it will be far worse than anything Al Gore is suggesting. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (II Peter 3:10)
-
Nothing we can do will be able to prevent this warming. The only way to make sure we are not burned up is to trust Christ as our Savior. Consider the verse right after II Peter 3:10. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness”. This whole earth will be burnt up and dissolved before a new heaven and earth are made. Because the earth belongs to God- not us, we should take care of it, but we must also keep it in perspective. The earth will be gone, but God will remain. Who should we put or greater focus on? I will focus on God.
Friday, January 29, 2010
What Has Our Society Come To?
I just finished pulling my old high school year book off the shelf. It is amazing how quickly hair styles change. As I thumbed through the pictures of my old classmates, I thought about their parents. Of all those that I graduated with, as far as I know, none of their parents were divorced. Sure, it was a small public school in a rural area, but that is still amazing. Sadly, as we look at our society, now 20 years later, we realize that hair styles were not the only thing that changed. Today, not only are divorces common, but so are out of wedlock births. The whole family structure has deteriorated to the point that we now have a debate over the very definition of marriage.
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Evil has become acceptable in our society. For example, sex outside of marriage is considered the norm by the world, even though it is clearly a sin. Wickedness is all around us. Even though we are blessed with so much, people are envious of what others have and want it for themselves. Some even kill to get it. People fight and lie. They have a hatred for God and His standards. Their bad character is displayed with pride as they brag about their sin. The children disobey their parents, the grown ups don’t keep their word, godly love is a foreign concept, and so many care about no one but themselves. (see Romans 29-31)
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No doubt, we have always lived in a sin cursed world, but it seems to be getting much worse. So, I must ask, “how did we get here?”
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The answer is clear. We are here because man has rejected God and His standards. Instead of worshipping God, the people of this nation have put their desires on other things. It sounds a lot like what we can read of in Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” You see, when man rejects God so blatantly, He punishes them by giving them over to their sin. The natural consequences of sin are severe punishment all by themselves. “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
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Not only did God give them up to uncleanness of the heart, but he gave them over to vile affections and reprobate minds. Romans 1:26-31 says, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:”
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The characteristics of our society that were listed in the second paragraph of this column came from these verses. They should be a wake up call that we live in a society that has rejected God. As I said, the consequences of sin are a punishment themselves, but we know as well that the wages of sin is death, and this first chapter in Romans ends by telling us that both those who do those things and those who take pleasure in them are worthy of death. By trusting in Christ’s gift of eternal life, you can escape eternal death, and by following His standards of right and wrong, you can escape the consequences of sin in this life. If you have no desire to follow His standards though, it is obvious that you have rejected Him and thus He will reject you.
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Folks the sins listed in the Romans 1 passage are disgusting, but let us not forget that they are actually only a symptom of an even bigger problem. A rejection of God, because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. Let me be clear here, a rejection of God’s standard of right and wrong is a rejection of Him. It is time for us to repent and turn to the true God.
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Evil has become acceptable in our society. For example, sex outside of marriage is considered the norm by the world, even though it is clearly a sin. Wickedness is all around us. Even though we are blessed with so much, people are envious of what others have and want it for themselves. Some even kill to get it. People fight and lie. They have a hatred for God and His standards. Their bad character is displayed with pride as they brag about their sin. The children disobey their parents, the grown ups don’t keep their word, godly love is a foreign concept, and so many care about no one but themselves. (see Romans 29-31)
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No doubt, we have always lived in a sin cursed world, but it seems to be getting much worse. So, I must ask, “how did we get here?”
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The answer is clear. We are here because man has rejected God and His standards. Instead of worshipping God, the people of this nation have put their desires on other things. It sounds a lot like what we can read of in Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” You see, when man rejects God so blatantly, He punishes them by giving them over to their sin. The natural consequences of sin are severe punishment all by themselves. “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
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Not only did God give them up to uncleanness of the heart, but he gave them over to vile affections and reprobate minds. Romans 1:26-31 says, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:”
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The characteristics of our society that were listed in the second paragraph of this column came from these verses. They should be a wake up call that we live in a society that has rejected God. As I said, the consequences of sin are a punishment themselves, but we know as well that the wages of sin is death, and this first chapter in Romans ends by telling us that both those who do those things and those who take pleasure in them are worthy of death. By trusting in Christ’s gift of eternal life, you can escape eternal death, and by following His standards of right and wrong, you can escape the consequences of sin in this life. If you have no desire to follow His standards though, it is obvious that you have rejected Him and thus He will reject you.
-
Folks the sins listed in the Romans 1 passage are disgusting, but let us not forget that they are actually only a symptom of an even bigger problem. A rejection of God, because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. Let me be clear here, a rejection of God’s standard of right and wrong is a rejection of Him. It is time for us to repent and turn to the true God.
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