Category: Shadows (Page 17 of 26)

The Apostle Paul was in prison again in Rome. It would be from his cell that he would write the second letter to his protégé, Timothy. Paul knew that the time of his death had come (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Timothy was the son of a Gentile father and a Jewish mother. His mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, were believers in the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul had appointed Timothy to head the church in Ephesus. Paul writes to encourage Timothy in his Christian life. He urges him to be strong in what he believes. Timothy is to use the gifts that God has given to him. Paul asks him to preach the Gospel and teach the Truth. Yet, we find a message in Paul’s letter that is hardly encouraging. It isn’t very comforting. In it, we can glean insight into the human depravity that is seemingly penetrating our society. Almost 2,000 years ago, Paul gave us clues to identify those in our world to avoid.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

William Barclay, a famed theologian of the New Testament, calls these verses “Times of Terror.” The Apostle Paul is saying that the return of our Lord will be preceded by a time of terror when evil people will gather for their final assault on the world. The Greek word chalepos is being used to indicate “terrible,” or difficult and hard to bear, times yet to come. The Apostle Matthew also uses chalepos when he describes the two Gergesene demoniacs who met Jesus among the tombs (Matthew 8:28). We are being warned that there will come a time when the very existence of the Christian Church and of goodness itself will see an assault from evil before its final defeat. Whether you believe we are there now or not is irrelevant. Paul has given us an excellent picture of what a sinful and evil society will look like—a society that God detests! It is a message to help us avoid those who seek the destruction of a moral world. Let’s look at 2 Timothy 3:1-8 more closely.

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive”

It is no accident that the first of these qualities is a life that is centered on one’s self. Oh, my goodness! If you had to write a one-line description of our society, this would be it. Narcissism reigns supreme these days in government, social media, sports, and the news. Our woke and cancel cultures, the war over race and color, are front and center in our schools, workplaces, government, and even churches. It becomes an insult to all who may have differing opinions.

“disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,”

The breakdown of the family, single-parent homes, and the attack on children indicate a disturbing trend. While the recent isolation of many due to COVID has led to emotional and mental issues, too often there has been a complete breakdown of respect and obedience to parents. There are now groups that promote the dissolution of the family structure. How sad! One should always assume that in God’s orderly world, there is a place for a family, a mother, a father, and obedient children.

“unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,

Barclay defines these verses as “implacable in hatred, reveling in slander, ungovernable in their passions, savage, not knowing what the love of good is, treacherous, headlong in word and action, inflated with pride, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” What are your opinions? Are there over 50 genders? Should drugs become accepted in our society? Our media spreads hate like salt on an icy road. You know what salt does to your car right? It eats away everything from the inside out!

“not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Have you watched any of the 200+ cable channels lately? Paul’s words sound like a caption on a new TV reality series. People line up to watch. In sports, news, and government, all seem to love adversity but do what they do in the name of diversity. Schools no longer listen to parents, and companies dictate social policy. God’s sovereignty is denied in all they do! Billions are spent each year to produce video content for our consumption. Most of it is junk, pushing radical concepts to children and young people.

“Have nothing to do with such people.”

The Apostle Paul gets right to the real point, avoid these people! But what do we do instead? Elect them to run our lives, tune in and watch them daily, and envy them as heroes of the games. Wear their names on the clothes we purchase. Here is one of the most terrible pictures in the New Testament of what a godless world would be like, with the terrible qualities of godlessness set out in plain view. The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement of oneself but the obliteration of “self.” Paul used the Greek word philautos which means self-loving. Love of self is the basic sin, from which all other sins flow. Obedience to God and charity become impossible the moment we make our own will the center of our lives.

Paul trying to help us pick people, and leaders to support, emulate, and learn from. He uses a Greek noun, alazoneia, meaning “The claim to good things which a man does not possess.” Aristotle defined a derivative word, alazon as “the man who pretends to creditable qualities that he does not possess, or possesses in a lesser degree than he makes out.” We see in our world today, people who pretend that they are richer than they are or braver than they are, and those who promise to do what they cannot do. Socrates states that they were to be found in every walk of life but were worst of all in politics. “Much the greatest rogue of all is the man who has gulled his city into the belief that he is fit to direct it.”

In Paul’s description of the last “terrible” days, people were to have no love for good things or good persons (aphilagathos). Those who fed their mind on cheap false knowledge, in the end, found nothing. The danger we all face is that one can sink so far away from God as to find even the presence of good people something to avoid. Look for it! The danger sign is that people will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. And here we come back to where we started. Such people have placed their wishes at the center of their life. They worship themselves instead of God, knowing nothing of Christ, the real power that changes people’s lives.

Contemplations

• Where does Paul’s description of an evil world fit in our world today?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is Paul right? Can you find parallels in life today? Where is it the most prevalent? Where are your concerns?
• What is your plan for dealing with a world spiraling toward Paul’s end-time world?
  • Ideas to Explore: Since no one knows when the Lord will return, what should we be doing? Where do you see Christian behavior in need of adjustments?
• Paul was getting his protege ready for trouble. How do you think we should be preparing the next generation of Christian youth?
  • Ideas to Explore: What are the productive ways to strengthen the faith of future generations? How do you personally work to strengthen the family unit?
• Do you avoid people like Paul has described?
  • Ideas to Explore: Can you recognize them? Is hate a typical characteristic? Do you tune them out if they are on media? Have you tried increasing your time with the Word of God? 

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  NIV New International Version Translations

When Jesus left Bethany and approached Jerusalem from the East, He came to a high point where Jesus could view the city. His disciples pointed out its beauty. Jesus’ response was sobering:

(Matthew 24:2)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “’Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’”

Jesus was telling His disciples that Jerusalem and the Temple would someday be surrounded by an army and destroyed. Just 38 years after He spoke these words, the Roman General Titus accomplished the fulfillment of Jesus’ words precisely. What can we learn about this medieval event, laying siege to a city, and the insight from our Savior?

The Bible doesn’t record many instances of Jesus weeping. We have the well-known and probably shortest verse in our Bible, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) when Lazarus had died. But there is another one, in Luke 19:41, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” The foreknowledge of the fall of Jerusalem brought Jesus to tears. The siege of Jerusalem, (70 BC), was a Roman military blockade of Jerusalem. The fall of the city marked the effective conclusion of a four-year campaign against the Jewish insurgency in Judaea. The Romans destroyed much of the city, including the Second Temple. Most of the information on the siege comes from the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

In a siege, people are trapped in a location. Unable to escape, refresh food supplies, external trade for critical goods are stopped, and everyday life brings untold hardship, even death. The purpose, of course, is to subjugate the citizens, to bring them under control, to enslave them. The siege strategy of war remains alive and well. It has been and is still being used to fight COVID when people are restricted to their homes and cities. In Ukraine, we see the impact on millions of people trapped by Russia. Can we learn anything from the siege by Titus that can help us today?

Jesus was commenting on more than the future of Jerusalem. He was also drawing attention to the tragic spiritual condition of the Holy City. Just as in the days of the prophets, Jerusalem remained a city chasing after other gods. The worst part of their behavior was that they simply did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Soon the city would condemn Him to death and accuse Him of perverting the nation. (Luke 23:2) Jerusalem was a sinful city.

Josephus claims that 1.1 million people were killed during the siege. The majority were Jewish. Josephus attributes this to the celebration of Passover for the vast number of people present at the time of the siege. All of Jerusalem’s remaining citizens became Roman prisoners. After the Romans killed the armed and elder people, 97,000 were enslaved. Of the 97,000, thousands were forced to become gladiators and eventually expired in the arena. Many others were forced to assist in the building of the Forum of Peace and the Colosseum. Those under 17 years of age were sold into servitude.

The Jewish nation had grown tired of Roman rule. It seemed logical to fight back against the Romans, their common enemy. This resulted in the formation of multiple resistance groups (Jewish Militias) to break the grip of the Roman Empire on the Jewish Nation. After Jesus’ death, uprisings began to occur throughout the Jewish kingdom. Two of the groups were the Zealots of Eleazar son of Simon and the private army of John of Gischala, run by a new leader who had just come to power. John and Simon had different agendas. The first strove only for political freedom and minted silver coins with the legend “Freedom of Zion“. Simon, on the other hand, stood at the head of a messianic movement; his copper coins have the legend “Redemption of Zion.” Each group was convinced that they had a righteous plan to defeat the Romans and free the Jewish nation from Roman rule. The Roman strategy was simply to allow the Jews in Jerusalem to destroy themselves. Titus would succeed in using their internal conflicts against them.

The ancient city of Jerusalem had a security system consisting of an external set of three surrounding walls, all with defensive gates and numerous towers where archers kept watch. There was arrogance within the Jewish leadership that the Romans could not conquer the city. Titus and his legions eventually came to the walls of Jerusalem after other successful battles in the area and surrounded the city. The siege was on! General Titus sent a small group of emissaries into the walled city to ask if the rebel leaders would care to surrender the city, and thus protect the life of its people. The rebel leadership controlling the city chose the worst decision that they could make. Remember, they were surrounded, trapped in a walled city by a powerful and experienced Roman army. Their answer was returned to Titus by murdering the Roman emissaries and throwing their bodies from the city walls.

With now three separate Jewish rebel groups operating in Jerusalem, they began to physically fight against each other while the Romans remained encircled around their city. The entrapped citizens within the walls literally were starving to death. Yet, their leaders, who were distracted by infighting, finally gave the Roman legions the chance to take the city. The common people of Jerusalem who had suffered under the long siege would suffer again because of the bad decisions made by their divisive leadership. The Jewish historian Josephus blames the entire war and its disastrous aftermath on militant groups who were a minority among the Jewish people during the entire Roman period. Their decisions were never in the best interest of the people. The infighting provided cover for Titus to plan, attack, and destroy Jerusalem. 

Divisiveness remains a problem in the world today. It seems that even having common enemies does not bring people together anymore. What does God say about divisiveness?

(Mark 3:24-26) – “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.”

God’s opinion on divisiveness is quite straightforward. Don’t do it, it will destroy you. We find divisiveness everywhere today. In the news, the entertainment industry, the government, courts, businesses, and it is destructive. This happens even when groups have common goals. The attitudes within our country today cannot be pleasing to God! We must learn how to work together again. Could it take finding common goals like placing our God first? Serving Him should be the common strategy for all humanity. It is time to become civil again! If our leaders cannot bring God back, it is time for new leadership. We need to make God our common goal!

(Romans 16:17-18) – “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people.”

Our country was founded on cooperation and agreement. Please make note that the official document title of the Declaration is “The unanimous Declaration of Independence of the thirteen united States of America.” The words unanimous and united are used as adjectives, not nouns. Had the colonies each been divided and fighting against each other, the story of our history might have been closer to that of the history of Jerusalem under Titus. No walls around us can be high enough to protect us from evil if the evil comes from within. Jesus is weeping for us today. Only “In God, We Trust” can save us.

And a Final Message to the Parents of the World!

(Deuteronomy 6:5-9) – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

God expects you to pass His Truth onto the children. It is not easy! Developing the character of a child must not be subcontracted to external educational systems where God is not allowed. If we want a world that is less divisive, it is up to every family to model the proper Godly behavior for their children. Both cooperation and good manners start at home. As Proverbs 22:6 states, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Contemplations

• Why is our nation so divided?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is one side very right while the other side is very wrong? Are we being provoked by evil people into hating each other? Is it because we have lost our focal point, God?
• Is divisiveness being taught in our schools?
  • Ideas to Explore: Where do children learn to hate? Is the breakdown of the family unit providing witness to the divisiveness?
• Are the influences over society, such as social media, news media, sports, the entertainment industry, and even our political system using divisiveness to gain or hold power over people?
  • Ideas to Explore: Who teaches cooperation in society these days? Who fosters divisiveness? Why?

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  NIV New International Version Translations

A Gallup poll released in July of 2022¹https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspxs shows that Americans’ faith in God has hit another all-time low. While the poll showed that there was a 6 percent drop from 2017 polls, the lowest percentage should be an awakening for our country. The largest drop occurred in the age groups between 18 and 29. Our media lists the principal cause as the anxiety coming from coronavirus lockdowns. But is it that simple? While other studies show that lockdowns destroy seven times more lives than they save, it is worth the time to look at our country’s handling of young citizens in the “Gap Years.” The “Gap Years” are those when children leave the protective enclave of their family, even their church, and venture out into a world that is ready to consume them. Let’s look at a few current facts²https://drugabusestatistics.org/alcohol-abuse-statistics/ ³https://www.addictionresource.net/2021-addiction-statistics/:

• About 24 percent of people over 12 report binge drinking in the past month.
• About 55 percent of 12th graders reported drinking alcohol in the past year.
• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 14.5 million people had an alcohol use disorder in 2019.
• Drunk driving rates: More than 10,000 people die in drunk-driving crashes yearly.
• Alcohol-related fatalities: Excessive alcohol use is the cause of about 95,000 deaths per year in the United States.
• Prescription opioid drugs like oxycodone (OxyContin) have a high potential for misuse and addiction.
• In 2019, more than 10 million people in the U.S reported misusing prescription opioids.
• Nearly two million were under the age of 26.
• Opioid overdose rates: About 130 people in the U.S. die each day due to fatal opioid overdose. From 1999 to 2019, nearly 500,000 Americans died due to opioid overdose.
• Heroin use disorder rates: About 50,000 Americans tried using heroin for the first time in 2019. About 745,000 people used heroin in 2019, and an estimated 438,000 had a heroin use disorder.
• Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid drug that is sometimes prescribed for pain. It is also illegally manufactured in forms that are sold on the street, sometimes mixed with other drugs. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl (mostly illicit forms smuggled through the southern US border) are involved in about 70 percent of drug overdose deaths each year. From May 2020 through April 2021, more than 100,000 people died from fentanyl overdoses.

The above statistics are but a minor portion of the world youth see daily. Daily news rounds out the insanity! No wonder they question God, even life itself. One question that must be asked is how have we prepared our youth for our world? Have you paid attention lately? Catholic Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester is quoted as saying, churches have stopped “challenging” young people. He blames the church for becoming too user-friendly. Our society has managed to confuse the young about their gender and sent them into the world lacking basic skills like communication, math, history and sciences. Adults have legalized drugs, worked to provide unfettered access to abortion, removed the consequences of crime, and placed the entire focus of the rest of their life on “THEMSELVES.” Fast cars, a fast life. Why not live that way if you don’t believe there is anything else worth living for!

Our trade schools, universities, and entry-level employers then take over while they are still in the “Gap Years.” Covid has put the focus on remote learning, and social media. Then here comes the Metaverse. The Metaverse is furthering the movement of life into abstract technology by making one’s life nothing more than an avatar. An avatar is a digital representation of yourself. Not concerned yet? Here is what youth are being taught:

“The Metaverse (their future) will come with many benefits, including an increased sense of control over their environment and unlimited potential for creativity. Making a living in the Metaverse will become a reality and you need to know more about the Metaverse if you want to find a job or build a career in this alternate reality! Computers are learning to do what we have already learned to do. For many years now, we have spent our days consuming the data gathered because of our existence. All those digitized images and videos and words, all those facial expressions and micro-expressions, those poses and posturing, those intonations of voice, those opinions and beliefs and emotions, those behaviors, those effects. Out of that vast, ever-evolving online databank of human specifications, a pattern emerges — a pattern that suits us, that represents the self we desire to present to others. We will cobble together a simulation of a person that we present as the person who we are. We become deep fakes that pass, in the media world that has become the world, for real people. The child will no longer be a father to humankind. The data will be the father to the human.” (This is a composite statement taken from several Internet sites promoting the future of the Metaverse)

It is time we snapped back to the reality of life here on earth for a moment. You remember, the earth that God created, the earth that Satan would like to control. Satan is having a field day! We fight with each other over the very survival of humanity. Will we depend on a digital image of ourselves, rather than the God-given blessings of our own human life? It is no wonder there are not enough people to fill the jobs in our country. Where is the hope? The Apostle John had an opinion thousands of years ago that is most appropriate for this topic today.

(2 John 1:12)⁴NIV New International Version Translations – “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

Those 18 to 29 years old have just completed the foundations of public education. The purpose of public education was to prepare them for life ahead. In the years to follow, they will move on to preparing themselves for life. To gain a skill, to establish ethics, adapt a moral behavior, master how to adapt to changing technology and opportunities, to find wholesome work. Humans were created to live together, work together, and love one another. Against any notion that heaven is good while the earth is bad, Genesis declares on each day of the earth’s creation that “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). On the sixth day, with the creation of humanity, God saw that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

God had created man and woman to work together, making the very nature of work relational. Work only became toil because of the fall of humanity, not less, because more work is required now to yield the necessary results including any sense of satisfaction. Relationships are not incidental to work. They are essential! Work serves as a place of deep and meaningful relationships but under the proper conditions. Jesus described our relationship with Himself as a kind of work, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29). A yoke is what makes it possible for two oxen to work together. In Christ, people may truly work together as God intended when He made Eve and Adam co-workers. The goal, therefore, must be to assure that education prepares our youth for a life of “good work.” Good work will then provide satisfaction in life. To be prepared for God’s work, humans will need four attributes (skills of sorts):

1. Humans need to believe there is a God! Lose God and you have not only lost eternity, but you have lost life itself. God does not exist in the Metaverse. God created the UNIVERSE! The need to work is an intrinsic part of the human spirit placed there by God. Work is not easy, but work can be challenging for the human spirit to find joy. 
2. There is ample evidence that our world and all its natural laws were created by God. No one needs a computer to walk about the earth and see God’s handiwork. Hold a newborn in your arms and you will always know there is a God. Watch a seed grow into a beautiful flower or close out your day with a sunset in the mountains. What Natural Laws require, however, is deciphering. Learning new skills, the crafts of science and the ability to observe without bias is essential to understanding the Natural Laws of God’s world.
3. Common sense is also necessary for understanding God’s Natural Laws and then discovering a path to God. Common sense is taught best by understanding that with every action (cause) there is a reaction (effect). History is filled with examples. There is no such thing as discovery without common sense. Let’s stop teaching our youth uncommon sense ideas! Consequences and accountability help build common sense.
4. Finally, there is the necessity for humanity to seek God’s knowledge and revelation through His gift of the Spirit. We have a living God, a living Savior, and the living Spirit, ready, willing, and able to help us with our journey through this world. To see our citizens give up on God should bring tears to us all!

To abandon God is to abandon one’s future to a broken and finite world. To abandon face-to-face relational learning for online courses, for a metaverse, is also inconsistent with how God created humanity’s need to work together. No one can predict how our world will change. Change, however, it will. The creativity of humans must assure that what a child is taught today, will keep up with the changes in this world for tomorrow. To leave them without the skills to work productively and to work as a team with others is to abandon them to the destructive nature of the world we live in. To fail to pass on God is to end any hope and joy in life. Change, however, does not hold true for God. God is the never-changing creator of a magnificent universe where humans were meant to flourish together. Don’t let this secular world get you sidetracked. We need to close the “Gap Years” and fill them with God’s Truth and the understanding that God’s work is “good work.” God’s work requires us to know each other, hug each other, cry with each other, and live together in peace.

(1 Corinthians 13:12) – “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

The Apostle Paul is describing our knowledge of God and His ways as incomplete. Paul wrote in Romans 11:33–34, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” Paul is describing our world as one with only partial knowledge of God as if we are seeing a reflection in a dim mirror. After the coming of Christ, when the church is fully mature as God is, we will see God face to face, knowing Him in person. Then and only then will the gap our youth face be fully closed forever!

Contemplations

• What programs does your congregation have for youth in the “Gap Years?”
  • Ideas to Explore: Are there faith-building programs for all age groups? What skills do you think youth will need in the future that might be missing? Are youth given opportunities for service work?
• How have our secular educational systems, both high school and gap years failed?
  • Ideas to Explore: First, do you think there have been failures? What is the impact of isolation and remote learning on young people? What is causing the loss of a belief in God? Why are young people despondent about the real future and seeking an alternative like the metaverse?
• Life seems to be losing its value in our world today. What do we use to determine whether a life has value?
  • Ideas to Explore: It is one’s income? How about one’s appearance? It is popularity, or the car they drive. Maybe it is the number of trophies they win? Is someone with a handicap lost to this world forever?
• For youth in the gap years, is there expectation that God should be fun?
  • Ideas to Explore: What are the expectations of someone 18 to 29 years old? Have you asked them? Are their expectations reasonable? Are the adults you know setting the proper examples with regard to work, God, and life?
• To give up on God is to give up hope for joy. How would you address the hope of 18- to 29-year-old?
  • Ideas to Explore: How would you educate them differently? How would you keep them a productive part of society? How would you pass on to them the gift of faith?
• Where have families, churches and educational institutions failed our youth?
  • Ideas to Explore: Have they failed? If they have not, why would someone ever give up on God? Who is best positioned to make a lasting impact in the Gap Years?

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  https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspxs
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  https://drugabusestatistics.org/alcohol-abuse-statistics/
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  https://www.addictionresource.net/2021-addiction-statistics/
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  NIV New International Version Translations

The idea that morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes is alive and well in our world today. Many people now only consider the morality of an action by the virtue of its outcome. Where did this idea originally come from? The exact quote is often attributed to Ovid, a Greek poet who wrote Heroides a volume of fifteen poems. All were written around 10 BC from a female point of view. They were presented as love letters, sent from women who had been mistreated, neglected, or abandoned by their lovers. More contemporary attribution goes to Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Renaissance Period. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince (Il Principe)¹“Machiavelli: The end justifies the means”, in publicbookshelf.com‎, 2002, published in 1532. Machiavelli is called the father of modern political philosophy and political science. Ovid is quoted as saying “The result justifies the deed (Exitus acta probat).” Machiavelli’s The Prince reflects this philosophy but does not use the phrase in this wording.

The Dictionary defines a Machiavellian as someone sneaky, cunning, and lacking a moral code.  A Machiavellian believes in “who has the power or money has the say.” Do whatever is necessary to get and keep it. Hence, they believe in “The ends justify the means.” To a free people, Machiavellian ideas are met with disdain. Its principles often mirror deceitful behavior. Win first and then you can do whatever with your power. Machiavelli believed:

• Do good things to gain reputation and support.
• For the bad things, get someone else to do the necessary evils so that if it fails, you can blame them and look good. (i.e. always cover your backside)
• Ruling with fear is better than ruling with love. People should fear you rather than respect you. With fear, people must do it or else. With love or respect, obedience is optional and hence less effective.
• His teaching believed in using the laws (laws designed to favor the emperor) to rule the people with fear to achieve both immediate and long-term success.

Such principles work in the short run for quick success. However, in the longer term, Machiavelli knew that people would discover them and revolt.

Today, the phrase “means to an end” is used to describe things that a person considers to be necessary to suffer through to accomplish their real goals. The activity itself may not be enjoyable or even considered important. We see this in our economic and environmental discussions. The price of fuel is but a means to end our reliance on fossil fuels. Monetary policies that adjust interest rates adjust consumption downward, open border policies change demographics to establish power, and even health policies such as mandatory vaccinations and masks all reflect the idea that the benefit of the desired result justifies any actions to achieve them, no matter the pain inflicted.

The question, however, that should be asked is what’s God’s opinion about this philosophy? Does God care about what we accomplish for Him and how we accomplish it? The Bible is very clear that the ends never justify sinful means in God’s eyes. Yes, God is a “results-oriented” God. While humanity focuses on results, God cares about how we accomplish these results. God’s will, God’s Truth is never to be preempted for human advancement.

(2 Chronicles 14:2-6)²NIV New International Version Translations – “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. He built up the fortified cities of Judah since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.”

King Asa was the third king of Judah, and the first king characterized in the Bible as a man of integrity. His 41-year reign was marked by a revival in the worship of the LORD and the removal of paganism and its associated evils. For his people’s safety, he reduced crime. Asa brought peace through military strength. There were only two brief incidents in his reign that interrupted his exemplary leadership. Remember, the Jewish people were divided into two kingdoms. As a measure of the stability that existed in Judah during Asa’s time, his reign spanned the reigns of seven kings of Israel! Sounds like a fairytale story, right? Unfortunately, late in Asa’s life, his faith wavered, and at two points of crisis, he ignored God and turned to secular sources for help. Why not, didn’t the end justify the means?

(2 Chronicles 16:1-3) – “In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

Judah was being cut off from world trade. Asa took silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. “‘Let there be a treaty between me and you,’ he said, ‘as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.’”

The king of Israel, the other Jewish kingdom, was building a city that was going to make it difficult to travel into Judah (2 Chronicles 16:1). Asa strikes a deal with the king of Syria who used to be allied with the king of Israel. Asa accomplishes this bargain by buying the king of Syria’s favor. Asa also manipulates the king of Syria’s emotions by reminding him that their fathers used to be friends as well (2 Chronicles 16:2-3).

After what most would consider a masterful tactic, the Syrian king goes out and fights against the king of Israel. The king of Israel is forced to abandon his building project to go and defend against Syria. Asa then steals the expensive building supplies left behind and builds two new cities with them. In the end, Asa has defeated his enemy, made a new ally, and expanded his kingdom with his enemy’s money (2 Chronicles 16:4-6). In today’s world, Asa would be on the cover of our business magazines. Cable news anchors would be clamoring for interviews.

Asa was by all worldly standards a good leader at a time when good leaders were hard to find (2 Chronicles 14:2). But despite all his accomplishments, his religious reforms, and his passion to teach the people the ways of God, Asa lost sight of how to truly please God. His means were not justified by his good ends. And a man named Hanani, a seer (similar to a prophet), came to Asa.

(2 Chronicles 16:7-9) – “At that time Hanani, the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

To bring this into a more contemporary perspective, our world has found it convenient to no longer tell the truth because the means are justified by the end! How many untruths do you hear in a day? Too many to count no doubt. We have entire industries that are built upon the delivery of untruths. Social media, opinion news, government, our bureaucracies, educational systems, marketing claims, and on and on goes the list. Each special interest group justifies its position because of a perceived benefit yet to come. Is it ever OK to lie to assure benefits to mankind?

We are accountable for every word we speak

(Matthew 12:36-37) – “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We are accountable for how we live our lives

(Romans 14:12) – “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

Leaders are accountable for those who serve under them

(Hebrews 13:17) – “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

Teachers are accountable for their students

(James 3:1) – “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Unbelievers are accountable for rejecting God’s Truth

(1 Peter 4:5) – “But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

In closing

So, what is the right way to achieve the “end?” The right way is to be accountable to God for the means we choose. Use His Truth, never Satan’s deceptions. Uphold the body of Christ in all we do!

(Jeremiah 17:9) – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Only through God can we make a lasting difference!

Contemplations

• Where do you personally see the “any means to an end,” being used in society?
  • Ideas to Explore: Government, schools, businesses, countries, churches, etc.
• In the areas you have witnessed, will any “of the ENDS,” end in peace?
  • Ideas to Explore: There are many examples of how what seems or sounds good negatively impacts our families and society. You should spend time recognizing where this happens.
• Why is accountability often missing in leadership?
  • Ideas to Explore: greed, laziness, lust for power, ignorance, etc.
• Why does humanity fall for the “untruths?”
  • Ideas to Explore: Distracted, want the same power for themselves, self-absorbed, etc.
• What can a follower of Jesus Christ do to minimize the occurrence of this problem in our society?
  • Ideas to Explore: Learning God’s means to His ends, servanthood, holding others accountable.

• 1
  “Machiavelli: The end justifies the means”, in publicbookshelf.com‎, 2002
• 2
  NIV New International Version Translations

Threats over one’s belief in a God are nothing new. Adam and Eve immediately encountered Satan after their creation. Jewish history is filled with stories of enslavement and exile because of their beliefs. Just pick up the Bible and you can read about King Herod’s direct assault to kill the newborn Christ child (Matthew 2:16-18). Our world thought that the job was finished with Jesus’s crucifixion. Little did they know that evil is powerless against our God. One might say that since the beginning of time, the godly family has been under constant assault. In recent years, Christians have awakened to this reality. Society and governments now embrace everything from the destruction of marriage and family to forbidding parents from disciplining their children and even restricting parental rights regarding health care. But before we go off and blame others, it is worthwhile to conduct some self-reflection. Are some of the serious threats coming from within?

Are we moral enough?

Morality matters! But is any means to an end considered moral behavior if the cable news says so? Where have you heard a good discussion on morals lately? Was in church or maybe you no longer go to church? Is your family laboring to simply do good, but not just good for society’s sake, to do good to the glory of God? To have a moral family, one must be able to point to a set of basic principles. There first must be the belief that God exists. We must believe that God is real and that God is in control of our universe. People, the government, are not in charge of the universe! The leaders of our world (those good and those bad) hold their positions at the pleasure of our God. Humanity is expected to pass God on to its subsequent generations. Yet, we no longer expose our children to God in schools or even in many of our homes. Society has equated the removal of God from the government as necessary and good. Read the founding documents for our country, that was never the intention.¹Quotes from the Founding Fathers, on the Importance of a Moral Society! With the removal of God, so went the removal of morality and ethics. Are you happy with our world now? We threw the baby out with the bathwater!

George Washington, General of the Revolutionary Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, First President of the United States of America, Father of our nation, “Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.”

Thomas Aquinas was the first theologian and philosopher to articulate ethics based on natural law. The first axiom of natural law is that God has placed within the natural world discernable qualities that present guiding principles and an alternative source of revelation to assist “human reason.” Humans, though flawed, are expected to use observation, common sense, and reasoning, aided by the Holy Spirit, to understand their world. The results would provide humanity with an understanding of God’s Truth.

(Matthew 7:17)²NIV New International Version Translations – “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

The Apostle Matthew points out a simple truth, when something is good, there is evidence, “good fruit.” Bad fruit would be chaos, crime, drugs, trafficking, irresponsible debt, lying, cheating, theft, murder, etc. There is a problem with our “tree!” Where is all of that “good fruit?” There are many analogies to explain what is going on here. Roots need continuous nutrition and water. Branches need periodic pruning. Unfortunately, the tree (our society) is not being fed and people no longer see the fruit as part of true repentance and faith. When Tik Tok, Facebook, and Twitter define the fruit, morality suffers. It is time to prune some branches!

Have we become lukewarm toward God?

(Revelation 3:15-16) – “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Jesus had some rather harsh words for the church of Laodicea (See Lostpine’s Study: Laodicea). The affluent city had found it easier to accommodate the world’s morality rather than live by God’s Truth. Unfortunately, it is not enough to consistently attend church, have children enrolled in the youth group, and volunteer on Sunday mornings. To save our families, the entire family must be centered upon Christ. It is time for the Word of God to dominate homes, shape our families, and permeate our conversations. It is also time to demand that our leaders follow God’s moral Truth.

The Impact of COVID Policies on our Nation

(Romans 12:5) – “so in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

The Christian Church is a community. Our Sovereign God placed us in this Body. As members of the Body of Christ, we know we belong to others. Therefore, isolation is inconsistent with God’s plan for humanity. In the past several years of forced isolation, “solitary confinement,” has been used effectively as a tool of evil in our world. As families engage each other in the church, we exercise hospitality, sacrificial love, and gracefully allow others to minister to us. We live in a mission field that we dare not neglect. God in our neighborhood, city, and county working together for a better world. Fight the isolation! God intended us to be “face-to-face” people (2 John 1:12)!

Do we have too much STUFF?

(1 John 2:15-17) – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

The American Dream seems to be to fill whatever space, closets, basement, attic, garage, or storage unit until it is time for another garage sale. Have you ever walked through a flea market? If proof is needed that people have too much stuff, go to a flea market! In our world today, the slippery slope of excess does not lead to God. Accumulating more than one needs is just another creative form of idolatry. Here is where God just asks us to abandon a few things our family would enjoy and desire and make time/use a few resources to serve Him. Considering God sent His one and only Son to die for us, that is not asking too much is it?

Do we have enough time for God?

Technology is fun, the desire for more toys, success, and accomplishments can become consuming.

(Hebrews 12:1) – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”

The Apostle Paul only reminds us to choose our outside engagements carefully so that we are not so busy that we miss the singular most important thing in life. That is, to pursue Christ and serve His Church. As any runner knows, a marathon is much more analogous to life than the 100-meter dash. When our goals align with God’s goals for us, when our priorities align with God’s priorities for us, reaching the finish line is assured. The world gets an A+ for distractions. The good news is that most of the world’s distractions come with an on/off switch. Try it sometime!

Closing Thoughts

The Christian family has always been a battleground. Attacks will always come from outside. Our world, however, views a moral family as a threat. We need to guard against complacency or Satan will attack from within. Our families need us more than ever to see God in our world and trust Him for their future. Know God is good! Know that God has proven Himself good to those who trust Him. Most importantly, know and recognize God and all that He has done for you.

(Psalm 73:25-26) – “Who have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Contemplations

• Where do you see the pressure coming against the family?
  • Ideas to Explore: Public educational systems, government, segments withing our society, family needs, church, etc.
• How has the pressure against religion impacted you?
  • Ideas to Explore: Talk less about it to friends, no longer involved in church, shelter children from public view, avoid references to religion at work, etc.
• What would happen if you put a big sign on your lawn that says, “My family has turned their lives over to Jesus!”?
  • Ideas to Explore: Neighbors would complain, you might find other neighbors who love Jesus too, your children would be ostracized, The HOA would fine you, etc.
• How do you keep God and Jesus alive and well in your family?
  • Ideas to Explore: Church as a family, watch Godly shows, discuss God and Jesus at home, help your children with Bible Study, etc.
• Sort the following categories by the amount of time you spend in each activity:
  • Reading, learning God’s Word.
  • Watching TV, movies
  • Sharing your faith with family and friends.
  • Helping neighbors and your community with everyday problems.
  • Sharing your faith with others.
  • On the Internet.
  • Sports.
  • Work.
  • Other.
• Do you engage with people eye to eye or via technology?
  • Ideas to Explore: What methods are the most satisfying? Which is more effective?
• What worldly ideas have you adopted just because you are tired of the fight?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are you setting an example for the world or blending in?

• 1
  Quotes from the Founding Fathers, on the Importance of a Moral Society!
• 2
  NIV New International Version Translations

There was Columbine, then Shady Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School came next, and recently we had Uvalde Elementary. Each time, our nation wept at the horror and loss of those innocent lives. Is there any answer? Does God even care? The book of Leviticus is often not one that excites many believers when they read the Bible. It is rarely chosen for sermon text. Even those who followed Jesus rarely reflected upon its wisdom. Leviticus is a record of God’s instructions to Moses and Israel after His presence fell upon the nation. It contains lessons on sacrifice, worship, the priesthood, ceremonial cleanness, the Day of Atonement, feasts and holy days, and the Year of Jubilee. While these topics seem out of favor for most of us today, there is one lesson that may help us understand our world. In a time when we are too often burdened by the pain of death from within our schools, there is the question of whether those who perpetrate such heinous crimes were somehow assisted by the lack of God within today’s homes, classrooms, and country.

In the United States, one out of every five students reports being bullied. ¹https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp A higher percentage of those bullied are males. What is bullying? Bullying is being made fun of, called names, or insulted; being the subject of rumors; being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and being excluded from activities on purpose. Add to the fact that we are an interconnected society, cyberbullying reaches beyond the schools into the home lives of many children. A study by the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) says that most school shooters not only showed warning signs before committing their crimes but most of them had been bullied. Many had physical limitations and mental issues, that when bullied, escalated into horrific deeds.²https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/91243-federal-report-says-most-school-shooters-were-bullied A byproduct of cyberbullying is increased suicide in children and adolescents.³https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1840250. Where does such hate emanate from? Is it the schools, the home or is there something more dangerous affecting our society?

We might start with the fact that removing God from the daily lives of children carries consequences. Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school. Students who are both targets of bullying and engage in bullying behavior are at greater risk for both mental health and behavior problems. Evil only needs fertile soil to grow and bear fruit! It is especially prevalent in how children treat those in our schools with special needs such as physical and mental impairments. It is unfair to place all the blame on schools. Parents have too often subcontracted their children’s morality to the schools. God would be the first to say, it starts in the home!

(Leviticus 19:14)⁴NIV New International Version Translations – “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.”

God gave the Israelites a set of ordinances and laws that commanded them to take care of the poor and weak. This shows God’s heart for justice and the social welfare of even the seemingly most insignificant people. In God’s eyes, no one is more and less important. God demands equality by establishing that everyone is of the same value. God expects that His people show consideration for those who had physical and mental limitations. For example, the Israelites were not to curse a deaf man, threaten them or treat them as a lesser person. This is reinforced by the example of Jesus’s compassion for those who had such limitations.

(Luke 7:20-22) – “When the men came to Jesus, they said, ‘John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ At that very time, Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’“

Christians are called to imitate Jesus’ compassionate attitude toward those who have physical and mental needs. Within our schools (and homes) daily lessons must include those on kindness, not divisiveness and hate. Children must learn to be considerate and patient with those who are not like themselves. While we may not have the power to perform miracles of healing, every person, young and old, we are called to “show and tell” those who are physically, mentally, or spiritually blind the good news about a paradise where humankind will be restored to full physical and spiritual health.

(Luke 4:18) – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”

Most of us know of cases in which a person has held a grudge against a coworker, a schoolmate, a relative, or a family member, even for years! Recall that Joseph’s ten half-brothers harbored a grudge against him, which finally led them to attempt murder. (Genesis. 37:2-8, 25-28) How differently Joseph acted toward them! God holds us responsible for our responses to injustice.

(Leviticus 19:18) – “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. “

The principles behind the law stated in Leviticus 19:18 still hold today. The problem is that we no longer teach God’s Truth at home or school. On June 25, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court declared school-sponsored prayers unconstitutional in the landmark case Engel v. Vitale. It was the final removal of any moral compass for students in public education. What have we accomplished in these past fifty years? We also have done a good job of taking God out of the family too. The decline of moral guidance is universal in our society. It has extended to our businesses and government. Leviticus covers this also.

(Leviticus 19:35-36) – “Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah⁵an ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to ¹/₁₀ homer or a little over a bushel, and an honest hin⁶an ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure equal to about 1.5 U.S. gallons (5.7 liters). I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.”

What harm could come from a little “white lie,” a thumb on the scales? Truth in advertising, truth in our daily news, and truth from our politicians all reflect a need for Truth from within our society. Leviticus expanded the Ten Commandments to make sure everyone understood the standards were to be applied to life. If we reflect on bullying for a moment and the tragedies that have happened in our schools, no one is solely responsible. Failure of adults within homes, schools, and communities all share responsibility. Students today are merely a reflection of the adults in their lives. Children also learn at home and through all forms of media!

It might be interesting to see what Jesus Himself chose to emphasize from Leviticus. A Pharisee once asked Jesus: “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied that “the greatest and first commandment” is to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. Then Jesus quoted Leviticus 19:18, saying: “The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22:35-40)

(Leviticus 19:17-18) – “Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

Our world will not be saved because of electric cars and solar panels. No political party holds the keys to happiness and eternity. Our schools will not be saved by resources officers and hardened entry doors. Our world will only be saved when we look to make God the number one priority within our families and schools again. The Bible does not promise to save us all. But that does not mean that a godly father or mother does not have a profound moral and spiritual influence on the children in that family. It takes leadership in schools, homes, and a government to set examples of high moral standards. We all need to pray and work for the salvation of our families and our country.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.

You’ve stripped away our heritage,

You’ve outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere,

And ask the question “Why?”

You regulate restrictive laws,

Through legislative creed.

And yet you fail to understand,

That God is what we need!

~ Darrel Scott, 1999

The above poem is from Darrel Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, killed at Columbine High School. He included the poem written after his daughter’s death in his address to the U.S. Congress. To read his entire comments, click Here.

Contemplations

• Many blame access to weapons as the reason for school violence. Is it that simple?
  • Ideas to Explore: Drugs, cars, knives are killing many more than guns. Why now is there a problem when so many people for hundreds of years, grew up with weapons in their households? 
• What is your opinion on the effects of violent video games and movies on young minds?
  • Ideas to Explore: There has been studies to show they destabilize healthy young minds. (See Impact of Violent Video Games on Youth – TechEngage)
• If parents demonstrate hatred in the home, what impact do you think it has on the children?
  • Ideas to Explore: Children do model their parent’s behavior! How can parents promote a healthy respectful attitude for their children?
• How does the hatred demonstrated through movies, social media and news affect our youth?
  • Ideas to Explore: Have you watched a broad spectrum of the 24 by 7 news lately? What about the talk shows that spew hatred? How does this affect families?
• What are the small ways children learn that cheating is OK?
  • Ideas to Explore: How a parent drives; how a parent speaks about others; how people in their lives treat others who have special needs; involvement of family with education.
• If a school or enforcement agency is made aware of a child with issues that threaten those around them, what would you do?
  • Ideas to Explore: What would assure the safety of the innocent? How would you address corrective counseling or education?

• 1
  https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp
• 2
  https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/91243-federal-report-says-most-school-shooters-were-bullied
• 3
  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1840250
• 4
  NIV New International Version Translations
• 5
  an ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to ¹/₁₀ homer or a little over a bushel
• 6
  an ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure equal to about 1.5 U.S. gallons (5.7 liters)

You should be concerned by now if you spend any time keeping up with the news. Nothing is good, promising, or even hopeful lately. We are being told that our world is poised to go into a nuclear war. Our country has no borders. Along with millions of people coming to the US, there are now terrorists and tons of drugs pouring in with them. Inflation is moving everyday products like gas and food beyond the reach of many people. The supply chain crisis has impacted our ability to even feed our babies. Then again, half our country doesn’t want any babies. COVID is still here, we are now on our third booster. Are you ready for number four? And yes, there is now Monkey Pox. And this is just the first page of our news. No wonder the number one health issue in the world is mental illness! As Christians, we all know the standard lines, God is in charge, just hang in there, and in the end, justice will prevail. But isn’t there something that we all should be doing in the meantime? Isn’t there a way everyone who believes in God should be responding to the chaos?

If you search the Internet, you will find lots of ideas for everyone to practice. The belief is that there are basic responsibilities each of us has to help each other survive times like we are in.¹Concepts reflect information from https://www.cru.org/us/en/communities/families/7-essentials-for-christian-life.html Let’s look at a few good ideas and set some goals that will help get through this.

Seek God, not sin

(Amos 5:4)²NIV New International Version Translations – “This is what the Lord says to Israel: ‘Seek me and live;’”

God is where you find life. (See Lostpine’s Study: When did you first exist? ) You will not find a source for creating life anywhere else but in God. One quickly concludes that the human being has been created to pursue God. We have no other earthly purpose. However, sin, our flawed human nature, separates us from our Creator. The evidence surrounds us in this world of God’s existence. It will never be found inside the “Metaverse.” When the people living in Amos’s time suffered famine and other hardships, they never really got Amos’s point. “Seek Me and live” is God’s call to us. Want life, seek God not sin!

Do not fear the people of this world, fear God

(Proverbs 19:23) – “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

Be in awe of the power God holds. Life and death are in His hands. God offers us a home with Him forever. There is no earthly kingdom that can match God’s offer. Fear God’s commandments and give Him respect. Know that His Son is the Door to Eternity. For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death. This is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” (Hebrews 12:28-29) Once we have surrendered our lives to the Creator of the Universe, what more is there to fear?

Love God, not the world

(1 John 2:15-17) – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Who or what do you love? Power, money, possessions, family, position. Each is temporal in the world. God has offered to share His kingdom with us, all He has, His love, His Power, His eternity. Go for the gusto, go for the best. Loving God requires knowing Him, and that knowledge begins with His Word. To love God is to worship and praise Him. “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (Luke 4:8).

To love God is to put Him first. The number-one commandment is to love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). It’s an undivided love. God becomes our number one priority. If we love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, then we won’t allow other things to ever crowd God out of our lives.

Don’t fall for Satan’s lies

(John 8:44) – “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Even as Christians, sometimes the truth is elusive. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you have an enemy. When life and Scripture collide, which one do you believe and trust? Satan wants us to believe the lies, but will you seek God’s Truth? The world will destroy you while God’s Word will save you! Notice that seek is a verb, an action verb. It takes work to know the Truth! God’s revealed Truth is something we discover, not invent. God reveals it to us through His Word. Truth is rooted in the eternal, all-powerful, and unchangeable God. Therefore His promises cannot fail: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5).

Be a servant

(Isaiah 6:8) – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’”

God’s call is not a call to be a pushover in today’s world. As Bible-believing Christians, we are to live at peace with our neighbors. Where and when possible, our lives are to draw unbelievers to God (Psalms 119:98). However, God and His Son, Jesus, never compromised their values. Jesus was crucified for those values. We are to live as a light in the darkness of our world. There are times, however, when peace is not possible and retreating from the field of battle that is put before you is not an option. God does not ask you to be a coward but, instead, to rely on Him for your strength (Psalms 149:6-7).

The job is not done until we pass God on to the next generation

(Psalm 71:17-18) – “Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”

How did you learn there was a God? Each generation must be taught who God is, and what He has done for humankind. Children have always learned from their parents’ religious experiences. As a family prays together, they too will pray with you. When you are no longer there to be a direct influence on your children, their desire to seek God needs to remain. Our world attacks the family. Rightly so, because it is through the strength of the family that faith and God are transferred from one generation to the next. No books, no movies, no social media is more powerful than a family who shares their faith publicly and with each other. Do not abandon our children to the world.

Setting Goals in Today’s Crazy World

If you like the idea of setting goals, then it may be time to write out a list of things yet to achieve. It is always a good idea to talk about them as a family. Goals should be revisited periodically for adjustments. To achieve any goal, here are a few secular tips:

1. Mission statements are the highest-level goal for living. You should know your mission in life. It is a nice idea to find a single Bible verse that matches your mission. Make it part of how you live your life. Live the verse. Tell everyone about it. Study it. Make it YOUR VERSE!
2. Goals are those areas that you would like to accomplish in life. Think of it as a “bucket list” of sorts. Don’t take the time to create a huge list. Good goals are usually a short and simple. Pick goals that will take you and your family closer to God.
3. Look at each goal. Now develop strategies to address success toward that goal. One goal might be to teach your children about God, the Bible, and then have them seek God by their own declaration of faith and baptism. It might take years, but this is a goal that is worthy of effort. A strategy would include going to church and worshiping regularly. Scriptures are full of strategies. Pick those that speak to your heart. The Holy Spirit is there to help!
4. Now, look at all your strategies that cover all your goals. Wow, you have work ahead of you. 
5. To accomplish a strategy, you need tactics. These are the day-to-day operational activities that move you in the right direction. Tactics might include youth groups for your children, mission work as a family, Bible studies, regular worship, and time reading Scripture together. This is the fun part of God’s world; He loves helping families achieve their goals. 
6. Here comes the critical part necessary for success. Be honest with yourself and do a “strengths and weakness” assessment. Some things you will be good at and some lousy. Now build your plan. What is a plan? A plan is to arrange your life to choose tactics that leverage your strengths and fix your weaknesses. Then march forward toward your goals and live your mission. Every business in the world does it this way. Jesus did it this way with His three years of ministry. The apostles were just one strategy that he considered and used effectively. His mission was to carry the sins of humankind upon His back to the Cross! Hallelujah!

It doesn’t seem that the world is getting much better. Let’s hope it is not getting worse. To survive, however, we need to get closer to God. Whoever we are and whatever our situation, God wants us to put Him first, even before family and friends. As Paul put it, Jesus is “the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:18) Jesus accepts no rival substitutions for our affections and attention!

Contemplations

• Where does the “noise” in your life come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: Family, friends, news, work, other challenges? 
• What do you do to control the noise? How do you find time to plan for positive change in your life?
  • Ideas to Explore: Quiet time, reading God’s Word, time with loved ones, spending time outdoors, hobbies, etc.
• Society seems to be surviving “ad hoc” without a plan. Where do you see the need for strategies and tactics the most in your world today?
  • Ideas to Explore: Do we have too many conflicting messages that drown out the good ideas? Is life just too busy? Do we need to spend more time actually developing ideas for living well?
• How would you prepare children for the time ahead when you are no longer able to guide and influence them?
  • Ideas to Explore: Spend time with them now. Write down your beliefs. Teach them your faith. Involve them in your life’s struggles and show them how to “Survive.”
• What do you think the next generation’s survival skills must look like?
  • Ideas to Explore: Can youth survive without a belief in God? Is prayer, time with God alone necessary for a healthy mind and body? 

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  Concepts reflect information from https://www.cru.org/us/en/communities/families/7-essentials-for-christian-life.html
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  NIV New International Version Translations

A waterfall of opinion in a socially connected world constantly bathes our human conscience. One common attribute of discernment is that God has placed an expectation on humanity. It is expected to tell the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. God expects us to sort things out, make good decisions, and support good causes. We have also been given the Good News that our imperfections with discernment were left upon Christ’s cross. But what exactly are humanity’s responsibilities in this world? Does God expect us to tell the difference between what is sin and what is good?

Whether you agree with this premise or not, our daily lives are filled with society’s poor decisions. People have opinions about what is right and wrong, but opinions don’t make something morally good or bad. People still choose sin over God’s Truth. Opinions, like who we vote for, are subjective and are not universal truths applicable to everyone. Opinions are formed through experiences, education, and family. On a lesser scale, there are news media and social media. Our world today considers morality more of a concept. Our world often believes that anything can be morally right if it supports its cause. In other words, the justification for sinful behavior is often based on one’s beliefs and desired outcomes.

If we are to accept universal moral truths, then there must also be universal standards that can be applied. But concepts such as these require reasoning and common sense. Truth implies that standards were once established as a foundation for society. In a materialistic world without God, saying something is evil by nature means that it is evil everywhere, all the time. The Bible goes to great lengths to make known to us that our God is good. Here are just a few examples Psalm 136:1, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 119:68, and Psalm 135:3:

(Nahum 1:7)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”

But what then is evil if God is what is good? Is there a moral standard for this? Evil should be defined as hurting others who have been made in the image of God. When we destroy life (created by God), when we destroy our environment (created by God), we are making a direct assault on God’s Creation. Evil is an offense against God’s perfect and Holy character. When humanity sees God, sees His spectacular creation, and then decides something else is better, we found evil. Even Jesus confirms God’s goodness:

(Mark 10:18) – “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”

Evil, therefore, is that which is contrary to the will of God. Evil is counter to God’s Holiness. Evil is wickedness, an attempt to cause unnecessary harm and deceit. Objects are not evil. A rock, a cloud, or water are not evil by nature. They are things. People are held to a different standard by God. Pain and suffering caused to save a life are not evil. When pain and suffering are present for simple cruelty, unkindness, selfishness, greed, or just callousness disregard for God’s Creation, we are at the threshold of God’s displeasure, we found the gates of hell.

Our world is witness to events that require taking sides. The war in Ukraine, the fentanyl drug crisis in our cities, trafficking, the theft of innocence for our young children, and the crime that is rampant in our streets all require more than opinions on morality. Have you ever questioned why convicted felons serve year after year in our Senate and Congress² https://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_US_senators_and_congressmen_are_convicted_felons? Good Christians as well as godless people elect them over and over. Yet, where will Godly people go for their standards? How do Godly people discern God’s Truth? Who is right, who is wrong?

Society must be willing to demonstrate its discernment by upholding a universal set of moral standards. This is exactly what our founding fathers believed in, sinful as they were. Without moral standards, there would be little hope for our new nation to prosper without those standards based upon Godly values. Here are a few ideas to ponder.

Avoid Denying Reality

As Solomon stated in Ecclesiastes 11:3, “If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.” This often requires a back-to-basics view of the world. Death may be inevitable, but murder is always wrong. Why do people try to rationalize reality! How many sexes are there? Is a fetus a living human? Is social justice without repentance and accountability of any value at all? God placed a conscience (a moral sense) into every individual as part of Natural Law. God also established “first principles” such as law, government, education, politics, and economics, all to be discovered by “common sense.” Where will you search for reality?

The Means do not Justify the End!

It is wrong to assume that any means to accomplish a human belief is morally correct. A poor woman, pregnant with an unwanted child, is not better off to abort the life of the unborn child. Her economic well-being is not the means to the end God is interested in. What does God want? He wants to see a society that honors the widows and orphans and feeds and clothes the poor. He wants to see the unborn child raised to honor God and serve the world. (see Lostpine’s Study: Does the End Justify the Means?)

(James 1:27) – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

James, Jesus’s brother, knew very well that we would always have a world of needy people around us. God simply asks us to take care of them, not dilute their faith, not move them to worldly goals, but to move them closer to God Himself. This is the end God wants!

Get Good at Untwisting the Facts

The secret of a liar’s trade is in their ability to twist any fact into any outcome. Any fact that does not agree with their goals is manipulated into the reality they are trying to impose. Things are often taken out of context, or worse yet, attached to other things taken out of context. When the truth is twisted in such a misleading way that you feel afraid, vulnerable, attacked, hated, or incompetent, there is a good chance that there has been some “twisting” going on. In a world where “cancel culture” reigns supreme, it just means it is time to search harder for the facts! The Apostle Paul lays it out as clear as anyone:

(Romans 1:18-22) – “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Withholding Information is Just as Wrong as Giving Bad Information

Those who withhold relevant information are just using a creative form of lying to you. That is exactly what censorship means, a lie. (see Lostpine’s Study: Censorship and Freedom of Speech-What does the Bible Say) Blocking access to dissent is a direct affront to God’s Truth. Our world lies to gain power and wealth, but it also lies for the simple pleasure of spreading disinformation. Sincerity is useless. In the end, you will start believing in the bad information. Remember that words are the weapon of evil too, and they know how to use them effectively. The Word of God withholds no Truth from humanity!

(Proverbs 6:16-19) – “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Avoiding Responsibility is a Powerful Clue

Evil people do not have a moral compass. They do as they please and they will never feel responsible for the pain they cause. If they sense that some sort of blame will be directed toward them, expect them to redirect to new topics or new information. Apologizing is considered a virtue of the weak by evil people.

(Proverbs 28:13) – “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

Only Christ was perfect. That is why we need Him! There is nothing better to purge the soul than an old fashion apology. By now, we should all know that one of the key attributes of God’s Truth is Humility!

Hypocrisy is Always a Cover for Sin

One rich man purchases a liberal newspaper, another tries to purchase a social media site. Any case study of these events would be perfect to teach hypocrisy in action. When hypocrisy is present, sin is present. Jesus made that very clear:

(Matthew 23:13) – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Hypocrisy always represents sinful bias. First, look for it. Next, take an unbiased review of both sides. That is all that God is asking us to do. Avoid selfishness, be honest with those around us. When this becomes too much for society to tolerate, let’s hope it never becomes too much for God to tolerate!

Where does this leave you? Do you know what standards lead to a Christ-like life? There is only one, it is called the Bible. Without bathing one’s mind in the curative wisdom of God’s Word, humanity has no hope. And what are we doing as a society? We separated our government from God. Removed God from our schools. Accepted virtually every sinful nature of mankind as the “new normal.” Our society now demands allegiance to the world’s wisdom. The simple truth is that there is no hope for us unless God is part of our life.

(Romans 12:2) – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

What did our Founding Fathers think a moral society needed to survive?

“Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.” – John Adams

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams

“I have carefully examined the evidence of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity, I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.” – Alexander Hamilton

“The only thing that is more expensive than education is ignorance.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Only virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.” – George Washington

Contemplations

• Why do you think our society (world) struggles with the concepts of what is good and what is evil?
  • Ideas to Explore: Sin is fun. We have removed God from the world. We have the wrong leaders. People are too busy to worry about such details.
• Where or what is your basis for your morality?
  • Ideas to Explore: Family, education, church, media, Bible, etc. How do you validate it?
• Why do we elect immoral leaders?
  • Ideas to Explore: We fall for their lies. Don’t spend enough time researching their history.
• What are the actions of a society that is trying to move its morality toward that which God teaches?
  • Ideas to Explore: What are the signs that you see if any of our world is getting better. What do you think it will take?

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  NIV New International Version Translations
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  https://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_US_senators_and_congressmen_are_convicted_felons

When this expression is used, it’s often heard along with things like “doing the will of God, crucifying the flesh, or dying to oneself.” These are not particularly simple concepts to understand. They typically mean pursuing a life pleasing to God, mirroring Jesus’ life. Before the journey for an answer can begin, there is one critical question that must be answered first, Is God real? You may wonder why this is even a legitimate question to ask self-professed Christians. Have you looked lately at who our self-professed Christians are electing to the critical offices of our States and country? They support murder: abortion takes 2,300+ innocent lives a day just in the US. Our leaders support the importation of fentanyl. A grain of fentanyl the size of a grain of salt kills. We lose over 100,000 young lives a year just in the US to this one drug alone. And not let us forget the war against our children’s very souls. When parents abrogate their responsibility to raise children who know God’s Truth, the question of whether we believe God exists becomes a legitimate question. [see Lostpine’s Study: Has the World Gone Mad] Because if He does, our world is in for a very unpleasant surprise!

For all of history, humankind has been in search of an answer, an indisputable answer, to the existence of God. The journey toward an answer has included archaeology, science, history, and literature, including the human experience. Virtually all societies on earth have a belief in a form of a Creator. This, no doubt, comes from the visible evidence of God’s existence. Think of it as “God’s footprints in the sands of the earth.” When logic is applied to those “footprints,” it is not possible to draw any other understanding for the existence of humanity unless a Creator also exists.  Much of what we assume as part of daily life, including reason, morality, and human rights requires such a belief. Therefore, the first step in our journey must be to decide on the question of God’s existence. If we can answer “yes,” the journey can begin.

Now using the Words of God, Himself, He says He exists, that nature demonstrates a Creator exists (Psalm 19:1), and that God reveals enough of Himself in the world for people to know of Him (Romans 1:20). The early Christian church was founded on the use of eyewitnesses, evidence, and good reasoning (Luke 1:1–2; 2 Peter 1:16; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 14:20). Even Jesus Himself would use evidence when defending His claims (John 5:31–47).

Any good search for truth, therefore, must include the Bible. We are told that the Bible contains the inspired words of God.

(2 Timothy 3:16)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

Billy Graham, a renowned theologian, was scheduled to speak at a conference in the mountains east of Los Angeles. On a warm August night, Graham took a break from his room and walked out into the woods. He came to a tree stump, where he knelt, with his Bible on the stump in front of him. In prayer, Graham confessed that he did not understand everything in the Bible. But God blessed him with the understanding that his task was not to prove God’s Words as truthful but to accept God’s Words as Truth. Billy Graham had concluded that it is only the limitations of humanity that cloud our Biblical Wisdom.²(Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham, pp.135-139).

(2 Peter 1:21) – “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Everything, therefore, in the Bible was given to us for a purpose. While we may not understand that purpose because of our lack of knowledge, it should not be negated. One of Graham’s struggles had been with the book of Jonah. It is a hard story to fully embrace, the thought of surviving for days in the belly of a whale. There were no whales in the Mediterranean Sea! Yet, like so many of Jesus’s parables, the value of Jonah as a parable was just as significant as the parable of the Prodigal Son, or Jesus calming the sea of Galilee. The risk of picking and choosing God’s Words we believe is that they can leave you standing at an empty tomb with a dead Savior! To have a relationship with someone requires that they are alive, that they exist. To have a relationship with Jesus requires full faith in His death and His resurrection. The Bible is not about dead things, it is about living things, God, and His Son. They are living now with us here on earth and will live with us after our world ceases to exist.

Often hidden in the story of the Bible is the role of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the process of the Holy Spirit stripping away our sinful habits, convicting us to move toward a Christ-like life. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to accomplish things we cannot logically do, love people that are unlovable, and provide the self-discipline to overcome sin.

(John 16:13) – “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

Yet, Jesus might have summarized the task of following Him better than anyone when He said: “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Do you want to follow Jesus? Then Learn God’s Truth. Where do you find God’s Truth? In God’s own Words! Jesus is co-equal in power to God the Father. Yet Jesus was willing to submit His personal will to that of God’s Will and die on the Cross. And what did Jesus end up with by His perfect submission to God’s Will?

(Philippians 2:9-11) – “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We are now at the heart of the question behind this study. Humans have free will but turning one’s life over to Jesus means turning one’s free will over to follow God’s will. Our own interests must be put behind the interests of God. But do you know God’s interests for you? They are written in the Bible and exemplified in the life of Jesus. Your footprints on earth are meant to match “God’s footprints in the sands of the earth.” None of this is easy. Jesus told those who would follow Him, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) And we cannot follow Jesus if we don’t accept where He is trying to take us!

Can you accept that we have a living Christ who longs to show us the pathway to eternal life? If the answer is yes, the journey will be to follow Jesus wherever He leads you. Your old self, your passions, desires, wants, your earthly desires, will be left on the cross you are asked to carry for yourself. You become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Following Jesus means recognizing Him for who He really is. Messiah. Lord. The Son of God. He is the Savior of the world. The Apostle Paul says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Then obey His teachings. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31).

All who follow Jesus will have a place in His Church. Find your place in “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12). All have been uniquely gifted to fulfill a role in His Church. The Church today needs you now more than ever. Not everyone’s relationship with Jesus will look the same nor will their journey. Just remember that with the help of the Holy Spirit, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13).

Contemplations

• Where does your belief in God come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: Family, Church, experiences, a personal encounter, study?
• Where do doubts about God’s existence come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: Our world, society? A personal experience? Bad experience at church?
• What are you doing in your life to build confidence in God’s existence?
  • Ideas to Explore: Church, Read/study the Bible, read/study other materials, prayer, etc.
• Why do you believe that Jesus is alive today?
  • Ideas to Explore: Past witnesses, personal encounters, just faith?
• Where do you think Jesus wants your journey to go?
  • Ideas to Explore: Do you know God’s Truth? Do you know God’s will for your life? 
• People know that they are on the correct journey by signs that their destination is getting closer. What are the signs for you?
  • Ideas to Explore: Peace, understanding, better relationships, less hatred, etc.

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  NIV New International Version Translations
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  (Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham, pp.135-139).

10 weeks – the size of a kidney bean

Our world currently is undergoing an explosion of emotion regarding the question, when does the life of a human begin to exist and who holds the power over life? This may be a good time to review God’s Word for wisdom and guidance on this subject. We know that humankind was created as the master over everything on earth and everything on earth is subservient to humankind. Humans were never created to serve things on earth.

(Genesis 2:7)¹NIV New International Version Translations -” Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

The story of creation begins with a metaphor. God takes that which exists, useless and dead dust, and with His breath, creates life. It is important to understand that, as living beings, we give full credit for life to God. Humans have a very poor track record for creating life other than through sex between a man and woman. Humans, however, do a great job destroying life.

(Psalm 139:15-16) – “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

The power of God is part of the formation of life from the very beginning in the womb, even though that life is not yet perfect. The Hebrew word used in our psalm for “unformed body” is (gā-lə-mî). It is not the same as the word used for “my frame” in verse 15. This is the only usage of the word “golem: an embryo“ in the Bible except for 2 Kings 2:8, where it means wrapped together. The psalmist specifically intends to state that God is watching the unformed embryonic mass, which over time, is being fashioned daily in a fetal form into a human being from its conception! The psalmist (thought to be David) says that God’s great power is guiding the very formation of life in the womb. Even though that life is still imperfect or just an unformed embryonic mass, in the mind of God, that life is a human a life. Then from “God’s perspective,” in His Book of Life, the blueprint for a human is recorded.

Does this match up with science?

“Science teaches without reservation that life begins at fertilization (conception). It is a scientific fact that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. This new organism has its DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) distinct from the mother and father, meaning that it is a unique person. As the embryo grows, it develops a heartbeat (22 days after fertilization), has its own circulatory system, and its own organs. From fertilization, it is a new organism that is alive and will continue to grow and develop as long as nutrition is provided and its life is not ended through violence or illness.”² https://www.liveaction.org/news/life-begins-at-conception-science-teaches/

Together with God, a man, and a woman, whether voluntary or not, create human beings in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). The creation of human life begins with the decision to have sex. With sex typically comes conception unless steps are taken to stop conception. The decision to have mutual sex comes with responsibility. To disregard the possible outcomes is irresponsible! As God Himself established, the purpose of sex is to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28). During the time of pregnancy, the growing life within its mother (the womb) is fully dependent upon her. The care and feeding of the mother sustain the fetus until birth. Then after birth, it is the responsibility of both the child’s mother and father to sustain the child, feeding, nurturing, educating, protecting, and raising the newborn. Biblically, God intended this to be the foundation of a family. The concept of family is extremely important in the Bible, both in a physical sense and in a theological sense. The concept of family was introduced at the very beginning of our world by God, as we find in Genesis 1:28.

Society (our world) is telling us that because the child is in the womb, the child is just property, owned by the mother. However, that is reminiscent of a time when slavery and property rights were assigned to human beings. Scriptures do not support this position. God’s position is that when life was created by the acts of a man and a woman, the resulting human being gained certain inalienable rights. Those rights include life, liberty, and an opportunity to pursue happiness.

(Exodus 20:13) – “You shall not murder.”

In God’s “Big 10 List,” Number six is the prohibition against murder. Murder is a term that is reserved for the intentional killing of another human being. Any instance where the death of a human being is because of malicious intent and action of another person is referred to as murder. There are no provisions from God for intentionally killing an unborn child, even if it is not wanted. Our society stands on a slippery slope when it assigns the decision to terminate life as a “heath decision.” Are we also to believe that a handicapped child, a dismembered military veteran, or just an older adult with dementia could, one day, have their life terminated by the simple decision of others! Life is never an “inconvenient truth. “The primary reason God hates murder is that out of all creation, only humans are made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26 – 27, 9:4 – 6). Even before the codification of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the murder of other human beings was wrong (Genesis 4:8 – 12, 4:23 – 24, 9:4 – 6, Exodus 1:16 – 17).

While on earth, Jesus spoke out against murder (Matthew 5:21 – 26, Mark 10:17 – 19). We also see in the writings of Paul (Romans 1:18, 29 – 32, 13:8 – 10, Galatians 5:19 – 21), James (James 2:8 – 11, 4:1 – 3), Peter (1 Peter 4:15 – 16) and John (Revelation 9:20 – 21, 21:7 – 8, 22:14 – 15) that murder is wrong. Every Christian must take a stand on whether the 63 million abortions performed since Roe v. Wade was established, is a right granted to a mother or an abhorrent sin against the very Creator Himself.

God’s first commandments to His people were intended to guide and protect the family (Exodus 20:1-17). The interests and characteristics of a person are not formed by accident. You along with every other human are unique in God’s eyes. Unfortunately, so were the 63 million aborted children that never experienced life. God has great plans for every life, and those plans were established at the moment of conception. God created every life for a purpose. In those plans and purposes are the hopes, desires, and discoveries that make living in this world worthwhile.

(Psalm 139:13-16) – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

There are things God has in store for every life that only they can experience. Created in His image, each human is priceless, intentional, and valued. Each was created for a personal relationship with God, knowing Him in deep and personal ways, and representing Him to a world in need of His love and Truth.

(Ephesians 2:10) – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Do not let the world define what is right and what is wrong. Only God defines His Truth! Do not stand upon the slippery slope and find yourself sliding farther away from the God who loves you.

Contemplations

• One area causing continued controversy is the subject of life created through rape or incest (an involuntary act on the part of the mother of a child). How do you think our God views the decision to terminate life under those circumstances?
  • Ideas to Explore: What are the rights of the life that was created? Who should suffer the punishment for the sin, the child, the parents, or others? How would you solve this dilemma?
• Society has become comfortable with the decision to prioritize the mother’s life over that of an unborn child. In such an instance, how would you make sure that all parties (mother, father and child) involved were served fairly in the eyes of God?
  • Ideas to Explore: What is a fair process to make such a difficult decision? Who should be involved in such a decision, the mother of course but what about the father? Doctors? Existing children in the family? Government? Church?
• If the conclusion is that aborting life is wrong, how do you personally feel about leaders who support abortion?
  • Ideas To Explore: We have leaders who fight to maintain Roe v. Wade yet profess to place their faith in Jesus and call themselves Christians. How do you personally reconcile this within your own faith?

• 1
  NIV New International Version Translations
• 2
  https://www.liveaction.org/news/life-begins-at-conception-science-teaches/