What I want.... is not to be confused with what I need. And what I need .... is not always what I want. God places Himself in front of us sometimes, not to bring us distress, but to save us from it. Personally, on this side of the election ...... Obama's win troubles me. I think back on the old testement story, where the children of Israel insisted on having their own King. The Lord said, "But I am your King." Seems He wasn't good enough for them though ...... all of the other nations around them had "real kings" and they wanted to be like everyone else.
Israel's Kings took them in many directions, some far away from God, but their hearts did not have to follow where it was not their desire to go. As this nation continues to ignore the God of the Bible, looking for answers and salvation elsewhere, it will suddenly find itself where it doesn't want to be and wonder why. Many will see and admit that their new god is actually Greed. Materialism is their new savior.....and their lives are directed by Irresponsibility.
Greed, Materialism and Irresponsibility. This is the Unholy Trinity too many of us serve today. We have become greedy, irresponsible, stuff junkies. Ouch, that hurts but there is no use in denying it. What we don't have, quite often is not because we didn't have the money to buy it. Rather, it's usually because we already spent that money somewhere else and we can't spend it twice. We resent having to pay for priorities although a day without food, clothes, a place to live, a warm shower, heat or airconditioning would not be our ideal either. So we beg, borrow or expect others to provide for our habits and take care of us.....and this is how we loose respect for ourselves.
We do it to ourselves. So, we buy more stuff we can't afford....to make us feel better now. It never really works though and we loose more self esteem, become angry and envious and see ourselves as victims of other people's behaviors and actions ..... when it is really our own choices and refusal to deal with out own attitudes and behaviors that have brought us to this place.
Ok, at this point I am talking about me. I am preaching to a choir of one. Maybe one day, when I can figure out how to get my act together I can write a best seller ..... though, I think it has already been written and it is called the Bible. Until then, I will just go back to the directions and manual I came with.
When I stand before I God, I won't have to answer for the sins of the rich ..... how or where they got their money, or why. I will be responsible for how and where I got mine and what I did with it. That's the scariest part! Greed and irresponsibility is wrong, whether practiced by poor or rich. The governments's enabling of this irresponsible spending and promoting the thinking that "we all deserve what ever we want" is pure dysfunction.
More people are becoming takers now than givers, but that is not because the givers don't want to give. It is because, taking, has become too easy. Many have become discouraged in working and having their wages hijacked ..... deciding entitlement is the way to go. Therefore, many will depend on a few to take care of them until one day ...... we will have to come up with a new politically correct plan: How to make something out of nothing and still keep everybody content. We will all be poor and happy then ...... I think.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
How Should We Then Vote?
If you are a conservative, Christian American, as I am....you are probably wondering about the presidential candidates we have set before us. I see passion, I see talent, I see dedication.... I see politicians, each pretty much successful in their own right. None of them perfect, but hey, at least they were willing to "throw their hats in the ring" and run for office. That's more than I can say for myself. After all, I prefer to just sit on the side lines and judge. Yeah, I added that last part because, I notice the pride, greed and arrogance in others, especially those who fall under the label of "Politicians", but I generally don't notice it so much in myself. Nope. (O: I excuse myself by saying, "Well, they are being paid to mind my business...."
Americans have great expectations for the man they elect to be president. The hardest of all is their demand that the candidate they chose needs to be able to save them from themselves. They become very disappointed and discouraged to find out that their newly elected president can't save himself from himself, let alone anyone else.
I am reading a book, "Between A Rock And A Grace Place" by Carol Kent.This is how it begins:
"If you picked up this participants's guide, it no doubt means you are someone who is living in the middle of circumstances you wish were more favorable."
Then, it goes on to say:
"One day when I was struggling....my sister emailed me a verse from the Bible....Romans 9:33. (Eugene Peterson's rendering from The Message)"
"Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
a stone you can't get around.
But the stone is me! If you're looking for me,
you'll find me on the way....not in the way."
Furthermore, Carol writes:
"It has now been more than a decade ago, right in the middle of my life, that I ran into a huge boulder, the likes of which I had never encountered on my lifelong walk with God. It could have been my stopping place, the point at which I lost not only some of my most cherished dreams but also my faith....and passion to go on. Instead, I found out that the rock in my path represented not an obstacle but an opportunity to encounter the living God in surprising, sometimes astonishing ways. As I have learned to "press into" the Rock in the middle of my hard places I have learned that I am actually in a position of safety, refuge, and grace.....
"If you too feel caught in one of those tight spots that seem unusually difficult, if not unbearable, I pray that you will come to realize that the pain of being in this place need not cause you to lose hope. If you press into the Rock instead of trying to get around it, you will discover a surprise far better than a birthday or a Christmas gift. On the road that is your life right now, you can find a new way of thinking about your circumstances, as well as an astonishing experience of grace, tailor-made for you. As you encounter God on the way....not in the way....you may come to know Him as you never have before."
So, what does this message have to do with politics? Plenty. How many times have I ignored the TRUTH inside of me, trying to manipulate the outcome of something I feel is very important. I feel it is my public duty to go against what I know within my heart of hearts is wrong, and vote for a more sure thing. As if God is not in control? As if He does not know what is going on and does not have a plan????
Many times I have voted for someone....not because I felt that they were the best choice.... they were simply the one with the most chances of winning. And boy, I betcha God was really proud of me then.....since, if I (and thousands of others) hadn't of compromised on what we believed to be right and true..... who knows what might have happened?
Yes, we saved the day there, didn't we....or did we just postpone, put off or extended some grief and problems that we could have avoided if we had of been true to our God and to ourselves?
This Rock that we have to deal with, what is it? As hard as we try to get the right man in office that will save us from ourselves and give us a good life......it won't happen. If we think that we have to manipulate and compromise our beliefs and value systems to get what we want, then we need to consider where our base is. Because, in the end ...... what we want now ...... can bring us disasterous results later.
What I want.... is not to be confused with what I need. And what I need .... is not always what I want. God places Himself in front of us sometimes, not to bring us distress, but to save us from it. Personally, on this side of the election ...... Obama's win troubles me. I think back on the old testement story, where the children of Israel insisted on having their own King. The Lord said, "But I am your King." Seems He wasn't good enough for them though ...... all of the other nations around them had "real kings" and they wanted to be like everyone else.
Israel's Kings took them in many directions, some far away from God, but their hearts did not have to follow where it was not their desire to go. As this nation continues to ignore the God of the Bible,
looking for answers and salvation elsewhere, it will suddenly find itself where it doesn't want to be and wonder why. Many will pray to a God they don't want to believe in because they need help. He will hear them and answer ..... but they probably still will not want to hear what He has to say......
Americans have great expectations for the man they elect to be president. The hardest of all is their demand that the candidate they chose needs to be able to save them from themselves. They become very disappointed and discouraged to find out that their newly elected president can't save himself from himself, let alone anyone else.
I am reading a book, "Between A Rock And A Grace Place" by Carol Kent.This is how it begins:
"If you picked up this participants's guide, it no doubt means you are someone who is living in the middle of circumstances you wish were more favorable."
Then, it goes on to say:
"One day when I was struggling....my sister emailed me a verse from the Bible....Romans 9:33. (Eugene Peterson's rendering from The Message)"
"Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
a stone you can't get around.
But the stone is me! If you're looking for me,
you'll find me on the way....not in the way."
Furthermore, Carol writes:
"It has now been more than a decade ago, right in the middle of my life, that I ran into a huge boulder, the likes of which I had never encountered on my lifelong walk with God. It could have been my stopping place, the point at which I lost not only some of my most cherished dreams but also my faith....and passion to go on. Instead, I found out that the rock in my path represented not an obstacle but an opportunity to encounter the living God in surprising, sometimes astonishing ways. As I have learned to "press into" the Rock in the middle of my hard places I have learned that I am actually in a position of safety, refuge, and grace.....
"If you too feel caught in one of those tight spots that seem unusually difficult, if not unbearable, I pray that you will come to realize that the pain of being in this place need not cause you to lose hope. If you press into the Rock instead of trying to get around it, you will discover a surprise far better than a birthday or a Christmas gift. On the road that is your life right now, you can find a new way of thinking about your circumstances, as well as an astonishing experience of grace, tailor-made for you. As you encounter God on the way....not in the way....you may come to know Him as you never have before."
So, what does this message have to do with politics? Plenty. How many times have I ignored the TRUTH inside of me, trying to manipulate the outcome of something I feel is very important. I feel it is my public duty to go against what I know within my heart of hearts is wrong, and vote for a more sure thing. As if God is not in control? As if He does not know what is going on and does not have a plan????
Many times I have voted for someone....not because I felt that they were the best choice.... they were simply the one with the most chances of winning. And boy, I betcha God was really proud of me then.....since, if I (and thousands of others) hadn't of compromised on what we believed to be right and true..... who knows what might have happened?
Yes, we saved the day there, didn't we....or did we just postpone, put off or extended some grief and problems that we could have avoided if we had of been true to our God and to ourselves?
This Rock that we have to deal with, what is it? As hard as we try to get the right man in office that will save us from ourselves and give us a good life......it won't happen. If we think that we have to manipulate and compromise our beliefs and value systems to get what we want, then we need to consider where our base is. Because, in the end ...... what we want now ...... can bring us disasterous results later.
What I want.... is not to be confused with what I need. And what I need .... is not always what I want. God places Himself in front of us sometimes, not to bring us distress, but to save us from it. Personally, on this side of the election ...... Obama's win troubles me. I think back on the old testement story, where the children of Israel insisted on having their own King. The Lord said, "But I am your King." Seems He wasn't good enough for them though ...... all of the other nations around them had "real kings" and they wanted to be like everyone else.
Israel's Kings took them in many directions, some far away from God, but their hearts did not have to follow where it was not their desire to go. As this nation continues to ignore the God of the Bible,
looking for answers and salvation elsewhere, it will suddenly find itself where it doesn't want to be and wonder why. Many will pray to a God they don't want to believe in because they need help. He will hear them and answer ..... but they probably still will not want to hear what He has to say......
Well, when you're working with kids, they say to "never let them see you sweat". In other words, stay calm, even when they are not cooperating. I had an opportunity to test this strategy the other day. Me and my two little charges, age 6 and 8 went to the grocery store and the 8 year old wanted to stay in the car....did not want to go in. I knew I couldn't agree to that so I just calmly said, "Well, we can't go in without you but what the heck, this is as good of place as any to spend the afternoon....I figured he wouldn't like that because he was having a lot of fun at home and that is why he fought going out to begin with. His sister just happened to have her Barbie along and I said,"Good thing you brought your doll so that you will have something to play with." I stretched out on the seat like I was settling in for the long haul. I figured he would soon be tired of this and want to go in, but, low and behold, I had a bag of Lego's in the
back that I had forgotten about. He opened them up and started playing....I'm thinking O man! So, his sister likes to sing opera and it drives him nuts. I suggested that she entertain us with her singing and she obliged. He ignored her. So, I joined in with "God said to Noah, there's going to be a floodie, floodie......" (song). Then, while sitting in the driver's seat, I taught sister the "Father Abraham song" with all of the hand waving and marching accompaniments. He watched with interest while I wondered, "What next?" So, I said, "Well, here we go....I'm going to count backwards from 10 to 1 and the first one out gets a prize." Of course they both got out by 3 and I was relieved to get on with my day. As I herded my 2 little charges across the parking lot, I just happened to notice an older gentleman sitting in a pickup just across the way (Guess I had been too busy singing and marching -- in seat -- to see him)....he had this GREAT BIG smile on his face, as if he had seen it all. LOL. I had to laugh with him, it had to look pretty funny from where he was sitting! Well, the kids each got a tatoo for their reward.....I had to threaten to call their Dad at the checkout counter before leaving, but we made it home. And the dog ate the trash and emptied the plate of biscuits I made for dinner. Amen. I mean, THAT'S ALL. For one day, at least. |O:
In everything give thanks .....
Ah, blessed ADD and so glad to know that I am not alone! I used to think it was driving me crazy .... but I just put crazy to work for me in writing Children's books and working with kids. I don't know who gave me my gray hairs, me or them ..... but life is never dull! (O:
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