Social Justice—Inspired?—Motivated?—Effective?—Commanded?—Blessed?
– – –
It’s just not right!
It bothers me!
It troubles me!
It makes me so angry!
I have to do something!
I must let out my anger!
I’ve got to just hit something!
Gotta hurt something!
Gotta hurt somebody!
Gotta beat on the first thing I see!
Gotta hurt the first person in my way!
I’m so angry!
Gotta use my fists!
Gotta use the first object I see to hurt, to destroy!
Gotta get my anger out, or else!
Doesn’t matter who gets hurt!
Doesn’t matter what gets destroyed!
Gotta express my anger!
Just try and stop me!
I’m angry RIGHT NOW—that’s all that matters now!
Somebody’s got to pay, because I’m angry!
Don’t try talking to me!
I don’t want to talk about it!
I just want to be angry!
– – –
Anything is better than not having a purpose.
Anything is better than sitting around doing nothing.
Anything is better than wandering around doing nothing.
Just give me a cause, anybody, and I’m there—
—ready, fit to unload my anger.
—ready, fit to destroy something.
—ready, fit to hurt somebody.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Social Justice—Protests?—Progress?
Social Justice—Commanded? YES
Social Justice—Blessed? YES
Social Justice—Instructions? YES
– – –
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.”
? SOCIAL JUSTICE ?
HONOR – – – OBEY
“Honor your father and mother . . .” has no expiration for age or time, even as adults, and after parents are gone.
And, exclusive, added motivation to do so is the fact, the promise of “. . . long life with blessings.”
– – –
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, . . .”
While you’re growing up, do what your parents say, period.
And, the motivation is very simply “. . . because this is right.”
OXYMORONS FOR SENIORS
+Hurry up.
+Write it down.
+Just google it.
+Young people appreciate your wisdom, and are willing to do your manual labor.
+More lame jokes as knees get worse.
+If it weren’t for slow speed, I’d have no speed at all.
+Count your blessings—T-9, T-8, T-7, T-6 . . . all the way to LIFT-OFF (the best).
+I’m not half the man I used to think I wished I was.
+”Go with the wimp.”—–Bill Pruett, responding to my complaint feeling like a wimp.
+”As your days, so shall your strength be.”—–Jesus (OK, God, I’ll take Your Word for it.)
+Getting older, getting slower, faster.
+”When I am weak, then I am strong.”—–Paul (Sure need that to be true.)
+”First shall be last—last shall be first.”—–Jesus (Looking forward to the rest of THAT story.)
+”. . . He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your memory, whatever . . .” (Alzheimer’s Bible verse)
+Laugh at peer pressure—or cry for lack of peer pressure.
+Embarrassment doesn’t matter so much anymore (unless no one notices, to laugh with you).
+Memories.
+Short-term memory goes first—no problem, it’s just the issue of things that happened over thirty seconds ago.
+”How are you doing?” becomes a multiple choice question.
+Was ok—got over it.
+God’s opinion—my opinion. (Which is a laughing matter?)
+”Let no one despise your youth.”
+”Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before . . .”
– – –
My dear, faithful servants, you’re not home yet.
FREEDOM (WITH VIGILANCE)—VS— SECURITY (WITH CONTROL)
The natural default human experience is a drift toward the promise of security—with a drift toward the loss of freedom.
This experience happens with no conscious effort by the people—with a plan for taking control by a small group at the top.
The reversal of this typical experience, to gain and maintain freedom, requires very conscious effort and sustained faith and sacrifice.
It calls for strength beyond human nature.
ALEX MCFARLAND ON THE CHURCH TODAY
“Churches are following trends rather than blazing trails.”
“We are selling our soul for celebrity status.”
DIVINE DISTANCING
There are some interesting mandates from God about distancing.
+”Don’t eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden.”
So how much distance should Adam and Eve keep from the fruit and the tree?
Apparently more than they did—but they blew it before they touched or ate—got too close just listening.*
+”Take off your shoes, for the place you are standing is holy ground.”
How much distance should Moses keep from the burning bush?
Rest assured, Moses did not treat casually getting so close to the presence of God.*
+”Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of God . . . go forward.”
Israel was a very short distance from a miracle they could not see, about to happen in front of them.
Israel was also a very short distance from the fearful enemy behind, out to get them.
But God . . .*
+Israel at Mt. Sinai, “Take heed, that you do not go up to the mountain, . . . whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.”
The people kept their distance, because the greatest fireworks in history on Mt. Sinai blew them away with fear—from God, on purpose.
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, for God has come to prove you, that His fear may be before your faces, that you sin not.”*
+Don’t touch the Ark of the Covenant!—“The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark.”
Even “David was afraid of God that day.”
So, keep your distance, or else.
Hmmm.*
+”Touch not the unclean thing.”
So how much distance must we keep from unclean things, from sin, from evil.
“Flee sexual sins.”
“Flee idols.”
“Flee youthful lusts.”
“I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.”
RUN—simply, put as much distance as you can, as fast as you can, between you and evil, temptation, sin.
If God says, “FLEE!”—that means you already had a close call.
Do your very best to keep as much distance as you can from life’s pitfalls, not courting disaster close to the cliffs.
*Same for us?—to fear, or not to fear—take heed, on what basis we expect to get close to God—on what basis we expect a miracle from God.
IDOLS ? – – – TODAY ?
First, a few selections from history:
+ PAGAN IDOLS—earth, animals, trees, rocks, weather
When I taught fourth grade four decades ago, it seemed obviously silly how ancient people actually worshipped the earth and things it contained.
It wasn’t long after, that the world established “earth day,” so we could officially worship the physical world around us with the misguided environmental movement.
+OLD TESTAMENT ISRAEL IDOLS—the golden calf at Mt. Sinai, ‘high places’ for duplicating pagan worship on mountains away from the temple, fiery molech for child sacrifice, even physical idols brought into God’s temple.
God set the record straight with severe repercussions, repeatedly as required.
+ROMAN/GREEK IDOLS—named gods for every human need, with human personalities, with human weaknesses, with human needs, providing material for a world of literature, fascinating in itself.
What a phenomenal exercise in futility.
They instinctively knew this did not cover their spiritual requirements, so they added to their physical idols an altar “to the unknown god.”
+CATHOLIC IDOLS—popes and councils add to the Bible (oppose people reading the Bible), indulgences (buy forgiveness—build cathedrals), saints for every need and every occasion (praying to saints unabated for 2000 years, shamelessly, with shrines and dates), Jesus alone is not enough, church itself becomes the idol.
God sends the Reformation—people read the Bible and find Jesus—Catholicism basically unchanged (still depending on the pope and praying to saints when you need them).
PROTESTANT/AMERICAN IDOLS—our enlightenment (we got salvation right, we brush over that Catholics don’t get it quite right, at least we all have Jesus—or do we?), our success (best Christian nation ever), economy (too good to depend on God), personal retirement (unbiblical), evolution to abortion (we didn’t stop either), sex worship to sex perversion (unclean pulpits—unclear message—unthinkable inclusion), social justice to socialism (church mission abdicated to government).
– – –
Jesus alone is enough—adding anything to Jesus and the Bible, by any church, at any time, is false gospel and idolatry—truth is unchanged!
We worship, condoning what God clearly forbids—no illusions that we’ve made any progress since Eden.
If nothing else, don’t give satan more to gloat about.
Warning:
Speak out against the idols of the day in the church—expect to pay a high price, now.
Warning:
Fail to speak out against the idols of the day in the church—expect to pay a higher price, soon.
“UPSIDE DOWN”
Good Friday turned the world of Jesus’ disciples “up side down”.
Resurrection Sunday turned their world “right side up.”
The next forty days turned hundreds of people into believers that they were “on the right side” of history.
Ten days later the Holy Spirit turned Jesus’ disciples into bold and powerful preachers of the good news to get “on the right side” with God forever, starting right in the center of the very city where the leaders and the mob screamed for Jesus’ crucifixion.
Then, people everywhere cried out, “Oh no, these revolutionaries who have “turned the world upside down” have come here too!”
Now, how in the world did that happen?
It all happened because Jesus’ Resurrection happened.
It all happened because the place where they buried Jesus is still empty.
It all happened because God came into this world to save us, after we messed it up.
We were “upside down,” heading down, forever, to hell.
Jesus turns us “right side up,” heading up, forever, to heaven.
Nobody can touch that—and that is why so many people are touched by that—their hearts are turned to Jesus, so their lives can be turned around, in the right direction.
I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
I’m writing this on Easter morning, with beautiful, clear skies and extra special sunrise, after a night of severe threatening weather and three inches of rain.
Unmistakable—I don’t know about everyone else, but God, I noticed.
JESUS – – – AND ME
“Then I became in His eyes as one who found peace.”—–Song of Solomon
IS PAIN NECESSARY?
Is suffering necessary?
Is pain all bad?
Is trouble a problem?
Should we ask these questions?
Are there answers?
Why doesn’t God fix this?
Can God fix this?
If I was God, could I?
Is that a silly question?
Is God running everything?
If I don’t like it (how He’s running things), can I discard God?
Can I invent god to suit me?
Can I invent answers, and change anything, really?
Can I figure it all out?
Can eight billion people figure it out eight billion different ways, and everyone be right?
Or just you?
Or just me?
OR:
Can there be answers from outside of us?
Can we know these answers?
Is there really a God?
Is there one God?
Does God have answers?
Does God tell us any answers?
How does God tell us?
What do we really need to know?
As human beings, we basically want life to be easy.
We complain if it’s not.
We sacrifice in unbelievable measure to make life easier, later.
We often endure hardship, for that goal.
We actually practice “NO PAIN—NO GAIN.’
Some focus on ‘life is no fair,’ and demand that others owe them an easier life.
I realized recently that ninety percent of my own prayers are asking God to make my life easier.
God can do that, and often God does.
Then other times God doesn’t, and I suffer—pain, anguish, brokenness, loss, heartbreak, weakness, fear, devastation, desperation—many things that others suffer.
I believe in God.
I trust in God.
I believe God wrote down what we need to know.
God wrote down all the answers we need for this life.
And God answered questions that no human can answer.
God told us exactly what we need to know, and do, about life after this life.
There is no other source for certainty about life after death.
We do not suffer from lack of answers—we suffer from lack of READING and BELIEVING the answers God has written down for us.
“God loved everyone in the world so much, that He gave His only Son to die and pay for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him does not have to perish in hell, but have eternal life in heaven.”
So, what about all those unanswered questions and dilemmas partially listed above?
Some have answers, some don’t.
Since I am not smart enough to satisfy everyone’s grievances, or even my own grievances, I will offer three principles here:
“The sufferings of this present life are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us [in the life to come].”
“If we have hope for this life only, we are of all people most miserable.”
“God comforts us in all our trouble, so that we can comfort others in any trouble with the same comfort.”
Philosophical facts, universally validated:
+People who are searching for an easy life are not the happiest.
+People who are struggling often testify to finding greater meaning in life.
+Christians who are persecuted say they found a deeper, sweeter relationship with Jesus than without the suffering.
+People who are suffering become stronger.
Bottom line:
JESUS
“I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life—no one comes to God the Father except through Me.”
Come to Jesus, and your most important question is answered.