Emotions can be stirred and produce short-term reactions where we can get excited and do things such as applauding a great artistic performance, cheering for an athletic team, or even participating in the actions of a mob. There may be some physical impacts associated with such emotional “events” such as adrenalin increases which might affect heart rate, blood pressure, and rapid breathing.

Intellectual responses are associated with a shift into a “logic mode” in which we factor in prior information and considerations of such questions as
“why are we doing this?” or
“what will be the likely outcome of our actions?” or
“what am I supposed to do in such situations?”
This level of cognition will set decisive action responses and can even be influential in the habits we acquire. Emerging from the “thinking” mode are such things as cultural norms, etiquette practices, healthy living and healthy eating choices, career paths, considerations of whether certain actions help or hinder reaching objectives, etc.

Spiritual cognizance is much more difficult to understand but it is the foundation or background upon which are lives are built. It forms the corner stone as well as the capstone for our lives. Some people maintain that this is simply our thoughts; however, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament makes a clear distinction between the “thoughts and intents of the heart.” We see this in a metaphor related to the “word of God” (logos) as being a sharp two-edged sword that can divide the thoughts from the intents of the heart and to distinguish the soulish from the spiritual (Heb. 4:12). It is likely that these two outcomes are just two ways of saying the same thing which is typical of Hebrew parallelism used in their writings. This would mean (or at least imply) that “thoughts are activities in the realm of the soul (mind) and “intents” are associated with the spiritual part of our being.

The difference in a person who is “saved” and one who is “lost” is the spirit of the person. The “new birth” to which Jesus referred in His conversation with Nicodemus is a spiritual birth in which the “dead” spirit of “fallen humanity” associated with Adam’s race is replaced with a quickened spirit which has as its life source the “uncreated life of God” which can never die.

The spirit of man prior to the new birth is flawed (essentially dead) and therefore, the “intentions” coming from this “dead” spirit tend toward death and away from life which comes from God. After the new birth, the born-from-above spirit in man has its life source from God and is capable of Godly intentions. It is by the “spirit” that we commune with God. At the same time, the quickened spirit of the believer is exposed to other “intentions” that come from temptations associated with the evil one. A familiar example is the wilderness experience of Jesus following His baptism and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Him as He began his active public ministry. Such temptations which encouraged Him to make a fundamental change to the intents of His heart were recognized by Jesus for what they were and were soundly rejected. As a result of rejecting the tempting alternatives, His life was one of alignment of the “thoughts” and “intents” of His heart.

It is possible (maybe even likely) that we, when exposed to temptations, will embrace a temptation and (at the same time) realize that such an idea is not in keeping with Godly character. That “erroneous intent” can be suppressed but may not always be totally and absolutely rejected. When that happens, then our daily living (with our interactions with ourselves, with God, with other people and even the world around us) will be influenced by this suppressed and often latent intent. For example, as we take actions, we (in our “thoughts”) may rationalize what we are doing so that we think that the good deeds we have done for another person were because of unselfish love and generous compassion when the real intent was (or could be) to “engender favorable influence” so that we might exercise control over that person. This is clearly a misalignment of the “thoughts and intents of the heart.” The influence of the “intent” can be so subtle that we don’t even realize what is actually happening.

Sticking with the same example of taking action which can be beneficial to others, those with the questionable “intent” would likely carry out the good deeds in such a way that others would be aware that he or she was the one who was helping. If the questionable “intent” were not present and not having influence, then the good deeds would be carried out so that no one knew the source – let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

The erroneous intents that we allow to intrude into our spirits are like hidden contaminants in the “gold” of our spiritual lives. We know that God is at work in us to refine our gold and to conform us to the image of Christ. In his first epistle, Peter compared the testing (assaying) of our faith to refining gold in which the dross or slag that is not the pure gold can be seen and removed. The assaying process can be in the form of troubles, suffering and persecution which help to strip away much of the facade (the rationalized thinking) that all of us erect around ourselves to hide the real person.

When we are in the midst of being refined, we must be careful to interpret what is happening in light of the God’s word which is said to be the sword of the Spirit. The word of God is to be used as a sharp two-edged sword that can divide the thoughts from the intents of the heart and to separate the soulish from the spiritual (Heb. 4:12) In this context the “sword” is primarily intended to be used on ourselves to bring to light the motive behind our actions. The soul and the spirit of man are distinct and separate in the sight of God. If we confuse the two, then we will likely wind up nourishing the soul and neglecting the spirit.

Why should we care about such distinctions? In our humanity we tend to “care” what people say or think about us and what we do. We can define our role and communicate it to others; however, the assessment of how well we carry out that role is left up to God. His is the only opinion that really matters. Even we cannot adequately judge our own performance. We may think that we are doing very well but that does not mean we are. Others tend to judge us on the basis of outward appearance and we tend to judge ourselves on the basis of what we think others are thinking about us. On the other hand, God judges on the basis of the intent of the heart. If we want to be able to judge ourselves before the “appointed time,” then we must be able to distinguish between the “thought and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword and is able to separate these.

Why would a nation choose to honor the dregs of society and disrespect those who have made meaningful sacrifices for their nation?

If you are struggling to understand why some are honored and others are disrespected,
You apparently didn't get the memo on the "rules" --

THE NEW RULES

Rule 1. If you are in a "protected group" you can do no wrong.
Rule 2. If you are in a "privileged group" everything you do is wrong.
Rule 3. Recognizing the unfairness of Rules 1 & 2 is hate thought or speech.
Rule 4. Mere suspicion of "hate speech" gets one branded with the unpopular label of the day.
Rule 5. Others rules will not be revealed until those in the "privileged group" does or says
something those in the "protected group" randomly decides to be offensive to them.
Rule 6. A memo on the rules will NOT be issued since this insanity would be confirmed.
Rule 7. Regardless of the facts and before anything is actually done, the "protected group" wins and the "privileged group" loses.

We can learn from the interactions Jesus had with His disciples and discover
HOW TO BE A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

Draw near to Him
Follow Him wherever He goes – step by step
Listen to His constant teaching that He shares from whatever is encountered along the way.
Commit what He says to memory.
Pay careful attention to those things about which Jesus prayed.
Request further clarification regarding things we have difficulty understanding.
Notice the priorities in Jesus’ life and adjust our priorities to match His.
Realize that everything Jesus says and does gives us insight into the character and nature of God.
Recognize the “Father” relationship we have with God that takes us beyond “religion.”
Know that (as our Father) God loves us and cares about everything that happens in our lives.
Take advantage of His availability to interact with us all the time, even continuously.
As we avail ourselves of His intimacy, we realize and take into account that He is also Holy.
Know what is important to our Father and honor Him by aligning our behavior accordingly.
Remind ourselves of the need for nearness to Him and remember that He resides in our hearts.
Always be aware that when we sense an estrangement from God it is not He Who has moved.
Recognize that God is always at work within us and uses all we experience to conform us to the image of Christ Jesus Who is the express image of God Who is Holy.
Rejoice in knowing that the more we are conformed to Christ the closer we are to our Father.

(Source: Notes from audio Sermon by Patrick Magee, Main Street Baptist Church, Bogalusa, La., on “Understanding the Holiness of God – Part 1”)

What does that phrase even mean?
In the most basic sense, it could simply means that a person has intrinsic value.
The source of that value is argued by some to be inextricably tied to the belief that human beings are made in the image of the Creator of all things.

For those who identify with atheism, the ability to associate value with a person is difficult for some to describe but seems to be related to the Golden Rule of “treat others as you would like to be treated.” Apparently, the idea is that a person values himself and, therefore, would “value” others in the anticipation of a reciprocal response which would be beneficial to himself. (Observation: this is basically selfishly motivated because “a return” is expected from doing the right thing of valuing others.)

Going beyond “belief” as the foundation substance for valuing a person, the practical application or implementation of valuing may come down to the simple idea of “respecting” a person. Generally, we associate respect with speaking well of someone, encouraging them, taking action to help the person or to improve their reputation among others. The opposite of valuing is to “devalue” or to disrespect others. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is through ridicule or to hold up the person in a negative light before others. Unfortunately, ridicule is somewhat socially acceptable and the thinking is “no one gets hurt” (except the person who is being laughed at).

Ridiculing another person or a group is fairly common and many times the practice is done in “jest” such as the banter that goes on between universities which compete with one another in various sports. Since such “ridicule” is not personally directed and practiced by both sides, it is recognized as a joke and taken as such.

However, when ridicule is initiated by a person in a position of leadership and is directed at an individual in the organization, then the reason behind such ridicule likely has deeper roots than just “kidding around.” The outcome of disrespecting comments is that the person who is the subject of the ridicule is not built up but, in fact, has his or her reputation damaged among others who recognize the “disrespect” coming from leadership.

Thus far, we have avoided the obvious question that needs to be asked and this is “why would one person show disrespect for another person by using ridicule?” The answer is likely connected to the “why” of most improper actions taken against another person. The foundational problem from which most harmful behaviors come is what has been called the stealth sin – or envy. It is often ignored and rarely even recognized as sin. Envy can be (and often is) the root cause of many of the other sins. Was envy not the reason Cain killed Abel? If you or I have a possession and someone envies that object, then envy becomes a platform for stealing. If a woman envies another woman’s husband is that not the launching pad for adultery? If someone is envious of another’s good reputation then we have the stage set for lying. We typically associate envy with greed which drives us to accumulate more than we need. You do not have to teach greed to kids. You watch kids with their toys. Sharing is an unnatural response, it has to be taught.

You may have noticed that those in leadership are very careful to not ridicule people who are seldom involved and do not take initiative within the organization and therefore are unlikely to have influence on others. The people who are ridiculed are those who may be knowledgeable about how things operate and are looked to by others when influence for change is needed. Such people have influence simply because they have demonstrated capability in the past and show confidence and conviction in what they say. These are seen as threats to those in “positions” of leadership and in efforts to eliminate the influence, ridicule is often used to diminish the respect the person has in the organization.

Does the Bible even address such practices? Ridicule was addressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and He included it with His comments on murder. Calling a person an idiot or a fool is perhaps the worst kind of ridicule and most us would not do that – or maybe a more correct statement is that most of us know we should not do that and probably would not do it (at least in public). While we would not openly or overtly and deliberately disrespect someone, the potential is always present if the heart harbors such disrespect. Spontaneous comments made in unguarded moments reveal the truth of what is really in our hearts. The damage is just as real and hurtful to the person who is the subject of those comments – it doesn’t really matter if the comments were premeditated or not.

Yesterday is past and tomorrow will never come, or so it is said.

Many long for the beauty and order of the past and see the “ultimate tomorrow” as infinite possibilities, radiant light and perfection beyond our imagination. We study the past (supposedly) to learn from it and then we project toward the future and look forward to it.

Consequently, we view the present moments as dull and maybe even ugly, full of trials and problems and sorrows. This could be what Paul meant when he wrote that “the days are evil.” We Christians can sometimes have this view even when we are blessed with life that will never end and communion with the Creator of the Universe.

So, what is the significance of a single moment? The present instances of time are viewed as insignificant in that some think it does not really matter what we do right now in this very moment and we may have feelings of boredom and insignificance which all together produce inactivity or we find ourselves simply repeating the meaningless routines of everyday ordinariness.

It may never occur to us (until it is too late) that all of life is made up of the aggregate of millions of “present instances of time.” However, “zero meaningful results” as a consequence of the aforementioned inactivity multiplied a million times is still “nothing accomplished and nothing gained.”

It would be a mistake to read these previous words and conclude that “we should not just stand there but do something.” Whatever we do should be according to good and beneficial objectives which align with the purpose of life as a whole. Without an understanding of and fully embracing this purpose, we could find ourselves in the morass of meaningless moments that mourn the passing of “what was” and wistfully wishing for the morrow rather than making the most of today.

The often quoted statement from the Westminster Shorter Catechism tell us that “man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.” It probably will sound like heresy to say that this statement could be improved in that while it focuses on God in the first part, it turns its attention to mankind in the end. It has a good beginning but a questionable ending. The Word of God (Revelation 4:11) clearly states that the main objective and purpose of all of creation is to show the glory, honor and power of the Lord and that the enjoyment or pleasure belongs to Him. A revised statement (that would parallel Rev 4:11) could be that “man’s major purpose is to glorify God, and to be pleasing to Him for ever.” We would certainly anticipate and be confident that a consequence of fulfilling the purpose for which were created is that we would, indeed, find our joy in the Lord.

Much has been said, many books have been written, and many ideas advanced as to “how to accomplish” this grand purpose. Most of us are familiar with the saying that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The idea in this proverb has been around for centuries and gained popularity in the nineteenth century. It means “that we imitate someone else because we admire that person or value what that person is doing.” Because words take on different meanings with the passage of time, “flattery” may now have a connotation of “less than sincere praise.” Also, people have been known to imitate another person in a mocking fashion. Therefore, a statement that avoids these potential misunderstandings would be to say “genuine imitation is the sincerest form of true praise.” We could also logically connect praise with the idea of glorifying the object of our praise.

If we really want to ‘make the most” of opportunities (the present moments of time), if we really believe that the highest purpose in life is to glorify God and be pleasing to Him, if we really accept the premise that imitation is the sincerest means of glorifying God, and if we realize that Jesus Christ is the express image of God, then we can grasp the truth that “every moment and every incident of life is given to us for the main purpose of transforming us into the image of Christ.”

Many of us could truthfully say that we already knew all this and we appreciate that this is the overall grand scheme of what is (to be) happening in our salvation experience. What may be an “aha moment” is that this process happens in the “dull, routine, sorrowful, and difficult” moments of life that we tend to dismiss as insignificant or irrelevant as we await a glorious mountain-top epiphany that will miraculously and instantaneously transform us in the twinkling of an eye.

While we are eagerly waiting in anticipation, the millions of such “insignificant moments” can pass us by without any recognition on our part of the opportunities inherent in the “all things” that God allows to come our way. If the opportunities are the passing moments in the times of our lives, then the statement that “opportunity knocks but once” is very true.

I remember a cautionary story of a board of executives meeting to approve a spending plan for the company. Ten different projects related to the present business and future projections (each of which were costing millions of dollars) were all approved with minimal discussions in a period of less than fifteen minutes. The next project was to spend a thousand dollars to enhance the vending area in the employee break room. Approval was finally granted after nearly an hour of discussion and inclusion of several modifications by the board to the original plan.

If I remember the “moral” of the story, it was that we tend to be more interested in the things we can easily understand (vending areas versus production lines) and we get involved in things of lesser importance (spending a thousand dollars versus several millions) while letting the weightier issues slide by with little concern or personal input because we don’t bother to understand those more important issues.

We see this “story” repeated in the halls of government at all levels, in our schools, in businesses, our families and wherever we have participation in considering whatever direction we should take. What is done gives clear evidence regarding our priorities and interests as well as our understanding of what is really important.

QUOTE: "People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for."

All of us are predisposed to think in certain ways. This predisposition is partially caused and greatly influenced by the imprinting of experiences and words to which we were exposed in our earliest stages of developmental learning. Other factors certainly include things we were taught from various “authority figures” we encountered as we have increased our conceptual and experiential body of knowledge and understanding throughout life. These things we have learned then make up what we consider to be “truth.” Typically, these “truths” we have as our belief system consist of actual facts and errors or deviations from actual facts.

It is a general human tendency to want to discover and embrace “truth.” Most of us also have a tendency to think “I am right in what I believe.” If we did not sincerely think a certain bit of information was true, then most of us would abandon that information and look for the “real” truth. A significant impediment to finding “real” truth is that we desperately want to believe we are and have been “right.” Consequently, we look and listen for additional information that validates our belief system and we tend to passively ignore or even overtly reject anything that challenges or does not align with that body of beliefs that we have previously learned.

The standard, generally-accepted remedy for this “human condition” of only embracing what reinforces our currently held belief is “education.” Education usually only entrenches our basic beliefs because we may deliberately choose a mentor, tutor, or teacher with the same general basic beliefs we already have. Another alternative is that the mentor or teacher will be successful in replacing some of the basic errors we had with the misconceptions that he or she has embraced as truth. Admittedly, there will be occasions where “real” truth will be found.

Going beyond education we might see admonishments to have “independent thinking,” and to challenge and question everything. This idea can be found in a quotation from Thomas Jefferson in a communication to Peter Carr written in 1787: “fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. question with boldness even the existence of a god.” This may be a good start to get us away from the effects of imprinting or naively believing everything those in positions of “authority” might tell us; however, this approach is still inadequate to finding “real” truth. Our human minds are finite and we don’t have “every fact” which could impact the truth. Additionally, our knowledge is basically twofold – that which we can conceptualize and that which we have experienced. Just as we don’t have every fact, we certainly have not experienced enough to ever say that our knowledge is complete.

We need to find a step beyond all these approaches mentioned so that we can actually know the “real” truth. Some have made a distinction between just “having information” which has been communicated to us and actually “knowing truth.” We may have an awareness of something (a fact) that we would describe in the following way: “I really don’t understand this (fact) but I know that I know it." Going back to Jefferson’s quotation regarding “a god,” many people can say, “I don’t understand the concepts of a divine entity, but I know that God exists and am convinced that He is good.” Some have argued that all that we really “know” is revealed to us by God – everything else is just information. Information can have a verity rating of completely in error to factual truth. The same revelation that God “IS” also confirms that what He reveals is Truth. To think that we can discover God and His truth through human intellect is as ridiculous as the thinking of the people who were going to build a tower so they could reach heaven.

VOLUNTEERS?
How do we see ourselves in relationship to the work we do in the church? For example, we may teach Sunday School, work in Awana, sing in the choir, work in the Nursery, mow the grass, greet people as they come to church, help out with repair work, and such things. What do we call ourselves and other who do such work? We likely consider ourselves to be Volunteers!

Sometimes we confuse the concept of being a “volunteer” with simply being “unpaid.” What about the Apostle Paul? He did not accept payment for what he did. Would you classify
him as a “volunteer” or was he “called” by God to do the work he did? Paul described himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. If he were a volunteer, then it would have been his decision to do the work he did and he could have gotten discouraged and quit whenever he wanted to.

The church is often referred to as the Army of God. We say we are “soldiers of the Cross.” Is the Army of God made up of volunteers who can quit and go home when it gets uncomfortable or is it made up of the “called” and the “committed?”

WHAT’S SHAKING? 

1. On June 17, 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court case Abington v. Schempp was decided in which an eight-to-one majority declared that school-sponsored Bible reading was unconstitutional.
2. On January 22, 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was decided in which a seven-to-two majority decided in favor of legalizing abortion. 
3. On January 1, 2008 New Hampshire’s legalization of civil unions for same-sex couples became effective.  Later in this same year, California legalize same-sex marriage.  Other states have followed their example in subsequent years.
4. In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court with hear arguments regarding making same-sex marriages legal throughout the United States. 

In Proverbs 30:21 we see the paraphrased words “Under three things the people of the earth tremble and shake and under the fourth they nor the land can bear the burden.”   If this verse can be applied to significant events that have happened over the past fifty plus years that have impact on our nation’s relationship to God, then we should be very concerned about the pending SCOTUS hearing and decision regarding the issue of the definition of marriage. 

It started with inviting God OUT of our societal culture by declaring the Word of God to not be welcomed.  This initial step was followed by embracing the horrendous pagan practice of sacrificing innocent children to the pagan god of irresponsibility.  The next “thing” was to declare what God had said to be an “abomination” to be acceptable in various places and possibly ending with a wholesale legalization of a practice that is perverse and unnatural.  The outcome (if Proverbs 30:21 applies) will be that our nation will experience burdens that we cannot bear.  If we cannot bear the load of the burden, then the outcome is collapse. 

Appeals to stop the madness and reverse the poor decisions of the past are typically met with declaration that we, as a nation, cannot possibly go back to having the Word of God as part of our education system.  We cannot possibly deny a woman the “right” to have control over her “body” even though it is the body of an unborn child that is ultimately impacted.  We are inundated with arguments that same-sex unions and marriage are “rights” that people have and we cannot go back to the Biblical definition of marriage being between one man and one woman.  Once the Supreme Court hands down its decision, many will simply give up the battle to return to Godly standards in this arena. 

The term used for “return” or “go back” in the Bible is the word “repentance.”  Those in positions of civil government are telling us that there is no way that we, as a nation, could ever return or go back to what we had before.  The clear message from the Book of Hebrews is that those who disregard the blessings of God and rejects His ways even though they have been clearly demonstrated to be the right way to live will not find any other path or way to go back or return.  Why?  There is only One Way and He has been rejected and held up to ridicule by them.  They will be as Esau was who having shown no regard for his birthright, sold it for momentary pleasure and, consequently, found no place of repentance. 

Dare we ask what has been shaking since 1963?  A partial list would include
1963 John Kennedy was assassinated.
1965 Los Angeles riots, NYC great blackout.
1966 Black Panther Party established, Cultural Revolution in China
1967 Six Day War in the Middle East
1968 MLK assassinated, RFK assassinated
1969 PLO rises to power in Middle East
1970 Palestinian group highjacks five planes, Kent State shootings
1972 Terrorist Attacks at the Olympics, Watergate Scandal
1973 Roe v. Wade passed, US pulls out of Vietnam, Collapse of the Bretton Woods Fixed Exchange Rate System opened the way for devaluation of the U.S. dollar and economic instability through inflation. 
1974 Nixon resigns
1975 Cambodian genocide, Assassination attempts against G. Ford
1976 First Ebola outbreak in Africa, Earthquake in China kills 240,000
1978 Jonestown Massacre
1979 American Hostages in Iran, Three-Mile Island nuclear accident
1980 Failed attempt to rescue hostages in Iran, Mt. St. Helens erupts
1981 Assassinations attempt on Pope, Assassination attempt on Reagan, AIDS plague identified
1983 US embassy in Lebanon bombed
1985 Famine in Ethiopia, Terrorists hijack TWA 847
1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, US bombs Libya
1987 NYSE has huge drop in stock values – Black Monday
1988 Pan Am flight 103 shot down, US shoots down Iranian airline
1989 Berlin Wall falls
1991 Collapse of Soviet Union, Operation Desert Storm
1992 Bosnian Genocide, Los Angeles Riots
1993 World Trade Center Bombed
1994 Rwandan Genocide
1995 Million Man March in Washington, DC, Oklahoma City Bombing, Rabin Assassinated
1998 India and Pakistan test nuclear weapons, President Clinton Impeached
1999 Euro currency introduced, Y2K panic, Columbine High Shootings
2000 USS Cole Bombed
2001 9-11 attack by Terrorist on US, Stock Market has huge drop in value
2002 The deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia
2003 Invasion of Iraq
2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake – 250,000 dead
2005 Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and surrounding areas
2006 North Korea conducts first nuclear bomb test
2007 Global economic turn down starts
2008 Stock Market collapse, Major winter Tornado outbreak in Southeast, Myanmar cyclone kills 130,000, China earthquake kills 69,000, Obama elected as President

I think we get the idea of the “shaking” that is happening and we haven’t even addressed the ISIS crisis or Russia invading the Ukraine, Syria developing nuclear weapon capability, near economic collapse of Greece, a deterioration of race relations in the US and an increase in terrorist attacks. 

Just remember:  “shaking” is not anywhere near as serious as the “collapse” that will following the shaking.  We’ve already seen three things that make the earth tremble – is the fourth that brings collapse nearby?   2015 could be a VERY significant year. 

If you are bothered by “XMAS” and “Happy Holidays” then here are different perspectives on what these really mean. 

Sometime we who are inclined to defend our faith may create some confusion by speaking out against something like "Xmas" when it was not originally intended to eliminate Christ but was simply an abbreviation.  The Greek letter “X” is Chi which is the first letter in the Greek spelling of Christos  [χριστος].  We have let ourselves be offended when those who might wish to show disrespect to the Lord inadvertently declare the truth when they (unknowingly) use the abbreviation for Christ in their efforts to avoid acknowledging that He is Christ the Lord.  (If we find that we are offended by such things, then we might want to review 1 Corinthians Chapter 13)

Another similar twist is that many Christians are offended by the secularists who insist on using Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas.  It seems inevitable that every year we have a lot of "debate" and criticism of those who wish to be politically correct and "non-religious" and refuse to use the expression "Merry Christmas" and simply opt for "Happy Holidays."

Many of my Christian friends get really upset and vow to boycott business that try to be politically correct. Some will argue that we need to preserve the traditional celebration themes of Christmas trees, garlands, wreaths, Santa Claus, and all related items. Interestingly, the "politically correct" crowd want to eliminate all these because they are thought to be "religious" in their nature or origin.

A friend sent me an email attachment of a very beautiful Christmas card (a print of a well-know painting) with all the traditional items. Although this person is known to quote Scriptures and be openly demonstrative of his religious feelings, his ideal Christmas card had absolutely no reference or hint of the birth of Christ or the manger, Mary and Joseph, Bethlehem, etc. What follows is my observation of this phenomenon:

The paintings of the Traditional Christmas scene and ornaments were top quality.  These are truly representative of the best of the expressions of the American Traditional Christmas.  My concern for the situation is that we have already allowed the real meaning of Christmas to be swallowed up and lost in a sea of American Tradition.  Is there any way to get back to the true meaning since almost everyone is now trying to rescue the Tradition and it seems have given up on rescuing the basic truth. 

Ironically, it seems that the Political Correctness folks have stumbled upon the real meaning of the celebration when they insist that people say Happy Holidays. That probably sounds strange to most. However, consider this: a good Biblical word for “Happy” is “Blessed” and the origin of the word “holiday” is from “Holy Day”  So, if someone wishes me a “Blessed Holy Day,” then I really can’t object even though they may NOT know that they said. 

You have to think that God has an excellent sense of humor (or is saddened, maybe) when all the secular humanists are going around saying Blessed Holy Day and all the church folks are trying to stop them with a greeting that is straight out of the Catholic tradition of the “Christ Mass” that has been blended with the Druid observances related to the celebration of the winter solstice along with the glorification of the evergreen tree and veneration of the holly plant and berries.  

(Additional trivial information – the first time the word “merry” appears in the KJV of the Bible is in Genesis 43:34 and its meaning there is “drunken”  - it seems that a lot of folks faithfully apply that definition to their celebration of Christmas.)

I just saw an entry on Facebook in which the writer was really upset by a situation at a local supermarket in which an elderly man who had to use a walker was not given any assistance by the supermarket workers in getting his shopping cart full of groceries from the store to his car. The poor man had to put his walker on top of the grocery cart and then go through the difficult task of walking across the parking lot and then unloading the cart into his car. The conclusion drawn by the writer was that the supermarket should be alert to such situation and provide help for those with obvious needs.

My question to the writer of this observation is fairly simple: Why did YOU not help if YOU saw the need? Is this not indicative of what is wrong with our nation today? It is always someone else's responsibility to provide help and it never occurs to us to actually do something to help when an opportunity is recognized. This is an excellent example of what Jesus told us to do "as we go declare that the Kingdom of Heaven has come." Is it better to declare the Kingdom by our actions or do we think this means handing out a pamphlet and presenting the Four Spiritual Laws? It actually may have been easier to help the man take his groceries to his car and unload them than to write a scathing rebuke of the supermarket on Facebook. I'm quite certain that the person's disposition and outlook on life would have been improved by actually helping rather than being upset by what someone else did NOT do!

The End of an Empire 
This is from an article published in the Canadian Free Press on 11/7/2012 by Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh.  Each paragraph in black type is by Dr. Paugh and I have added my observations in blue.

COMMENTS ADDED BY LEONARD DAVIS

Our Constitutional Republic died a peaceful death on November 6, 2012. Having reached the point of no return in a comatose state after years of progressive and illegal immigration assaults, the fabric of conservative society is now completely unraveled and Uncle Sam's America is no more.   
[Comment:  This reminds me of a situation in which a family member has failing health and is on life support.  The children are trying to decide what measures should be taken to deal with the situation.  One alternative is to perform a heart transplant and the other is to remove the life support.  They voted and the “pull the plug” group prevailed.]

The United States of America is now relegated to the dust bin of history as a "has been" empire. The Shining City on the Hill, the hope of so many millions since July 4, 1776, no longer exists. What rises from the ashes is a country that few of us will recognize, like, or learn to accept submissively.
[Comment:  If you saw the movie “Obama’s America 2016” you may recall that Dinesh D’Souza claimed that Obama’s objective was to weaken our nation so that we would not have any more influence in the world than a third world nation – recall Obama’s frequent references to leveling the playing field.  It appears that we are well on the way to becoming as “relevant” as a third-world nation.  The outcome of this will be worldwide anarchy.]

After 236 years of existence, a new country emerges today, run by secular progressives who rejected our Constitution, what we stand for, and who we are as a nation. The Supreme Court will be forever altered after its last conservative members will be replaced by the liberal academics who call themselves "progressives." The rule of law will be implemented by Executive Orders, making Congress irrelevant. 
[Comment:  The first four years of the Obama administration have demonstrated the possibility of our having a government of bureaucratic czars and not a constitutional republic.  Many have wanted us to become more like Europe or Russia or China – depends and how radical they are – and we are moving in that direction.]

The communist motto "Forward" that resonated with so many ignorant Americans will plunge us into many years of darkness from which we will never be able to recover. We have proven our Founding Fathers right, they did give us a Constitutional Republic and we were unable to maintain it. 
[Comment:  The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us that any system left to its self will tend toward disorder.  Failure to maintain or keep the “orderliness” of what was provided for us over 200 years ago will result in eventual anarchy.]

The forces of the failed communist fundamental transformation that were driven underground in many places around the world, resurfaced with a vengeance in the United States and have now taken over. 
[Comment:  These “forces” have been around and recognized for centuries.  We have seen the “successful” emergence of this in Communist Russia and China.  It appeared to have been dealt a death blow in the failure of the USSR.  As a result, the defenders of freedom let down their guard and the evil has re-emerged in the last bastion of freedom.  While men slept, the enemy has come in and sowed tares among the wheat.]

How long we will still have freedom of speech, movement, assembly, and control of our private property remains to be seen. Faith and churches will be driven underground; allowing secularism to prosper and take deep roots among the progressives whose God is Mother Earth.
[Comment:  Anyone who has been paying attention to what has already been unfolding over the past 50 years has recognized that Secular Humanism has replace Christianity as our “national” belief system.  We have apparently thought that separation of “church and state” meant that “religion” should not profoundly influence the foundation of “government.”  That is an impossibility!  Every “organization” operates within a framework of a belief system.   
With regard to the reference to “Mother Earth,” this is just another name for the pagan goddess Ashtoreth that was a stumbling block for ancient Israel.]  

The welfare dependent Americans, unions, and illegal aliens have chosen for the rest of us the dark path of serfdom to big government and to socialist utopia.
[Comment:  We have, in effect, sold our birthright for a free cell phone, food stamps, and government giveaway programs.]

Who would have guessed that the very people who were complaining that the government is not extricating them from disaster or giving them the help they needed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, would vote for the very politicians who turned their backs on needy Americans after the lights went dark when the political photo opportunities ended?
[Comment:  Prejudicial bias (positive or negative) causes people to ignore the facts of the situation.  Many have believed the message that “the present administration is really looking out for the welfare of the people.”   So when they fail to deliver, many will ignore the failure and will believe the assertion by the incompetents that they did a good job because that “fits” their bias.]

Who would have guessed that Americans were as ignorant and irresponsible as to choose fiscal destruction over fiscal sanity for their children and grandchildren, secularism and communism over faith, dependence over personal responsibility and self-reliance?
[Comment:  We have failed to grasp the truth that “there is no free lunch.”  We have also ignored the truth that short-term decisions result in long term consequences that are opposite of the supposed benefit that drives the short-term decision.]

Americans have been protesting for the last four years the dismal state of the economy and the direction of our country, the corruption of our politicians, and the loss of personal and economic freedom.
[Comment:  Apparently, we are willing to tolerate incompetence and dishonesty if those in power are giving us token gifts to appease us and divert our attention.  The Romans used bread and circuses as their empire was crumbling around them.]

Rallies in support of conservatism overwhelmed venues for Mitt Romney while rallies for our bumbling President became scarcer and scarcer. Yet, miraculously, at the ballot box, our President won all over the country. 
[Comment:  It is not enough to just agree – we need to act.  The total number of people who voted for Romney was less than the number of people who voted for McCain.  We must give our ideas and convictions value by acting on them.  Those evangelical Christians in the swing states that did NOT vote should be ashamed.]

We lost seats in the Senate. Americans chose liars and cheats to be their Senators and Representatives, rejecting those who protected the Constitution. The candidate from Massachusetts who claimed direct American Indian lineage to Pocahontas is now a Senator, having defeated Scott Brown.  Representative Allen West lost his seat by a narrow margin to the infamous Wasserman Schultz from Florida.
[Comment:  One of the features of a democracy is that we get what we deserve especially when we do stupid things.  The problem is that those who act wisely (if they are not in the majority) will suffer along with the idiots.]

Americans chose high unemployment, reduction of our military, communist indoctrination of their children, and loss of personal freedoms unlike we have never seen before in this country.
[Comment:  If we do not choose and act wisely, then we suffer from the principle of unintended consequences.]

I am saddened by the loss of millions and millions of American soldiers who have died to preserve freedom yet we lost it on November 6, 2012. Those buried in cemeteries around the world and at Arlington must be rolling in their graves today. We shamelessly allowed their sacrifice of blood and treasure to go in vain. We have no honor because we let down all the soldiers who fought in recent times and returned home limbless with lives shattered from physical and mental wounds of war. 
[Comment:  Most of us fail to see the connection of history and the great sacrifices that have been given with our present benefits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  A disconnection with history and/or an improper interpretation of history are needed before someone can come along and institute “fundamental changes” in our lives.  We have a populace that is ignorant of our past, ignorant of how far we have strayed from the foundational principles that have made this nation great and ignorant of the consequence of poor choices made today.]

I mourn today the loss of my adopted country. I have fought hard over the last four years to prevent its overt and accelerated destruction but the darker forces stronger than many of us have overcome concerted efforts by millions of Americans to maintain the Republic. Mediocrity, sloth, godlessness, dependence, cowardice, using the law selectively or ignoring it, and hopeless corruption will define the new country. Only God can save us now with his mercy and grace. 
[Comment:  We battle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities in the spiritual realm.  We need to take the battle to the prayer closet.]
[Closing Comments:  I am concerned that we (as a nation) have rejected God and have embraced the very things that are proclaimed (in God’s Word) to be an abomination to God.  As a result of repeated rejections and choosing to go the way of the world, the flesh and the devil, God has given us over to a reprobate mind and those result in people not being able to distinguish right from wrong or truth from lies.  We have gotten to the point that people are proud of their iniquity and when that happens, there is little possibility of repentance.
 I told someone several weeks ago that if Obama wins, that would be a result of God’s judgment on our nation.  As I am typing this, the “news” is reporting another weather disaster.  We have experienced so many disasters over the past decade and we have failed to realize that God has been trying to get our attention BUT we have continued to ignore His redemptive efforts.  We need to claim the promise of divine protection for God’s people as His judgment unfolds all around us.]

Observations on Congregational Responses

. . . . In a recent sermon, the preacher referenced the passage in Acts 1 regarding what Jesus told His followers immediately prior to His ascensiion. There were three promises mentioned. First, the Holy Spirit would come. Second, the followers of Jesus would be witnesses and (third) that Jesus would return. When the speaker mentioned point one involving the coming of the Holy Spirit, there was no comment from the congregation. When he mentioned that Jesus told them they would be His witnesses, there was no comment from the congregation. When the fact of Jesus' return was mentioned there was a chorus of Amens and like comments. That same scenario was repeated each time the three points of the promises were reviewed. It became quite obvious that we seem to be a lot more enthusiastic about the return of Christ than we are about carrying out the Great Commission to be witnesses so that we can make disciples of all nations.

Comment on the controversy of there being a “place of eternal punishment” or not.

....What does one do with the problem of SIN? Whether you believe the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was a historical happening or is just an illustrative story that explains the problem of sin for humanity, you cannot ignore the message of the account. Mankind sinned and that has resulted in separation from God and this sin/separation prevented the possibility of mankind fulfilling the intent of God to create mankind in His image.
.... The sin problem has a consequence. God told Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would die. In the present debate, it doesn’t matter if there was an actual tree with actual fruit – it does matter that sin (missing the mark) is the direct consequences of deciding for yourself (apart from what God has declared; that is, not believing God) what is good and what is evil - what is right and what is wrong - what is truth and what is falsehood. Therefore, the consequence of sin is death. This eternal death is described as an ongoing dying and the horror of such “existence” is depicted as flames that never go out. What that means in a “spiritual realm” is likely beyond our ability to comprehend - however, we can understand enough to know that it is really bad.
..... Renewed discussion of the “no hell” heresy has been triggered by a recent publication of a book by Rob Bell entitled, Love Wins. This has resulted in many articles from those who disagree with Bell and also from those who would support his position. I get the impression from what I have read that Rob Bell is somewhat a disciple of Brian McLaren who has written several books related to “new Christianity.” The following is quoted from McLaren’s defense of Bell and argument against Al Mohler’s review of Bell’s book:

I know Rob, and I'm quite certain he (like many of us) started questioning the interpretation of the gospel he received not because he was looking for a more palatable or popular version. . . He started questioning the interpretation/version he received because he became convinced - from studying Scripture itself - that the version he received wasn't the best interpretation. He (and many of us) may be wrong, but if we're wrong, it's not simply because we are trying to pander to "contemporary culture" . . . (Brian McLaren)

....If the above statement is not “deciding for yourself (apart from what God has declared) what is right and wrong,” then it is a close facsimile. In more than four decades of Bible study, I have concluded that many of the “traditional” interpretations/translations of various passages could be somewhat different since the Greek or Hebrew words in the oldest manuscripts have multiple meanings. However, I have not found anything in such variations to remotely suggest that the “flames of hell” are for refining or purifying so as to make an unrepentant person who deliberately rejected the loving grace of God as exemplified by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ to become a new creation in Christ (as suggested by Bell that we have a second chance after we die). This is like Rob Bell deciding that he has to protect his interpretation of God’s reputation by creating a possibility of salvation after physical death. To suggest such without some sound Scriptural references is, at best, irresponsible.
.....Some of the arguments put forth by McLaren and Bell follow along the line of “how could a just and loving God condemn one of his children to an eternity of torment because of disobedience?” The answer to that argument is to first of all realize that the question is based on a false premise of concluding that every human being is a “child of God.” Those who are born of the Spirit of God are the children of God. For these, God came in the form of a servant and in the likeness of human flesh, to die on the cross for their disobedience. He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. That is what He does for His children. The invitation is open for all to become His children - for as many as received Him, He authorized them to become His children - even to those who believe on His name. For those who reject Him, they remain in their condition of lostness that resulted from sin and their destination is death. That is what justice is about. What love is about is the fact that God has provided a way to come out of the system that is controlled by the “law of sin and death” and He did that at the ultimate cost of the death of His Son on the Cross. If you want to reject the ultimate means of salvation, then you have, in fact, chosen the ultimate consequence of sin or disobedience. (If you are bothered by the millions who have not heard of Jesus and God’s plan of salvation, then please see Paul’s explanation of this situation in Romans 1:18-21. Better yet, if you are really bothered by this, then go and make disciples of all nations . . .)

Popularity, materialism, glamour, mind-altering substances, and bad philosophies (such as nihilism) do not satisfy because these appeal to the carnal senses and values.  On the other hand, the “many” of the crowd that followed Jesus for carnal reasons (the signs, wonders, free food, etc.) could not find any satisfaction even in Jesus because they approached it from the perspective of worldly values rather than from spiritual values. 

One could take this a step further and wonder about the modern day church.  How many of us are following and attending just because of the entertainment value of the weekly events, the mental stimulation of the message, the camaraderie of other people, the social stimulus and status, good environment for our families, and such thing which are all good in and of themselves?  All these can be beneficial just from a strictly carnal viewpoint.  When we get past these things and get to the point of the “hard saying” (John 6:60) how many will go away? We should know that the shallowness of the ways of the world keep us from finding spiritual truth, we probably need to also learn that we can have shallowness in religious “things and activities” that keep us from finding spiritual truth.

While such practices may be found to be taking place by those who are growing spiritually, we must not confuse cause and effect. As Billy Sunday so famously said, “going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you a car.”