Opus 2016-299: Election 2016: A Call to Prayer

There are so many things that can be said about the election, the results and where do we go from here.  I will probably say many of them but the key thing I think Christians need to remember is that we need to be more zealous in prayer than ever before.  An often quoted statement that evidently predates Thomas Jefferson is “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”  I don’t recall off the top of my head a snappy Bible quote to back that up unless it is,

(1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

I believe we are to be involved in the political process.  One of the dangers of that is believing that real answers will be found in politics.  God has worked through every political format.  He will continue to work that way.  He can harden hearts and enlighten minds.  He can knock people down and lift them up. 

Donald Trump will need our constant prayers.  His advisors and choices will need divine intervention.  Rejoice or mourn at what happened last night, the future requirement is clear.  To that end let me add one more verse.

(Galatians 6:9 KJV)  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-260: Middle Class Morality: Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility is an idea whose time has departed, at least if you pay attention to what is going on in our society.  We have become a culture of victims and helpless pawns that need an overpowering central government to protect us from ourselves and the forces around us.

This is not Middle Class Morality (MCM) and it is not Biblical.

The Bible concedes that there are forces we cannot defeat. 

(Ephesians 6:12 KJV)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

But notice that these forces are spiritual and if you read the context it is only the power of God that can deliver us, not the power of government.

We are responsible for our own behavior and will be held accountable for our behavior.  The obvious, an often quoted, verse is,

(Galatians 6:7 KJV)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

But there are a lot of other references that talk about personal responsibility.  One I came across in Proverbs,

(Proverbs 26:27 KJV)  Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

So get over the class warfare, the victimhood, the calling for government programs to bail you out of your own stupid choices.  Most of the homeless are not on the street because society has conspired against them.  They are there because of choices.  Most people living in poverty in this country have no one to blame except themselves.  They do blame others, but all it does is make them more dependent.

I think of a guy who was “homeless” years ago.  He wanted me to let him sleep in my back yard and of course he wanted me to loan him a sleeping bag.  In the course of our discussion I asked him about family and his comments made it clear that he had lied and cheated so much with everyone who was related to him or called him friend that none of them would trust him any more.  And I was supposed to.  No thanks, my mama didn’t raise any children that foolish.

Personal responsibility is a Biblical, Christian value that used to be MCM.  It was part of what made this country great.  It’s absence will bring us down.

Viva la middle class morality.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-238: Reaping Is a Two Way Street

If you are one who likes short posts that have long thoughts you might take a look at Christian Ear.  It doesn’t take long and often has a thought to jump start your thinking. 

It hit me today as I read “The Benefits of Labor”.  I was expecting another Bible truth of sowing what we reap but she pointed out that it isn’t just,

(Galatians 6:7 KJV)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

It is also that we reap the results of other’s labor.

That can cause me to rejoice in the ways in which God provides.  It also serves as a reminder that I have a responsibility to do my part so that others can reap their rewards.  We are tied together in common everyday ways.  If the baker does not get up early, I have no bread.  If the farmer does not plant, I have no bread.  If the truck driver takes the day off, I have no bread.  If the grocer stays home, I have no bread.  What happens when I am the baker who did not get up early?

I am thankful, not only for having work myself but for the work of others.  And Christian Ear said it faster.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-215: Coals of Fire

As I was reading through Proverbs 28 in preparation for my other blog, which is a daily devotional approach, I came across this verse.

(Proverbs 28:2 KJV)  For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

I happened to look over and see the comments from a Bible scholar named Adam Clarke.  He was a contemporary of our Founding Fathers so he would have been living and writing during the time of our revolution and the French Revolution.  Since it was June 28 and my thoughts were also on the upcoming 4th of July I thought his comments were apropos

“Nations, as nations, cannot be judged in a future world; therefore, God judges them here. And where the people are very wicked, and the constitution very bad, the succession of princes is frequent - they are generally taken off by an untimely death. Where the people know that the constitution is in their favor, they seldom disturb the prince, as they consider him the guardian of their privileges.”

What grabbed my attention was the statement that nations are judged in this world.  In light of the recent Supreme Court decisions on the moral issues of homosexual marriage I saw an immediate application to this world and our lives.  Nations that mock God’s moral law can look forward to a withdrawal of God’s blessing and protection.  We are moving from retail mocking to wholesale mocking.

(Galatians 6:7 KJV)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

While I believe that natural disasters and terrorism are just facts of life, we will never know how many times such things would have been deflected if God felt we were to be blessed.  Economic disaster is waiting in the wings.  What makes the stock market crash?  Emotional and psychological reactions to news, not wise analysis of economics.  What makes someone with wealth decide to not start a new business?  Often it is just confidence in the future. 

Is it the hand of God? 

Happy beer, hot dog and fireworks day.  While we stoke up the briquets our moral decisions light the coals of another fire.  As our freedoms are eroded and morality is undermined I will morn for the memory of Independence Day and rejoice in the freedom I have in Christ.

homo unius libri