Friday, May 28, 2010
Not All Prayers Are Equal
There’s a lot of praying going on now days. I get the impression that many people believe the power of a prayer is in the saying of it; as if the power is in the wording or the strong feelings that are involved. But a prayer is no more valid that the one to whom the prayer is being offered.
A simple definition of prayer is: “a petition; entreaty.” It is a conversation with someone. But if that “someone” has no power, the prayer is useless. For example: In the case of an emergency, a call to 911 will be far more effective than a call to “time and temperature.” Why? Because when you dial 911 there will be someone on the other end who can actually assist you.
So, to whom do you pray? I recommend praying to the one who created everything; the one who came to earth as a man and demonstrated His authority over death, Hell and the grave. It makes good sense to pray to the King of kings and Lord of Lords. I mean, if you’re going to talk to someone, why not go right to the top? I do not recommend prayers to people, places or things, because they have no power to help you.
The one, true, living God expressed his strong feelings about this matter like this:
The wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.” Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?” The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”
This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer and Creator: “I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! (Isaiah 44: 13-20, 24-26 NLT)
Not all prayers are equal, because not all prayers are offered to our “God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
A simple definition of prayer is: “a petition; entreaty.” It is a conversation with someone. But if that “someone” has no power, the prayer is useless. For example: In the case of an emergency, a call to 911 will be far more effective than a call to “time and temperature.” Why? Because when you dial 911 there will be someone on the other end who can actually assist you.
So, to whom do you pray? I recommend praying to the one who created everything; the one who came to earth as a man and demonstrated His authority over death, Hell and the grave. It makes good sense to pray to the King of kings and Lord of Lords. I mean, if you’re going to talk to someone, why not go right to the top? I do not recommend prayers to people, places or things, because they have no power to help you.
The one, true, living God expressed his strong feelings about this matter like this:
The wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.” Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?” The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”
This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer and Creator: “I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! (Isaiah 44: 13-20, 24-26 NLT)
Not all prayers are equal, because not all prayers are offered to our “God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Problem With Moralphobia
It’s working! The incessant rhetoric of self-appointed social engineers seems to be brainwashing the public at large into believing that morals and values are relative. People who were raised to be selfless, respectful and self-controlled are being snookered into believing that their mentors were simply ignoramuses who didn’t know how to really live life. Disregarding the truths that have been proven for millenniums, these change agents have opted to ignore nature, history and God, himself, in their quest to create a world without rules. But, not being content to destroy only themselves, they have raised their intimidating voices for the express purpose of making many good people feel foolish should they dare express their politically incorrect views. I call this “moralphobia”.
Moralphobia is a fear created by cultural influencers who are seeking to create an illusionary world where there are no boundaries and there are no repercussions to bad behavior. In fact, in their construct, there is no such thing as bad behavior. Unfortunately, for those who study history, this approach has been tried repeatedly in many “great” civilizations. The result: For a while it seems like the party is going strong and there will be no negative consequences. Then the society collapses because all the social building codes were repealed and anyone who dared point out that the moral-less society could not stand was made to feel ignorant and unenlightened. It was in times like these that they killed the prophets and burned the Bibles. Then they wondered why God let everything fall down around them.
The problem with moralphobia is that when people begin to feel like it is wrong to say anything is wrong, then anything goes. Soon, no one is safe. No one can any longer tell Johnny not to sexually abuse Susie. No one feels brave enough to hold corrupt politicians accountable. I find it odd that while, as a society, we are not foolish enough to throw away our building codes, we do seem more than ready to throw away other, more important codes; codes like the ten commandments, clean language, and good manners. Our fear of being seen as bigots, extremists or puritans is causing havoc in our courts, our schools and our government.
Someone is going to have to sound like an idiot and declare that the emperor has no clothes. We must not be afraid to speak the truth -- not our version of the truth, but the truth as revealed to us by God. It is still wrong to lie, murder, steal and commit adultery. These morals and values are beyond our pay-grade - we have no right to change them. If we let unwise people intimidate us into ignoring these divine building codes, our own moral house will collapse.
Moralphobia causes people to let things go that they would ordinarily (under the influence of common sense) correct. The results are just as deplorable as those experienced by someone who is afraid to discipline their puppy for fear of being perceived as cruel. If they never draw boundaries or impose discipline, the puppy will soon chew up their shoes, soil their carpet, destroy their furniture and then bite the hand that feeds them. That’s just the way life works. It’s been that way for all cultures and for all time. We can’t just pretend that there will be no consequences to our dispensing with morals; our pretending or being too embarrassed to say something will not stop the repercussions. That’s the problem with moralphobia.
Moralphobia is a fear created by cultural influencers who are seeking to create an illusionary world where there are no boundaries and there are no repercussions to bad behavior. In fact, in their construct, there is no such thing as bad behavior. Unfortunately, for those who study history, this approach has been tried repeatedly in many “great” civilizations. The result: For a while it seems like the party is going strong and there will be no negative consequences. Then the society collapses because all the social building codes were repealed and anyone who dared point out that the moral-less society could not stand was made to feel ignorant and unenlightened. It was in times like these that they killed the prophets and burned the Bibles. Then they wondered why God let everything fall down around them.
The problem with moralphobia is that when people begin to feel like it is wrong to say anything is wrong, then anything goes. Soon, no one is safe. No one can any longer tell Johnny not to sexually abuse Susie. No one feels brave enough to hold corrupt politicians accountable. I find it odd that while, as a society, we are not foolish enough to throw away our building codes, we do seem more than ready to throw away other, more important codes; codes like the ten commandments, clean language, and good manners. Our fear of being seen as bigots, extremists or puritans is causing havoc in our courts, our schools and our government.
Someone is going to have to sound like an idiot and declare that the emperor has no clothes. We must not be afraid to speak the truth -- not our version of the truth, but the truth as revealed to us by God. It is still wrong to lie, murder, steal and commit adultery. These morals and values are beyond our pay-grade - we have no right to change them. If we let unwise people intimidate us into ignoring these divine building codes, our own moral house will collapse.
Moralphobia causes people to let things go that they would ordinarily (under the influence of common sense) correct. The results are just as deplorable as those experienced by someone who is afraid to discipline their puppy for fear of being perceived as cruel. If they never draw boundaries or impose discipline, the puppy will soon chew up their shoes, soil their carpet, destroy their furniture and then bite the hand that feeds them. That’s just the way life works. It’s been that way for all cultures and for all time. We can’t just pretend that there will be no consequences to our dispensing with morals; our pretending or being too embarrassed to say something will not stop the repercussions. That’s the problem with moralphobia.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mothers Are Worth Celebrating
Of all holidays, Mother’s Day has earned a special place in many people’s hearts -- not because of the festivities attached, but because of the people they honor on this day. The world is full of so many great mothers; mothers who have pampered, encouraged and counseled those who now run the world. Our mothers, have invested untold hours of labor, countless tears and many powerful prayers into our lives. They deserve a little doting!
If you have been blessed with a loving mother, there’s nothing to compare. God uses mothers in our lives in such a powerful way. No one can minister to a child like their own mother. When the ancient song writer was looking for the epitome of someone who was at peace, he used the illustration of a child who had a good mother: “I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace like a baby with its mother.” (Psalm 131:2 NCV) Thanks moms for all you have done to make our lives better -- you are gifts from God.
We would be wise to take care of the mothers in our lives. They need to be reminded that we love and value them. Life gets to moving fast, and the faster it moves and the more babies a woman has to care for, the more notes, cards and acts of kindness our mothers will need just to survive. Humorist, Barbara Johnson, described a mother’s effort to cope with the fast pace of motherhood this way: “Baby activities change with each additional child. You take your first infant to baby swim classes, baby aerobics, and baby massage. You take your second child to baby story hour so you can nap while the story is read. You take the third baby to McDonald’s drive through. You use your time differently as each child comes along. You spend hours each day staring adoringly at your precious firstborn. With the second baby, you glance in her direction occasionally as you race to stop your toddler from dropping the cat down the laundry chute. With the third child, you train the dog to guard the baby from his siblings a few hours each day while you hide in the closet.” (Daily Splashes of Joy, May 12)
One of the ten commandments admonishes us to honor our mother. Our obedience to this command will not only bless our mothers, but it will, no doubt, trigger even more gracious behaviors in them. That is why this commandment was the first commandment that had a promise attached to it. The promise: “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12 KJV)
Have you given any thought to how you will honor the mothers who have touched your life? Perhaps you could show your love to someone who, though she was not your mother, cared for you like she was. Who knows, your expression of love to a young mother might translate into a happier homelife for her and her children. That is how good overcomes evil. This holiday is one worth celebrating. Let’s celebrate all those women who took up their God-given challenge and blessed the lives of so many around them. Let’s go out of our way to wish them a Happy Mothers’ Day.
If you have been blessed with a loving mother, there’s nothing to compare. God uses mothers in our lives in such a powerful way. No one can minister to a child like their own mother. When the ancient song writer was looking for the epitome of someone who was at peace, he used the illustration of a child who had a good mother: “I am calm and quiet, like a baby with its mother. I am at peace like a baby with its mother.” (Psalm 131:2 NCV) Thanks moms for all you have done to make our lives better -- you are gifts from God.
We would be wise to take care of the mothers in our lives. They need to be reminded that we love and value them. Life gets to moving fast, and the faster it moves and the more babies a woman has to care for, the more notes, cards and acts of kindness our mothers will need just to survive. Humorist, Barbara Johnson, described a mother’s effort to cope with the fast pace of motherhood this way: “Baby activities change with each additional child. You take your first infant to baby swim classes, baby aerobics, and baby massage. You take your second child to baby story hour so you can nap while the story is read. You take the third baby to McDonald’s drive through. You use your time differently as each child comes along. You spend hours each day staring adoringly at your precious firstborn. With the second baby, you glance in her direction occasionally as you race to stop your toddler from dropping the cat down the laundry chute. With the third child, you train the dog to guard the baby from his siblings a few hours each day while you hide in the closet.” (Daily Splashes of Joy, May 12)
One of the ten commandments admonishes us to honor our mother. Our obedience to this command will not only bless our mothers, but it will, no doubt, trigger even more gracious behaviors in them. That is why this commandment was the first commandment that had a promise attached to it. The promise: “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12 KJV)
Have you given any thought to how you will honor the mothers who have touched your life? Perhaps you could show your love to someone who, though she was not your mother, cared for you like she was. Who knows, your expression of love to a young mother might translate into a happier homelife for her and her children. That is how good overcomes evil. This holiday is one worth celebrating. Let’s celebrate all those women who took up their God-given challenge and blessed the lives of so many around them. Let’s go out of our way to wish them a Happy Mothers’ Day.
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