A SINFUL SOCIETY
“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty , and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. ” – (Ezekiel 16:49–50)
Ruth Graham, commenting on the downward spiral of morality in our nation, exclaimed, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” But Ruth was wrong! The fact is, God never owes anyone an apology, regardless of what He does. He makes no mistakes! But, make no mistake about it— America must repent or perish.
Pastor Greg Laurie wrote:”Sodom was once a great power in her day—a city-state, a dominant force. But God judged her. He identifies her sins in Jeremiah 23:14: “ I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery , and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers , that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.”
They commit adultery and love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil. . . . We live in a time in our nation when right is wrong and wrong is right. Everything is upside down.
God gives another assessment of the sins of Sodom in the book of Ezekiel: Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. Pride . . . gluttony . . . laziness. . . . Think of our nation and the sense of entitlement. Everyone expects to be entertained. I am reminded of the famous statement by the Roman satirist Juvenal as he spoke of Rome and her decline: “The people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now concerns itself no more, and longs eagerly for just two things—bread and circuses!”
It seems to me that is what America is like today: “Entertain us. It’s all about us.”
I believe that our nation has two choices before us: One is judgment. The other is revival. Judgment is coming, that is clear. But my prayer is there will be at least one more revival before this happens.”
Dear friends, the future of America doesn’t depend on military might, government, the economy, etc. The only thing that can save America is a revival in the churches– a revival that results in souls being saved and society being changed one person at a time. Only God knows if we have time, but we don’t have a chance without it.
YOU CAN CALL ME A REDNECK
I’ve never made it a secret that I’m a “Country Boy”. Though I’ve lived in the city longer than I lived in the country, as the saying goes, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” The values of Middle America, the Heartland, “Flyover Country”, Small-Town America, Norman Rockwell country, the Breadbasket, the Bible Belt or whatever else you want to call it are the values that made this country great. We’re often called “Rednecks” because many of us worked in the sun and our red necks and farmer’s tans were evidence that showed what the callouses on our hands would confirm as soon as we greeted you. We were people who knew how to work hard, love our family, keep commitments and worshiped God.
I’ve enjoyed the humor and jokes that go along with the term “Redneck” and some of them are uncomfortable accurate. But for every cringe-worthy example and silly stereotype, you’ll find some mighty good habits and values as well. Here are a few that someone recently passed on to me.
You might be a redneck if: It never occurred to you to
be offended by the phrase, ‘One nation, under God..’
You might be a redneck if: You’ve never protested about seeing
the 10 Commandments posted in public places.
You might be a redneck if: You still say ‘ Christmas’
instead of ‘Winter Festival’
You might be a redneck if: You bow your head when
someone prays.
You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your
hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem
You might be a redneck if: You treat our armed forces
veterans with great respect, and always have.
You might be a redneck if: You’ve never burned an
American flag, nor intend to.
You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe
and you aren’t afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.
You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and
raised your kids to do the same.
You might be a redneck if: You’d give your last dollar to
a friend.
BELIEFS VS FACTS
“’For it is written , As I live , saith the Lord , every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” – Romans 14:11
Many years ago when some of the very first British explorers went to Australia for the first time, they discovered a mammal which laid eggs and spent some time in water. It had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck.
This animal, later named the duck-billed platypus, confounded people as it was described. In fact, most people who heard about it felt it was a hoax. Even later when explorers returned with a pelt of the animal, the English populace accused them of sewing together parts of different animals.
In spite of the evidence, the people believed what they wanted to believe. Yet most people would agree that one’s beliefs about a certain thing have no bearing on whether it is truthful or not. You can believe with all your heart there is a pink elephant right behind you, but that doesn’t make it true. Likewise, there are many people dedicated to the belief the earth is flat. And no matter how much they believe it, it’s just not true.
The truth is the truth. And though the claims of Christ may seem farfetched for some, the reality is that we have an empty tomb to validate it all. So don’t be discouraged by the scoffers. Hold fast to the truth of your faith and trust the promise that one day, all will see Christ in His glory.(Copied)
A GREAT TEACHER
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