I just read a sad and interesting article from one of our local TV news web site. The headline read, “Deputies Warn Church-Goers of Woman Targeting Purses In Pews”. The article went on to say that “Harris County Sheriffs Office detectives—are investigating as many as 10 different cases where the same woman is suspected of grabbing the contents of purses” while people were worshiping.

This just goes to show that no place is safe. Most people don’t thing about being robbed while at church, but it happens. Thieves are everywhere!

Now, here’s something that might surprise you even more. There is a sense in which people are robbed in every church, every service. Really! It’s true. However, unlike the woman who was captured on video, this thief is invisible. His work is described in Matthew 13:19 which says, “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in the heart–“.

Satan will do lots of things and use lots of things to rob us of the blessings God desires for us. There is actually a gang of thieves. While Satan is the ringleader, self, sin, sports, etc. can all deprive us of the good God wants for us. Satan has a lot of tools in his workshop. If he can’t deprive you of blessings in one way to will try another. He uses deception, distractions, diversion, dissension, divisions, delay, doubt, and discouragement, or anything else to rob you of blessings.

Too avoid loss we must be vigilant, ever on guard, lest our enemy get the advantage on us. We don’t attend church to be entertained, but to be fed and nourished by the Word of God and to worship God. Don’t allow anything or anyone rob you of that, it is far too valuable. Think about it!

Harold Camping, whose claim to fame is his failed predictions concerning Christ’ return, has now decided to forget about evangelism and focus only on those who are saved. I wish he would take it a step further and just forget about preaching altogether. He has proven time and time again that he is a false teacher. However, if he is willing to repent and continue preaching he needs to get his priorities straight.

Having made a fool out of himself, he just confirms the fact that he is not in tune with what the Bible teaches by this action. Anytime we remove evangelism from our things to do list we are majoring on minors. After all, winning people to Christ is the first step in the Great Commission. There is something seriously wrong with a Christian or a church that makes no effort to win the lost to Christ.

It is sad to hear about false teachers who deceive people, but it is sadder still that so many people follow them. It’s like I’ve often said, “You can get on a soap box on a street corner and preach anything loud enough and long enough and eventually you will get a following”. History proves that is true. You can get people to believe the most crazy and foolish things you can imagine if you are intent on doing so.

Here’s the bottom-line –We each have to look out for ourselves if we are to avoid error. That means we must think for ourselves, rather than depending on what others tell us–even if they are so-called “experts” or “messengers from God”. In addition to that we must be well versed in the Bible. God’s Word is the only sure standard of right and wrong, the only source of absolute truth. If we aren’t knowledgeable of the Bible we are certain to fall into error. When all is said and done, it is up to us to protect ourselves. Never allow anyone to do your thinking for you and don’t believe something just because a preacher says it is so. With the Bible as your guide and the Holy Spirit as your teacher you have everything you need to live as you should (2 Peter 1:3-4).

We are in a spiritual warfare and your mind is the battlefield (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Our only protection is the truth and the only source of truth is God’s Word. Let the Bible be your guide and you’ll never fall prey to the false teachers who would deceive and destroy you. That’s why the Psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”(Psalm 119:11). While we should blame the false teachers for their false teaching, we each must accept full responsibility for ourselves. Those in possession of the Bible have no excuse for their errors. God has given us the truth and He holds us accountable for our beliefs and behavior. Think about it!

Have you ever noticed how your ears perk up when you hear a name you recognize? When a conversation involves someone we know we take an interest in it. We can listen to a news report of a terrible tragedy and never raise an eyebrow, but as soon as it involves somebody we know we’re all ears, and our heart is moved with sympathy.

That’s how it was, in a measure, when I heard about the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri, and killed at least 125 people. I was born and raised in Springfield and often visited Joplin, mostly to play ball –so I have lots of memories about the place. My two sisters live near Joplin, so it’s only natural that I was concerned about the path of the storm and relieved when my sister called to say they were fine.

When I hear about disasters in places unknown to me I don’t pay too much attention, but if it happens in a place that I’m familiar with or to people I know, I have an entirely different point of view. I can read the obituaries and not be moved emotionally–until suddenly I see a name that I recognize. Then it’s a different story.

Maybe there’s a lesson in this for us. Everything I’ve said so far is natural. It is impossible for us to feel the same way about a stranger as we do those we know and love. However, we must not treat people as though they have no needs just because we don’t know them. We would do better to view every contact with others as an opportunity. There is not a person on earth that God isn’t concerned about. God loves the world, Jesus tasted death for every man, and we are sent to the whole world to preach the gospel to every creature. How then can we be unconcerned about anyone? We have a God-given ministry to everyone we meet. It might be for just a fleeting moment where we have time for nothing more than a smile, or a nod, or a kind word, but hopefully we make a good impression.

Everyday we meet people who have great needs and are deeply troubled. They don’t wear a sign around their neck saying, “Help”, and they won’t tell us what’s going on in their life, but we should never assume that they don’t have any needs. They don’t know you and they’re not going to tell you about their troubles. They would resent it if you tried to pry into their private life, and they aren’t looking for your advice. But everyone appreciates good manners or a smile. It’s just a little thing, but it’s something. And little things can sometimes accomplish big things. Even if they derive no benefit from their brief encounter with us, it is helpful for our sake to think about them as a person with needs.

Some of the people we meet are rude and inconsiderate, and some are as mean as a junk-yard dog, but they’re that way for a reason. If you knew their whole story you would view them in a different light. I suspect you would be shocked if you knew what was going on in the lives of others. Chances are good that some of them are handling their situation better than you would were you in the same boat. So, let’s not be too hard about judging them.

Since we are the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth”, we should be concerned about making a good impression so that we might impact the lives of others. Do you really want to be a blessing to others? Then be considerate of them. Sometimes a random act of kindness shown to someone we don’t know can have a more powerful effect than a expensive gift given to those we know. Everybody expects kindness from those they know, but they are surprised and greatly pleased when they see a good deed from a perfect stranger.

You don’t have to know someone twenty years before you take an interest in their life and do them some good. Every person who crosses your path has a story to tell and a need.Consider your “chance” meeting as a God-given opportunity to bring a ray of sunshine into someone’s dreary life. Even if it helps nobody else, it will do you good–you will be blessed for having done so. All the needy people don’t live in Joplin, Missouri–some of them live right next door, or under the same roof with you, and some of them you will meet later today–be ready. It shouldn’t take a tornado to make us aware of people’s needs. Think about it!

Well, just I thought, it didn’t happen. As most of you know, a preacher by the name of Harold Camping predicted that Jesus would return yesterday (5/21/11) at 6:00pm. Well it didn’t happen. The damage, however, has just begun. As I said in another article, the money wasted on advertising this prediction would have been much better spent spreading the gospel. I appreciate what Dr. Bob Griffin wrote in response to Camping’s false prediction. He said:

–many will mock Scripture and scoff at the
promise of His coming. This attitude, too, is prophesied. (Second Epistle
of St Peter, chapter 3) And man will continue trying to do good, trying to
earn points, trying to get to heaven by being religious, all the while
remaining an enemy of God.

Jesus spoke of His kingdom over the earth and of the eventual destruction of
the universe. He said the first part of His return would be secret (like a
thief in the night), returning for His own in an event called the “rapture”
of His bride. But to ward off any speculation He reminded His disciples
(Gospel according to St Matthew, chapter 24) “But concerning the exact day
or hour NO MAN KNOWS, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son Himself, just
God the Father.”

The day Jesus returns COULD be today. Or tomorrow. Or ten thousand years
from now. But He IS coming for sure. For most of us, we will die before
that day. Obviously it behooves us to be ready BEFORE that day. After we
die or after He comes, it is eternally too late.

God calls on man to repent of sin and believe the Gospel (that Jesus, God’s
Son, took my sin on the cross and bought my salvation). Many will stare
Jesus in the face in the last day as JUDGE because they would not bow to Him
today as SAVIOR. Don’t let the ranting of a sad caricature of a radio
preacher bother you; instead, focus on the real issue – your personal need
to throw aside your “religion” or good works, and come into a “relationship”
with Jesus with trust solely in Him.

That’s well said, and you need to think about it.

It’s a cruel world, and evidence of that fact is everywhere. Not a day goes by but what we see numerous examples of it. I don’t know why on this particular day I felt impressed to write about this, but as soon as I saw the news headlines I knew I had to vent. In just one small area I saw these headlines: “Boy, 10, Dies in Accidental Shooting”, “Day Care Employee Accused of Hurting 10- month-old”, “Boy, 2, Found Walking Alone in Street”, “Man Accused of Choking Girl To Steal Vehicle”, and “Home-Invasion Victim Remains in ICU”. What a way to start your day! And you could multiply this by a thousand and it still wouldn’t begin to cover all the injustices that take place every hour of every day. It’s a cruel world, and it’s not fair!

For some reason I decided to read the entire story of this last example and I wanted to cry. Actually I wanted to fight! Sorry, but that’s the way I felt. The victim was a 79 year old former Marine who nearly died after a violent home invasion. He was minutes away from dying when his wife found him choking to death on his own blood. He has lost sight in one eye and is still fighting for his life in ICU. His wife said,”They have operated and put metal plates all over his face, all surrounding one eye, above his lip to reconstruct his face because every single bone in his face was broken”.

This dear man served his country as a Marine, defending her to preserve freedom and the American way of life for us, and is shamefully beaten near to death by someone who has enjoyed the benefits of his sacrifice. He is a highly respected member of his community and is known as ” the unofficial mayor of the city of South Houston”. Think about it–here is a good man, in the last years of his life, who should have been able to relax and enjoy what little time he has left, when some punk breaks into his house and nearly kills him. It’s just not fair! Too bad this punk didn’t try this in his hey-day when he was a young tough Marine. The out come would have been much different! He would have got the beating he deserves.

Dear friend, this is a commentary on life. Pleasure seeking, immoral, God hating people prey on those who are weak to get what they want, usually drugs. Again, I say,”It’s not fair”. This is a cruel world and I can’t even come close to understanding or explaining why God allows things like this to happen. Sadly a lot of folks are bitter at life and some even angry with God because of stuff like this. And, how do you explain it? I can’t. However, although I can’t explain it, I am helped by reminding myself that we live in a fallen world and that we are entirely dependent upon God’s grace to get us through it.

By “a fallen world” I mean that it is not what it once was. We have departed from God and have incurred a curse as a result. The world is corrupt, confused and in constant conflict. The world is inhabited by people who have sinned and come short of God’s glory. The scum-bag who perpetrated this crime isn’t the only one guilty. We’re all guilty. It might be true that you and I would never do what he did, but that doesn’t mean we are altogether innocent. We are all sinners and undeserving of anything good. I need to remember that, and so do you. As soon as we start thinking we deserve more, bigger, and better, a life exempt from trials, we get ourselves into trouble. If we got what we deserve we would all be in hell. If the world hated and crucified Christ, the only perfect person who ever lived, what makes us think we deserve a trouble-free life? We don’t.

Now, let me make my point–if we take all things into consideration we can see God’s goodness even in the very worst things in life. No one can deny that God’s goodness has been displayed in some way to every person, even if it is nothing more than sunshine and rain. So if we don’t deserve anything we ought to be thankful for everything. No one is earning their way with God. The good we enjoy is the result of His grace, and the bad we suffer is to be expected. Remember, we live in a “fallen world”. No I can’t explain why God allows bad things to happen, but neither can I understand why He allows good things to come our way. The best I can do is to say that the former is the result of guilt and the latter is the result of grace. Instead of being shocked by the bad maybe it would be better if we were surprised by the good. Indeed it is a mystery why God allows bad things to happen to those we call “good” people, but it’s also a mystery that He gives good things to bad people. It’s a mystery explained only by grace.

None of this is meant to excuse evil in any way whatsoever. It is terrible, awful beyond description, and totally unjustified. Nor do I want you to think of this as a lack of sympathy toward those suffering injustices. I just want to point out that the bad we experience is in no way an evidence that God isn’t good. That’s what usually gets lost in the shuffle. And that’s what leads to our bad attitudes.

Maybe it will help to think of life like this–We live on a battlefield. Really! Planet earth is a war-zone and we’re caught in the middle. There is a world wide conflict and danger is everywhere. When you’re at war you can expect hardships, difficulty, and great danger. No one is shocked by this and everyone is surprised, pleased and thankful when there is a respite and/or a care package from our loved ones back home. That’s a helpful way to think of life. Our enemies are intent on hurting us and they do. But, even as we suffer there are blessing for which we ought to be thankful. That doesn’t take away the pain inflicted on us, but it does encourage us to keep pressing on rather than giving up. It reminds us that although life tough it isn’t all bad. Knowing we have more than we deserve helps us endure the pain that we don’t deserve from others.

Until we get home, where we will be relieved from all heartache, worry and pain, this is the best advice I can give. In this life we will never fully understand these things, but in all this we are made to see our need of God. So,in light of all this, instead of thinking about when we can get out of this, we would do better to think about what we can get out of it. We can’t escape these hardships but we can be educated by them, and the main thing to learn is that we need God. Daily we are dependent upon Deity. He alone can sustain us. None of us are strong enough to bear up under the horrible hardships that are forced on us, but God is able. No, life isn’t fair, but God is faithful. Think about it! –David Stone, 5/21/11