God Bless America

..........God Bless America,
..........Land that I love.
..........Stand beside her, and guide her
..........Thru the night with a light from above.
..........From the mountains, to the prairies,
..........To the oceans, white with foam
..........God bless America, My home sweet home.
..........God bless America, My home sweet home.

This has always been one of my favorite songs, right up there with the "Star Spangled Banner." "God Bless America" was written and copyrighted a LONG time ago by Irving Berlin. Kate Smith's rendition could put tears into almost everyone's eyes. I've worn out several 78rpm records of this song.

(For those of you under 50, a 78rpm was a bit smaller than a 33 1/3rpm LP record, but VERY easy to break. For those of you under 30, a record was the "old version" of a CD, but they became worn through use because they relied on a pick-up needle that rubbed on the surface constantly while playing.)

In this song, we asked God to bless our country, and He did! America has nearly always been called "The Land of Opportunity," and with good reason! This one region of the earth was packed with what we consider "wealth," but, had not been befouled by human hands. Well, at least, not until recently.

Still, we, as American citizens, were VERY proud of our country. And here is, I think, the origin of our downfall. Every time God has blessed any particular people, they begin to believe that they are the authors of their own good fortune. God starts to receive less and less of the credit. He starts becoming viewed as a hindrance to "business as usual."

Look around you! Can you name ONE politician who gives God the credit He deserves?

Does any business come to mind that puts even some of their profit back into preserving this incredible land that God made?

As people "move up" in society, they always get more wasteful of God's gifts. We feel we have to "reflect our position." A bigger house, a bigger car, more clothes, more jewels, more electronic gadgets, more vacations, and there is no end in sight!

There are millions of people who have nothing! Helping them to survive, reaching them with God's Word, assisting them in educating their kids... Is any new SUV more important than that?

Throughout history, there have been other "civilizations" that have squandered God's blessings, and turned gradually to evil ways.

Sodom...

Babylon...

Gomorrah...

Nineveh...

Eventually, God became so disgusted with their evil ways that He was forced to destroy them, but that will never happen to us, right? After all, we only encourage filth and degradation like; drugs, murder of unborn babies, homosexuality false gods and Satanism. While all this is transpiring, we are handicapping those want to spread God's word here by making it a "hate crime" to respect God.

Brother, when His wrath is finally roused against America... I don't think anybody will survive.

"O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my body is in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until You restore me? Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of Your unfailing love. For in death, who remembers You? Who can praise you from the grave? I am worn out from sobbing. Every night tears drench my bed; my pillow is wet from weeping. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my crying. The Lord has heard my plea, the Lord will answer my prayer. May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame." (Psalm 6)nlt

Does America have time to turn back to God's way? That is not up to us. How angry is God with our selfishness? Is there a chance to turn the country back to God? I hope so.

Do your part. Spread God's Word! Get His message out! Don't put yourself first. Always remember; Nobody... no thing is more important than God! Nothing even comes close!

Remember... Love one another as God has loved you!

Hey! Who loves ya?

I've heard this as a greeting, quite a few times. It was much more common 40 years ago, but I still hear it occasionally today.

Who loves you?

Without thinking about it, we Christians always say, "God loves us..."

It is time to think about it. God, our Lord, our Creator... He gave up His only Son for us, for you, for me! Think of it this way. Whom do you care enough about that you'd willingly give up your child's life for that person?

Anybody?

My kids have all been grown for some time, so for me, the question has always been a bit blurred. For some reason, today, I considered this question from the standpoint of my feelings for my granddaughter.

Wow! Boy, did that ever put it into perspective for me! There is nobody on this planet I value anywhere near as much as one scratch on my Princess! Nobody! Not even if you put everyone who's ever lived onto the other side of the equation! If anybody ever hurts her in the slightest way, he better get struck by lightning before I get there! Could God possibly care any less for His Son? I think not!

And yet... He did sacrifice His only Son. And He did it to save countless people who showed Him no respect, no concern and no love. It really boggles the mind. He loves even people who live an evil lifestyle, & loves them enough that His own Son was not too big a price to pay!

Look at how He's been paid back. Crime, lies, filth, and various forms of unspeakable vileness are commonplace today. A large percentage of people don't want to even be bothered with God. Who among us would have been capable of enduring all this satanic back-stabbing?

"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." (Deut 30:6)kjv

"...and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, thou art my God." (Hos 2:23)kjv

"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will rejoice over thee with singing." (Zeph 3:17)kjv

"But God commanded his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
(Rom 5:8-10)kjv

Almost puts tears in your eyes, doesn't it? And it should! God loves us all with a love that infinitely exceeds anything we are capable of! Jesus died for each one of us. My sins killed Him, so did yours, so did the sins of each and every person who's ever lived. He died on the cross to save each of us.

Separately...

Individually...

Completely...

There is no way to respond to a love like that, except to hit your knees, thanking Him with all that you have, promising to do better, and meaning it.

Then get out and tell (or remind) others; after all, He values each of them that much, too.

See you soon, in Paradise!

Giving Thanks

Do you?

Most people don't... even most who consider themselves Christians.

We have it so easy today. Our world is fast-paced, automated & mechanized. If you're thirsty, you don't have to walk to a well or creek, you pop the top on a cola. Hungry? You head to McBurgers just down the block. Almost no one today has to farm, hunt, fish or scavenge, just to survive. We eat and drink without thinking about it. It has become part of our background.

Our kids pick our attitudes up from us. When you grab a snack at a convenience store, do you thank God for the candy and drink? Your kids won't, either. They've learned it from you. When they grow up and have their own children, those kids (your grandkids!) will be even less likely to give thanks.

The bible says; "...unto the seventh generation" remember?

God has given us so much, and if we're honest, we don't deserve any of it. Give thanks to Him! Do it now. Be vocal. Be sure your kids hear you, and ask them to join in.

Remember, He did not have to make things any easier on us than it was in Moses' time!

He has even allowed us to have modern technology. If it were not for the internet, I couldn't even post this message at all. Thanks, God!

Till we meet again, in Paradise!

Discernment: blessing or curse?

Tell the truth, would you really want to know every time someone was lying to you?

Now I'm not talking about the kind of tales that were common when I was a kid. Not too many people had a TV back then, most everyone I knew had a radio set, though. Sometimes, if there was nothing else to do, later on that evening one of the uncles or neighbors would get a far-away gleam in his eye, and start up with;

"Well, I mind me of the time my buddy Rupert and me was campin' out late. Some sort of a ruckus came up, an' naturally we lit out to investigate. We seen a critter comin' an' we roped it in the dark. Struggled with that varmint for three whole days, let me tell you. When we finally got 'im tuckered out, we had us a 1200 pound jackalope. For the next 3 years, or so... we saddled 'im up an' rode 'im to all the shindigs here about. Impressed them ladies, too, let me tell you!"

The surroundings, the sparkle in the old man's eye and his grin always told us this was a "yarn," not to ever be confused with reality in any way shape or form. But this is not the type of untruth that makes the hair on the back of your neck shiver and makes you feel as though a cold wind is blowing. I thank God it doesn't happen often.

Discernment is not the most heavily mentioned "gift" in the bible. Sometimes, the reference is vague, at best.

"...You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right." (Heb 5:12-14)nlt

See what I mean, this is not much of a description. But this next is more to the point;

"Yes, the king will give us peace of mind again. I know that you are like an angel of God and can discern good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you." (2 Sam 14:17)nlt

Right from wrong, good from evil, there seems to be a pattern here.

" 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?' And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, 'Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor has asked the life of thine enemies; but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgement; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.' " (1King 3:9-12)kjv

There never was, nor will there ever be, another Solomon. I am very thankful that God gave him this gift, he needed it. There are times, however, when I wish I had none of it. I am thankful it doesn't usually kick in, but when it does, the little bit of discernment I "enjoy" is very unsettling. Would you REALLY like to know when a cop was lying to you? How about your preacher or a cashier at the grocery store? We normally expect sleazy jerks to lie to us, though, that isn't the problem. If it is someone you trust, the stab is deep.

I once had a business appointment with a guy I thought I knew. As I walked up, I noticed his office door was open, so I stuck my head around the corner to announce myself. For about 2 seconds, I saw (at his desk) a human-sized outline with some substance that looked a bit lizard-like. It glanced my way with an annoyed look, then vanished. To this day, I feel I saw that guy's spirit controller. I've never trusted that man since. Rarely have I spoken of this with others, but several have told me that he has lied profusely to them, mostly about other people. Was it just discernment acting in my behalf? I suppose I'll have to ask God about it someday.

Remember this; God gives all of us various gifts. We have no control over which, or why. It is His choice. Make the most of what He's given you. Invest the "talent" on His behalf.

We can compare notes when we meet in Paradise!

The Commandments - part 3 - Jesus' explanation

"One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' Jesus replied, 'The one that says 'Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.' 'The second is, 'You must love others as much as yourself.' No other commandments are greater than these." (Mark 12:28-30)tlb

Jesus explanation was both profound and simple. If we love the Lord with all we have, and love others as much as we care for ourselves, we will obey the law and break none of His commandments.

"The teacher of religious law replied, 'Well said, teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love Him with all my heart, and all my understanding, and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.'

Realizing this man's understanding, Jesus said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' " (Mark 12:32-34)nlt

How far are we from God's kingdom?

Ten Commandments - part 2

These commandments pertain to the ways people deal with each other...

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's." (Ex 20:12-17)rsv

I am aware that some religions divide up the last one, then combine two of the earlier into one, but there are still ten, no matter how you read it.

Respect your parents, and by inference, all your relatives.

Do not kill or hurt one anyone.

Never engage in any sex with anyone not your spouse.

Never take what is not yours.

Never lie about another human being.

Never wish for stuff that isn't yours.

Some of this is so obvious that it makes you wonder just how dense we humans can be. All your older relatives deserve your respect, even when they've done something wrong. Are you perfect? Me neither... and your family is responsible for your being here. Show them some respect.

Don't kill people. God gave each of them the same right to be here as you. I know there are times when it is unavoidable; war, self-defense, etc, but if you kill someone, that individual no longer has the ability to be forgiven for his/her wrongdoings. This is a tough one for some people, I know. If somebody tried to hurt my wife or granddaughter, I'd fight back with everything I have. Yet I know that anguish would eat me up, forever.

Sex is sex, despite what an ex-president tried to claim. Sex with anyone, even imaginary sex, is wrong unless the other person is your spouse. God intended us to be modern-day Adam and Eve couples. One man, one woman, acting as one completed person. Anything else is forbidden. Its that simple.

If something isn't yours, don't take it. Wishing for it, thinking you deserve it, figuring out ways around laws... none of these make you the owner of something that belongs to someone else. Get used to it.

Don't ever tell a lie about anybody! This is not to say you cannot tell bedtime stories or fairy tales. Just don't say anything about someone that isn't true. You shouldn't hurt their reputation, you wouldn't want them to mess-up yours.

Don't wish for things you don't have. You can get out and work to better yourself and your family, but don't base your life on outdoing your neighbor. You don't need his house, car, dog, lifestyle, bills or anything else. Wishing for your neighbor's spouse is really stupid, beside breaking two commandments, would you really want to make a life-choice based on anyone's infidelity?

God gives us these rules for a reason. He knows we are easily misled. He knows we will pay way too much attention to Satan's words at some point in our lives. Having these rules "set in stone" gives us a bit more "backbone" when that time comes.

Thank God He loves us enough to spell these things out!

OK, so you "blow it" once in a while. Do you give up? No way! God still loves you! Hit your knees, tell Him you're sorry, and strive to never mess up again. You won't be completely successful (who is?), but you have to start over.

Thank God for second chances, too.

See you soon, in Paradise.

The Ten Commandments

No, They are NOT called the Ten Suggestions!

God loves us all so much that He knew we'd need rules to live by. These rules were set in stone, so that we'd realize that they are permanent. The first four pertain to propriety with respect to God. The rest deal with human interaction. First, let us take a look at the commands that show respect to our Lord;

"I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any other gods besides Me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation. But I lavish My love on those who love Me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations. Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His Name. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest, dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then He rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath, and set it apart as holy." (Ex 20:2-11)nlt

So, I am the Lord - your God (I Am is God's name, remember)

Never worship or place a higher value on anything else!

Do not ever misuse God's name!

The Sabbath must forever be reserved for God as a sign of respect to Him!

As Christians, we are "adopted" children of Israel. We must obey God's Laws. Do we obey even these first few all the time? Something startles you, you hit your thumb hard, you fall and tear your hose... what do you say? Is respecting God more important in your house than weekend outings? Have you ever "held out" just a bit, on what you know your tithe should be so you could go to the movies?

Does making excuses make it right?

Put God first! Look at what He's done for you!

Next time - the commands that deal with human interaction...

See you soon, in Paradise!