So to my 3 readers, I have started a YouTube channel that I hope will be a lot more balanced and frequent than my blog has been. It is just a whole lot easier to talk, than to write an article. My videos are going to mainly be off the cuff thoughts, similar to my Random Thoughts of Conviction. But there will be, God willing, other types of videos. The 2nd video I recorded, which is not yet posted, is a longer video, and concerns the Trump Phenomenon, and is based on the articles written by a Pastor in Michigan on at Iron Ink.
I also want to make my channel a Video Blog/Podcast. I plan to have guests, where we talk about current issues. Overall, as with this blog, my concern is not to attract as many people as possible, to be popular, to be liked, or any such thing. My goal and aim is to glorify Jesus Christ and represent him the best that I can, regardless of the consequences.
" And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
1Corinthians 4:6,7
Today marks about the one month mark of when I started my new job. I was promoted within the company I have worked with for 8 years, to a position making significantly more money than I used to, with further potential to earn much more throughout the coming years.
This is an opportunity and a situation that I never thought I would be in. I hold only an Associate's Degree in Education and usually to get into the more advanced positions, you have to have a higher level of education... or not be a White Christian Man.
I have seen many things throughout the years, in the company that I work for, the way God has worked in me, through me, and for me (for his glory). What I have is undeserved. I have observed the hand of God every step of the way. At the lowest points in my Christian life, Jesus Christ has always displayed his goodness to me.
One thing I tell other believers anymore, is that I used to intellectually believe John 10:27-29 and the last half of Hebrews 13:5, but now I know them in a very intimate way.
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish... "
And
"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
After what I have been through and what I have done, and what goodness God has displayed to me, I am totally blown away by those verses... because I have experienced them. God never stops pursuing those who are his own; those of his elect. No one can ever convince me the doctrine of election is not true. It is no longer simply head knowledge or doctrine to me.
Fast forward to today, after my first full month on the new job, making more money. It is difficult to grasp not having to watch every cent spent, not having to just get by, day after day, week after week, year after year.
One thing I am blessed to have maintained is the attitude of unworthiness God has graced me to keep. I stepped out of my beat up, dented mini-van after work and, not so much in words, but in spirit and feeling, I realized the fact that I am no better than any man. Everything I have is a gift from God. Verses like this flood in:
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." -- James 1:17
I was semi-tempted in this area when I was driving home, which is why I believe the LORD brought these truths back to my attention. As I was turning on to my street (which is not in a very good neighborhood, though not ultra terrible), I saw a woman sitting outside on the porch (Yes! It was 58 degrees on my way home!). She was not in good health and was probably on several government health programs. Yet she was smoking a cigarette, and I thought to myself, "No wonder this woman is of so poor of condition. She makes very bad choices". Which, she probably does. But, Hans, "who maketh thee to differ from another"?
This is why, when I was first given a slight promotion to my former department (2 years ago), I taped a big piece of paper with these verses on it, on my desk:
"Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." Psalm 75:5-7
When I received word that I had been promoted to my current job, I put up those same verses on my Skype for Work header.
This is why it is so horrendous to mock and jest about those foolish, wicked Negroes you come across, or whoever it might be. Do not allow yourself to feel that you are in some way greater than he. What causes us to differ between ourselves and them? God's grace and mercy; nothing more.
You might say, "But I make decisions to do the right thing!" Perhaps, but who is it that gives you the strength and the will to make the right decisions? Who has saved you from your own ways so many times, so that you would not become like that person you mock? There is nothing to boast about. Boast only in Christ and what he has done and continues to do.
My brethren, remember in every stage of life, in every detail of life, to always give God the glory through Jesus Christ, for all things. Because what is the difference between you and I, and that woman I drove past? The only difference is the grace of God; that God chose to bestow his favor upon us. It is no different than why God originally chose Israel. We are people of a stiffed neck. But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is making us into what we are called to be.
Off the cuff posts are beginning to be the only posts that I write. I love when the LORD illuminates an idea to my mind, or my wife's mind, and it can be quickly put down into a blog post. This post was not written immediately after the fact; it came to us last night. But I believe it is fresh enough on my mind to elaborate on right now.
Think of this scenario. It happens all the time. There is an individual or a family (for the sake of the article, we will give the generic name to this individual or family, "Unloved Christian"), and they have a few acquaintances (I am using that word for a very specific purpose). They do not have a friend, though they refer to their acquaintances as "friends" because that is the common lingo.
Unloved Christian does not have much interaction with his 'friends". His friends are not much interested in getting to know him intimately. They just don't have time to get together often. There is not daily encouragement; we Americans have too busy of lives to follow Hebrews 3:13.
Friends Are There For You in Time of Need
One day, a tragedy strikes. Unloved Christian finds he has a disease. Or maybe his house caught on fire and he lost everything. Or maybe an immediate family member dies. Whatever the scenario, it is a terrible one. All of a sudden, those "friends" who were too busy to get involved in Unloved Christian's life, they all come rushing in like a flood to help. They send gifts, they send cards, they send food, they call and offer encouragement. They are there for you like a real friend, any time of the day or night.
What is wrong with this picture, you ask? Nothing. Not a thing. Actually, this is exactly the way a Christian community should respond. So why am I critical of it? Because the friendship extended to Unloved Christian is only and solely when tragedy strikes. When the crisis has passed, these "friends" slowly disappear back into the woodwork to live their own lives. When Unloved Christian needed a daily encourager, there was no one there. When he needed a true friend to lift his spirits, and worship and fellowship with him on a consistent basis, everyone was too busy.
The situation I describe here is why I refer to such relationships as being "acquaintances". It is not much different than a business relationship. The guys you see at work but not away from work are not friends. You just see them Monday through Friday while you work. The same goes with the folks you go to church with. Only you see them on Sunday and Wednesday at the most. Or maybe once every 2 months you go have supper at their house or vice versa. That is not friendship. That is not community.
Doug Tanner: Friends
The Root Problem
I have come to a conclusion in my mind that this is done on purpose. I do not think it is maliciously planned when I say that. But on the subconscious level, people just do not consider daily fellowship a priority. The book of Acts describes the early church in this manner:
"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." -- Acts 2:46,47 If we really took the scriptures serious, and wanted to obey Hebrews 13:3, we would find a way to stay connected... connected on a consistent basis. And we would build true friendships, the way they used to be in the old days. I know that we all don't live close to one another and have the physical communities we used to have (and I realize that is what we truly need). But we have so much technology where we can at least overcome this to a certain degree.
Those of us who attended either public or private school can attest to the fact that we all had a childhood best friend. Do you remember how close you were to your best friend when you were in your school days? Why is that so difficult to come by today? It shouldn't be. The only difference is, families should have that kind of closeness with other families.
A true friendship will be demonstrated in a way that either side can say anything to one another bluntly, and the other party will not get offended and break off contact with you. This is what our family longs for; but it seems not many are willing to go this route and sacrifice for the sake of others, and ultimately for the sake of Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ is in a very sad state, indeed. Let us do what we can to reverse this trend, and thereby glorify Christ on a daily basis. Your Christian brothers and sisters need you a lot more than you realize, on a daily basis. And they need you in "regular" times more than they need you in times of tragedy.
I am ashamed to be a city dweller, although our small little city lot is as much of an agrarian homestead as we can make it. The entire back yard is taken by garden, chickens, rabbits (for meat), strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, a fire pit, two compost bins, and so on. That's a lot to cram into such a small space. We are thankful our back yard is fenced in.
I know I probably heard this from someone else before, and surely I am not the first person to say this, but it dawned upon me again today while I was watching my 12 year old daughter, today. She went out to give the chickens some leftover scraps we weren't going to eat. As she was doing this task, she took her time and fed the chickens little pieces at a time. I know her well enough, and know myself well enough (and white folks in general) to know what she was doing and thinking.
My daughter was taking a non-sinful pleasure of exercising dominion. She was undoubtedly thinking something along the lines of: "These chickens are under me, and the power of life and death is in my hands, over them". That probably sounds worse than it actually is; maybe I am not wording that correctly. But there is nothing wrong with the feeling of dominion that men have over God's creation.
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And
the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the
earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the
earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they
delivered.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." -- Genesis 9:1-3
After musing on these things a little bit, I realize, like many before me I am sure, that the non-agrarian, city slicker lifestyle (which is anti-Christ-- yes, I did say that) suppresses this God-ordained dominion aspect that all men need. So what happens when children grow up with no outlet for taking dominion over the beasts, fowl, and other creatures? They turn to their only alternative; to take dominion over other men. This taking dominion over other men comes in all shades, sorts, and ways. It could be something as simple as wasting their lives on sports, to something more sinister, like killing animals for fun. When they grow up, they find more creative or crafty ways to express dominion over their fellow man. It could be something like joining the military (where they are made out to be heroes for doing villainous acts), or climbing the corporate ladder. There are a million examples of how this can play out, so let your creative mind take over and think of all the evils you see around you, and ask yourself if and how it relates to this subject. It will astound you. The Christian Agrarian community, based on common religion, culture, and race, is God's way. In general, God's people, as expressed in nations and communities, have always been so. They include among examples, Christian Israel (when they were in obedience to God's law). City dwelling societies are represented by places like Babylon and Rome.
One of the best visions you can pass down to your children is the Christian Agrarian community. Whatever your situation, do what you can to give your children as many skills as possible, so that when they are grown, they can hit the ground running as much as it is possible. Hans Gygax
Random Thought of Conviction: The Importance of Godly Music
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." -- Proverbs 13:20 Music has an effect on you on the subconscious level; it is similar to wind. You can feel it, and see the effects of it, but you cannot see it. It moves your emotions, feelings, etc. --(taken from a sermon by Yuriy Kravets Jr. called Overview of Discernment in Music, Ephrata Ministries)
One cannot overstate the importance of music in the life of the American Christian. At least, not in my life. I am not a talented musician or anything (although I can play the more simple type of chords on a guitar and do some songs pretty well--- none of the finger plucking stuff or bar chords), but music plays a huge role in my life. I suspect it does for just about everyone, perhaps with some exceptions.
It is pretty much a fact that music moves you. It changes your disposition, your attitude, your feelings. It is a deeply spiritual matter. Scientific studies pretty much prove this, but the Bible, long ago, bore out this truth in 1Samuel, with the story of David and Saul. You know the story, so I will not repeat it here, but here is the "proof text", if you will:
"And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." -- 1Samuel 16:23
I have a hard time believing this was some sort of rare occasion. I have been learning through experience recently, that the spirit world plays a much higher role in our lives than we like to give it credit for.
"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." -- Ephesians 6:12
This is a fact that I pray our friends over at Trad Youth would grasp and understand. Much of our struggle, both against personal sin, and against sin on a broad, national scale, has to do with the spirit world. So to fight with human strength, use human wisdom, and human tactics, is utterly futile. I suppose it would be like trying to fight off computer hacking, viruses, and such, with guns and swords. It aint gonna work!
Music can be used as a spiritual weapon against the enemy. I have consistently observed in my own life, that I am usually doing my best when I have been listening to Christ honoring music, that lifts my spirit up to God; particularly the music of Keith Green. I have literally found no better way to overcome struggles in my life than to just listen to his (and other godly) music.
Let's take the first part of Proverbs 13:20: "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise..." I will speak about the 2nd part of that verse, in relation to music, perhaps at another time. When you walk with "wise men" (the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom-- Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10), you will begin to walk in the commandments of God and of Christ, and to do his will in everything, including having the right type of attitude and motives.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever." -- Psalm 111:10
You can see how the type of people you associate with, (or in this case the type of music you listen to) is linked together with fearing the LORD, and connected with doing his commandments; and also you see the link back again to "praise" (connected with music). Maybe I am stretching this a bit? Ehh... I'd like to think not.
The times in my life when I am resisting the spirit of God in one area or another, I tend to avoid godly music. In my stubborn pride, I don't want to change. And because I KNOW that godly music will change my attitude and my heart, I avoid it. Very subtle and deceitful our hearts are!
I am not going to speak against other types of music today or speak about discerning between right and wrong music, but very likely I will at another time. I want you to examine your life today and ask yourself if the friends you are surrounding yourself with, and more particularly, the music you are surrounding yourself with on a daily basis, is lifting you up to worship Christ, and giving you a humble, meek, and godly spirit.
Music has been transformational for me and my family. Some families even get to the point where the house is filled with singing all the day long, without the aid of recorded audio music. What a huge blessing! We learned from the Moore Family upon staying at their home a few times, the importance music plays in their home. Before each and every meal, there are songs of praise to the Lord Jesus (a practice we have adopted, although not consistent enough yet). It sets the stage for the entire mood of the family to always be just what it needs to be. The father of the home has great discernment and knows just how to use music to the advantage of raising godly children. And boy, does it show in each and every one of his children, from the oldest to the youngest of their 11.
Please take time to meditate on these things, my brethren, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" -- Matthew 23:29-33 Some things never change. And history truly does repeat itself, although in slightly different ways. The religious reprobates of Jesus' day are truly seen in America today; yet not in the way that modern church-goers interpret it. They think that a Pharisee is someone who has a high standard of holiness. So if someone refuses to watch TV, Hollywood, refuses to dress like the world, etc., then they are considered a Pharisee. Why, their Pastor told them so! The Pharisees were not condemned by Jesus for having high standards, but that they were hypocrites. They imposed things on others that they themselves were unwilling to do (Matthew 23:4). But one thing that stands out to me as I write this, is the statement Jesus makes about how, if they were in the days of old, they would not have persecuted and killed the prophets, as their fathers did. Apply that to today. You can apply it secularly, first of all. Those who lived under tyrannical governments of the past, i.e. Nazi Germany. Now, I certainly do not believe in the fake Jewish Holocaust but I am going to use it to illustrate my point here. Assuming that the mainstream historical fable about World War II is correct, people all over America, including the Christians, condemn the German people of the 1930s and 1940s for going along with tyranny of the State. They say, like the Pharisees, "If we had been in the days of Nazi Germany, we would not have been partakers of the State's tyrannical oppression". Yet, they certainly would have. A better example would be Marxist/Communist Russia (which revolution was perpetrated by the Synagogue of Satan), which was truly tyrannical and oppressive. But we will stick to Germany, since the most can better relate to that analogy. My response to those who say they would not have participated in, encouraged, or even tolerated a wicked regime is this: Of course you would have done it. How do I know this? Because you are participating in it right now. When you go along with the mainstream agenda of anti-racism, when you condemn people for being too extreme in their Christianity (because you yourself are lukewarm-- Revelation 3:16), and when you thank God because we live in "such a free country", and sit and do nothing to try to change things, you are doing the very same thing. You are much too comfortable right now to "stir the pot" and become unpopular and rejected for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. Of course you would have been a partaker in the wick deeds of the past; you are doing so this very day. The same goes for those who criticize the people in the days of the Roman Catholic Church, and their oppression and ungodliness. The days when you would be persecuted for going against the church. You say you would have stood up to them, like Luther did. But I am here to tell you, you would not have done the slightest thing, but would have went along on your own merry way. Why? Because "we need to have unity, and charity, and not be controversial. We cannot be divisive, or be critical. We need to thank God for those whom he has appointed to church leadership", etc., etc. etc. You have come up with excuse clauses in your Bible to justify yourself. But the church today in America is as corrupt as it has ever been. The only difference is that all the power is not consolidated into one church organization. The devil has gotten more clever in this generation. But it is still a united consensus among the churches; you must either be a complete compromiser and reject all of God's truths, or at the very most, you can be a lukewarm church that does not take matters too serious. And the people are tolerating this apostate church as much as they ever were in the days of Roman Catholic control.
I almost forgot to mention: If the typical Christian were in the days of Jesus, he would have been partaker with those who condemned Jesus. Why? Because Jesus did not go along with the religious establishment of his day, and called it out for its apostasy. The Christians would have also condemned John the Baptist, and also Jeremiah the prophet. Why? Because Jeremiah essentially stood alone in condemning the "church" of his day. Yes, the church today condemns the modern Jeremiahs who call the church to repent! We need a new Reformation. We need to take heed to the words of Christ. I do not know what the specific solution(s) are to our situation, but we can no longer sit back and accept things the way they are. Be like Martin Luther and stand up for the truth of Jesus Christ!
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." -- Revelation 18:4,5
I am teaching through the entire book of The Institutes of Biblical Law(R.J. Rushdoony) with my family in devotions in the evening. One of the great things about Rushdoony's book is that he shows the connection between each of the Ten Commandments and the case laws of the Old Testament. We have not yet made it to the eighth commandment (we are still on the first commandment-- it is rich with wisdom in obedience to God), but one thing I take away from Rushdoony's classifications is that each command is much deeper than Christians and infidels alike realize. For instance, Rushdoony points out that; “[I]n any culture, the source of law is the god of that society.”
Thus to set up any other law system than God's law is to violate the first commandment. The point being, you do not have to literally say, "I believe in the god of so and so, over and above the God of the Bible", in order to violate the first commandment. You violate each commandment through the way you live; i.e. your conversation (lifestyle-- 1Peter 1:15).
Likewise, there are many ways you can steal, other than physically taking someone's property out of their hands before their face (or in secret). And just as you can have the heart of an adulterer (Matthew 5:28), you can have a heart of a thief. Even more so, you can demonstrate the actions of a thief in practice, without actually stealing, as we conventionally think of it as. My example is a simple one, and probably not one Rushdoony covers, but I thought of it as I pondered a situation we had at work one time.
I was walking past our work's coffee station today and there is a paper sign that says, "Coffee-- 50 cents per cup" (Of course, I do not drink that nasty stuff; I bring my own organic/locally roasted coffee with raw cream and maple syrup... yum!). I remember months ago someone complaining that nobody ever put enough money in the coffee can container (to collect the money) and that the person in charge was having to buy more coffee (restock it) without the proper amount of money given.
Then a question arose in my mind. What is the definition of "cup"? I want to write a post later about how important word definitions are; but consider it shortly here in this post; your definition of cup will make a big difference in how much coffee you actually take per the amount of money you put in the container. I am sure some people's coffee mugs are bigger than others. I am certain there are people that look at the sign and say in their hearts, "I am going to take advantage of my larger cup, and still pay 50 cents. Such a person has the heart of a thief and is demonstrating the actions of a thief. But he justifies himself in his mind, because he has not "technically" stolen anything. He who has the heart of a thief looks for loopholes to take advantage of so that he can gain from the demise of others (or of God) without technically breaking the law.
Every law-breaker-in-heart operates on the same principles of the thief mentioned above. He looks for loopholes in God's law so he can heap upon his own lusts. The Christian way to approach the situation (besides not drinking coffee produced by the evil corporations) is to err on the side of giving more money than necessary. This way you are blameless before God and before men. No one could accuse you. And regardless of how you will be viewed by men, you are making certain you are in obedience to the law of God without question.
What about other areas of Christian obedience? Do you have the heart of a law-breaker in other areas of life? This is seen to a great extent in the area of women's attire. There is a saying that goes around in some of the Anabaptist circles; Modesty Without Question. They go above and beyond what is technically required so that there is no question of whether their attire is appropriate. This is a vastly different attitude than the typical "Christian" woman.
We spoke about women's attire here and here and also about whether a Christian should go to the beach, here. All of these topics/issues will prove whether or not we have a spirit of obedience to Christ. When a woman says, "My dress/skirt is not too short" or "my pants are not that tight" or a man says, "I can go to the beach and not look at the naked women there with lust" they are not only tempting God, but they lack a fear of God and certainly do not tremble at the thought of sinning against God. This should cause a Christian to consider whether he truly is born of God, or is just a pretender, following Jesus as long as it does not get too uncomfortable.
"Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." -- 1Peter 2:12
"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved."
My wife's side of the family is nominally Christian. They have Christianity going back a few generations, but the current living generations range from lukewarm to cold. When you begin living like this you are practically denying Jesus Christ as Lord. As Keith Green said, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds will make you a hamburger". My wife's mother and father know all the Baptist lingo and have "asked Jesus to come into their heart" and go to church, but they live just like the world does for all practical purposes, except they are more "moral" than the rest of the world.
But this did not happen by accident. Their parents were lukewarm Christians and thus, this scenario was all too predictable. My wife's generation (her and her sister) were both totally in the world. Her sister still is, even though she doesn't do "really bad" stuff (according to the world). My wife used to be a Britney Spears type performer and was on her way to that type of career before the Lord Jesus changed her into a new creature (2Corinthians 5:17).
Anyhow, all that to say (I probably said too much), it is no surprise that my wife's side of the family does not keep their word. When they tell you they are going to do something, you cannot count on it at all. If they say they will be there at 9am to go somewhere with you, they may not show up until noon. And certainly you would think they would call and let you know they are running late, right? No, not at all.
My mother in law's sister, her side, is even worse. They will tell you they are coming over to help you with a plumbing repair or some other task, on a certain day and certain time, and many times will not even show up at all! Then you will hear from them a week later (because they do not answer their phone) and they will say, "Oh yeah, sorry. I had to do this and that, etc.". Seriously?
Why do they do this? Because they do not fear God. They do not know the Lord Jesus. They go to church, though! They do not rob banks. Yet they get divorced and remarried (another example of not keeping their oath, and which Jesus said is adultery) and declare bankruptcy through covetous and undisciplined spending. No, such a person does not know God. For he that knows God swears to his own hurt, and does not change (he does not go back on what he said he would do). Only those who are willing to suffer loss, suffer hurt, i.e. die to their self interest, are the ones who walk with Jesus, who know Jesus Christ. The rest are just pretenders. This is a serious matter, folks. If you are not even willing to be inconvenienced to keep your word, certainly you are a laughingstock of a Christian if there ever was one. It does not matter how much Bible you know or how great you have discerned the conspiracies of the Jews, or how many good deeds you supposedly do.
A true Christian should be known to keep his word in such a way that just saying yea or nay will be enough for another person to trust he will do what he said (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12). The root cause of not keeping your word is that you are still living for self; you are not taking up the cross to follow Jesus. Repent, dear people, if you are one of these people. Keep your word, even if it is something small; even if it is something you said you would do for your children or anyone lower in authority than yourself. It does not matter to God how insignificant that thing might appear to be. Let us never be able to be accused of not keeping our word, even if it hurts us. Be one of those people who is always going out of the way and who is always bending over backwards for people. Be willing to be used and under appreciated. That is being like Christ; becoming poor so that others will become rich (2Corinthians 8:9).
My original thoughts and intentions about this blog was that I was going to write short posts. I know I have mentioned that before. But the writer in me (I have always loved writing, since my youth, and my oldest daughter has the same trait) always seem to want to write a long post. But today it occurred to me that I need to begin a trend in my blog of just writing random thoughts of conviction without having to tie it in to a broader topic or make it very elaborate. So here is my first real attempt at it. Here we go.
I mentioned in a previous blog post the Duggars and their "personal conviction" nonsense. But if you have read my writings, you will understand that Christian principles are universal in most cases. They may manifest themselves a little bit differently here and there, but the general principles stand. I even read today on a humanist blog/website, the blogger calling out the Duggars for being hypocrites because they say they do not judge others and that it is just their conviction, etc. Now, I absolutely disagree with just about everything this humanist wrote, but it is telling that the world does not buy into the Duggars' PC double-speak. Just as you cannot PC double-speak your way out of being called a racist, you cannot do so to avoid the criticisms of the ungodly; you might as well stand up for the whole truth without compromise and stop being ashamed of Jesus Christ and his words (Mark 8:38).
Holding back my urge to go into great detail (I might go into more detail in the future, perhaps), I will just say that there is not really a way that a true Christian can go to the typical public beach, or on the typical cruise, and not be totally grieved and want to leave the place. It is unbelievable the things that Christians will do to compromise obedience to the word of God. No, the Bible does not say "Thou shalt not go to the beach". But it contains various commands and principles such as:
"I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." -- Psalm 101:3 (This also can apply to television and movies)
And...
"Flee fornication..." -- 1Corinthians 6:18 (Yes, run away from the vile filth of whorish people who are at the beach)
Christians in America are entirely inconsistent with what they believe/practice. This is because they do not live by the word of God, but by what makes them feel comfortable; that and they do not want to be an outcast in the church and/or society. They do not want to be legalistic or a Pharisee.
When I think about all the lame arguments defending a Christian's right to go to the beach, I think of the same rhetoric that the ungodly use, such as in the article I referenced above:
"The Duggars are denying their children their only opportunity to see real bodies"
The Christian argument is similar to that, but typically you will hear them argue about how if you shield them from seeing/hearing certain things, then they will grow up later and indulge in them because they were so deprived. This is ridiculous. And the hypocrites that promote such ideas are entirely inconsistent. Let me explain.
Everyone has standards. And everyone has a line that they draw. There are always places (unless the person has entirely seared his conscience) where that person will not go, or things that person will not do; and they have their reasons why. The Christian who criticizes his brother because he will not go to the beach, and because he teaches against those Christians who do go to the beach; that same criticizer will refrain from going to a strip club, a porn theatre and so on. Both Christians are isolating either themselves or their children; but both Christians do not have the same standard. That is the only difference. So to judge a Christian who holds up a higher standard for the reason that such a Christian is being restrictive to either himself or his family is hypocritical. The only grounds of argument he can legitimately have against the Christian who has a higher standard, is that perhaps the Christian with the higher standard is restricting something that is good, wholesome, or needed (or all of the above), which is what the humanist author attempt to prove.
But one cannot demonstrate from the scriptures that going to a place where people are (for all practical purposes) naked is wholesome or good; nay, quite the opposite! I know that those of you who justify going to the beach have 1001 reasons why you think it is "not harmful" but you have to be totally dishonest with the scriptures and what you know is right, to do so. Decades ago it would never have been acceptable to have even half of the nakedness that is shown today. And for good reason. Repent, child of God! It is unthinkable that I should even have to write such a post! This is how far we have fallen.
You might be thinking there are exceptions. Maybe.... maybe in a very slim circumstance. But not hardly. And remember, everyone thinks they are the exception. That is the number one rule of American Christians.
This post did not turn out as short as I hoped it would be, but it was a good start.
Meditate on this scripture, my brethren:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." -- Ephesians 5:11
