Our Greatest Need

 "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). 

Israel was at a crossroads or should I say, every Israelite was at a

crossroad. Go forward. Go backward. Short-term memories. Long-term memories. Fear. Faith. Forty years of wandering. Seeing an entire generation die. A new thing one step ahead. An old thing one step behind. Decision. A choice. 

It seems that America is at a crossroads or should I say, every American is at a crossroad. Go forward. Go backward. Short-term memories. Long-term memories. Fear. Faith. Wandering. Wondering. Thousands in our world - dead - because of a virus, because of lawlessness, because of power, because of greed, because of politics, because of sin. A new thing one step ahead. An old thing one step behind. Decision. A choice. And I'm not talking about a November election.

Joshua knew what the real choice was. It is the human heart that needs to change, that needs to be decisive about choosing to serve the Lord. And this was not a once and done decision. In the words of Jesus, "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross...daily."

I yield at this point to Rev. Dr. Russell DeLong - 

"Our greatest need in America is: 

Not for better legislation but for better legislators
Not for better business but for better businessmen and women

Not for better banking but for better bankers

Not for better farming but for better farmers

Not for better teaching but for better teachers

Not for better preaching but for better preachers. 

A revival of religion that would transform millions of individuals would result in increased justice, goodness, righteousness, and spirituality." (Christ or Chaos, sermon, 1945)

Our greatest need is for Christians to actually follow Christ. 

I am amazed at how many brothers and sisters set following Christ behind their politics or behind their pocketbook or their personal conveniences. Discipleship is an option. Egypt wasn't that bad. Onions. Leeks. Cucumbers. Melons. Garlic. Really bad breath and...oh, yes, that darn slavery thing. The good old days. 

I am amazed at how many brothers and sisters set following Christ behind entertainment and even family. The Amorites aren't really that bad. They ritualistically kill their own children and enslave their neighbors, but...they grow nice wheat and barely for bread and beer. We love inviting them over for parties. 

What America needs...what I need...is to be a better follower of Jesus, a decisive follower of Christ. What I need is to stop looking for the benefits of Egypt and the Amorites...to stop being Switzerland. Egypt was an enemy of God. He decimated her and she has never fully recovered from the plagues or the Red Sea. The Amorites were abominable. So much that they no longer exist as a people. God exterminated them like bugs. The Bible says their stench rose up into His nostrils. 

And Jesus says, "When I come back, will I find faith..." 

I wonder. 

As for me and my family...

 

Law and Disorder

 "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way." (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

When I was a kid my cousin Rod and I used to attend Sunday school at the Methodist Church in town, then we'd ditch church, go down to the gas station to use our twenty-five cent offering money that we were supposed to give to the Lord to buy some Chuckles as we headed down to our grandparents home a few blocks away. Ironic because we used to love sitting in the living room with grandpa watching those old westerns like the Cisco Kid and the Lone Ranger. They were the heroes of old, men of law and order. Men who had a moral compass who sought to make the west safe for the average citizen. Men who knew right from wrong and did what was right. Men who were our idols. Men who would have locked us good-for-nothing tithe stealers up and throw'd away the key. 

There have always been criminals. Men and women who make their own rules, who live by their own code, who don't seem to care much for what or how society is to function in an orderly fashion - no moral compass or at least one that works. The first murder was Cain killing his brother, Abel - a jealousy issue (God likes him better than me). People have been acting out in an unrestricted way ever since. Good guys. Bad guys.  

Sin and Satan are the culprits. The sin of humankind coupled with the temptations and evil of Satan is a deadly combination, especially since Satan masquerades as an angel of light deceiving people into thinking that what they are doing is good when it is actually bad. 

Perhaps you have noticed there are nightly riots cloaked in "peaceful protests." Some actually are against a system that is utterly broken and abusive but I would venture that the vast majority of people breaking windows, looting, stealing, injuring police officers, journalist, home owners, etc...because they are "owed" it are nothing more than lawless thugs. No wonder there was vigilante justice in "them there" days. When criminals flout the law, the Law, which is supposed to bear the sword, does nothing, and the average law abiding citizen has to live in fear...the majority rise up and say, "Enough is enough. If you won't do something, we will." I'm not advocating for this but I would be tempted if I still lived near Portland or in Seattle or San Francisco or Baltimore or any other place where there seems to be this good is bad and bad is good mentality. 

We shouldn't be surprised. In the last days, lawlessness is going to increase but the spirit of lawlessness has been around for years - it is already at work. Just ask a couple of kids who still remember getting Chuckles contraband from a gas station vending machine. 

May God have mercy. Enough is enough! Okay...I'm dropping in an extra quarter in the plate Sunday and a chuckle : - )  

Remembering also the words of a 92 year old woman whose funeral I officiated this week:  "Those bad people need Jesus." 

Anticipation

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like the tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12)

"We can never know about the days to come

But we think about them anyway

And I wonder if I'm really with you now 

Or just chasin' after some finer day."

I can name that tune in...? Come on you know this. I'm humming it right now. Well... you have to be over 50 to remember it. Okay...here's the chorus. 

"Anticipation, anticipa...a...tion

Is makin' me late

Is keepin' me wa...a...a....a...aitin." (I tried to spell out the vocalization; hope you were all singing along.) 

Yes. It's the Heinz Ketchup theme song sung by the second love of my life (well...she's actually way down the line but still a crush), Carly Simon (ca. 1971). I must be stuck in this year for some reason. My video for tonight's teaching in Revelation and linked to rampant globalism is "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" originally sung by the New Seekers but coopted by the greedy corporate world to sell liquid carcinogens - Coke-a-Cola. 

I feel like this is my theme word - "Anticipation." Anticipating when some sort of normalcy will infect my world again. Anticipating God doing new things during this pandemic. Anticipating new opportunities or new open doors for ministry. Anticipating new visitors at church. Anticipating old family and friends who have been gone for the last 4 months returning again. Anticipating being mask-free. Anticipating restaurants at full capacity again. Anticipating the presidential elections. Anticipating another "free" check from the government (and a substantial raise in my taxes to pay for all this "free" stuff). Anticipating....anticipating the coming of Jesus in the clouds for His Church, His Bride. Maranatha! Whew -Hoo...a tree of life. 

But until then, I am trying not to become sick. Not with the Covid, but with despair. Hope deferred. Longing unfulfilled. 

So until then, we need to stay positive. Think about the good things. Encourage one another. Help each other out when we get frustrated. 

It's because your smacking the bottom. You have to gently hit the neck where the label is. Or just use your knife, for goodness sake. 

Anticipation...its keepin' me wa...a...a....a...aitin'.