Yours Mine and His

There have been a lot of people expressing their opinions lately about a great many things. Opinions are like noses - as they say - everyone has one and most of them smell.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's a free country, right? At least it WAS. What's YOUR opinion?

Facts should be our common currency in the marketplace of ideas. But those seem harder to come by than $2 a gallon gas these days.

Honesty, truth, and integrity should be the norm in any civilized society. So, why do we struggle so much trading in those three commodities? The answer is simple.

We have misplaced our worship.

The Apostle Paul probably described us best 2,000 years ago in his letter to the Roman church.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being." - Romans 1:21-23

Think about it. Aren't we worshipers of 'self' rather than God? Don't we value our own opinions more than God's truth?

Consider what the world would look like if we all obeyed God instead of our own selfish desires. Our own versions of the truth.

There would be no war or hunger. There would be no debate over who is male or female. There would be no murder or crime. The world would be filled with love for one another. So, why don't we strive for that? Why do we continue to wallow in our own worldliness?

Read that passage from Romans 1 again. We are lovers of self.

To change that, we must climb down from our throwns and relinquish control over all things to God. And that is our struggle because we choose not to do that. And here we are.

It would take an act of God to change the course we have set ourselves upon. God has had just about enough of the gods that we have created for ourselves.

But that's just my opinion.

Why?

"Life would be so much easier if everyone would just agree with me."

Everybody has an opinion. So, what happens when someone's beliefs conflict with ours? When someone's world view conflicts with our own, how do we handle it?

There are three options. 1.) We can dismiss their opinion. "They're obviously wrong." 2.) We can argue and fight over it. "I'm right and you're wrong." 3.) Or we can try to understand their position and verify our own stance. "Why do you say that?"

Scripture gives examples of all three. Jesus, being God, was ALWAYS right. So there is an example for #2. But because we are humans, and often governed by emotions and/or life experiences, we seem to factor in our own personal desires in any solution.

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?" - James 4:1

Our third option for resolving differences seems our best choice. Try to understand what shapes the opinions of others that makes those opinions different from ours.

Jesus did that. For someone who KNOWS everything and can read our minds, He sure asked a lot of questions. Why?

Jesus asked questions as a means to get people to realize they were wrong. His questions led them to what He ultimately was trying to teach them. The truth.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone." - Mark 10:18

"Why?" is a very powerful question. So, WHY don't we use it more often?

Voddie Baucham once said that "we Christians must know WHAT we believe, WHY we believe it, and then be able to effectively communicate to others". He's right.

Unfortunatly, most of us stop at 'knowing what we believe.' That's just our meaningless opinion. 'WHY we believe it' means everything.

"Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?"

YES!

"Why?"

Uhhhhh. Well.... let me get back to you on that, okay?

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15

Do you remember this song from Sunday school?

"Jesus loves me, this I know."

WHY?

"For the Bible tells me so."

And there you have it.

The Brackish Truth

When a river flows into the sea there is an area where the two waters meet. It is part fresh water and part salt water. The term for this type of water is 'brackish.' It's somewhere in between.

When we watch the nightly news, we are watching something that is brackish in nature. Someone, a human with their own world view, reports on what THEY think is the news. Is it really the truth? Or is it a "version" of the truth?

Right now, the hot topic is baby formula. There is a nation-wide shortage of it. So, what's a mother to do? What did we do before the invention of baby formula? Mothers made their own.

If you search for 'making your own baby formula' recipes you get two types of results - 'wonderful, safe recipes' and 'dangerous recipes.'  Which is correct? What is truth? What is opinion?

There are several rabbit holes we could go down in the 'truth vs opinion' scenarios. Sexual identity, Republican vs Democrat, pro-choice vs pro-life, cats vs dogs, the list is endless. I'm here to talk about Jesus, The ACTUAL Truth.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Even Christianity has differing views about who Jesus really is - His attributes, His character. In my opinion, not knowing the truth about Jesus is EXTREMELY dangerous. But that's just MY opinion. One thing's for sure, your eternity depends on your getting the 'Who is Jesus' question answered correctly.

Jesus wrote letters to seven churches in the Book of Revelation. Each church had a flaw or two. The church in Laodicea was neither 'hot nor cold,' The Ephesian church had 'forgotten their first love.' Only the church in Philadelphia got God's seal of approval.

As with anything in life, seeking the truth should be paramount in our quest for knowledge. Jesus Himself told us that the truth will set you free.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:32

Always seek the truth in everything you do. It truly WILL set you free.

The Red Pill

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8

Peace seems like a hard thing to come by these days. Every time we turn on the news there are riots, protests, demonstrations and death. And that's just in our nation's capitol! What do we do to find some peace? Where can we find some actual truth?

Step one should be QUIT WATCHING THE NEWS!!

The news IS just opinion these days. Whether you are from the right or from the left, or somewhere in the middle, everybody has their own opinion about what the truth is.

I came across The Matrix yesterday while searching for something to watch on TV. It happened to be playing the very scene where Morpheus is talking to Neo about "the truth." His description was perfect for today. You see, Satan has created a real-life "matrix" for us to live in. It's called "The World."

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:2

As Morpheus told Neo in the movie, "It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

Think about that for a minute. Isn't that true? Morpheus continues . . .

"You are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind."

Isn't that also true? For Christians it is EXACTLY true! We are no different than Neo! Born into bondage. Slaves to sin.

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in b Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:20-23

In The Matrix movie, Morpheus offers Neo a choice; just as you and I have been given a choice by God. We can take "the blue pill" and remain in this world, a slave to sin, or we can take "the red pill" (Jesus Christ) and discover what The Truth really is.

God's Word is the only place we can find truth these days. And in that truth we can find peace. The opening verse says it all - "You alone, LORD."

Morpheus has one final word for Neo. "Remember, all I am offering is the truth. Nothing more."

Watch the clip. 

Take the red pill.

Discover the truth.

His name is Jesus.

Blue Pill or Red Pill - The Matrix

Blow Up Your TV

Back in the day, back before "smart" phones and laptops, flat screen TV's and Oprah, there was an ancient philosopher named John Prine. John had some great advice for all of us. We never listen.

This week I am fasting. Not in the traditional sense when you don't eat food. I am fasting from television, specifically anything to do with "news". You should try it! Spiritually refreshing!

I used quotes around the word "news" because, in my honest opinion, there IS no more news. News  reporting has died and been replaced by opinion. But that's just MY opinion.

Opinions are like noses. Everybody has one and they all smell.

Mr. Prine offered up some of HIS opinion in the song Spanish Pipedream. Here's the chorus.

Blow up your TV, throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try an' find Jesus on your own

There is no "news" these days. It doesn't matter what you watch - ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The Internet - it's all opinion. If you are seeking to learn the truth, forget about it. Well, there is ONE place you can go for truth - The Bible.

Did you know that God cannot lie? Lying is a sin and that is simple contrary to God's character.

You might say, "Yeah, but I want to hear about current events in the Middle East." To that I say, "Have you read Matthew 24?"

This is Jesus speaking. You know, the one who cannot lie?

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:10-14

I've rewritten John Prine's song. It goes like this.

Blow up your TV. Open up the Bible. Try to find Jesus on your own.

Spanish Pipedream - John Prine

Who Are You?

Are you tired of all the killings and the war of words about various ideologies we've been seeing lately? Talking heads, force-feeding us their opinions; testifying to the "frail minded", hoping to convince us to join the world THEY live in. We write songs and tell stories trying to express OUR feelings, only to go unnoticed, unheard or persecuted.

Who are we anyway? Who are we inside? Are we what the world has created us to be - molded and shaped by other people's opinions? We read a book and now we're changed? Or are we different than everyone else? Set apart - far from the madding crowd? Who are we anyway?

We all have our opinions of how life should be. We spend most of our lives trying to attain what we think that life should be, only to fall short. Disappointed. My generation struggled with it. The current generation struggles with it. The world, you see, has no answers. It only creates more questions.

Well, I have a question. Why are we humans never satisfied?

The Apostle Paul has the answer. He wrote these words while he was in prison, awaiting his execution. Although he once persecuted Christians, he met Jesus. After that Paul had no more questions. He KNEW!

"3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:3-11, 21

Paul KNEW who He was and WHOSE he was. The only question each of us needs to answer is, "Do we know who WE are?" Are we "in Christ" or in "the world"?

Again Paul implores us examine ourselves. To always seek out the truth, in all humility. Test everything to see whether or not is is in God's will. If things do not line up, ignore them. But if they DO line up with God's will, whether it means life or death, follow.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

Baba O'Reilly - The Who
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
What The World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannon

Opinion

I have heard and read a lot of opinions lately. I have even expressed a few of my own. Everybody has their own idea of what is right and what is wrong. Including me! With all the differing opinions out there, how can we ALL be right? We can't! So how do we know what is truly right and wrong? Where do we go to find the truth? And, once we find it, how do we know it really IS the truth? Because we FEEL it's right?

Do you trust what your doctor says? They've been to school, a LOT of school. They are well-educated and know a lot about the human body but actually there are actually many things they don't know. Do they know how to change the oil in their Mercedes?

Every time you go to the doctor with something wrong, they offer their "opinion" about what it is that's ailing you. Why else would you be advised to get a "second opinion" if your doctor didn't first offer you HIS opinion?

Oh, doctors can be pretty good with the obvious stuff, like the guy who went to his doctor complaining of a headache. They x-rayed his skull and found a 3 1/2" nail in his brain. "Umm, we have determined that you have a foreign object lodged between your frontal lobe and your cerebral cortex." In layman's terms, Dude, you've got a nail in your head!! But the doctors couldn't say that confidently without evidence - without the x-ray.

 

A friend of mine where I work has a very sick father. He has lots of heart issues. He was scheduled to have a couple of stints placed in his chest this past week but the week before that, while his doctor was on vacation, my friend's father had some major chest pains. He was taken to the ER where the physician on duty prescribed immediate bypass surgery. My friend's family insisted they not proceed until their regular doctor was contacted. Good thing too. The bypass surgery would likely have killed my friend's father. He now has his stints and is dong much better, despite the ER doctor's "opinion."

So, if even the smartest guys on the planet can't be 100% sure about their diagnoses, where can we go to find the absolute truth - some where we KNOW is right? Well, I'd suggest we ask God. If HE doesn't know, and He's seen it all, who else would?

We who call ourselves Christians are theoretically flowers of Christ, hence our name. What then are we to do when Jesus tells us that HE is the truth (John 14:6)? What do we do with that? Do we simply ignore it? Or do we do what ever Jesus tells us to do? Hmm. I often struggle with that.

Jesus tells us in John 14:15 that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. Okay. Then Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19 to "go and make disciples." So, have I gone? I am very desirous of making disciples but have I actually gone out an made any? Mmm, maybe one? In eight years? Uh . . . yeah. In my opinion, I thank God "his mercies are new every morning."

Let's face it, we are all sinners. We can try really hard not to be but we will always fail. The Law of Moses shows us our sins, our failures. Middle eastern cemeteries are full of people who broke the laws and were punished for their sins. Thank God for His grace!!!

"Grace" is a loving, merciful God who says, "Come on Bob. Get up and try again." However, WE must be the ones who actually get back up and desire to try again. We get back up because we have been extended grace. And grace is the seed of hope. And without the hope that is found in the cross it doesn't matter what anyone's "opinion" is. But with Christ, in Christ, we find our only hope.

Recently I took some heat for aligning myself with Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson when he offered HIS opinion about sexual sin. Apparently, MY opinion didn't agree with theirs. That's fine. As I have already written, we ALL have our opinions. What was surprising to me was that I was condemned. Neither Mr. Robertson nor myself condemned anybody. We offered our opinions about sin. The only evidence supporting our opinions appears in the Bible.

I was told that my writings "attacked someone's religious beliefs." By merely expressing my own? Hmm. We need to find a little consistency before we express our opinions . . . in my opinion.

Before I close I'd like to tell you about a young man from my church. He took me aside one night at youth group and told me that he was gay. My reply was, "Alright." He had a puzzled look on his face and said, "Really? I thought you'd be more upset than that. I heard you were a homophobe."

"Where did you hear that?" I replied. "I FEAR no one. Look, homosexuality is a sin. But I am a sinner too. We're ALL sinners. Welcome to the club. Your telling me you are openly gay changes nothing. I still love you."

At that point my young friend gave me a hug so hard I heard, and felt, my back crack.

You will never see me in any picket line telling some LGBT group that they are going to hell. Why? Because that would be the height of hypocrisy. Would I ever expect to see someone picketing outside my house because I once stole something, uttered God's name in vain or looked at a woman with lustful thoughts? No. It's like I said, and like the BIBLE says in Romans 3:10, we are ALL sinners. There are NONE righteous, not one!"

We need to extend to each other the same grace that God extends to us. We need to come along side one another and help each other be accountable for our actions or inactions and we must love others, and that means everybody, as we love ourselves.

In my opinion.

"36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:36-40