While recent comments voiced by Rev. Pat Robertson touched a nerve in the very pit of my being please know that I believe none of us escape the foul of misrepresenting Christianity from time to time. Whether through our actions or words, we all come up short, and that strikes at the very essence of my point. We serve a merciful God who cares for us and loves us beyond our imagination and only by His grace do we exist to serve Him another day.

Rev. Robertson commented that the people of Haiti are responsible for the earthquake in Haiti and that it is some form of retribution for a pact they made long ago with Satan. While I believe his comments to be well intentioned I fear that they are more harmful to the cause of Christ than helpful. One of the great misconceptions regarding our faith is that many of our brothers and sisters believe that our standing with the Father is based upon our goodly performance or lack there of. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Our standing with the Father is based upon nothing less or more than the shed blood of His son Jesus Christ. Any other addition to or subtraction from this point is foolish arrogance on our part.

In terms of human logic, Christianity isn’t logical. In a world that values a “what’s in it for me attitude” the message of the Gospel doesn’t measure up. That God, the creator of the universe, would sacrifice His only Son to restore me to fellowship with Him for free is almost beyond comprehension. When we consider the enormity of the universe or the intricacy of microbiology how dare any of us contend that we know the mind of God? We can know His will in those things stated plainly in scripture; beyond that we are left only with blind trust in Him who created us and loves us beyond human reason.

How do we get to the place where we can decide for ourselves the mind of God? Often it is because we regard knowledge more than we should. After all, wasn’t this the original sin. In Genesis three Adam and Eve ate from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”. Since that time mankind has measured the balance between good and evil perhaps with too much human wisdom sprinkled in. Beyond wisdom we as Christians often rely too heavily upon our emotions and feelings that arise from our own fallen nature. Christian immaturity is costly to the kingdom. It isn’t attractive therefore it inhibits our witness for Christ. When we place our personal feelings above that of God’s desire for us, then we act as if we know the mind of God. When we fail to get our way in church and leave for another setting, far too often we commit the same foul. When we are members of a church and fail to wholeheartedly support the leadership we offend His nature. When we find ourselves being critics, we need to back up and take stock of our own spiritual condition.

To the extent that we display our arrogance, our ignorance or our immaturity we harm the Kingdom. Before we empower ourselves once more to “do ministry” for Him I ask that you just STOP! Please let me burden you with the voice crying from the scriptures. Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”. The great commandment spoken by Jesus himself implores us to first “…LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART…” and second “…LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”. The order is clear. We need to have a right relationship with Him first and then “He” will empower us for the ministry to others. Far too often in the name of Christianity we gloss over the first part and empower ourselves toward the second.

I have met Pastors who confess that they do not regularly read God’s Word. I have participated in many men’s ministry groups where men confess they do not have the time to study God’s Word. I have read hundreds of prayer requests that seek God to do this or that, heal this or that, fix this, fix that or show up here or there, however far too often they do not include or simply ask to know Him more. Too often they do not suggest an attitude of surrender and acceptance of His divine providence.

In His great plan of salvation and restoration for us His number one purpose is to have a relationship with a people of His own possession. When we fail to strive (work out our salvation) toward the ultimate goal of having this relationship, then by default we misrepresent and persecute our own faith. We are living in an urgent time. God desires to wake up the church. He desires authentic Christianity. He desires us to be ambassadors for Christ. This can only come through the surrender of our self nature in blind obedience, faith and trust in Him who loves us in spite of what we have become. If the recent earthquake is God’s judgment on the people of Haiti then perhaps we should all walk in fear of His wrath for we have all been found wanting.

God genuinely desires for us to know Him. We can begin be knowing His nature a through the scriptures. READ THE BOOK! Study it and He will change your life. Is this logical? I think not, but for me I choose not to “lean on my own understanding”.

According to Proverbs 3:5, we are not to lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our own understanding of things will always come up wanting and short sighted. We are limited at best in what we understand and our natural desires are more powerful than our natural reason. Emotions and feelings taint the true picture. When David gazed too long at Bathsheba he relied on his own understanding. His judgment became clouded and the consequences were dire. When the nation of Israel reached the banks of the Jordan for the first time, they began to reason. They questioned the next step, sent spies into the land and based on their own understanding of the situation made a disastrous determination. Was David without knowledge of God? Did the Israelites not see the miracles of God? Yet in both instances, regardless of what God had previously done human nature was allowed to reign and once again people superimposed their will over the will of God.

          All moral failure stems from the same problem. As we seek to be in control and in charge of our lives we run the danger of allowing our own understanding to rule. Rationalization and justification take over and leaning on our own understanding seems to be the right thing to do. Scripture tells us that “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death”. (Prov. 14:12)  So there must be a better way. There must be a method by which we can reach decisions that work well for us and please God. In short, we need Him, He made us that way. Think about it, the God of all creation created us to need Him and to seek His favor yet we dare to expect that we can do it better, that we can know more, that we can be in control. Not only is our nature misguided but arrogant as well. It is inherently hostile to the things of God. This is why there is only one thing that God asks of us and that is complete and absolute surrender of ourselves to Him. Once we do this He is ready, willing and able to intervene on our behalf. His power is demonstrated only in our weakness. It is incredible and it defies the logical reason of man that we can know and hear from the God of the universe yet there is no other way to have spiritual life with God but on His terms.

The first meeting of the Continental Congress was opened with several recited prayers, Bible reading and an unscripted prayer by Rev. Jacob Duche, an Episcopal clergyman. When he read Psalm 35 it electrified the assembly. It’s a Psalm of reliance upon God, a call for vindication by God and a declaration of His righteousness. What did they know then that many do not now? They thought it wise to pray and seek the council of the Lord. They thought it wise to lean on His understanding rather than their own. The so-called enlightened wisdom of today’s governing body says there is no place for leaning on God’s understanding in fact there is no place for God. How did we get here from our reverent beginnings? It was fairly easy. Some along the way stopped reading God’s word. Some read it but stopped meditating on it. Others twisted it’s meaning. Many allowed foreign idea-ideologies to creep in. Most lost their personal relationship with their Savior. When a person doesn’t have that right relationship with God then they cannot behold Him in reality. When He is no longer real then they cannot trust. They are then left with nothing else but “to lean on their own understanding”.

          The  full verse of Prov.3:5 commands us; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding”. Only two of the spies sent by Israel had a different view. Joshua and Caleb wanted to cross the Jordan and enter the “Promised Land”. They trusted in the Lord and refused to lean on their own understanding but the Israelites chose the view of the eight spies. This view reasoned that the circumstances were too difficult. They allowed fear and emotion to taint their worldview. As a result they were found by God to be disobedient and were left to wander in the wilderness for forty years. The entire generation above the age of ten perished in the wilderness, never seeing the fullfiment of God’s promise, except for two men. The only two adults left alive when Israel entered the “Promised Land” were Joshua and Caleb. Their relationship with God remained in tact and He did not forget them. They trusted in the Lord with all their heart and refused to lean on their own understanding. God made them to need Him and they recognized their need. Do you?

          As He inspired the scriptures God often used the imagery of the shepherd and the shepherd’s rod or staff.  Being the original multi-tasker He has several purposes in mind as we consider how the shepherd uses his staff and how God intends us to understand His role in relating to each of us. The staff was used particularly in Old Testament history as a symbol of authority. As God’s representative Moses demonstrated God’s power before the Pharaoh, struck the rock in the wilderness to produce water for two million people and caused Israel to succeed in battle when he held the staff above his head. The staff was his symbol of authority. Likewise the shepherd is master over the flock and performs many functions with his staff as he cares for the sheep.

          First, let us consider the matter of discipline. Discipline is not a very inviting word. It has taken on more of a negative connotation in our culture today than it probably deserves. It is often more associated with punishment than its more accurate definition of instruction or guidance for a code of conduct or behavior. As the shepherd pokes and prods the sheep they acquire the learned behavior necessary for living in the flock or community of sheep. As parents it becomes necessary for us to supply the loving discipline in order for our children to acquire the desired behavioral traits that benefit life in community. While the shepherd uses the tangible and visible staff or rod, God uses circumstances to get our attention. Likewise we must find ways to gain the attention of our children in a loving but guiding manner. This writing is not meant to discuss the pros and cons of corporal punishment, which must be an individual decision. Often we hear the phrase, “spare the rod and spoil the child”. I believe that the rod represents far more than is often brought to mind by that phrase. As we explore the many purposes of the shepherd’s rod perhaps we may discover the many ways of spoiling a child. Disciplines are generally designed to produce a positive result. We can easily see in the life of any successful superstar that discipline allowed them to excel in their particular field. Tiger Woods is perhaps the greatest golfer of all time but we never would have heard of him without the discipline to practice golf consistently over a long period of time. Disciplines allow us to hone our abilities for living the life God intended. It is the word from which we get disciple.

          Protection is another function of the shepherd’s staff. He defends the sheep against predators by using his rod. In the same manner God protects us by means of His direction in our lives. We may not be aware of all His efforts on our behalf and it becomes all important for us to seek Him and His will for us as He knows what is best for us and never intends us harm. As we model God’s love for us in raising our children, it is important for us to make wise decisions in order to protect them from all possible harm. Acts of discipline and protection maybe painful at times but necessary guidance for proper direction.

          Separation of the sheep in the flock was also accomplished by the staff.  God calls for separation for His followers. To be considered Holy, a believer must be set apart or separate. This simply means that we are available for use by Him for His purpose.  This does not mean that we are separatists. The scriptures tell us that we are to be “in the world, not of the world”. We are called to be recognizably different. We hear so much today in regards to peer pressure among young people. If we raise our children according to God’s plan, peer pressure will not have it’s ugly result. If a young person has a good sense of who they are and what they believe then their choices will be much easier. Hopefully their actions will impact others around them and peer pressure will be reversed. We need to teach them to be separate in their thinking, deciding their values in advance of their decision making opportunities.

          Gathering is yet another use. The shepherd gathers the flock by using his staff. He gathers them for feeding, protection and providing rest. The imagery continues as God also desires to gather us in community for the purposes of feeding, guiding and causing us to rest. Perhaps the most violated of all God’s principles is the principle of rest. Many believers today do not even comprehend God’s concept of rest. His rest allows for a time of reflection and meditation on His Word, it allows us to receive direction, strength and wisdom from Him. This is difficult if not impossible to pass on to our children if we haven’t mastered this discipline ourselves. This is one area that needs nurturing from the time children are small. It can be quite a task to convert a teenager to the discipline of resting. Most of them cannot slow down for more than a minute or two without exploding.

          Comfort may be the most interesting of all uses of the shepherd’s staff. All of the above items and more are necessary for the sheep to be comforted by the shepherd. These are all items of provision for the flock’s well being. Psalm 23 states, “…Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me…” .  By a touch from the shepherd the sheep know his presence. While it might seem contradictory, an act of discipline can be an act of comfort. We all need boundaries especially our children. They are comforted by the knowledge that someone else exercises concern and caring over their well being. Someone else provides for them and instills values and stability to face the challenges of life. In the same way God wants to do the same for each of us. We often criticize our children for not wanting to listen but in reality it may be that we are the ones who are most disobedient. Perhaps this is largely due to the fact that many Christians are unsure of how to listen to God. He speaks but doesn’t yell. We need the discipline of rest and intentional deliberation of His Word. We need to know His presence, His prodding and poking as He gently guides with His staff.

          While this doesn’t exhaust all the uses of the rod, it is easy to see that using the rod too sparingly may easily spoil the child. A lack of discipline doesn’t send a message of comfort and love; it creates a void, a void of boundaries, a void of reassurance and a void of the presence of another who really cares. This is the way God designed the necessities of life, He modeled it through the shepherd. “I am the good shepherd, I know my own and they know me. (John 10:14)

Knowing God takes real effort. Matt. 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God. While the efforts we need to make come in a variety of forms, they always are of one basic fundamental problem, removing our self from the path to His righteousness. For example, consider the following:

• Forgiveness – Why is it so difficult for us to forgive when it is a given that God forgives us?  His forgiveness allows us to move into relationship with Him. When we forgive others the door opens for us to move into relationship with them. In our selfishness we may say that we do not desire a relationship with the other person but we forget that God loves the other person as much as He loves us. Did Jesus not say that we should love others as ourselves? Can we really love God while discarding others? 
• Worry – At the root of every worry we find ourselves once again. Worry usually means that we do not have a clear trust that God is in control and that He understands what is best for us. We worry that life may not turn out as we would hope. (It seldom does.) Scripture tells us to be “anxious for nothing”. (Phil. 4:6) What happens when we get past the worries? By simply accepting God’s favor, even when the outcome is obscured, we enter into relationship with Him by means of faith.
• Fear – Remember the acronym, F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real). Fear is a lot like worry but on a much more intense level. Personally I believe that it is the enemy’s most prized weapon. Using fear he is able to melt your trust, confidence and faith. Fear paralyzes and inhibits our relationship with God. Satan is described as the master deceiver. His ability to make something seem insurmountable is unmatched on earth. It is supernatural and can only be combated by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, hence the need to seek first the Kingdom.

In each and every case we find that it is always about relationship. The real power for living life is found in the relationship we have with God through His Son. In each and every case we find that it is always our self will that impedes that relationship and a great effort is required on our part to identify the problem and surrender our will. Don’t skip past the surrender part. There is a lot more of our self in the way than we imagine and the task of identification and surrender is challenging, but well worth the effort.

          Most of us have uttered this lament from time to time. Happiness seems to be the illusive goal of just about every person I know yet rarely do I meet a truly happy person. Webster defines happiness as “a state of well being or contentment”. It is often associated with prosperity or good fortune. Quite possibly it is an expectation that most of us have regarding our life and our perception of what it should be like. Happiness is often a momentary and fleeting experience that fuels our desire to pursue it all the more. Our “Declaration of Independence” echoes this basic tenant of human rights; “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Rooted in biblical belief, our founding fathers believed that the “pursuit of happiness” was directly connected to our creation and a God given right of every individual. Therefore, if we have any shot at discovering happiness in this life is it possible that we can do so apart from the One who created us? What was God’s first desire in the order of creation, for us to be happy or holy? Can we truly be happy without being holy or does happiness exist as a by-product of being holy?

          The “pursuit of holiness” should be first and foremost in our minds. Holiness means to be “set-apart” for God. The implication is that God’s plan for us should be of the highest priority and all other desires in our life should be subordinate. One of the greatest deceptions in this life is that we can order our lives according to our own personal view and desires, then we will be ready for a deeper walk with God. We mistakenly substitute our appetites as the means to gain happiness. How many times have we acted on a want (sometimes to our financial detriment) only to find that the joy didn’t last as long as the term of the monthly payments? How often have we mistaken the true meaning of life for an identity produced by a career or the things we own – status? In Luke 12 Jesus tells the parable of the man who tore down his barns and built new ones in order to store an overabundance of crops. The man reveled in his status of security and his view that he would be happy for years to come. Jesus declared him a fool as he would die that very day and leave it all behind. In verse 23 Jesus states, “life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

          What is the relationship between happiness and contentment? In Phil.4:11 Paul declares”…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am”. He applied this principle to abundance and poverty, his contentment was not affected by his circumstance. It was a “learned” responce to life, an ordering of the inner world rather than the outer experience. When we are discontent with the experiences of life we cannot be happy. “But Godliness with contentment is great gain”. (1Tim.6:8, NIV) Could that great gain include happiness?

          As the future continues to unfold in front of us revealing the perilous and uncertain times in which we live, it is vital for all of us to discover the true nature of happiness. It lies not in the shallow desires that please our senses but rather in the possession of relationship with the One who created us. Consumerism and marketing tries to convince us of our constant need to fulfill our quest for happiness by purchasing an endless array of products, pills and adventures. Consumerism thrives on the insatiable desires of the flesh, perhaps exploiting our longing for heaven on earth. As the rights suggested in the Declaration of Independence are facing the possibility of extinction in the near future, are we prepared to handle the changes coming our way? The only answer I can come up with is to be happy. Not as the world sees happiness but in the power of true happiness. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35)

When you first visit a different church it can be intimidating. It’s easy to assume that everyone around you has been there forever and they recognize you for the “newbie” that you are. Sometimes others may seem stand-off-ish and even unfriendly when actually they may be feeling a bit uncomfortable themselves. They may be what I call “unconnected people”. These are people who attend Sunday service but have not become part of the community of the church. Unfortunately they may represent the majority of the Sunday attendees. Many believe that all there is to Christianity is Sunday church attendance. Nothing could be further from the biblical truth. Christianity is community. We have a need to belong and be connected to one another. It is crucial that we bring an attitude of contribution rather than an expectation of entertainment.

When someone isn’t connected to the church family it is difficult for them to make others feel comfortable or welcome. Being distant will sooner or later foster resentment and criticism. After that it’s just a short trip out the door only to become the new person at another church and the cycle continues. The revolving door church has reached almost epidemic proportion in our culture and robs the church body of the vital spiritual life that God intended. Some of the most well intentioned people miss out on a deeper level of spiritual life because they have an independent spirit. Discontentment should be an opportunity for spiritual growth rather than relocation. Have you ever been discontent with your family? Do you make an all out effort to try an resolve issues and grow in understanding or just leave in hopes of finding another family?

          People fail to connect for a variety of reasons. First and foremost they feel that others haven’t made enough effort to bring them into the family. This is unfortunately true more often than we care to know. They feel somewhat outside the “click” and not totally welcome. Other times the reason is an elective one. “I just want to go to church (do my duty) and not get involved.”  Another reason is that some do not feel they have anything to offer. Because they haven’t been a Christian very long or they feel they don’t know enough, there is a false assumption that they have no value. If a person is truly saved and transformed by Jesus their testimony alone has great value and worth to others.

          Whether we are the new people or we have the opportunity to greet new people we need to understand some basic questions people have when they walk through the door. Do I fit here? Does anyone want to know me? Am I needed? What might be required of me if I join in? What advantage is there for me to belong? These are vital first impressions that need to be resolved before anyone feels comfortable enough to be connected. Connection is paramount to spiritual life. We are made to be in community and support each other through interaction. This is the lifeline of the church. The reason so many of our churches seem lifeless is due to the fact that so many “attendees” are not connected. Oswald Chambers wrote in his book “My Utmost for His Highest” (Oct. 27) the following: “Jesus did not say, ‘Go and save souls’ (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but He said ‘Go…make disciples of all the nations…'”.  (Matt.28:19) Discipleship begins with connection!

          “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior”, says Psalm 127:4 “So are the children of one’s youth.”  The analogy of comparing a child to an arrow takes a little thinking. Being instruments of direction, designed for a specific purpose they also have the image of hitting the mark or defeating opposition.  For an arrow to be true to it’s purpose depends greatly upon the warrior’s hand in which it is placed. First it is carefully made by it’s creator and then placed in the hand of the warrior who takes aim, decides in what direction it shall fly and what goal it shall try to accomplish.

          Children are a gift from the Creator and we have been given the responsibility to supply the needed direction for each child in order that they might hit the intended mark and impact the world with the best they have to offer. Parenting requires more than a casual dedication. For the warrior, training and commitment are essentials for life itself. The life supplied to all of us by the One who created it is  extremely fragile and dependent upon the multiplication of Christian souls. From the moment of birth we begin to impart values that influence the way a child thinks and grows. In 1889 Alois and Klara gave birth to this baby boy. Two previous children had died at birth and another younger brother died at the age of six. Only a sister outlived this sibling. The father, Alois died when the boy was only thirteen and his mother Klara passed away when he was just nineteen. Sometimes the window of opportunity for shaping a child’s future is severely limited by time. Who can measure the impact of life’s scars?  

          As the child grew, he was a poor student with little ambition. He had an interest in art but was denied entrance  to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. He refused regular employment and lived as a homeless person dependant upon the charity of soup kitchens. It would seem that he had been given little in the way of values or even the understanding of a higher calling and as the years passed by the empty void inside grew just waiting and watching for someone or something to fill it. At this stage we might still wonder if a well placed word from an evangelical soul might have made the difference. There must have been opportunities but perhaps his heart had already hardened beyond acceptance.

          He later joined the military  and served during the first world war with distinction and was decorated for bravery. After serving for a brief period in a prisoner of war camp the young man turned to politics in 1919. Eventually he became a member of the Nazi party and was charged with treason for which he served a brief prison sentence. The 1929 economic collapse in the United States contributed to a global recession. The Nazi party gained in popularity as a result of the hard times and the rest is history as we know it. Somebody’s baby grew up and the empty void inside got filled. Filled with power, hatred and evil ambition. Somebody’s baby became one of the world’s most notorious monsters. Alois, an Austrian customs worker and his wife Klara didn’t live to see how their arrow impacted the world.

 Scripture quoted from the NASB version.

          In an eight year old case fronted by the ACLU a local judge decided that the “Mojave Cross” must be covered until a final decision can be reached by the Supreme Court as to whether the cross can remain or be removed.  The cross was erected during the 1930’s to honor fallen soldiers and now the complainant who lives 900 miles away claims that he may be offended by the cross should he travel in that part of the country and happen upon the cross located on Federal property. The old false representation of the “separation of church and state” lives on.

            Make no doubt about it, the cross is meant to offend your self nature. Obviously, it’s not the cross but what it represents that offends some people. The founding documents of our nation were not only written for freedom of religous expression but to promote the ideals of Christianity. We were in fact a Christian nation yet now Christianity is under attack in America by those who think they have it all figured out.  They have decided that Christianity is politically incorrect. What are they so afraid of? Why does the sight of the cross make them so uncomfortable? Perhaps the mere idea of the cross and what it stands for strikes at the very root of their human nature making them uncomfortable with the idea that there is something or someone bigger than their own understanding. Something that says your self nature must die.

          As Christians, we should have a holy fear of God, not because He’s a tyrant but rather because we should fear any breach in our relationship with Him. To be in the presence of God is far more precious than anything we could experience through self-realization. Only through the Holy Spirit can we experience this relationship and life changing transformation that is available to everyone because of the “Cross of Christ” and what it represents, that is, God’s free gift to mankind. The cross serves to remind us that we are born in a fallen state and our own nature is tainted by sin. The cross is meant to offend! It offends our sense of self-sufficiency whether you are a believer or not. Everyone has the freedom to decide whether to yield to the power of the cross or to decide to fight against it. Read closely, THE CROSS WINS! ——- “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” Rom.14:11

         One of my favorite contemporary worship songs based upon Psalm 42 goes as follows:

 “As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth for thee, You alone are my hearts desire, and I long to worship thee”

         The song goes on offering more, but for a great vision and expectation for Christian living we need only to absorb the first stanza. Everyone of us need to ask this fundamental question of ourselves, “Do we long for God?” Do we long for Him in a way that is as natural as the deer desiring a cool drink of water from the flowing stream? I would venture a guess that some would say “not really” while others would say “not often enough”.

         If either answer sums up your status quo fear not, God is near and He can be found. Matthew 6 instructs us to seek first the Kingdom and God will take care of the rest (paraphrase). Our first giant step toward spiritual life is to place God first above all things. I say giant step because this requires a surrender of our own will and make no mistake this is the hardest thing we will ever try to do. We are not asked to change our will or to overcome it, merely to let it go in deference to God’s will. This echoes God’s instruction throughout scripture that we are to love Him with all our strength, soul and mind. This is an act of might but our might is directed toward the setting aside of our self.

         When we truly surrender our will to God we will begin to sense His presence. His presence is unlike anything else we can ever experience. Our desire for His presence comes naturally to us through the Holy Spirit and causes us to long for Him. He alone becomes our hearts desire. If you have had this experience you know what I am saying. You also know that soon after there may be something quite different. You realize that you have had this experience but now you no longer sense the presence of God. Why? Why can’t we seem to maintain that sense of peace? Paul describes in Romans 7 the battle that goes on between the flesh and the spirit. Having the peace of God in our lives requires constant effort. We must not only surrender once but again and again. Surrender of our will must become a daily exercise for the true believer to experience the spiritual life. It is only by means of this process that we will ever discover the plans God has for us. Without surrender of our self will one is doomed to live this life and miss the exciting things God wants for us. He will not force His will upon us. As it so plainly states in Matthew 6, we are to seek Him, not the other way around.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a hard time understanding the liberal mindset. I do recognize how a person who doesn’t know God or believe in God comes to the opinionated, self-interested mindset of the liberal but what staggers the imagination is how anyone can ignore the results of such thinking. Are we better off as a society than we were before the free-thinking revolution of the sixties? Back then kids didn’t carry guns to school and shoot other kids. As far as I know, back then it was a crime to not pay your taxes, if convicted you would probably go to jail. (Today I’m beginning to wonder how many of our elected leaders actually pay their taxes? When caught, none of them seem to do any time.) Back then TV shows were predominately about families, Mom, Dad and the kids. Rights belonged to the honest bill paying citizens not the criminals. Everyone knew what was meant by the term “bad girl” and abortions were considered back alley wicthcraft.

          I understand that everyone has a belief system. Even athiests make a religion out of believing in nothing. It’s important to understand that everyone thinks their belief system is the right one. Muslims believe they have a holy cause, Mormons believe in wearing the holy underwear, Shintos believe their possessions have spirits and liberals believe in their agenda as well. The problem is simply this; any thought or belief based upon anything other than the Word of God is just an opinion.Only the God of the Bible, the Judeo-Christian Father can be proven reliable, true and absolute. Try and find any other belief system that can offer evidence to sustain it’s existence. Without evidence to back them up coupled with the fact that no other religous belief offers the peace of dwelling forever with a God that loves you, makes you wonder what anyone sees or desires in any of these systems.

          The sad fact is that many liberals also claim to be Christian. It makes me think they fail to truly understand Christianity. If you oppose the public display of the commandments does that mean you think they shouldn’t be followed? I guess a good day in the life of a liberal thinker would be one in which their children would dishonor them, one of the kids might commit murder, their spouse would be found cheating on them, their neighbor would steal their car while lying to cover it up and someone at work would lust after their job. What an opportunity to defend the rights of so many in just one day! My point is simply put. If even a liberal person would not wish to experience such a day why do they so many of them find the Ten Commandments so offensive? Why be so afraid to post them on the walls of the schools? Maybe our children would be influenced by them and refrain from commiting  the violations of numbers 5 through 10 as described above or eventually being the victims of someone else’s transgression.

          I didn’t forget about commandments 1 through 4. They all deal with honoring God. Perhaps if we could get some of our liberal friends to value others as themselves maybe they would eventually value God.  Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into just two. Love God and love each other as yourself. It’s really not that difficult unless your God is other than the God of the Bible!