Not a Warm Fuzzy Post

A little while ago I saw this article on line about a guy who thought he was pretty tough, apparently, so he called out a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter online, repeatedly. After a while the fighter offered to meet the guy and fight. They met and off course the MMA fighter easily beat the living snot out of the online big mouth. I have no idea why this normal guy thought he could take on a real MMA fighter, but, arrogance can get you into a lot of trouble. 

I think many people today want to set themselves up as equal with God and sort of call him out on the basis of how they see reality. Atheists love to set up their version of what they think the Bible teaches or how they choose to view reality as the obvious way to see things. I find the fact that atheists want to blame the God they don't believe in and choose not to obey, for all the results of those choices. 

God is Sovereign and he does what he wants. He is also just and merciful.  Romans 9 reminds us that God has his plan and he will do what is right because he is Sovereign Lord. I don't fully understand God's will or his ways, but, I do understand that he is Sovereign Lord over everything and I am not. He does what he wants, not what I want. He is not a cosmic Santa Claus giving me everything I want just because I say a magic prayer. He has given all people a choice to believe in him and recognize him as Sovereign Lord. Some think they will stand before him and list their grievances and all that they perceive as unjust and God will be unable to answer. Remember the online bigmouth. 

This is not a warm fuzzy post. This is a check. Check myself. Check yourself. God sent his One and Only Son to die on our place, for our sins. Then, with his power, raised Christ from the dead. No other so-called god, messiah, savior or religious leader has an empty tomb. To be blunt: if you can't die and raise yourself from the grave, your not God Almighty, Sovereign Lord. 

The Day of the Scoffers

First of all, you must understand that in the last day scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires." 

II Peter 3:3

It is as if the Apostle Peter foresaw the twenty first century, the world as we know it today. Atheist's demand that people of faith stop mentioning God on nearly a daily basis. Go to Hot on Google! and you will find someone raging about the evils of Christians and mocking Christians for not believing in their cartoon religion/science dogma known as evolution. 

According to revisionist history every evil ever done was because someone acted in the name of their god. They blame the god they don't believe in for the evil that is the natural outcome of mankind choosing to deny God. 

This world mocks the idea of a literal interpretation of the Bible which states that God created the world in seven days. They scoff at the second coming of Christ. They "forget" that God created and will judge the world.  

Here's the deal: the world mocks out of arrogance and ignorance. We believe and trust in Christ's faithfulness in humility and faith (being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see - Hebrews 11:1). 

Father, help us to stand strong in our faith with hope and certainty in Christ. Praise be to you in us today!

ARE CHRISTIANS SIMPLEMINDED?

"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
     and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 
 but whoever listens to me will live in safety 
     and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV)

I recently responded to a post by an atheist. What I said was that I found it funny that so many people who don't believe in God talk a lot about a god. Of course there were a few "responses" that assumed things like I believed in a state endorsed church. What I did not read was a rational statement about what an atheist believes about anything. 

Here's the deal: if you reject God, the simplicity of your denial and the arrogance of your self assuredness will lead to self destructive actions, the end of which will be answering to God at the final judgement. 

In contrast, listening to God and living according to the truth will lead to peace and in the end eternal life in his Presence.  

To the world we may seem like ignorant fools, but, the fear of the Lord is anything but ignorance and the avoidance of knowledge. In Proverbs 1:29 (which sets the context for the verses 32-33) we are told, "Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD." Rejecting God and hating knowledge go hand in hand. Listening to God leads to knowledge, safety and peace. 

Listen to God. Fear God. Live according to the Truth. Be blessed.

Father, help us to live in the fear of the Lord, not the fear of man. May your Presence lead us in peace. Praise be to you in us today!

TIME TO SHUT IT DOWN: Titus 3:9

"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless." Titus 3:9

If you have ever been involved in an online "discussion" with someone with an opposing viewpoint,  then you probably have a pretty good idea what this verse is talking about. Most of the time people just write whatever pops into their minds without really thinking about it. Frankly, most people are trained to think anymore and it shows in what they write. I thought I was involved in a decent conversation with an atheist about two weeks ago. But, he just kept avoiding responding to anything that would cause him to evaluate why he actually held any of his beliefs. It was time to shut it down. 

The point is to be wise. Know when it is time to not say something. Sometimes silence makes people listen to not only what they said or what they were going to say, but, it also allows God to speak.

Father, give us wisdom to know when and when not to speak. Praise be to you in us today!

THE GOSPEL ON TWITTER/ Titus 2:11

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." Titus 2:11

I was engaged with someone on Twitter the other day concerning God and why there is evil in the world. The guy was sort of arguing that evil in the world is really God, if you believe in God, so therefore how can one believe in a God who allows or commits evil. I just think that if a person is an atheist, who by definition doesn't believe in God, can't bring up something they don't believe exists. So, if someone ia an atheist and God is out of the equation, how do they explain evil, or good for that matter? 

Here's the deal: to this atheist, whom I do pray God reveals himself to, the grace of God is revealed to him, even on Twitter. I also Tweeted to him that my belief in God leads me to value him, even if he disagrees with me, because he (in my world view as a Christian) is created in the image of God, and was worth dying for. 

He of course avoided that and wanted to dialogue about why someone would believe in such a "fantastical" book. 

The grace of God that brings salvation appears to all men. Sometimes through some odd ways, but, God ordained nonetheless. I just pray that my interactions, however they may appear, will bring grace and salvation to all men.

Father, help us to always be ready to give a reason for the hope within us and give us wisdom at the moment we need it to know what to say and how to say it with grace. Praise be to you in us today!