Destruction, Control, and Death OR Creation, Submission and Life?

Which of these do you choose? Destruction, Control, and Death OR Creation, Submission and Life? When you really think about it, life on this earth leads to one choice over another. We can choose destruction, or we can choose creation. We can choose control or we can choose to submit to Someone greater than ourselves.  We can choose death or we can choose life. It all leads to a decision.  It all depends on  in Whom one trusts his/her life during one's short, fleeting lifetime on this earth.

I started to think of these contrasts after watching a portion of Glenn Beck's show on T.V. today. Even though I don't agree with everything that Glenn Beck does, says, writes, or theorizes about; I must admit that I am going to miss his T.V. show when he leaves Fox News. He doesn't talk down to his audience. He makes us all think deeply. Often, what he comes up with is quite interesting.  Sometimes, profound.

Glenn's guest today was Michael Scheuer, and their brief conversation was really great and quite educational. Scheuer told the truth. During a discussion about the killing of bin Laden and the sensitivities being bantered about surrounding his death, Scheuer said that the last three presidents have all stated many times that "we are not at war with Islam." However, Scheuer countered that idea with the truth, "Islam is at war with us." That is the truth that so many progressives/liberals just cannot admit. Mr. Scheuer's interview appears in the second segment at "The Daily Beck"  link below. I encourage you to hear the rest of what he had to say.

I also appreciated Glenn's "thinking out loud" segment where he made a circle and fence around our idea of America (which, unfortunately, has been replaced by our "stuff"), and then listed Marxists, Statists, Globalists, and Islamic Sharia law jihadists who want to change what America was, is, and will be in the future. He said:

"We have to stop protecting our stuff. We need a competing idea against all of the above ideologies. Where is the competing idea? They all want to control. We must replace our "stuff" with an idea."

See the second segment over at The Daily Beck for more detail.

Glenn continued,

"All of the outside influences are about destruction and control. That is not what He (God) is about. He (God) is about Creation."

Now, I'm not sure what Glenn will say during tomorrow's show, but I thought that what he pointed out was an in-plain-sight revelation that We The People need to continually realize and utilize as we go through our time on this earth. We will always be battling against "powers and principalities" that are unseen in this world, but we certainly do feel the effects of such wickedness:

Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].


Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Notice that we are to stand in order to withstand the evil of the day. How do we do that? I know of no other way than by standing with the truth - Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life!

With God's Word as our guide, we can show the world what is most important in this life. The battle between good vs. evil, and creation vs. destruction will go on until Christ returns for His Own. This means that in this world Christian believers can expect to be dismissed, rejected, reviled, ignored, persecuted or even killed. However, the last command of Jesus Christ to all of his followers after his Resurrection from the dead (and just before his Ascension back to the Father in heaven) was The Great Commission. He told them (and us) to go out into all the world and tell all peoples of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Mat 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


Mat 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age." Amen.

THAT is what matters most folks!

Our time on this earth is fleeting, but eternity lasts forever. Where one spends eternity depends, ultimately, in how one answers Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?"

Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,


Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;


Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.


Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;


Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--


Eph 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,


Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Outlive Our Earthly Lives

A brief post today, but one that I found especially important and inspiring. In the book of Acts, Peter was being asked by a crippled beggar for some silver or gold coins.

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:4-8)

Max Lucado writes in his new book, Out Live Your Life:

What if Peter had said, "Since I don't have any silver or gold, I'll keep my mouth shut? But he didn't. He placed his mustard-seed-sized deed (a look and a touch) in the soil of God's love And look what happened.

It is interesting to note that the beggar didn't thank Peter for the healing - he at least knew enough to thank God for it!

Other beggars wanted healing. They watched the cripple dance and exclaimed, "I want my healing! Touch me!"

Lucado:

So Peter complied. He escorted them to the clinic of the Great Physician and invited them to take a seat. "His name,...faith in His name, has made this man strong...Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins my be blotted out, so that time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (vv. 16,19)

Blotted out is a translation of a Greek term that means "to obliterate" or "erase completely." Faith in Christ, Peter explained, leads to a clean slate with God. What Jesus did for the legs of this cripple, he does for our souls. Brand-new!

The Bible verse that tells us that we all "fade as a leaf" in this world indicates that our time here is quite brief - especially compared to all of eternity.

Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness's are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

It is because of our iniquities that we needed a Savior, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place in order that we could repent and be reconciled back unto God.

The story from the book of Acts in the Bible demonstrates the absolute fact that salvation is something we take with us, while money, possessions, fame, education, clothing, food, and everything else that we could do, accomplish, earn and utilize on this earth are all temporary; just items that we leave behind at our death.

However, the love of God and our love for others we take with us into God's kingdom! That is why our own personal salvation and the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of salvation for others is our daily duty as Christians.

The final commandment that Jesus gave his followers before he ascended back to God the Father was the Great Commission. (see Matthew 28 below).

Lucado:

An honest look led to a helping hand that led to a conversation about eternity. Works done in God's name long outlive our earthly lives. (bold mine)

Mat 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.


Mat 28:2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.


Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.


Mat 28:4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.


Mat 28:5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.


Mat 28:6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.


Mat 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."


Mat 28:8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.


Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.


Mat 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."


Mat 28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.


Mat 28:12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,


Mat 28:13 saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'


Mat 28:14 "And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."


Mat 28:15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.


Mat 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.


Mat 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.


Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.


Mat 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


Mat 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

NKJV Footnotes:
(28:2) NU-Text omits from the door.
(28:9) NU-Text omits the first clause of this verse.
(28:19) M-Text omits therefore.
(28:20) NU-Text omits Amen.

Hat Tips:

Max Lucado.com: Outlive Your Life book

Blue Letter Bible

What The World Can't Take Away from Carrie Prejean

Carrie Prejean (pronounced pray-ZHAHN') has continued to be in the news because of the answer she gave at the Miss U.S.A. pageant which supported the traditional marriage definition of one man and one woman. Ever since then, people from all sides of the political spectrum have been attempting to crush her spirit, condemn her thoughts, actions, and beliefs, and it appears they won't be happy until she is stripped of her Miss California crown. They want to ruin her completely. Note this comment at the end of the article link:

GreatBallsOfFire

29 seconds ago

Fail, Prejean! Fail!

The trouble is, they can't take away her faith or her spirit. They can't take away her love for God or His love for her. They can't take away her salvation through Jesus Christ. They can't take away the truth she knows through God's Word, the Bible. They can't surpass the love, support and prayers of the Church (believers everywhere). All of this is far more important than some earthly beauty crown.

I thought of Carrie as I read a devotional from Dr. David Jeremiah. In the November issue of Turning Points: The Urgency, Dr. Jeremiah lays out what our mission (meaning, all born-again Christians) on this earth really is. It involves Jesus' last command - The Great Commission.

No matter what happens with Carrie's earthly Miss California crown, NO ONE CAN TAKE HER ETERNAL CROWN OF LIFE which has been given by Jesus Christ at the moment of her conversion.

God has used this woman in an enormous way. Of course, there are going to be those who hate her for her convictions. However, there are MANY MORE who admire her for her steadfast convictions under a great deal of pressure to compromise her faith.

I know that some Christians believe that she has already compromised her faith because of the photos that have surfaced. But how did Jesus react to the woman who was about to be stoned for being caught in the act of adultery - which could be viewed as a far greater sin?

Jhn 8:2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.


Jhn 8:3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group


Jhn 8:4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.


Jhn 8:5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"


Jhn 8:6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.


Jhn 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."


Jhn 8:8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.


Jhn 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.


Jhn 8:10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"


Jhn 8:11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Notice that "the older ones" dropped their stones and left first. I'm sure that they had far more sins on their own souls than the younger ones.

Notice that Jesus did not condemn her - his mission at this time was to preach confession, repentance of sin and ultimately the way of salvation. Judgment (the ultimate kind) will happen at his second coming.

Also, notice that Jesus did not condone her sin. He declared, "Go now and leave your life of sin."

The next verse in John says this:

Jhn 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Jesus was declaring who he is, his authority given to him by the Father to give the perishing "the light of life." This illustration is a kind of mini-gospel.

Of course, the Pharisees challenged Jesus.

Jhn 8:13 The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."


Jhn 8:14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.


Jhn 8:15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.


Jhn 8:16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.


Jhn 8:17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.


Jhn 8:18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

Notice how each time, the people and the Pharisees had an underlying motive to "trap" Jesus. Their goal was to show him (Jesus) as a "disobeyer" of the Law. There was a definite disconnect with what the Law was for regarding the salvation message Christ revealed at his first coming on this earth.

Similarly, there is a disconnect between born-again Christians and the secular world. The trappings and condemnation of this 21-year-old woman was similar to what the people and the Pharisees tried to do against the woman caught in adultery.

Now, on to Dr. Jeremiah's article.

The article is entitled, "Your Mission...Should You Choose to Accept It." It is based on the opening phrase in the 1960's T.V. show "Mission Impossible."

That title implies that the agent had the option of not taking the assignment. Of course for the sake of the show, he always did.

Dr. Jeremiah writes:

Mission Impossible always created a sense of urgency with the execution of the mission. But what if the secret agent had decided not to accept the mission? What would happen? Well, there would have been tragic results. Evil and violent acts would have occurred without confrontation and good people would have been hurt, lost, or even killed. The consequences of inaction would be dire.

[A]s Christians, we have been given a real mission, a mission that is far greater in importance and urgency than any act of fiction in a television show. You may be wondering, "Where exactly is my case file?" Your case file is no man-made piece of work; you have been given the greatest instructional manual of all time, God's Word.

We have witnessed Carrie Prejean's "case file." We have seen a moment in time where her assignment to be a disciple of Christ and witness for God's Word was tested in front of millions of people during a beauty pageant. She chose to tell the truth about God's plan for marriage and despite tons of criticism, ridicule, disparagement, mocking and hatred being spewed by the lost souls of paganism, she did not budge from her convictions. She has done this - no matter what the cost!

As a born-again Christian, her mission (just as it is for all Christians - if we choose to accept it) is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world and proclaim "liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" by the enemy (Luke 4:19).

You see, Carrie knows, in her heart of hearts, that people like Perez Hilton are under captivity and are being oppressed by the enemy of our souls. Her kindness and unwillingness to attack back at Hilton probably infuriates him even more. This is the way of the unregenerate world. They will do ANYTHING to hide their sin and make it something "good" - that it is not - in order to avoid repentance. The cross of Jesus Christ is offensive to those who are perishing! This is why Christians are hated so much. Jesus warned us that they (the unregenerate in the world) will hate us because they hated him first.

The mission that Jesus has given all believers is The Great Commission. We need to have the urgency to reach the lost who are all around us. However, we have a voluntary mission - each believer can choose to embrace the mission - or not.

Dr. Jeremiah:

And if we don't? The results will be the same as if the agent in Mission: Impossible refused his instructions: evil will flourish and people will be lost.

[T]he Great Commission is essentially the same as Christ's own mission: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Before spelling out the Great Commission in detail, He told the disciples, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21).

But His mission was not easy. Jesus had moments of anxiety and suffering. Think about him lying on his face in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, Not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). And remember the mocking He endured on the cross as the crowds sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God" (Luke 23:35).

He easily could have saved Himself, but that would have jeopardized the mission. So He was obedient to His Father's mission, even unto death.

Did you catch what was in the Luke verse above? "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."

Recall how Satan had tempted Jesus to not fulfill His mission?

Jesus could have called down legions of angels to rescue Him from that cross.

But he didn't.

Why?

Because he LOVES US!!!

If Jesus had not died for the remission of our sins, then our sins would remain on every soul that ever lived. Jesus would have re-entered heaven alone.

Jeremiah:

And this very same Christ who died and rose from the dead has commissioned us to continue to do His work until He returns. Could there be any higher calling for us? To accept and follow Jesus' commission is the greatest thing we can do with the time He has given us on this earth. What a privilege! What a responsibility!

We are all sinners in need of the Savior. How awesome is it that Jesus has allowed us imperfect sinners to spread His Gospel worldwide?

Jeremiah:

The Great Commission is recorded in similar terms by Matthew (28:19-20), Mark (16:15-16) and Luke (24:47) and alluded to in Jesus' words in John 20:21.

Though the disciples could hardly have understood the depth of the mission they had been given, Jesus' words in John 14:12 probably began to take on new meaning: "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father." The disciples (past, present, and future) were being commissioned to take Jesus' physical place in the world - to be His hands, feet, and heart to a world growing daily in size.

But Jesus did not leave them powerless to fulfill their mission. He told them he would send a Helper that would abide with them forever. and that Helper came at the celebration of the Feast of Weeks in Jerusalem, also referred to as Pentecost. Jesus had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power they would need to fulfill their mission -- power that would indwell them in the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15ff.; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5).

And what a difference the gift of the Spirit made! The fearful band of disciples who cowered behind closed doors after Jesus' death became men who turned their wold upside down (Acts 17:6) --they and the thousands who joined them day-by-day as the Good News of Christ's resurrection and power spread.

But it would be a mistake to conclude that Christ's mission was given only to The Twelve, His original disciples. That first dozen clearly understood that it applied to all who believe as they went about recruiting other to join them in faith and then in the mission Christ had given them.

As I finished typing this, I noticed that the Trump decision about Miss California has already been announced. No matter which way the decision came down (and I suspect that her pageant crown has been taken away - they already had the Miss California runner-up prepped to take her place); Carrie Prejean is in victory through Christ. Her missionary work for the Gospel has only just begun!

*******

Update:

Christocentric: VIDEO - Miss California Keeps Her Crown and Speaks Out Against Intolerance