Wednesday; September 18

I may not look like it, but I am a millionaire many times over.  How is that possible, you might ask?  The answer is simple, the Internet told me.  You see, I have gotten emails that I am a part of class-action suits that will pay me thousands of dollars if I just reply with my social security number.  Even better, I have been contacted by royal families from around the world stating that they are looking to share their wealth with me – all I have to do is send them my banking information.  Yep, if I would just listen to those in the cyberworld I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams!
I hope you got a kick out the previous paragraph because you, too, are millionaires – or at least you could be if you did something advertised through what we all know to be bogus claims.  Very few people take these scams seriously because we have been raised on the credo, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is”.  The problem is that someone, somewhere will believe these hucksters.  That’s how they make their money and how we lose ours!
The point I want to make from this illustration really isn’t about Internet safety, it is about religious teaching.  You see, there are people who are wanting to sell you false claims to benefit their self-interests.  Some of them do it to make a buck, others of them do it to make disciples and I am convinced that some do it because they have personally sold themselves out to satan and he is using them to build his kingdom.  If we don’t want to get sucked into false doctrine let’s remember the adage, “If it seems too good to be true”, but let’s also adhere to the biblical warning, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1).
Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more