Monday; August 2

One of the things I have struggled with over the last year and a half is the lack of reliable information that has been presented. From the beginning there has been information, misinformation, mistakes and some out-and-out lies about issues. While this is bad enough on its own, when this information is filtered down through additional opinions, beliefs and agendas; things tend to get even more muddled. The fact that there is a lot of uncertainty hasn’t stopped us as a society from spreading our thoughts and beliefs. What I have found is that the more we “suppose” and support our suppositions, the more confusing things get.
While this issue frustrates me as we deal with COVID, there is another place where it is even more dangerous. Have you ever thought about why there are so many “versions” of Christianity? How can a teaching based on a single point of influence be so diverse and divisive? The answer typically comes with the opening line, “In my opinion …”. The issue is less about what the Bible says and more about what we say about what they Bible says. When we intermingle our opinions with the truth we are apt to disseminate misinformation – and when we venture too far away from the Source, we are almost certain to lead some people away and frustrate others!
What would happen if we got back to the basic truth? What if we allowed the Bible to speak for itself? We aren’t the first people to deal with this. John observed, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” (John 14:31-32). I am not sure we will ever get to the unadulterated truth about our current sickness, but I do know we can find the truth that will cure sin if we just take the time to look it up in the infallible Word of God.

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