What’s Our Problem

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Let’s just face it: bad things happen to us. We are stricken with cancer; we go through messy divorces; we lose people to death; we succumb to bombs and bullets; we hurt, suffer, bleed, and cry. Many people blame God for tragedy, either in a positive way or a negative way. When my cousin died, people told my family that God was keeping her from bad things later in life or he needed another angel for his choir. It’s as if God’s a divine screen writer who has to let bad things happen to characters to advance the story. You’ve heard the platitudes, too. Other people blame God. They say, if God is all-powerful, then why didn’t he stop this from happening? The truth is in neither of these.

God isn’t behind these things: he’s not the author of brokenness. We live in a world polluted by our sin and the sins of others. We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to our own way. We have fallen from the way the Creator intended. And what is the source of our problem: we are.

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Getting Priorities Right

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During the last 100 years of our history there have been tremendous strides made in most phases of our civilization. We have discovered new frontiers in education, science, engineering, space, marketing and many other areas. These changes have brought an increase emphasis on competition between countries, states, schools, cities, companies and individuals. Competition will keep us alert and concerned about doing our best, but it can also have a negative effect on us. We can become so absorbed in what the competition is doing that we begin worrying about things that we are unable to control and can even lapse in to being envious of those who are doing better then we are. This is not the way that a Christian should react, for when we do so, the devil steals our inner joy and peace.Many people in the world and some of these are Christians, will do whatever it takes to be prosperous in their field of endeavor. Psalm 37:1-11 gives us instruction (commands) of how we are to conduct ourselves as well as an insight to the future of those conducting themselves in an unethical manner. This Psalm tells us to “fret not”. The dictionary defines fret as (1) a state of suffering emotional strain and (2) to eat or gnaw into. This scripture admonishes us, as Christians, not to fret or worry and not to be envious of the accomplishments of the workers of iniquity.

This Psalm tells us that the wicked shall be cut down and wither (v2), shall be cut off (v9) and shortly they will not be (v10). For the Christian we find the following principles to put into practice:

1. Trust in the Lord and do good in order to dwell in the land He will provide for you. (v3)

2. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart, for your desire will be to be in His will. (v4)

3. Commit your way unto the Lord and trust in Him and He shall bring forth your righteousness. (vs. 4,5)

4. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. (v 7)

5. Do not be angry and harbor no wrath. Do not consider doing any evil. (v

By obeying these commands given in the scriptures, the meek shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in an abundance of peace. Remember - Don’t fret for God is working on your behalf!

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Created for Fellowship

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Sometimes it is hard to understand and remember that God created us for His pleasure and for fellowship with Him, but it is true. The fact that God put Adam and Eve in charge and walked and talked with them in a close and personal relationship and that He was very pleased with them should give us all cause to believe that God wants the pleasure of fellowship with us.

Because God is a Holy and Righteous God, He took no pleasure in Adam and Eve’s disobedience and could no longer fellowship or dwell with Evil. Paradise was lost, and Adam and Eve were banished as were all who would come after them. God wanted the pleasure of our company so badly that He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross so that our fellowship with Him might be restored.

Through faith in Jesus Christ the barrier of sin has been removed and we are once again the “apple of God’s eye” and a source of pleasure to Him.

God desires the pleasure of the company of all who will freely and willingly receive the gift of eternal life by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is an invitation we dare not refuse. The grace that saves is also the grace that empowers us to be a source of pleasure to God as we live our lives walking and talking in close fellowship with Him.

The pleasure of God’s company is manifested by the power of His presence in every area of life for those who truly believe.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation. “Psalm 149:4

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Christmas Music

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I was at Subway yesterday, and they had Christmas music playing over the radio. I tuned my car radio to 103.7 (in Dallas) and, sure enough, Mariah Carey was belting out a holiday diddy.

While I’m not ready for Christmas, or Advent for that matter, you have to check out Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God.” It is phenomenal. I think one of the best Christmas/Advent albums of all times. This is no Bing Crosby or Beach Boys Christmas album. You won’t know most of the songs, at first. But the selections leave you wanting listen to the songs about 5000 times. You can listen to the entire album on his web site, as well as view the lyrics (the audio quality isn’t near CD levels). But I’d encourage you to buy it (christianbook.com, andrew-peterson.com). He’s doing a concert in Richardson on Nov. 30.

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Caveat Emptor, um, MovieGoer

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I’ve received several emails about the movie “The Golden Compass,” based on a series of popular children’s books by Philip Pullman.  I’m sure you have, too. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the books and the movie, and most of the information circulating is true, hyped up, but mostly true.

For more info, check out Ben Witherington’s blog from Tues.

Peter Hitchens, a British commentator, (no relation to the atheist of the same name) calls Pullman the most dangerous author in Britain. Whether dangerous or not, he is certainly popular, and his novels have won various awards. The first in the trilogy we are concerned with, called ‘Northern Lights’ has now been made into a movie entitled ‘Golden Compass’ and released just in time for the Christmas rush season. Hollywood can of course do what it wants, but Christians have no obligation to support films with an atheistic, or better said strongly anti-theist point of view.

What do you think? Do you plan to see the film? What should be a “Christian response?”

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