Sunday, September 23, 2012

Destiny: Frog or Follower?


There was a frog that absolutely knew his destiny was to turn in to a handsome young prince. But for confirmation, he decided to visit a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller brought the frog in and gazed into her crystal ball. She said, “Oh, I see something. You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.”
      The frog gets very antsy, “Yes, I knew it. I’m going to become a prince.”
      The fortuneteller continues, “From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you--you’ll fascinate her."
      The frog is very excited. He asks, “Where am I? At a party? A restaurant? A book store?”
      The fortuneteller answers, “No, Biology class.”

The frog BELIEVED he was on the path to happiness, fortune, position and glory.  With ALL HIS HEART he believed.  He so believed that even as the fortune teller described his future the amphibian was seeing what he wanted to see, hearing through the lens of the believed destiny.  He filled in the blanks with pictures that came from desire rather than truth.  His belief actually blinded him to truth.  Wow!

Did the fact that he believed with all his heart change his destiny?  Nope.  Truth was still true.

How many of us see our future through the lens of desire rather than truth?  It paints a picture that is wonderful but is a fairy tale. 

There is a popular religious philosophy called “Universalism” that paints a fairy tale picture. And that fairy tale is embraced by many.  Universalism states that everyone will eventually go to Heaven. Everyone, without exception, will be reconciled with God and enjoy eternity in everlasting blessedness.  Sounds appealing because we don’t like to think of anyone we care about missing Heaven and entering Hell.  But what does truth say?  Over and over in Jesus’ teaching and that of the other New Testament writers we read that ONLY those who turn to God will go to Heaven.  In fact, Jesus says it is only a comparable FEW!!  Jesus’ words, not mine.


“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
  
Who are the "few" who find the road that leads to Heaven?  Read on.

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

Those who KNOW Jesus and, as a result, do the will of God are the few who go to Heaven.  Exclusively.

Fairy tale or truth. 

Someday we will stand before He Who is THE Truth.  Many will face it shocked and wide eyed like the frog as Jesus says “I never knew you” and go to eternal pain in Hell. Few will feel their hearts jump when Jesus welcomes them into Heaven.  At that point, all that matters is TRUTH.

What are you living?  Seriously, don’t get smug and flippant.  Take a hard look.  Are you really, really doing the desires of God out of loving relationship?  No excuses, no “oh, God will understand,” no twisting Jesus’ words even a little bit.  Simply a very hard look into TRUTH.  Better now than later.

Because the truth is what matters. 

Frog or follower? 

Boldly, Herb

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Romney, Obama and 180 degrees


If a Jupiterian (is that a word?), a person from Jupiter visited earth during the month of August 2012, he/she/it would have lived an interesting experience.

One week he/she/it would have discovered that, according to the roar of the crowds in Tampa, that Mitt Romney has all the answers for America to move toward Utopia in the next four years.  And that the nation is cheering madly for him.  And that Barack Obama has no answers and no supporters.

The next week he/she/it would have discovered that, according to the roar of the crowds in Charlotte, that Barack Obama has all the answers for America to move toward Utopia in the next four years.  And that the nation is cheering madly for him.  And that Mitt Romney has no answers and no supporters.

180 degrees from one another.  Completely opposite messages, completely opposite platforms, completely opposite support.

Or so it would seem.  But look more closely with me.  Pull back the veneer, get out the magnifying glass and what we will see is an embedded, generally accepted, taken for granted message shared by both.

I know, I know.  Some of you are thinking I was in the August sun too long.  Yet the message is the same.

Ready?  “The answers to life can be found in this world.  The human spirit is enough to turn around all our problems to have a healthy, prosperous, enjoyable life.”  Granted, they have different paths, but the same message.

180 degrees from reality.

This world is broken and human beings have been trying to fix it with their knowledge and skill for eons.  How’s that working for us?  Tower of Babel, Roman Empire, Constantine’s hijacking of Christianity, Middle Ages, industrial revolution, atomic energy and on and on it goes.  The human race has developed an incredible ability to take what is good and break it.

180 degrees from what we really want.

The answers are available… but not from this world.  After thousands and thousands of years doesn’t it just make LOGICAL sense (beyond spiritual) to try something different?  That is the definition of insanity, you know.  But we have also developed the incredible ability to deny truest reality and keep trying to figure it out and fix it.

I wonder what the Jupiterian’s report to HQ would be.  Ponder for a moment what God says.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)

“… so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:5 (NIV)

 “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Luke 16:15b (NIV)

 We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

180 degrees.  Will you join me in getting smarter by looking to the ONLY ONE with real answers?

Boldly, Herb

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