Life's Crazy Bounces

by John Stallings

If you’re like most people, you’ve never heard the name Coleman Mockler.

His story is told in Jim Collin’s excellent book, “Good to great.” The book tells about men who took good companies that people never expected to be more than average & made them great.

Though the name Coleman Mockler probably doesn’t ring a bell, you have no doubt heard the name of the company he made great, especially if you are a man & you shave. The company of which I speak is Gillette.

During Mockler’s tenure as CEO of Gillette, he steadied the company through three hostile takeovers all on the promise of a series of products that might prove profitable. These products were the Sensor & the Mach3. Now when Mockler did all this, these well known brands were in development & it was his determination & leadership that kept Gillette from being just another good company bought & sold to gain market share.

With his patience, Gillette became great. Mockler was a shy & unassuming man, & with his success also came a degree of fame. Forbes magazine came knocking & when they couldn’t agree about a picture of him to run with their article, they used a cartoon of him in the image of Conan the barbarian, showing him conquering all his competitors.

Mockler had the picture in his hands, seeing it for the first time as he walked in the halls of his office & had a heart attack still grasping the picture. He died that day.

LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS MOVE ALONG THE PATH WE ANTICIPATE.

Look at King David. When he was made king he had every reason to believe all would be right with the world but his first wife grew to hate him. Who better to be king than the man who’d started as a boy giant-killer, was a sensitive poet, a great warrior & leader of men?

Then his father-in-law was bent on killing him, his second marriage started off in adultery, murder & the loss of a child. His daughter was raped by her brother & then this son was killed by another brother. His wickedly vengeful son Absalom starts a civil war ousting David & taking his stepmothers as wives.

We’ve all heard of the providence of God. Though the word isn’t found in most modern translations, in English the word “Providence” has two parts. Its “pro” & “Video” put together, literally meaning “to see before.” It refers to God’s gracious oversight of the universe. The word’s deepest meaning is: God not only knows the big picture, He also concerns Himself with the tiniest details.

The title of this blog, “Life’s crazy bounces” may trouble you at first because we are taught that nothing happens to the child of God in a “happenstance way.” And that is true. God’s people don’t just bounce around helplessly with no rhyme or reason to their experience. Very true. So the correct idea is that “bouncing” is a word or concept we mortals use to explain what our life experience sometimes feels like. But from God’s perspective, we’re all on a divine time-clock experiencing exactly what He has planned for us to experience.

GOD UPHOLDS ALL THINGS,
GOD GOVERNS ALL THINGS,
GOD DIRECTS ALL THINGS,
GOD ATTENDS TO ALL DETAILS,
GOD DOES IT ALL FOR HIS GLORY.

God doesn’t roll dice. Nothing happens in God’s world by chance.

God is in charge of what happens, when it happens, how it happens, why it happens & even what happens after it happens. This is true of all events from the beginning of time. He does this for our good & His glory. God isn’t the author of sin yet evil serves His purpose. He doesn’t violate our free-will yet free will serves His purpose. We’re not supposed to understand all this; we’re just supposed to believe it.

1. WE’RE READY FOR LIFE’S CRAZY BOUNCES WHEN WE TRULY BELIEVE GOD'S IN CONTROL OF OUR LIVES.

Have you ever heard the saying, “God moves in mysterious ways?” Many people think it’s a scripture verse but in reality it’s from a song written in the 1800s by an Englishman named William Cowper. Here’s the first phrase;

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS
HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM,
HE PLANTS HIS FOOTPRINTS IN THE SEA
AND RIDES UPON THE STORM.

Although the Bible doesn’t actually contain this verse, the principle is everywhere between its covers.

God takes time in His Word telling us the stories of men whose lives dramatize the fact that He isn’t a time-dweller. He’s not a senile old fuddy-duddy, He never gets in a hurry nor is He always scurrying around trying to catch up.

I heard about a man who was praying & said, “God, is it true that a million dollars is about the same as a penny in your sight?” God answered, “Yes, it’s true.” Then the man asked, “God is it true that a minute is about the same to you as a thousand years?” God answered again that this was true. The man then asked, “God will you give me a million dollars?” God answered, “Of course, in a minute.”

God’s ways, His thoughts & His schedule differs greatly from ours & He wants us to understand this fact.

JOSEPH

Joseph is one of the best examples of a young man whose life was subjected to many crazy bounces. If anyone could say they experienced rejection it would be Joseph. He was one of Jacob’s twelve sons, & was in the line of the great patriarchs of God’s people. Joseph was also from a long line of unhealthy family favoritism, as matter of fact he was caught up in one of the worst cases of sibling rivalry ever.

Talk about dysfunctional families. Joseph grew up in a home torn by the conflict of two wives vying for their husband Jacob’s attention. The rivalry escalated when Jacob began to favor Joseph the first son of his favorite wife Rachel. This smells bad already, right? Oh yeah, troubles brewing here.

Joseph was too young & immature to deflect in any way the favoritism his father showed toward him; in fact he seemed to relish it. He wore the flashy coat his father gave him & actually flaunted it telling his brothers about his dreams of the future when one day people would bow down to him, including them.

Not surprisingly the anger Joseph’s brothers felt grew into hatred & when they got their chance they threw him in a pit, finally selling him into slavery. For Joseph it well might have seemed his life was over but God had other plans for him. To use baseball terminology, it might have seemed he’d bounced out of the park & out of play. Things went from bad to worse for a few years but in God’s time Joseph won the favor & respect of the great Pharaoh whose dreams he interpreted & eventually he was made second in command in all of Egypt.

This seemingly crazy bounce played into God’s plan for Joseph to be instrumental in saving many lives in the years to come through his wise stewardship of Egypt’s grain reserves. As the story unfolds, many years later his brothers visited Egypt to buy grain to take back home to Canaan. They didn’t recognize Joseph but he recognized them & when he revealed his identity to them they were shocked & terrified.

But what does Joseph say to them? He absolves them from blame or responsibility & tells them it was God who’d sent him to Egypt to save many from starvation. After what appeared to be nonsensical bounces in the life of Joseph, a divine plan & pattern finally snapped into focus.

And likewise, God has plans for each of us.

As Joseph’s story closes his father died which gave the brothers further cause to fear for their lives. But Joseph reassured them that the providence of God was at work through it all & said to them;

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done to save the lives of multitudes.”


MOSES

The life of Moses was also a study in crazy bounces. He started off a basket case. By all accounts he should have been dead. He was in the equivalent of a Hebrew refugee camp. Moses was abandoned by his parents under threat of the State. The pharaoh king fearful of the sheer number of the Israeli population ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill any boy babies as soon as they were born. He of course expected this to be carried out, but Moses was spared. Moses was part of a despised minority [baby boys] so despised in fact they were victims of legalized murder.

A question arises here; why did God wait until Pharaoh decides to kill all male infants before Moses is born? Why didn’t God just allow His deliverer to be born before Pharaoh decided to kill all the Hebrew male babies?

Think about it this way; the lethal environment into which Moses was born provided an opportunity for a Hebrew child to be raised by the daughter of Pharaoh. The man who was going to take 2,000,000 stiff-necked people through a hostile desert for 40 years, meet face to face with Pharaoh as God’s spokesman & write the first five books in the Bible required a very special kind of training & the development of some unique abilities.

So God arranges a set of circumstances wherein a Hebrew mother places a perfectly healthy beautiful child into a wicker basket which would end up in the possession of the daughter of Pharaoh who raises him in a manner fitting royalty. Think about the utter improbability of a baby boy born to a hated Hebrew slave receiving grooming required to do all that God had planned for Moses. Yet it’s no problem for God because He’s sovereign.

Moses was banished to oblivion in the bleak "desert university" for forty years until God called him one day out of a burning bush. This calling was the continuation of a life that was marked by ups & downs. We’re told that after a long life of 120 years, Moses died secure in the arms of God.

He came a long way from the wicker basket & passed on in accordance with God’s timetable for him. He must have marveled as he looked back over his life & all that God had wrought through him. And let’s not forget, before he died Moses was still robust enough to climb Mt. Nebo in the land of Moab, a mountain that’s extremely high. He hadn’t sat on the sidelines of life & though he wasn’t perfect we are told after his departure, --No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”

2. WE’RE READY FOR LIFE'S CRAZY BOUNCES WHEN WE BELIEVE GOD IS KEEPING SCORE & WILL SETTLE ALL ACCOUNTS IN HIS TIME.

We live in a day when it’s possible for anyone to write a book. Some of the most unsavory of characters have written books & made millions. Victims of crimes have written books telling their side of the story. O.J Simpson has written a book as have members of his jury. Even O.Js prosecutors have written book. Books are written on romance, science fiction, drama, poetry, & there are biographies and autobiographies. Some books are written to enlighten the public, others are written to confuse them.

It seems everyone wants to write a book including me & some books that are written are actually worth reading. I spent a lot of money over the years before I woke up to realize you’re blessed if you get one or two nuggets out of the average book, the rest aren’t worth a whole lot. Some books are extremely important, while others don’t say much at all.

I’ve never had a book written exclusively about me but two of my songs are included in books telling the back-story of the song. This is humbling on more than one level.

Did you know that your life story is being recorded? Well it is. You say, “Brother, my life is so boring no one would write about me.” Oh but you’re wrong. The devil loves for people to think no one is watching & that no one cares what they do or say. But the devil is a liar. You are so important God is writing your life story every moment. Most people aren’t aware that God has that much interest in them but He does. God is a God of justice & He’s going to be very honest in His book about you & me.

The reason God is writing about us is there’ll come a day in which we’ll have to stand before Him & there’ll be no denying anything God chooses to bring to light. Now I don’t profess to know how God keeps His records I just know He does it.

In 1 Cor.3:11-15 Paul tells us that we who are saved will appear at the Judgment seat of Christ to be judged according to our works. This of course isn’t to be confused with the Great white throne judgment where sinners will be judged & punishment will be meted out. The child of God won’t have to worry about being lost when he comes to this judgment, but we’ll all be judged according to our works.

If you study Paul’s words here, the only concern for the Christian is that his works will be burned if God finds they weren’t done out of the right motivation. God will determine if our works are wood, hay & stubble or gold, silver & precious stones.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay & stubble.

Every man’s work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

If any man’s work shall be burned he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.—1 Cor.3:11-15Notice our work won’t be judged by what SIZE it is but what SORT it is. We’ll also be judged as to our attitude, aspirations, & abilities. Our works will be presented before God on that day & He’ll take His Holy Ghost blow torch & hit our pile of works with it. If it can stand up under the fire, then we’ll receive a reward.

Years ago I read a book entitled, “The thimble crown.” The writer depicts a man who thought he had so much to present to God, down on his knees trying to find the small amount of his life’s work after God’s judgment fire had hit it. Then in the story, the man was presented with a crown, but it was the size of a thimble.

This should give us all pause, that the things we do, we do for the glory of God.

3. WE’RE READY FOR THE CRAZY BOUNCES OF LIFE WHEN WE DON’T LET THEM STOP US FROM DOING WHAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD BE DOING.

Let me tell you the story of a strapping young eighteen year old Greek man named Marcus Engels. Several years ago Marcus was riding in a car one night with some other young people in the Saint Louis Missouri area when their car was struck by a drunk driver. Marcus was left legally & permanently blind by the accident.

When the dust settled from the tragic wreck, Marcus was forced to accept the hard cold reality that a lifetime of blindness loomed ahead of him. However, instead of allowing himself to be enveloped by grief, Marcus determined to fight his way out of his set of his circumstances & be a whole person. He’s certainly more than made good on that vow.

Today, fourteen years later Marcus is indeed a shining example of what can happen when a person refuses to give in to self-pity & despair. The reason I know about Marcus is, he’s my son-in-law. He’s one of the nations leading motivational speakers, speaking annually to multitudes in schools & other venues, challenging young & old alike to be all they can be, by God’s grace in spite of their setbacks.

I know you’ll forgive me if I seem to be biased but I know of no greater example than Marcus of what can be done in a life touched by unforeseen bounces. He doesn’t need my endorsement or help of any kind from me, but since I felt his story so fit this article he has graciously allowed me to use it.

If you’d like to know more about Marcus you can pull up the address below & be further informed. If you take a moment to look at Marcus’ website I know you’ll be happy you did for Marcus is one the most inspiring young men in America today.

www.marcusengel.blogspot.com

4. WE’RE READY FOR THE BOUNCES OF LIFE WHEN WE BELIEVE---- HE WHO HAS STARTED A GOOD WORK IN US WILL COMPLETE IT.

Paul said,--being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…… Phil.1:6

Paul knew what it was to be on a roller coaster ride in his life experience. He had learned to be the big dog or to be considered a complete flop. He knew how to have everything or how to have nothing. Paul could take it all in stride because he understood the sovereignty of God & had all faith that He would finish every work He started.

Sometimes Paul soared to great heights & sometime he plummeted to the depths.

Listen to some of Paul’s life in his own words;

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night & a day have I been in the deep;

In journeyings often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

In weariness, & painfulness, in watchings often, in cold & nakedness, beside those things that are without that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. --2 Cor.25-28Paul gives us a verse of verses when he tells us;--We know that all things work together good for those who love God who are the called according to his purpose.—Romans 8:28

As Christians we believe that God holds the future in His hands. We believe that God’s Will in human history --will ultimately be done. The only problem is that so many times we just cannot see it, & are tempted to doubt that all things work together for good.

There are many times when we’ll not see the good even if it were right under our nose. We have to accept that our notion of what is good may not always square with what God calls good in His divine wisdom & infinite understanding.

Won’t it be a wonderful day when we’re finally be able to see it & say, “Ah! Now I understand?"

Sometimes life is a tapestry, a weaving, a quilt. If we look at it from the backside all we see is a confusing jumble of knots & threads & colors. It seems chaotic without rhyme or reason. We don’t always see what God’s hand is creating.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God who are called according to His purpose. That promise is our anchor in this troubling & confusing world. That promise is our security, our comfort, our hope.

“HE MAKETH NO MISTAKE.”

My father’s way may twist & turn my heart may throb & ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray; my hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead, for He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem that day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith my all in Him, He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see, my eyesight’s far too dim,
But come what may I’ll simply trust, and leave it all to Him.

For by and bye the mist will lift, and plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way though dark to me, He maketh no mistake.

By A.M Overton

Blessings,


John

What Condition Is Your Condition In?

By John Stallings


You’re stale, you’re stagnate, you make me want to vomit.—Rev.3:16—The Message


There was once a great Bible scholar who was appointed by his denomination to be in charge of quality control for his organization’s educational ministries.

One of the ways he did this was to drop in unannounced at local churches & attend children’s Sunday classes.

One day he was in a class for boys when he decided to ask one of his standard questions, this one about Jericho. He blurted out, “Who caused the walls of Jericho to fall down?” There was dead silence for several seconds. Finally a little boy spoke up: “I don’t know but it wasn’t me.”

Well, the visiting dignitary about lost it all. He was horrified. He turned to the teacher in the presence of the kids & asked: “What have you been doing in this class? I asked who caused the walls of Jericho to fall, & the only response I get is, I don’t know but it wasn’t me.”

The teacher looked thoughtful for a few seconds, & then she said, “Well, I’ll tell you. I’ve known Johnny all his life if that boy says he didn’t do it then he didn’t do it.”

The visiting expert was doubly distressed to see that this terrible ignorance existed even on the church educational staff. After the Sunday service he took his case to the pastor & told him the whole story. The pastor called an emergency board meeting. After it was over he called the expert & said, “Well, here’s what we’ve decided. We’ve known Johnny & his teacher for a long time & we don’t think they’d lie to us.

To be frank we don’t really believe Johnny did it either so we’ve decided to charge the walls off to “miscellaneous building expenses” & forget it.”

Kind of a cute little story but it’s built on a basic reality pointing up the lack of Bible knowledge many people have, even some who sit in church Sunday after Sunday.

Like the song Kenny Rogers sang, once in a while we need to ask-what condition our [spiritual] condition is in. What about the verve & zest of our daily walk with God?

LESSONS FROM LAODICEA

Tucked away at the end of the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul speaks of the church at Loadicea. He asks that when his letter is read, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans.

We know that the Laodiceans heard & likely treasured this letter. It’s a credit to them that they understood apostolic revelation. That’s good because a more majestic picture of Christ can’t be offered than the one found in Colossians 1-2. A clearer statement on biblical sanctification & Christian growth can’t be found than Colossians 3-4.

Yet for all of the spiritual blessing heaped on them some 30 years later they had grown smug, arrogant & self-dependent. Numbed by materialism, they met with the sternest rebuke of Christ in the letters to the churches in Asia Minor.

In the book of Revelation there are letters written by John to “seven churches which are in Asia.” But of course the words were Christ’s words. These weren’t denominations but rather separate local churches. John wrote to these churches regarding “things which must shortly come to pass” & events that would be “hereafter” These churches are identified as Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia & Laodicea. Each of these churches is addressed in chapters two & three.

Two of the churches are commended without any rebuke or indication of resident sin, Smyrna & Philadelphia. Five had sin & repentance was needed. Absent repentance, their “candlestick” or light would be removed. These seven churches are selected because they seem to represent every possible condition of local churches & the instructions given them applies to all churches in like conditions.

The Laodicean church is undoubtedly in the worst condition of all the churches, although outwardly it appeared to be in great shape.

Laodicea was the wealthiest of the seven cities known for its banking industry, & its manufacturing of black wool & a medical school that produced eye ointment. So rich was this city that when an earthquake almost destroyed it in 60 AD, its wealthy citizens refused imperial help in rebuilding the city, choosing rather to do it entirely by themselves. The people of Laodicea were well heeled & flaunted it.

The only downer about the place was their lack of good water. The city of Hierapolis was only seven miles away & they were famous for their hot springs. The city of Colosse was about ten miles away & they had cool mountain water. Loadicea had to build a six-mile aqueduct & by the time the water arrived it was lukewarm & insipid, filled with minerals & chemicals. The water was noted to make people gag when they tried to drink it & sometimes they vomited.


Slowly over the years the culture of this city became the culture of the church & because of their riches, they became comfortable & complacent.

LET’S DROP IN FOR A VISIT THE NIGHT THE LAODICEANS RECEIVED THEIR LETTER FROM JESUS.

The letter as heard for us through the ears of a church member named Robert.

Robert arrived just as the meeting was starting. It had been a hectic day at work but he wasn’t going to miss this evening. The church was packed because everyone knew there would be the reading of “the letter” tonight & they were all looking forward to it.

Robert had heard about the letters the other churches had received & some of them had gotten a royal roasting. But as he thought about it, he felt they’d be O.K. He wasn’t aware of any sexual immorality in the fellowship, at least not like those guys in Pergamos & Thyatira. They had the riot act read to them but Robert was sure his church would be spared.

There wasn’t any false teaching here & the people didn’t get excited about every new fad that came along. The sermons weren’t all that exciting but at least they weren’t going to lead anyone astray.

The Smyrnans had been warned that they’d be persecuted & maybe even sent to prison but Robert knew he’d leave the church if it came to that. He wasn’t going to put his career at risk over religion. But, not to worry, Laodicea was a peaceful town & wasn’t the sort of place where that kind of thing happened.

No, nothing negative was going to happen tonight, not at this church. After all they had the biggest & most beautiful church in the area, the best dressed choir & the people of the church were all upscale folk. He thought they’d probably get about the same letter the good folk at Philadelphia got last week; that was rather encouraging stuff.

The pastor is starting to read… “The words of the Amen, the faithful & true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.”— “hey not a bad start” Robert thought.

The pastor continued. “To the church at Laodicea! I know exactly what you’re like. And frankly you make me sick. You think you’re so great but you are useless. Your self-satisfaction just makes me want to throw up.”

You could have heard a marshmallow fall on a carpet. The stunned silence held for a minute & then the people started glaring at each other.—“How dare He!”—they whispered ferociously to one another. “After all we’ve done.”

Robert just sat in silence, reeling from the blow. After all, there were no false teachings that are mentioned in the letter. It may not have been an alive & excited church but it certainly wasn’t a dead church. It wasn’t thriving neither was it dying.

We’ll come back to Robert a bit later.

The Laodiceans weren’t “risk takers” but they weren’t comatose either. The church was well within the range of evangelical respectability. You might say it was sort of normal. It was a safe place to have your membership. No big high-risk plans were on the drawing board in Laodicea. Nothing dynamic was in the offing, just a warm group of people meeting together to share middle class values & a Christian orientation to life in general.

They were just a group of benign believers content to cocoon together with other believers for an hour or so each week. They weren’t frozen & they weren’t fried. They weren’t hot, neither were they cold. Call them tepid, call them lukewarm, [call them irresponsible,] &, Oh, did I mention; call them disgusting in the eyes of Christ.

Jesus literally said, “I’m about to vomit. What’s going on at your church makes me sick to my stomach.” Unlike most of the other six churches, there are no words of commendation for this church. Once we get over the initial shock at what the usually meek & mild Jesus said to these folk we’ll proceed to learn why He felt that way. Before I go further with the Laodiceans, I’d like to ask you a question;

WHAT’S YOUR CONDITION WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITUAL PASSION?
I’m not asking if you like chicken wings or quite walks on the beach. I’m asking “what is your passion?” What pulls you out of bed & keeps you going when there’s very little in the outward circumstance to encourage you?

What can make you burn the midnight oil? What would you do if you didn’t get paid? What would you sacrifice blood sweat & tears for? I’m talking about hunger, thirst, fire, passion & a drive for meaning & achievement in life.

One dictionary defines passion as; “Intense, driven, overmastering feeling of conviction, ardent affection, devotion to some activity, deep desire or interest.”

PASSION comes from the Greek word Pascho which means “to suffer” or “to sacrifice.” Passion is a requirement if we are to be truly successful at any enterprise.

When you think of successful people in any field you automatically think of passion. One of my favorite sports figures is Tiger Woods. Here’s a man who can even make me want to watch a golf game. Tiger’s late father who was a passionate man about golf started exposing Tiger to the game at the age of three. Tiger’s dad would take him out to practice every day for two hours. The passion his father had rubbed off on Tiger & he actually lived to transform the game.

I’ve read that during a tournament when the other players are resting, Tiger will take his coach & go to a private spot to practice. Now that’s passion.

Look at any sports stars in any sport & the same is true. The truly great ones are always the ones who burn with passion for their sport. There’s Mohammad Ali who made me want to watch every fight. There was something about his enthusiasm that captivated me.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan is another man who has a passion for his sport that makes him a “star.” These athletes are people of passion & when you watch them you feel as though they’d play even if they weren’t so handsomely paid.

When we think of Bill gates certainly passion comes to mind. A man of mega-bucks but not only that, we think of a man possessed by computer software & how to make it accessible to as many millions as possible. I’ve heard that when Bill Gates was in school he was always looking out the “windows.”

John 2:17 says that Jesus was literally “eaten- up “with zeal. The word zeal is another word for passion. It’s defines as “eagerness & ardent interest in the pursuit of something.” When Jesus went into the temple to run the money changers out, He wasn’t mad as some have supposed. He sat down & weaved a whip of cords before going into the temple. A man freaking out with a temper fit doesn’t take time to do that. Jesus no doubt was disturbed but the scripture says it was His “passion,” or more literally: He was eaten-up with zeal & passion for His Father’s house.

Passion isn’t the temporary surge of joy a person gets when he/she has just been hired for a new job that will give them more money. Too often when this kind of job has been taken, the good feeling quickly dissipates when the reality of what the job entails sinks in. I’ve heard people say they hated their job so much they got physically sick on Sunday night because they had to go back to work Monday on a job they hated, even though the pay was excellent.

Maybe you left the small job you had because it wasn’t showing the flash you felt you needed but in truth it involved something you were passionate about. Now you may have a good paying job but the passion isn’t there & you hate every minute of it. I’m not deprecating good pay or any kind of work, or saying we have to be giddy & in love with every task we do. Gainful employment is necessary & a person must work to exist. However the truly happy person is the one who has found their life’s work & is so passionate about it that it really doesn’t seem like work.

LET’S LOOK AGAIN AT THE CONDITION OF THE LAODICEAN CHURCH
In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus said, -I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So because you are lukewarm—neither nor cold, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.
Unlike Colosse, whose water was cool & refreshing, & unlike Hierapolis, whose water was hot & healing, the water at Laodicea was lukewarm & hard to swallow. I don’t believe Jesus was saying that He’d want anyone to be openly hostile to him—although at least that would mean they had some emotion.

What Jesus was saying was; you’re all the wrong temperature, you’re passionless & indifferent & don’t take a stand for anything. You’re a group of half-hearted self-sufficient Christians & you’re making me ill.

The church at Laodicea was singing “standing on the promises,” but they were only “sitting on the premises.” They were “so satisfied they were petrified.” They were singing “throw out the lifeline” when they never made it any further than the “close line.” They were probably singing, “I surrender some.” And maybe, “Take my life & let me be.” And the ever beautiful “My hope is built on nothing much.” At the end of their services they’d probably stand & sing “Asleep in Jesus” & pass out.

But before we get too critical of these Laodicean folk, let’s ask ourselves if we’re familiar with any churches that are lukewarm. Most churches are filled with nice people are they not? They are meeting their budget. They are seeing some growth.

THE LAODICEANS DIDN’T SEE THEIR CONDITION

They “didn’t know what condition their condition was in.”

In Revelation 3:17---They say “I am rich; I have acquired wealth & don’t need a thing! ---But Jesus evaluates them & says,--you are wretched & pitiful, blind, poor & naked.

“There is none so blind as he who will not see.” Not only was this Laodicean church indifferent, they were ignorant of their true condition.

Have you ever looked at yourself from the side in a mirror & not been delighted with what you saw? I have. It feels awful, not to mention how it looks. You thought you were okay in the weight department until you got a gander at yourself in that big mirror. You didn’t realize the condition your condition was in until you turned sideways & got that side perspective. You’d been kidding yourself all that time. I hate those mirrors. That side-view never fails to put me back on my diet.

JESUS OFFERS SOME ADVICE TO THESE PEOPLE
“I COUNCIL YOU TO BUY FROM ME GOLD REFINED IN THE FIRE SO YOU CAN BECOME RICH; AND WHITE CLOTHES TO WEAR SO YOU CAN COVER YOUR SHAMEFUL NAKEDNESS—and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.
In a city that had plenty of gold as a source of its wealth Jesus says,

It’s not enough. You need gold from me. In a city known for its manufacture of black wool “You need to get clothes from me. In a city renowned for its manufacture of eye salve Jesus said, come to me for divine vision. You need a renewed spiritual vision so you can see life & eternity for what they are. Your eyes have been blinded by the light of culture but my eye salve works. Come to me realizing that you have no resources of your own you need my salvation & my power to be what you need to be.

JESUS ALSO SAYS, ACCEPT MY DISCIPLINE

Whom the Lord loves He disciplines. Jesus still loves this lukewarm church even though their love for Him has grown cold. Christ wants them to repent & rekindle their love for Him & replace complacency with a renewed zeal.

Revelation 3:20 is one of most graphic pictures of Christ in the Scripture. It’s the picture of Him standing at the door knocking asking to be allowed inside. By all rights, this picture should be reversed & we should be knocking on Jesus’ door, but here He is, in all His grace & mercy, knocking on our door.

We generally use this as an appeal to sinners but as we can see, the context here is lukewarm Christians. It seems Jesus is saying, “I’m the offended, the wronged party. You should be pursuing me but here I am again, seeking you out. I’m extending myself to you, I’m knocking at your door, and I’m taking the initiative.”

What is most astounding about this scene is; Jesus has obviously not even been asked into this church. He isn't included here. He's standing on the outside knocking. This isn't a den of iniquity where Jesus requests to come in to show His love & mercy to the unsaved & unchurched. Rather, this is a church where Jesus is seeking to gain admission.

Though it grieves me to say it, I've been in churches where Jesus' presence wasn't anywhere to be seen or felt. But still He stands desiring to be welcomed in. Though this statement seems ludicrous, just think what some of these churches who seem to be doing so good without Him, could do if they ever actually welcomed the Lord into their midst.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE LAODICEANS
All they had to do was open the door, to be sincere & repent.

Back to the meeting where the letter has just been read & to Robert our eye & ear witness.

There was practically a riot when the pastor got through reading the letter. People were storming out left right & center. It almost reached stampede proportions. But Robert didn’t move. There were just a handful of people scattered across the church sitting quietly with their heads bowed & some were softly crying.

“Lord I’m so sorry.” Robert prayed quietly. And for the first time in his life he was really praying. “Lord I had no idea. Please forgive me. I hadn’t seen my condition until now. Please come into my life & make it your own. Thank you for not giving up on us!”

That night the church was reborn.

Blessings,

John

"The Spirit Himself..."

By John Stallings



He was present on creation day. He is a person, a person we can get to know. But few understand how He can change their lives.

Without him none of us could live one day as a Christian. Jesus was conceived by Him & later did all His miracles by His power. He is in charge of carrying out the directives of God. He was present on the Day of Pentecost, gave the apostles boldness to preach in the face of persecution & is responsible for bringing unity to the early church causing it to grow in spite of fierce opposition.

He’s the unseen hand moving through history to accomplish heaven’s purposes on earth. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness & judgment. He prays for us when we don’t know how to pray for ourselves & makes spiritual things real to us. He unifies believers, gives us power to walk through this life & can take us safely from earth to heaven.

Because of His mysterious operations there’s a temptation to think of Him as a mist or a fog, not a person. He is referred to in the New Testament with masculine gender pronouns. Since He’s a person, He doesn’t like to be ignored, so we must be careful to welcome Him.

He will speak in a very still small voice but if you’ve walked with Him long you will know He can & will knock you flat on your face with conviction.

Who is he? He’s a third of all God is. He’s the Holy Spirit.

Sadly millions today couldn’t pass a mid-term exam on the person & work of the Holy Spirit. Unless they are scripturally illiterate, they know the Holy Spirit is real, because He’s on almost every page of scripture from Genesis to Revelations. But many are like the people of Ephesus who told the disciples when they asked them if they’d received the Holy Spirit;

No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Acts 19:2

The Holy Spirit came to take Jesus’ place & in so doing He fulfills the mission of Jesus on the earth. John 16:7.

He is God in action. He is often called “the third person of the Trinity” as if He’s a lesser being than Father & Son.

Having the Holy Spirit living inside you is somewhat like having a friend who is very sensitive, easily hurt or offended. You think twice before you tell a joke, though it’s a clean joke, because your friend seems to have little or no sense of humor, at least the humor you enjoy.

Sometimes you get together with other friends leaving the friend in question out because you just want to relax & not have the pressure of this friend. If you were doing something sinful or questionable that would be different but that’s not the case. People like your friend are what we often call “eccentric” or “peculiar” or “different.

This admittedly is a crude illustration but in a small way parallels the experience of having a guest like The Holy Spirit who’s embedded inside you, listening to every word you say, & reading every thought. He has no qualms about reading you the “riot act” when you slip up & He will lovingly but faithfully jolt you & make you feel absolutely awful when you sin.

The Holy Spirit is a friend who comes in with love, grace & power to help us do the right thing & keep us out of trouble. If the Holy Spirit has found a home in you He will give you power to keep your sensitivity chip in place & operational.

The flesh is a great gift God has given us, but in its fallen condition, it’s just a bundle of impulses, most of them at odds with God. When we follow these fleshly impulses, the result is sexual immorality, impure thoughts, sensuality, rivalry, factions, hatred, quarreling, jealousy, resentment, bad temper, envy, drunkenness, orgies etc. Turn on the TV and you’ll see this in action.

Throughout the Old Testament there’s a deep conviction that no one can do the work of God without the Spirit of God & no one can lead others to God or for God without the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives Joseph skill to rule, Joshua military prowess, skill to craftsmen & words to the prophets.

The Holy Spirit has very unique roles in the Godhead. The following is a list of some of them.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A WOOING AGENT TO BRING THE LOST TO CHRIST.

He tugs at a sinner’s heart convicting him of sin & imploring him to repent. As a matter of fact, it isn’t possible for a person to come to Christ without the Holy Spirit’s call.

John 6:65 says, …..Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given to him of my father.

2. AFTER HIS ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN JESUS SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT AS ANOTHER COMFORTER.

Jesus said in John 16:7 …it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send Him unto you.

We, as well as others will know He is present because we will manifest love, Joy, patience, generosity, fidelity, adaptability, & self control. When we have the Spirit’s fruit swinging from our branches, we find it easier to say “no” to the impulses of the flesh. The Holy Spirit stirs our conscience’s, corrects us, Woo’s us & generally works in us to produce God’s character, something we can’t do by ourselves.

David said in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
The Holy Spirit produces in us a strong hunger and desire for the things of God, & opens our minds to the majesty & power of God. Most of all, He loves us; He loves everyone. This may seem a bit conflicting to us but the Holy Spirit, a third of the God-head, loves our enemies as much as He loves us.

He can be in a room where an abortion is taking place and love the aborted baby, the doctor performing the awful act, the attending nurse as well as the mother; & without condoning the procedure, love them all the same. But again, what’s most important isn’t how much head knowledge we have about the Holy Spirit, but how completely our lives are under the Holy Spirit’s gentle authority.

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT SUFFERS PERSONAL SLIGHTS AND INJURIES AND IS EASILY GRIEVED.

Paul uses the word Grieve, [Eph. 4:30] & it’s a word of deep emotion. You can only grieve someone who is close to you. You may irritate a stranger or in a casual way offend an acquaintance, but you can only grieve someone close to you. Because He loves us so much, you & I can make the Holy Spirit weep with our unthoughtfulness and insensitivity.

It’s not that the Spirit will abandon us, (unless we blaspheme against Him, (Mark 3:29) but He will suspend His operation is us, pull away and let us see how weak we are without Him. That’s what can happen when the Holy Spirit chastises an individual. To be frank, the Holy Spirit can & has left people, churches, & whole church denominations throughout history. It’s my personal belief that the closest a person will ever come to being a demon in this world is when the Holy Spirit closes the books & ceases to strive with them.

4. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AS GENTLE AS A DOVE.

Aren’t you glad the Bible doesn’t tell us to, “Be sure we don’t make the Holy Spirit mad?” No! As already stated, it says not to grieve Him. What’s the difference? Grief is a combination of anger & love. It’s anger without gall and mean-spiritedness. Love tempers the edges of anger & lets it vent, not against the person but the offense. We might ask why anyone as powerful as the Spirit is called a dove & not an eagle. We know that Jesus is also all powerful but one of the things He’s called is a Lamb. The reasons for these seeming discrepancies are that God doesn’t see power as we do. God sees power in a more long- term way with long- term strategies.

5. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR COMFORTER.

In John 14:16-18 Jesus said, And I will pray the father, & He shall give you another, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him for he dwelleth with you & shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.

The Holy Spirit binds up our broken hearts & helps our infirmities. He’s our strength & also our teacher. He quickens our memory & brings things to our remembrance. If we read the Bible & try to understand it in our own human wisdom, He will not pursue us. He will be silent & allow us to study the Book alone. But if we invite Him to, He will take what would be dull information & make it come alive with new illumination. How foolish it would be not to invite Him to open His Word to us when the He wrote it & is desirous to teach us.

Many years ago a man was stuck on the side of the road trying to repair his broken down car. Henry Ford pulled his car behind the broken down one, got out & asked if he could help the man. The driver, in anger, said something like; “Old man, there’s not anything you can do here that I can’t do. You go your way & I’ll take care of this, you’ll only be in my way.” Very quietly, graciously and gently, Henry Ford got in his car & drove away. Little did the driver realize that he’d turned away the maker of the car, & certainly the maker of the car could have repaired it. The Holy Spirit comes to me & says, “I notice you’ve been having trouble with your life.” If I say to Him, “I can handle it by myself thank you,” what do you think He’ll do? He, quietly and unobtrusively takes His flight, & I will have refused to let my maker help me. Certainly He is the only one truly qualified to do the repairs my life so desperately needs.

When I seek to manufacture synthetic joy myself, I deprive myself of His joy. This same principle works when teaching, preaching, singing, rearing a child & in every endeavor of life pursued by the child of God. The Holy Spirit must be invited to help us. He must be invited & welcomed every day for every task. He must have free course to do His work alone. He will not force His way into anything. We must be careful not to offend or insult Him. Invite Him in and depend on Him to do that which He’s been ordained to do for you. Be friendly to Him, love Him, talk to Him or he’ll slip away & leave you to work on your own.

In 2 Corinthians 3: 6, note these words; Who also hath made us to be able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.Notice the words, “for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life,” in verse 6. The word “letter” means “something traced.” Paul is comparing two ways of doing the same thing; first, with the Spirit; second, to trace or copy it without the Spirit. If we try to “trace it off” & copy something, there’s no power & we are working for the Lord under our own power. But when we allow the Holy Spirit to use us as conduits, we see wonderful results.

When the Gospel singer sings & the Holy Spirit sings with him & through him, how heartwarming and life changing it is. But what is more formal, dry & dead than to hear a singer just perform in his/her own flesh for their own glory without the Holy Spirit? There is no better example of the letter killing.

6. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALL WISE OR OMNISCIENT.

We are all DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED & in serious need of a guide to help us make right choices in life. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit’s help, & that’s one of His offices. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says,

“But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit, for lack of a stronger word, is a Genius. When we work with Him, for instance in raising our children, the children feel our love, our care & concern. When rules are enforced by the Spirit, they are challenged by them & want to obey us. But when the same rules are enforced by the letter & not by the spirit, they become harsh cruel and hard.

There’s nothing as wonderful as serving the lord when the Holy Spirit is allowed to do His job. And there is nothing more laborious & difficult than to serve in our own strength. We must all be very sensitive & very careful to invite this loving, sensitive Holy Spirit into every endeavor of our lives. We should also take every precaution to prevent His quiet departure, leaving us the serve in the letter, which kills.

7. LOOK AT THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORD. HE IS CALLED THE SPIRIT OF;

-- LOVE, THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM, THE SPIRIT OF JUSTICE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, THE SPIRIT OF GRACE, THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS, THE SPIRIT OF GLORY, & THE SPIRIT OF LIFE.

. There are some 264 references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, three times the number in the Old Testament.

• The Holy Spirit is mentioned in 24 of the New Testament books.

• There are eight writers of the New Testament. All eight make mention of The Holy Spirit.

• The Holy Spirit was a close working companion of Christ & the Apostles & those who the Apostles laid hands on to receive the miraculous gifts of the Spirit.

• There are four Gospels. They contain a total of 89 chapters. The Holy Spirit has in mind to produce an airtight case for the deity of Christ. Matt. 1:18-20

• There are 60 references to the Holy Spirit in the Gospel accounts. John has the most with two dozen & Mark with the least-six.

• The Holy Spirit is linked to the birth of Christ. Matt.1:18-20.

• He is linked to Elizabeth & John the Baptizer. John was filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:15

• The Spirit came in a dove-like form at the baptism of Jesus. Matt. 3:13-17.

.Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit as He was led into the wilderness of temptation Luke 4:1.

• John said that the Holy Spirit would come without measure. John 3:34.

• The Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit enjoyed an eternal companionship. In Gen.1:1. -The word for God is Elohim; a uni-plural noun, denoting plurality/ the trinity.

• Jesus took offense when the Pharisees blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Matt.12:31.

• The Holy Spirit played a role in the resurrection of Jesus. Romans 8:11.

• The apostles were promised the inspiration of the Holy Spirit & also promised the Spirit as a comforter. ---John 14:26.

• In Acts the second chapter the Holy Spirit fell on those waiting in the upper room & “they were filled with the Holy Spirit.” They spoke in tongues they had never learned and were given power to take the gospel to the world.

• There were 3,000 converts that day because of the powerful work of the Spirit.

• All through the book of Acts churches were established & mighty exploits were done because of the Holy Spirit’s power.

• The Holy Spirit issued the directive for Barnabas & Paul to begin the first missionary journey.

• The Holy Spirit commanded Phillip to go teach the Eunuch. Acts 8:29

• The Holy Spirit gave Peter instructions to teach Cornelius. Acts 10.

• The Holy Spirit guided the decisions made in the Jerusalem Conference. Acts 15:28

• The Holy Spirit once overruled Paul’s travel plans. Acts 16:6-7

• There are 132 references to the Holy Spirit in the Epistles & Revelation.

• The Spirit is our helper & instructor. Romans 8:26-27

• We are to be led by the Spirit & walk in the Spirit. Gal.5:16

• We are not to quench the Spirit, grieve the Spirit, nor do despite to the Spirit. 1 Thess. 5:19

• Great detail is given to the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

• Seven times John tells the churches of Asia to listen to the Spirit. Rev.2-3.

• The Spirit has a message relative to the dead saints. Rev.14:13.
. The spirit is present when the earth was born and actually.. hatched it out. …..The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

• The Holy Spirit gives the last invitation for men to come to Christ in Revelation 22:17. The Spirit & the Bride issue the last invitation to man in the Bible. And the Spirit & the bride say come, & let him that is athirst say, come & whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely.8. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OMNIPRESENT, THERE’S NO PLACE HE IS NOT.

David said in Psalm 139: 7-9--- Whither shall I go from they spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy right hand hold me.
If all at once this whole earth was vaporized & ceased to exist, God the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit would still be present. They are eternally existent & omnipresent.

9. WE ARE SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE. Eph.1:13.

This is a comforting promise. To be sealed by the Spirit means that the Spirit comes in & puts Gods mark of ownership on us. This means that we are Gods purchased possession & belong to Him. A seal is a legal process showing that things have been handled in a business like way & is proper & official. We are no longer serving self but we are now serving God. The Spirit lets us know we are saved.

Romans 8:16 says; The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
A seal is a pledge, a deposit & a guarantee that we now God’s property. The Spirit assures that;

We are a new creation. We are sealed until the Day of Judgment. We are no longer condemned.

We are a part of the family of God.

10. THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS US POWER TO WITNESS FOR CHRIST AND LIVE VICTORIOUSLY.

Acts 1:8 says, “And ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

• He brings us routine PROTECTION from all dangers.
• He brings us a CAPACITY TO GRASP THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD.
• He brings us ABILITY TO REMAIN POSITIVE & HUMBLE.
• He brings us DISCERNMENT & INTUITION to sense evil.
• He brings us the ABILITY TO LOVE & BE LOVED.
• He brings us OPENNESS & VULNERABILITY.
• He brings us INTERVENTION IN PRAYER when we are at a loss.
• He brings us FREEDOM FROM FEAR OF DEMONIC ATTACKS.
• He brings us the ability to STAND ALONE WITH CONFIDENCE.
• He brings us the ability to MAKE QUALITY DECISIONS.
• He brings us a life that is WORRY FREE.
• He brings us the ABILITY TO MINISTER TO OTHERS THROUGH OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

Charles Spurgeon, a great pastor of another generation, is a man whose life I have enjoyed studying over the years. Once, Spurgeon was crossing a wide thoroughfare in London. He got right out in the middle of the street & stopped. In what seemed like eternity to onlookers, he stood like a deer in the headlights. In a flash, the great preacher collected himself & continued his walk to the other side of the busy street. Once he got to the other side, someone asked him why he had stopped in the middle of that busy boulevard & risked getting run down;(by a horse and buggy I presume.) Mr. Spurgeon replied; "as I crossed the street I realized there was a cloud between me & the Holy Spirit & I had to get it right."

Here was a man with an “ABBA FATHER” relationship with the living God. Listen to Joel 2:28;--And it will come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.

Listen to Peter in Acts 2;16-17.....this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel...in the last days saith God I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh....

We are living in the Last Day Outpouring!


Blessings,


John

What's So Great About America?

By John Stallings


In the spring of 1984, an Irish band on the verge of breaking through to superstardom was making its way through America.

On the third leg of an international concert tour and not yet able to afford to travel across the country by plane, they were relegated to traveling from show to show on a tour bus. Starting from Dallas, Texas, they criss-crossed the continent numerous times as they finally made their way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

By this time, the band had seen the Southwest, the Deep South, New England, the Midwest, and the West Coast. The trail they followed was unconventional, but still allowed them to see a landscape that few Irish people, let alone most Americans, get to see in a three-month period.

The band’s lead singer, an ambitious 24-year-old former chess prodigy, decided to try to capture the essence of the country he witnessed as their tour bus rolled from coast to coast and up and down the Mississippi River. The singer strummed along with the band’s 23 year old lead guitarist and together they wrote “Heartland” – a song later featured on the album Rattle and Hum. This five-minute ode to America attempted to delve beneath the glitz and glamour of New York City and Hollywood.

On all future American tours, this band, known as U2 to the world, would fly from city to city, but their epic road trip through rural and urban America had a deep impact on these musicians from a small island. U2’s next album, The Joshua Tree, would contain numerous references to the underside of America and the rejuvenating and cleansing effect it has on individuals.

U2’s feel for America, as outsiders looking in, is not unusual.


AMERICANS FAT WITH PROSPERITY

I read about a seventeen year old young man from India who was trying to move to America. When asked why he wanted to come here he said “I want to live in a country where most of the people are fat.” Of course we’d recoil from a statement like that because we who are “stout” are fighting it with a vengeance because we don’t think fat looks good neither is it healthy.

Incidentally, I’ve been to many parts of the world and have observed that we have the fattest poor people in America than any nation I’ve visited. I don’t say this without compassion because we all know the least expensive food has far and away the emptiest calories. The poor people in other countries are skin and bones, looking as if they’d love a sandwich while in this nation it’s not unusual to see a 300-plus lb. poor person.

I think I see what the young Indian man was driving at. He’d grown up in a nation where people routinely die of mal-nutrition, many in their youth. Large trucks in the cities make the rounds each morning to pick up the many street people who’ve died overnight like the garbage and refuse trucks make their rounds in America. This young Indian felt if people were getting plenty to eat, that country had to be doing something right. At least he had a chance of not starving in America.

WHY AMERICA?

America has always been a “melting pot,” drawing immigrants to its ports, but why America? What makes the United States such a prime destination for many citizens of the world? Although some would point to our more than two centuries of political stability or its continual economic strength, [sadly this is changing for the worse] the lure of America reaches deeper. England, for example, has remained relatively consistent for the past two centuries. The nineteenth century saw the rise of the British Empire, whose size was reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Yet, despite this, the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” set their sights on the “Land of Opportunity,” our beloved America.

It would be difficult to pinpoint just one aspect of the American greatness, but political observers have come up with a variety of possibilities and blended them into the concept called “American Exceptionalism.”

1. The first component that’s given by honest historians for America’s Exceptionalism is: God bestowed His divine grace upon the United States from its earliest times. God chose America to serve as an example for the rest of the world. This is illustrated clearly in the great book “City upon a Hill” a sermon preached in 1630 by the Puritan leader John Winthrop, who envisioned a new society to show the Old World how to create a godly and orderly civilization.

2. The second component is genetic in nature; - the United States has benefited by a diversity of race, ethnicity, and other physical characteristics of its people. E Pluribus Unum, a phrase that appears on our currency and in other places means “Out of Many, One." Sounds to me a lot like: - "We're all in this thing together."

3. The third component is environmental: geography, climate, and resources gave the United States all the conditions necessary for its success.

4. The fourth component in America’s Exceptionalism is the fact that Americans have had an enduring distrust of too much federal government.

Note that I said-“We have had an enduring distrust of too much federal government.” Sometime in the middle of the twentieth century, right after the Great Depression, there was a sudden shift and many Americans began to rely more on the federal government.

America is undeniably the greatest country in the world, blessed with unparalleled freedoms and prosperity that for generations have made us an innovative and industrious people. America is exceptional. We’re afforded certain God-given rights that can never be taken away unless we relinquish them. We know that God, not government, bestows upon us these inalienable rights, and because of that, they must not be compromised by the whims of man. This makes us a unique nation, a nation that remains, as President Ronald Reagan once said, "a model and hope to the world."

Unfortunately, some leaders have either forgotten or chosen to ignore the glory of our founding. In April 2009, President Obama told a reporter in Strasbourg, France: "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." In saying this, the president implied that American Exceptionalism is nothing terribly special and instead simply chalked it up to “romantic patriotism.”

I can’t tell you how upsetting this attitude makes me because it’s undermining our national portrait and our desire and ability to be leaders in the world. One doesn’t have to look far to see how pervasive “talking America down” has become.

TIME MAGAZINE

Recently on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Time Magazine editor Richard Stengel presented the cover of his new July 4 issue, whose cover features a picture of the U.S. Constitution going through a paper shredder. Written across the middle of the page is a question asking- Does this document still matter? According to Stengel, “it does, but not as much anymore.”

Stengel said “People all the time are debating what’s constitutional and what’s unconstitutional. To me the Constitution is a guardrail. It’s for when we are going off the road and it gets us back on. It’s not a traffic cop that keeps us going down the center. There were no people who argued more about defining principles of America than the framers of the Constitution. They argued both sides of the most powerful issues in American history – slavery, states’ rights, central government, etc.”

IMO America would be better off if those who have disdain for this country and its Constitution would get on a slow boat to China and never return. But make no mistake they’d return and they’d kiss the ground when they arrived. I’ve often said, I wish every American could take a three week trip around the world and they’d see what an indescribable jewel The United States really is. If our citizenry visited a few other nations, if they did nothing but fly over them and smell the air emanating from the cities, [some Far East cities can be smelled from the air as a passenger jet approaches them] we’d have citizens who would return to this country with a new-born appreciation for their homeland.

American Exceptionalism isn’t empty national narcissism, but rather recognition of the blessings of God that keep our nation strong, independent, and free. We see the American story as one of tenacity and triumph. not as one flawed and in need of rewriting. We aren’t in need of “fundamental transformation” either. We recognize the times we’ve stumbled. We haven’t been perfect but if we stumbled, we always stumbled in the right direction and we know that it’s not due to the weakness of our foundation, but rather, human imperfection.

WHY AMERICA IS EXCEPTIONAL?

American is exceptional because of our belief in the dignity and creativity of the individual made in God’s image. We know that it’s innately human to work, to risk, and to dream. We understand that these virtues, coupled with the conditions American Exceptionalism provides, allow us to enjoy the economic and social strength that other countries envy.

At their core, those who reject American Exceptionalism view the Constitution as a roadblock, and they yearn for unlimited federal government with more authority than the states and more power than the people. Because they strive for an all powerful federal government, they’re willing to sacrifice the rugged individualism that has made this nation exceptional in exchange for the “collective strength” they believe a vast government provides.

The latter-day darling of the progressive/socialistic movement was, of course, President Obama.

If you’ve read this blog long you’ll know that I’m not a supporter of president Obama’s policies and wrote blogs many months before he was elected sketching out what life with Obama would look like. If I say so myself, I was right on target. In all candidness, millions of others made the same predictions.

Let me be clear, "President Obama: America is the greatest nation on Earth." Our exceptionalism is forever ingrained in our founding documents that spell out exactly the roles of the federal government in relation to individual rights and states' rights.

Simply ignoring the truths of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution won't make them go away. There are tens of millions Americans, who love our country far too much to allow our exceptionalism to be exchanged for greater expansion of an already bloated, out-of-control, money grubbing federal government.

America was founded at a particular time, by a particular people, on the basis of particular principles about God, man, liberty, and constitutional government. The American people are among the most hard-working, church-going, affluent, and generous in the world. The founding of the United States was revolutionary, not in the sense of replacing one set of rulers with another, or overthrowing the institutions of society, but in placing political authority in the hands of the people.

As the English writer G. K. Chesterton famously observed, "America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed." That creed is set forth most clearly in the Declaration of Independence, by which the American colonies announced their separation from Great Britain. The Declaration is a timeless statement of human rights, the proper purposes of government, and the limits on political authority.

Our Founders appealed to self-evident truths, stemming from the Laws of God, to justify their liberty. This is a universal and permanent standard. These freedoms should not be unique to America but apply to all men and women everywhere. They are as true today as they were in 1776.

Working from the principle of equality, our Founders asserted that men could govern themselves according to common beliefs and the rule of law. Throughout history, political power was—and still is—often held by the strongest. But if all are equal and have the same rights, then no one is fit by nature to rule or to be ruled.

As Thomas Jefferson put it, “The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately. The only source of the legitimate powers of government is the consent of the governed.”

Americans see our religious liberty as a fundamental right. It’s in our nature to pursue our convictions. Government can’t establish an official religion, but it must guarantee the free exercise of religion. If a free people are to govern themselves politically, they must understand that freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility.

These principles also mean that everyone has the right to the fruits of their own labor. This fundamental right to acquire, possess, and sell property is the backbone of this great nation and the most practical way to pursue happiness. This right, along with the free enterprise system, is the source of prosperity and the foundation of economic liberty.

The United States Constitution defines the institutions of American government: three distinct branches of government that make the law, enforce the law, and judge the law. This gives our government the powers it needs to protect our fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The ultimate purpose of these rights and of limiting government is to protect freedom. That freedom allows our society—family, school, church, and private associations—to thrive.

America is great because our founders appealed to a higher standard, that all governments receive their power from the consent of the governed.

Freedom doesn’t belong only to the United States. The Declaration of Independence holds that all men everywhere are endowed with a right to liberty. That liberty is a permanent aspect of human nature everywhere and is necessary to understanding America's success, under God.

The primary responsibility of the United States is to defend the freedom and well-being of its people. To do this, we must apply America's universal principles to the challenges we face in the world.

This is not easy. America has not always been successful. But because of the principles to which we are dedicated, we always strive to uphold its highest ideals. More than any other nation, we have a special responsibility to defend the cause of liberty at home and abroad.

As George Washington said in his First Inaugural Address: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people. America's role in the world is to preserve and to spread, by example and by action, the "sacred fire of liberty."


America is an exceptional nation, but not because of what it has achieved or accomplished. America is exceptional because, unlike any other nation, it’s dedicated to the principles of human dignity/liberty, grounded on the truths that all men are created equal and have equal God-given rights.


America's principles have created a prosperous and just nation unlike any other nation in history. They explain why we strongly defend our country, look proudly at our nation's origins, assert our political rights and civic responsibilities, and remain convinced of the special meaning of our country and its role of the world. Make no mistake, it’s because of our Godly principles, not despite them, that America has achieved greatness.

To this day, so many years after the American Revolution, these principles—proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution—still define us as a nation and a people. This is why friends of freedom the world over look to the United States not only as an ally against tyrants and despots but also as a powerful beacon to all.

Someone has said that the difference in a political conservative and a liberal is that conservatives look at the 4th of July as America’s birthday, while many liberals, especially in Washington D.C think that date to be April 15th.



God bless America!


Blessings,


John