Category: Daily Bread

¹⁸ You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. ¹⁹ You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. ²⁰ Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Deuteronomy 16:18-20

¹⁵ When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. ~ Proverbs 21:15

I recently had a very short conversation with the daughter of someone who had gotten into a car accident. Thankfully, there was no serious damage to her vehicle and no injury to her. We were all talking about how the man who hit her car from behind was so scared when the police showed up. They were driving without a license, as well as having entered the country illegally. Her daughter felt that he shouldn’t have any punishment at all, that it’s just a car, and her mom is fine, there’s no need for him to be arrested or charges pressed. I can’t lie, this genuinely annoyed me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This lady, the daughter, is probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. She’s a genuinely nice person. She’s not someone who comes across as disingenuous or fake, but just a genuinely nice person. Here’s my issue. When we remove consequences from actions, we invite anarchy. We invite chaos into our society. The lack of laws and the lack of enforcement of laws have always led to more problems than good. Just look at the past couple of years. Stores have been looted over and over again. Businesses have shut down because of theft issues that keep happening due to a lack of enforcement of the law.

Yes, we’re thankful that her mother wasn’t harmed and that her car wasn’t too damaged (and was covered by insurance). All of those things are true. But what else is true is that the law was broken, and repercussions are necessary. Someone could have been killed, but by the grace of God, no one was harmed. Enforcing the law doesn’t mean that we don’t forgive them. That doesn’t mean that we don’t love them. That means that we are holding people accountable for their actions, which is the only thing that keeps a society safe. The laws of the land have to be enforced.

We as Christians aren’t to just overlook each and every person’s actions. That’s not how the LORD works, nor His Church. The LORD never just overlooks sin. That was why Christ came, died, and rose again. He cancelled our debt and washed us clean by His blood. He was pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Yes, as Christians, we are to turn the other cheek, but we aren’t to ignore laws. We don’t seek personal revenge but rely on the justice system of the land. Without justice, a nation is lost.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and See The Need For Justice.

¹⁶ The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth He has given to the children of man. ~ Psalms 115:16

I recently saw a video of a girl eating out at a restaurant, showing that she refused to drink her drink with a plastic straw in order to save sea creatures. When she put her drink down, she pulled her plate of food in front of her and started to eat. What was she eating? Louisiana Seafood Boil. Crab Legs. Shrimp. Crawfish. There were so many comments and reaction videos to this video, making fun of her. And in all honesty, I thought the same thing when I first watched the video, but then I started to think about it. And I actually get her point.

See, she isn’t against fishing and/or catching sea life. She’s against the pollution of plastic killing off, injuring, and hurting sea life. We were put on this earth to take care of the earth and the animals on it, yet the LORD told Noah and Peter to kill and eat. There was never a point in time when the LORD set a law not to kill and eat.

See, fishing isn’t the issue. Hunting isn’t the issue. Overdoing those things is. Pollution is. Think about this, more than one hundred thousand sea mammals and approximately one million seabirds die from plastic pollution each year. An estimated 8 to 14 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually, with projections suggesting this could triple within the next two decades. Recent research indicates that as few as six pieces of rubber can kill 90% of seabirds, while 29 pieces of plastic are often lethal to sea mammals. Plastic has been found in the digestive tracts of nearly 1,300 sea species, including all sea turtle species and every family of seabird and sea mammal. Discarded fishing gear, known as “ghost gear,” kills hundreds of thousands of animals annually, with 640,000 tonnes of such gear entering oceans each year. In fact, scientists warn that by 2050, the weight of plastic in the ocean could exceed the combined weight of all fish in the seas.

This isn’t how we should treat the home the Good LORD above gave us. This isn’t how we should treat His creatures. Eating seafood isn’t the problem; how we treat the earth and the sea is, though. It’s easy to quickly cast a judgment and not really think about what’s being said or what’s happening. We have to learn to think deeper and contemplate more.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Deeper Than The Surface.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ~ Philippians 2:12-13

I recently saw a video of a very well-known Muslim apologist admit that the very thing that brought him to Islam turned out to be false, but he will not leave Islam because he found faith. He went on to explain that Allah used this specific belief to draw him to Islam. So, in other words, Allah had deceived him in order for him to believe. And what’s keeping him there isn’t the Truth, but simply blind faith. But faith in what? The one who blatantly lied to him.

I live by the belief that if there is one error in Scripture, then none of it is trustworthy. None of it is Truth. Therefore, if the very thing that brought me to Christianity turned out to be false (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins and those of the whole world), I’d have to walk away because none of it could be trusted.

If your sacred text from the very mouth of God cannot be corrupted, but somehow contains errors or flaws, then why stay? Why remain believing? Could it be that you receive money from views, engagement, speaking, debates, etc.? Our eternal soul is nothing to play or gamble with. It won’t die; instead, it will last forever in one place or another. A place of rejoicing and peace, or a place of weeping and torment.

Each one of us, the Christian and the nonbeliever, must critique our own beliefs. We have to analyze and study our Scriptures. We have to have faith, but we have to be sure in what we have faith in. If our Holy Book is flawed or has any flawed beliefs within it, we have to get real with ourselves and seek earnestly for Truth.

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:10

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Sure Of Your Eternity.

¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. ~ Mark 16:17-18

I saw a video the other day about a con man who faked prophetic gifts back in the 80s. His wife would tell him who was coming up to the platform, where they lived, what their prayer request was, etc. in an earpiece. So, as they came up, he pretended that God revealed to him all of that information and that they would receive whatever it was that they were praying for. He conned thousands of thousands. Sanctuaries were packed with people seeking something more than the average Christian walk. They were seeking prayers answered and words from the LORD. They were seeking after signs, wonders, and healings.

The worst part is, these people weren’t just random people from the world that don’t know any better. These were church members. They were church going Christians. Men and women who should have known better, but yet, they were still deceived. See, as Christians, we are to know the Scriptures and put them into practice to apply them to our lives. We are to judge the actions of others by those same Scriptures. One promise from the LORD is that we don’t have to rely on man in order to hear from the LORD (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Another is that our prayers will be answered if we ask in the name of the LORD Jesus (Matthew 7:7-11). That healing is the children’s bread (Mark 7:24-30). There are so many promises in Scripture, so why don’t we see them come to pass?

Because each one has a prerequisite. We have to draw near to God and THEN He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Our prerequisite is that we have to give up the things of the world in order to gain the Kingdom of God, which is difficult. It’s hard to deny and crucify the flesh. It’s hard to give up the world that we can see, for the world that we can’t. So, instead of seeking the LORD and going first after His Kingdom and all that comes with it (the blessings, prayers answered, closeness with the LORD, words from the LORD, healings, etc.), we follow those who say they can give it to us for something as simple as money.

It’s easier to write a check than it is to spend an hour in prayer. It’s easier to throw in a hundred dollars than to spend time in worship. It’s easier to follow a man who requires nothing more of you than the currency of this world, than to follow God who requires the currency of the eternal world. So, instead of signs and wonders following us, we follow those who say they have these gifts. We try to have our cake and eat it too. We try to cheat the system. When in reality, we’re only cheating ourselves.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Avoid The Con.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ~ Colossians 2:8-10

I recently watched an interview where a well-known worship leader was asked if there was room in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music for Buddhist Christian like himself. The worship leader said that he would hope that he felt like the doors were open and that he thinks that Jesus would love to sit down and have that conversation with him. He went on to say that he hoped that the Church would be that open. And asked why he would not have a place in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music? He went on to say that even if they disagree on something, why would he not have a place in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music? He went on to say that the only people Jesus shooed away or snapped at were the religious Pharisees. And then went on to say:

I can believe what I can believe, and still be able to sit down and share a meal … we might not align on these things, but like, doesn’t God call me to love you and to listen? … I think there’s something we can all learn from one another.

This is the kind of Christianity that just isn’t Biblical. It sounds good. It sounds nice and open. Great and welcoming. But no where did he discuss change. In fact, he said:

You’re not going to benefit from me saying you’re wrong. … Let’s have a conversation and see what God does with it.

He’s not going to benefit from someone putting out his false beliefs that lead to death? He’s not going to benefit from hearing the Truth? You can’t share the Truth without sharing that he, as a Buddhist Christian, is not only wrong but going to Hell. Never did Jesus shy away from showing anyone their sin. The only time Jesus didn’t point out a sin was when that person already knew they were in sin and came to Him for forgiveness. That is the only time. Jesus spent His ministry warning of the dangers of sin and how it leads to Hell. There are core beliefs that we can’t just agree to disagree on.

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, warned the Colossians not to be taken captive by philosophy (which literally translates to human wisdom) and empty deceit. In other words, Paul would have corrected this deceived man and shown him his error. Shown him the Truth. Buddhism is about what you can do in order to reach Nirvana. In order to reach Heaven. This is incompatible with Christianity. There is nothing we can ever do to gain salvation. To achieve salvation. Nothing. That is the beauty of Christianity.

Unlike every other religion, we acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves. We aren’t strong enough. We aren’t good enough. We aren’t enough. That is why God came to earth, took the form of man, and died for us. And when He rose, He purchased our salvation with His own blood. The only perfect blood. Untainted by sin. This is the Gospel. This is the Good News of Hope.

When we add philosophy and empty words to the Gospel, we don’t just water it down, we corrupt it. It no longer saves. Yes, every church door should be (and I can’t think of a single one that isn’t) open to all people. All walks of life, regardless of past, sin, ideologies, but Churches aren’t supposed to be community centers where you just come, hear encouraging words, have good conversations with people, and then go home. We’re supposed to be a spiritual hospital. Jesus is the doctor. Yes, everyone should feel welcome in church, but they should feel conviction to change. Otherwise, what is the purpose of the Church? If a hospital isn’t able to fix your broken bones, heal your disease, etc. you wouldn’t go back to that hospital, so why do we feel we should turn the church into a building that no longer wins souls for Christ?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Just Share The Good News.