Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Romans 13:1-14 (NASB)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
time for a change
Our country is a mess. A stagnated Congress, an anti-Constitutional President, a Presidential contender who doesn't see the characteristic horror inherent in his "hijinks and pranks " (I am disgusted by his flippant explanation and pitiful apology), and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice who admires the Constitution of South Africa more than the Constitution of the United States.
Comedienne Maria Bamford quipped, "My mom is very religious and she said, 'Whatever you think about all the time, that's what you worship.' If that's the case I'd like everyone to pop open their Diet Coke cans and turn to page 37 of their People Magazines. In this holy scripture, we read the parable of Ms. Valerie Bertinelli."
Exactly. The self indulgent distraction and willful ignorance of the American public brings our country to the brink of manic self destruction. What has happened to our country, our society, our culture, our "way of life"? I think the following excerpt from a Wiki on "The American Way" aptly illustrates the twists and bends that our jointly followed path of freedom has taken:
"The comic book superhero Superman fights for "truth, justice and the American way." In some modern comic books it has been changed to "truth, justice and hope" (after the events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries), and in the 2006 film Superman Returns the phrase was recited by the character Perry White as "truth, justice, all that stuff." The "Up, Up and Away" comic book story arc firmly re-established the slogan as "truth, justice and the American way." .In the Christopher Reeve movies, the phrase is used semi-ironically. In Superman the Movie, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) responds to the phrase by laughing and remarking "You're going to end up fighting every elected official in this country." (The film was conceived shortly after the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal). In Episode 1 of the 1948 Columbia Pictures serial Superman entitled "Superman Comes to Earth", Clark Kent's adoptive father John Kent tells Clark that he must use his powers to fight for "truth, tolerance and justice"."
The election of Barak Obama points to our collective dis-function; we elected a man to lead us to promised "change" without his once defining what that change would look like. As a distracted nation we collectively ran blindly off a cliff of "hope" and see now that Obama's idea of change is to change personal freedom for slavery to government.
There are two things I know.
Pray for the elected leaders of our nation, that they will learn, know and follow the will of our God.
This is the only hope left for our nation.
I have made a decision to vote, or to not vote, in the following manner:
I can see that this will leave me with few choices to make; I will trust God to make up the difference.
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." ~ Revelation 22:12-13
Comedienne Maria Bamford quipped, "My mom is very religious and she said, 'Whatever you think about all the time, that's what you worship.' If that's the case I'd like everyone to pop open their Diet Coke cans and turn to page 37 of their People Magazines. In this holy scripture, we read the parable of Ms. Valerie Bertinelli."
Exactly. The self indulgent distraction and willful ignorance of the American public brings our country to the brink of manic self destruction. What has happened to our country, our society, our culture, our "way of life"? I think the following excerpt from a Wiki on "The American Way" aptly illustrates the twists and bends that our jointly followed path of freedom has taken:
"The comic book superhero Superman fights for "truth, justice and the American way." In some modern comic books it has been changed to "truth, justice and hope" (after the events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries), and in the 2006 film Superman Returns the phrase was recited by the character Perry White as "truth, justice, all that stuff." The "Up, Up and Away" comic book story arc firmly re-established the slogan as "truth, justice and the American way." .In the Christopher Reeve movies, the phrase is used semi-ironically. In Superman the Movie, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) responds to the phrase by laughing and remarking "You're going to end up fighting every elected official in this country." (The film was conceived shortly after the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal). In Episode 1 of the 1948 Columbia Pictures serial Superman entitled "Superman Comes to Earth", Clark Kent's adoptive father John Kent tells Clark that he must use his powers to fight for "truth, tolerance and justice"."
The election of Barak Obama points to our collective dis-function; we elected a man to lead us to promised "change" without his once defining what that change would look like. As a distracted nation we collectively ran blindly off a cliff of "hope" and see now that Obama's idea of change is to change personal freedom for slavery to government.
There are two things I know.
- We cannot legislate morality, but that does not mean we shall be tolerant of, or indifferent to, those things we know to be wrong.
- God defines "wrong" and "right"; He is still in charge and will remain so past the end of human existence.
Stand for what is right and moral. Follow God.
Pray for the elected leaders of our nation, that they will learn, know and follow the will of our God.
This is the only hope left for our nation.
I have made a decision to vote, or to not vote, in the following manner:
- I will not cast a ballot for an incumbent politician in any office.
- I will not vote for any politician or party who advocates immoral or destructive behavior.
- If the above two choices are all that remain on the ballot, I will not vote for that office.
I can see that this will leave me with few choices to make; I will trust God to make up the difference.
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." ~ Revelation 22:12-13
Monday, May 07, 2012
our failing civilization
Jack Curtis provides a chilling insight to our failing civilization in an American Thinker offering.
The Big Picture: Our Curiously Failing Civilization
Thursday, May 03, 2012
National Day of Prayer
Greg Laurie Comments on the National Day of Prayer
"and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NASB)
"and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NASB)
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