Proverbs 9:10  NASB

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Philippians 2:10-11

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, so written by King Solomon the wisest man to have ever walked the earth besides Jesus.  A man who understood the glory of God and witnessed the shekinah glory when the temple was dedicated to God, (2 Chronicles 7). A man who witnessed Jehovah Jira in all His glory, and yet this man, who came face to face with the Glory of God, turned to the world for comfort over time.  A foreign wife here another foreign wife there, a little altar here and another there, all erected to other Gods.  He allowed incrementalism to creep into his bed at night and distort his vision of God and his purpose for life.

Why would that happen?  Could it be that we have an insatiable appetite that is never satisfied? Why settle for this when you can have that or better yet what someone else has. Why settle for truth when you can have what you want.   Today people want it both ways.  They want what they want, at the expenses of others.

Today stories are started in the middle of unfolding events.

I was just standing there minding my own business and this police officer tackled me.  What they fail to mention is that for the twenty minutes earlier they were running from them for a punishable offense.  True story, a would-be robber, felt he should sue a private citizen for using unnecessary force, after the citizen stopped him from robbing a store. The would-be robber pulled a knife on the citizen, who then disarmed and stabbed the would-be robber in self-defense. The robber is suing for excessive force.

This is a perfect example of what I am trying to express. People choose to ignore their sin and hope by pointing out the sin in others and a deflection can be made.

The would-be robber, through his law-suit is trying to say that the injury he incurred by Citizen Kane was more of a crime than his failed assault during the robbery, which could have turned deadly had he succeeded.

We use to say these were isolated incidents, but with social media, we now have a world of opinions, likes and dislikes, swipe to the left and swipe to the right.  If I say I dislike chocolate ice cream someone somewhere is likely to say I am racist to even voice an opinion like that.  Racism is being heralded at an alarming rate and the definition is changing to suit the needs of the true oppressors.  Those who are yelling for equality are demanding it by denying it to others.  Instead of rising up together from the ashes, evil wants two wrongs to keep it wrong. Putting others down to rise up is a false plateau.

Within this paradigm, another underlying theme was being permeated throughout. The theme is “authority is good “only if “I” am administering it.  Today people who live in the alter-verse behave as if “authority is bad” if it is linked to Christian values, not to mention Jewish ones as well.  To draw this out a little further, if I hold Judeo-Christian beliefs, I cannot even start imagining what it is like for those struggling.  Now the color of my skin automatically disqualifies to understand certain human conditions.

The human condition is the same and has never changed; the condition of the heart.

In this world of sound bites, massive amounts of dis-information bombard us daily.   Into this world of post-truth, we try to offer hope in Jesus Christ, only to be viewed as if we have suddenly grown two heads.

We have a society that is raising its fist towards God and wants to dismiss and eradicate His followers. It blames God for not keeping up with changes that are REQUIRED in this “world”.  If God or the church doesn’t understand why we need an abortion then you obviously need to go.  The world wants a personal god. It doesn’t want a god that says you shouldn’t engage in promiscuous behavior to prevent a pregnancy. It wants a god that will allow them to do what they desire and sweep all consequences under the rug of women’s health. A god that will love unconditionally and will SUPPORT them no matter what evil they partake. Is that what love really is? Kill one to eliminate another’s responsibilities.

People say they want to be loved…but only on their terms.  Anything thing that requires integrity or discernment is met with anger soon follows hyperbole.  We are not only talking about Eros here but, Philos as well.

My wife and I just went through a trying time. She had her way of looking at an issue and I had my view.  We were two worlds apart.  A resolution was elusive, each of us had dug in.  No matter how loudly one presented their case, the other remained unmoved.

Then came the night of nights, a few hours of debate, a sleepless night and each crying out to God for an answer.  I played out many scenarios in my heads, all of which God would not bless.  But once I was quiet enough to hear God, I heard Him whisper “You do not trust her nor she of you.”  We would not solve it, only letting Him in would.

When my wife came down the next morning, and we stood in front of the coffee maker we both start talking.  I said what God told me, and she did the same.  There in front of the coffee butler and then in the great room, two adults cried and prayed.  I admitted my fears and she admitted hers, then a decision was made that we agreed on.

Without a loving Father and obedience on each of our parts, this could have been a disaster.

These times of depressive attitudes is not new to any man.  Many prophets, kings, disciples and other heroes of the Bible have written of their journey into the abyss.  There was only one way out and that was with a humble heart that cherishes the life God graced us with.

The Truth is, God celebrates life.  He celebrates life so much, he allows all of us to exercise free will.  BUT to think that free will equals lack of consequences is stupidity in its truest form.  Mob rule, called as we see today is a “fight against morality” however it is defined, is nothing more than a temper tantrum at God.  In Galatians 5:15 Paul tells us to beware;

15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

God gave us free will, using it effectively begins with an established Fear of the Lord leading us through the door of Wisdom. When it is not embraced, its used for personal gain at the expense of others as I have described.  Even if you say that you keep to yourself and hurt no one, you have not contributed to the world.  This was illustrated by Christ in the Parable of the Talents, with the servant who did nothing with his talent but bury it until the master returned. The servant was cast out because he did not even attempt to use it for any endeavor. This servant said in the parable he was in fear of his master and knew him to be harsh.  His presumed fear of punishment instead of respect for his master’s authority was his undoing.  The other servants were rewarded.   If the master was harsh and was feared by all the servants, the two that were rewarded, embraced that fear and rose above it instead of surrendering to it.

If you fear authority and want to bring about change it does not mean we should not fight for change but examine your motivation and behavior in attaining that goal.  If you want an example, go read ACTS. See how the apostles were treated by social injustice, they did not take on the world and thumb their nose at every official.  The took the Word of God into the world and sowed Hope in Jesus Christ.  They embraced the life they were given.

However, there is another underlying theme growing in the world today and that is a lack of respect for life at any level.  When you don’t respect life, everyone is a mark to be manipulated, destroyed or killed for a desired outcome.  Rules are used at our beck and call, to change someone else’s behavior, but since we consider ourselves enlightened, the rule should not apply to us.  Because we are the only ones that will apply it fairly. This is not new, it is just anarchy packaged differently.

When you look at the past behavior of football players who want to make a statement while disrespecting the values that made this country great, we diminish the grace God has placed on this country, which does protect us from those would be villains.  BUT with new and progressive attitudes we are re-creating the mindset that many previous world leaders used to conquer other countries.  Those who are yelling white supremacy, black supremacy, fascist, neo-nazi etc… are really the ones demonstrating how history will soon repeat itself. As their view of the everyone around them is held with suspicion; they themselves are using tactics of those mindsets.

Israel, turning its back on God time and time again, was left to stand alone; God’s presence departed the temple.  What will it take for our country to see that hate, resistance and all the deeds of the flesh Paul repeated many times in his letters will lead to a fall.

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Gal 5:19-21

These are not do-gooder attitudes they are the poison pill, the bad apple, the rigor mortis of spiritual decay when the Word has not been embraced.

The would-be dissenters cry for fairness and avert their eyes from God because He will not make it perfect them. They rebel because they DESERVE whatever they want and anyone who stands in their way must be pushed aside at any cost. What they fail to see is the hate that is oozing from within in them.

Opening yourself up to the Truth will bring this to light no matter how painful, but embracing brotherly love and the love of God will set everyone’s spirit plum with God.

I thought, as I started writing this, that I would come up with something cute and original.  However, as I weave my way through my thoughts, it boils down to a couple of points:

I kneel for my Lord.

I stand for my country

AND when it is all said and done I only want to hear one thing, Well done my good and faithful servant.  Maybe that is why I always call everyone Kemosabe when I start a conversation because I look at everyone as someone I can serve as a faithful friend and see them as a faithful friend and not an enemy.

When will we rise from the ashes?

God Loves you, I love you and there is nothing you can do about it!