It seems to me, the more basic and personal a subject is the more it will cause thought, emotion, and discussion.  People have the strongest opinion  on things that are closest to themselves.   Rightly so.

Usually, one has a stronger opinion on their own traffic ticket, than some one else spending years in prison, for a petty offense.  (It was 4:30 PM when you got your ticket, and school was out for the day.  You shouldn't have to go 25 mph on Seven School Road the rest of that day.  No one else does.)

Opinion is subject to question.  When there is opinion one must decide if the opinion is factual and true.  Or is that opinion colored by personal bias?  You, the reader, must judge for yourself, the merit of the comments here.

One thing is ultimately factual and true, the opinion of the Almighty God is the one opinion which absolutely matters.

"Charity never faileth:  but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."      (1 Corinthians 13:8)

The essays and subjects discussed on this page are not from, "What Will Happen to You?*   *before Jesus Returns and the World ends."  See the Book page and read it.   The subjects discussed here are subservient to the message in this little book.     Look up and rejoice. . . .

the Point

How often have you heard someone say something like "Do you get the point."  Sometimes, the response you get is "Yeah, I get your point.  And it just shows that you missed my point."  At that time one friend, or the other, begins to 'hammer home the point'.  Then the friends don't speak for a while.

What is 'the Point'?  Is it "see it my way, or it's the highway?"  Are we so proud to think that the way we see things, and the way we want things, is the way it truly is or, the way it ought to be? 

In the quest for answers to the old "meaning of life" question, we humans want life's meaning to be centered around us.  In the struggles of life in this world we ask ourselves, "Why am I here?  Why is this happening to me?  What do I really want?  Is this all there is?  What is the reason?  What is 'the Point'?

The answer  to 'the meaning of life' must be found in the origin of life.  If you believe that origin to be time, chance, and amino acids, then you missed the point.  Is not the whole more than the sum of its parts?  How can chaos bring order out of itself?  Experience teaches things not maintained, deteriorate.

If something is ordered, someone must set it in order.  For something to flourish, it must be maintained.  This is an argument philosophers have run into the ground.  It is not my point to argue the existence of the Almighty.  My point is this.  The only point that matters is the plans and purposes of the Almighty God.  In order to get His point, one must ask, "What do you want Lord?"

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty."     (Revelation 1:8)

"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:  I am the Lord; and there is none else."      (Isaiah 45:18)

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
    (Revelation 4:11)   

"For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people:  He will beautify the meek with salvation."     (Psalm 149:4)

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
    (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)       

"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."     (1 John 3:11)

". . . Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."       (Matthew 22:36-40)

"What manner of persons ought ye to be . . . Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
     (2 Peter 3:11, 12-13)

". . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in my holy mountain, saith the Lord."
       (Isaiah 65:25)

Well. . . .   All theology, doctrine, and opinion aside.  If it is God's point to have a world of consciously loving beings, He is going to get it.  Who is going to stop him?  There are many things one can believe and not believe.  When something occurs in reality and real time, it becomes fact.

Animal life, and I believe to some degree all life, is experiencial.  It is the experience, in real time, that defines life.  Consciousness and experience is life.  No consciousness, no experience, no life.  We must learn how to experience life the way He would want us. We must learn how to experience life with a healthy consciousness of Him, our fellow man, and ourselves.

Jesus says, "And , behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."       (Revelation 22:12)

Honesty

Honestly, are you an honest person?  I am.  Or at least I try to be, all the time.  All of the time, I'm good at being honest.  But . . . every once in a while, I catch myself.  I stop myself, cold in my tracks.  The situation arises.  The stage is set.  For some reason, in some instances, some sub-conscious part of me, believes it would be better for all parties, just to let one 'little white lie' go by.  I stop myself cold in my tracks.  Am I about to deceive? 

Usually I think the situation out, and do the right thing.  Sometimes though, the untruth is out  before you know it.  The thing is said, the deed is done.  Ooops.  Then what do you do?  Own up, admit what you did or said was wrong and not true?  Or cover your rear with another 'little white lie'?  But sometimes it seems it truly is better for all parties concerned to bend the truth.  One doesn't have to say all they know in a situation.  Is that a form of deception?  You be the judge in your life.  Most people will agree, the truth is important.  If one cannot truly trust the information one receives, how can that information be useful?

Actions performed under false assumptions can be deadly.   You do remember the story of the boy who cried wolf, don't you?  The boy cried wolf. The people came.  For fun the boy cried wolf again. The people came again, to chase the wolf away.  No wolf.  The boy cried wolf again.  The people didn't come.  The real wolf ate the boy. 

The Bible says, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it."     (John 8:44)

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."     
     (Revelation 22:14-15)

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."     (2 Thessalonians 2:11)

It seems that most attempts at deception are based on selfish self interest.  Self-less self interest leads one to give truthful information which can be relied on.  When one persists in an untruth, he or she begin to believe it themselves.  What is this tendency to try to escape the truth?  No doubt, this "mystery of iniquity" is complex and baffling.     (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

The Bible says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?"     (Jeremiah 17:9)

The apostle Paul said, ". . . For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. . . . O  wretched man that I am!  who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . "     (Romans 8:19,24,25;  Romans 7:1-25)

Above all we must not lie to ourselves.  This is the hardest thing.  We must be honest with ourselves and admit we are not all we could or should be.  We must search ourselves continually, and judge ourselves rightly, with truth.  We must do our best to be true in all things.  And look eagerly forward to the day when Jesus, righteous and true, returns and removes all the lies.

Big Brother, Bully or Buddy

Is the 'Big Brother' of government a bully, always trying to command obedience, making rules forcing you into social norms?  Or is government a buddy, an older, wiser, brother, making sure his family is well taken care of, protecting home and property?

How much information does the government have on you ?  How much information can it get?  In this information age there are few secrets.  So what if I have files on me in a dozen places?  No big deal.  Unless for some reason, for some offense, someone wants to use that information against you.

The Bible says "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.  Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?  do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:"     (Romans 13:3)

Government is required and necessary for stability and order.  The alternative is anarchy and chaos.  Most will agree anarchy and chaos are not good social conditions.  By necessity there must be authority that can command respect and demand obedience.

A problem enters the equation.  What if the authority is wrong?  It is easy to make rules and laws for someone else to obey.  Majority or minority, both can be wrong in its opinion.  Civil government is to be obeyed.  God's government and authority are to be obeyed.  When Peter and the apostles were confronted with a freedom of speech conflict between civil government and God's authority, the following conclusion was reached.  "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than man."
     (Acts 5:29)

One cannot use the authority of God as an excuse to ignore civil authority.  It would be terrible to find yourself rebelling against God and government.   It must be clear that there is in fact a conflict.  If there is, then the response must be clear and godly.  Throwing bombs, shooting bullets, calling names, and other confrontive belligerent actions are not godly. 

What the honest Christian must do and realize is "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."     (Ephesians 6:11-12)     

We must remember this, "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.     (2 Timothy 4:18)

Definitions

holy . . . to be in agreement with God;  conscious cooperation with God

sin . . . transgression of the law of God;  rebellion against God

love . . . the sharing of life;  a symbiosis

meek . . . willing, humble, & teachable;  not necessarily mild

rebellious . . . contrary & self willed.;  active opposition

delusion . . . firm unshakable belief in a falsehood

righteousness . . . doing the spiritually right;  patient continuance in right doing

unrighteousness . . . doing the spiritually wrong;  habitual tendency to wrong doing

grace . . . love which grants unmerited favor giving power to overcome