In the news this past week has been a story about “Honor Killing”. Two young girls were murdered by their father because they had adopted too many western customs, were wearing western clothing, and were dating non-muslim boys. According to the UN, more than 5000 of these murders occur each year in the middle-east and virtually none of them are prosecuted..
The father had previously made threats to his daughters – but people didn’t take it seriously – after all, who would do something like this?
Most people will be quick to condemn this man and his terrible actions. What he did was evil, criminal, and wrong! We wonder how could this happen. We wonder what kind of thinking could be going on to do something like this. And we wonder how this kind of thing can be stopped.
Jesus once told the people, “The devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. Earlier, he told the folks that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and that when he lies, he speaks his native language.
Honor killing comes first in the heart and in the mind before it comes in the flesh. It comes when you believe a lie. A part of this lie is that “it’s all about you”, This father murdered his daughters because he believed that they had tarnished his “honor”. Another part of the lie is that the law is for other people – not you. And it comes in the heart when you give in to hate.
Jesus said that he that hates his brother or sister is a murderer also because they have committed murder in their heart.
Could this happen to you? We all want to say NO! – but that’s not what either the Bible or experience tells us. The Bible tells us that we can be deceived and that we can hate. It can happen – even to you. And it doesn’t take long to see in the news examples of “good” people who commit murder – often for the most trivial of reasons.
The moment we start believing that life is all about ourselves, we start going down that path. Every slight, every inconvenience soon becomes a personal matter that we must deal with. Then law and the Gospel is ignored because, after all, it is for other people.
Jesus came to save us, not only from hell but also from the self-centered life that leads to honor killing. And the moment you reject this message, the moment you decide that it’s ok for children and other weak people but that you don’t need it, is the moment you begin walking the path which leads to terrible acts like what we read in the news and the more terrible fate of judgment after death.
God Bless You – Pastor John
Friday, October 17, 2008
Gas Prices – from the obscene to the painful – Oct. 12, 2008
Isn’t it amazing how great it is to buy gas at $2.69 a gallon? A couple of weeks ago, I was happy to fill my tank at $3.09 a gallon. Now, I’m sitting here wishing I could have waited a couple of weeks. But – when you only have 1/3 of a gallon left – you can’t wait too long.
What’s the price of gas have to do with the Gospel and the Bible? Simply this: how we view a situation depends on what we have just experienced and what we focus on. Two years ago, gas at the current price would have been outrageous. Now, we’re thrilled that it’s dropped over a dollar. One article I read used the phrase I borrowed for this title – but it is still a pretty negative view.
How do you view your circumstances? Are you groaning about how bad you have it or are you looking at the blessings you do have? I was reading recently about a missionary at a leper colony. They were songs to the Lord and letting the people pick the songs. One lady raised her hand, with 4 fingers gone from her disease and wanted to sing, “Count Your Blessings!”
Paul wrote one of his most joyful letters sitting in the cold damp of a jail cell – in chains. In this letter told us to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” He said to think on what ever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. In his letter to the Corinthians, he told us that we are comforted in our affliction so that we can comfort others who are going through the same thing.
Are you using the experiences that you are going through to help anyone? There are people that ONLY YOU are qualified to minister to because you’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt.
Are you looking at tough times and painful circumstances as a chance to grow or a chance to groan? Think on the right things and Paul promises that the peace of God will overflow in your hearts. That’s neither obscene or painful – it’s just grace.
God Bless You – Pastor John
What’s the price of gas have to do with the Gospel and the Bible? Simply this: how we view a situation depends on what we have just experienced and what we focus on. Two years ago, gas at the current price would have been outrageous. Now, we’re thrilled that it’s dropped over a dollar. One article I read used the phrase I borrowed for this title – but it is still a pretty negative view.
How do you view your circumstances? Are you groaning about how bad you have it or are you looking at the blessings you do have? I was reading recently about a missionary at a leper colony. They were songs to the Lord and letting the people pick the songs. One lady raised her hand, with 4 fingers gone from her disease and wanted to sing, “Count Your Blessings!”
Paul wrote one of his most joyful letters sitting in the cold damp of a jail cell – in chains. In this letter told us to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” He said to think on what ever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. In his letter to the Corinthians, he told us that we are comforted in our affliction so that we can comfort others who are going through the same thing.
Are you using the experiences that you are going through to help anyone? There are people that ONLY YOU are qualified to minister to because you’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt.
Are you looking at tough times and painful circumstances as a chance to grow or a chance to groan? Think on the right things and Paul promises that the peace of God will overflow in your hearts. That’s neither obscene or painful – it’s just grace.
God Bless You – Pastor John
Sunday, October 05, 2008
A Christian Response to a financial meltdown
The past few weeks, we’ve seen the world in turmoil. Old established financial firms have bitten the dust or been absorbed by other companies. While we haven’t YET seen people jumping off of buildings to end it all, the retoric has come dangerously close.
How does the Christian look at all of this? What does Jesus say? It’s especially important now to remember the words of Scripture. Jesus told us that if we have our treasure on earth, we will find that those treasure can be taken away by waste and crime. In the Psalms it says that some folks trust in horses or chariots – the military – but that he trusts in God.
What can we do as we watch the markets melt? How can we be any different than the world? How can we find any peace in times of trial?
First, remember that you security does not depend on Wall Street. Jesus told us to lay up “Treasures” in heaven where they are not taken away by waste, fraud, or deceit. In a few years, you will leave all that you’ve accumulated behind, your relatives will probably argue over it, a large chunk of it will be taken by the government, and the rest will be sold in a garage sale or taken to the city dump.
Second, realize that you may have been trapped into the devil’s value system. One bumper sticker says, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” But the answer to that is: “He who dies with the most toys – still dies.” Paul wrote, I have learned to be satisfied with what I have – food and a place to sleep. Paul also wrote, Do not let the world squeeze you into it’s mold but instead be changed and transformed by having your mind worked on by the Holy Spirit.
Third, realize that God is still in control – no matter what the presidential candidates say or what our elected leaders say or what the markets tell us. God is in control! And if you love God and are saved by Jesus Christ and are seeking to live by His purpose, than you can KNOW that everything works for your good.
God Bless You – Pastor John
How does the Christian look at all of this? What does Jesus say? It’s especially important now to remember the words of Scripture. Jesus told us that if we have our treasure on earth, we will find that those treasure can be taken away by waste and crime. In the Psalms it says that some folks trust in horses or chariots – the military – but that he trusts in God.
What can we do as we watch the markets melt? How can we be any different than the world? How can we find any peace in times of trial?
First, remember that you security does not depend on Wall Street. Jesus told us to lay up “Treasures” in heaven where they are not taken away by waste, fraud, or deceit. In a few years, you will leave all that you’ve accumulated behind, your relatives will probably argue over it, a large chunk of it will be taken by the government, and the rest will be sold in a garage sale or taken to the city dump.
Second, realize that you may have been trapped into the devil’s value system. One bumper sticker says, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” But the answer to that is: “He who dies with the most toys – still dies.” Paul wrote, I have learned to be satisfied with what I have – food and a place to sleep. Paul also wrote, Do not let the world squeeze you into it’s mold but instead be changed and transformed by having your mind worked on by the Holy Spirit.
Third, realize that God is still in control – no matter what the presidential candidates say or what our elected leaders say or what the markets tell us. God is in control! And if you love God and are saved by Jesus Christ and are seeking to live by His purpose, than you can KNOW that everything works for your good.
God Bless You – Pastor John
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