Majority Truth

On a recent trip to Walmart, an aisle display for Gillette Fusion Proglide shavers caught my eye.  It was not the need for a new shaver that made me stop.  It was the wording on the advertising.  Blazoned across the display, in big, bold lettering, was this phrase: “Millions Of Guys Can’t Be Wrong.”  My first (tongue-in-cheek) thought was this: “Obviously there are no women in the advertising department of Gillette.  If there had been, such a blatantly false statement would never have seen the light of day.  Only a room full of men could delude themselves into believing such a thing!”  Right, ladies?

But further, more serious, reflection on the matter still led me to the same conclusion.  The statement is still a lie.  Millions of men can be wrong.  Millions of women also can be wrong.  Truth is not determined by popular consensus.  If a vote were to be taken tomorrow and 99.9 percent of the people on earth voted to repeal the law of gravity, that still would not keep me from falling to my death if I jumped off a skyscraper!

The majority can be right.  But the majority can also be wrong.  The Bible testifies often to that fact.  Nearly everyone was in favor of wickedness and evil thinking in Noah’s day, but that didn’t make it right.  The majority was wrong.  Apparently everyone but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bowed down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol, but that didn’t make it right.  The majority was wrong.  When Pilate appealed to the crowd regarding the fate of Jesus, most called for His crucifixion.  But that didn’t make it right.  The majority was wrong.

When it comes to spiritual truth, don’t be swayed by the popular vote.  Seek the counsel of those around you whom you trust but always compare their words with God’s words.  And when the majority disagrees with God, the rightl choice is to “...obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  After all, millions of guys CAN be wrong!

God loves you!

Mike

Pretenders

“Mississippi police fear that a killer posing as a police officer is pulling over motorists late at night on dark highways and then shooting them.  Authorities suspect the shooter may be pretending to be a cop because the perpetrator may have been driving a white, unmarked Crown Victoria sedan, which can resemble a police car.  One driver, a 74-year-old Nebraska man, was found in his car on Interstate 55 in Panola County on May 8 about 1:30 a.m. A 48-year-old Mississippi woman was found near her car on Mississippi Highway 713 in nearby Tunica County about 2:15 a.m., three days later.  The shootings appear to be random and there is no known connection between the victims. The Nebraska man was en route to Florida to get his grandson, and the female victim worked at nearby casino. Police are analyzing shell casings discovered at both scenes.  Authorities have launched a dragnet, saturating the area, looking for clues and a possible suspect” (yahoo.com, 5-16-12).  If the suspicions of law enforcement in Mississippi prove to be true, it only serves to make a terrible crime even more heinous.  To pretend to be someone that can be trusted so that evil can be committed is diabolical.

There is biblical evidence for that last statement.  In 2 Corinthians, Paul had to defend himself against pretenders who were maliciously attacking his ministry.  In doing so, he claimed that these “false apostles” were merely following the example of their leader, Satan, who is the master of disguise.  “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Not every “angel of light” has your best interests at heart.  Entrust your soul only to PROVEN servants of righteousness.  Your most dangerous adversaries are those who are pretending to be on your side.

God loves you!

Mike

A New Name

“He really is the lizard king.  A 23-year-old Nebraska man walked into a courtroom in York County Monday afternoon as Tyler Gold -- and walked out as Tyrannosaurus Rex, the York News-Times reported.  Gold said he wanted to change his name “because the (T-Rex designation) is cooler,” according to an official filing he made with court. “Also, as an entrepreneur, name recognition is important and the new name is more recognizable.”  Gold repeated this line of thought aloud during the court proceedings from the witness stand, the York News-Times said.  Judge Alan Gless asked Gold if he was hiding from creditors or law enforcement. Gold said none of those factors were involved in his request.  And just like that, a new Tyrannosaurus Rex was born” (foxnews.com, 5-8-12).

New names are sought for various reasons.  Some are trying to hide from their past.  Others seek a fresh start for the future.  A few choose bizarre names in the hope of attracting attention.  Some choose a plain name to avoid an odd one. Here are some examples:  Alphonso D'Abruzzo became Alan Alda.  Google was once known as BackRub.  Samuel Langhorne Clemens is better known as Mark Twain.  Her many fans knew Dianne Desiree Belmont as Lucille Ball.  Pepsi-Cola was once called Brad’s Drink.  Professional basketball player Ron Artest is now known as Metta World Peace.

Faithful followers of God are promised a new name (Isaiah 62:2; Revelation 2:17; 3:12).  That’s good news because the names I earned before becoming a disciple are not very flattering.  Names like sinner, enemy, rebel, and loser.  Names I am not proud of, but deserved, none the less.  But because of Jesus Christ, no one can use those names for me anymore!  Call me forgiven instead of sinner.  Call me friend instead of enemy.  Call me follower instead of rebel.  Call me winner instead of loser.

Please do not use my old names.  I used to answer to them but I don’t any longer.  My Father has given me a new name!

God loves you!

Mike

The Road To Victory

Wilma didn't get much of a head start in life. A bout with polio left her left leg crooked and her foot twisted inward so she had to wear leg braces. After seven years of painful therapy, she could walk without her braces. At age 12 Wilma tried out for a girls basketball team, but didn't make it. Determined, she practiced with a girlfriend and two boys every day. The next year she made the team. When a college track coach saw her during a game, he talked her into letting him train her as a runner. By age 14 she had outrun the fastest sprinters in the U.S. In 1956 Wilma made the U.S. Olympic team, but showed poorly. That bitter disappointment motivated her to work harder for the 1960 Olympics in Rome--and there Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals, the most a woman had ever won (Today In The Word, Moody Bible Institute, Jan. 1992, p. 10).

Victory is not just for the strongest, smartest, or most talented.  Often, it is reserved for those who persistently pursue their goals, even in the midst of struggles and disappointments.  People who increase their strength through bearing heavy burdens.  People who become smarter through learning from their mistakes.  People who develop their abilities through sheer repetition.

People like Joseph.  He didn’t become second-in-command in Egypt and rescuer of his extended family the easy way.  The road to success for Joseph ran through death-threats, a dark hole in the ground, and being sold by his own brothers into slavery.  His path to victory was detoured through the fires of temptation and an undeserved stint in prison.  He endured the potholes of disappointment over being forgotten by those whom he helped.  But through it all, Joseph kept running toward the goal.  And, ultimately, he was victorious.

Let’s “...lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus...” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

God loves you!

Mike

Limiting My Options

God had given an incredibly difficult job to Gideon.  He was to deliver his fellow Israelites from Midianite oppression.  This was no small task, given the numbers of those opposing him.  Initially, Gideon protested that he couldn’t do it.  But when God promised to help him win the battle, Gideon began to call his army together.  Thirty-two thousand warriors are gathered to prepare for battle.  Even that number had to seem like nothing in comparison to the innumerable horde they were facing.  But they forged ahead with their planning anyway.

But then God did the unthinkable.  Citing a concern that the Israelites would boast in their own power after the victory, He had Gideon send over two-thirds of the recruits home!  If Gideon had any doubts about facing the Midianites with only 32,000 men, imagine what was going through his mind knowing that he was down to 10,000.  But God wasn’t done yet.  The next test trimmed the group of 10,000 down to a comparatively tiny handful of only 300 fighting men.  Whose side is God on anyway?  Is this His way of helping?

I don’t know how it is for you, but when God calls upon me to do something, my thoughts usually focus on counting my resources.  Do I have the abilities and the assets to meet the need?  How can I arrange those abilities and assets to best address the problem?  But when I consider that approach, I realize that I am focusing on me instead of focusing on God.  Like Gideon, maybe it would be better for me if God would limit my options instead of increasing them.  Instead of me praying to God for more of this or that, perhaps it would be better to pray that God would arrange circumstances so that I would trust Him more than I trust in myself.

Do I really have faith if I only respond to God when I think I can handle it?  I show real trust by facing life’s struggles when I know I can’t do it on my own.

God loves you!

Mike

He Who Has An Ear, Let Him Hear

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. "But officer," the man began, "I can explain..." "Just be quiet," snapped the officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back." "But, officer, I just wanted to say..." "And I said to keep quiet! You're going to jail!" A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you the Chief's at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back." "Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom" (sermoncentral.com).

Oh, the troubles we get into when we don’t take the time to listen! The Scriptures repeated counsel us to listen carefully. We learn that hearing is linked to learning. “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel (Proverbs 1:5). We discover that it is shameful to respond without listening first. “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him (Proverbs 18:13). James calls us to listen quicker than we speak. “...But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19).

God pleads with us to listen! Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth (Psalm 78:1). "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! (Psalm 81:8). Eternal life is tied to listening to the voice of the Savior. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life (John 5:24).

Let’s renew our resolve to listen before speaking. Let’s be more diligent to listen to God and one another.

God loves you!
Mike

Perspective

For seven years, the people of God had been oppressed by the Midianites because they had failed to listen to Him. Their suffering was terrible. The Midianites and their allies would periodically come and take whatever they wanted, such as food and livestock. The Israelites were powerless to stop them. All they could do was hide in their dens and caves while the pillagers had their way. Finally, in the depths of their despair, the people cried out to God for help (Judges 6:1-6).

God heard their cries and sent an angelic messenger to an Israelite whom He had chosen to become the next deliverer of His people, a man named Gideon. At the time of his call, Gideon was busy threshing grain in a secret place in hopes of keeping it from being taken by the Midianites. From God’s perspective, apparently Gideon had everything he needed to accomplish the task that God had for him. In fact, the first words Gideon hears from this surprise guest are: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior” (Judges 6:12).

It seems that Gideon’s perspective of the situation didn’t mesh with God’s perspective. I can imagine him looking around to see if the messenger was talking to someone else. After all, since when do “valiant warriors” hide in winepresses to do their harvesting? The floodgates of Gideon’s oppressed heart open wide and he gives vent to his frustrations. From his perspective, it appeared that God had abandoned His people (Judges 6:13). Why else would they be enduring such painful struggles?

Tough times can distort our perception of God’s presence in our lives if we are not careful. Like Gideon, we can also have a hard time seeing past the pain and struggles of life to get a clear view of the valiant warrior of God that He may be calling us to be. Perhaps we should learn to view our lives from God’s perspective instead of our own. Only then will we begin to see as we really should.

God loves you!
Mike