PLEASING GOD

Week Forty-Five, 2020

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

With some spare time while hunkered down as the virus continues to threaten us, I decided to sit down and read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Reading the Old Testament really convicted me about the importance of pleasing God.

It begins with creation and the anointing of His chosen people, as He saved them from captivity and with various miracles and provisions while guiding them through many years in the desert, the parting of the Red Sea and finally across the Jordan River to the promised land. He protected and provided them every step of the way.

They divided into tribes, established towns and cities and then divided into Israel in the North and Judah in the South. But then terrible things began to happen. They wandered from worshiping God to worshiping idols. God became very displeased and brought punishment and terror into their lives.

God sent several prophets and told them to tell the people how displeased He was and how He planned to punish them with famine, disease and capture by other nations. Time after time they ignored God’s word and time after time, they were severely punished.

Fast forward to today. Are we pleasing God? Just look at how human conduct and beliefs have evolved away from God, upon whose word our nation was founded and conducted. Walk into the Supreme Court and see the Ten Commandments and Hebrew-inscribed tablets held by Moses, one of a series of historical figures who look down on the justices. It was in the same room that the justices decided that the Ten Commandments erected at another courthouse constituted a government endorsement of religion.

Our nation has wandered away from God. While we don’t worship graven images like the early Jewish people did, we have more modern idols…. power, property, possessions, sports and a whole host of other things. If we profess to be a Christian, then remove anything that becomes more important than Jesus in our lives. How long before God will punish us. Is the pandemic the first suggestion?

God wants us and our nation to return to Him. We have the assurance of God’s Word, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Come to Christ, confess and turn from your sin, and He will keep His promise to forgive and cleanse. He further promises that He will not only forgive, but He will also forget. This is your opportunity to begin life over again and to walk with the Lord in daily fellowship.

It will be pleasing to God when we do.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Legalized abortion has killed more than sixty-two million babies in the US. So far this year, more than 675,000 preborn children have died by abortion, three times the number of Americans who have died from COVID-19. Abortion is the leading cause of death in the US, surpassing heart disease and cancer.

The Satanic Temple wants to put up billboards that show people how to obtain abortions more easily. Their “religious abortion ritual” is supposed to be a “sacramental act that confirms the right of bodily autonomy.” According to the Satanic Temple, if people perform this ritual, they can claim a religious exemption from mandatory waiting periods, counseling, ultrasounds, and other measures required by some states before an abortion can be performed.

However, billboards promoting their ritual have been declined by Lamar Advertising. In response, the Satanic Temple has sued the company. In their lawsuit, they state that Lamar rejected the content of the billboards as “misleading and offensive.” The Satanic Temple alleges that this rejection was based on religious discrimination.

It would be hard to make this up.

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Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us. The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration

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And the gospel? It’s not just another message. Another lecture. Or speech. It is the proclamation of a grand promise. The promise of a living hope beyond the grave. The promise of my resurrection from the dead. The promise of living and never dying. The promise of living eternally with the Father. Ken Weliever, The Preacherman.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Salvation is not a process. It is a person and the person is Jesus. Ken Whitten

It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. Mark Twain

There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why. William Barclay

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. Albert Einstein

Hell is not full of people the Lord rejected. Hell is full of people that rejected the Lord.

Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him. C.S. Lewis

The world suffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of the good people. Napoleon Bonaparte

Thanks to Christ, this earth can be the nearest you come to hell. But apart from Christ, this earth is the nearest you come to heaven. Max Lucado

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18