Week Thirteen, 2020

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

Love ’em or hate ’em, this much is true: one day soon, millennials will rule America. This is neither wish nor warning but fact, rooted in the physics of time and the biology of human cells.

Millennials – born between 1981 and 1996–are already the largest living generation and the largest age group in the workforce. They outnumber Gen X (born 1965–1980) and will soon outnumber baby boomers (born 1946–1964) among American voters.

Their startups have revolutionized the economy, their tastes have shifted the culture, and their enormous appetite for social media has transformed human interaction. The millennial wave is coming: the only questions are when and how fast it will arrive.

Youthquake

Time Magazine recently did an in-depth study into the changing trends in America coming from the millennials. They are reshaping our culture, even in religion in a way that is not encouraging. They have exchanged spirituality for astrology. Millennials have earned a reputation for reshaping industries and institutions — shaking up the workplace, transforming dating culture, and rethinking parenthood. They’ve also had a dramatic impact on American religious life. Four in ten millennials now say they are religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center. In fact, millennials (those between the ages of 23 and 38) are now almost as likely to say they have no religion as they are to identify as Christian.

Any leader working with the youth of America can attest to the fact this generation is different than all others before it. Today’s youth speak in a language we don’t always understand, run circles around us with new technology, and think differently when it comes to religion and social issues.

This new generation interacts with the world very differently from previous generations, and that has spilled over into how they interact with the Bible. Even more than previous generations, Millennials desire authentic relationships and yearn for a deep sense of belonging. Younger generations desire to engage the Bible in new ways.

Some older churches and pastors are stuck in the rut of traditionalism and want to write the younger generation off if they don’t want to follow traditionalism. But I say we shouldn’t write them off…. We should write them in and welcome new ways of involvement.

I am an old traditionalist. I like to hold a hymnal in my hand and sing the hymns of yesterday. I don’t care for loud music, disco lights and fog, but I know I have to be open to newer ways that are open to younger people, just like my parent’s era had to be open to me.

The Word of God is inviolate and the message of salvation is unchanging. Within those parameters the way it is presented and the way we worship has to be relevant to the times. That’s how we have to relate spiritually to the Youthquake of today.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

ABORTIONS:

There were 862,000 abortions in the United States in 2017. This is the lowest number since abortion became legal in 1973. However, abortion remains the leading cause of death in our country: that same year, 647,457 Americans died from heart disease, the second-leading cause of death.

Worldwide, abortion is the leading cause of death as well, killing forty-two million people last year. By contrast, 8.2 million people died from cancer in 2019, thirteen million from other diseases, and 1.7 million from HIV/AIDS.

Pro-abortion forces in America are conspiring to do everything they can to protect the threat. Planned Parenthood in New York is pressuring doctors to violate their conscience by performing abortions or leave medicine. The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) is working to fight abortion restrictions and to help states enact legislation protecting the practice.

There are two popular arguments cited by pro-choice Christians:

The first is the claim that they oppose abortion personally but are not sure they should “impose” their beliefs on others. Many pro-choice people, many Christians, believe life to begin at conception based on her understanding of Scripture. They consider this position to be their personal religious belief and have been taught by our culture that the “separation of church and state” means we should keep her religious beliefs private.

Let’s work with the logic of this position for a moment. If you believe that human life begins at conception, you will view birth as merely the movement of that life from inside the mother’s body to outside. Prior to this movement, the law allows the mother to abort the baby’s life. After it, the mother and her doctor must do all they can to protect the baby’s life.

Nothing has changed about the baby except its location. We are not “imposing our beliefs” to protect the baby after its birth. In fact, we are preventing infanticide. Why are we imposing them to protect the baby a moment before its birth?

A second assertion by some pro-choice Christians is that we cannot be sure in scientific terms when a fetus becomes a human being. They believe life begins at conception, but fear “imposing” their theological position on others. If we cannot be objectively sure when the fetus becomes a human, the abortion decision should rest with the mother rather than the state, or so they claim.

Once again, let’s consider the logic of this position. Imagine that you heard a noise outside your front door in the middle of the night. It might be a person, or it might be an animal of some kind. Would you shoot through the door before you were sure it was not a human being on the other side?

One incontrovertible fact is that every fetus, left to develop naturally to full term, will be born as what we know to be a human being. If we have to err on one side or the other, should we not err on the side of life?

Every person is a miracle. David’s testimony is ours: “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13–14).

As a result, each life is a story. Perhaps the most effective way we can defend life is to tell such stories.

Let’s pray and work for the day when our nation values every life, from conception to natural death, as passionately and practically as does our Father.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Jesus’ message is both personal and present to us this day. Kelly Knouse

The Word of God is for the people of God. Max Wilkins

Takers live better, but givers sleep better. Ken Whitten

Our lives and our resources are limited—so how we spend them matters.

Rather than bringing happiness into life, possessions often distract us from it.

Week 12, 2020

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).

Florida has $2B in unclaimed property. Is it yours? When a bank or other financial account remains inactive long enough, the money gets turned over to the state. You might ask, who forgets about a bank account? But it happens enough that Florida is holding about $2 billion in unclaimed property, including money and items like watches, jewelry, coins, stamps and other collectibles from unused safe deposit boxes.

It is returned if and when the rightful owner comes forward and files the necessary application. Last year $213 million defaulted to the state because it was not claimed. It’s yours if you ask, but not if you don’t.

There is a spiritual parallel here. James (4:2-3) says we do not have because we do not ask God.

Salvation is a good example. Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship, one that comes when we ask for it through the prayer of salvation.

The sinner’s prayer is a Christian term for a prayer that is said when someone wants to repent of their sin, ask God for forgiveness and state belief in the life, death, and saving resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 says that “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Millions have come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through church services, friends, and family leading them in a salvation prayer, but salvation is not something someone can do for you. You have to ask for it and pray it yourself.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

Salvation? You have not because you ask not.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

China intends to rewrite the Bible to reflect its Communist ideology. The Committee for Ethnic Affairs has announced a “comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times.”

According to reports, “Jesus Christ’s parables” will have to fall “in line with the Communist Party, failing which they run the risk of being purged from the bibles [sic] available to the faithful.”

Many churches and preachers are rewriting the Bible in America these days, maybe not in writing, but in preaching and interpretation. Much of what gets preached from American pulpits is contrary to Bible teachings and that includes many mainline denominations that are Biblically and politically sliding to the left. They call it religious progressivism. I call it heresy. John Grant

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Death rates are increasing for middle aged Americans of all racial and ethnic groups. Suicide, drug overdoses, and alcoholism are the main causes, but heart disease, stroke, and other medical conditions are contributors as well.

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After roughly a decade of rising home prices, homeowners are flush with record amounts of home equity they can tap. But many Americans remain short on cash and are increasingly relying on debt to fund their lives.

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Half of all Protestant pastors feel as though the demands of ministry are more than they can handle; 54 percent find their role to be frequently overwhelming.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Jesus’ message is both personal and preset. To us this day. Kelly Knouse

You are what you think about all day long.

Rather than bringing happiness into life, possessions often distract us from it.

The peace of God requires the power of God. Jim Denison

God does His deepest work in the deepest times of your life. Adrian Rogers

The greatest gift we can pass down to the next generation is to instill the value of giving back.

When Told Abortion Kills More Women Than Anything, Abortion Activists Say “They Don’t Count”.

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John Grant, Week 11, 2020

From the overlook, it appears to be so beautiful and full of life. I stood there and partook of its beauty and then thought of its lack of life. The Dead Sea, lies 1,300 feet below sea level and is the lowest and most mineral-rich body of water in the world. A significant landmark, too salty to sustain any marine life, the Dead Sea is famous for the water’s mysteriously buoyant qualities which allow people to float across the top of the water, without needing to swim. The sea is mentioned numerous times in the bible and has long been associated with mysticism, wonderment, and religious significance in the Biblical era.

It begins in the North where pure snow melts from Mt. Herman and cascades to the South through some of the best fishing grounds in Israel. It picks up nutrients along the way that support plant and animal life. Finally, it reaches the Dead Sea, where is stops and goes no further.

dead-sea

The nutrients built up to the point of snuffing out any semblance of life. There is too much goodness to support even the most microscopic forms of life.

Is there a parallel to life? Of course, there is. As we go through life, we build up goodness in our lives and as we pass it on, we sustain a balanced life, but when we hold it all in, it chokes our very being. Now, I am not talking about our nutritional goodness. I am referring to the goodness we get from society and from others as they pass goodness along to us.

When we begin to discipline ourselves spiritually, so much of the work is personal and interior that it is easy to become self-focused. This is why God has given us the task of reaching out and ministering to others. Ministry is crucial to spiritual growth. We are commanded to give and to serve, not because of what it will do for others, but because of what it will do to us.

The Dead Sea is dead because it has water flowing into it, but not out of it. It only takes and never gives. Our spiritual life is like that. If we take in but do not give out, like the Dead Sea, we spiritually stagnate and spiritually die.

The commands of Jesus, the teaching of the Scripture and the needs around us demand that we accept the challenges of ministering to others.

Who will you minister to today?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

APPRENTICE DEVILS:

There’s an old fable that tells about three apprentice devils who were sent to earth by Satan to finish their apprenticeship. The Devil asked them about their plans to tempt people and lead them astray.

The first demon said, “I will tell them there is no God.” Satan said, “That will not delude many, for they know there’s a God.”

The second said, “I will tell men there is no hell.” Satan replied, “You will deceive some that way.”

The third said, “I will tell men there is no hurry.” Satan excitedly responded to him, “Go, and you will ruin them by the thousands.”

Sadly, many people will be lost because of neglect, disregard, and spiritual lethargy. Maybe this is why there are so many warnings regarding spiritual inattention. —Preacher Man

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When was the last time you were attacked for being a Christian?

Maybe it was a disparaging word. Or exclusion from a group. Maybe it was even physical harm, as so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer across the globe. The fact is: Jesus promised us that, if we are following him, we will face persecution (Matthew 10:22).

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Pastor Ken Whitten on Idols:

• Whatever Gives You Joy and Security Apart From God Is an Idol.

• Idols Evoke the Deepest Emotion in Our Heart.

• Idols Need To Be Protected While Giving You the Illusion They Are Protecting You.

• Idols Demand Sacrifice to Keep Them Happy.

• Idols Are Not Just Psychological Forces, They Are Demonic as Well.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Never be a prisoner of your past. It was just a lesson, not a life sentence.

Every time an old person dies, it is like a library being burned down. —Alex Haley

President Trump Tells March for Life: “Every Child Born and Unborn is a Sacred Gift from God”

Don’t Just Organize, Minimize. Minimizing is better than organizing. Minimizing possessions is an act of permanence. It lays the groundwork for overcoming consumerism and forces questions of values and purpose. And minimalism provides the opportunity to pursue our passions.

Jesus is the only God whom, when you obtain Him, will satisfy you, and when you fail Him, He’ll forgive you. —Tim Keller

How could anyone expect a gift from God if they have their hands cliched so tightly around what they already have.

Patience, the quality we love in the driver behind us…but hate in the car in front of us. —Dwight Short