Advantage Takers

Scripture

“Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

~Luke 20:47, NLT

Quote

The essence of Christianity is to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.

~Ya’akov

It is hard to imagine a person so selfish, greedy and vain that they would take advantage of a widow on a fixed income. The Pharisees were a strict religious sect but they were greedy, they loved money and they were noted for foreclosing on helpless people like widows in order to pad their purse. Sad to say, but the Pharisees still exist. When I read Luke 20:47 the other day, an incident came to mind. Some 30 years or so ago, one of my members brought me a letter written by a TV preacher by the name of Rex Humbard. He had written her mother who was on a fixed income and if my memory is correct, it was less than $300 per month. She said, “Bro. Jack, read this and tell me what you think.” I read it and was in shock. I actually enjoyed hearing Rex preach until I read the letter. He told this sweet and generous widow, “My ministry is going under unless you send me x number of dollars this month, etc.” It was high pressure and manipulation. I was appalled. This TV preacher rode in limousines, lived in a mansion and flew first class to his engagements. How dare him defraud this poor widow.

One of my grandsons, I will not say which in order to protect the guilty, has been betting on ball games. I gave him a very quick rebuke: “Is that the way you love your neighbor?” Any time we want to profit from another’s lost; it is immoral and not at all Christlike. If you win, someone had to lose. A man was trying to be nice and he told a friend who was in crisis, “If you need anything, let me know.” The man replied immediately, “I could use a $1,000 in cash.” His friend swallowed hard and with a stern look of shock said in reply; “I don’t know where I can get one thousand dollars cash.” The bereaved friend said, “You said ‘anything.'” Of course the man was kidding and eventually he let his friend off the hooks with a big smile. We could all use a thousand dollars cash but do I want to take it from a widow on a fixed income or from some poor ignorant sap who has so little sense that he gambles with what little he has. Don’t kid yourself: all gambling is driven by GREED. It is an effort to capitalize on the misfortune of someone else.

Chick-Fil-A Debacle

Franklin Graham {America’s Pastor} and Rick Burgess {Our Ambassador from the South} have asked CHICK-FIL-A to clarify their position and dissolve the current controversy. One definitive statement from Sam Cathy would do the trick but to date, no statement has been forthcoming. Did I and others have a knee jerk reaction? Probably but was it unfounded? Is there nothing to fear from the giant of fast-food-restaurants? I have heard that Canada [which is very liberal] will not let them in and there are malls and college campuses that will not let them in due to their connection with Christian causes like the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The Salvation Army has been labeled as an anti-gay organization which is an outright lie. The SA has given aid and shelter to more gays than anyone on earth. Who is really ANTI is this debate? I will tell you–its the left, and especially the gay community–they are anti-Christian. They don’t want TOLERANCE: they’ve had tolerance since the 70’s, they want AFFIRMATION. They want me and others like me to deny scripture and to avow that sexual perversion is not just acceptable but good. By the grace of God, “Over my dead body.” To be honest with you, I am afraid. I’m afraid Sam Cathy has caved to the pressure which has been relentless. I’m also afraid that Christianity as we know it in the West is too apathetic to take a stand on any moral issue. To state the problem clearly, we are weak and worldly. We don’t have enough conviction to fill our sanctuaries on Sunday let alone take a stand against evil on Monday.We are too busy entertaining ourselves. We go from amusement to amusement with no musing in between. I’m just curious, at what point will we take a stand?

This is the Friday November 23 blog…I’m going to take Saturday and Sunday off…Next Blog Monday November 25…Maybe by then Chick-Fil-A will be straight and the demos impeached.

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