Scripture
He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.
~Psalm 113:7, NLT
Quote
Sin and its curse have corrupted this world and only Jesus can restore order.
~Ya’akov
As I was praying for our country and for REVIVAL, I thought about the four leprous men sitting outside the walls of Samaria. These lepers had camped just outside the wall because the city was under siege and they lived on the garbage that came over the wall. Of course, the siege created a shortage and soon there was no garbage coming over the wall and the lepers were dying of starvation. Samaria, like Egypt, is a picture of the world. I also thought about John exhortation in I John 2, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.
What does the world send over the wall? Garbage, pure garbage. What do you see and hear on the nightly news? Garbage, pure unadulterated garbage. What do you see and hear when you try to watch network TV? Sewage, trash, rubbish and garbage. What about drugs or the abuse of drugs? In my opinion, it is garbage and millions are feeding on it daily. Porn is garbage and Hollywood is a garbage dump. The sad thing is the craving in our culture for more garbage. It is heart breaking for me to see people putting their confidence in garbage: things like material wealth. I see them pounding away at their tent stakes, driving them deeper and deeper. I want to tap them on the shoulder and say to them; “What are you doing. You aren’t going to stay here. This is not home. You are simply passing through. You can’t keep your wealth.”
The sinking of the Titanic is one of the saddest stories in history. What makes it so sad? First the accident happened because of the presumption that it was unsinkable. It is an accident that could have been avoided had we been cautious. The second thing that makes it sad, is the unbelief that it would sink once it struck the iceberg. Had they started the life boat procedure immediately and filled each boat, many more would have been saved but the majority were clinging to a sinking ship. This world is a sinking ship; don’t cling to it. Eventually, it is going to bring you deep disappointment and great sorrow. It would be wise to decide now which one gets your affection: Jesus or this world. You can’t love them both–you will despise one and cling to the other. I don’t know about you, but I am clinging to Jesus. It is not a bad thing unless you prefer garbage.
Getting a gentle rain as I speak. I finally got five rows of corn planted. We got old Ed out of hibernation and Mr. Chastine helped me crank it and it ran like a sewing machine and until I dropped the plows. We got it done by hand. Hope to be in the study most of the day as we prepare for tomorrow. I hope you have a great Saturday and hope to see you tomorrow in one of the services.
By the way, DBC was trying to raise $20,000 yesterday for a van for the Browns. The last I heard last night they had over $15,000. Way to go guys: I am proud of you.