Obsessed with Fouled Up Celebrities in a Culture with a Fouled Up Justice System!

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds. --- Habakkuk 1:2-4

One has to wonder -- that is, if you have the stomach to view it all for a few minutes -- news media people are drawn to those fouled up celebrities more so than flies are to a rotting carcass on a hot summer day -- you know, those flies that lay eggs which hatch into maggots by the thousands and they eagerly gnaw away on that rotting carcass!

In the waning days of July 2007 a "celebrity" actress grabs the headlines with a second D.U.I. plus having cocaine in her possession. Instantly there is an assembly of "experts" to dissect this drama as to what this means in terms of possible jail time, etc. As the discussion is pursued the viewer is plagued with constant exposure to the actress in question as photos are splashed across the screen.

At the same time news breaks forth concerning a star NFL football player and his direct involvement in illegal dog fighting activities. Again, the "experts" are called upon to comment -- what will happen to this guy who has a multimillion dollar contract to toss around a piece of pig skin filled with air?

With the ongoing corruption of the judicial system and the favoritism that is always shown in regard to the rich and the famous, not a whole lot will come of these latest debacles. The maximum will be a slight slap on the hand with an admonishment in so many words, "You naughty little girl (or boy) -- you shouldn't do that -- now promise you'll try not to do it anymore!" We also need to remember that the number of lawyers without any real deep convictions between right and wrong keeps increasing -- with dollar signs in place of eye balls this bunch is willing to do whatever necessary to get a rich client off the hook, in spite of the client being clearly proven guilty -- ah, money -- that green stuff that we will do anything to get, even by questionable means!

The greatest tragedy of all is the powerful influence such warped personalities as mentioned above have on our young folk -- there is no conscience and no sense of responsibility in setting a high moral and ethical standard by way of example for those young and tender in age to follow.

Equally tragic is the fact that those in the news media so obsessed with the antics of those fouled up celebrities do not give any significant emphasis to the need of being a high quality moral example to the young who look up to those celebrities!

And we continue to wonder why our culture is unraveling at the seams. Has anyone made a connection that it is due to abandonment of those Judeo/Christian values which are absolutely necessary to the ongoing sober, sane, sensible, serene, and spiritual existence of a culture?

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.' "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. "Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts. --- Zechariah 7:9-13

Have You Graduated Beyond the Bunnies & Eggs Thing?

Just as it is at Christmas time, the competition is fierce -- ads coming at you in all directions trying to persuade you to buy new clothes and lots of sweet stuff as you prepare for Easter. Of course those selling other kinds of merchandise are reminding you that it's spring time and you need a lot of their products for making it a much better spring than you've ever had before! And if you're hurting for some reason -- maybe you skinned your toe on your neighbor's uneven sidewalk, there's a zillion lawyers out there with repulsive ads telling you to sue and get "the money you deserve for your pain and suffering!" That way you can give your neighbor an Easter present he won't ever forget.

What is your reason for celebrating Easter, if you have managed to move beyond such stuff as that mentioned above? Are you able to lift your vision far beyond the little bunnies, chickens, and eggs -- the jelly beans and the flowers?

After gazing for a time on a central cross outside the city of Jerusalem with the body impaled upon it now removed, are you a bit excited? Does the excitement become more intense as you remember again that the grave was unable to hold Him in its deadly grip and that Jesus came out of that tomb three days after His slow and painful death on a Roman cross?


Even within churches claiming to be identified with the Christian faith there has at times been skepticism displayed when it comes to the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. For a few of us, that comes as no surprise -- each century has produced a number who seem to take delight in denying that Jesus is alive, but our response is simple -- "You are badly mistaken -- I'm in daily contact with Him and we have conversation about many things. You can't carry on conversation with a dead person successfully!"

Let the skeptics ramble on in their blindness and stupidity, we know better as we continue to walk in fellowship with Him Who is King of kings and Lord of lords! So this Easter, let's check our vision again -- how far can we see? Do we see Him Who was dead for a brief moment and placed in a stone tomb, but is now alive and some day in the future will return to rule this world forever?

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." --- John 14:1-6

If you are still at the bunny, chicks, eggs, and chocolate level, slip on over and take a look at How to Become a Christian -- you life just might be changed forever!

A Day Coming When Even the ACLU Will Be Praying!

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" --- Revelation 6:15-17

It is one of the most notorious organizations ever spawned in recent times -- a putrid mix of lawyers who are resolved to save us from ourselves! Under the deceptive banner of "Separation of Church and State" this blinded (blind to what truth really is all about) group has launched very effective assaults against Christianity continually.

It is known as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) -- but it is much more accurate to have the initials represent Anti-Christian Lovers (of) Ungodliness! By way of definition, anything or anyone that advocates and encourages conduct and policies which defy the will of the Creator of this universe and which hinders the revelation of Who God really is, is more than qualified to be placed in the category of ungodliness.

This group is dedicated to the absolute elimination of any reference to Christianity in public settings such as schools and government. This mad dog approach to this issue has come about due to a mistaken interpretation of a statement made by Thomas Jefferson about a "wall of separation" between church and state in our republic.

One cannot say that spiritual, moral, and ethical conditions have greatly improved in our republic since God has been "officially" banned by court ruling from a lot of places including public school classrooms.

But the day is coming when even the members of this infamous group will find themselves praying desperately -- even if they have never uttered a word of prayer before in their entire lives! Further, it is quite possible that they will urge others to pray, even in public places!

Perhaps it will be in the spirit of a sign a student in one of my churches told me about at the time the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading and the Lord's Prayer were no longer acceptable practices in public classrooms. This student informed me that someone put a large sign on the bulletin board in his high school which read, "In the event of nuclear attack, the ban against prayer in this school building will be temporarily suspended!" The sign was on display for a little while before a school administration official quickly removed it.

Isaiah the prophet also mentions this time of a world-wide crisis of a different kind -- when God has made the decision to directly intervene in the flow of human history. It will be a time with which the nations of this world are completely unprepared to deal, and it is obvious that material wealth will not be of any significant use in bringing relief from the impending judgment. And as noted in the frantic praying recorded in Revelation 6, for the first time ever, millions will discover too late, that now Almighty God is calling for a personal accounting from each individual!

Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. People bow down, and each man humbles himself; therefore do not forgive them. Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up; and it shall be brought low;........ They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. --- Isaiah 2:7-12, 19-21

I would be the first to admit it -- response to what has just been written will involve a high degree of mockery and skepticism on the part of a majority. Similar in a sense to what Noah likely experienced before God shut him and his family inside the ark! But as has been noted in the past, "There are no atheists in fox holes!" So, to the few of you who do believe that God means precisely every word He has recorded in that inspired record known as the Bible, hang on and be prepared in order that you will not be joining them in that last great "prayer meeting" where the shouts are totally in vain and there is no response from the other side!

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." --- John 8:12

In the 21st Century It's Not the "Black Death" but Rather, the "Green Death!"

“You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy, and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good. They will be traitors. They will be reckless and conceited. They will love pleasure rather than God.”
--- 2 Timothy 3:1-4 (God’s Word Translation)

Back in the Middle Ages it wiped out millions of people in Europe – the Bubonic Plague or more commonly known as the “Black Death.”

The 21st Century version is a plague of a different kind – not a physical disease, but every bit as deadly, if not more so and appropriately titled the “Green Death!”

Greed has enslaved millions in our culture as well as in all other nations of the world. Studies done and surveys taken provide clear evidence that the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen with the passing of time.

It is not a sin to have money but it can be a sin of the first magnitude when it comes to motives and methods in getting it, how it is used, and the affection attached to it. Money quickly becomes a merciless deity for those who view and use it with a perverted perspective. Not only is money a merciless deity but ultimately it destroys all who have bowed down and paid homage to it.

Present day examples are too numerous to list completely, but here are a few starters:

• Companies fiercely compete for government contracts because these are very lucrative and it’s almost standard procedure that there will be what is termed “cost overruns” with the U.S. tax payers being ripped off repeatedly. Recent disturbing information reveals that millions of dollars are unaccounted for in the rebuilding and reconstruction which is supposed to be taking place in Iraq by U.S. contractors!
  


• And another news item that has surfaced asking a question about what has been going on in the hurricane ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast -- where have all those millions and millions of dollars gone? Those with fairly good memories will remember there was some scandal early on about "abuses" and "price gounging" -- any idea as to why such things take place -- if you look closely you will see that a lot of people have dollar signs flashing on and off in the place where their eyeballs ought to be!
  


• Competition is always deeply intense among members of the law profession as evidenced by their TV and newspaper ads along with billboards standing next to our highways. There is a constant bombardment of messages exhorting us to sue someone for something so that we can “get the money we deserve!” Of course, the award in a lawsuit will be drastically reduced once the attorneys get their “share.” So look around and see if there isn’t some reason to launch a lawsuit to get a ton of money, even if it’s for that hang nail that’s been irritating you lately – it is someone else’s fault, didn’t you know – just ask one of those characters that yells at you over the TV screen reminding you that he will help you get the money you deserve for your “pain and suffering!”
  


• Elected officials have provided clear evidence of their own infection with the virus of greed when their well traveled trail of salary increases and perk benefits is followed. This is the only group among supposedly “paid” employees which has the power to increase constantly what goes into their pockets, both short term and long term! For an experience that will make you want to lose the contents of your stomach quickly, compare the salaries and perks of our elected officials with that of the average citizen which they claim to represent either in Washington DC or a state capitol.
  


• Companies involved in petroleum distribution have held us hostage for a long time with price gouging tactics. Is it any surprise that companies in the business are reporting record breaking profits year after year? It gets to be a real circus when the officials of these outfits are challenged about this and to hear their “explanation” – a real lesson in how to use the forked tongue and persuade the public that what it pays for petroleum industry products is a good and healthy thing for all of us!

But enough of that – have you been getting the picture that something is far off base in the matter of money exchange in our nation and throughout the world at large?

Almighty God has made some statements about the subject of money which means that there are a substantial number of persons and their way of handling money that are in very deep doo-doo!

No further comment needed on the following:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. – 1 Tim 6:10 NKJV

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
--- Matt 19:23, 24 NKJV

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
--- James 4:1-4 NKJV

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
--- James 5:1-5 NKJV

But keep looking up – it’s not going to always be like this – one of these days Jesus Christ is going to return to this sin ravaged planet and set things right side up. When He takes charge it will be a whole new ball game which very few persons will be prepared to face – only the few who are looking for His glorious return (Titus 2:11-14) and have in their hearts each day the closing prayer of the book of the Revelation which says, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”