Matthew 6 contains a portion of the sermon on the Mount where Jesus is talking about not being anxious. He explains that He provides for the birds of the field and that we are more valuable than them. The argument is from the less valuable to the more valuable. If God provides for these birds, can we not trust Him to provide for us? The implied answer is, "Of course we can!" As I was reading in my quiet time guide this morning, the words of Charles Stanley encouraged my heart. Referring to Ephesians 1:7, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Charles Stanley commented,
When God bought your salvation, He spared no expense. He provided the costly blood of Christ to purchase your eternal life. Why is it, then, that some believers spend their lives trying to earn what God has already paid for?"
Abraham Lincoln surmised that it is because believers fail to recall God's great grace. Lincoln wrote, "We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own."
If believers imagine they have earned salvation through virtue, then when virtue is lacking, they believe they have lost the blessing. However, salvation was never based on human acts of piety. Salvation has its foundation in the sacrificial grace of Christ. His grace covers your sin. It was a great penalty to pay, but Jesus deemed that your salvation was worth the price.
Accept the riches of His grace and invest your life in thankfulness to Him.
Sometimes I tend to forget that God's grace through the provision of His Son as my Savior covers my sin. I want to do something myself to make a contribution to my salvation. In doing so I undermine and devalue the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Again I am reminded that the expected response that God wants from me is, "Thank You, Lord! I am so glad You valued me and sent Your Son to make total payment for my sin. Thank you, Lord, for Jesus!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Media Bias and Global Warming
We have recently read and heard the "Chicken Little" displays of frantic concern over the issue of man-made global warming. Al Gore and various environmental groups have received enormous media coverage regarding this concern. When hearing such dramatic "the world is falling in" kinds of expressions from these groups, I keep in mind that stirring people's emotions is how they raise money. It seems to me that most of the the media is totally one-sided on this issue. A recent issue of SALVO encouraged my suspicions with an extensive article on the subject. For instance, there is a quote in the magazine that we never hear from most media outlets--a quote that would encourage caution and continuing research rather than alarm and panic. Here's the quote:
"Just in case you were wondering, it is not at all difficult to find climate scientists and experts who disagree with the absolutist position on man-made global warming. Over 17,000 scientists have signed the Global Warming Petition Project from the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. Here's what the petition states...."
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.
Sadly, many people are totally persuaded by bias Media reporting and don't take the time to research the actual facts. It is possible that in the near future our government will take action against man-made global warming that will be unnecessary, totally ineffectual, and create a huge and needless burden upon our economy that will hurt the American people. We need to pray for our government to be wise rather than to submit to much of the foolishness that now characterizes the policies of our Washington politicians. Carpe Diem
"Just in case you were wondering, it is not at all difficult to find climate scientists and experts who disagree with the absolutist position on man-made global warming. Over 17,000 scientists have signed the Global Warming Petition Project from the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. Here's what the petition states...."
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.
Sadly, many people are totally persuaded by bias Media reporting and don't take the time to research the actual facts. It is possible that in the near future our government will take action against man-made global warming that will be unnecessary, totally ineffectual, and create a huge and needless burden upon our economy that will hurt the American people. We need to pray for our government to be wise rather than to submit to much of the foolishness that now characterizes the policies of our Washington politicians. Carpe Diem
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
