Treasure In Clay Jars

In the Book of Revelation, we marvel at the implication of taking the mark (666) as seen in Revelation 14:9-11 , where such a person is condemned to eternal damnation unable to ever turn to the Lord as is available to most people still alive. However in Romans Chapter 1, the Bible also discusses the condition of people today, where as the scripture says three times because of their behavior, "The Lord game them over..." Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Romans 1:24 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Romans 1:26-27 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not ...

Psalm 14:1 - The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile...

So it is with no surprise that I greet the news that the lies of the Global Warming crowd have been uncovered. This has occurred by way of a hacking of the computers of an organization in England which contains the central data repository used by proponents of this “religion”. It is clear from the information revealed that data has been manipulated and a full effort organized to suppress all dissent by those who have been skeptical of the claims that the Earth’s temperature is rising, caused by man-made events. What a shock! Another man-made religion discovered to be held together by fraud, deceit, manipulation and willful ignorance on the part of a world of people who simply “want a better planet” in which to live. Newsflash: the world is not going to get better because of man-made effort. As the Bible states “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:8 NIV). It is admirable to want to see the evil of this world at an end, but it...

An interesting area of concern raised by this so-called Healthcare Bill being promoted by President Obama and Liberals throughout the country is that of the elderly and the not so hidden reality that the bill will likely lead to the rationing and ultimately withholding of medical treatment from the elderly because in reality it is not “cost effective” to continue extending their lives. Picture an 80-something grandmother who requires more chemotherapy or Alzheimer’s treatments or additional MRIs to try and diagnose her persistent fainting spells. To the liberals (translation: ungodly) proponents of the so-called healthcare bill, it is impractical to spend “scarce resources” on this life that is going to end shortly anyway. Sure it sounds insidious, but think about it: it is no different than the already raging reality of ending the life of the child unborn, because it will be impractical to spend “money or emotional energy we don’t have” to raise it to adulthood. Make no mistake about ...

I have been thinking a lot lately about what will happen to fulfill God’s prophecy in Ezekiel 39. In this Bible Chapter , Israel is attacked by “an enemy from the north”, but is supernaturally delivered by God resulting in harm not to Israel but to that enemy and “her allies by the sea”. This prophecy appears to make it very clear, that no nuclear weapon developed by Iran will destroy Israel. This does not mean that Iran will not try. They could very well be among the coalition of enemies from the north that will fulfill this prophecy. This prophecy may very well be instructive as we continue to observe the shadow dancing that is currently playing out between Israel, President Obama and the Iranian nuclear issue. Below is an excerpt from a recent news report from the Christian News From Jerusalem website: More ominously, (Jerusalem Post Editor Caroline Glick reports) - likely from sources high up in the Israeli government - that the Obama administration has all but accepted as an irrev...

There MUST be a “two-state solution” for Israel and the Palestinians. So says the Pope, Barack Obama, virtually every European Leader etc. etc. According to the learned of this world, it’s not even a question anymore. Israel must submit to a “two-state solution”. And just what is the two state solution? Ostensibly, it is one in which Israel shares ownership of the land given to them by God with the Palestinian people. For those advocating such a “solution” their opinion on whether Israel was given her land directly from God must fall into one of two camps: 1) The land was never given to Israel by God and thus this claim is bogus – thus making a liar out of the Bible or 2) The land was given to Israel by God but is subject to man’s decision to overrule that God – in the interest of “peace”. I can guess which of the these options the Palestinians, Europeans and President Obama believes. This Pope is somewhat of a question, however with him earthly pragmatism is probably trumping biblical...

I’ve not written a post in quite a while partially due to being busy, not being motivated to write and also taking in much of the “change” that has been happening in this country over the past few months. The country decided to change leadership in the White House going with the candidate who presumably best represents where they want to go as a country. For the record, I did not vote for Mr. Obama. I voted as such based on my Christian beliefs, which is largely incompatible with liberal values. That millions of Americans obviously feel differently than I do and voted for Mr. Obama is the point of this post. What prompted me to write tonight is an article that someone sent me today written by a columnist Kathleen Parker for the Washington Post. The title of the article is "Giving Up On God" . Below is a few “not taken out of context” excerpts followed by some comments from me your humble blogger: Quote: As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will ov...

Presidential candidate Barack Obama presents himself as Christian. As a candidate in the 2008 Presidential Election, it has become a pre-requisite for people to know that you are a “person of faith”. In the last election, it was widely reported that Democratic candidate John Kerry lost because the Bible belt voted overwhelmingly for President Bush. So in 2008 we have Mr. Obama clearly stating that he is a “man of faith”. Therefore (presumably), the Bible belt should be comfortable with him. As such, it was with bemused interest recently that I read about Mr. Obama while addressing a decidedly non-Christian audience in San Francisco, was taped saying (and I paraphrase) - that because of hard times, bitter small town voters “cling to religion among other vices..” as a result of government abandoning them and allowing their jobs to be shipped elsewhere. I find it revealing and very much consistent that a candidate like Mr. Obama would view “religion” (which is the politically sanitized wa...

I find the political and regulatory demand that churches must refrain from supporting political candidates to be an interesting study in how self avowed Christians worship God. By regulatory law, Churches cannot openly support one candidate in a political race or else risk their tax-exempt status. By cultural “law” Christians are told that their Christianity should be private. It should not be part of their political thinking. Of course that demand is typically made by people who are not informed about the true tenets of Christianity –a Christian is WHO you are, NOT what you do. You should behave as a Christian in your home watching TV, in your car driving around, in the mall shopping and YES in the voting booth voting for a political candidate. People who are not truly submitted to God’s complete leading can easily, and subconsciously, turn on and turn off their being led by the Word of God. “My Christianity is private” (or the more sanitized) “my religion is private” is what you will...

I just finished reading an article on Foxnews.com about the struggle of prison ministries to remain active because of lawsuits being brought by organizations who ultimately want no part of God being presented to people anywhere. These organizations maintain opinions like the following: “…that state funds were used for religious indoctrination. It alleges that cooperative inmates received preferential treatment, while some Roman Catholic inmates — not embracing the evangelical approach — were denigrated”. So far according to the article, a federal judge has already ordered a prison ministry program in Iowa to be shut down: A federal judge agreed with Americans United. He ordered the program be shut down, and said InnerChange must reimburse its $1.5 million (euro1 million) payment from the state. The case could have ramifications for faith-based programs across the United States . It's now under appeal, and the program has been allowed to continue temporarily using only private fund...

Previously, I wrote about the challenges faced by Navy Chaplain Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt in his attempt to pray "in Jesus Name" while in his military uniform. The post which appears below chronicled the pressure that the US Military felt was necessary to keep Jesus from being associated with its institution, while at the same time every President and most politicians end their speeches with "God Bless America". It would be a joke if it wasn't so sad. Well, today the Navy finally got to dismiss Mr. Klingenschmitt from it's service. In heaven, God is smiling (not at the Navy but at the Chaplain): Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroye...

Is it me or does the following recent news headline seem fairly predictable and very much “on message”: Clinton Hires Evangelical Consultant for Presidential Campaign An “evangelical consultant” has been hired by Hillary Clinton to help attract Christian conservatives in her likely 2008 presidential campaign. – Anne Thomas ChristianToday.com website . Just one question to you the reader: are you a true believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior over your life? If yes, do you feel the need to have your Christianity neatly packaged so others will truly believe that you believe ? Jesus could save Mrs. Clinton the extravagant cost of an "evangelical consultant" with His beautiful simplicity: “If you love me, obey my commandments… (John 14:15 NLT). But then again…this is America, where political marketing strategies work among Christians even as the actual behavior of the politicians are in direct contradiction to our own Bibles. God bless America indeed.

As we enter into the election cycle this fall that will determine the party that controls the US Congress for at least the next two years, there is a lot of talk currently about whether the Republican Party is more closely aligned with true Christian values, or whether in fact it is incompatible to be a Christian and be a Democrat at the same time. While I truly believe neither of the two primary US political parties represent true Christian values in their governing philosophies, writer Jack Kinsella writes a very persuasive article on the subject of the natural tendencies of many in the Democratic party . As the Bible says: "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, h...

As President Bush and his opportunistic band of Republican politicians again raises the issue of a gay marriage amendment vote, this spectacle once again demonstrates man’s impotence in trying to forward “moralistic” policy without the power of God’s Word behind them. This is akin to trying to get a monolith of people to agree with you simply because you say so. This argument inevitably will fall flat on it’s face, as the inevitable push back from the other side (those in favor of gay marriage) will undoubtedly be…”who are you to tell us what is right; what glass house have you been living in?” You see this timidity in arguments against gay marriage using rationale such as “it will weaken the institution of marriage” or “it will put us on a slippery slope towards legalized marriage by multiple people etc.” If you happen to be one of those who truly believe a gay marriage ban is the right thing to do, are the previous phrases among your counter-point lines to try and “sell your argumen...

A reader responding to my recent post on “ The “10 Commandments Illusion” wrote something that I think is worth focusing on: that being the question of to what authority do we submit ourselves during our lives? What benchmark do we use to make judgments about the affairs of the world? The reader, in response to my statement that in our culture “progressives are really anti-God in nature” wrote the following: The ACLU defends Christian displays when the government illegally tries to get them removed. Your claim that "progressive" means "anti-God" is in error. ACLU's position is that of the founders: The government doesn't get to advocate religion. It's not anti-God at all -- it's religiously free, giving everyone the right to worship as their conscience dictates. Is freedom anti-God? I don't think so. The above indicates that the benchmark for deciding whether “progressives are really anti-God, is the “founding fathers”; that progressives generall...

A television interview with a Jewish Rabbi last night highlighted a growing fear among many in the United States of the possibility that the US government may be moving ‘dangerously’ towards theocratic rule – where religious fervor (of the Christian bent) becomes the dominant form of public policy. This ‘fear’ harkens back to the pre-US era where migrants fled religious persecution from colonial Europe to make a home of freedom from government-imposed religion in the United States. The new concern stems primarily from the rise of red-state dominance in recent US politics particularly during the administration of George W. Bush and the resulting influence of Christian oriented groups such as James Dobson’s Focus on the Family . The interesting note here is that groups opposed to religious influence in society are having difficulty defeating such influence at the ballot box. Rank and file Americans (those in inconsequential fly-over country) don’t seem to share their concern about the v...