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  • You are here: Blogs Directory / Ministries / A Godly View of the World Welcome Guest
    A Godly View of the World
          Retiredrev's Personal Viewpoint

    Mon, Dec 29th - 12:05AM



    Revival Can Stem The Tide Of Evil

    I catch myself too often looking on the dark-side of things. Some might consider me to be too negative. But it’s difficult to see too many good things happening in the near future, so far as our world is concerned. The scriptures are being trampled under foot by a large number of citizens and government leaders in our society. Same sex marriages, unheard of a few years ago, is becoming more and more an accepted lifestyle. Abortion is now advocated by many in our judicial and political system — with the power to push forward an agenda of legalization.

    Ours is a generation where young people are being raised apart from the church. Biblical morality is laughed at by scores of young people. There is less and less appreciation of the sacred shown by many in the younger generation. And there are thousands of boys and girls being reared in broken homes.

    We hear the drum beat for freedom of speech, yet when it comes to the believer’s freedom to share the gospel, freedom of speech doesn’t apply. In recent years many department stores have denied workers the right to say "Merry Christmas" or to show or weigh anything demonstrating their Christian Christmas spirit. Scores of stories have been posted in newspapers and on television.

    Along with multitudes of other sincere believers, I keep praying for a spiritual awakening in America. We can’t give up hope for seeing it happen.

    But the task becomes increasingly more difficult without Christians making genuine commitments to the Lord to serve Him, to be supportive of His House, to witness openly by word and through conduct.

    No one will ever be able to convince me that a mouth which spits out curses and coarse talk can be a vital witness for Jesus. No one will ever be able to convince me that piecemeal faithfulness to Bible study, the worship of the Lord in His House, the inconsistent show of loyalty to the Lord’s House and His day will ever be the witness which brings sweeping revival to a land now entrenched in drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, gambling, abortion, indecent behavior, and broken homes.

    The spirit of evil seems to hover over our society. There is a "moral evil which has its source in the choice and action of humans"(Holmon Bible Dictionary). It results in wars, crimes of all sorts, being cruel to others, and enslaving individuals. Evil itself is anything which acts in opposition to God or to His will and purpose.

    One of the Proverbs lends itself to the problem of evil. He wrote, "An evil doer gives heed to false lips"(Proverbs 17:4). You see, evil when not countered with Godliness permeates the whole of society. Wrong becomes right, perversion becomes the norm, clear Biblical teachings become blurred, and souls are lost to an eternal Hell without Jesus Christ.

    One bent on evil, according to the Proverb, has a listening ear to the liar. The writer finishes the Proverb with "A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue". The word spiteful can be written as "destructive".

    When evil prevails, tempers are short, anger results, and lives are endangered. I was recently almost involved in accident on the interstate in neighboring Louisiana. It was a highway-rage where one automobile swerved into the path of another because he was going slower than the moving traffic in the outside lane. There was almost a rear-end right there beside me.

    Folks it is happening all around us. So, in the midst of such a society, can we really expect to see God do something in our day? To many, God is only a safety net, one to call out to when tragic events occur, when the doctors say there is nothing more then can do, when the income is lost, when wars come. But, beyond that, He isn’t welcomed in their world.

    I desire to be positive. I want to be able to say, "Everything is alright, things are going to work out for the good". Only revival across the land can stem the tide of evil. We don’t necessarily need a revival to bring back the good old day, we need a revival that will sweep scores of men and women into the Kingdom of God. Let that be our prayer as we move through 2009



    Comment (2)

    Mon, Dec 15th - 12:11AM



    Christmas Is A Time To Recall The World’s Greatest Gift

    The Christmas celebration for 2008 is only a few short days away. In homes blessed with children and loving parents, the seasonal stir of excitement is rising. In other homes there will be sadness and disappointment when Santa doesn’t visit with desired gifts. And in some homes, there will be that longing for a missing loved one who last year perhaps brightened the party. And many homes will be wondering if their soldier husband, wife, or dad will be with them next Christmas.

    And we can’t forget the many individuals, now older, some in nursing homes or bedridden in their own homes, who have witnessed many a Christmas past. Now they spend this blessed day alone and perhaps feeling left out.

    So, Christmas comes each year to find an array of differing attitudes and emotions. I’ve personally witnessed too many of these senior citizens sitting by themselves or being visited for a short time by loved ones on Christmas day. I’ve seen them sit alone in their rocking chair with saddened faces, feeling pushed aside by younger celebrants too busy to spend much time with them.

    Perhaps we need to revisit the real meaning of the Christmas season. Sure, there is much to enjoy when healthy and at peace with oneself and with others. There are enough gadgets to help people through the day, to bring a smile when receiving gifts from other folk. Thus far, in most cases, there will be plenty food with which to stuff family members for the day.

    But what is Christmas really about? The Bible doesn’t give us any guidelines so we can follow for our Christmas celebration. We do so because we desire to remember the greatest gift the world has ever received. Most of the population is more interested in the gift given to them by a friend or loved one than about the gift of God’s Son for the salvation of the soul.

    God stepped out of Heaven for a season, took upon Himself the garment of human flesh, and lived in the midst of mankind. He lived in this robe of flesh, walked and lived among the people of His day, and did it without sin. The crib is the first human step toward Calvary where our Lord suffered and died to satisfy the demands of the Law so we wouldn’t have to do so. His death for us is our sacrifice. Unlike the blood of the animals before His coming to earth in the person of Jesus, which was a covering for sin until the perfect Sacrifice is given, His blood cleanses from sin.

    In Isaiah, the Old Testament prophesy, we discover that God made a promise to a waiting world. Isaiah wrote, by Holy Spirit inspiration, that a virgin would give birth to a son. His name would be called Immanuel or God with us. The New Testament affirms that promise by relating the birth of that child. Jesus, Savior, became His earthly name and Immanuel tells us Who He is — God with us!

    On the night of His birth, the angels announced it to a classless people called shepherds. They weren’t highly regarded in society. But God’s angels gave the birth announcements out on a hillside near Bethlehem.

    Simeon, a just and devout man, led by the Holy Spirit, recognized Jesus when His parents brought Him into the Temple. Simeon was told by the Spirit that "he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ" (Lk.2:26).

    He held Jesus and "blessed God and said: Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation . . ." (verses 28–30).

    Anna was a widow and a prophetess. She was around 84 years of age. She "served God through fasting and prayers night and day (verse 37). She gave God thanks and went and told the good news to everyone who looked forward to redemption in Jerusalem.

    Throughout the past many years, people around the world have acknowledged a day in the year to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Thousands have sought to silence this recognition, but their efforts have been and are to no avail. Christmas is Christ.

    Peggy and I would like to take this moment to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. May your celebration be filled with Godly joy and peace.



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    Sun, Dec 7th - 6:14PM



    Facing The Difficulties of Life Victoriously

    What happens when one’s whole life is turned upside down? Sickness, financial loses due to company closures, breakup of friendships, loss of home due to storm, fire, or flooding, and even death crosses the path of us all at some point in our lives. We’ve seen other individuals and families go through the fire and wondered how they did it. But without warning, the fiery trial can enter through your front door. Then you shall learn how to handle such adversities.

    Through the years, I’ve watched families deal with their tragedies in a variety of ways. The outcome for one can’t be predicted on the basis of how another faced their trial. But after contemplating upon the subject, I must say that those who have safely gone through their test of fire were mostly folk who had their trust deeply rooted in Jesus. They could conclude at the end of the day how much they trusted in Him to always know what is best. They realized that He is in control of one’s going out and one’s going in.

    I’m not going to sit here and tell you that trials aren’t difficult. I would never mislead you into believing that loss doesn’t hurt. I’m too much of a realist to try and paint a picture where people can face up to every set back without being emotionally touched by the event. But on the other hand, I will tell you there is One Who knows all about your hurt.

    Perhaps you’ve read some stories or heard some sermons on the subject of "Why Do Good People Suffer Bad Things?" I certainly don’t have the answers to many questions along that line. I’ll never know some of the answers until I can sit at Jesus’ feet in eternity future and allow Him to explain it more fully.

    The deepest hurt, I suppose, is when an individual loses a loved one to death. Regardless of how close you are to an individual, when once they die, you will never see them again in that same body. But for the believer, that loved one will be seen in Heaven in their new body.

    My dad died when he was eighty-two and I wasn’t ready to give him up. His body was broken to nothing by a seventeen year battle with strokes. Still, the pain was deep.

    My mother lived another eight years and died at eighty-one years and eleven months. Her health had worsened, her heart needed repairing, and she was living alone [by her own choosing]. When I got the news of her death during the morning hours, it hurt deeply. I wasn’t ready to give her up to death. But in both cases, death won.

    I’ve listened with arms to my side as moms cried for their children. I remember watching a family give up their college student, their only natural born son, to death caused by an accident. I’ve heard the cry of a wife whose husband was too young to die, but he did. And I remember holding tight my wife when around mid-night the voice on the other end of the phone line was telling me that her sister, who had fought cancer for some five years, was at peace.

    There is a day set by God alone on which is your death date. As I study the Bible, seeking to understand the will of God, it is my deep conviction that His death date is often sooner because of one living outside His will for their lives. I know that He led me away from normal paths at specific times for my own good and safety.

    Death can be faced victoriously when Jesus Christ is at one’s side. The staying here is rough, the hurt, the emotional pain is sometimes hard to bear. But remember what the Psalmist wrote many years ago: "Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved" (55:22). Roll over onto Him your burden, and when you do, He will keep you from being shaken.



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    Mon, Dec 1st - 12:03AM



    Some Thoughts About The Reason For The Season

    We have been so tuned into the national race for the White House in Washington that Thanksgiving and Christmas has slipped upon us. It surely seems like only a couple of months ago I was scratching my head trying to figure out what would be my, I think, Christmas present number 56 for Peggy. Yes, we’ve been doing this, at first in a small way, since grade 7 in school when we started dating. I guess at first it really wasn’t dating, but at any rate that’s when I fell down on the playgrounds and she caught me!!!

    But here we are! Thanksgiving, whether it slipped upon you or not, it is now history. And so is that big "Black Friday" shopping day after Thanksgiving. Now we can focus fully upon "The Real Reason For This Season of The Year" — Christmas.

    Christmas tunes have already been heard in the stores in which I’ve shopped. That occurs now-a-days before turkey day meals are cooked. Seems that this year they started even more quickly than in past years.

    With our economy as it is, I suppose they are seeking to get all of the money from folk like us that they possibly can get. Even heard on the television the other day that some economist are upset that so many people are saving their money instead of spending it. Seems some national leaders think they can give away billions to bailout failing industries with free tax money and rebuild their prestige by our being big spenders at Christmas time. We see it. We want. We get, whether we need it or nor!

    I remember too many Christmases past where toys were extracted from their beautiful wrappings by eager hands and then thrown aside to grab another wrapped gift to tear into. Then when all the gifts are unwrapped, perhaps an item or two is retrieved and played with for awhile. Many of those precious things under the tree are unwrapped and then thrown aside and seldom if ever picked up again.

    But we are made to believe that we’ve just got to have that . . . ! I guess that’s human nature for us to think that way and I suppose its human nature that causes billionaires to look to millions of us little spenders to not save but buy stuff we don’t need nor even want so they can continue to sit in their ivory palaces, enjoying the oversight and downfall of our nation’s economy.

    Well, the real victory which overcomes greed for stuff is by remembering just what Christmas is about. Yes, it is about a small baby boy. It is about the birth of a King. It is a grand story of the miracle of birth and a virgin giving birth at that. But Christmas is about much more.

    You see, Christmas is a prelude to Calvary. Shadowing over the crib where lay baby Jesus was the cross. It was ever before Him. The cross was His destination. Sweet baby Jesus songs are wonderful. They give hope to the hopeless. They encourage young and old alike . But no baby remains a baby, they grow up to whatever destiny God has planned for them.

    So, while this year enjoying the first steps toward Calvary, remember that the Christ Child was born, that God stepped out from eternity for awhile and took upon Himself the penalty of sin for us all.

    Christmas is about our hope beyond this lifetime. Beyond this world’s fallen estate, there is a place where we’ll never grow old. There is a destination where we’ll never get sick, where there will never be an economic meltdown, where there will be no more goodbyes, and all tears will be wiped away.

    The world is at it again. People out there are buying space on buses and newspapers trying to sell a false belief that there is no God. That has been tried before without success.

    These same people groups would love to take Christ out of the Christmas celebration. Sadly, in many cases, they have succeeded. But joyfully, they have failed miserably in their attempts to scores and scores of other individuals.

    Once again, at this Christmas season, you are being called upon to "Put Christ in Your Christmas" — on every card you send, on every note you write, in many of the conversations you have with other people. He is the Reason!



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    About Me

    Name: Odus Jackson
    ChristiansUnite ID: retiredrev
    Member Since: 2006-02-25
    Location: Gloster, Mississippi, United States
    Denomination: Southern Baptist
    About Me: I was born July 13th, 1936. Married to Peggy Ann Lewis of Gloster. Two children, a girl and a boy. Four grandchildren, 2 girls and 2 boys. Will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in 2007. Retired from active pastor of local churches in 1998 after... more

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