BloodTruth

I was just thinking how easy it is for Satan's henchmen today. Easy for what? Easy to get people to follow his ways, and not God's ways. You see, Satan once rebelled against God. Talk about being stupid! And yet supposedly Satan was quite smart--but apparently egotistical to the point that he, like Adam and Eve, thought that being equal with God was something to be grasped--something that could happen. Well, sadly, Adam and Eve were terribly wrong, and Satan was too. I sometimes wonder why it seems that everyone that God creates ultimately rejects or rebels against Him. Adam, Eve, Satan and apparently a third of the angels in Heaven, those residents of Sodom and a slew of other people who lived on Earth before Christ came down to save us. Could it be, could it just possibly be that God has no desire to create a race of robots? What robots?

After all, how hard would it be for God to create 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 robots that all loved Him and worshipped Him every minute of every hour of every day forever? He could do it in a nanosecond (one billionth of a second) without a second thought! But why did God NOT create couple gazillion robots to love, honor and worship Him? Maybe because to God it would be as much pleasure to do that as it would be for you to invent a very technologically advanced robot and command it to say that it REALLY loves you, and that you are wonderful. Would such an affirmation be of ANY value to you? If you create a robot and command it to tell you that he/she really loves you and finds you to be a wonderful person, what enjoyment or satisfaction do you get out of that? Is that glowing testimonial truly freely given? I think not!

The reason that people will probably always have pets, even when robots in the home become as common as TV sets, is because unlike a pet, a robot cannot experience any feelings of love, affection, appreciation, or enjoyment of being around you. A robot is something that is programmed by human beings, and has no awareness of its surroundings or understanding of life, love, or emotion.

So why did God NOT create a few zillion robots to bow down and worship Him, and instead created you and me, Adam and Eve, and Satan and all the angels, and give us all the free will to accept Him and love Him, or reject Him and rebel against Him? Because our God is a God who wants love freely given. And that love freely given can exist only where it is possible to NOT love. It is free will at its worst or best, depending on how you look at it. So why have so many of God's creations rebelled against Him? I think it's because God wants true love, not some dumpy puppy love, or love that expects something in return. And such love is fairly rare in the universe outside of Heaven. In order for me to get to Heaven, God MUST allow me the flexibility to reject and rebel against Him. In order for me to truly love God, I MUST be allowed to hate Him if that is what I choose. That's what free will is all about. Sometimes I hate the idea of free will! So I have made a conscious choice to love God, and hope and pray that such love is genuine and real. I really hope that my fear of God is not what is motivating me, but rather love freely given to One who had made me from dust.

So why do I think that Satan and his henchmen (fellow fallen angels) have it really easy today? Because they hardly have to work to persuade men and women, boys and girls to reject God and seek to please themselves. Rick Warren in his "40 Days of Purpose" series and in his "Purpose Driven Life" book says that we were created first of all for God's PLEASURE. Now, it is obvious to all that one cannot easily please another and also oneself at the same time. And it is quite obviously that people are on a self-pleasing journey for the most part in the modern world. So Satan and his evil buddies have to do very little about those people. After all, unless they choose otherwise, those people will die in their sins, having made the choice to serve themselves and not the God who created them and gave them the free will to accept or reject Him.

But be not fooled--just as those who reject God in this life will not reign with Him in the next, so it is true that for Satan the distant future is not so enjoyable. For he and his cohorts will be thrown into the lake of fire that will burn forever. And those in this world who choose to worship and follow Satan will receive a fate no less enjoyable. It's not a threat, it's just simply a promise made by God. And God NEVER breaks His promise! He's also promised eternal life in Heaven for those who accept Him and love Him in their earthly life.

I love the words in the Old Testament where it reads, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NIV) I could not have said it better!

Well, I just finished up my first semester of college and it was quiet a ride. Although I wasn’t the most sheltered child alive college really opened my eyes to a whole new horizon. I now realize, more than ever, that our society (and earth) is full of lost souls. When you look into the eyes of these people you can see them searching for something, anything, that will fill the void in their heart. Some turn to alcohol, others to weed (or marijuana for the more political correct), and still others look in places you’d never expect. Maybe it’s pornography or video games or a multitude of other possibilities but in the end they’re all the same. What they attempt to do is take the place of Jesus Christ in someone's life but that’s not possible. The only thing they can do is delay the inevitable with is a nose-dive right into the ground. No matter how much fun these worldly things bring in the end there’s always a consequence which ultimately is an eternity in hell. It becomes easy for us Christians to look down upon these people but this solves nothing. Not only are we sinning against God but we also hurt and confuse the individuals who are already lost. What we have to realize is that they do not know any better and they do not consider what they are doing a sin. The only thing we can do is “plant the seed” which in the Word of God into their hearts and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. Remember, always love someone first and then the rest will work out for itself. Jesus is love, and we are to be like Him.

The FDA is scheduled to determine if the so-called "morning after" pill will be available to the general public without a prescription. The panel looking at the issue overwhelmingly voted to have it available "over the counter" to all, and the FDA will likely approve it in the near future. Now one will be able to end a pregnancy even easier than ever before, with no pain, guilt, or remorse. Just perfect for a society that puts pleasure and self-gratification on the ultimate altar of worship. Let's not let a human life interfere with your seeking of pleasure and ego-gratification! "It's just tissue!" they say. Well, fact is, you are only worth maybe $10 in chemicals, so if someone kills you, they are just destroying something worth less than a CD at the local music store! Is that how YOU see it? Isn't that what our society judges today? Not the intrinsic worth of a human being as seen by God, but other factors? How long will it be before the courts declare that a one-year-old is not fully human and thus can be destroyed by his/her "creators" or "facilitators" if he/she becomes "inconvenient" or ceases to amuse his/her parents?

Before you can destroy any race or genus of people, you must first marginalize them by making them less than human. "Exhibit A" is the Dred Scott decision, which said that slaves were personal property, much like your puppy or kitten is today. So if you say that a life is "just tissue" or personal property then it is quite easy to justify destroying it in the name of personal choice or convenience.

Yes, the "morning after" pill really does fit in the American lifestyle. Godless, self-serving, and worshipping at the altars of money, fame, good looks, and of course that really great god at the zenith of the altar, Convenience.

Just goes to prove once again that if you really ignore your own conscience long enough, yes, it will really go away!

Brandon, can you believe the guy who commented on your blog that it was legal to share files? I did a Google search on illegal software topics and got over 300,000 hits! From that, I got the following (I could have gone on for days!):

From the Business Software Association of Australia comes this:
"Illegal copying and use of computer software is theft. 'Piracy' is a term frequently used, but it is merely a euphemism for stealing.

Software theft is a major problem costing Australia around $220 million each year. Now we're cracking down. There's a $5,000* reward for information that leads to a successful action against a business entity using unauthorised software. [hmmmm, would they be offering a reward if it were legal??]

Here's the URL of that information if anyone wants to see for themselves that I'm not making that up:
http://www.bsaa.com.au/general/therisks.html

Also, there's a story of a company in Japan that had pirated software on their systems, and when they were found out, had to pay nearly a MILLION US DOLLARS in files and penalties! Don't take my word for it, read it for yourself at http://global.bsa.org/usa/press/newsreleases/1999-06-21.225.phtml

Don't you just love it when people justify their theft (sin) by saying it isn't stealing? Those into history will remember the Dred Scott decision, whereby the Supreme Court of the US delcared that slaves were not human, but rather "personal property" and not entitled to citizenship or freedom. Was that justification of gross sin? Uh, duh! You can read more about it at http://library.wustl.edu/vlib/dredscott/.

You know, Brandon, that Adam and Eve, our great, great, great........(many more)... great-parents did the same thing. They saw that eating the forbidden fruit should be something they have a right to do, regardless of what God says. Well, the reason you are sweating it out over the books today is because they fooled themselves into believing a lie. Those who think that sharing copyrighted materials is ok are no different from our ancient parents! The penalty for them may be less harsh, but it is still sin and wrongdoing nevertheless! What gets into these people--no, wait--I KNOW the answer!

I’ll tell you what, downloading songs is addicting. It has to be equal to the power of cocaine, heroin, or even Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Because I’m a poor college student I obvious don’t have the money to go and buy the latest album, but there’s a solution. Pull up Kazaa, type in the song, and five minutes later the song’s coming out of your speakers. So what’s wrong with this picture? Well, no matter how you look at it, it’s stealing. If any of you out there are thinking of some way around it; don’t. John and I have had this discussion numerous times so I know ever possible excuse and they’re all bogus. When it comes down to it you’re taking something, without permission, that should cost money. I’m not real sure, but that sounds like a textbook definition of stealing. My problem was that I knew it was stealing yet the songs were still on my computer. I was too stubborn to stop doing something I knew what wrong and that’s sad.

Finally last Sunday I was reading in 1 John and it all became very clear. Listen to what John has to say in 1 John 2:4, “The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.” Well, that really scared me to tell the truth. Here I am, claiming to be a Christian yet I still deliberately disobey His word. What is wrong with me? I just be brain dead or something because you’d think I’d know better after 19 years on this earth. Maybe it’s my weak will, maybe it’s my stubbornness, but either way it’s wrong and I’m ashamed. I just thank God for his forgiveness and grace because without it I’d be screwed (sorry for my bluntness). Needless to say, the songs are off my computer and a burden has been lifted.

Psalm 13:5-6:
But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.

I was just thinking that if I ever wanted to toss off the typical life and do something completely different that what I'd like to do is go over to the mid east and try and discover the remnants of the ten commandments that Moses brought down off the mountain the first time. Here we read about it in the Old Testament ....

"When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." (Exodus 31:18 NIV)

Now that would have been very exciting and interesting to see!

And then we read.....

"The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is the sound of war in the camp." Moses replied: "It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear." When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it." (Exodus 32:16-20 NIV)

Ok, so we know that at the base of Mount Sinai, there may still be remnants of the original stone tablets of the ten commandments, written in God's own hand. I'm not into relics, but I do think that to be able to hold such a remnant of the original ten commandments in my very own hand, and see the actual handwriting of God would be a very powerful event or moment in my life. I believe that the Bible is God's literal Word as penned and later typeset by humans under the direction of the Holy Spirit. But the ten commandments--now that's something entirely different! It was not dictated by God and penned by man, but rather written by God Himself in his own handwriting!

Do you think that if they found a verifiable portion of the original ten commandments that it would lessen the attack by the God-haters against Christians and what we value? I doubt it, but it's ok to dream isn't it? Even if they found it, you surely could not show such a thing in a public school in this day and age. Someone might be offended by seeing God's own handwriting, especially if they don't believe He even exists! What cognitive dissonance that would produce!

Brandon, you wonder why you would ever lose your focus on Jesus. I have a partial answer: diversions. Remember that time at your house a while back at the Bible Study when we tried to have each participant crawl on the carpet in a straight and narrow path toward a goal and what we did to try and divert them? When each person tried it, we put all kinds of candy bars and other goodies just out of his reach, and tried to convince each person that if he were to just "vary from the straight and narrow" path just a tiny bit, that he could enjoy all of those incredibly delicious candy bars! But most who tried it caught on to the plan (to our surprise), and did not head off the path, and did not get the candy bars and other goodies; but they did get to their goal in the best way possible--straight ahead with no side trips. Well, Satan is tempting you and me with things that make those tiny candy bars seem like nothing by comparison. And our flesh is enticed by that. And yes, we do head off the main path sometimes. It's a shame, but it happens. But you have the absolutely correct response to that: head to God for encouragement and forgiveness and worship Him alone. His grace is wonderful! I'm thankful EVERY day for it!

Hey, anybody for a candy bar? You only have to head off your path just a LITTLE. Well, maybe just a tad more than that! The world is too gullible, unfortunately, and falls for that trick nearly every time. I'm amazed at how people are willing to trade something eternal for something that is temporary and vain. And even I fall into that trap when I'm not in the Word as I should be. But such is being human! Not so much an excuse, but rather a fact. However, like you said, we can try to focus our eyes once again on Jesus when we stray from the path.

They say that college is the most stressful time in a person’s life and I would have to agree. So many things are going through my head right now it almost makes me dizzy. Finals are in a week, the Christmas shopping hasn’t started, deer are everywhere to be seen (John knows what I’m talking about), and girls…well I won’t even go into that one. But the sad truth is that none of these things matter compared to our walk with Christ. I’ll be the first to admit that there are times when Christ is not first in my life and these are times when I become depressed. Things start to go wrong, stress builds up, emotions run high, and there’s only one fix to the problem; prayer. I personally lock my door, turn off the phone and computer, get on my knees and cry out to the Lord. It’s amazing how fast things turn will turn around. God brings such peace and joy that I often wonder why I ever turn my back on Him. The only thing I can come up with is that I’m stupid. Honesty, why should I ever lose my focus on Jesus? He has blessed me in more ways than I could ever imagine, and I’m only 19. I am confident that the future holds many great things and I hope with all my heart that I will be ready for them. The only thing I can do now is to grow as close to God as possible, and this my goal. Through the Word, prayer, and Christian fellowship this is being accomplished but not to the extent that God requires. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It really doesn’t get any more clear than that yet I still fail. I just thank God for His grace and understanding in my life because without it, I'd be lost.

Hey, Brandon, am I the only one to think that there is a war going on in this country? After all, now Christmas is under attack big-time by secularists who want to remove God, spirituality and religion or even the acknowledgement of God from all aspects of life and culture in the USA. Right now there is a case before the Surpeme Court of the US (SCOTUS it's known as) that may remove "under God" from the pledge of allegiance. Hey, do you know when the term "under God" was ADDED to the pledge? Not 1800, not 1850, not even 1900 or 1920. Not 1930 or even post world war at 1940! No, it was added about 1954 in the Eisenhower administration. Why do you think that was done?

The answer is that "under God" was added to our pledge of allegiance in 1954 because of the "cold war" with the [then] Soviet Union. They were a godless, athestic society and we on the other hand acknowledged and honored God. That was a big difference between the USA and the Soviet Union. So to show them that we really believe in and respect God, we added "under God" to our pledge, and it has remained there since 1954. Now, however, the "cold war" is pretty much over, so many now want us to "dis-acknowledge" God now that we won the "cold war." We do something like that at great risk and peril to the continuing blessings that God has showered on this country and its inhabitants. I will cover later why God has blessed the USA so abundantly over the past 50 years since WWII. But for now, I think that Bill O'Reilly of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News is correct when he states that there is a war going on in this country. Who will win it? I don't know that with 100% certainty. However, I do know this: God will not lose! He is infinite and holy, and deserving of our love and respect.

Well, in my simplistic eyes, BloodTruth is simple. It relates to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see, He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary so that I may have an opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Cool, eh? In the New Testament, Hebrews 9:22 states, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." In my case, that blood was shed not by a mere human, but God made man, one of the mysteries of the age.

What about Truth? Again, in the New Testament, in John 1:17, we read "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." So it is through Christ that we have truth, and God can tell us only truth, and never a lie. Satan, on the other hand, is the father of lies, beginning way back in the Garden of Eden. Man picks up where Satan leaves off. Psalm 10:7 says, "His [the wicked man's] mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue." So the Blood of Christ is what saves us, and the Truth of God is what we can depend on to guide us. Now I know that some people have said that Christians put too much emphasis on the Blood of Christ. That it's about a lot more than that. Perhaps, but the most important thing I know about Jesus is that He is the Son of God, and He came down to planet Earth to pay for my sins that I may be redeemed and have everlasting life with Him. His blood had to be shed for that to happen.

Based on our theme in the right column, we will discuss many topics that are relevant today. Things like alcoholism, drugs, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, abortion, music and lyrics, and many other contemporary topics. That is because I personally believe that many in this world have lost their way, and are living according to the world's standards and not God's. Should be some interesting things posted here by Brandon and I, and we've given the opportunity for comments, though it is not our desire or intention to argue endlessly or make this a shouting match by any stretch of the imagination. I want to make people do something many are not used to doing--think! And if I do that, perhaps--just perhaps, someone might see the light of Jesus' Blood and God's Truth, and attain eternal life through a seed planted by this blog. That would be cool!

Welcome to Blood Truth! It is co-authored by Brandon and John, who will comment on life, spirituality, morality, and the current culture.