Lessons

Seems I am always learning new things or relearning, or becoming aware, of things I knew, but have forgotten as time goes on…

I think we are all aware of the mess the world seems to be in these days… and what do we do about it?

See if you can follow me here. If you believe in God, keep reading… if not, might as well stop now…

So, you believe in God? Good, me too. Then, if you believe that the Bible is basically a record book of our past relationship with him and a way to some insight from our past, for our future, keep reading, if not…

Okay, so we agree on that. So then, if you think the 10 commandments are the basic rules we are to live by, keep reading. If not…

So if we agree on that, then what recourse do we have when we break one or all of the 10 commandments? I’d say, Jesus. As I understand and believe, he came down from heaven to fix that for us. So if you agree with that keep reading, if not…

Okay, so we have a set of rules, or guidelines that pretty much cover what we should and shouldn’t do.. we all know that we sin when we break one or all of those rules…and that Jesus came to fix that… but it doesn’t say, “Hey, you can sin all you want, no problem, it’s fixed!” No, it means we are supposed to try and NOT break them again and to do what is right. Everyday. Every moment. Agree? Or not…

Okay, so then we admit we are sinners, rule breakers…but it’s no big deal, right? Well..if it’s no big deal, then why do we need any of them? I say it is a big deal. When we break one we hurt not only ourselves and our relationship with God, but also those around us…and God will forgive us if we truly repent…but what about those all around us? Did they or do they forgive us. Did we do harm? If so, how do we fix that? Rectify the wrong. Jesus is going to help us with our God problem caused by sinning… by what ever means you have been taught…

We need to go about fixing the harm we have done to others…there needs to be some justice, if we are to live in peace… so if we read the Bible with insight (which comes from having a teacher/mentor to help us understand what it really means) there are lessons that will show us the way. Forgive our neighbors who wronged us… they are to forgive us. Love one another, they are to love us ( and I am talking of real love, not like, not lust, but the sacrificial love, as a good parent would love a child)….

And there are many other little handy hints in that book. For instance, we are to be the first and best teachers to our children. I, and I think, many of us have failed in that… not because we intended to, but by omission…we have great reasons….. we are busy trying to provide for them….. and we make the excuse we are not smart enough, etc…and this brings about the basis for why the world is in the shape it is…

If you have a problem you know how to fix it? By analyzing the problem, seeing what is wrong and then fixing it. The solution to any problem is right there in your hands. You can fix it. You can fix anything!

……with God’s help.

His plan.

His book.

It’s all there…we just need to institute those plans from that book…. it’s as simple… and as hard.. as that.

You want to make life better, not just for you, but for all of those around you? Then do it. Fix it.

“Wow!” your probably thinking! How on earth can one person fix the whole world? Well, one man did many years ago. He was poor, had no money, no fame (at first) and he set in motion something that is still going on today, over 2000 years later. And he did it alone, with God’s help. He got a few men to listen to him and he taught them and they taught others and the thing jut snowballed from there…”Wait a dang minute, I can’t perform miracles!” Yes, you can. Maybe not the same or like Jesus did, but making a better life for a small child or an old person, or even yourself, is kind of a miracle isn’t it? Especially in this world we all live in?

How?

How?

How do I change the world?

Well, there is an old saying. When you have to eat an elephant, you don’t try and do it in one bite, you take a bite, eat it, then take another bite and eat it… eventually you will have eaten the whole elephant. Seems absurd, doesn’t it? Who is going to eat a whole elephant? (or would want to!) Well, how much water do you drink a day? And other beverages? Now, take all that liquid you have consumed and multiple by 7. Wow, that’s a lot! In just one week!

Or multiply that daily amount by 365. Yup, you drank a small tank or even a small swimming pool! In one year! How much have you swallowed in your whole life? You didn’t do it by thinking of drinking a whole lake or ocean, you just kept swallowing and drinking each and every day of your life…that’s how we change the world. You and me. (Unless you quite reading sometime back and then you are part of the problem and not the solution…)

Let’s do it. Let’s change the world. Lets follow God’s plan and fix this mess that we created… What? You don’t think you created this mess? Well, I bet you helped. Just like I did. I was too busy, too tired, too… something…

Lets be role models to the young people and people around us in our life… No. Let’s be GOOD role models! Not like the ones that the media hold up to us as role models and hero’s. The movies and TV stars who cheat on their spouses and get drunk and do and say stupid things. Not those who have children, but don’t stick around ( in any sense of the word) to parent those children properly. Or those sports stars who break our laws and God’s laws and we wink and chuckle and then go watch them play another game. Oh sure, let’s not be judgmental about them, after all, we are sinners too and we break the rules… but let’s quit going to movies that are, face it, porn or trash, even the mild porn, that passes on TV these days. Let’s quit voting for the ones who break our and God’s rules… and let’s not be judgmental of them, but let’s let them know we disapprove and are ashamed of them and their behavior…

The media is very powerful, but we are stronger. All we have to do is shut it off! When we watch a TV show or a movie or Youtube, lets do it with our children and grandchildren and lets use it as a tool to teach. Let’s quit letting the media babysit our kids without our oversight…yes, I know, we are busy…but remember, we are going to change the world. We quit watching, listening, buying, what they are selling, and they will change… sure it will take time, but we didn’t get into the mess we are in today overnight… we just allow it to go on, day after day, bite after bite…

Let’s quit rationalizing and start parenting and being good neighbors to each other. Let’s WORK at this! Yup, that’s a four letter word, isn’t it? Let’s start by being better people and pretty soon, before you know it, everyone will pretty much be better and better people live in a better neighborhood, country, state and world…and let’s love each other. Truly love each other. All we have to do is preach it and teach it. Preach loud and often and when necessary, use words! Don’t be afraid. god will put the words in your mouth when you need them, just listen and trust him.

Let’s sacrifice for one another… shut the TV off, shut the radio off, let’s enjoy and entertain each other… the mass media wins if we watch and listen to it, because they sell advertising to us, so we will buy the goods advertised… that’s how they do it. Let’s stop them in their tracks and tell them we’ve had enough. When we see trash or hear porn, let’s just shut it off … and if you would be so inclined, a letter to that station complaining would help too…they are driven by us… they do tests and run samples by us to see what we want… kind of like our politicians… if we won’t vote for liars an scumbags and kick them out of office when we find out they are, they lose. We win. It’s that simple. And that hard. But don’t be afraid. Close your eyes and take a bite of the elephant… pretty soon you will enjoy it! Now go pray for me and you and all of us. I believe that is the only way out of this mess….God will get us through this, if we just trust and let him…May God bless us all and may we allow him to do so! With him, anything is possible! Heck, you think I wrote this by myself? 😉