Timely Words from the Past

More than fifty years ago I heard A. W. Tozer preach in Chicago. He belonged to a breed of preachers who feared nothing but offending God. He and his ilk proclaimed the Word with integrity and faithfulness. They saw themselves as God’s servants, not His publicists.

Tozer warned believers about a new cross that would soon replace the old rugged cross. He wrote:

“The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.”

Timely words from the past!

Together or Married?

Gloria and I celebrated Valentines Day at a buffet, and we took our marriage certificate with us. The buffet had advertised a good deal: two free lunches for every couple married 50 years or longer. Showing a marriage certificate was required proof. Ours shows we were married June 7, 1958.

A couple I judged to be in their late 80s had brought along their marriage certificate. Just as the woman was presenting it, the young cashier asked, ”How long have you two been together?” I chuckled. That question fits a long-term married couple about as well as size 5 shoe fits a basketball center. It’s simply one more indication that times have changed.

Hardly a day passes without our local newspaper posting birth announcements of babies born to unmarried parents. Marriage models the highest and deepest love that can exist between a man and a woman. It reflects the love Jesus has for His church. Somehow, how the thought of just being together falls short of the biblical model of love.

Shape Up!

I bought a pair of Shape Up Skechers® yesterday and wore them for about 45 minutes. They are comfortable, but I had to get accustomed to the rocking motion. I am not a rock fan, especially in regards to church “worship.”

A DVD and brochure in the shoebox allege that Shape Ups will help wearers “get in shape without setting foot in a gym.” I wonder if they will keep me in shape when I step into a buffet. I hope so!

My main motivation for purchasing Shape Ups was to tone my back and leg muscles. In spite of two lower back operations, I still experience pain in my back, right leg all the way down to my foot and toes. But I walk about two miles every day. The Shape Ups should help me walk on and rock on.

No one has developed an easy way to shape up spiritually yet. Spiritual fitness is a lifelong process requiring the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, moderation, and obedience. Don’t look for a strap-on Bible or a temptation-resistant belt you can strap on and wear that will work wonders! If a publisher or manufacturer had been able to produce either one, it would have hit the market years ago.

When the Saints Go Marching In

The Saints won the Super Bowl. Who doesn’t know dat? It was their first Super Bowl victory, and it was impressive victory against the Colts, a formidable team with an outstanding quarterback. After the game, sports commentators were talking and writing about New Orleans’ “saintly celebration.” I doubt that it was saintly.

Someday, believers—saints—will accompany Jesus to the earth in a triumphant procession. He will defeat His enemies in a dramatic and decisive display of power. Jude 14 and 15 predict this event: “Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment.”

What a celebration it will be when the saints go marching in!

Paganism at the USAF Academy

Here’s another indication that the United States is no longer attached to its Christian roots. Not far from the Visitors Center at the United States Air Force Academy, atop a hill, a handful of pagan cadets gather in an area set apart by the Academy as a pagan worship center. But controversy is swirling at the Academy because someone leaned a wooden cross against a boulder at the site. The act has been viewed as religious discrimination that will not be tolerated.

Paganism elevates nature to a level that only the one true God occupies. It is as evil and offensive to God as it was when pagans tried to construct the Tower of Babel. They aspired to access the sky and worship the sun, moon, and stars. But God came down to see the builders’ foolishness, and then He scattered them and confused their speech. Romans 1:18-25 records His attitude about paganism.

The cross and boulder at the Academy transported my thoughts to another cross and boulder. Jesus voluntarily died on a wooden cross to provide redemption. His crucified body was placed in a tomb, and then soldiers positioned a boulder at the entrance and sealed it. Three days later, however, an angel rolled the boulder away so Jesus’ followers could enter the tomb and see where His body had lain. He had risen from the dead, and He lives forevermore.

Paganism does not feature a risen Savior, but Christianity does. Christians worship and serve the risen Son of God, the One who made all things (John 1:3). Isn’t it ironic that pagan AFA cadets worship on the very ground Jesus created?