What's Wrong With This World?

Do you ever feel like this is a crazy world?  What's wrong with it?  Here's a simple and short answer:  It's full of people!  That's right - People!  People are what's wrong with this world.  So, the question should be, "What's wrong with people?"  Do you ever feel like, if people would only listen to what you had to say, this world would be a better place?  Well, I'm going to be truthful with you......I have felt like that a time or two!  But, you know, I've found out that all people are not always going to listen to what I have to say, and even if they did, they would not all do as I say.  You're not surprised by that are you?  Well, the same thing holds true for you too. 

Everybody has their own idea or opinion.  How can we come together on common grounds, so that we can get along with one another and live and let live?  I know that it's a good possibility that somebody is already saying, "I don't believe that 'live and let live' is the right approach to life.  Instead we should require of everybody their own responsibilities and if necessary, punish them if they do not pay up."  Okay.  I don't expect everybody to agree with what I'm saying right here, right now, but, I'm going to tell you what I think is wrong with people anyway.  Are you ready?  Here it is: It's selfishness!  Greed, envy, jealousy, pride and all the other selfish adjectives can pretty well describe what's wrong with the people of this world, and since the people of this world is what's wrong with this world, then the answer to the first question is selfishness. 

I really didn't intend for this blog to sound like I'm preaching at anyone but if it does, so be it.  I might as well invite you to read these scriptures that are taken from the Holy Bible, the Contemporary English Version:

Jude 1:16-19  ...People grumble and complain and live by their own selfish desires. They brag about themselves and flatter others to get what they want.  My dear friends, remember the warning you were given by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They told you that near the end of time, selfish and godless people would start making fun of God.  And now these people are already making you turn against each other. They think only about this life.....

2 Peter 3:3  ...First you must realize that in the last days some people won't think about anything except their own selfish desires.....

James 3:16  Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things.

Galatians 5:19-21  People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds.  They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.

1Corinthians 13:3-8  What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.  Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.  Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.  Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.  Love never fails!

The Gift or The Giver?

Don't you just love to get a gift? I do! Some of us love it so much that we may be thankful only for the gift and not for the giver. As a matter of fact, it doesn't matter who the giver is, so long as we get the gift. Oh, we say that we really appreciate the person who gave us the gift, but you know, if the gift is more important to us than the giver, then we probably do not really appreciate the giver. Now, I do believe that there may be some of us who do appreciate the giver of the gift, but still, it may be hard to determine if we love the gift more than the giver, or vice versa.

You know that God gave us the greatest gift of all, His Son. God has also given us many other gifts: life, health, a house to live in, food to eat, and many other necessities of life. 1 Cor 12:7-10 talks about some spiritual gifts;

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Romans 12:6-8 talks about spiritual gifts,

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Look at the gifts He gave the church in Ephesians 4:11-12,

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Now, read this: Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? We can't overlook Psalm 68:19, Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

God is the giver of every good gift that we receive, whether it be spiritual or temporal, but if we are more interested in getting the gift than we are in loving The Giver, then we are missing the mark. May we "seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; (then) all these things shall be added unto (us)". Matt 6:33

The Fountain of Youth!

I can remember, when I was in school, something about Ponce de Leon searching for the fountain of youth. He never found it. Others have searched and some are still searching for it. Let me tell you, it is not to be found by mankind. Not a fountain that will keep you from aging and help you maintain a young and healthy body. However, there is a well of living water that can be found in you and in me, if we will drink of the water that Jesus, God's Son, gives.

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

We would pay a large price to get that kind of water; water that would make us live forever.

I'm afraid that it would cost more than we could afford to pay. Perhaps that is why Jesus says that He will give it to us for free.

Re 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Can you imagine living forever in the bodies that we now have? These bodies that we have could not take it. We will need, and will get a new body. One that will not get old and wrinkled, or sick. That new body will not be cursed by evil but will be incorruptable and one day we will have that kind of body. I believe that Jesus is the water of life and I must drink Him in. I'm glad that anyone who wants to drink of Him can do it. It doesn't cost a cent. It's free.

Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

A Primer For Ministry

Everyone who is considering ministry should read the following. It is the meat of the book of 2 Timothy as I see it. It would also be helpful for seasoned ministers as well. Now and then it becomes necessary, because of the distractions of bright lights and dream castles, for me to get my focus back. This has helped me do that. This is not my 'version' of the text; it is my response to it.

I AM CALLED TO PREACH! (2 TIMOTHY)
-- Lowell Brannen

Chapter 1

4) Paul had some unfulfilled desires and Timothy had some tears.
7) There have been times when I was fearful.
8) There has been times when I was ashamed to tell that I was a
minister of the Gospel. You see, sometimes the Gospel has
afflictions, which I try to shun. But because of the power of God, I
will partake of it.
9) I was not called because of my desires or abilities, nor because of
what I was doing, but I was graciously called for His own purpose.
11) I have been appointed by God to be a preacher, an apostle and a
teacher. It's not just by luck or by chance.
12) Because of this, I will have to suffer some things, but I am not
going to be ashamed.
15) Some folks might turn away from me.
16) Afflictions may even include such things as chains.

Chapter 2

1) But I will be strong.
3) I will put up with hardness and I will be courageous, as a good
soldier.
4) As a soldier of Jesus Christ, when in battle, I will not be involved
in the affairs of this life, but I will devote myself wholly to the
battle so that I may please the Lord Jesus Christ.
9) Because of the Gospel, I suffer trouble like one who does evil.
10) Yet, I will put up with all things, for it is more important that I
preach the Gospel to the ones who will hear it, so that they may
obtain salvation.
11) My will and my desires are as though I were dead, so that I may
live with Him.
12) So, I may suffer with Him; I will also reign with Him. I will never
deny Him.
19) The Lord knows that I am His.
20) Some men are like vessels of gold or silver, and some men are like
vessels of wood or earth; Some unto honor and some unto dishonor.
21) Whether I am a vessel of gold, silver, wood or earth, I will
cleanse and purge myself from ungodliness, and therefore I will be a
vessel unto honor, made ready for the Masters use, for some good
purpose.
24) I will not strive and argue with men, but I will be gentle, patient
and ready to teach them.
25) I will teach repentance and salvation even to those who do not want
to hear it.

Chapter 3

1-5) I am aware of the perilous times that are even now upon us. There
are men who are selfish, blasphemous, unthankful, unnatural, liars,
pleasure seekers and God-haters. I will turn away from them.
7) They are continually learning, but they never learn the truth.
8) They resist the truth. Their minds are corrupt, perverted and
immoral as to the faith.
11) My persecutions and afflictions are known, but I will endure them,
until the Lord delivers me out of them.
12) Yes, a Godly life in Christ Jesus will result in persecution.

Chapter 4

2) Even so, I will preach the Gospel because I am called to preach. I
stand ready at all times.
5) I will put up with afflictions. I will overcome the obstacles. I
will do a good job.
7) I am fighting a good fight and I will complete my task.
8) I have a crown of righteousness waiting for me.
10) Though some may forsake me;
14) Though some may treat me wrong;
16) Though none may stand with me;
20) Though I may fail in some areas of ministry,
22) Yet I know, Jesus is with me and His grace upholds me.

I Was Wrong!

I hope the way I am handling the dissappointing news from the doctor will help to encourage someone. I know that I am not in pain and some of you may be. I really wish I could tell you how to get rid of the pain without taking the medicine. I can tell you that I believe in God and I believe that He can take your pain away. Will He? If you've never asked Him, you may never know, but even if you continue in pain, I believe that God will give you some kind of strong endurance to survive. Expect and believe that better days are comming. I am not always right about everything that I think I know, but sometimes, the alternative to faith does not work. What then can we do??????

(For about a year and a half now, I have preached only about once per month, so if what follows seems to be a little "preachy" maybe you will bear with me and allow me to say these things.)

I was wrong when 10 years ago the blood collecting agency in Lake Charles, LA tried to tell me that I had hepatitis-c. I decided that there was nothing wrong with me. I was wrong.
I was wrong when Dr. Sims, here in Cleveland, sent me to Dr. Buchner to see if the hepatitis-c was active. I told the nurse that she would see, when the results were in, that it was inactive and I was alright. I was wrong.
I was wrong when after 28 weeks of treatment for hepatitis-c, the virus had not cleared. I just believed, and said, that the virus was gone. I was wrong.
Now, I am saying that God has touched my body and I am going to be alright. Even if I should die with hepatitis-c, I am not going to die because of hepatitis-c.
No doubt, somebody will say, “You are wrong again.”
My reply to that comes from The Bible.
1 Corinthians 10:30 (TLB) If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong?
As Job says in Job 19:4 (TLB) And if indeed I was wrong , you have yet to prove it.

Now I ask you? What do you think I should do? Lay down and give up, or roll over and play dead? That may be an alternative, but it's not for me.

Listen to Jeremiah 8:4-5 (TLB) … When a person falls, he jumps up again; when he is on the wrong road and discovers his mistake, he goes back to the fork where he made the wrong turn….
Proverbs 29:25 (KJV) The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
Proverbs 3:5 (KJV) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Psalms 118:8 (KJV) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Let me remind you (Hebrews, Chapter 11) of Abel, who offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice - Enoch who was translated that he should not see death - Noah, who being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house - Abraham, who when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went - and Sara who received strength to conceive seed.

And what happened to them? Hebrews 11:13 (KJV) These all died in faith , not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Conclusion: Job 13:15 (KJV ) Though (God) slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Be Encouraged!

Here is something that I just found stuffed away in a Bible of mine. I'm not sure if it was inspired from something the preacher said or if it was some other situation, but I believe I recently wrote it down as a sermon thought. I may never have the opportunity to preach it or even develop it so, here. Do what you will with it, but be encouraged!

I Want To Encourage You Today!

Young People! You can be anything God wants you to be. He wants you to do good and be blessed because He loves you.
Adults! Press on to greater accomplishments. You have not reached your peak until God says so. Be strong! Stand up! Be counted!
Senior Adults! It's not over until God says it's over. You have gained so much knowledge. You can be a blessing for those who have not yet been where you are. Believe in greater things for tomorrow!
Everyone! Stay ready - Jesus is coming soon.

Now here is an extra bonus! www.faithflashes.com/encouraged2.htm