Ya gotta look at "The Big Picture"

Snake-Eyed Rupert looks up, and gapes at the 22 calibre automatic in Big Georgy’s fist, pointed right between his eyes. Rupert’s sphincter nearly releases, as he’s caught with his hand where it shouldn’t have been. He starts fast-talking, “Hey, Georgy,” says Rupert, his raised hands shaking slightly, “It ain’t what it looks like … ya gotta look at the big picture here.”

“What part of the ‘Big Picture’ says you weren’t stealing from me, Rupert?” Big Georgy is speaking through clenched teeth.

Rupert desperately hopes Big Georgy’s trigger finger isn’t as tense as his jaw. “Georgy … ah … You know I wouldn’t take nothin’ from you.” Perspiration begins trickling down Rupert’s face. “That’d be crazy-stupid, Georgy.”

The Hollywood melodrama continues with more movie cliches and bad acting, but one bit rings perfectly true, “Ya gotta look at ‘The Big Picture.’”

The Little Picture

We human-type animals suffer from the same myopic perspective as the rest of creation. Our personal little world, discernible through our five senses, is all there is. Even if our world view expands to include the physical universe, only what we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell, even through the augmented sensitivity of scientific instrumentation, seems real to us.

Though we typically maintain that myopic outlook, human beings are unique in our need to ask a single question of life. Peggy Lee popularized one expression of that question in a 1969 song entitled, Is That All There Is?

Atheists, in their occasional moments of lucidness, insist mankind’s answer to that eternal question is religion. Though I disagree with virtually all of atheism’s other assumptions, I’m afraid I must concur with that one. Human religion attempts to answer Peggy Lee’s haunting question by inventing some of the most ingenious myths in folklore.

Some may ask, “How can this guy agree with that fundamental, atheistic ideal while disagreeing with everything they stand for?”

Simple enough answer: “I said, ‘human religion.’”

Now, the astute reader may also ask, “Isn’t all religion human religion? Have you ever seen a religious chimp?”

While chimps can be taught to kneel beside their beds and reverently join their hands and close their eyes, if they are religious, they’re pretty tight-lipped about it. The point is, religion is indeed a human invention. It is our attempt to formalize and ritualize our beliefs in deity. But we universally rebel, often violently, at the merest suggestion that our religion—regardless which it happens to be—is not God’s(or the gods’) honest truth.

So … what is the honest truth?

“Truth is stranger than fiction.”

Or so they say, but that depends on how they define strange. To those whose concept of subatomic particles places the electron as the smallest, the truth might seem truly strange.

“Elementary particles, my dear Watson,” Sherlock patronized.

Physicists have finally quit declaring each subatomic particle they discover, “The smallest of all.” Even they must eventually admit there’s a whole lot more to the universe than they can detect and measure. Quarks, leptons and gauge bosons defy even the scientists’ ability to imagine their size. In fact, “size” and “mass” become meaningless on that scale. Yet, their mathematics show such things must exist.

The Big Picture

If our universe contains inconceivably small things, why can it not contain inconceivably large things? And if the smallest things can change science’s distinctions between what is, and what is not detectable, could not the largest things in the universe be similarly undetectable?

Naturalists and materialists pompously limit the privilege of existence to what they can understand. Never mind that in the past few years science has proven the existence of things nobody in the past could have even imagined. Reproducible phenomena that are taken for granted today were, not all that long ago, thought to be magic. And SETI radio telescope installations probe the night sky for any sign of extra terrestrial intelligence.

If big is as possible as small, and the unknown as possible as the known, why does secular science steadfastly deny the possibility that Elohim exist? Now, don’t get your pants in a bind over my poor grammar. Elohim is, after all, the plural noun in the Hebrew language that is translated as “God” in English. Yet, Jewish theology insists that Elohim is one G_d.

Confused? Join the centuries-old club. When we reach the end of our Biblical understanding of God’s nature, all we have left is speculation. And that goes on at a wholesale rate among theologians.

Trekie Theology

No one would accuse Star Trek: The Next Generation’s writers of presuming expertise in theology. Yet, they assigned god-like attributes to “Q,” who was one of several Q hailing from the Q Continuum. Q told Captain Picard that the human form the Captain saw was assumed simply because humans could not comprehend his true form.

Of course, any reasonable person must realize such fiction is far-fetched. It does, however, present an interesting take on God’s nature, striking several deliberate parallels between God and Q.

The Plausible Impossible

Skeptics poo-poo the idea of spirit-existence because it can’t be observed, measured and categorized. In their view, such a supernal existence is incomprehensible, thus, impossible. And anyone imagining such a thing is stupid or foolish, or both. Yet, they accuse religious types of dogmatic, closed mindedness.

If sci-fi writers can create stories around a god-like creature, why would anyone presume to insist that the existence of such a being is impossible? If atheists refuse to consider the possibility that The Big Picture might just include something bigger than they are, how small does that make them?

Oxymoron: Division in God's Church

Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
(Matthew 12:25 ESV)

Is God's kingdom divided against itself? With even evangelical denominations and congregations suffering rampant, factious bickering, that seems true.
The other possibility is God's kingdom is certainly not divided against itself, relegating the discordant factions of Christendom to the pit, with all the other haters in the world.

Chapter ? of My Story

To those who know Nancy and me, here’s where I am presently. The following is derived from an e-mail to my daughter Ari in answer to her inquiry.

Nancy’s Condition

She seems to have aged 20 years in the past two months. She appears to have decided that if she must live among geriatrics, she'll be a geriatric. I doubt it's that simple, but that's what it seems. Sometimes I see the old(young) Nancy in her smile or laugh, but the fact that it's just sometimes breaks my heart. Due to a stroke, I assume, she can't consistently say what she wants, and when she does talk some of her words are so slurred that I can't understand her.

Even so, she continues to bless me and those around her in Immanuel Lutheran Home. Nancy is an incredible woman who has fought the good fight so long she’s tired of fighting. She and her ex brought two amazing children into this world, and when he bugged out she raised them as a single mom. That takes the kind of spunk most of us only dream about, or admire in others.

She is the first to admit that she’s not always followed the wisest course, and some of her present straits are the fruit of what she sowed. Yet, she’s taken her stripes like the good sailor she is, and her beautiful heart continues as strong as ever.

My Place

“I'm too young to be married to an old woman.” That is in quotes because it isn’t my sentiment, but that of my carnal nature.

At times I just want to get on with my life, but the "my life" part is the problem. If I am to crucify myself(Not as a martyr, but as God’s obedient child.), I must walk this path. "Death to Self" seems like Mission Impossible, and without Christ's Spirit, it is exactly that.

People tell me how noble, self-sacrificing and wonderful I am to stick with Nancy. Though I try to credit the real Hero, and tell them I'm personally just another y-chromosome-brain-damaged, insensitive jerk, the temptation to revel in their praise is powerful. I’m almost glad they don’t know how wrong they are.

But, what do I get out of all this?

Some valuable lessons!

I begged God to make me more Christ-like. At the time I didn’t realize that was as risky as asking for more patience. Yet, he has put people in my life to both challenge and support me through the process.

I prayed, “Let your love flow through me.” He sent Nancy, to teach me how he loves, and to gently force me to actually pass his love on.

Through all this I’ve discovered the one prayer that, if sincere, he will always answer: “Give me your love for ______.” Whoever prays that prayer had better mean it!

The Message

If I never achieve anything else with my life, I want to convince other Christ-followers that self-sacrifice isn't God's suggestion for the "Truly Spiritual" among us. Rather, it is his command for his church. Most believers never have that mandate pitched so forcefully into their laps, so they conveniently overlook the ministry(service) opportunities surrounding them.

Why do so many miss those blessings? God’s church is saturated with the world’s philosophies, a world that will never understand the dear price Christ paid for our freedom(1 Corinthians 6:20 and 1 Corinthians 7:23). As his people, we must learn the difference between standing up for Christ, and standing up for ourselves.

Tragically, while the world can’t understand the truth of our belonging to Christ, neither does much of today’s church. And I don’t say that smugly, as one who has mastered it. If anything, my sin is greater, as I know its truth, but so seldom live it.

Apostle Paul, wise as he was in Christ, put it like this:

Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.(for motivating self-control)  17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.(because the law made him aware of his innate sinfulness)  18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.(sound familiar?)  20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.(Some take this as permission to sin, but we are not the “sin that dwells within” us, and we are personally responsible for our sin.)  21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil(impulses, temptation) lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, (as do all committed, religious folks) 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.(also true of committed, religious folks)  24Wretched man that I am!(Join the club.) Who will deliver me from this body of death?  25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!(the only solution to this conundrum) So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.(which is why we must stop living for the flesh) Romans 7:16-25 ESV

If we are to observe Romans 7:16-25, we must first fully know Romans 6. By “fully know,” I mean not only having it memorized, but studied, meditated upon, and understood.

A Caveat on God’s Word

In this writing I have relied heavily on passages from the Bible. While theologians have authored cumbersome, technical treatises defending and defining God’s word, my understanding is somewhat more simple; I firmly believe that God gave us his infinite mind through mortal men in their fallible human language, and without his Holy Spirit’s intervention, the Book is little more than ink on paper, an ancient literary work to be dissected and critiqued by “scholars.” But through his Spirit, when taken in its entirety, it is God’s eternal truth.

Of course, that is not to say God won’t use passages taken from it to build his eternal concepts in our minds and bless our souls. While “rightly dividing” his word, however, we must not commit the sin Jesus condemned in Revelation 22:18-19, of teaching our interpretations of Scripture as inspired parts of it, and teaching excerpts of Scripture as God’s complete truth.

Summery

No, I am not writing this on a summery day. I just wanted to get the attention of those who can spell.

I needed Nancy in my life, if for no other reason than to motivate me to seek Christ-likeness. Carnality so naturally fills my being that I simply do not have it in me to do that on my own. I am not a nice man; I am a natural man, afflicted with all the attendant faults.

Though we’d all love it if it were, nature is never an excuse for sin. There is, in fact, no excuse for sin, which is why Christ Jesus gave himself for our redemption. If we are in Christ, we are new creatures; the natural is gone, replaced by the supernatural (my paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17). I pray that God will make that ever more true in my life, and yours.

What Lies Beyond?

Whether that is a question, or a statement, it reflects a world view. As a statement, it often suggests a Sci-Fi sort of idea, inferring humanity should “boldly go where no man has gone before.” As a question, it presents the defining difference between humans and the animal kingdom.

Our black lab Maddy perpetually strains at her leash, attempting to “boldly go” where her nose has not—or has—gone before. In a cute, and at times frustrating way, her quest for “what lies beyond” speaks eloquently of our common desire to push limits, or stretch leashes. But that primal drive bears little commonality with the “...beyond?” quest humans pursue to cosmic scale.

Does a rabbit clamped in a wolf’s jaws think about joining her ancestors? While no one can know with certainty, even the most ardent animal-rights people probably doubt it. Among humans, only those militant atheists who refuse to admit even the remotest possibility of a hereafter are jaded enough to deny having any such thoughts.

But the question remains, “What lies beyond?” While the atheist confidently insists, “Nothing!” the agnostic will more humbly admit, “I don’t know.” Followers of every religion or philosophy will likely bend your ears with a monologue of their afterlife beliefs. And militant believers might just hold a scimitar to your throat, demanding your acquiesce to their faith.

Relegating atheists to the lunatic fringe, as they do believers in God, we are left with the balance of humanity who maintain some sort of “hereafter” belief. A few of us philosophise about it, and still fewer philosophers take their thoughts on the subject quite seriously indeed. They’re the ones who publish weighty tomes that could be condensed to four words, “I don’t really know,” or five words, for those who do not deign to use contractions.

Many of us strive to live good lives in hopes that “the Man upstairs” will say we’re okay. Even avowed Christ-followers often fall into that category.

A few of us say we believe the Bible’s take on the subject, though we “Bible believers” seldom agree on what that means. And most of us who say we agree on a few key points, fight over which points they are.

Only one person ever claimed with authority to know the true answer to our quandary. He alone knew from experience, since he alone came from where we’re hoping to go. The very people he came to redeem, however, rejected him, and cheered while their religious leaders murdered him. And this, after he proved he was their Messiah (God’s anointed One) with numerous, well-documented signs and miracles.

For those who accept the Good Book as God’s inspired, holy word, and even for those who respect its position among the world’s “holy books,” the Bible recounts God’s historic dealings with his rebellious, chosen people. And it specifies scores of prophecies, in great detail, about the coming Messiah. In fact, most of those who have carefully investigated the Biblical narration, without prejudice, have accepted its truth, and many of them have personally experienced the redemption it offers.

They are the joyful ones for whom, “What Lies Beyond!” is not fiction, science or otherwise, but a firm promise from the Creator of the universe. A mind open to God’s truth is all it takes to join them.

Syl's E-mail

My sister’s e-mail made me think. Below, I’ve pasted it verbatim:

People in this Country don't realize just how much we have slipped down the ladder to a 3rd World Country until they see what other Countries are doing.  We have to change the "regime" or we will be living in mud huts before we know it.  Now we're sending troops to Africa!  And Christianity is under real fire - just like in the Roman era and we have our own Nero.

My reply follows:

That is, no doubt, where we're headed. But the powers' subtlety keeps most of us asleep. We can do our best to alert the fat sleeper, but our alarms simply blend into his comforting dream. I'm very much afraid he'll soon awaken in one of those mud huts and wonder how he got there.

Christianity's real shelling, however, comes from within. So long as we're satisfied with Religion, thinking we follow Jesus through it, we're impotent. So long as "Revival!" remains in tents and temples, we're doomed to reap the weedy fruit we're sewing. The remnant will, no doubt, soon suffer. I pray I will be one of them.

Does that sound fatalistic? Perhaps, but if today’s YUPie church continues quietly enjoying both our material affluence, and our blindness to our spiritual impotence, we are indeed doomed to mediocrity. Instead of worshiping with hands upraised, we must worship with our hands dug deep in our cash-impacted pockets, to yield fruit proportional to our blessings.

Without our sackcloth-and-ashes repentance, Judge Jesus’ warning to the Laodicean church is even more ominous for us.

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

(Revelation 3:14-22 ESV)

We, as did the Laodicean church, commit the sin of affluence. Yes, SIN!  To the degree that we take our ease while men of God struggle to support their families, while hunger remains within our shores, while the innocents are murdered through abortion, while one person remains ignorant of Christ's loving gospel, we are as guilty as that lukewarm church of the Revelation.

If we’re the fallen world’s best hope for redemption’s message, we will force our Redeemer to get His job done through others. And we will be the eternal losers.

Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist--a review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Love on the Line Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Deeanne Gist


BUT FIRST, A WORD FROM OUR BLOGGER:
Personally? I wouldn't give two bits for a truck full of ladies romance novels. It's always the same thing: Poor boy and rich girl. Rich boy and poor girl. Once-rich boy and rich/poor girl. Once-rich girl and rich/poor girl. Yada, yada, yada ad nauseam.
        But then came Love on the Line, by Deeanne Gist. This is my first reading of this author, and it won't be the last, if all her characters speak for themselves as do Georgie and Luke. The period of this story speaks eloquently to today's culture of technological explosiveness. Telephones are The Latest Thang, and for a woman to control this new-fangled switchboard and the attached communications network, well, to a man's man like Luke Palmer, even a drop-dead gorgeous lady—especially, a drop-dead gorgeous lady—like Georgie Gail is just out of place. Will Georgie allow herself to be run over by a strong male? Has Ranger Luke met his match? Click the link below to read the first chapter, if you're ready to be captivated.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.

Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.

After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, three RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.

Her latest releases, Beguiled, Maid To Match, and Love on the Line are now available.

Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-eight years and their border collie. They have four grown children. Click here to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do.  But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love on the Line, go HERE.

Character Counts?

This year, National Character Counts Week runs from October 16th to the 22nd. Seems rather appropriate that our government would set aside only one week out of the year to recognize the importance of character in our lives. And in doing so the powers that be refuse to acknowledge where true character originates.

Our secular world admits society’s need for “character,” while allowing its definition to be forgotten by editing our cultural foundation from the historical record. Today’s students learn that our nation’s founding fathers, as deists, paid casual lip service to the Bible instead of believing its authority. We learn that the men who laid their fortunes and lives on the line to establish our republic were in fact corrupt politicians with vested, capitalistic interests in breaking from the Crown. We learn they were womanizers and cruel, slave owners. And to prove their point our noble revisionists “expose” them by publishing some of their confidential diaries and letters.

How many of today’s historical revisionists could withstand that kind of scrutiny, with their reputations intact? Yet, their passion for smearing our founding fathers knows no limit.

Their motives for so doing are transparent as a crystal stream and fowl as a Pakistani gutter; historical revisionists, by and large, are secularists who fear passing on our Biblical heritage to even one more generation of Americans. Yet, such “educators” struggle to rein in the rebellious, relativistic fruit of their secularism. They are at a loss to explain the rampant drug use and near-ritualistic cruelty that has become alarmingly common among young people.

Today, the traditional character traits of hard work, truthfulness, honesty, loyalty, friendship, and self-sacrifice hold little interest for pop-culture-saturated entertainment addicts.

Educators agree that character counts, as long as its foundation in Biblical principles is ignored and forgotten.

Imagine That

Can’t help it. Can’t shut ‘em up. My fingers gotta say something, they say it, regardless how inconvenient it is. Like tonight, when I should be snoring already.

After watching Imagine That, Staring Yara Shahidi and Eddie Murphy, my dancing fingers started jitter-bugging almost before I could get them to the keyboard. Oh, you say I got the the movie’s billing backward? Okay, Murphy received first billing in the promos, but little Yara stole the show. And what a show! Although the movie received its share of negative reviews, I loved it. But that’s what counts, isn’t it?

It’s not spoiling the movie for those who haven’t seen it to say the song the kids sang at the end was one of secular humanism’s anthems, All You Need is Love by the Beatles. Catchy song. Catchy sentiment. Catchy lie in its message.

As with all the best lies, the song’s partial truth carries its compelling message that love fixes any problem, heals any sickness, and restores any soul. But love from any source other than Love Personified, is counterfeit, and won’t stand up to the rigorous scrutiny of life’s trials.

Witness the close friendships that turn sour, the families that can’t stand one another, and the intimate relationships that fall apart. Common interests, common heredity, and a common bed aren’t enough in the long term. Uncountable issues can arise to blast apart the closest attachments, if the God who is love is left out.

How can we bring God’s love into our friendships, our families, and our marriages? First, know that God will never be a party to any relationship where He is denied first place. And that does not mean sharing a common religion, although that isn’t a bad idea.

That does mean if we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, He will give us His love to pour out on those close to us, and yes, even on our enemies. According to Jesus, and He should know, we have only one way to know and love God the Father: And Jesus Himself is the Way to the Father, the absolute Truth, and the eternal Life.

No wonder so many relationships fail; most people will never accept God’s narrow way, ‘cause it’s too … narrow. Imagine that.

Cups--Full and Otherwise

We pray for blessings. We pray for God's presence. We pray for His will. But when He seems to ignore our pleas, what then?

Does God, our loving heavenly Father, deny His children such wonderful things when we ask? Why would He do that? Granting such petitions would make us more Christlike. Why would He make us constantly beg for them? Is God not home? Is His line busy?

Perhaps we should examine the vessel into which we expect Him to pour all these new blessings. Have we perchance already crammed it full of stuff? "Stuff" can include anything: entertainments, social attachments, possessions, property, wealth, power, spouse, children, religion.

Children and religion? What more important "stuff" is there than children and religion?

Let's examine our blessing receptacle more closely. It has a huge opening at the top, so God can pour into it great volumes of blessings. It has a massive body for containing God's blessings. And it has an outlet at the bottom.

"Why," you might ask, "would it have an outlet?" Once we cajole God into filling our cup with blessings, what would be the point of allowing them to pour out?

Let's examine the issue according to Newtonian physics: Two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time. So let's apply that physical law to the question at hand: We beg for more blessings, but we hoard what He's already given. Right! That makes complete ... non-sense. Would you have God exchange a bigger blessing container for the pint-size one you already have?

Oh, I fervently hope you saw that suggestion's fatal flaw. Ingratitude is another name for the sin of presumption, and that is exactly what we are doing when we demand of God more blessings than He's already poured out upon us.

So, if we're wrong in demanding more from God, why would he want us to pour out what we already have? Jesus gave us the following simple command in Matthew 10:7-9, "Freely ye have received, freely give." That explains the outlet in our blessings cup. God never intended for us to hoard our blessings as if they were our property. He never pours them into us, but through us, to fill others' cups, all the while allowing us to enjoy His freshest blessings.

If you want God's blessings—and who doesn't—empty yourself, bless others as God has blessed you. One Biblical principle you can take to the bank is, "We can't outgive God."

Why Do Brethren Fight?

Bill Crowder wrote today’s Our Daily Bread devotional, The Cost of Fighting. Though he briefly recounted war’s terrible cost, his title referred to the staggering cost of church infighting within the congregations and denominations of Christendom. The world observes so much backbiting and bickering among “Christians” that such discord has become cliche.

But the world’s disdain isn’t directed only at “carnal Christians.” Since alleged Christ followers claim God’s Holy Spirit indwelling, and represent our Savior in this mortal realm, Christian infighting amounts to attributing strife and hatred to God’s Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32 records Jesus’ words condemning the Jewish religious leaders who accused Him of working miracles by Satan’s power. Theologians and preachers over the centuries have speculated as to the meaning of “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit,” which was Jesus’ pronouncement against His accusers.

Could there be a more inflammatory slander against God than fighting one another in Jesus’ name? That is, in fact, what we “Christians” accomplish when we treat one another with anything but Christ’s love.

Need a refresher course in godly love? Study 1 Corinthians 13 once again, applying it to your relationship with your enemies. “Unrealistic,” you say? Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43-48 say differently.

The Christian religion can be easily counterfeited; charlatans abound, who have mastered Christianese for fun and profit. The true evidence of God’s Holy Spirit infilling, however, defies imitation. That evidence is fruit born of His Holy Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5.

But we have allowed one more great tragedy to persist: Some of the world’s religious philosophies produce disciples who more closely resemble Christ than we who claim His name. Do we seriously believe we are exempt from Christ’s indictment of religious hypocrites? Wishful thinking won’t impress Judge Jesus on that fateful day.

Well, don’t just sit there. Fall on your face in repentance right now, so you won’t have to on your day in Christ’s court, because then, the indictment will stick...eternally.