Centers for Death Control Latest Recommendations -
Cyber Monday Special - Purity 588
Purity 588 11/29/2021 Purity 588 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of an early morning view of what we suspect to be Lake
Keowee near Seneca, SC comes to us from a friend’s Thanksgiving Weekend visit
to a sibling who calls the Palmetto state home.
Although siblings sometimes have rivalries and some may try to assume
the role of a pseudo parent or role model, our friend’s photos gave no evidence
of any relational difficulties or either party trying to assume control over
the other.
Today is Cyber Monday and the issue of control is at the forefront of my
thoughts this morning as I saw that one of the deals that was featured yesterday
for Cyber Monday was for the Amazon Smart Soap Dispenser that has a 20 second
timer and works with Alexa. It is being sold for $37.99, and that’s down from $54.99! For a soap dispenser.
Now it wasn’t the cost that necessarily drew my attention or shocked me.
The distribution of wealth is unbalanced and there will always be a call to
price somewhat simple items at higher prices to make the rich feel they are
getting a luxury item or the “top of the line” in soap dispensers.
What shocked me was the tie-in to the current culture of fear and man’s
desire to control their environment.
If anyone has any doubt of our now being in a “dystopian” society, you
should notice the measures of control that are subtly or not so subtly being
instituted into our lives. Vaccine and
mask mandates are the soup du jour and the insistence of “making hand washing
count” as this soap dispenser’s marketing materials advertises is the next
level of control that will eventually be instituted by those who would choose
to legislate away any possible cause of death.
The soap dispenser’s 20 second time is based on the CDC’s recommendations
of how long you should wash your hands and even though this soap dispenser is
considered a “smart” soap dispenser it assumes that you are smart enough to follow
the CDC’s guidelines but apparently not smart enough to count to 20.
The soap dispenser’s “smart” features also indicate that your attention
span is extremely limited because it assumes that you require that Alexa entertain
you with music or jokes while you wash.
And of course, Amazon, apparently assumes that you are either too dull
or too terrified to consider that nearly $40 may be an exorbitant coast for a
hand washing accessory.
While I had a chuckle at first over the absurdity of this latest sign of
the times, I realized that it really wasn’t funny. We have entered into a new age where our
society could choose a path to try to eliminate all disease at the costs of our
personal freedom.
I then realized that the CDC was an oxymoron. Think about it? Disease control? That’s like
Jumbo Shrimp. If we could really control
disease, would there be disease? I don’t think so.
And what’s so bad about disease anyway? If it doesn’t kill you, it makes
you stronger right?
Oh that’s it? We don’t want to die. Right, because most of us have no assurance
of what lies on the other side of death and thus we must prevent that at all
costs!
We are one missed hand washing session away from being thrown into an
uncertain eternity!
Because of our precarious situation we should not only buy automated
soap dispensers we should expand the CDC’s recommendations to include
everything that could cause us to die!
We need to rename that fine organization the Centers for Death Control!
Otherwise, we might have to take the recommendations from some other
Higher Power!
There is a Higher Power that claims to have made a way beyond death
itself and some claim that this Higher Power is in control of the course of
history, being the Creator and Sustainer of all things. This Higher Power is even said to be the
agent that calls His created beings into eternity. The implications of the existence of this
Higher Power are that our efforts at controlling our environments and when we
get sick, and die may be ultimately meaningless as this Higher Power could call
us into eternity at any moment.
This Higher Power, of course, is God. And any measure of safety or peace that we can
get from washing our hands or “doing everything right” pales in comparison to
the peace that comes from being in a relationship with Him.
We don’t know when we will die. I have an acquaintance whose wife took
great strides in the last few years to get healthy by exercising and changing her
eating habits. She lost a significant amount of weight and by all appearances
was in the best health of her life. I am
not sure what her hand washing habits were, but it appeared that she agreed
with the CDC’s recommendations regarding COVID-19. She was an advocate for her
community and helped a great number of people in various ways. She recently died quite suddenly and
unexpectantly from an unseen and unpreventable medical issue. Her best efforts
to prolong and protect her life, proved not to matter.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely condone taking strides to improve our
physical and mental health. But our
spiritual health is ultimately the most important thing.
I don’t know this women’s spiritual destiny but cringed that I saw a social
media post from her that proclaimed, “Sundays are for coffee and watching
movies.” The Lord knows her heart and
always does what’s right.
However, the Lord sent Jesus Christ to save us. Our good works for the community and being
nice to our family and friends don’t reconcile us to the Lord. The word indicates that it is through faith
in Christ alone that we receive eternal life and the great commission states
that we are to go into the world and make disciples of all nations.
Is someone saved by Christ if they never mention His name?
One of the scariest verses in the Bible indicates that some will claim
faith in Christ only to be told that He never knew them. When we live a life that gives no evidence
of a relationship with Jesus, can we have assurance that we are going where He
is when we die?
A true understanding of a Sovereign God and the gospel of Jesus Christ
will result in faith in Jesus and the assurance of life forever more.
While life is precious and we should take steps to protect and prolong
it, we should also be just as diligent to meet its purpose: to know God and to
make Him known.
So instead of purchasing the latest gadget that can help you live
another day on earth, seek the Lord, find and name Jesus Christ as your Lord
Savior and Savior, and have the assurance that you will live with Him
forever.
It is the season of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season. So be bold in letting everyone know that when
you say “I believe” it’s not in some jolly old elf that gives out presents once
a year. Let them know that you believe
in the Son of God, and God the Son, who came to earth to die for your sins and
to bring you into His eternal kingdom.
Don’t be afraid of some disease and develop the habits of an obsessive compulsive
when you can instead place your faith in Christ and live a life of peace where
you can know that no matter when you are called into eternity you will be safe
in His presence forever.
Today’s Bible verse is
drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
Psalm 46:1 (NLT2) God is our
refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
Today’s verse reminds us that God is our protector and the
source of our strength.
Oh brother, I have walked through some times of trouble
since coming to faith in Jesus Christ and have had episodes in my faith walk
where I was faced with uncertain circumstances where I was brought to the pit
of despair and honestly didn’t know how I was supposed to go on.
But God,
Yeah, things were bleak. I didn’t have any answers of how or
when I would get out of those times of trouble but because of my relationship
with God that was established when I put my faith in Jesus Christ I received
the strength to carry on.
In those times of trouble I was connected to God through my
spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship. So even though things seemed utterly hopeless, I had
hope. Even when I was in a restless
position circumstantially, I had peace.
When you come before God and humble yourself, He will lift
you up. No matter how bad things got at
times because of my faith I had a reason to keep going.
And as I kept walking with God, I received His guidance and
was amazed how things that were crafted by others to work against me were turned
around and worked in my favor.
The word is true. God is our refuge and strength and always
ready to help us in times of trouble.
So trust the Lord. Seek His presence, His wisdom, and His ways
continually because He will never leave you or forsake you and when those times
of trouble come you will be amazed at the help you receive when you are walking
with Him.
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with
their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil
and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work.
E. How to Answer the Skeptic Who Asks ... "Can God Do Anything?"
If a skeptic asks a Bible-believer, "Can God do anything?" the
predictable answer is "Yes." And the biblical basis for this response
is in numerous Scriptures, such as Jeremiah 32:27
... "I am the Lord, the
God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Someone could say,
"If that's true, then God could eliminate all evil and suffering now!"
If you fail to qualify your own answer, you could fall prey to a number of
trick questions. For this reason you need to know how to avoid becoming
flustered by learning how to give accurate, wise answers based on biblical
truth ...
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)
- Can God
create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?
However you answer this yes or no question, you know you are wrong. - —If
you answer, "No, He cannot make a rock that He cannot lift,"
you have just denied His omnipotence.
- —If
you answer, "Yes, He can make a rock that He cannot lift,"
again, you have just denied His omnipotence. So, how do you answer this
question? Simply state, "God has the power to do anything that is
consistent with His divine character. Likewise, God cannot do anything
that is counter to His divine character." The Bible actually lists
certain actions that are impossible for God, such as...
- God
cannot lie.
"It is impossible for God to lie." (Hebrews 6:18) - God
cannot be tempted.
"God cannot be tempted by evil." (James 1:13) - God
cannot cease to exist.
"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Psalm 102:25-27) - Can God
make a one-sided triangle?
- —If
you answer "No," a skeptic could ask this follow-up question:
- "Does
that mean God is not all-powerful?"
Before you answer a question, first evaluate whether the question is logical
or not. Simply state,
- "This
question is illogical because by definition a triangle must be
three-sided."
- "This
simply means God can do anything consistent with His divine
character—anything that is logically possible."
"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like
him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own
eyes." (Proverbs
26:4-5)
Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
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