OWNERSHIP
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalms 100:3 NIV
The word “ownership” came to mind as I read this Psalm. An owner has sole possession of something. That’s what the word “Lord” really means – owner, possessor, master. Many people confess that they believe in or “know” God, but they have never realized that He is our Creator, and thus, owner of our very being and existence on earth.
Does anyone have the right to challenge God’s ownership of us? There are many people today who proclaim, “My body, my choice!” Really? Is it? That’s comparable to a sculpture arguing with the sculptor, or a painting arguing with the artist. Know this: the Lord God made us; He designed us; He is our Owner, and whether or not we like it, we are His. It would be silly to reject our Owner, our Master, our Creator – and to think we could come up with a better design.
*Pastor John Weigelt
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5: 20)
Our secular culture challenges the very notion of good and evil. But to say that there are No absolutes is itself an absolute statement!
So how do we know what’s evil and what’s good? Where do we get our sense of “oughtness” … from our parents?? Where did they get it? Psychologist, Jordan Peterson says that we cannot create our own values; values impose themselves on us, independent of our own will.
Mark Twain said that knowing what’s right is not the problem.. doing what’s right is the problem.
Like us, the Apostle Paul struggled with this- “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing”, (Romans 7: 19)
The struggle with “Oughtness” is universal. Here’s the point: If there really is a moral law outside ourselves, then there has to be a Moral Law Giver, which is God Himself!
*By George Olivo
SPIRITUAL VISION
“Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 7:2
I discovered a movie on the internet titled “Apple of My Eye”. It’s a story about a young girl who struggles after a traumatic horse riding accident that caused her to lose her eyesight. The head trainer of Southeastern Guide Dogs trains a miniature horse named Apple to be her companion and surrogate eyes.
Imagine how our life would be if we regarded the teachings of God the Father and Jesus Christ, as well as the Apostles, as our constant “companion and surrogate eyes”. This is one way to interpret the phrase “the apple of our eye”. We would be able to view the world and the events of our life through the spiritual lens of God. Now that’s Vision! Guard it.
*By Pastor John W