Thieves are one of them. Not just any thieves, but in particular those who go after charities. I help manage one, and had I saved them I could show you hundreds of phishing emails aimed at fooling someone into transferring money or giving up sensitive information. They usually impersonate another officer in the organization.

What kind of lowlife targets charities? I confess to a very strong temptation to reply to one of these, like the one I got today, and tell them exactly what I think. I imagine describing non kinds of hellish torment that they will surely be due when their miserable earthly existence is terminated.

But I always stop short. For one thing, these are often automated scams, run by the online equivalent of the common street thug using tools they got off the “dark web”. My tirade might feel good for a moment, but would accomplish nothing, and possibly worse than nothing. I would be confirming that the address is valid and possibly inviting a more focused attack on the organization.

Then there’s that quiet voice inside of me, reminding me that I’m supposed to love even these people. Jesus’ blood will cover them too, if they repent. I should be praying for them, brokenhearted at their likely end, not rejoicing in it. Ok, Lord. Obviously, I still need some work.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45 LSB)

What I hear when someone tells me they didn’t have time is that whatever they didn’t have time for wasn’t important enough to them to allocate time to. Their reasons may be good ones. If my wife is in trouble, everything else just got pushed down the list and I’ll get to them if I can. We all have priorities, and we should.

It has been said that a person’s priorities can be determined by where they spend their money. There’s truth in that, but I think it’s at least as telling to see where they spend their time. Most of us will devote a sizeable chunk of time to work. For some, the job is a priority in itself, but I dare say for the majority of us, the real priority is food. We want to be able to eat, and so we work. We also want to be able to feed those whom we love and who depend on us. We might rather be doing something else, but priority drives us to do what we must do to satisfy it.

Others have discovered that at least in this country one does not necessarily have to work in order to eat, so long as he can accept the reduced standard of living that will likely result. For them, more immediate gratifications rule the day. They fail to see the destructive nature of the priorities they have chosen.

Often, we don’t have time because we waste it on things that don’t matter. Rest and entertainment are good things. To some degree, they are necessary for our health. But as with most things, too much of something good becomes bad for us. When our gratification becomes more important to us than the things that God has said are important, we need a priority adjustment.

I think it’s safe to say none of us get this completely right, but God’s word in the Bible does give us a framework for setting our priorities. Those who have been raised in church may be familiar with the hierarchy. The wonderful thing is that if you will maintain God at the top, service to Him will cascade down to the other things, because they all come from Him. Therefore, one activity is not exclusive to one priority. By working at a job, I am providing for my family and even for my church. So, I am also working in the service of God. That can get twisted. If my objective becomes the accumulation of wealth only that I may have more, then I can no longer claim that I do it in service to God. I’ve put something else at the top, and the whole structure will collapse.

I had in mind to list things out the way I think they should be based on my reading of scripture, but I think it will be better if I let the scripture speak for itself. Here are some key passages. All quotations are taking from the Legacy Standard Bible translation.

• ³⁵ And one of them, a scholar of the Law, asked Him a question, testing Him, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:35-39)
• But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)
• ² fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose, ³ doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, ⁴ not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:2-11)
• For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
• The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, acquire understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)

Adam and Eve are walking in the garden, but they’re not talking. They’re looking at their phones. Now in their defense, they don’t have any pockets to put them in, so what else are they going to do? The social circle is kind of small at this point, being only themselves, God, and Satan. In this reality, Satan was too lazy to bother possessing a snake, so he invented Facebook. That way, he could do his temptation from the warm comfort of his home. You’d think online porn would have been first, but in a world where everyone was already naked, it didn’t have the same appeal.

As Eve is strolling along, her phone tells Facebook that she’s near the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The algorithm makes sure that she reads the post from God that says, “From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) That would be a good thing, except that under the post there’s a button that says, “Missing Context.” Already thoroughly habituated to accepting anything she reads online, she taps the button and finds this, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (genesis 3:4-5) And so it begins.

I enjoy social media. When I was first invited to join Facebook, I was delighted to find many of the people I had known throughout the years already there. It was fun to reconnect at some level and see what people would share. I was far more active myself at first. But eventually the newness wore off. I still use it to share things I find interesting and follow people I’m interested in or care about, but it is not a substitute for in-person interaction.

I think this is a problem, especially for the younger generations and especially when they start young. Their ability to form genuine relationships is short-circuited by the insertion of that little screen. It has led to an uptake in abusive and antisocial behavior because one suffers no significant consequence for one’s actions. Relationships are ephemeral, made and broken on the whim of the moment. Our perception of reality is altered because we can’t see through those little screens into the eyes behind them. We need human touch, sometimes even with a little force behind it.

I don’t blame social media for all of society’s ills or even for this one, but I think it is a contributing factor and applaud the efforts being made to shield children from using it too soon. They must learn how to function in the physical world first. Adults are not immune.

I find it interesting that the happiest among us are also likely to be the least addicted to their phones. I think it also has something to do with the fact that as one grows older, one usually comes to a greater understanding of life, what is important and what is not. Happiness has much more to do with what is going on inside us than what is going on around us. And I have to say that the older generations of Americans are more likely to be grounded in Christian principles, whether or not they accept the author of those principles. When we do things God’s way, life works better, and we are more likely to be happy with it.

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, ¹³ for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-13 LSB

Note that salvation here is composed of two elements, confession and belief. To confess in this context is simply to affirm what is true, though since we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), confession in the modern sense it also appropriate. Before we can be saved, we must come to the realization that we need saving. Hence, we have the phrase in the traditional “sinner’s prayer,” “I know that I am a sinner.”

So, it is important to understand what it is that we are believing and therefore confessing. After “believe” comes “in your heart.” This is more than an Intellectual assent. It is more than simply knowing the truth. James tells us that even the demons know that and shake with fear. It is a certainty from deep within you that demands a response.

You are believing that God raised Jesus from the dead. There’s a lot wrapped up in that short phrase. First, it presupposes an acknowledgment that God exists. If He doesn’t this is all nonsense. It also assigns a significance to the fact of Jesus’ rising. Even the Old Testament contains instances where God raised someone from the dead. This one is different because of who Jesus is and why He died. His was the perfect sacrifice that cleanses us from our sins, only possible because He Himself was the Son of God. That leads us to the confession part, which further expounds what we are believing, Jesus as Lord. Paul, the writer of the letter to the Romans from which I am quoting, left no doubt in the minds of his readers about what he was saying. Jesus is not simply a lord, but The Lord!

So, if we say and believe that Jesus is our Lord, it follows that we will act accordingly. Works can never save us but works will result from true salvation. We will not immediately stop sinning, but we will stop pursuing a sinful lifestyle. We will stumble and fall, but we must reach up for the hand of our Heavenly father. He will faithfully pick us up, tend our wounds, and help us to keep walking with Him.

Far be it from me to say that we should not be urging people to pray to receive Jesus as lord. We should be doing that as often as we can. But that is not the same thing as telling them that if they will just say this prayer, they’ve got their ticket to Heaven. We need to be sharing the whole of the Gospel message, so that they may come to a place of true repentance and belief.

Character matters. Sometimes, we are easily misled by people who present themselves well but have only their own best interests at heart. Sometimes what they say even makes sense to us. Sometimes they may believe it themselves. That is why God warns us repeatedly to seek wisdom and discern the truth. We get a front row seat to watch this play out if we follow politics, but it is applicable in every sphere of life. Some of the most dangerous people in the world speak to us from our classrooms, our televisions, our cell phones, and even from under steeples. The Bible tells us that Satan himself comes in the guise of an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14.)

So, take care who you listen to. Take note of their character. Look beyond the superficial. There’s truth in the adage that actions speak louder than words. No matter how good it sounds, the advice of the wicked will eventually lead you to destruction. There will certainly be truth in what they say, but a little lie spoils the whole truth.

You might say that wicked is a strong word. We do tend to use it for something or someone who is especially bad by our standards. But remember that God’s standard is higher. None of us could reach it if it were not for the sacrifice that Jesus made. We were born wicked. If you doubt it, observe children who have not been disciplined. Look for people who are at least trying to meet the standard of righteousness. They will still make mistakes, but they are much more likely to [point you in the right direction. Remember, too, that the Bible is the only true measure.

I’ve often thought that my time would be better spent reading non-fiction, and I do read a lot of that. But sometimes I want a break and enjoy a good story. The thing about fiction is that you don’t have to wonder if it’s really true. You go into it knowing it’s only a story, though the author may use the story to communicate truth. There is a great deal of non-fiction out there that is mislabeled. It can be hard to identify which work deserves the designation.

But truth certainly can be stranger than fiction. Take the Bible for example. The strange things in there actually speak to its authenticity. The idea of a flawed hero is not unknown to us, but did you ever see such a collection of failures in one place? Yet God used all of them to accomplish His purpose. They are God’s successes. And what of Jesus, the central figure? He was without sin, but He was crucified. Some would say his mission had failed, but they would be so very wrong. He did exactly what He came to do, and in so doing He offered redemption to the world! He died in relative obscurity, but His teaching has revolutionized the world. And the strangest truth of all, He didn’t stay dead! We serve a living God, the Lord of creation, the King of kings. The day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us. He did this before we knew Him. He did this even though we were His enemies. Some of us knew ourselves to be His enemies, others will come to understand it in time. The imperfect cannot stand in the presence of the perfect. Justice demands punishment, yet we are offered mercy. Many will continue to believe that this too is fiction, but it is the strange, amazing, unfathomable truth!

If you don’t know the Truth yet, I’d like nothing better than for you to get to know Him. His name is Jesus, and He awaits you with open arms. Turn around! Change your mind! Give yourself to Him as He has given Himself for you.

I would be delighted to talk more with you about this. You can contact me through this web site or via Facebook. I may not have all the answers, but I know where to look for them.

That brings me to today’s installment. I wrote last week of the unreasonable fear I felt about going to see the eye doctor. There is reason for concern, but I knew going in that I was not likely to learn anything from that first visit. And so it was.

I’ve been having episodes of fuzzy (more so than is normal for me) vision that vary in severity and length of time. I knew that the doctor was not likely to be able to diagnose anything from looking at my eyes and would probably schedule an MRI. I put off doing anything, fearing the cost of the scan based on the nature of my healthcare coverage. I remain unemployed as of this writing. That turned out to be another groundless fear that could likely have been allayed with a little research. The result of the visit was as I expected, and I had the MRI today.

Whatever was learned today will not be shared with me until my appointment with the doctor on Thursday, so there was no reason for anxiety. I felt none directly related to the event, but I will not deny having some trepidation concerning the results. What is going on? What does it mean? Will I lose the vision I have? Is something worse happening? What if I’m no longer able to care for Linda?

I already have many of the skills employed by those who are completely blind, but it would still require some adaptation. The unpredictability is disconcerting. I would get used to the change if it were constant, but having it come and go is disorienting. I used to love to go out for walks. I haven’t been in a while because having it happen when I’m out navigating the streets is a little frightening. I hate to admit that. I’ve always been the one telling folks to get out and live life. There is risk in everything. Maybe this serves to humble me. Sometimes the line between healthy confidence and dangerous pride can get blurred. I must remember that everything I have is given to me by God, and His is the glory.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I am reminded of the words of Jesus, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) He said this after exhorting His hearers to seek God’s kingdom first and the righteousness of God. All the things we need will be given to us if we do that. The only trouble is, we usually have different ideas about what we need than He does.

This is the point at which we must choose to trust Him. I know that I belong to Him. I know that He will work all things together for my good. It does me no good to fret over what may be. In fact, it does me harm. I can and should plan for the future, but always with the knowledge that the future belongs to God. I can’t be focused on His kingdom and his righteousness if I’m focused on my fears.