Christian Loyalty Should Not Be A Joke

     The preacher was talking with Pat the Irishman and asked, "Pat, if you had two million dollars, do you love God enough that you would give him one of them?"
     Pat said, "Preacher, I am surprised that you would even ask me that.  You know I love God enough that I would give him a million if I had two million."
     Then the preacher asked, "Pat, if you had two black-land farms, do you love God enough to give him one of them?"
     Again Pat responded as if his feelings were a little hurt, "Preacher, you know I love God enough to give him one of the farms if I had two farms."
     To which the preacher continued, "Pat, if you had two Poland China hogs, do you love God enough to give him one of the hogs?"
     To which Pat quickly stated, "Now preacher, you knew I had those two hogs before you even asked."
     If we would be truthful, we all have had a little of Pat's attitude, much too often.  We think of what we would do if the situation were just right, if we suddenly had plenty of money, or if the right opportunity came along; then we would be a better witness for God.  Part of our problem is that we are unaware of the fact that God has already equipped us with the necessary tools to be a witness for Him.  It is not a question of our ability; it is a question of our availability!
     I recall a situation that occurred when I was between pastorates.  I wanted to be sure that I continued to be a witness and often prayed that God would give me an opportunity to be a witness for him.  I left the house one morning and it was raining "cats and dogs".  I drove by a car that was stopped on the side of the road with a flat tire.  About that time I again prayed, Lord give me an opportunity to do something good today.  It did not take an audible voice to get the message across to me.  The message was loud and clear.  I immediately turned around and went back to help fix the flat.
     There is no way to measure the value of eternal life that God has given to each of his children.  But, ever so often, we act as if the only purpose for Him granting us eternal life was so we could miss hell and make heaven.  He wants each of us to surrender totally and completely to Him.  He does not want a part of your life, He wants to be prominent.  To not allow him the prominence in your life is to share part of your life with another "god".  "You cannot serve two masters."  Many people have to have a second job to make ends meet.  We call this moonlighting.  God is not a moonlighting
God.
     The concept is no different than the Christian being a slave to Jesus.  He went into the marketplace of sin and paid the complete price in order to redeem us from sin.  But, you say, I don't want to be a slave.  You already are.  Without a complete surrender to Jesus you will become a slave to sin.  You will never know what complete happiness is until you change masters.  You cannot serve two masters.

     Christian loyalty is no laughing matter.

The Joke of Education

     The mother had arrived at school, mad and upset, because of something her daughter had said happened at school.  The teacher defused the situation when she said, "Mrs. Brown, if you won't believe what your daughter says happens at school, I won't believe what she says happens at home."
     There are thousands of jokes that center around the education system, but none of them compare to the joke of today's education, itself.  The education system is operating in a manner today that can only end in failure.  A generation ago a person received a diploma that announced, in so many words, "has successfully completed the course of study."  Others, who were not so successful, received a "certificate of attendance".  There was no stigma attached to the student while he was in school or after graduation.  For all practical purposes, when they entered the workforce there was no way of telling if they had received a diploma or a certificate of attendance.  No longer is this true.
     Today the school system has developed what is known as "special education."  Now most people would agree there is a need for a person to receive special aids and helps in order to achieve an education commensurate with their ability.  But, that does not mean the standard for education is to be lowered just so someone can receive a "diploma".
     It is possible, in many situations, that a student in special education can graduate with the same diploma as the honor students, having "completed" algebra I, algebra II and geometry, and they cannot even add, subtract, multiply or divide simple elementary math problems.
     Too often, once a child is labeled "special education", the school has established a pattern in which the child knows he does not have to measure up to the standard of normal educational levels,  they only need measure up to a standard established just for that student.  By the time the student reaches high school they understand the system and the difficulty the teacher has in giving him a failing grade.  They will boldly state, "You can't fail me!" The student actually becomes "special."  Rules and regulations are set for him in such a way that enables him to behave differently from other students.  Could that be the reason why there is a far greater percentage of "special education" students who create more discipline problems than the rest of the student body?  A special education student who has exhausted all disciplinary options the school may have, may be sent to the alternative education program.  I have seen cases where, accompanying the student to his new atmosphere would be the note, "will graduate in May."  Regardless of whether he passes an assignment, attends school, or behaves in the worse possible manner--"will graduate in May."
     Many special education students go on to college with financial aid.  Shall we continue the concept through college and graduate schools?  (I bet it would be a surprise to the heart patient if he were to find out his heart surgeon was a special education graduate from medical school!)
     Students who miss an enormous amount of days at school are given an opportunity to spend a few hours on the computer and recover those lost days.  Or, if they have failed a course over eighteen weeks of study, they can re-mediate that work in a few hours.  Did I say, Education is a Joke?  It is, and the primary jokester is the federal government.
     How about the government's innovation, "No child left behind?"  I am here to tell you, that is a program that is working.  Rest assured, no child is being left behind--we are leaving about thirty percent of the students back there with him.  The government operates under the misguided idea that everyone is equal.  As wise as Thomas Jefferson was, his statement--"all men are created equal", is totally wrong.  What about the blind man, what about the cripple child, what of those that are afflicted from birth with catastrophic illness?  Ask them or their parents if everyone is created equal.  You know the answer to that even though many a blind person has had a very successful life; many a crippled person have overcome crippling illnesses.  But, the government would handicap them to the extent that they could not succeed, and then destroy their will to succeed by making them dependent upon the state.
     The number one preoccupation in the school system today is the "test scores."  The current school is graded by how successful it is by the scores on the test material.  We are back to the notion that all of the students in all of the schools are the same; with the same opportunities.  What is wrong with the old fashioned idea that a school is judged, how successful it is by the productivity of the students which it sends out into society.
     The previous generation, without government interference, put men on the moon and brought them safely home.  The government is producing a generation that cannot even find the post office.
     Education is a joke, but no one is laughing.

That's My Fault

     The present generation has coined a phrase, "My Bad."  It is a short way of saying one of the more difficult things to say, "That's my fault."
     In a basketball game in the Mississippi delta a visiting girl's team thought they were being cheated by the referees.  The coach had ranted, raved, coaxed, and begged for a break.  He had called his last time out in an attempt to talk to the officials and also to encourage his girls to play harder.
     The team returned to the court with the home team putting the ball in play under the visitor's basket.  Number 23 on the visiting team assumed a guarding position on one of the referees and guarded him closely all of the way down the floor.  Finally, the much perplexed official calls an official time-out and approaches the visiting coach.  He said, "Coach, there is something wrong with your number 23."
     The coach questioned the official with, "What seems to be the problem?"
     The official answered, "She's guarding me!"
     "My goodness, ref," the coach responded, "That's my fault, I told her to get the one that was hurting us the most."
     There are times in the lives of every individual when he or she should say, "That's my fault."  Wouldn't it be great if every senator and representative would say, when confronted with the problems if the nation, "That's my fault."  Instead the Democrats want to blame the Republicans and the Republicans want to blame the Democrats.
     Each should say on the controversial health plan, "That.s my fault."  If they would have come before the nation and said that a health plan was needed and they were doing away with their own health care plan and  would now be under the same plan with the citizens, many would have looked at the plan differently.  The  condition of the social security program is another place where they should say, "It's my fault."  They expect a retirement program for themselves to be a lavish program and others get by on a meager existance.
     Don't you think it is about time that the professional politicians become public servants, as they started out shortly after the birth of our nation.  Congress should not be able to pass laws that affect the citizens of the United States without affecting them, nor, should they be able to pass a law affecting them that does not apply to the citizens of the United States.
     Certainly the same argument should be made in the Christian arena.  What's the problem with the local church?  What is the problem with the spiritual condition of our communities?  The old spiritual says it best, "It's not my father nor my mother, but it's me, oh, Lord, standing in the need of prayer."  If you really want revival to come to our nation, get down in your living room, draw a circle around yourself, then ask God to get everyone in the circle right with Him, then revival will come.
     I have heard many wanting to blame God for things in their life.  Confess to God like the coach said, "It's my fault!" 
    

Danger In Going To Far

     Everyone has seen the scene that is about to be described.  In a hotly contested basketball game, the coach jumps up from the bench and before he realizes it, he is a three or four steps out onto the court. The official is standing nearby and turns to look at the coach.  The official had heard of a previous game in which the coach was penalized a technical for each step it took to get back to the bench.  He says to the coach, "Coach, that will be a technical foul for coming onto the court and one for each step it takes to get back to the bench."
      The coach realized that his emotions had carried him to far, so he said to his team, "Boys, come get me!"  The players carried the coach to the bench, put him down facing the bench and when the coach took the two steps to get turned around was assessed two more technical fouls.
     Someone has so wisely said, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; and cost you more than you want to pay."
     It would be a rare individual who has not gone to far in life, in some type of situation.  We, like the coach, did not intend to be in that situation.  And like the coach, we suddenly realize that we are going to need some help in getting out of the predictament.  The coach really did not gain much, if anything, since he used two steps to turn around.  His team, tried as hard as they could, but to no avail.
     In the area of obtaining a right relationship with God, we find ourselves identifying with the coach.  In the first place, the lost man's standing before God is one that he must first realize his lost conditiion.  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23.  He is afar from God from the moment of realizing right from wrong.  There is a sin debt that must be paid.  All attempts a lost person makes to, "get back on the bench",  leaves him short.  You can turn over a new leaf, join the church, be baptised, do all manner of works and you will still be facing the bench.
     Only a faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, believing in his blood atonement and resurrection will square things with God.
     Even after we are saved the quote in the beginning is still true for us:  "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.'