Here is a pictorial representation of the topics discussed here at Journey Across the Sky. You can get a pictorial image of your blog by going to wordle.com. As you can see there is a large number of topics discussed here at this blog but one of the biggest entries is God. My aim is to talk about current events in light of scripture and see how we are to respond to these events. As a Christian I think it is important that we filter everything through the scriptures to see how God views these issues. There is nothing new under the sun as Solomon stated so well. And therefore every issue we face in life there are scriptures to help us sort through them and find out how God instructed Israel to deal with these same issues.

Regardless how hard I try to maintain purity in my posts I am sure from time to time I may err in my speech. The bible tells us:

When words are many, sin is not lacking; so he who controls his speech is wise. The tongue of the righteous is like pure silver, but the mind of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.
Proverbs 10:19-21

Idle talk can pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise can heal. Truthful words will stand forever, lying speech but a moment.
Proverbs 12:18-19

The wise man’s heart teaches his mouth, and to his lips it adds learning. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the taste and healing for the body.
Proverbs 16:23-24

He who belittles another lacks good sense, whereas a person of discernment stays silent.
Proverbs 11:12

It is not my intention to offend anyone nor is it my heart’s desire to share untruths with the world, my aim is to be a blessing and encouragement to others. May God bless you as you travel with me as we Journey Across the Sky.

Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. _{2 Tim 2:15-17 (the Message)}

Lawrence Timmons may look good when the game is not on the line but when it comes time to stand and deliver, when a real game is actually in the balance, Lawrence Timmons misses the mark. It is one thing to do well when it does not matter, it is a whole other matter however to flail around when there are real consequences to your actions. Talk is cheap, and bragging about one’s abilities does not get the job done, in fact such talk will poison your very soul. You start to believe your own press in other words. There comes a time when you need to put up or shut up.

As a nation it is way past time for our national leaders to step up to the plate and do the job they were elected to do. The American people chose these leaders to do a job for which they are very well paid. We are tired of excuses! It is time to come off the campaign trail, the golf course, the extended summer vacations and actually get to work. Training camp is over, you have been put into the game to get results and not to make excuses. You talked a great game during the pre-season but since the season started you have demonstrated a severe lack of ability in far too many areas.

The last draft is past but the next one is only a few weeks away, and the scouts have already found your replacements and they, unlike you, are ready and willing to get into the game and do their very best. The country is watching and we expect better of our recruits. And not only is all of America watching but God is watching you as well. November is only an election but remember one day we must all give an account of ourselves before God. Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13

Coach Tomlin expects more from his recruits and God expects even more from His. Do not think because you are not playing on the Lord’s team that you will escape judgment, be warned everyone who has lived will be judged both great and small. Revelation 20:12 Those who have played for the opposing team will be cast into the lake of fire. Think about it! There is still time to change teams. And that is this week’s tail feather.

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For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Cor 15:53-55 (NKJV)

In a remarkable series of trades, one 17 year old Californian. Steven Ortiz, was able barter a cell phone all the way up to a Porsche. Source: CNN News.

The cell phone was traded for an IPod Touch. The IPod begat a dirt bike. The dirt bike begat a laptop computer. The series of trades eventually led to a Toyota 4runner, a Ford Bronco SUV, and ultimately, the coveted Porsche. It’s all very impressive.

Taking something of lessor value and trading it up for something of a greater value is what the gospel of the Kingdom of God is all about. We trade our sin-filled life for a life of grace and mercy. We trade our mortal lives for that which is immortal, we trade our temporary home for one which is eternal. We trade death for life, and hell for heaven.

Now that’s a deal worth shouting about! Yes, Lord! You have to credit young Steven Ortiz for his savvy and persistence. How much more shall we give to God for His loving exchange of our depravity for his lavish grace!

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“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. _{Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)}

Have you ever had a mess in your life that reminds you of the current BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico? You know…

1. It blew up when you didn’t expect it.

2. When it blew up, it really hurt and made a mess.

3. The mess didn’t stop when it blew up. The mess kept coming.

4. The thing that was causing the mess was deep. Too deep.

5. There was a tremendous amount of pressure dealing with it.

6. You had no idea how to fix it.

7. Everyone was giving you advice about what you should do.

8. You tried some of the advice and the mess still kept coming.

9. You really hurt some people with your mess.

10. It wasn’t the people’s fault whom you hurt. It was yours.

11. You tried to blame it on someone or something else.

12. It will take years to fix things.

13. Boy, do you wish you could do it over.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

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Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Image via Wikipedia

Prov 1:20-33 (AMP) Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets; She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: How long, O simple ones [open to evil], will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and [self-confident] fools hate knowledge? If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [ Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you have refused [to answer], have stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it, And you treated as nothing all my counsel and would accept none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic— When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early and diligently but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord, Would accept none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the careless ease of [self-confident] fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil.

The evidence is everywhere. Truth is blaring from the loud speakers all around the world. Countries are failing, here at home states are finding it harder and harder to meet federal mandates and public sector pension obligations. On capital street one company take over after another and yet nothing changes. The national debt will exceed 13 billion dollars this year and only the sky is the limit into the future. Medicare and Medicaid along with Social Security are all in the red, let’s face it folks America’s entitlement programs are bankrupt and yet many refuse to change course or even acknowledge the direction America is heading is wrong.

Add to the mix Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are still running deficits as far as the eye can see. Nothing is working on capital hill. And to be honest not much is working in the private sector either. The unemployment rate seems to be the only thing going up in an otherwise downward spiral.

Personal nest eggs reduced or depleted with the recession of the stock market. Tax revenue is falling off rapidly because more and more people are not working. And yet many think all is well and the captain of the ship of state bellows full speed ahead on one socialist agenda item after another. Waiting in the wings are tax hikes along with the huge budget busting Obamacare plan still to be enacted.

Yes my friends the truth is out there, but can you handle the truth? Can you open your eyes and ears to listen to the sound of wisdom shouting aloud in the streets, and the marketplace? What must we do to stop this insane rebellion against the truth and sound fiscal policy? Our country is out of control. Fools are running the ship of state straight into an iceberg of ruin.

Ezek 12:2 (GW) “Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear because they are rebellious people.

The irony is that America is now adapting the European model just as the evidence of its failure is becoming clear even to the New York Times. As Charles Murray wrote in “The Happiness of The People”-“If we want to know where America is headed—its destination—we should look to Europe.” The Times has now given us a harrowing picture of that destination. For the left leaning New York Times to see the handwriting on the wall it must be blatantly obvious. The truth is screaming from everywhere, the question is are we willing to heed wisdom’s warning or destined to suffer the fate of fools?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

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Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Simon of Cyrene all appear in legends about eggs turning red.

Anthony McRoy

As the feast of Easter developed in Christian tradition, so did the festival’s preparatory period, known as Lent. This involved fasting and later abstinence from certain foods, including eggs. The festal letter of Athanasius in 330 shows that the early church was practising a 40-day fast prior to Easter (also indicated in Canon V of the first Nicene Council). The fifth-century church historian Socrates Scholasticus noted, “Some abstain from eggs …” Canon LVI of the Council in Trullo, 692, enjoined such abstinence: “It seems good therefore that the whole Church of God which is in all the world should follow one rule and keep the fast perfectly, and as they abstain from everything which is killed, so also should they from eggs and cheese, which are the fruit and produce of those animals from which we abstain.”

By the time of the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-74), eggs, milk, and meat were all forbidden during Lent: “Eggs and milk foods are forbidden to those who fast, for as much as they originate from animals that provide us with flesh … Again the Lenten fast is the most solemn of all, both because it is kept in imitation of Christ, and because it disposes us to celebrate devoutly the mysteries of our redemption. For this reason the eating of flesh meat is forbidden in every fast, while the Lenten fast lays a general prohibition even on eggs and milk foods.”

In pre-refrigeration days, it would be difficult to preserve milk and meat products until Easter, but the same was not true of eggs. Eggs, which unlike other foods do not perish quickly, were therefore a natural way to break the fast on Easter Sunday. Presenting gifts of eggs at Easter has a long and culturally diverse lineage. Practicality was one factor: Given that hens would be laying eggs throughout Lent, a surplus would exist by Easter, probably at lower prices. (Notably, the Jewish Passover Seder meal includes a hard-boiled egg symbolising the sacrifice at, and subsequently the destruction of, the Jerusalem temple. Whether this had any influence on the development of Easter eggs in their initial form cannot be determined.)

Dyeing and Resurrection

The coloring of eggs is associated with various legends. An ancient story recounts Mary Magdalene being summoned by Emperor Tiberius and stating that Christ had been resurrected. The skeptical Caesar pointed to an egg and exclaimed, “Christ has not risen, no more than that egg is red”—after which the egg in question miraculously turned blood-red. One Eastern Orthodox myth presents either Mary Magdalene or Mary, the mother of Jesus, placing a basket of eggs under the cross. The blood of Christ fell on the eggs, turning them red. According to another tale, Simon of Cyrene was an egg merchant who had to leave his basket of eggs to help Jesus carry the cross. When he returned, he found that his eggs had changed color!

These tales have traditionally been taken as the basis for dyeing eggs (sometimes blessed at Orthodox masses). Venetia Newall observes, “Throughout Europe one finds that, while all the colors of the rainbow appear, red is by far the most usual for egg dyeing, especially in countries of the Orthodox faith. ‘Oh, when will Easter come,’ runs a Macedonian children’s rhyme, ‘bringing with her red eggs?’”

Of course, painting or dyeing eggs is a practice found in many cultures at different times, and there are indications of such practices in the British Isles during the Middle Ages. In 1290, the English King Edward I obtained eggs that were “boiled and stained, or covered with leaf gold, and afterwards distributed to the royal household at Easter” (William Hone, The Every-Day Book) (quot (quoted in William Hone, William, The Every-Day Book [London: Hunt & Clark, 1826], p. 429). An egg in a silver case was sent from the Vatican to King Henry VIII. The most famous modern counterpart of this is the renowned Fabergé egg, first made in 1885 for Tsar Alexander III as an Easter present to his wife, Tsaritsa Maria. People were coloring eggs by one method or another in various parts of Britain, especially northern England, in the 18th century; they called the eggs “Pace-eggs,” from the Greek word paschal. Chocolate Easter eggs emerged in the 19th century and became mass-produced and generally popular by the following century.

Children eagerly anticipate Easter because of the joy that Easter eggs bring. But the joy associated with Easter traditions is dependent upon the celebration of Christ’s triumph over death, and the popular anticipation associated with eggs on Easter Sunday must always be surpassed by the greater anticipation that the day celebrates—the assured hope of Christ’s return and the general resurrection to come.

Anthony McRoy is a Fellow of the British Society for Middle East Studies and lecturer in Islamic studies at Wales Evangelical School of Theology, U.K.

For further reading:

Newall, Venetia, An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971)

Hone, William, The Every-Day Book (London: Hunt & Clark, 1826)

Hutton, Ronald, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)

Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian History & Biography magazine.

Click here for reprint information on Christian History & Biography.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/global/printer.html?/ch/bytopic/holidays/fastlenteastereggs.html

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A View from the Nest
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
Insight from the Journey across the Sky

From the coming up of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. Psalms 113:3 (BBE)

We take far too much for granted and fail to offer the praise that is due His name. We oft times whine and moan about supposed injustices that befall us as if the whole world revolved around us. The last time I looked up into the sky the earth revolved around the sun and the morning and evening did not answer to my command. Our lives too are ordered of the Lord we can either pause and give thanks or murmur and complain. The choice is ours, the option is left up to us. We are given the freedom to acknowledge the blessings of God or to ignore them. Each day as we awaken, we have the choice to either walk in thankfulness toward God or seek our own will and way.

There is much to be sorrowful for but there is far more to be thankful for. Each new day, each new sunrise brings with it the opportunity for new blessings. From the rising of the sun to the going down thereof the Lord’s name should be praised. If we spent as much time praising the Lord as we do complaining about life’s ills I think we would find far more sunny days then cloudy ones.

So in light of the suffering of those who endured the earthquake in Haiti I leave you with these words from Red Foley. Lord forgive me when I whine I surely am blessed and the world is mine. My prayers go out to all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. I pray for the Lord’s blessings to arise out of the ashes of despair and destruction. May the Lord’s healing flow throughout the land, and may His name be praised in the midst of the storm.

Today upon a bus, I saw
A lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her – she seemed so gay -
And oh, I wished I were so fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle,
She had one foot and wore a crutch,
But as she passed, a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two feet – the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,
The lad who served me had such charm;
He seemed to radiate good cheer,
His manner was so kind and warm.
I said, “It’s nice to deal with you,
Such courtesy I seldom find.”
He turned and said, “Oh, thank you, sir!”
And I saw that he was blind.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two eyes – the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play;
It seemed he knew not what to do,
I stopped a moment, then I said:
“Why don’t you join the others, dear?”
He looked ahead without a word,
And then I knew; He could not hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two ears – the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go,
With eyes to see the sunset’s glow,
With ears to hear what I should know:
I’m blessed indeed, The world is mine;
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
— Red Foley —

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Phillipians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” —Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.” —Henry Ward Beecher

The ‘Journey Across the Sky’ continues.” We have not yet reached our destination, nor have we yet achieved our objective. We have only yet to become what we can be, and we have yet to accomplish all that we can accomplish through Christ. I, like Paul, can state most assuredly that I have yet to apprehend, but I shall forget the past with it’s successes and loses, and strive toward even greater goals, aim even higher, and soar to even greater heights than thusly achieved. As we set our sights on things above rather than on things of this earth, then surely we can hope for the best that God has to offer all those who put Him first. Here’s to 2010 and the challenges it brings, and the rewards it contains, and the joys it offers. May your 2010 be blessed indeed!

Onward and upward in Christ! Soar on!

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

A View from the Nest

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Insight from the Journey across the Sky

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matt. 5:13).

Well winter has finally arrived in  Western Pennsylvania. This morning as I traveled to church, or slid along the frozen roadway, I came to a short hill along which several cars where ditched along the sides. I knew from experience, continuing along this route would not be wise. I slowed to a stop and decided on my next move. I watched as a few cars passed the ditched vehicles with caution and determined that I could move forward rather slowly and find a nice place along the berm of the road to park until the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot) could salt the roadway.

I no sooner pulled off the road when my cell phone began to ring with messages from the church family asking how I was and how the roads where. I told them I was stopped along the road awaiting the arrival of the salt truck. Before long the phone rang again and the message this time was church was canceled and there was no need to continue on to church.

Okay at least I did not have to worry about getting to the church on time. But here I sat along the roadway awaiting the arrival of a salt truck.

Although the mixture of salty brine and de-icer wrecks havoc on a car’s finish, driving in winter in the northeast would be almost impossible without this wintertime road treatment. In fact the only time anyone wishes to be behind a slow moving salt truck, is when the roadways are hazardous and the driver knows that the salt solution being applied to the roadway is going to make their journey onward much safer. So they dutifully follow slowly behind the salt spreader, thankful for it’s arrival.

It was less than twenty minutes when the salt truck had arrived. I quickly fell in behind the truck and headed back toward home. The assurance of knowing the roadway beneath my wheels had been treated made the return trip less stressful. The closer I got to home the better the road surface became. Finally, back home, I was thankful that I was not involved in an accident and that no one was hurt along the stretch of highway I had traveled.

Anyone who lives in the frozen Northeast knows all too well the importance of proper road maintenance. We are very mindful of the road conditions once wintertime sets in. Our tax dollars are well spent in stockpiling the road crew’s depots with plenty of road salt. That is one expense I gladly pay for.

Salt’s Attributes

Salt has many useful purposes. For example did you know salt is essential for muscle movement, including that of the heart. It’s necessary for the digestive tract to function properly –crucial for the transmission of messages by the nerve cells, and regulated osmotic pressure and the movement of fluid to and from the cell. Salt is found in blood, sweat, and tears. Hotter climates increase the need for salt consumption. Chronic deprivation of salt causes loss of weight, loss of appetite, nausea, muscular cramps and even stunts growth.

In the food industry, it is used in flavoring and seasoning, pickling, canning, preserving, baking, dairying, curing meat and fish, and processing flour and other foods. Salt is a binder, a texturizer, and a fermentation control agent. Other useful applications include oil well drilling, and fertilizing!

And of course when applied to the roadways salt:

· Melts ice and snow

· Gives traction

· Leaves behind a residue

· Provides safe passage on the highways where applied

· Long lasting

· Proven to work at even very low temperatures

· Goes to work as soon as it is applied

So as you see salt has many useful purposes. However if salt looses those useful properties, then it becomes good for nothing.

Faith in Christ has much the same attributes as road salt, when you think about it a little. I mean faith, when applied to a life sliding along the slippery slope of life’s byways, provides sure-footedness, safe passage, has long lasting effects (it is eternal), is proven to work under the worst circumstances, starts to work as soon as it is applied, melts the sin hardened heart and thaws the coldest sin sick soul, and leaves behind evidence of it being applied to a life.

There are four “modern horsemen of the apocalypse,” according to Dr. Richard Land in remarks delivered to the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, and they are “riding forth to wreak havoc and destruction in our society.” Land listed the four as the denial of the sanctity of human life, the rise of hardcore Internet pornography, the radical homosexual agenda’s attempt to undermine marriage, and radical Islamic jihadist.

The inactive, rudderless Church

If the church of Jesus Christ, whose congregations number in the hundreds of millions in America, was doing what it was supposed to be doing (“… created in Christ Jesus to do good works”), a whole host of problems would be taken care of in short order.  Indeed, instead of focusing on the four horsemen of the apocalypse, we may do well to concentrate heaviest on the salt supply.  An inactive and ineffective church, ignoring the call to be holy, is as bad as a culture can hope for.  Faith used only within the confines of worship but remains unreleased into the world, is really not faith at all.

Let’s face it, what good is a supply-yard full of salt, if there are no trucks to spread it on dangerous roadways? What good does a truck load of salt do a stranded motorist if the salt never gets applied to the roadway they are traveling? What good does the gospel do confined within the supply yard of the local church if it never gets carried outside to be applied to slippery byways of life? What good is a full salt shaker if it only sits on the tabletop and is never used?

Although there may be a plentiful supply of salt in the world, there seems to be a shortage of salt spreaders.

When the church isn’t the salt of the earth or the light of the world, disaster awaits.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Do not move an ancient boundary marker that your ancestors set in place.
Prov 22:28 (GW)–

Many cell phone plans offer unlimited usage without occurring additional cost. You pay one fee each month and use your phone as much as you want throughout that month without any additional cost. I am not exactly sure how the phone companies figure usage costs in order to properly charge everyone for the use of their system, but in any case these plans are out there.

I however have a plan which offers me unlimited nights and weekends but during the day I am limited to the number of minutes I may use. My service provider recently came out with a plan that allows me to call any cell phone on any plan free. WOW that is almost like getting unlimited minutes without having to pay the additional monthly fee. Considering most of the people I actually call all have cell phones it would appear I hit the jack pot with this new pricing plan.

Not being a person who really spends a great deal of time talking or texting on the phone anyway I hardly ever used up my allowed minutes which kept my phone plan reasonably priced. However I recently purchased a new phone which required that I upgrade my service to an unlimited data plan in order to fully utilize the phone’s features. At first I was concerned about what the company meant by UNLIMITED. In today’s world we always need to define terms in order to be sure we are getting what we agreed upon.

I long for the days when a man’s word was his bond. You could actually trust the information people were giving you as factual and honest. Today it seems everything is subject to redefining. We have those who are attempting to redefine what marriage means and what freedom means. We have those in government who are determined to redefine what the limits of the constitution are. Free is not always free, and something for nothing usually has strings attached so you understand my hesitancy to accept, at face value, an unlimited plan from my phone service provider.

After reading most of the fine print I felt reasonably confident that my current service plan will provide me with the service that I need at a price I am comfortable paying. Until l actually get my first bill under this new plan I still reserve some trepidation.

No limits, a world without boundaries sounds good under certain circumstances but is a “no boundaries” policy a good one to implement across the board? Is it wise to bring up our children, for example, without giving them limits to what they can and can not do? Is it prudent to offer no money down and no interest financing plans for major purchases? Is it considered good financial policy to continue to rack up debt? Is it good policy to allow anyone and everyone to enter your home without permission? Does it seem prudent to allow strangers to enter into your home without some kind of verification that they mean you no harm? How can it be determined you are engaging in proper conduct if there are no limits or guidelines? How can you tell in what direction you are going if there are no landmarks?

Could it be said then that when it comes to cell phones, no limits may be a good thing but when it comes to life having limits, it is not only wise, but necessary?

How can a society function without the “Rule of Law “? The United States of America was established with the constitution being the LAW OF THE LAND. It was required that everyone, rich or poor, great or small, would all be subject to the rule of law. This principle can be found in the Judeo-Christian beliefs the founding fathers brought to the table when they drew up the plans for this country. Having grown up where the government had no boundaries or limits, they knew the dangers of limitless power held by a central government. Tyrants love it when there is chaos and confusion. They love to stir up factions within a society. They love passing restrictive rules and regulations upon the governed in order to control their every aspect of life.

Then there is the other extreme where lawlessness runs wild. We see this in Afghanistan, a nation that has been run by MOB RULE for many generations. Maintaining a civil society under such conditions is practically impossible. So which do you suppose is better? A society where there are no limits or one where there are agreed upon limitations? There exists a third way which is a mixture of the two extremes. A society where there are very restrictive limitations for a select few and a differing set of rules for those setting the rules.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees teach with Moses’ authority. So be careful to do everything they tell you. But don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach. They make loads that are hard to carry and lay them on the shoulders of the people. However, they are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matt 23:1-4 (GW)–

Jesus addressed this issue when he preached against the Scribes and Pharisees of his day. To these ELITE he spoke most harshly primarily because they did not practice what they preached. They exempted themselves from the rules they imposed upon those who elected them as leaders. Sounds familiar does it not?

Christianity stands opposed to both extremes. In fact a truly moderate person could be considered a Christian. Of course the word moderate has a different meaning today then in Jesus’ day. To be moderate in Bible times meant to not go to any extremes. You set limits on yourself. You would not allow yourself to go without boundaries. You were in control of your passions and desires. You considered the welfare of others and not just your own.

But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Gal 5:22-23 (GW)–

All things are legitimate [permissible—and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor]. 1 Cor 10:23-24 (AMP)–

Although I am permitted to use my phone for as long as I want without limits, I choose to place limits upon my own usage. I refrain from making unnecessary phone calls and keep text messages to a minimum. Without limits it is easy to get sucked up into the world of excess. It is easy to forget that somewhere, in someway, somehow, those excesses are going to have to be paid for. Whether they are paid for by you or by someone who comes after you, because the old adage still holds true, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Our actions affect others. For an example, when using a cell phone, just because you may have unlimited minutes it does not mean that the person you call has the same advantages you have. They may be on a limited plan to save money and every minute you talk to them counts against they own minutes. For every minute you use of their time the less time they have to use themselves.

Our actions affect those around us. Our excesses can overflow to our neighbors, that is why it is wise to do everything in moderation. Keep the excesses to a minimum, or better yet eliminate them. And remember that just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should. Set up some boundaries, God did, he called them commandments. His laws were not supposed to enslave us but rather steer us clear of the entrapments and allures of excess. His intent was to have a civil society set within reasonable boundaries. Remove these boundaries at your own risk.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey