Power!

Psalm 62 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁹ Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
   the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
   together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion
   or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
   do not set your heart on them.
 ¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
   two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
 ¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
   according to what they have done.”


I'm not complaining. I have no power over anything. I haven't really thought about Power until reading this verse. "Power belongs to you, God..." Their are powerful people in our community, and much more powerful people in our nation. Obviously, the president is powerful. Bill Gates is powerful.  I saw on the news that Donald Trump is considering running for President. Why? He already has more wealth and fame than he could ever dream of. I think it's POWER. He just wants the power of the position. I'm not sure that's a good reason to be president. Here is a phrase we are all familiar with:

Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

I don't necessarily agree with the last sentence. But, Power does have a way of corrupting people. Look at the issues our own Presidents have had over the years. When you are looking for Power, you are never really satisfied. People that are power hungry have to control everything. They have this insatiable appetite to control everything within their reach. That need drives them to do things that eventually lead to unethical decisions. Then there is a feeling of Power over the consequences as well. In my value system, God always catches up to these type of people. God has the ultimate power. God controls everything. People in pursuit of power are only fooling themselves. They never really get to control things. God does! Just when they think they have it all, God snatches it away. They don't get to take this "earthly power" with them.

Once you turn your life to God and you realize he controls everything, there is no need to pursue Power. The only Power we need is in the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Tool Time!

2 Corinthians 10 (The Message)

 ^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. 


Hey! Does everybody know what time it is?  -------------- TOOL TIME -- I love the television show Home Improvement. I love tools, working on things and Do-It-Yourself.  Tim Allen is hilarious.  I guess I like this show because I can relate.  I don't think I have ever done anything as crazy as putting a jet engine on a lawnmower. or building a mans kitchen, or a mans bathroom.  But,  I do understand  MORE POWER.  I love gadgets and gizmos. I think anything can be fixed with duct tape or tie-wraps. Well. almost anything.  I have done my share of not having the right tool for the job and improvising, only to end up in disaster.

I think Paul would have loved "Tool Time".  Go back and read this verse like Tim Taylor would read it.  It just makes me want to take a crowbar and start ripping things up. (Ok, it may be a man thing!).  But, don't you get fired up when you think about the daily fight we face with the "World".  We can't be shy, we have to attack or be attacked.  We need to use "More Power" or face destruction.  We have to use our God-tools. Now that is More Power!  We have to be willing to stand for what is right in Gods eyes, not our own. Using the word of God, we need to take political stands, defend the weak and the poor.  We need to be open to the leading of the spirit to take action against injustice. We need to pray for our enemies that they would know the Lord. We must realize we are in a fight and we must not back down.  We aren't to use just words or negotiations, (marketing or manipulation) to change this world.  We are to take action! Tell it like it is!  Don't accept anything but a world shaped in the likeness of Christ.  We need to Love, but we must not yield to the evil we face during our daily walk.

Read the verses again.  If it doesn't give you a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose, a sense of power. I don't know what will.  Argh! Argh! Argh! MORE POWER!

Lord, help us to use your tools to make a difference in this world.  Help us to take action, tear down barriers that get in the way of a life you designed.  We know. Lord, we are in a battle.  The battle belongs to you Lord, but we want to join the fight.  We need your power, your strength, and your purpose to stand up against this world.  Give me  a sledge hammer, help me rip the walls down that get in the way of this world turning to you. Help us make a difference! Amen!