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The Roman Empire   October 25, 2015

10/25/2015

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THE ROMAN EMPIRE – IS AMERICA LISTENING?


Edward Gibbon, in his series of books describing deteriorating conditions in the Roman Empire, cited 5 factors that contributed to it eventual fall.


1. A lack of respect for the sanctity of the home, as evidenced by alarming rates of divorce.  Not only do 50% of first marriages in America fail, millions have been divorced at least 3 times. Moreover, the divorce rate would be closer to 70% if not for the fact that tens of millions don’t bother to get married; they instead opt to live in fornication.


2.  Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.Although Christians should pay their taxes (Rom. 13:6-7), we should be aware that hundreds of millions of our tax dollars subsidize abortions, the promotion of homosexuality, grants for artistic (pornographic) media expression, and dozens of dubious “causes”.


3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal. Many Americans spend their leisure time watching pornographic videos, attending parties featuring sexual entertainment, consuming alcoholic beverages, gambling or using drugs. Our obsession with sports is obvious – 50% of conversations between males involve sports. Vicious cage fighting, with few rules and frequent bloodshed, is watched nightly by millions of Americans.


4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people. Old Testament prophets repeatedly warned God’s people to place their faith in Him, not horses, chariots, or weapons. Sadly, the amount of money America spends on weapons DAILY exceeds our ANNUAL expenditures on programs designed to uphold traditional families. A prominent world leader once said that America would eventually fall without a shot being fired from an outside enemy.


5. The decay of religion—faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people. Paul spoke of the “last days”, in which people would be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power - 2 Tim. 3:4-5. Many religious groups have evolved into “social clubs” promoting “feeling good”, getting rich or enjoying social activities, as opposed to intense study and application of God’s word.


America – once the home of the proud, free and brave - is forgetting about God. Some of our most influential leaders even want to ban “in God we trust” from our currency, etc. As Christians, we must tirelessly pray for our country, our leaders and our homes - 1 Tim. 2:1-2.


“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  Prov. 14:34.



Jesus, always Jesus!

Dennis







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Trust and Push   October 18, 2015

10/18/2015

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TRUST & PUSH! ­
 
One night a man had a dream in which Jesus led him to a massive rock. He told the man to push against the huge rock with all his might, and repeat daily. Still dreaming, the man obeyed. Day after day, setting his shoulders against the rock, he pushed for as long as he could. But because the rock did not budge, the exhausted man walked away after each effort feeling like a failure.
 
Satan soon approached and whispered, "You’ve been pushing against that rock day after day without success. Your assignment is hopeless, so why try?" These words disheartened the man even more. He thought, "Why am I killing myself over this? My efforts aren’t accomplishing a thing! Maybe I should quit.”
 
At that moment His Lord again appeared. "Lord," he said, "I’ve labored long and hard, trying with all my might to do that which you asked. Yet, I haven't budged that rock. To this Jesus replied, “I told you to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. But I did not command you to move it. You have faithfully obeyed My voice.”
 
“But”, the man replied, “Why did you ask me to do something which proved to be useless?”
“Useless?” Jesus responded, “Notice that your arms are now robust, your back sinewy and strong, your hands are hardened, and your legs powerful. By obeying me you have grown stronger, and your current abilities surpass that which you possessed before. Most notably, however, you obeyed Me. You never moved the rock, but you were asked only to push it, which you did. Well done!”
 
********************************************************************************
 
Although we may not understand why Jesus asks us to do certain things, rest assured that obedience is the important thing. Although we may not always observe fruits from our efforts, God is using us for His purposes. No matter what happens, KEEP PUSHING!
 
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)
 
Jesus, Always Jesus!
 
Dennis 

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