The Gospel According to d-CON

Did you know 98% of d-Con rat poison is edible? It's true. Check the wrapper! Only 2% is actually poison.

Because the poison tastes OK the rat is fooled into eating it. But that 2% kills him. The makers od d-Con know that they have to put a lot of good tasting food in before the rats will be tempted to eat the litlle bit that kills them.

How often have people been fooled into following after false doctrines and fables because there was enough truth in them to make them appear all right. satan is no fool. he knows better than to try and get us to partake of sin or heresy if he presents it in its undisguised ugliness. False doctrine & heresy don't usually present themselves in an unpallatable manner, but they offer enough truth to appear OK & to disguise their deadly dose of poison.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 plainly tells us that false prophets and decietful workers will attempt to transform themselves into apostles of Christ and that it is no marvel that satan will transform himself into an angel of light.

It is the little foxes that destroy the vines. It is a little member that kindles great destruction.

In Galations Paul asks this question -You were running well. What is it that has caused you to become disobedient? (Galatians 5:7)

He goes on to say that whatever has persuaded you to leave the truth did not come from the Lord that called you. (Galations 5:8)

Then he enlightens us to what has actually happened. You have allowed a little leaven, a little sin, a little error, a little lie to spoil everything. (Galtians 5:9)

Many today feel that if there is a majority of good in their doctrine that a little bit of error will not hurt them. But no one can benefit fron 98% truth if 2% error is mixed in with it.

How many married couples would be content with their spouse being faithful 98% of the time and cheating only 2% of the time?

No one in their right mind would consider anything less than 100% faithfulness to be acceptable.

Why then are we willing to hold a different standard when it comes to truth?

Just as being faithful in a marriage 98% of the time is not faithfulness at all, so also having 98% of the truth is not having truth at all. It may only be a 2% difference, but that 2% will determine whether we inherit eternal life or are condemned to eternal death.

Just Sayin...

I Know I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses

By John Clardy

Luke 10:25-29
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Here are some excuses that a well known automobile insurance company says it has received as explanations for car accidents:

1. The pedestrian had no idea which way to go, so I ran over him.
2. The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention.
3. I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident.
4. As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.
5. I pulled onto the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and ran off the embankment.
6. The telephone pole was approaching fast. I tried to swerve out of its path but it hit my front end.
7. The guy was all over the road. He had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
8. The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
9. An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.

Isn’t it amazing the excuses that we will invent to justify ourselves when we know we are wrong? It would be so much better to be honest and admit our failures, but we want to defend our actions even when we know there is no plausible defense of them.

The lawyer in Luke 10 was trying to derail or sidetrack Jesus and justify himself by asking a question that he was hoping Jesus could not answer. But Jesus answered him and silenced him.

It would be just as foolish for us to attempt to trick God or trip Him up when it comes time to answer for our actions and conduct. There is only one way to be justified before God! It is only by the Grace of God and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ!

You may think you have several excellent excuses ready to justify your sin, but they will be worthless on Judgment Day! On that day any excuses or self justification we try to offer will only condemn us serve as evidence against us.

Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

So do the smart thing, get rid of your excuses and call on Jesus! Then when justice demands the penalty for your sins on that day, He will show the scars in His hands and say, “It is PAID IN FULL!”

Just Sayin...

Perceptions, Truth and Backwoods Math!

Before you read today’s blog, take time and watch the attached video clip. It will give you a little more insight as you read the devotional.

Thanks,

JC

Perceptions, Truth and Backwoods Math!
John Clardy

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Have you ever tried to justify your actions or behavior by saying, “But, I was sincere!” The fact remains that even in your sincerity, wrong is wrong no matter how badly you want it to be right.

Too often we believe that perceptions are truths, when in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. Our perceptions may seem so right that seem real to us. But, just because our perceptions are real, it does not necessarily make them true.

Here is the problem with perceptions - they are selective and they are influenced by our biases and prejudices. They often cause us to focus on certain information as proof of our beliefs and to disregard any information that is greater in its disproof of those same beliefs.

Have you ever heard of Ma and Pa Kettle? This was a famous Black and White TV show back in the beginning years of television about a backwoods family. They were always having difficulty grasping things outside of their perceptions. If they perceived it, it was true to them no matter how many times someone tried to show them differently. They were legends in their own mind!

If you watched the video clip above of Ma and Pa Kettle you saw an illustration of how some people’s perceptions though real, are still in contradiction to truth.

Ma and Pa Kettle were convinced that what they perceived as the proper way to do math gave them an answer that was correct. But just because they perceived that 5x5=14, it didn’t matter. The truth is that 5x5=25! Not just once, but every time. It is not subjective, it is absolute.

We are constantly being bombarded with political correctness. Everywhere you turn, someone is promoting tolerance, but one thing is for sure: Jesus was never politically correct. He did not tolerate something just because it was expedient, popular or expected. He always stood for truth.

In John 18:38, when Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate asked the question, “What is truth?” He was so confused and concerned about being politically correct that he didn’t even have clue as to what was truth.

Truth was standing before him. Not as a perception, but as a person and he couldn’t even recognize it!

I thank God for the Word! It is truth! It remains! It is absolute! Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but the Word of God – Truth is eternal!

When it comes to things that are temporal, it may be all right to take a chance on perceptions or backwoods math, but when eternal salvation and spiritual freedom are involved I choose to know the truth! And the knowledge of that truth will make me free!

Just Sayin...

Timid Lion Tamers Need Not Apply!

1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Could it be that Christians would rather look for ways to avoid any confrontation than to stand up for what they know is right. Do we mistakenly believe that if we do not bother the lions in our lives that they will not bother us? Are we like the timid lion tamer who placed this advertisement, Lion Tamer Seeking Tame Lion!”?

A doctor recently related how that a motorcyclist was brought by ambulance to the local emergency room in the community where he lived with severe injuries suffered in an accident. At first it was in question if the young man would live. After several close calls, the medical staff was finally able to stabilize him. But while it was determined that the young man was going to survive the ordeal, it was also obvious that he would never be the same.

This young man had made the choice not to wear the recommended protective clothing for motorcycle riding. If he had worn a helmet or leather outerwear, it could have protected him from the impact of the actual collision and of the contact with the abrasive road surface. Some injuries required immediate amputation while others would require several successive surgeries for cosmetic reconstruction and skin grafting, not to mention the lengthy therapy that would be required.

Unfortunately, many Christians make a similar choice everyday. No you may not be riding a motorcycle without a helmet (If you are, Stop it now!) but you are doing something that is spiritually just as dangerous. You are choosing to walk into the world, onto your job and into a hostile environment and face an enemy, a lion without wearing sufficient protective covering on your life.

Now we all wish that we could find a tamer lion don’t we? We wish that we could find a way to avoid any contact or conflict with evil. But satan is not going to tame down his attempts to destroy us. he is not going to turn into a docile domesticated house cat that we can just shush away with a broom! he is hungry and on the prowl! he is stalking us to steal, kill and destroy our happiness, our health and our homes

We should never look for a reason to be contentious. In fact we are instructed as much as is possible to live peaceably with our fellow man, but not with the adversary! We cannot pacify or coddle evil. We must aggressively attack it or it will attack us!

We need to arm ourselves! We need to take advantage of the protective clothing that God has provided for us so that we will be able to stand in this evil day! Put on the whole armor of God!

Ephesians 6:13 -18
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Are you tired of satan sabotaging your victory? Are you ready to stand up and fight the good fight of faith? Then grab your weapons, put on your armor, it is time to go on a satan safari! But be warned, living for God in this evil day is not for the faint of heart! Timid Lion Tamers Need Not Apply!

Just Sayin...