Giving God the respect He is due for blessing America
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
This is a video that I posted on YouTube about a dishonored American Flag that I rescued from the side of the road in Alvord, Texas on April 21, 2014 while driving my pest control route.
I would like to see this video go viral... Not so I can merely say that I have a video on YouTube that went viral. This isn't about me. This is about respect for the Colors of the United States of America. Please LIKE, Share and Comment on this video and make sure people see it. I found an American Flag on the roadside in Alvord, Texas yesterday while driving my pest control route. I took it and attempted to clean the flag so that it could fly with honor and dignity and there was just too much mold and stains all over it. I cleaned it as much as I could, folded it correctly and will frame it on my wall. Again, this is not about me. This is a cause much greater than me. This is about respecting the American Flag and teaching our children to do the same!
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Chosing to follow Christ
Though none go with me still I will follow
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
As time goes on in life, people draw a line as to which path they choose. There are only two absolutes in paths. One can either choose to follow Christ, or they choose to reject Him. He told His disciples that if they reject Him before man, He would reject them before His Father in Heaven. That in mind, my path is chosen. I chose Christ on July 13, 1992. I chose Him, not just so I could avoid hell and still live as I please. I chose Him because He chose me first and I saw a need for His intervention in the path my life was going.
Make no mistake about it, because of the sin that I was comfortable in within my life, I deserved hell and condemnation. Had I lost my life in Operation Desert Storm in '91, I would have ended up there. I am now merely a messenger that is on a mission to take as many people with me to the gates of Heaven as I possibly can. I routinely witness to people openly seeking and those that aren't sure what is "up there." God puts them in my life so that I can share my testimony with them so that they will be encouraged to follow Christ as well.
To be successful, I have to be open and willing to be led by the spirit to share with these folks. My life, as a servant to the living God is one that can definitely have ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, God is either walking right there beside me, or He is carrying me. When I am met with an opportunity to witness to someone seeking, I have the ministerial obligation to be as frank and honest as possible. If a person asks me a question, they had better be prepared for the absolute truth from me. Now, I am tactful in my answers, but I am honest as well. I have to be, otherwise I would grieve the Holy Spirit.
Often times when I am blatantly honest, I have been accused of judging someone. Hey, if you ask me about weather smoking is a sin and I say that the Bible says that we are to please God in all things, I'm merely quoting scriptures. If I ask them if they think that God is pleased when they light up a cigarette, that isn't me judging them in a condemning way. They are bringing judgment and condemnation on themselves by getting offended, because they knew the answer before they asked it if they really looked at themselves first.
We often times try to justify our sinful ways by saying, "Nobody is perfect. Everyone sins every day; Christian or not."
To say that is to believe that we can not go one single day without sinning. Let me submit to the reader that this is a lie from Satan himself. If we are in Christ, we are a new creature. Behold, all things are past away and all things have become new. We were baptized into Christ's death and are dead to sin as well. If we are dead to sin, how can we live in it any longer.
Romans 6-
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
As time goes on in life, people draw a line as to which path they choose. There are only two absolutes in paths. One can either choose to follow Christ, or they choose to reject Him. He told His disciples that if they reject Him before man, He would reject them before His Father in Heaven. That in mind, my path is chosen. I chose Christ on July 13, 1992. I chose Him, not just so I could avoid hell and still live as I please. I chose Him because He chose me first and I saw a need for His intervention in the path my life was going.
Make no mistake about it, because of the sin that I was comfortable in within my life, I deserved hell and condemnation. Had I lost my life in Operation Desert Storm in '91, I would have ended up there. I am now merely a messenger that is on a mission to take as many people with me to the gates of Heaven as I possibly can. I routinely witness to people openly seeking and those that aren't sure what is "up there." God puts them in my life so that I can share my testimony with them so that they will be encouraged to follow Christ as well.
To be successful, I have to be open and willing to be led by the spirit to share with these folks. My life, as a servant to the living God is one that can definitely have ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, God is either walking right there beside me, or He is carrying me. When I am met with an opportunity to witness to someone seeking, I have the ministerial obligation to be as frank and honest as possible. If a person asks me a question, they had better be prepared for the absolute truth from me. Now, I am tactful in my answers, but I am honest as well. I have to be, otherwise I would grieve the Holy Spirit.
Often times when I am blatantly honest, I have been accused of judging someone. Hey, if you ask me about weather smoking is a sin and I say that the Bible says that we are to please God in all things, I'm merely quoting scriptures. If I ask them if they think that God is pleased when they light up a cigarette, that isn't me judging them in a condemning way. They are bringing judgment and condemnation on themselves by getting offended, because they knew the answer before they asked it if they really looked at themselves first.
We often times try to justify our sinful ways by saying, "Nobody is perfect. Everyone sins every day; Christian or not."
To say that is to believe that we can not go one single day without sinning. Let me submit to the reader that this is a lie from Satan himself. If we are in Christ, we are a new creature. Behold, all things are past away and all things have become new. We were baptized into Christ's death and are dead to sin as well. If we are dead to sin, how can we live in it any longer.
Romans 6-
It is very possible to go through a whole day without committing one sin. We in and of ourselves can not, but through the help of the Holy Spirit, it is possible. And who knows? If we go one day, then work really hard at going two days in a row, before you know it, you have made a habit out of going through the day without sinning. It is very hard and against our nature, but let me remind you, if you are in Christ, you are dead to sin and baptized to newness of life. Reach out and claim victory in Him.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Love languages that break down walls
How we woo the hearts of those we love
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
When we step outside ourselves and take a good look inside our hearts, we can get a great idea of how others perceive our outward expressions toward them. God gave us each little buttons in our senses, that when pushed, others are either let in if they like what they have received from someone, or they can block a person out if what they have received is not pleasant or welcomed. We do a lot of things for one another for show, but when we really break through the emotional inhibitions, we achieve success is reciprocating our true loving feelings for someone.
I am in a McDonald's restaurant right now while I am typing this. I witnessed a man walk up to the counter and absolutely berate a young lady because she wasn't sure what he was ordering. most of the food at McDonald's is specifically made at McDonald's standard procedure, unlike Burger King, who makes their food specifically as the customer orders it. McDonald's is beginning to make variations to their menu selections, but those orders are very few and far between. Everyone who has been to McDonald's knows this.
The man that was ordering spoke very harshly to the young lady behind the counter, as though she were beneath him and ignorant. The very next gentleman who was behind the harsh man in line, told the young lady, "Don't worry ma'am, I will make mine simple and very pleasant for you." As he made his order, the lady smiled and thanked him, instead of cowering away and hoping like crazy she didn't get it wrong.
The two languages demonstrated here of delivery in food orders show the vast difference between selfish, demanding, condescending signs of expectations, and humble, understanding, compassionate display of spiritual understanding. Neither gentlemen even noticed that someone in the background was paying attention. They both did what came natural when met with their fellow man. One was most likely a businessman who has several subordinates under him and is used to exerting his authority with a "yes sir" response. The other simply humbled himself and went out of his way to make the order simple for the young lady.
1 Samuel 2:3
3"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
Proverbs 8:13
13To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Proverbs 11:2
2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 13:10
10Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 16:18
18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 29:23
23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
Ecclesiastes 7:8
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Isaiah 2:11
11The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
Obadiah 1:3
3The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'
2 Corinthians 12:20
20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
We should remember that when we exalt ourselves and puff ourselves up to the level of God, we bring ourselves down, because only God is perfect. When we exert our high and mighty position on others because of their shortcomings, we are forgetting that we too are imperfect and make mistakes that could make things not-so-pleasant for others. When we humble ourselves and exalt God in our speech and the way we treat others, we are showing a love language that is approved by God.
When we expect perfection from our spouses and children, despite the fact that we ourselves are imperfect, we lessen the chances to grow in love and understanding with our loved-ones and with God. When we seek the desires of those we love in how we react with them and impact their lives, we have it revealed to us what also woos our heart when we are in need of a special word of affirmation, a touch of gentleness and an embrace of tenderheartedness. That sink full of dishes that are washed after dinner so that the wife doesn't have to, tells her, "Thank you for such a wonderful dinner, relax, I can manage the dishes while you take a hot, relaxing bath.
Giving your husband time out to go fishing or hunting or doing something he enjoys is like telling him, "Go have fun with the guys, I can handle the kids for the after noon, and I trust you.
It's things like this that show love and appreciation that you vowed to one another that goes much farther than expecting more than we give. God hears that language as well and sends blessings that bring out the desire to continue to grow as a steward with the spouse and children that He entrusted us with in the first place.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
When we step outside ourselves and take a good look inside our hearts, we can get a great idea of how others perceive our outward expressions toward them. God gave us each little buttons in our senses, that when pushed, others are either let in if they like what they have received from someone, or they can block a person out if what they have received is not pleasant or welcomed. We do a lot of things for one another for show, but when we really break through the emotional inhibitions, we achieve success is reciprocating our true loving feelings for someone.
I am in a McDonald's restaurant right now while I am typing this. I witnessed a man walk up to the counter and absolutely berate a young lady because she wasn't sure what he was ordering. most of the food at McDonald's is specifically made at McDonald's standard procedure, unlike Burger King, who makes their food specifically as the customer orders it. McDonald's is beginning to make variations to their menu selections, but those orders are very few and far between. Everyone who has been to McDonald's knows this.
The man that was ordering spoke very harshly to the young lady behind the counter, as though she were beneath him and ignorant. The very next gentleman who was behind the harsh man in line, told the young lady, "Don't worry ma'am, I will make mine simple and very pleasant for you." As he made his order, the lady smiled and thanked him, instead of cowering away and hoping like crazy she didn't get it wrong.
The two languages demonstrated here of delivery in food orders show the vast difference between selfish, demanding, condescending signs of expectations, and humble, understanding, compassionate display of spiritual understanding. Neither gentlemen even noticed that someone in the background was paying attention. They both did what came natural when met with their fellow man. One was most likely a businessman who has several subordinates under him and is used to exerting his authority with a "yes sir" response. The other simply humbled himself and went out of his way to make the order simple for the young lady.
1 Samuel 2:3
3"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
Proverbs 8:13
13To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Proverbs 11:2
2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 13:10
10Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 16:18
18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 29:23
23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
Ecclesiastes 7:8
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Isaiah 2:11
11The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
Obadiah 1:3
3The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'
2 Corinthians 12:20
20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
We should remember that when we exalt ourselves and puff ourselves up to the level of God, we bring ourselves down, because only God is perfect. When we exert our high and mighty position on others because of their shortcomings, we are forgetting that we too are imperfect and make mistakes that could make things not-so-pleasant for others. When we humble ourselves and exalt God in our speech and the way we treat others, we are showing a love language that is approved by God.
When we expect perfection from our spouses and children, despite the fact that we ourselves are imperfect, we lessen the chances to grow in love and understanding with our loved-ones and with God. When we seek the desires of those we love in how we react with them and impact their lives, we have it revealed to us what also woos our heart when we are in need of a special word of affirmation, a touch of gentleness and an embrace of tenderheartedness. That sink full of dishes that are washed after dinner so that the wife doesn't have to, tells her, "Thank you for such a wonderful dinner, relax, I can manage the dishes while you take a hot, relaxing bath.
Giving your husband time out to go fishing or hunting or doing something he enjoys is like telling him, "Go have fun with the guys, I can handle the kids for the after noon, and I trust you.
It's things like this that show love and appreciation that you vowed to one another that goes much farther than expecting more than we give. God hears that language as well and sends blessings that bring out the desire to continue to grow as a steward with the spouse and children that He entrusted us with in the first place.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Friday, March 14, 2014
Letting bitterness kill the grace of God
What happens when pride eats away at our hearts
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Hebrews 12:15 - Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
God's grace is given to us to make it through the hard times, so that we appreciate Him in the good times. He does this to strengthen our faith so that others may see God's grace working in our lives. When we encounter other people that come in and out of our lives, it can sometimes be a good thing, and it can sometimes be very trying on our patience.
Then there are those that God connects us to in our lives, such as family members, that can push us to our very limit. It's times like that in which we need to remember that we aren't perfect either, and there are times when we have made lives of others hard by our differences. But sometimes, it's easier to remember all of that in hindsight.
Micah 7:5-6 - Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
God's grace extends past the personality differences that have been known to split up families when they grieve the spirit of God and give way to the devil. Bitterness builds up between friends over love triangles, envy over possessions, misunderstood words, and sometimes blunt honesty. When we allow bitterness to come into our relationships, that bitterness kills God's grace. That prideful bitterness is the only thing that we possess that can kill the grace of God; at least as far as receiving it ourselves goes. The good thing is that when we can kill God's grace from coming upon us through our bitterness, we can't stop it from blessing others.
God's grace is a gift. We can either accept it or refuse it. It's like a door. We have to be the one to choose to go through that door, or walk away from it. But one thing is for sure, God's grace is sufficient. Why we would see what is on the other side of that door, when we face it, and reject what is inside holds no logic. An eternity of never being lonely again, and having hope and a solid direction in our lives waits on the other side of that door. A friend that sticks closer than a brother waits on the other side of that door. When we refuse to forgive those who we hold bitterness against, we are basically telling God, "After what they did to me, they don't deserve my forgiveness."
Matthew 6:15 - But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
There is not a greater slap to the face of Jesus, who died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins, than to tell someone that they aren't worthy of your forgiveness. God placed us on this earth together for the sake of relationships and fellowship with one another, and to please Him in all we do. Which would be more pleasing to God; to sever ties with an individual because of something that can be forgiven and moved past, or treat each other with the love and respect that we would want to be treated with as well? As for me and my house, we will please the Lord.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Hebrews 12:15 - Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
God's grace is given to us to make it through the hard times, so that we appreciate Him in the good times. He does this to strengthen our faith so that others may see God's grace working in our lives. When we encounter other people that come in and out of our lives, it can sometimes be a good thing, and it can sometimes be very trying on our patience.
Then there are those that God connects us to in our lives, such as family members, that can push us to our very limit. It's times like that in which we need to remember that we aren't perfect either, and there are times when we have made lives of others hard by our differences. But sometimes, it's easier to remember all of that in hindsight.
Micah 7:5-6 - Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
God's grace extends past the personality differences that have been known to split up families when they grieve the spirit of God and give way to the devil. Bitterness builds up between friends over love triangles, envy over possessions, misunderstood words, and sometimes blunt honesty. When we allow bitterness to come into our relationships, that bitterness kills God's grace. That prideful bitterness is the only thing that we possess that can kill the grace of God; at least as far as receiving it ourselves goes. The good thing is that when we can kill God's grace from coming upon us through our bitterness, we can't stop it from blessing others.
God's grace is a gift. We can either accept it or refuse it. It's like a door. We have to be the one to choose to go through that door, or walk away from it. But one thing is for sure, God's grace is sufficient. Why we would see what is on the other side of that door, when we face it, and reject what is inside holds no logic. An eternity of never being lonely again, and having hope and a solid direction in our lives waits on the other side of that door. A friend that sticks closer than a brother waits on the other side of that door. When we refuse to forgive those who we hold bitterness against, we are basically telling God, "After what they did to me, they don't deserve my forgiveness."
Matthew 6:15 - But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
There is not a greater slap to the face of Jesus, who died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins, than to tell someone that they aren't worthy of your forgiveness. God placed us on this earth together for the sake of relationships and fellowship with one another, and to please Him in all we do. Which would be more pleasing to God; to sever ties with an individual because of something that can be forgiven and moved past, or treat each other with the love and respect that we would want to be treated with as well? As for me and my house, we will please the Lord.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - The Wise Conservative
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Valley of Megiddo
In the Hebrew tongue: Armageddon
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
The Valley of Megiddo, also called the Plain of Esdraelon, or the Plain of Jezreel in in Northern Israel between the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The battle of Armageddon, according to the prophesy of the Apostle John in Revelation, will be fought in this region. In fact, in the Hebrew language, Megiddo is translated as Armageddon.
All of the world's armies will gather to attempt to overthrow the Antichrist, in which the Antichrist will turn the battle around and wipe the Jews from the face of the earth. From there, Jesus and His armies will appear in the East of the valley and bring judgment to the armies and the Antichrist.
Revelation 16:16-21
As you have read from me in the past, God has a standard that will not be mocked, second guessed or assumed upon without judgment. At Armageddon (Megiddo), God will pour His wrath out on all man-kind for the last time before opening the abyss of Hell and condemning Satan and his demons for all time in the second death. In this same time, all of the people of the history of the world who have rejected God and Jesus, will be cast into the lake of fire after their judgment.
Many say, "A loving God will not send the people He loves to hell."
That is partially true to some extent, depending on one's point-of-view. God does not send a person to hell for no reason. Man is an intruder in hell. Hell was intended for Satan and his demons. However, on the last day at the Great White Judgment Throne of God when each non-believer is judged according to whether or not their name is in the Lamb's Book of Life, there will be people that we know and millions to billions more that will be cast into the lake of fire.
God is holy. He can not be in the presence of sin. Once the church has been called away in the great disappearance (the rapture), their chances of receiving salvation are gone, despite what the movies say. A non-believer, who is dead in their trespasses, will have no other place to go but hell, as their rejection of God and Jesus, the Messiah has condemned them alone. To blame God for their condemnation is to say that He is to blame for the sin in their life.
People, we have to start taking responsibility for the decisions that we make and the paths that we choose to take in life. There is way too much comfort in sin going on in today's society, and way too many people justifying their sin with the philosophy that today's society is different than the society in Jesus' time. Actually, things are really much the same. The quality of life, technology and lifestyles in general have advanced, but there was still a great deal of comfort, self-entitlement and self-centered justification in sin in the mass population back then as well. Granted, there were stiff criminal penalties for some of the lifestyles from that era, which contributes to the loosely held philosophy by many; but the comfort in sin was still present. They have had their time to turn to the will of God. If they failed to do so, they will have to answer to God for their lack of faith in Him.
It is evident, however, that as long as there is breath in a person's lungs, a heart beating in their hearts and life left in their veins, they still have a chance to put their faith in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Failure to do so, will unfortunately place many people at the Valley of Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon. This is one war that God does not want us as people to participate in, neither does He want us to be in the situation where He has to tell us, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you."
It is not God's will that anyone be lost and condemned to hell. The Bible says, "Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That scripture applies to all of man-kind. There is none that is alive, will be alive, or ever was alive that was not intended to share in the love, acceptance, and salvation of the Lord as the bride of Christ. We, the church, have the greatest opportunity of all to secure the futures of millions and millions of people for Christ, as the great commission is to "Go into all the world and make disciples of nations."
What is the ministry that God has called you to? What is it's mission for saving people from the lake of fire and empowering them with the word of God to stand against the wiles of the devil and avoid the battle that infinitely belongs to the Lord? Make it a meaningful one and send it to the world around you in such a way that you start out acting locally, thinking globally. It has to start somewhere. Where it goes from there, depends on where you stand in the will of God.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
The Valley of Megiddo, also called the Plain of Esdraelon, or the Plain of Jezreel in in Northern Israel between the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The battle of Armageddon, according to the prophesy of the Apostle John in Revelation, will be fought in this region. In fact, in the Hebrew language, Megiddo is translated as Armageddon.
All of the world's armies will gather to attempt to overthrow the Antichrist, in which the Antichrist will turn the battle around and wipe the Jews from the face of the earth. From there, Jesus and His armies will appear in the East of the valley and bring judgment to the armies and the Antichrist.
Revelation 16:16-21
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.As you have read from me in the past, God has a standard that will not be mocked, second guessed or assumed upon without judgment. At Armageddon (Megiddo), God will pour His wrath out on all man-kind for the last time before opening the abyss of Hell and condemning Satan and his demons for all time in the second death. In this same time, all of the people of the history of the world who have rejected God and Jesus, will be cast into the lake of fire after their judgment.
Many say, "A loving God will not send the people He loves to hell."
That is partially true to some extent, depending on one's point-of-view. God does not send a person to hell for no reason. Man is an intruder in hell. Hell was intended for Satan and his demons. However, on the last day at the Great White Judgment Throne of God when each non-believer is judged according to whether or not their name is in the Lamb's Book of Life, there will be people that we know and millions to billions more that will be cast into the lake of fire.
God is holy. He can not be in the presence of sin. Once the church has been called away in the great disappearance (the rapture), their chances of receiving salvation are gone, despite what the movies say. A non-believer, who is dead in their trespasses, will have no other place to go but hell, as their rejection of God and Jesus, the Messiah has condemned them alone. To blame God for their condemnation is to say that He is to blame for the sin in their life.
People, we have to start taking responsibility for the decisions that we make and the paths that we choose to take in life. There is way too much comfort in sin going on in today's society, and way too many people justifying their sin with the philosophy that today's society is different than the society in Jesus' time. Actually, things are really much the same. The quality of life, technology and lifestyles in general have advanced, but there was still a great deal of comfort, self-entitlement and self-centered justification in sin in the mass population back then as well. Granted, there were stiff criminal penalties for some of the lifestyles from that era, which contributes to the loosely held philosophy by many; but the comfort in sin was still present. They have had their time to turn to the will of God. If they failed to do so, they will have to answer to God for their lack of faith in Him.
It is evident, however, that as long as there is breath in a person's lungs, a heart beating in their hearts and life left in their veins, they still have a chance to put their faith in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Failure to do so, will unfortunately place many people at the Valley of Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon. This is one war that God does not want us as people to participate in, neither does He want us to be in the situation where He has to tell us, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you."
It is not God's will that anyone be lost and condemned to hell. The Bible says, "Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That scripture applies to all of man-kind. There is none that is alive, will be alive, or ever was alive that was not intended to share in the love, acceptance, and salvation of the Lord as the bride of Christ. We, the church, have the greatest opportunity of all to secure the futures of millions and millions of people for Christ, as the great commission is to "Go into all the world and make disciples of nations."
What is the ministry that God has called you to? What is it's mission for saving people from the lake of fire and empowering them with the word of God to stand against the wiles of the devil and avoid the battle that infinitely belongs to the Lord? Make it a meaningful one and send it to the world around you in such a way that you start out acting locally, thinking globally. It has to start somewhere. Where it goes from there, depends on where you stand in the will of God.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Monday, February 17, 2014
The Valley of Mizpah
The "Watchtower" of God over a divided Israel
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Genesis 31:48-50
48Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore it was named Galeed, 49and Mizpah, for he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other. 50"If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."
Judges 11:10-12
10The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The LORD is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said." 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah. 12Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, "What is between you and me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?"
Hosea 5:1-2
1Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, For you have been a snare at Mizpah And a net spread out on Tabor. 2The revolters have gone deep in depravity, But I will chastise all of them."
Judges 11:29-30
29Now the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. 30Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,"
In Israel's very checkered past, God was witness to dissension, spilt of tribes, brother betraying brother, an entire race disobeying God and breaking their covenant and the ultimate betrayal of His only Son, Jesus, as the Jews called for His crucifixion. The Valley of Mizpah is the region just north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The tribes of Benjamin inhabited the region of Mizpah.
In scripture, the events surrounding the valley seemed to constantly involve division or separation of tribes through betrayal and a lack of brotherly love for one another, unlike God commanded of them. The valley's elevation at its highest point is 6,047-feet; certainly high enough for it's leaders to watch over the land and maintain the peace of its citizens from attacks from enemy tribes. However, it was the betrayal from within that the people in the region needed to worry about the most.
In that the region saw much division among its people, it was also the place of many a victory over the enemies of Israel such as is spoken of in Joshua 11:7-9
"7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots."
Joshua was a great military leader of Israel after Moses died and God put him in charge. Joshua also won victories in battle against enemies such as Jericho, Ai, the Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish , Eglon and Gibeon. God gave Joshua the gift if immortality in battle and allowed him to live a long, successful life as the leader of Israel. Joshua died at 110-years-old.
The battle in the Valley of Mizpah was one of Joshua's and Israel's most celebrated victories. What battles are you facing in life? The Lord of Lords is seated at His "Watchtower" at a point much higher than the Valley of Mizpah, and is ever interceding in the lives of His chosen people, whom He has called and has set apart as a holy race of royalty in His name, for His glory. One might say that the power that He gave Joshua over his enemies, God is also offering to you this very day. It is no accident that you are reading this. God ordains everything that we do for His purpose, in His timing.
Call on God today to help you through whatever trials you are facing. He will help you and keep you from going down in defeat, and under in retreat. God will stand with you, carry you and sustain you as He carries you through it all!
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Genesis 31:48-50
48Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore it was named Galeed, 49and Mizpah, for he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other. 50"If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."
Judges 11:10-12
10The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The LORD is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said." 11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD at Mizpah. 12Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, "What is between you and me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?"
Hosea 5:1-2
1Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, For you have been a snare at Mizpah And a net spread out on Tabor. 2The revolters have gone deep in depravity, But I will chastise all of them."
Judges 11:29-30
29Now the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. 30Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,"
In Israel's very checkered past, God was witness to dissension, spilt of tribes, brother betraying brother, an entire race disobeying God and breaking their covenant and the ultimate betrayal of His only Son, Jesus, as the Jews called for His crucifixion. The Valley of Mizpah is the region just north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The tribes of Benjamin inhabited the region of Mizpah.
In scripture, the events surrounding the valley seemed to constantly involve division or separation of tribes through betrayal and a lack of brotherly love for one another, unlike God commanded of them. The valley's elevation at its highest point is 6,047-feet; certainly high enough for it's leaders to watch over the land and maintain the peace of its citizens from attacks from enemy tribes. However, it was the betrayal from within that the people in the region needed to worry about the most.
In that the region saw much division among its people, it was also the place of many a victory over the enemies of Israel such as is spoken of in Joshua 11:7-9
"7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots."
Joshua was a great military leader of Israel after Moses died and God put him in charge. Joshua also won victories in battle against enemies such as Jericho, Ai, the Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish , Eglon and Gibeon. God gave Joshua the gift if immortality in battle and allowed him to live a long, successful life as the leader of Israel. Joshua died at 110-years-old.
The battle in the Valley of Mizpah was one of Joshua's and Israel's most celebrated victories. What battles are you facing in life? The Lord of Lords is seated at His "Watchtower" at a point much higher than the Valley of Mizpah, and is ever interceding in the lives of His chosen people, whom He has called and has set apart as a holy race of royalty in His name, for His glory. One might say that the power that He gave Joshua over his enemies, God is also offering to you this very day. It is no accident that you are reading this. God ordains everything that we do for His purpose, in His timing.
Call on God today to help you through whatever trials you are facing. He will help you and keep you from going down in defeat, and under in retreat. God will stand with you, carry you and sustain you as He carries you through it all!
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
The history behind the metaphor
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
King David wrote hundreds of songs that were compiled into one book of the Bible called Psalms. In the 23rd Psalm, David made mention of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He spoke about the comfort that he had in the Lord when danger came upon him. When he was a boy, a lion tried to kill him and his father's flock of sheep. Because David trusted in God and took heart against the beast, he overcame the threat of death as the lion fell at his feet. But did you know that the valley that David spoke of was an actual place?
It is believed traditionally, that as Mary and Joseph were traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Jesus was born, that the valley between Jericho and Bethlehem was a spot where Mary stopped to rest as she was weary from travel and very pregnant with Jesus. In fact, she would give birth to Jesus only a day or so later after arriving in Bethlehem. This valley where she rested was the same valley where David tended his father's sheep; the Valley of the Shadow of death.
The name was given to the valley because of the dangers that lurked within the walls of the canyons in the mountain range east of Bethlehem. Many wild, treacherous animals made their homes in the range of mountains. So why would Mary and Joseph travel that path? Why would Jesse have his young son David watch his flock in that region? West of the town of Bethlehem, where David lived, Samaritans robbed and plundered and were a threat to anyone who passed that way. People would have rather have trusted the dangers of the animals than the cunning of the band of thieves that came from Samaria.
David wrote of still waters and green pastures that the Lord led him through. Even though the majority of the land between Bethlehem and Jericho was desert and wilderness with all kinds of dangers around every corner, the peace that passed all of his fleshly understanding came upon him as his faith in God was greater than his fear of the wilderness. No matter what he faced as far as dangers of the world, that peace from his faith in God helped him to press on. Even when facing the Giant Philistine, Goliath of Gath, David showed no fear, but stood with all authority under heaven, given to him by God, as he told Goliath that because he blasphemed God and did not have respect and reverence for the Lord, he was going to fall to Israel. He pressed on and won the fight.
Metaphoric valleys are an every day occurrence in our lives that come upon us and test our faith. God says in the His word that we are to take it as a blessing when trials and valleys come our way, because they are how we grow in the strength and victory of the Lord so that He is glorified. When we try to handle the situation on our own, we fall flat on our faces and run away like a scalded dog, instead of standing in victory and overcoming adversity by allowing God to lead us in our circumstances. And sadly, all too often, we allow our circumstances to dictate our direction in life. Avoiding trials when they come does us no good. Situations don't just disappear when we ignore them. Bills don't pay themselves.
Calling upon the name of the Lord will afford us the victory over our struggles and trials. When we do, He will be faithful to deliver us from evil. We have not because we ask not, or we ask for the wrong reasons. When we pray, we need to pray for God's will to be done, not just pray asking for vain things like winning the lottery or winning the heart of the lady or man that caught our eyes. That might not be what the Lord has for us. When we choose to go around the blessings that God has for us by wanting things of this world, the Bible says that we grieve the Holy Ghost.
Seek the will of God and His righteousness, and He will add it unto you. Pray that His will be done and not our own. Even Jesus, who had every right to ask for what He wanted because of His righteous perfection, asked for God's will to be done, knowing He was facing death of the cross. When we seek the will of God, He will reveal it to us and our reward will be an eternal one.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
King David wrote hundreds of songs that were compiled into one book of the Bible called Psalms. In the 23rd Psalm, David made mention of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He spoke about the comfort that he had in the Lord when danger came upon him. When he was a boy, a lion tried to kill him and his father's flock of sheep. Because David trusted in God and took heart against the beast, he overcame the threat of death as the lion fell at his feet. But did you know that the valley that David spoke of was an actual place?
It is believed traditionally, that as Mary and Joseph were traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Jesus was born, that the valley between Jericho and Bethlehem was a spot where Mary stopped to rest as she was weary from travel and very pregnant with Jesus. In fact, she would give birth to Jesus only a day or so later after arriving in Bethlehem. This valley where she rested was the same valley where David tended his father's sheep; the Valley of the Shadow of death.
The name was given to the valley because of the dangers that lurked within the walls of the canyons in the mountain range east of Bethlehem. Many wild, treacherous animals made their homes in the range of mountains. So why would Mary and Joseph travel that path? Why would Jesse have his young son David watch his flock in that region? West of the town of Bethlehem, where David lived, Samaritans robbed and plundered and were a threat to anyone who passed that way. People would have rather have trusted the dangers of the animals than the cunning of the band of thieves that came from Samaria.
David wrote of still waters and green pastures that the Lord led him through. Even though the majority of the land between Bethlehem and Jericho was desert and wilderness with all kinds of dangers around every corner, the peace that passed all of his fleshly understanding came upon him as his faith in God was greater than his fear of the wilderness. No matter what he faced as far as dangers of the world, that peace from his faith in God helped him to press on. Even when facing the Giant Philistine, Goliath of Gath, David showed no fear, but stood with all authority under heaven, given to him by God, as he told Goliath that because he blasphemed God and did not have respect and reverence for the Lord, he was going to fall to Israel. He pressed on and won the fight.
Metaphoric valleys are an every day occurrence in our lives that come upon us and test our faith. God says in the His word that we are to take it as a blessing when trials and valleys come our way, because they are how we grow in the strength and victory of the Lord so that He is glorified. When we try to handle the situation on our own, we fall flat on our faces and run away like a scalded dog, instead of standing in victory and overcoming adversity by allowing God to lead us in our circumstances. And sadly, all too often, we allow our circumstances to dictate our direction in life. Avoiding trials when they come does us no good. Situations don't just disappear when we ignore them. Bills don't pay themselves.
Calling upon the name of the Lord will afford us the victory over our struggles and trials. When we do, He will be faithful to deliver us from evil. We have not because we ask not, or we ask for the wrong reasons. When we pray, we need to pray for God's will to be done, not just pray asking for vain things like winning the lottery or winning the heart of the lady or man that caught our eyes. That might not be what the Lord has for us. When we choose to go around the blessings that God has for us by wanting things of this world, the Bible says that we grieve the Holy Ghost.
Seek the will of God and His righteousness, and He will add it unto you. Pray that His will be done and not our own. Even Jesus, who had every right to ask for what He wanted because of His righteous perfection, asked for God's will to be done, knowing He was facing death of the cross. When we seek the will of God, He will reveal it to us and our reward will be an eternal one.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Monday, February 10, 2014
A love sacred enough
Honoring God with a love for one another
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Love's first kiss; some say it sometimes comes too soon. Other's say that it took long enough. God's standard for love is one that only comes one way, in purity. A daughter can wait forever it seems, for the first guy to sweep her off her feet and plant a big one on the smacker. It's once that first kiss has been given and taken that reality sets in and two people realize that there is a relationship to nurture.
It's kind of like a honeymoon after two people are married. Once the honeymoon is over, two people are slammed with the reality that there is a marriage to manage. God expects those who vow love to follow through with that vow as though it was the only commitment that ever really mattered in one's life. Marriage vows are exchanged, two people make promises to one another and God holds them to those promises for the rest of their life.
There are only two things in love that release a person from the vows they made to their spouse. One is the death that parts two lovers, and the other is the giving of one's self to another person other than who they are married to. From that point on, the person who was wronged by the offender has the right to choose another mate. The offender, however, is bound. If they ever choose another person, they again commit adultery and so does the person they choose. The Bible does say, however, that it is righteous for the one who was hurt, to forgive the offender and put their marriage back together again.
In a boyfriend/girlfriend situation, it is just as hurtful when one breaks up with the other for another person. God has a standard there too. In Romans 12: 1, 2, it says, "1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
In the event of a young girl's first kiss, it is very important for the young man in the situation to remember that the girl has waited for this moment her whole life, and it is a very special moment for her. She has grown from a very little girl watching "Cinderella", Sleeping Beauty", Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid", and has fantasized about that first kiss as her Prince Charming dips her and gives her loves first kiss. She expects it to be just as special, if not more so.
In a lot of cases, most guys go tell their friends, high-five their buddies and sometimes even brag about it. This goes against every standard of God that one can imagine. Just like accepting Jesus into your heart, it is a very sacred moment and isn't to be taken lightly. It is actually the first step in them either becoming the man she needs him to be, or the jerk that breaks her heart. How he handles it is paramount in that he has either failed at his attempt in being God's gift, or he could succeed in making her God's precious gift to him. How this is handled will separate the men from the boys.
In a relationship where the two people are Christians, it is more important to please God in how they love one another, than to please each other. If they are attempting to please God and God is genuinely pleased, then they should have no other choice but to be pleased with one another. If one is focused on pleasing God, and God is pleased (you'll know it if He is), but the other person in the relationship just doesn't seem to be pleased by anything, then at least God is pleased and the other person needs to check themselves. They need to ask themselves what they entered into a Christ-centered relationship for in the first place. Some people would rather be right all the time than to just be happy. Those relationships have their warning signs and are easily recognized when they occur. They are also a dime a dozen.
Young love, first love, filled with true devotion only happens once. When it dies, that newness will never be experienced again. Sure, a new love will always come afterward, but the newness is never the same. If we present ourselves to one another the way God planned for us to in His grand design, that newness of young, first love can be experienced, felt and shared with one another every single day. Renew your hearts and minds to love one another as Christ loved us, and you'll feel that first love for the rest of your life.
Happy Valentine's Day,
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Love's first kiss; some say it sometimes comes too soon. Other's say that it took long enough. God's standard for love is one that only comes one way, in purity. A daughter can wait forever it seems, for the first guy to sweep her off her feet and plant a big one on the smacker. It's once that first kiss has been given and taken that reality sets in and two people realize that there is a relationship to nurture.
It's kind of like a honeymoon after two people are married. Once the honeymoon is over, two people are slammed with the reality that there is a marriage to manage. God expects those who vow love to follow through with that vow as though it was the only commitment that ever really mattered in one's life. Marriage vows are exchanged, two people make promises to one another and God holds them to those promises for the rest of their life.
There are only two things in love that release a person from the vows they made to their spouse. One is the death that parts two lovers, and the other is the giving of one's self to another person other than who they are married to. From that point on, the person who was wronged by the offender has the right to choose another mate. The offender, however, is bound. If they ever choose another person, they again commit adultery and so does the person they choose. The Bible does say, however, that it is righteous for the one who was hurt, to forgive the offender and put their marriage back together again.
In a boyfriend/girlfriend situation, it is just as hurtful when one breaks up with the other for another person. God has a standard there too. In Romans 12: 1, 2, it says, "1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
In the event of a young girl's first kiss, it is very important for the young man in the situation to remember that the girl has waited for this moment her whole life, and it is a very special moment for her. She has grown from a very little girl watching "Cinderella", Sleeping Beauty", Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid", and has fantasized about that first kiss as her Prince Charming dips her and gives her loves first kiss. She expects it to be just as special, if not more so.
In a lot of cases, most guys go tell their friends, high-five their buddies and sometimes even brag about it. This goes against every standard of God that one can imagine. Just like accepting Jesus into your heart, it is a very sacred moment and isn't to be taken lightly. It is actually the first step in them either becoming the man she needs him to be, or the jerk that breaks her heart. How he handles it is paramount in that he has either failed at his attempt in being God's gift, or he could succeed in making her God's precious gift to him. How this is handled will separate the men from the boys.
In a relationship where the two people are Christians, it is more important to please God in how they love one another, than to please each other. If they are attempting to please God and God is genuinely pleased, then they should have no other choice but to be pleased with one another. If one is focused on pleasing God, and God is pleased (you'll know it if He is), but the other person in the relationship just doesn't seem to be pleased by anything, then at least God is pleased and the other person needs to check themselves. They need to ask themselves what they entered into a Christ-centered relationship for in the first place. Some people would rather be right all the time than to just be happy. Those relationships have their warning signs and are easily recognized when they occur. They are also a dime a dozen.
Young love, first love, filled with true devotion only happens once. When it dies, that newness will never be experienced again. Sure, a new love will always come afterward, but the newness is never the same. If we present ourselves to one another the way God planned for us to in His grand design, that newness of young, first love can be experienced, felt and shared with one another every single day. Renew your hearts and minds to love one another as Christ loved us, and you'll feel that first love for the rest of your life.
Happy Valentine's Day,
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Healing the paralytic
Jesus teaches a crowd about humility
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Four men in Jerusalem heard that Jesus would be at a friend's house teaching, enjoying fellowship and ministering to the residents of the town. They had a friend who had been paralyzed since he was a baby, who they wanted to bring to Jesus. Like the woman with the issue of blood that I wrote about a few days ago, these people believed that if they could get their friend in to just see Jesus, that He could heal them.
They brought the man to where Jesus was preaching at and tried to get him inside to bring him before the Lord. There were so many people there in the house, that they could barely see where Jesus was. No one would let them inside to get him close to where Jesus was. One of them came up with a plan.
Outside the house, there was a ladder to climb to the top of the roof. They carefully hoisted their friend to the top of the house. They broke through the wood that covered the house on the roof. They lowered their friend down to where Jesus was.
Jesus asked them what they were doing.
Let's review the situation. If these men came to a church to speak to Jesus, who, let's say was a guest speaker, they would be chastised at the very least and asked to either leave, or to sit in the back and keep quiet. How uncouth it would be to interrupt the Lord as He was speaking to the congregation. Then, the hole they cut into the floor would have required a permit from the city, clearance from the building and grounds committee, and brought before the church to be voted on. What purpose would the hole serve the rest of the church and how much would it cost the main tithers to repair the hole once its purpose was served? Can you say "RED TAPE?"
The hole was significant in that in the story, at least for me, it symbolizes the emptiness that sin leaves in our hearts when we spend our whole lives seeking something meaningful in which to fill it. In this case, the faith of the men all of a sudden filled the hole with their friend that they lowered down to Jesus to be healed. The ladder represents the path that sometimes seems out of our way to take when we are called to serve others for the glory of God. The people hindering the men's way to the Lord represents the hard-heartedness that the church often times gives off toward those that don't look, act, walk, talk, think, say, and do the things that they do in their self-righteous indignation.
The men stopping at nothing to bring their friend before Jesus represents the power of the Holy Ghost that stops at nothing to reach a hard, rejecting heart while trying to save a lost soul.
Jesus looked at the paralytic and said to him, "Son, be of good cheer, for your sins are forgiven."
The paralyzed man gathered a smile to his face as the pain left his body. People stared in amazement at the Lord and began to ask among themselves, "Who is this that pretends to forgive sins? For who can forgive sins except God?"
Jesus asked the people, "Why do you speak evil among yourselves about me? Is it easier to tell this man his sins are forgiven, or to tell him to rise up from his bed and walk? So that you will know that I have the power on earth to forgive sins (Jesus then turned to the paralyzed man), arise, take up your bed and return to your own house."
Just then, the man felt strength come to his body. He got down off of his bed mat and rolled it up and carried it with him. The other four men followed him, thanking Jesus for what he had done for their friend, and walked out of the house through the path of people as they parted a pathway for the men to leave the house.
The people praised God with reverent fear and said, "Truly, we have seen something strange here today.
Are you waiting for God to show you a sign that He is still there and that He is real? That heartbeat you just experienced, that breathe you just took, that sight you just saw with your eyes, the fact that you exist should be sign enough that God exists and is constantly there, is prolonging His return and His wrath upon the disbelievers, and sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins that we choose to commit, when what we really deserve is death and hell, which Jesus rescued us from. He is on His throne in our hard times and in the times that He blesses us. We are to feel that it is a blessing when we are tried and go through hard times. It is those times that God is strengthening our faith to be what He has called us to be.
Be a witness to someone today about the blessings that God has brought upon you and the hard times that he brought you through as He kept His promise to never leave, nor forsake us.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Four men in Jerusalem heard that Jesus would be at a friend's house teaching, enjoying fellowship and ministering to the residents of the town. They had a friend who had been paralyzed since he was a baby, who they wanted to bring to Jesus. Like the woman with the issue of blood that I wrote about a few days ago, these people believed that if they could get their friend in to just see Jesus, that He could heal them.
They brought the man to where Jesus was preaching at and tried to get him inside to bring him before the Lord. There were so many people there in the house, that they could barely see where Jesus was. No one would let them inside to get him close to where Jesus was. One of them came up with a plan.
Outside the house, there was a ladder to climb to the top of the roof. They carefully hoisted their friend to the top of the house. They broke through the wood that covered the house on the roof. They lowered their friend down to where Jesus was.
Jesus asked them what they were doing.
Let's review the situation. If these men came to a church to speak to Jesus, who, let's say was a guest speaker, they would be chastised at the very least and asked to either leave, or to sit in the back and keep quiet. How uncouth it would be to interrupt the Lord as He was speaking to the congregation. Then, the hole they cut into the floor would have required a permit from the city, clearance from the building and grounds committee, and brought before the church to be voted on. What purpose would the hole serve the rest of the church and how much would it cost the main tithers to repair the hole once its purpose was served? Can you say "RED TAPE?"
The hole was significant in that in the story, at least for me, it symbolizes the emptiness that sin leaves in our hearts when we spend our whole lives seeking something meaningful in which to fill it. In this case, the faith of the men all of a sudden filled the hole with their friend that they lowered down to Jesus to be healed. The ladder represents the path that sometimes seems out of our way to take when we are called to serve others for the glory of God. The people hindering the men's way to the Lord represents the hard-heartedness that the church often times gives off toward those that don't look, act, walk, talk, think, say, and do the things that they do in their self-righteous indignation.
The men stopping at nothing to bring their friend before Jesus represents the power of the Holy Ghost that stops at nothing to reach a hard, rejecting heart while trying to save a lost soul.
Jesus looked at the paralytic and said to him, "Son, be of good cheer, for your sins are forgiven."
The paralyzed man gathered a smile to his face as the pain left his body. People stared in amazement at the Lord and began to ask among themselves, "Who is this that pretends to forgive sins? For who can forgive sins except God?"
Jesus asked the people, "Why do you speak evil among yourselves about me? Is it easier to tell this man his sins are forgiven, or to tell him to rise up from his bed and walk? So that you will know that I have the power on earth to forgive sins (Jesus then turned to the paralyzed man), arise, take up your bed and return to your own house."
Just then, the man felt strength come to his body. He got down off of his bed mat and rolled it up and carried it with him. The other four men followed him, thanking Jesus for what he had done for their friend, and walked out of the house through the path of people as they parted a pathway for the men to leave the house.
The people praised God with reverent fear and said, "Truly, we have seen something strange here today.
Are you waiting for God to show you a sign that He is still there and that He is real? That heartbeat you just experienced, that breathe you just took, that sight you just saw with your eyes, the fact that you exist should be sign enough that God exists and is constantly there, is prolonging His return and His wrath upon the disbelievers, and sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins that we choose to commit, when what we really deserve is death and hell, which Jesus rescued us from. He is on His throne in our hard times and in the times that He blesses us. We are to feel that it is a blessing when we are tried and go through hard times. It is those times that God is strengthening our faith to be what He has called us to be.
Be a witness to someone today about the blessings that God has brought upon you and the hard times that he brought you through as He kept His promise to never leave, nor forsake us.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Monday, February 3, 2014
The destitute woman of Galilee
The faith of a woman who believed with all her might
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
I have often told people that I witness to that even the demons in hell believe in God, and they tremble. Do we? There was a woman in Galilee, near Capernaum, who had hear that Jesus was coming to her area. She had heard about the people that Jesus had healed; the leper, the blind man named Bartemeus, the paralytic, the dead servant of the Roman soldier, the dead girl, whose funeral Jesus passed. Word had gotten around that Jesus was a healer with power from God. A comedian referred to Him as a miracle caterer. Jesus only did the will of the Father.
Several people were healed by Jesus by merely touching Him. That was the case with the woman with the issue of blood. She most likely had a chronic, abnormal condition such as a fibroid tumor of the uterus, or what is referred to as a "spring of blood." She was looked at as unclean and was most likely unwelcome by the population of Jerusalem. It can be supposed that many people treated her as though there were some sin in her life that caused the condition. Either way, it was definitely an unpleasant life she lived.
Then out of nowhere, there was Jesus, preaching in her town and ministering to those in need. Jesus was Rabbi to many Jews. He had a life-long, God sent mission and was undeterred in carrying it out. He passed by her in the crowd as many people pressed in to see Him and touch Him. The woman drew near to Jesus. She just knew and believed with all her might that if she only reached out and touched His garment that he wore over His robe, that she would be healed of her condition.
As she finally made her way to Jesus, she reached out and grabbed the hem of his cloak. At that moment, power went out from Jesus and He stopped. Jesus turned around and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
One of Jesus' disciples that was with Him said, "Rabbi, there are many people around you right now, touching you."
Jesus said, "Someone with tremendous faith has reached out and touched my garment's hem. For I felt the healing virtue as it left my body."
The woman felt put on the spot and was embarrassed and scared. She thought that Jesus was about to rebuke her. That is how the mind can be conditioned to believe that we are not worth worrying about, like some kid whose parents have told him his whole life that he is worthless. The woman said to Jesus, "I believed that if I only touched your hem of your garment that I would be healed."
She told Jesus about her condition and that the doctors had done all that they could to try to help her. The people had shunned her because to Jewish standards, she was unclean. Jesus knelt down to her level, helped her up and told her, "Woman, your faith has made you whole. Go and tell no one what you have witnessed today."
Jesus told all of his followers whom He healed not to tell anyone, because His time of betrayal had not yet come to pass. He knew that the Pharisees were watching Him and waiting for the first chance that they could find to kill Him for blasphemy, because He taught the truth, He taught a message that made ruling the people hard for them, and because He taught as the Son of God. But alas, most of the time, people bore witness to others the miracles that Jesus had performed in their lives and their loved ones lives. They didn't do it to be disobedient, even though they disobeyed. They were excited in the fact that the promised Messiah had finally come into the world to save it.
The woman, by today's standards can be compared to the servant woman at a church, who may have a hard time getting around, may be physically or financially burdened, but there they are, week in and week out, serving, giving of their selves, unshaken from their faith and undeterred to show the love of Christ to others from their servant's heart. She may be haggard in appearance. Maybe she has a past history of bad mistakes that follow her. Maybe she is a widow, and is alone, but still giving all she has.
People may talk about her, they may avoid relationships with her in the church, because they just don't understand her. But that doesn't stop her from loving them and praying for them anyway. Then there comes Jesus, giving her a blessing that makes other people notice her for the Christian woman she is, and they begin to recognize her publicly. This type of woman would politely stand up and give the glory to God, who by all her blessings and spiritual prosperity comes from, knowing that it is not about her and never was. Instead, it has been about pleasing God in everything she does, which is what we are called to do in the first place, so that others can see His glory in our blessings.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
I have often told people that I witness to that even the demons in hell believe in God, and they tremble. Do we? There was a woman in Galilee, near Capernaum, who had hear that Jesus was coming to her area. She had heard about the people that Jesus had healed; the leper, the blind man named Bartemeus, the paralytic, the dead servant of the Roman soldier, the dead girl, whose funeral Jesus passed. Word had gotten around that Jesus was a healer with power from God. A comedian referred to Him as a miracle caterer. Jesus only did the will of the Father.
Several people were healed by Jesus by merely touching Him. That was the case with the woman with the issue of blood. She most likely had a chronic, abnormal condition such as a fibroid tumor of the uterus, or what is referred to as a "spring of blood." She was looked at as unclean and was most likely unwelcome by the population of Jerusalem. It can be supposed that many people treated her as though there were some sin in her life that caused the condition. Either way, it was definitely an unpleasant life she lived.
Then out of nowhere, there was Jesus, preaching in her town and ministering to those in need. Jesus was Rabbi to many Jews. He had a life-long, God sent mission and was undeterred in carrying it out. He passed by her in the crowd as many people pressed in to see Him and touch Him. The woman drew near to Jesus. She just knew and believed with all her might that if she only reached out and touched His garment that he wore over His robe, that she would be healed of her condition.
As she finally made her way to Jesus, she reached out and grabbed the hem of his cloak. At that moment, power went out from Jesus and He stopped. Jesus turned around and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
One of Jesus' disciples that was with Him said, "Rabbi, there are many people around you right now, touching you."
Jesus said, "Someone with tremendous faith has reached out and touched my garment's hem. For I felt the healing virtue as it left my body."
The woman felt put on the spot and was embarrassed and scared. She thought that Jesus was about to rebuke her. That is how the mind can be conditioned to believe that we are not worth worrying about, like some kid whose parents have told him his whole life that he is worthless. The woman said to Jesus, "I believed that if I only touched your hem of your garment that I would be healed."
She told Jesus about her condition and that the doctors had done all that they could to try to help her. The people had shunned her because to Jewish standards, she was unclean. Jesus knelt down to her level, helped her up and told her, "Woman, your faith has made you whole. Go and tell no one what you have witnessed today."
Jesus told all of his followers whom He healed not to tell anyone, because His time of betrayal had not yet come to pass. He knew that the Pharisees were watching Him and waiting for the first chance that they could find to kill Him for blasphemy, because He taught the truth, He taught a message that made ruling the people hard for them, and because He taught as the Son of God. But alas, most of the time, people bore witness to others the miracles that Jesus had performed in their lives and their loved ones lives. They didn't do it to be disobedient, even though they disobeyed. They were excited in the fact that the promised Messiah had finally come into the world to save it.
The woman, by today's standards can be compared to the servant woman at a church, who may have a hard time getting around, may be physically or financially burdened, but there they are, week in and week out, serving, giving of their selves, unshaken from their faith and undeterred to show the love of Christ to others from their servant's heart. She may be haggard in appearance. Maybe she has a past history of bad mistakes that follow her. Maybe she is a widow, and is alone, but still giving all she has.
People may talk about her, they may avoid relationships with her in the church, because they just don't understand her. But that doesn't stop her from loving them and praying for them anyway. Then there comes Jesus, giving her a blessing that makes other people notice her for the Christian woman she is, and they begin to recognize her publicly. This type of woman would politely stand up and give the glory to God, who by all her blessings and spiritual prosperity comes from, knowing that it is not about her and never was. Instead, it has been about pleasing God in everything she does, which is what we are called to do in the first place, so that others can see His glory in our blessings.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative
Friday, January 31, 2014
Seek, and ye shall find
God did not say ‘please’
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
In Luke 19:11, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” Jesus is making an imperative statement, not a request. The verse is as much a command as “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Do you know why the average person walks around this world sulking? They (we) grieve the spirit of God. God is not some storm trooper, sitting at the ready to strike down anyone who gets out of line. He truly is heartbroken when we step out of His will. He wants so much to bless us with a life that is richer than anything that the currency of this world can afford. Why? So that He is glorified.
A father dotes on his children from the time that they are babies, until they are young adolescents. Ever wonder why? It is so the child will know that they can turn to their father for whatever their needs are; and some of their desires, as long as their desires aren’t based on self-centered ambition. The father wants his child to be comfortable in turning to him for help.
When the child grows older and pride takes over, it is harder for the child to repeatedly turn to him when they find themselves in the same scrape over and over. It is possible that the child knows that a lecture of chastisement is coming, and they want to avoid the embarrassment. They would rather risk losing their lights, water, insurance on a car, or worse yet, their home, to keep from the embarrassment of having to turn to daddy again.
Let this article submit to its readers a little secret. That is exactly what God put that daddy in their lives to do. Not necessarily bail them out every time that they are irresponsible with their money, but to help them to see that they have a choice in the way they perform their stewardship as a child of God. If it involves a lecture, then that might be what is needed to shake some sense in the child.. (Of course, I am talking about adult offspring here, but to moms and dads, they are still that child they have raised from an infant.
God is no different. When we don’t turn to Him for help inn times of need or distress, the Bible says we grieve the Holy Spirit, by which God provides us with all we need. Jesus told His disciples, “Consider the lilies of the field. They neither reap, nor sow, yet God takes care of their daily needs. Are you any less than they are? No.”
By taking matters into our own hands and not turning to God for our “daily bread,” we open ourselves up to all kinds of possibilities for evil to come upon us. It really is better to seek God’s will, knock, when it is time to come before the Father for help, and ask Him for it, not in vain glory, or self-centered ambitions, but for the glory of the Lord to be seen by others in our lives.
R. Douglass Maahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The law of God
The ultimate standard of perfection
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
God created everything. There is nothing that exists that was not created by the one true, perfect God and for God's own purpose. God is governed only by Himself in His perfect form of morality. There is no power greater than the Creator of everything that "is." God is obligated to obey or bow to nothing and no one.
He created and controls us too. However, God did not create robots without souls or a free will. He desires fellowship with all of us, knowing that He will only get that from us when we want fellowship from Him as well. He is a gentleman and does not force His way into any one's life. That being said, how hard is it for us to understand that His standard should be our own as well?
There are too many people on this earth that believe and live by the standard of thinking that they are their own person. Any time a person is warned about the error of their ways and says that no one has the right to judge and condemn them but God, they are at least acknowledging that God exists and has a standard. Therefore, by their own admission, they are saying that they are guilty of the law (not living by the standard that God gave them to live by).
There is a huge difference between a Christian condemning them with a judgmental attitude and telling them a better way (God's way) to live their life because they are concerned with their well being, as well as their eternal life.
So why does the sinful person get defensive when a brother or sister of the faith calls out something that they know they have done wrong? Are they comfortable in their sin perhaps? When they accepted Jesus as Lord of their life, did they do it in vain, not intending to change the way they lived, but make heaven by the skin of their teeth? Do they subscribe to the ideology that there are different levels of heaven, and they are willing to settle for a cottage if it means that they can escape hell? Are they having so much fun in their season of sin that they would risk hell for the flimsy pleasures of this dying earth? God is no respecter of person and we will all be judged according to the same standard!
I am talking to the believer here, not the lost. I am talking to those who have prayed the sinner's prayer and asked God to come into their heart and save them from their sins. Did it end with forgiveness of sin? Not even close. We have an obligation to read God's word, find out what His will for our lives is and live by that standard. I'm not talking about a person's destiny with God either, I mean His will for their lives. I'm talking about the absolute standard that when we get out of line and go our own way, that we question our own salvation to the point that we realized we have offended God and would give life or limb to make that right.
I was in downtown Houston one day and was on my way to an ice rink to play what we called "drop-in hockey." I was on the number 2 Metro bus headed to Sharpstown Ice Center. A homeless man got on the bus and was looked down upon by most of the passengers on the bus. He smelled bad and was wearing ragged, torn clothes. The people immediately close to where he sat down at, got up and sat somewhere else, making fun of him. We were approaching the Salvation Army when the man pulled the cord to signal for the driver to stop.
As he was stepping down, a man in the back yelled, "I hope that place has a shower for you!"
The man tripped as he was stepping off the bus. I was furious at how these people of far more privilege were treating this man who had nothing (in most estimations) but the clothes on his back. I got off the bus with him, approached him and offered him $10. I had plenty, and wanted to help. He told me that he had enough money for the stay at the Salvation Army, however, he had something much more valuable to offer me.
He asked me if I was a child of God's.
I said, "Yes, I go to Langwood Baptist Church in Houston. I am in the choir and I serve as a youth sponsor. I am also on the planning committee for church events."
(I, I, I, I, ME, MY, I! Who cares?)
He replied with, "That's not what I asked you. Have you come to the point in your life where you realized your sin offends God?"
No one had ever asked me that before. I was quite proud of the fact that for years, (since I was nine) I was the only person in my family that had darkened the door of a church in almost 11 years. I had defied the odds and stayed in when most wouldn't. Good for me, but he had now posed a question that I had never even considered or thought mattered, until now.
He began to tell me that he used to be an executive for a booming business in Atlanta, was on the school board, and even taught a Sunday School class at his church. "So what," he replied, "None of that mattered when stacked beside a relationship with God, the Father."
He told me that because of how empty he felt in his life, even though he had position, respect, money and responsibility, he was still empty and searching. He turned to drugs, alcohol, sex, and any other vice that he thought would help heal the hole in his heart because there was no relationship with Jesus.
I began to relate. I knew that empty feeling of putting myself out there for my church and not being thanked or appreciated for my troubles, because at the time, I thought it was all about me. It is NEVER about you or me, but about pleasing God and remaining in His standard.
The man's name was Don White, and he showed me through scripture that as a luke warm "Christian" (which by the way is a huge oxymoron) that God would sooner spit me out of His mouth than allow me to enter into His glory. I began that day, seeking ways to please God and minister to others in His name. Not because this man judged or condemned me, but because he saw my compassion for him and so he returned that compassion for me and my eternity. And you know what? He never once made me feel judged or condemned. That's because he did what he did and he said what he said with love. That's how it was received.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
God created everything. There is nothing that exists that was not created by the one true, perfect God and for God's own purpose. God is governed only by Himself in His perfect form of morality. There is no power greater than the Creator of everything that "is." God is obligated to obey or bow to nothing and no one.
He created and controls us too. However, God did not create robots without souls or a free will. He desires fellowship with all of us, knowing that He will only get that from us when we want fellowship from Him as well. He is a gentleman and does not force His way into any one's life. That being said, how hard is it for us to understand that His standard should be our own as well?
There are too many people on this earth that believe and live by the standard of thinking that they are their own person. Any time a person is warned about the error of their ways and says that no one has the right to judge and condemn them but God, they are at least acknowledging that God exists and has a standard. Therefore, by their own admission, they are saying that they are guilty of the law (not living by the standard that God gave them to live by).
There is a huge difference between a Christian condemning them with a judgmental attitude and telling them a better way (God's way) to live their life because they are concerned with their well being, as well as their eternal life.
So why does the sinful person get defensive when a brother or sister of the faith calls out something that they know they have done wrong? Are they comfortable in their sin perhaps? When they accepted Jesus as Lord of their life, did they do it in vain, not intending to change the way they lived, but make heaven by the skin of their teeth? Do they subscribe to the ideology that there are different levels of heaven, and they are willing to settle for a cottage if it means that they can escape hell? Are they having so much fun in their season of sin that they would risk hell for the flimsy pleasures of this dying earth? God is no respecter of person and we will all be judged according to the same standard!
I am talking to the believer here, not the lost. I am talking to those who have prayed the sinner's prayer and asked God to come into their heart and save them from their sins. Did it end with forgiveness of sin? Not even close. We have an obligation to read God's word, find out what His will for our lives is and live by that standard. I'm not talking about a person's destiny with God either, I mean His will for their lives. I'm talking about the absolute standard that when we get out of line and go our own way, that we question our own salvation to the point that we realized we have offended God and would give life or limb to make that right.
I was in downtown Houston one day and was on my way to an ice rink to play what we called "drop-in hockey." I was on the number 2 Metro bus headed to Sharpstown Ice Center. A homeless man got on the bus and was looked down upon by most of the passengers on the bus. He smelled bad and was wearing ragged, torn clothes. The people immediately close to where he sat down at, got up and sat somewhere else, making fun of him. We were approaching the Salvation Army when the man pulled the cord to signal for the driver to stop.
As he was stepping down, a man in the back yelled, "I hope that place has a shower for you!"
The man tripped as he was stepping off the bus. I was furious at how these people of far more privilege were treating this man who had nothing (in most estimations) but the clothes on his back. I got off the bus with him, approached him and offered him $10. I had plenty, and wanted to help. He told me that he had enough money for the stay at the Salvation Army, however, he had something much more valuable to offer me.
He asked me if I was a child of God's.
I said, "Yes, I go to Langwood Baptist Church in Houston. I am in the choir and I serve as a youth sponsor. I am also on the planning committee for church events."
(I, I, I, I, ME, MY, I! Who cares?)
He replied with, "That's not what I asked you. Have you come to the point in your life where you realized your sin offends God?"
No one had ever asked me that before. I was quite proud of the fact that for years, (since I was nine) I was the only person in my family that had darkened the door of a church in almost 11 years. I had defied the odds and stayed in when most wouldn't. Good for me, but he had now posed a question that I had never even considered or thought mattered, until now.
He began to tell me that he used to be an executive for a booming business in Atlanta, was on the school board, and even taught a Sunday School class at his church. "So what," he replied, "None of that mattered when stacked beside a relationship with God, the Father."
He told me that because of how empty he felt in his life, even though he had position, respect, money and responsibility, he was still empty and searching. He turned to drugs, alcohol, sex, and any other vice that he thought would help heal the hole in his heart because there was no relationship with Jesus.
I began to relate. I knew that empty feeling of putting myself out there for my church and not being thanked or appreciated for my troubles, because at the time, I thought it was all about me. It is NEVER about you or me, but about pleasing God and remaining in His standard.
The man's name was Don White, and he showed me through scripture that as a luke warm "Christian" (which by the way is a huge oxymoron) that God would sooner spit me out of His mouth than allow me to enter into His glory. I began that day, seeking ways to please God and minister to others in His name. Not because this man judged or condemned me, but because he saw my compassion for him and so he returned that compassion for me and my eternity. And you know what? He never once made me feel judged or condemned. That's because he did what he did and he said what he said with love. That's how it was received.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Why we are called "The Church"
Who the Church is called to be and why
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
This weekend, the youth at my church took over the Sunday evening service. They sang in the praise and worship service in place of the usual vocalists that grace the stage. The instrumentalists were the same though.
After the music service, there was a skit. I don’t even know what name the skit was given, but it was called “A Human Video.” If it were to be given a title, I would have called it, “Why Not Me Too?”
The skit starts out with a drunk husband and father with a beer in one hand and a television remote in the other. His wife is pleading with him to come to church with them to introduce him to a change in heart, a change in the way he thinks and a change in how he lives his life. That change can only come through Jesus.
Naturally, as usual, what follows is a violent outburst from the husband, who gets up to slap his wife, when his daughter, who is watching from upstairs, runs in the middle of it and is hit as well, before the father finds her heart, tears it in two and walks into his bedroom to be alone.
The mother takes her daughter to church. The people there ignore them, make them feel unwelcome and basically turns them away.
NEEDLE SCRATCHES ON THE RECORD!
What? The church turns her away? Certainly not God’s church, who was called to save the lost and make disciples of them, they wouldn’t do that.
Yep, it happens all the time. Some of us “high and mighty Christians” turn our noses up to anyone that fit the mold of the church goers that we are. God doesn’t call us to be church goers! He has called us to be Christ followers so that in our example, a light might shine in a dark, lost, dying world. A light so bright that it chases the darkness away and shines the way to the glory of the Lord.
But all too often, God’s people are sometimes too busy to love those that require guidance to help them understand that the path they are on is a destructive one. It takes leadership. It takes reaching out and pulling them out of the pit that they are clawing and scratching to get out of. It takes love. It takes the love that Jesus had on the cross for us when he said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Are we incapable of that kind of expression and dedication to see the lost saved? Actions speak louder than words. I have even experienced this rejection in the past from churches, simply because I didn’t know all the right scriptures, or sing all the right songs, or because I didn’t know that what I believed or what I had been taught in my early life, didn’t necessarily line up completely with God’s word.
If it was something that I was taught as a new Christian, then it wasn’t necessarily my fault. I used to make the mistake of putting my faith in what the teacher was teaching me, that I didn’t read it and check it out on my own. Many are being misled by what others are teaching them because they do not check into it further with daily devotions. Differences in doctrine divide believers and this ought not be so.
If you get one thing from doctrine and it isn’t necessarily what someone else has been taught, do you shirk your duty as a minister (that we are all called to be) by not showing them by love, the true interpretation of scripture? Then why go to church and fellowship with others in the first place. No one’s theology is perfect and no two people’s theology will ever be exactly the same.
Basically, salvation is found in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Everything else is just details. Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are things that none of us can even fathom about the Kingdom of Heaven. Those are the things that we will have made known unto us on that “Unclouded Day.”
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Prodigal's father
Making sense out of unconditional love
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
The father of the "Prodigal Son" has always intrigued me. Of course, that father symbolizes our Heavenly Father in the parable, but I also look at him as your every day man that you pass in a grocery store, or in traffic as well. There is something special about him. He doesn't broadcast his accolades all over the streets, you'd never know it if he were a millionaire. He humbles himself. He takes pride in whatever he does, but he doesn't boast with prideful bragging. This is the man that faces the world when he encounters it with his head held high. He finds favor with God.
He also has had his heart ripped out by a boy that he loves more than all his possessions. He doesn't love him more than his other children, but they all have their lives together. This son has asked for his inheritance early, before his father even came close to passing. You'd almost think that the son only loved his father because he had a lot to leave the little twerp. But reluctantly, the father allows the son to learn his lesson the hard way, so that maybe, just maybe he'll appreciate what he is blessed with later in life. Maybe, he'll learn a lesson that will save him from hell later on.
Every morning and every night, that father sits on his front porch watching, waiting, hoping that this will be the day that his son picks himself up out of the ashes, realizes the error of his ways. He cries, but his tears aren't where you can see them. His anger is only fueled by the fact that his son is hurting, but he has brought it upon himself. He makes real sure not to take it out on others. They know he's hurting, but they also know why.
A few of his other children resent the fact that their sibling has caused this hurt upon their father. So they voice their opinion. He rebukes their anger and teaches them through his equal unconditional love for all of his children and makes sure they understand that any of them could have made the same mistake because they all have the same sinful nature. They simply have a better hold on their desires than their brother. But that nature still exists. His love would be the same for all of them. However, one of them still harbors bitterness.
Finally! The day has come. The father sits in his usual spot on the porch that he sits in every morning and every night. He perhaps has a dog next to him to keep him company. As he talks to his dog, he hears footsteps coming down the road. He looks up. He sees a rag-tagged young man walking down the street. He rubs his eyes and squints to see if it is his son. He stands up. He calls his son's name. His son stops and tears well up in his eyes. He stands motionless, awaiting the wrath of his father, who is now running head-long toward his prodigal son. He stops a few steps shy of him, looks him in the eyes and with a huge embrace, he welcomes his son home.
His son pulls away from him, and in the middle of the road, falls down to his knees and tells his father that he is no longer worthy to be called his son. He offers himself as a servant instead. His father bends down, dries the tears in his eyes and picks him up. He takes the ring off of his own finger and puts it on his son's hand. He takes his cloak off of his robe and puts it around his son. He calls for his servants to kill a cow to feast on for his son, who was lost, is now found.
One of his other sons comes to him in indignant anger and tells him that his own brother has no right to be welcomed back in such a fashion. He went off and squandered everything his father had given him and now, his father is having a banquet in his honor. The other son is perplexed at his father's celebration.
The father tells him, "My son, you have served me well while your brother has gone. All that I have is yours. But my other son who was lost, is now found, and all I can do right now is be grateful that he has seen the error of his ways. Come, celebrate with us and welcome your brother home, who once was lost.
Every time a child of God strays off the narrow path, God hurts for us. He waits and he longs for reconciliation. Like the father in the parable, God allows us to make our own decisions whether good or bad. We reap the blessings of the good decisions. The bad ones, we learn lessons from when we finally see the error of our ways. Sometimes, it's the lessons we learn from the bad decisions that makes the blessings we receive from the good ones all the more appreciated. Either way, the one thing that can not be denied is God's undying, equal, unconditional love for those who are His children.
I will leave you with another video of Rich Mullins about the "Prodigal Son".
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
The father of the "Prodigal Son" has always intrigued me. Of course, that father symbolizes our Heavenly Father in the parable, but I also look at him as your every day man that you pass in a grocery store, or in traffic as well. There is something special about him. He doesn't broadcast his accolades all over the streets, you'd never know it if he were a millionaire. He humbles himself. He takes pride in whatever he does, but he doesn't boast with prideful bragging. This is the man that faces the world when he encounters it with his head held high. He finds favor with God.
He also has had his heart ripped out by a boy that he loves more than all his possessions. He doesn't love him more than his other children, but they all have their lives together. This son has asked for his inheritance early, before his father even came close to passing. You'd almost think that the son only loved his father because he had a lot to leave the little twerp. But reluctantly, the father allows the son to learn his lesson the hard way, so that maybe, just maybe he'll appreciate what he is blessed with later in life. Maybe, he'll learn a lesson that will save him from hell later on.
Every morning and every night, that father sits on his front porch watching, waiting, hoping that this will be the day that his son picks himself up out of the ashes, realizes the error of his ways. He cries, but his tears aren't where you can see them. His anger is only fueled by the fact that his son is hurting, but he has brought it upon himself. He makes real sure not to take it out on others. They know he's hurting, but they also know why.
A few of his other children resent the fact that their sibling has caused this hurt upon their father. So they voice their opinion. He rebukes their anger and teaches them through his equal unconditional love for all of his children and makes sure they understand that any of them could have made the same mistake because they all have the same sinful nature. They simply have a better hold on their desires than their brother. But that nature still exists. His love would be the same for all of them. However, one of them still harbors bitterness.
Finally! The day has come. The father sits in his usual spot on the porch that he sits in every morning and every night. He perhaps has a dog next to him to keep him company. As he talks to his dog, he hears footsteps coming down the road. He looks up. He sees a rag-tagged young man walking down the street. He rubs his eyes and squints to see if it is his son. He stands up. He calls his son's name. His son stops and tears well up in his eyes. He stands motionless, awaiting the wrath of his father, who is now running head-long toward his prodigal son. He stops a few steps shy of him, looks him in the eyes and with a huge embrace, he welcomes his son home.
His son pulls away from him, and in the middle of the road, falls down to his knees and tells his father that he is no longer worthy to be called his son. He offers himself as a servant instead. His father bends down, dries the tears in his eyes and picks him up. He takes the ring off of his own finger and puts it on his son's hand. He takes his cloak off of his robe and puts it around his son. He calls for his servants to kill a cow to feast on for his son, who was lost, is now found.
One of his other sons comes to him in indignant anger and tells him that his own brother has no right to be welcomed back in such a fashion. He went off and squandered everything his father had given him and now, his father is having a banquet in his honor. The other son is perplexed at his father's celebration.
The father tells him, "My son, you have served me well while your brother has gone. All that I have is yours. But my other son who was lost, is now found, and all I can do right now is be grateful that he has seen the error of his ways. Come, celebrate with us and welcome your brother home, who once was lost.
Every time a child of God strays off the narrow path, God hurts for us. He waits and he longs for reconciliation. Like the father in the parable, God allows us to make our own decisions whether good or bad. We reap the blessings of the good decisions. The bad ones, we learn lessons from when we finally see the error of our ways. Sometimes, it's the lessons we learn from the bad decisions that makes the blessings we receive from the good ones all the more appreciated. Either way, the one thing that can not be denied is God's undying, equal, unconditional love for those who are His children.
I will leave you with another video of Rich Mullins about the "Prodigal Son".
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Adolescent fits
When teens resort to toddler like tantrums
by R. Douglass Mahaffey
Teenagers are often looked at as young adults who are going through their awkward stage just before maturity sets in. It’s as though they are taking their last ditch effort to keep from becoming their parents, before they realize they are circling the inevitable.
God instructs parents in His Word to hold firm on the teachings that we instill in our children and when they grow up, those teachings will remain apart of who they are. The Bible also instructs parents to be slow to anger and quick to listen. But how do we listen when our children shut us out and ignore us?
Their body language says a lot about the problems they have a hard time voicing. It’s a hard task to accomplish, but it is very important not to lose one’s cool when dealing with a child of teenager. They lose hope very easily when it comes to who they can trust with their hearts at that age.
When disciplining your teen whenever they childishly act out and seek the wrong kind of attention, be firm and be consistent. Don’t give flimsy, empty threats just to gain their temporary obedience. That will only dig their hills in deeper. If it requires relinquishing them of things like an iPad, Nook, or cell phone, so be it, but stick to your guns until their behavior improves.
However, if disciplining them requires a spanking, this article would suggest not threatening a spanking, or warn them of a spanking. To show that you mean business, giving them an unexpected warning swat is acceptable if you want to get their attention and still give them the opportunity to choose to straighten up on their own.
Now if the situation requires a full on spanking, as is prescribed in Proverbs 22:15 (which changed my life for the better as a child...unbeknownst to me), then separate yourself from the child before the spanking, calm down, approach the child and calmly explain to them why they are being spanked and do so in a non-angry fashion. Leave the child alone to recover and then come back and mend the bridge.
Make sure that they know the same choice to straighten up will be given in the future when they act up, if the situation ever gets to the point that a spanking is contemplated. Make sure they know you love them.
You have a choice to make in regards to obedience here too. You could choose to lose your cool and spank out of anger; which is never the right choice to make, or you can administer the spanking with diligence and out of the love and admonition of the Lord as He does when he chastises us. Either way, do it out of love and with the desire to see your child succeed in making the correct, obedient choice in the future.
Obedience is a learned and taught trait for one to have. It is not a natural tendency that we are born with. Obedience takes conditioning through time to master.
R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.
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