How To End Terrorism

                  Fundamentalism = Terrorism

      This is one of the scariest words in the world today.  The reason is that the true definition of the word is Fanaticalism.   It is blind belief that one’s point of view is right and trumps all other points of view.  Some groups carry it to the point of the destruction of all that oppose their particular point of view.  That goes totally against what the Bible, the law and common sense teach us.  It is an attitude of I am right and you are wrong.  All who do not see the sanctity of life are missing what God is saying in his Word. It is what God shows us in the very act and story of creation.

     It may just be my point of view and I can live with that, but the main problem with fundamentalism is that it is fundamentally wrong.  It is like going through life with horse blinders on.  They can see no point of view but their own.  That goes for Christianity, Islamism, Judaism or any of the other religious groups that populate this planet.  Their common denominator is there intolerance of other points of view.

     Fundamentalism is not limited to religion either, it can be influenced by race, politics, nationality and a host of other beliefs that make one feel they are better or different than those around them.

      That goes against what God gave us eyes and a brain for.  He gave them to us to use them and to use them for his glory.  The mind is made to be inquisitive. We are made in God’s image. We should want to create things, not destroy them. He put us here to make the world a better place to live, not to tear it apart and remake it as we see fit.

Genesis 9: 4-7 makes pretty clear that God puts value on life. He did not create it for man to destroy it.  One of the first commandments or statements after the flood and while Noah was still alive was given in the following verses, it reads “4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

      God called on and commanded man to multiply.  One of the next events where God speaks to man or to a man is when he addresses Abram in Genesis 12 and commands him saying. ‘1. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

     Three of the major religions in the world all claim to be descended from the teachings of Abraham.  That makes us all Sons of Abraham. We are all family and of the same blood, if not through Abraham, through the blood of Adam the first man. At some point we were and are all brothers and sisters and children of God. All three religions claim there is one God, well I claim there is only one way to know God and that is through His Word the Bible.  When your faith calls you to or allows you to kill your brothers and sisters it is a perversion straight from the pits of hell. Regardless if it is Jewish, Christian or Islamic any of these faiths that allow it to happen have been hijacked by terrorists who have twisted and perverted the true faith in God to their own purposes.

     What is needed is a new group called the Sons of Abraham that recognizes the fact that there are those who pervert and twist the Word of God.  When the woman caught in adultery was taken to Jesus he did not judge her, and he did not allow those who bought her to him to judge her, without judging themselves first. The Bible makes clear all judgment is the responsibility and right of God only.  Man has no right to judge another man, which is exactly what terrorist do all the time. 

     The leaders of the Islamic faith need to step up and take their faith back from the terrorist.  Just as the Christian faith did when Hitler tried to pervert and twist what it said to his own aims and desires.

   We must all stand up and make those who profess to have faith in God, act and behave in accordance with the commandments given in the Bible. Especially those that are pre Abrahamic, which means they are commandments that even Abraham honored and respected.

     Abraham told lies and told the leader of Egypt that his wife was his sister.  It is a lie that has festered and been a thorn in the side of mankind since that time.   Mankind is harvesting from the evil seed that was sown.  Abraham did not trust in God to protect him in that circumstance. Again Abraham did not trust in God to give him and heir and slept with his servant Hagar. Yet in Genesis 25:9 his sons came together to bury Abraham. Since that time there have been conflicts between the Sons of Abraham and only when mankind acknowledges the commandments of God’s Word will they receive the blessing promised to Abraham that all the seed of mankind would be blessed by his, Abraham’s seed.  That will only happen when mankind finally gets victory over those who twist, change and disobey God’s Word as it is proclaimed in the Bible, by Abraham, Moses and all the Prophets.  Not as it is proclaimed by men who have only bits and pieces of the truth.  The Truth requires knowing the whole Word of God.  Not just those parts that fit ones needs or ideology.

      It is my hope that I will be meeting and hearing of great works by the Sons of Abraham that stand up and demand that the Whole Word of God be proclaimed and adhered to.  Especially those parts calling for Love, Peace and Respect for the lives of all who believe in God.

    One of the last things prophesied in the book of Revelation is pretty simple and sums up all I have said here in just one verse.  Revelation 11:18 makes it pretty clear,

     And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth

       If you have comments, or opinions, on this post, please contact me at sclaus2u@hotmail.com  I appreciate both positive and negative as it helps me understand how my writing is being understood and if I am getting out the message I desire to get out. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Overwhelmed by Life

             Overwhelmed by Life

       Sometimes in the course of life our priorities become challenged.  July was just such a month for me.  My daily routine, or at least my preferred daily routine, is to get up, get a cup of coffee and spend time reading the Bible.  Last month my whole life got out of control.  Meeting the demands of others and what they expect from us is one of the easiest ways to get out of our routine.  There is nothing wrong with that as long as we remain conscious of what our priorities are.

    As a Christian our absolute first priority should be remaining grounded in our faith. Joshua 1:8 lays that out pretty clear, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  That does not mean we have to spend all our time reading the Bible, but we have to meditate and stay focused to live a life that will keep our lives God centered.  Not doing what Joshua tells us to do will allow us to slide into a life of complacency.  Living a life and trying to being Christian enough, is a scary place to be.  Just defining, Christian enough is a challenge.

     When I started blogging I really had no direction as to where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do with my blog.  My daughter Angel had a blog for a school project she did to get her degree and I really liked it.  She suggested I start one and write stories about my life.  Then my grandkids could read the stories my children heard from me when they were growing up.  That was fine but I have found it has transitioned to writing things that I hope helps others to grow in their walk with the Lord and to learn from my mistakes so they do not have to make the same ones.

    The Bible says a head of gray hair is a sign of wisdom.  As I have a half a head of gray hair, the other half is gone. (I have to wonder if my mind is falling out along with the hair.) My comment on the matter is usually, “As I only learn from my mistakes and my hair was gray before I was 40, it might say something about the life I lived.”  That comment is only made half-jokingly as there is a lot of truth in it.

    

       My slide started the last week in June when I moved my brother back to Indiana from Illinois.  It worked out he had to stay with me for almost a week. Then my wife and daughters went off to Florida.  My grandson Gabe who lives with my wife and I had been at my daughter Angels for the week before the girls left for Florida.  So we had to catch up by mowing all three of the yards we maintain.  Finally on the 3^rd of July we took my brother back to Logansport.  The fun was just starting as I ended up moving four people in the course of the month. We also mowed the lawns two more times, moved my niece from here old house to her new house and tore apart and rebuilt two decks.  Oh yeah I forgot the screen doors we hung and landscaping we did. 

       It was a month which seemed to be in perpetual motion as a tsunami of projects to help others overwhelmed Gabe and I. We hopefully are safe at home as we finished the month of activities by working in a booth at the Indiana State Fair for two ways.  At some point this fall I have to replace a floor in the house I grew up in and hang three doors on the rooms.  I also need to help my niece replace five windows in her new house before cold weather hits. Then to cap it off we need to finish a greenhouse on my property, build a garage, and cut up a bunch of tree tops from the trees my daughter Christina had cut out of her yard. 

     Being retired and having the means and the health to do it is nice.  The main thing I learned over the last month is to take the time and spend time with the Lord every day.  Not doing so will cause one to lose their closeness with God.  Toward the end of the month I started to feel spiritually drained.  There was no time to spend just reading the Bible or working on my blog, which usually requires me to do some serious Bible reading and spending time with the Lord. 

     Once I finally realized the problem and spent some time in the Bible it became clear to me that if we do not spend quality time with the Lord every day we will start to become worn out and tired.  Some people tell me that at sixty- seven I should not have to do all the things I do.  Something I learned long ago though is that the more you give the more the Lord blesses you.  Not just spiritually and monetarily, but physically also.  The Lord teaches you to pace yourself to get those things done that need to be done.

     So if you are feeling down or burnt out it may be time to examine our daily walk and make sure we find time to spend with the Lord.  Not as an afterthought but as a first thought.

    In conclusion I apologize for not writing more in July, but I hope the lesson I learned and shared will help others as much as it has helped me see the need to stay focused on the center of our life, which should be the Lord.