Good morning church,
Happy Saturday and happy Independence Day! This will be a bit of a different one since many of the major fireworks displays are cancelled and social interaction has been limited. Nevertheless, take them time to reflect upon the numerous blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us in this country. One thing is for certain, God has blessed this nation far more than we deserve. Let us be grateful for what we have been entrusted with.
The other evening, Michelle asked me about a strange email she had received. As first glance, it appeared as if it was from me. Of course, it is no surprise to receive a strange or weird email from me. You are reading one right now. This one, however, was from a different email address. It was pretending that I needed something and she was supposed to reply to the email. She wasn’t supposed to call since I was going into a meeting. Obviously, this was some kind of phishing scam. People (also known as low-life scumbags) some how get some of your information and then use it to scam people. Michelle recently had to go through the process of cancelling and reporting a debit card that someone requested in her name. Unfortunately, it is easier for some people to steal from others than it is to actually work at a legitimate job. That’s why we like the verse that says, “Vengeance is Mine declares the Lord, I will repay.” BTW, if you get a strange email, text, call or whatever, supposedly from me requesting money, you can assume it isn’t legit. Besides, I have found it to be far more effective to ask in person 😊
Sadly, this is just one of many examples of people that pretend to be someone or something that there are not. This is typically done for their own selfish reasons. We see it with these scam artists, but also in many areas of life. Politicians do it all of the time to get elected. Business people do so to get ahead. People lie on resumes to get jobs, falsify expense reports, fudge on the numbers, mislead customers. People jump on the bandwagon of causes even if they don’t really care about the issues. There are people that will pretend to support something if it is popular and it can somehow make them look better. All of these things are bad enough, but there is one thing that scares me a lot. I am deeply concerned for those that pretend to be Christians but are not. Of course, if that were said in some circles, there would be howling like a dog that just got kicked (which is a crime punishable by time in prison whereas you can kill an unborn baby with no recourse). The mantra would be, “Who are you to judge?” That often is the response of a guilty conscience. But actually, there is no need to judge. Rather, Jesus stated it clearly in the Bible, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”
We are living in a very strange time in the life of this nation. It is time for those that follow Christ to live more and more for the sake of the Gospel. It is likely that it will become more difficult for Christians to hold to and express their beliefs publicly. At some point, it may become evident who is truly a follower of Christ and who is just pretending.
You are loved and appreciated. I hope to see you in the morning. BTW, if you attend in person, wear your mask in the lobby and in places you cannot maintain 6 feet of distance.
Larry
0 Comments