In God We Trust
At a family reunion in 2009, our oldest living relative told us that, “In God we trust.” No, if, ands or but about it. No option because he added, “As far back as we can trace on either side of the family, we have worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And we believe in the creation story and the flood as recorded in Genesis.”
Whoa! What a mouthful! As one said, what a profound statement! Google says profound means having, showing, or requiring great insight or understanding. As a bible believer, an adult Sunday school teacher of 30 years and a veteran of WW 2, this relative had studied and quietly observed the trend in beliefs in America and had found the key to some radical ideas floating about because the litmus test is this:
Either God is real or He doesn't exist.
Either He is true and in Him is no lie
or else the charges brought against by the serpent in the Garden is true.
Which is it? Does God exist? If you conclude that God does not exist, then EVERYTHING IS PERMISSIBLE, or as the philosophy of the ungodly since the 1960's, "Anything goes as long as it's with two consenting adults." (My advice is that you'd better get it in writing before you do it or else she might interprete it differently while under oath, eh?)
If God is true – and history proves that He is -- then whoever disagrees with God or the Bible is a liar like Satan the serpent did to Eve.
(If you lie, it didn’t come from you, but from the devil or father of all lies. Satan entered the heart of Judas and caused him to betray Jesus. Again Satan caused Ananias and Sapphire to lie about the profit gained from the sale of their property.)
James says that we are judges of evil thoughts if we have respect of persons. Where did the evil thoughts come from? Jesus said they came from an evil heart, but who put them there? Was it not Satan the serpent (both feminist terms)? Shouldn’t our prayer continue to be: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” especially evil thoughts?
“In God we trust.” What an obligation that my uncle placed on all in this family. Yet, it’s doable. So let all whose ancestors believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob step up to the plate and make it so.
What am I required to do in this life? I’ve thought about what if I had been born into the tribe of Levi. Being of the seed of Levi your job for life was cut out for you. If a boy, you worked in the church and was trained up accordingly. (You did own sheep and vineyards and so forth which servants tended to, but your occupation was to serve in the church.) The girls were required to be virgins and to behave accordingly. Elizabeth and Zacharias, the parents of John the Baptist, were both of the tribe of Levite and both were righteous. What a standard they upheld which is one that we must obtain to, also, eh?
It is through faith that we believe. Hebrews 11:6 says, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God for he that comes to God must believe: 1. That He is or that He exist and 2. That He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had this faith and wished for their descendants to believe likewise.
Joshua said to the people, “Choose you this day whom you will serve?” He then adds, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” His household included not only his children or descendants down to this day, but also those that worked for him, such as his servants and etc.
(The jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved.” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and all thy house.” That very night the jailer and all in his household were saved. Also Cornelius and all his household was saved after Peter preached Christ to them. Thank the Lord for this great promise and examples where it became true and one to which you and I can hold onto tightly.)
Job came to the conclusion during his trials, “Though God slay me, yet I will trust Him – I will serve Him.” And he said, “Though God try me, at the end I shall come forth as pure gold, tried in the furnace.”
The fear of God causes us to depart from evil. Job was perfect and upright. How could that be? He was one that feared God and eschewed evil. And even when tried, Job retained his integrity. Per Google integrity means absolute honesty (no lying and no stealing) and the highest moral standard.
Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter. In verse three it says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.” In Genesis it says that whatever God willed in His mind, He then spoke it into existence for when He said, “Let there be,” and there was.
Once you acknowledge that God exist, then you must diligently seek Him. For those who do not diligently (soberly and seriously and consistently each day) seek the Lord, shall not find Him; but God has your number. We know by experience and through the Word that the wrath of God abides upon all who do not seek Him.
We believe in the creation story as recorded in Genesis. If so, the theory of evolution is dead on arrival for it is incompatible with creation. The two ideas are diametrically opposed and polarized and thus cannot be reconciled. The creation story cannot be a part of evolution because evolution is based on a premise contrary to what is written in Genesis.
Our Declaration of Independence which is the basis for the Revolution that gave us independence from England states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” First, who is we? The Document begins with: “In Congress, July 4, 1776, the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America." Were the truths stated therein for the inhabitants of the 13 colonies or were they to people the world over? It says it was written for the candid world. Candid means being honest even when it hurts.
(Nicodemus, a ruler or judge of the Jews knew the OT well especially the law or first five books, who said to Jesus: “We know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do the miracles that you do except God be with you.” Who was “we”? Could “we” be those who knew the OT as Nicodemus did?)
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