“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)
Last week we saw the demise of yet another brutal dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. By the way, how many ways did this guy spell his name? Besides the most common form “Gadhafi”, I have seen Qadaffi, Kaddafy, Gaddafi, and probably a few others. How can anyone follow a man who can’t even spell his own name? An entire nation has been liberated from the yoke of this strange and evil man, and he has gone on to meet his maker and receive his eternal reward. By the way, it is NOT 72 virgins! It has been the plight of mankind to be under the yoke of bondage of dictators like this since the time that there were enough people to form governments. The old adage fits. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Proverbs 27:20 says, “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Man can never get enough. It doesn’t matter how much sex, drugs, money, or power we get, we think we need more. It reminds me of one of my favorite cartoons of all time: “Pinky and the Brain”. It was created by Stephen Spielberg, and it was brilliant in its simplicity. It was the story of two laboratory mice who had a plan to “take over the world” every night, yet they failed miserably every time. Each episode always ended the same way, with them heading back to their cages after yet another failed attempt. Pinky would ask, “What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?” Brain would answer, “The same thing we do every night, Pinky, try and take over the world.” It was animated so the children would enjoy it, but it was deeply profound in its sarcasm and wit as Spielberg would relate it to current events and historical figures. Google “Pinky and the Brain”. It is no longer being produced, but I am sure you can catch old episodes on line. It is insanely hilarious, and a great commentary on the folly of human nature and our lust for power.
Whenever we see a man like Gadhafi fall, we sort of breathe a sigh of relief and think, “It’s about time. Good enough for him.” The people of Libya are celebrating profusely, and rightfully so to a point. But God’s word has a little different take on these matters. Why did God let this man stay in power for over 40 years? There are a whole host of answers to that question, but one of them is that he is not willing that any should perish (II Peter 3:9). He loved Gadhafi as much as he loved you. He sent his Son to die for his sins as well as yours. His rejection of Jesus Christ sealed his eternal fate, but it does not lessen the desire God had to see him come to repentance and faith and gain his home in heaven as well. Libyans are rejoicing at the demise of Gadhafi, but God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked. One soul is worth the entire world, and God grieves when one of them is lost. 42 years in absolute control of a nation was not enough to satisfy this man. Judgment and justice were finally served, but God gave him every opportunity and every grace to come to the knowledge of the truth.
No one reading this blog will ever get to the status of a world leader and dictator like Gadhafi. Thank God for that. But every one of us knows people who have been given 40 or more years of grace, yet have still not come to the knowledge of the truth. They “reign” over their own little domain, as puny as it may be, and make every effort to “try and take over the world” on a daily basis – at least the world they live in. They need to come to the one who owns it all. Those of us who have received him as Saviour are “joint heirs” with him (Romans 8:16-17). I don’t need to worry about becoming a supreme ruler over a country. I own the Universe.
Share the truth with the lost. What they think they want and need is not what they really need. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin, and he is coming soon to “take over the world”. Only those who have trusted him will be the “Pinky” to rule with the “Brain”.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Here We Go Again
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
Well, this Friday, October 21, is the “end of the world” (again) according to Harold Camping. You might remember that he is the nut-job who said that the world would end on May 21 of this year, but he was obviously proven wrong. Yet instead of giving up, he has “doubled down”. He has somewhat “admitted” that he was wrong in his initial prophecy, but only by changing his prediction from physical to spiritual. He said that the world really did end on May 21, but none of us could see it because it was “spiritual”, and that we are currently living in a time of judgment where God has withdrawn from earth. According to this false prophet (see above), there will be an actual physical judgment of the world on Friday and God will overthrow mankind and Jesus will set up his kingdom. Of course, I am eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I know my Bible a little better than that. The passage above says that when a false prophet is proven to be false by an unfulfilled prediction, that he is to be taken out. Obviously, I would never suggest doing that. That command was for Israel in the Old Testament to keep their prophetic ministry pure. But why on God’s green earth does anyone pay attention to this man? What is worse – why on God’s green earth does anyone pay money to this man? He is not a pastor, he has no church, yet he has a multi-million dollar empire and thousands of devoted followers based on his false prophecies. Why can’t anyone see this? Who are these people who continue to prop him up with support?
All this just adds to the demonstration that this world is stark raving mad. We live in some of the most exciting times in the history of humanity, yet it is bizzaro-land at the same time. One of the best ways to sort out the craziness is to look at a bigger perspective. We know from the Bible that the world is against God and his word. I John 5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” Virtually everything perpetrated by the institutions and establishments of this world will be in opposition to God. Why does this guy get press time? They want to discredit true Bible Christianity by parading this goof ball in front of the whole world. Those who know nothing of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ view us through the eyes of people like this. It makes our job of sharing the gospel that much harder. Most of us have heard of the idiots in Topeka Kansas who picket the funerals of servicemen because there are gay people in the country. (Isn’t that a weird connection?) When Phelps and his crowd were taken to court recently, the ACLU supported them. Stop and think for a minute. That makes absolutely no sense. When did the ACLU ever support anything even remotely connected to religion, God, or the Bible? They are the most anti-Christian organization on the face of the earth. Pray or post anything Biblical in public, and watch those cockroaches come out of the woodwork. They exist for one purpose – to remove God from our society in any form. Then they support Fred Phelps. It makes perfect sense. The best way to get rid of a genuine witness of Jesus Christ is to keep those people in the public eye and make everyone think that they represent true Christianity.
Our job gets tougher every day. Yet God’s grace is as powerful as ever. Paul said, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:57-58). Stay at it. One soul is worth the world. Keep serving Jesus until he comes, even if it is after this Friday.
Well, this Friday, October 21, is the “end of the world” (again) according to Harold Camping. You might remember that he is the nut-job who said that the world would end on May 21 of this year, but he was obviously proven wrong. Yet instead of giving up, he has “doubled down”. He has somewhat “admitted” that he was wrong in his initial prophecy, but only by changing his prediction from physical to spiritual. He said that the world really did end on May 21, but none of us could see it because it was “spiritual”, and that we are currently living in a time of judgment where God has withdrawn from earth. According to this false prophet (see above), there will be an actual physical judgment of the world on Friday and God will overthrow mankind and Jesus will set up his kingdom. Of course, I am eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I know my Bible a little better than that. The passage above says that when a false prophet is proven to be false by an unfulfilled prediction, that he is to be taken out. Obviously, I would never suggest doing that. That command was for Israel in the Old Testament to keep their prophetic ministry pure. But why on God’s green earth does anyone pay attention to this man? What is worse – why on God’s green earth does anyone pay money to this man? He is not a pastor, he has no church, yet he has a multi-million dollar empire and thousands of devoted followers based on his false prophecies. Why can’t anyone see this? Who are these people who continue to prop him up with support?
All this just adds to the demonstration that this world is stark raving mad. We live in some of the most exciting times in the history of humanity, yet it is bizzaro-land at the same time. One of the best ways to sort out the craziness is to look at a bigger perspective. We know from the Bible that the world is against God and his word. I John 5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” Virtually everything perpetrated by the institutions and establishments of this world will be in opposition to God. Why does this guy get press time? They want to discredit true Bible Christianity by parading this goof ball in front of the whole world. Those who know nothing of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ view us through the eyes of people like this. It makes our job of sharing the gospel that much harder. Most of us have heard of the idiots in Topeka Kansas who picket the funerals of servicemen because there are gay people in the country. (Isn’t that a weird connection?) When Phelps and his crowd were taken to court recently, the ACLU supported them. Stop and think for a minute. That makes absolutely no sense. When did the ACLU ever support anything even remotely connected to religion, God, or the Bible? They are the most anti-Christian organization on the face of the earth. Pray or post anything Biblical in public, and watch those cockroaches come out of the woodwork. They exist for one purpose – to remove God from our society in any form. Then they support Fred Phelps. It makes perfect sense. The best way to get rid of a genuine witness of Jesus Christ is to keep those people in the public eye and make everyone think that they represent true Christianity.
Our job gets tougher every day. Yet God’s grace is as powerful as ever. Paul said, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:57-58). Stay at it. One soul is worth the world. Keep serving Jesus until he comes, even if it is after this Friday.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
There Is No Short Cut
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
People like to run marathons these days; why, I have no idea. I know some “runners”, and in every other area of their lives, they are normally well adjusted people. But I have no idea what possesses them to spend a day torturing themselves to run 26.3 miles. I can hardly drive that far without taking a break. I know they are in a lot better shape than I am, but hey, “pear” is a shape also. Yes, there is the satisfaction of accomplishment for tackling a challenge like running a marathon. But it seems to me like there would be better ways to get that fulfillment. Maria my daughter ran a half marathon a while back, and she was a mess for days afterward, and she is young! I know that the “runners” out there feel sorry for my ignorance. I realize that I cannot understand their experience, just like many of them cannot understand my life. But I do not care to “understand” the thrill of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, or climbing a treacherous mountain, or subjecting my body to such grueling punishment. So pray for me.
Just recently, a marathon runner in England tried to pull a fast one on everyone. A couple of miles into the race, he ducked out of the crowd and jumped on a city bus. He got off a mile or so before the finish line, and snuck back on to the track and “finished” the marathon in third place. A woman tried that a while back in either the Boston or New York marathon and actually “won” the race in “record setting time”, until they found out what she had done. Nice try, but those things don’t result in gaining the prize of completing a marathon.
Our life is a race for the glory of God. The average marathon takes a few hours to run, but life is a marathon that takes years. I am already 58 years into mine, and I still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the vast majority of believers in Christ are like the “cheaters” in the marathon races I mentioned. They are “running” their race by jumping on the first bus they can find, content to let someone else drive them to the finish line. They will come to church on Sunday and do God the favor of listening to the preacher pour his guts out through the word. But to actually get in the race and give out the word themselves? Why? Isn’t that the pastor’s job? They have the same attitude toward the work of Christ that I do toward running 26.3 miles. No way, Jose. Their spiritual “Lazy Boy” is far more appealing.
Paul used sports analogies often enough in the Bible that he must have been a “sports geek” like the rest of us guys. In I Corinthians 9:24, he said, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Play to win. There is something about the competitive juices that brings out the best in people (and granted, sometimes the worst). In the same passage, he talks about the incorruptible crown of the Judgment Seat of Christ. God does not care who wins a stupid game with a ball and a stick, or who crosses the finish line first in a marathon. But he will reward his children for a “life race” run for his honor. Just remember that it is a marathon. Don’t go running out there with your hair on fire in a dead sprint. No one will pay any attention to you. A marathon is run in consistency. The runner sets a pace and runs almost “automatically” in a steady gait. The Bible says to run “with patience”. Develop some consistent spiritual practices in prayer, giving, study, and witness. Then keep up the pace. There are no short cuts. Stay at it regularly, even when – and especially when – it seems as if your legs are going to fall off and your heart is going to jump right out of your chest. Paul rejoiced that he had “finished his course” (II Timothy 4:7). May you have the same confidence.
People like to run marathons these days; why, I have no idea. I know some “runners”, and in every other area of their lives, they are normally well adjusted people. But I have no idea what possesses them to spend a day torturing themselves to run 26.3 miles. I can hardly drive that far without taking a break. I know they are in a lot better shape than I am, but hey, “pear” is a shape also. Yes, there is the satisfaction of accomplishment for tackling a challenge like running a marathon. But it seems to me like there would be better ways to get that fulfillment. Maria my daughter ran a half marathon a while back, and she was a mess for days afterward, and she is young! I know that the “runners” out there feel sorry for my ignorance. I realize that I cannot understand their experience, just like many of them cannot understand my life. But I do not care to “understand” the thrill of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, or climbing a treacherous mountain, or subjecting my body to such grueling punishment. So pray for me.
Just recently, a marathon runner in England tried to pull a fast one on everyone. A couple of miles into the race, he ducked out of the crowd and jumped on a city bus. He got off a mile or so before the finish line, and snuck back on to the track and “finished” the marathon in third place. A woman tried that a while back in either the Boston or New York marathon and actually “won” the race in “record setting time”, until they found out what she had done. Nice try, but those things don’t result in gaining the prize of completing a marathon.
Our life is a race for the glory of God. The average marathon takes a few hours to run, but life is a marathon that takes years. I am already 58 years into mine, and I still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the vast majority of believers in Christ are like the “cheaters” in the marathon races I mentioned. They are “running” their race by jumping on the first bus they can find, content to let someone else drive them to the finish line. They will come to church on Sunday and do God the favor of listening to the preacher pour his guts out through the word. But to actually get in the race and give out the word themselves? Why? Isn’t that the pastor’s job? They have the same attitude toward the work of Christ that I do toward running 26.3 miles. No way, Jose. Their spiritual “Lazy Boy” is far more appealing.
Paul used sports analogies often enough in the Bible that he must have been a “sports geek” like the rest of us guys. In I Corinthians 9:24, he said, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Play to win. There is something about the competitive juices that brings out the best in people (and granted, sometimes the worst). In the same passage, he talks about the incorruptible crown of the Judgment Seat of Christ. God does not care who wins a stupid game with a ball and a stick, or who crosses the finish line first in a marathon. But he will reward his children for a “life race” run for his honor. Just remember that it is a marathon. Don’t go running out there with your hair on fire in a dead sprint. No one will pay any attention to you. A marathon is run in consistency. The runner sets a pace and runs almost “automatically” in a steady gait. The Bible says to run “with patience”. Develop some consistent spiritual practices in prayer, giving, study, and witness. Then keep up the pace. There are no short cuts. Stay at it regularly, even when – and especially when – it seems as if your legs are going to fall off and your heart is going to jump right out of your chest. Paul rejoiced that he had “finished his course” (II Timothy 4:7). May you have the same confidence.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Kidnapping
“And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (II Timothy 2:26)
Earlier this week, the big news item in Kansas City has been the kidnapping of a 10 month old baby right out of the house where she lived. It wasn’t one of those typical “estranged parent” kidnappings where one of them decided they wanted the child. Both parents live in the house, and the baby turned up missing in the middle of the night. So far, a couple of days in to the ordeal, no good news is available. I cannot imagine the depth of the heartbreak, and I cannot imagine the depths of depravity that would cause some filthy disgusting waste of human flesh to perpetrate such a horrible act. Sometimes these things work out OK, so pray for the child and the family that God’s will be done.
While I in no way want to minimize the pending tragedy of this ordeal, a far greater abduction took place about 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were happily minding their own business when a stranger appeared, tempting them with a forbidden fruit that God had withheld. He promised them something he could not deliver, and had no intention of giving them. He told Eve, “Go ahead, a little bit won’t hurt. It won’t kill you.” (All of our expressions come straight from the Bible. I have collected about 300 of them over the years). She was promised that if she partook of the forbidden fruit, that she would, “Be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Go ahead, Eve. You can be one of us. You can be on my team. Unfortunately for all of us, she fell to the temptation and took of the tree. When she did, Satan kidnapped her and the entire human race, and has held us in the bondage of sin and death ever since.
True story: One day many years ago I was sitting at my desk at work when my phone rang, and I heard the voice of my lovely wife on the other end. She said in a very hurried and excited tone, “Oh good, you’re there! Call you back!” Click. I thought, “That was strange. Has she been hitting the cooking sherry again?” The phone rang again a couple of minutes later and she explained the previous call. Some guy had called the home number apparently at random and said, “I have your husband. Do as I say and he won’t get hurt.” Well, my wife is no dummy. She said, “Hold on just a minute.” Then she ran next door and called me at the office to find out if I was there. By the time she got back home, the creep had hung up. Obviously, if it had been true, there would have been some form of ransom required.
When Satan took the human family captive at his will, a ransom was required. The Bible says of Jesus, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:5-6) Our enemy is a coward and a bully. He is a creep who does not play fair, and he hides behind every rock trying to get men and women to buy in to his dastardly plans. Unfortunately, he is successful about 99% of the time. Most of the abductees are oblivious to their plight. They think life is just merrily flowing along and “it will all work out OK in the end.” Deuteronomy 32:29 says, “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” But men do not. The little girl abducted last week is only 10 months old. She is probably oblivious to most of what is happening to her. She has no concept of the danger she faces. Lost men and women charge ahead in life with no thought of the pending judgment of God against sin.
But the ransom was paid for our soul by Jesus. Job 33:24 says, “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” His name is Jesus. Those who reject him are held in captivity because they refuse to accept the ransom payment. Don’t let this be you.
Earlier this week, the big news item in Kansas City has been the kidnapping of a 10 month old baby right out of the house where she lived. It wasn’t one of those typical “estranged parent” kidnappings where one of them decided they wanted the child. Both parents live in the house, and the baby turned up missing in the middle of the night. So far, a couple of days in to the ordeal, no good news is available. I cannot imagine the depth of the heartbreak, and I cannot imagine the depths of depravity that would cause some filthy disgusting waste of human flesh to perpetrate such a horrible act. Sometimes these things work out OK, so pray for the child and the family that God’s will be done.
While I in no way want to minimize the pending tragedy of this ordeal, a far greater abduction took place about 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were happily minding their own business when a stranger appeared, tempting them with a forbidden fruit that God had withheld. He promised them something he could not deliver, and had no intention of giving them. He told Eve, “Go ahead, a little bit won’t hurt. It won’t kill you.” (All of our expressions come straight from the Bible. I have collected about 300 of them over the years). She was promised that if she partook of the forbidden fruit, that she would, “Be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Go ahead, Eve. You can be one of us. You can be on my team. Unfortunately for all of us, she fell to the temptation and took of the tree. When she did, Satan kidnapped her and the entire human race, and has held us in the bondage of sin and death ever since.
True story: One day many years ago I was sitting at my desk at work when my phone rang, and I heard the voice of my lovely wife on the other end. She said in a very hurried and excited tone, “Oh good, you’re there! Call you back!” Click. I thought, “That was strange. Has she been hitting the cooking sherry again?” The phone rang again a couple of minutes later and she explained the previous call. Some guy had called the home number apparently at random and said, “I have your husband. Do as I say and he won’t get hurt.” Well, my wife is no dummy. She said, “Hold on just a minute.” Then she ran next door and called me at the office to find out if I was there. By the time she got back home, the creep had hung up. Obviously, if it had been true, there would have been some form of ransom required.
When Satan took the human family captive at his will, a ransom was required. The Bible says of Jesus, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:5-6) Our enemy is a coward and a bully. He is a creep who does not play fair, and he hides behind every rock trying to get men and women to buy in to his dastardly plans. Unfortunately, he is successful about 99% of the time. Most of the abductees are oblivious to their plight. They think life is just merrily flowing along and “it will all work out OK in the end.” Deuteronomy 32:29 says, “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” But men do not. The little girl abducted last week is only 10 months old. She is probably oblivious to most of what is happening to her. She has no concept of the danger she faces. Lost men and women charge ahead in life with no thought of the pending judgment of God against sin.
But the ransom was paid for our soul by Jesus. Job 33:24 says, “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” His name is Jesus. Those who reject him are held in captivity because they refuse to accept the ransom payment. Don’t let this be you.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
You Can't Make This Stuff Up!
“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:24)
A few weeks back, I shared with you about a class action lawsuit I had been drug into, and how silly it was. That one is mild compared to this fiasco. I read in the paper the other day about a class action lawsuit filed against the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation. Buckle your seat belt, hang on to your hat, put your tray table in its upright and locked position, and remove all sharp objects from your pockets. This one will fry your gizzards (and KFC doesn’t even sell gizzards).
KFC had offered an internet special. “For a limited time”, you could download a coupon for a discounted meal of their new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken”. I’ve tried their grilled chicken, and for fast food, it’s pretty good. Some guy had one of the coupons, and for whatever reason, could not get the advertised deal. Maybe they ran out of chicken, or the local KFC refused to honor the coupon, or some “fine print” prevented the deal. Who knows, and who cares. So the jack-wagon sued KFC on behalf of all those “similarly situated”. As is the case with most of these insane lawsuits, it is cheaper and easier for the company to settle out of court. So KFC set aside a few million dollars so that anyone who suffered “mental pain and anguish” for not getting something for nothing can get a free meal from KFC for up to a whopping grand total of $3.99 each. The lawyers ride off with half a million dollars, but by God, I can get 4 bucks of free food! On top of the free $3.99 meal, another part of the lawsuit is based on the man’s complaint that KFC did not disclose that the seasonings on their Kentucky Grilled Chicken contain meat by-products. Yes, you read that right. He is upset that the seasonings have some meat-based ingredients. Hello, Einstein. The whole “ding-dong” piece of chicken is MEAT!
So instead of opening new restaurants and providing construction and food service jobs, KFC has to pony up millions of dollars to appease some sick, twisted, depraved, whiny a--, cry baby moron to the tune of a free meal for 4 stinking dollars. I would say how I really feel, but God cleaned up my language. In the meantime, KFC will raise prices to cover this, their liability insurer will do the same and pass on their costs to other companies, and businesses will be less likely to expand and hire people because the added costs for stupidity like this will choke their ability to grow. Maybe Congress should look here for a way to stimulate the economy and provide jobs.
America is an insane asylum run by the inmates.
Jesus vented a similar frustration with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23. It is one of the most brutal chapters in the Bible, where he launched against a group of spiritually abusive leaders who were only interested in maintaining their own kingdom and power base. He used the expression of the gnat and the camel to illustrate their absurdity. These are people who “strain at a gnat”. They are worried about the tiniest little things, while the “elephant in the room” (a “camel” is more familiar to Middle Eastern culture) ends up choking them to death. The world is filled with these people, and the church has an even greater share of them. If some little nit-picking “jot and tittle” does not suit their personal fancy, they will make sure everyone in the church hears all about it, and they will stop at nothing until “justice” is served. In the meantime, the “elephant in the room” is ignored. The lost are alone in the world without hope and without God. They look to the church for answers, and we have our head in an anatomically impossible location over silly things that don’t matter a hill of beans. Do you think anyone in hell is concerned about a free meal of KFC Grilled Chicken? As a Christian, you have a “coupon” for heaven paid for by the most valuable asset in the Universe – the blood of Jesus Christ. You can run as many copies as you like. Share the good news of the Saviour with the lost, then take them to KFC and buy them lunch. Try the Grilled Chicken.
A few weeks back, I shared with you about a class action lawsuit I had been drug into, and how silly it was. That one is mild compared to this fiasco. I read in the paper the other day about a class action lawsuit filed against the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation. Buckle your seat belt, hang on to your hat, put your tray table in its upright and locked position, and remove all sharp objects from your pockets. This one will fry your gizzards (and KFC doesn’t even sell gizzards).
KFC had offered an internet special. “For a limited time”, you could download a coupon for a discounted meal of their new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken”. I’ve tried their grilled chicken, and for fast food, it’s pretty good. Some guy had one of the coupons, and for whatever reason, could not get the advertised deal. Maybe they ran out of chicken, or the local KFC refused to honor the coupon, or some “fine print” prevented the deal. Who knows, and who cares. So the jack-wagon sued KFC on behalf of all those “similarly situated”. As is the case with most of these insane lawsuits, it is cheaper and easier for the company to settle out of court. So KFC set aside a few million dollars so that anyone who suffered “mental pain and anguish” for not getting something for nothing can get a free meal from KFC for up to a whopping grand total of $3.99 each. The lawyers ride off with half a million dollars, but by God, I can get 4 bucks of free food! On top of the free $3.99 meal, another part of the lawsuit is based on the man’s complaint that KFC did not disclose that the seasonings on their Kentucky Grilled Chicken contain meat by-products. Yes, you read that right. He is upset that the seasonings have some meat-based ingredients. Hello, Einstein. The whole “ding-dong” piece of chicken is MEAT!
So instead of opening new restaurants and providing construction and food service jobs, KFC has to pony up millions of dollars to appease some sick, twisted, depraved, whiny a--, cry baby moron to the tune of a free meal for 4 stinking dollars. I would say how I really feel, but God cleaned up my language. In the meantime, KFC will raise prices to cover this, their liability insurer will do the same and pass on their costs to other companies, and businesses will be less likely to expand and hire people because the added costs for stupidity like this will choke their ability to grow. Maybe Congress should look here for a way to stimulate the economy and provide jobs.
America is an insane asylum run by the inmates.
Jesus vented a similar frustration with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23. It is one of the most brutal chapters in the Bible, where he launched against a group of spiritually abusive leaders who were only interested in maintaining their own kingdom and power base. He used the expression of the gnat and the camel to illustrate their absurdity. These are people who “strain at a gnat”. They are worried about the tiniest little things, while the “elephant in the room” (a “camel” is more familiar to Middle Eastern culture) ends up choking them to death. The world is filled with these people, and the church has an even greater share of them. If some little nit-picking “jot and tittle” does not suit their personal fancy, they will make sure everyone in the church hears all about it, and they will stop at nothing until “justice” is served. In the meantime, the “elephant in the room” is ignored. The lost are alone in the world without hope and without God. They look to the church for answers, and we have our head in an anatomically impossible location over silly things that don’t matter a hill of beans. Do you think anyone in hell is concerned about a free meal of KFC Grilled Chicken? As a Christian, you have a “coupon” for heaven paid for by the most valuable asset in the Universe – the blood of Jesus Christ. You can run as many copies as you like. Share the good news of the Saviour with the lost, then take them to KFC and buy them lunch. Try the Grilled Chicken.
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