1000 Gifts (Part 17): God's word applied to a scandalous generation

So continues my recounting of God's gifts..

The scandal-palooza taking place in Washington right now is mind boggling.  Just two weeks after the POTUS tried to convince graduates during a commencement speech in Ohio that they should not listen to the voices whispering warnings of government tyranny, numerous scandals by the Obama administration have been exposed to the extent that EVEN the outrageous liberal, Piers Morgan, admitted that why yes, this administration has indeed been acting like tyrants.  The list of "known" abuses is extensive and outrageous, but I will not detail a record of wrongs here (although I hope those in the position to prosecute and bring justice are keeping track).  Instead, I will rejoice in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6)

⁴ "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The federal government may lie under oath, cover up scandals, and even lie to themselves, but...

265.  God is truth, and His word never fails or changes.  His truth always applies.

Government leaders may deceive and make false promises to win votes (just like Satan himself), but...

267.  God has never ever broken a promise, and He never, ever will!

Joshua 21:45

"Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."

The world seeks advanced degrees from reputable universities, wealth, and positions of power as the primary means to influence the next generation for good or for bad.  Those who obtain such earthly treasures are considered wise in this world, but how comforting it is to know that...

268.  God uses the weak to shame the wise. 

1 Corinthians 1:27

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

269.  And He works all things together for good. (Romans 8:28)

While driving the kids home from school last week, I was listening to the news summary on the radio.  The kids' must have overheard some of the reporting regarding the Benghazi cover-up, the IRS scandals, and the AP scandals  because my 6-year-old asked:

 "Is the government trying to punish those who don't believe like they want them to in the same way that Darius punished Daniel? When he prayed to God instead of to the king, Darius threw him into the lions' den."

I was so overwhelmed by the utter profundity of his question that I asked him to repeat it three times to make sure I heard him correctly. 

Metaphorically speaking, that is exactly what is happening.  Those who do not support the administration's political objectives are being bullied Chicago style and illegally mistreated with the intent of shutting them down or changing their allegiance.

During elections, my more moderate or left leaning friends assured me that my concerns over what might happen under another four years with Obama at the helm were grossly exaggerated and nothing more than conspiracy theory.  I consoled myself with the assumption that the reality is probably somewhere between his false promises and my worst expectations and the knowledge that...

270.  No matter our circumstances, God is sovereign and holds me in His hands.

As long as I fix my eyes on him (like an ice-skater fixes her eyes on set point when spinning to keep her balance), horrific events may spin all around me, but I will not lose my balance because He holds me steady.

So, the wildest conspiracy theories are now being confirmed through brave testimony by whistle blowers, and the truth of what we know already is actually worse than anything I ever imagined, but the gift is that the truth is finally coming out (granted...after the elections...when these truths would have dramatically altered those elections).

271. The truth will set you free!

Those who should be accountable and responsible for these crimes are not actually voicing the truth yet, choosing instead to spin, distract, distort, or ask, "What difference does it make?" (Hillary Clinton), but how refreshing it is to see the main stream media beginning to seek truth instead of political correctness.  I know this is only a season, and come election time, I fully expect the mainstream media to revert to political posturing, but for now, it is very refreshing to see the media acting like real journalists in search of truth.

272.  The truth will come to light eventually. 

"He reveals the deep things of darkness, and brings utter darkness into the light." (Job 12:22)

As I watch officials back pedaling, changing their story, and refusing to answer questions, I am reminded of King David.  He gave way to his sin struggles with lust and committed adultery.  Sin has consequences, and one consequence of his adulterous act was impregnating Bathsheba who was married to Uriah.   Instead of admitting the truth, he tried to cover up his misdeed with deceitful tricks.  He called Uriah back from battle to meet with him and sent him home with the assumption that Uriah would sleep with his wife and thereby assume the child was his own.  But Uriah was too honorable for such a plot, refusing to sleep at home when the rest of "God's men" and the ark of the covenant were camped out under tents in the open country.  So instead of confessing his sin at that point, David's misdeeds increased resulting in the premeditated killing of Uriah.

Oh how I wish our government officials could learn from David's mistakes and finally tell the truth instead of continuing this avalanche of lies, corruption, and bribery.  When David finally confessed, the pattern of sin ended and the agony of his soul abated.  Judgment was administered, but David finally found peace and ruled justly again.

273.  Confession brings mercy. 

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

Confession requires humility, and our current administration is puffed up with so much pride that many of them believe they are above the law - both the laws of the land and the laws of God.  Oh, but what hope there is when they humbly confess and repent.

274.   Humble repentance brings healing and restoration.

2 Chronicles 7:14

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

As Americans watch these events unfold in DC, our hearts long for justice. We have evidence proving that Hillary lied during Watergate and throughout her political career.  We know that our POTUS cheated in the Senate races by digging up dirt on his opponents so they would drop out leaving an uncontested race.  We've seen him lie and break promises throughout his career.  So, it's no surprise that his administration is filled with so much corruption, and that the State Dept. under Hillary is committing so many crimes.  Unchecked sin will increase.  He who is faithful in little will be faithful with much, and he who is unfaithful with lower levels of authority will be even more corrupt when given much power.  So, the people of America want to see justice served to turn back the tides of corruption.

Yet, this generation has shown more cowardice in prosecuting wrong doings than any other.  As moral relativism takes over current world views and as corruption, bribery, and Chicago style politics run rampant, prosecuting offenders is something few are bold enough to do.  Instead of standing for justice, our generation tends to only be self-serving.  So I'm not overly hopeful that justice will be ever be served to perpetrators by human hands, but know with confidence that....

275.  God will set all things right and exact justice in due time.

“...'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:19b)

276.  Eventually, the prideful will be brought down.  We see it throughout all of history. 

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Matthew 20:25-28

²⁵ "Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" 

The kids recently offered some interesting suggestions for getting government officials to tell the truth during all these congressional hearings. They first suggested using lie detectors but wondered if the these officials would figure out a way to cheat on those tests. Then they recommended a tracking gadget similar to the one Jon Arbuckle put on Garfield's collar to monitor what he ate. So I tried to explain that such a device would be illegal, and besides, the government is already familiar with this type of spy bug since they are using it on AP reporters.

277. Deep conversations with my children

Many of our kids' closest friends are not white, and like most kids, they don't really see skin color as anything that makes a person more or less valuable than anyone else. They know that God created all mankind in His image so all are of infinite worth to God. We celebrate diversity as a family. So after hearing the word "racist" on the news, they asked me what that word meant. I tried to explain the term and gave examples such as Margaret Sanger and Hitler who tried to wipe out certain races b/c they believed one race was superior to others. I also noted that sometimes people may share the same skin color as those same races they mistreat (Gosnell, for example) or they may support causes that oppress races they resemble, so we must never judge someone based upon their outward appearance. Our value comes from God, and the actions which characterize us indicate the motives of our hearts. So my daughter asked, "When people vote for someone simply because of his skin color without considering his actions, are they being racist?"


278.  Watching my children grow in discernment

279.  My daughter's determination to avoid government dependence

In an effort to correct her inappropriate table manners one evening, I asked her, "What would happen if your father acted like that during an important business luncheon?"

After rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter over such a ludicrous thought (he always exudes utmost professionalism), she admitted that he might lose his job and then find it difficult to support the family.

So I continued trying to get her to consider the day when she will be supporting herself and possibly a family, "When you are grown, who will support you?"

She replied, "I guess I will because I sure don't want to be dependent upon the government!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Speaking of table manners,  I recently commanded the kids, "Please stop playing with your food! There is never a time for that!"

And the 6-year-old replied, "Mom, didn't Solomon say that there is a time for everything?" (Ecclesiastes 3)

280.  Kids learning Bible verses (albeit not always in context)

281.  Courageous women who are not afraid to speak the truth and call people out in order to preserve the American Republic as its fibers seem to be all unraveling at once despite the high risk of IRS bullying, slander to ruin their reputations, and even threats to their own lives or those of their families

Scandalous Hat Trick
"Mr. President, when it rains it pours, but most Americans hold their own umbrellas. Today in the Rose Garden you dismissed the idea of a Special Counsel to investigate the IRS scandal. With that, your galling political hubris shined bright in the midst of today’s dark clouds.

Mr. President, how can we trust your Justice Department to conduct an independent investigation when there is a systemic violation of the Hatch Act throughout your administration?

Surely you are aware that the Hatch Act prevents certain federal employees from engaging in political activity. Specifically, it’s illegal for these federal employees to engage in action in support of or in opposition to a political party, a candidate for partisan political office, or a partisan political group.

Yet that is exactly what’s happened within the IRS, the Justice Department, and in the Benghazi cover-up. This scandalous hat trick is on your watch. It is not believable that you knew nothing about Obama administration actions in dealing with these scandals. And in regards to Benghazi, when you should have taken appropriate action to save American lives – for instance by calling in the Marines – you were AWOL. Just weeks before the election your team scrubbed the Benghazi talking points in 12 different versions, lied to the American people about some YouTube video being to blame for the deaths of brave Americans who put our country first, and you prove Michael Barone right when he writes, “What actually happened in Benghazi was out of sync with the Obama campaign line.” That’s why you all did what you did. Pure raw politics were at play during a horrific time of loss.

For more evidence of Hatch Act violations right under your nose, simply consider DOJ’s “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into the free press. Do you think they picked up some political talk when tapping the phones in the House press gallery?

Your team is out of control. Those who cannot remember the past and learn from it are doomed to repeat it, and that is exactly what is happening. Look back exactly 40 years ago this week and apply that disheartening chapter of American history to the team you’ve chosen and lead today.

Some of us warned America; we cautioned voters in 2008 that a community organizer with no executive experience and no sense of accountability would be a very poor choice for the nation’s top management position.

Mr. President, you said today that you have “complete confidence” in the Attorney General. America doesn’t. Eric Holder needs to appoint an unbiased Special Counsel to investigate the illegal political action of this administration. And then Eric Holder needs to resign.

Most Americans see ominous dark clouds looming beyond the White House Rose Garden, Mr. President. They’ll roll away only when light is shined on the Obama administration’s antics, and America will only recover when you cease avoiding responsibility in this mission of yours to fundamentally transform America. For that to happen, the press had better learn from their experiences of being duped and provide a deserving public fairer, more intelligent coverage.

Speaking of coverage, glad you finally called in the Marines... shame it was just to hold your umbrella."

- Sarah Palin

Must see video featuring Judge Jeanine Pirro here.

282.  A private blog where I can vent about political issues* without offending the masses...at least until the government bugs my computer or steals files from Blogger

*I have a hard time calling my concerns "political" since losing the American Republic and any semblance of a moral code in our country is far more that merely a political concern.  Freedom is so much more than politics but is the core of how God made us.  It seems as though the entire future of the world is at stake here.

283.  The greatest blessing through all of this for me personally is that God is sovereign and my children, husband, and other loved ones belong to Him where we are forever safe and secure in Him!