We are facing some very challenging situations in this world, right now…
But no matter what you hear, and who you hear it from… the are no HUMAN solutions to these problems.
The solutions to the problems we face and have always faced are HEART problems.
To put it simply, when we put ourselves in front of anything, we constantly face problems as people. When we put our interests in front of the needs of others, we may find some up front gains but they will always be short lived and we will end up paying for it in the end.
You may be thinking to yourself, “John, are you going down the religious road?”
YES…… and no…
As I am a Christian, I find in my life when my actions are congruent with being “Christ” like, my life seems to be blessed in many ways. And when I do find that I have slipped in to thinking about myself and my needs in front of the needs of others, my life slips into problems. It is the most amazing thing.
Let’s just take a quick look at the 10 Commandments: (The first 5 have to do with our relationship with God, the second 5 have to do with our personal actions)
1. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. (God wants to be first and for most in your mind and life)
2. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image (God doesn’t want you to worship ANY idols)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (God doesn’t want you to curse His name)
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (God wants us to observe a day of rest and reflection for Him)
5. Honor your father and your mother (Respect your mother and father. They have brought you into this world and are responsible for properly bringing you up to be a productive member of society, and they only way they can do this is if you listen and do what is right)
6. You shall not murder (You shouldn’t take the life of another. My view here is that this means premeditated murder. Self-Defense and protection, I believe are excluded from here. If I find this out to be different through my study, I reserve the right to change my thinking on this. I do study it everyday.)
7. You shall not commit adultery (You shall not have sex with anyone but your HUSBAND or WIFE. Period.)
8. You shall not steal (This means taking anything that is not yours or that you have not rightly earned.)
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (This means saying things about people around you that is not true. This could also include gossip.)
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. (This means to look at what those around you have and causes you to become jealous in your heart for these things. When we harbor thoughts of having things that those around us have without taking the RIGHT steps to attain them, it causes us to take action at some point to acquire them doing the wrong things which could lead to breaking the previous 4 commandments.)
As I believe in all of them, for those who do not believe, even if you were to live by the last 5, your life would take a turn for the better.
But here is the fly in the ointment, how do we get everyone to observe these rules to live by????
If it is a human solution, it involves breaking the commandments themselves. Because not everyone will follow these on their own…..
Unless, they allow Jesus into their lives in order to work on their heart and make the changes necessary for these things to stick in their lives.
But that is a personal choice that has been given to all of us. Some will choose, some will not.
What do you think?
As Always, Here’s to Your LifetoSuccess,
God Bless You,
John Clark