Oh no you didn't... Truth Is Absolute—You Are Not

I spent some time thinking about how I would begin and really could not decide on a starting point until a few minutes ago.  I was reading something and it made me think about truth and it just clicked.  Truth is why I or anyone is able to believe in anything.

I looked up truth in the dictionary to use as a common reference here and what I found was interesting.  According to Webster, one of the definitions is “a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true.”  Before you give me the title of Captain Obvious, I also looked up the definition of true and this is where the interesting part is found.

Webster has all kinds of words to define true and the following is the list:  “Steadfast, Loyal, Honest, Just, Truthful, Ideal, Essential, Consistent, Legitimate, Rightful, Accurate, Narrow, and Strict.”  As my uncle pointed out in a blog entry of his, words do have meaning.

I find it interesting because in John 14:6, Jesus says, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  In His matter-of-fact statement, He claims to be truth.  And I can find hundreds of more verses in the bible where these words are used in reference to God or by God.  It would seem that truth has not lost its meaning.

For many, however, truth has lost its meaningfulness.  Relativism has downplayed the significance of truth and used it to mask many things like opinion, political correctness, moral justification, and cowardice.  Those who are drunk on the poison of relativism have exchanged truth for lies, freedom for chains.

When dealing with truth, relativism is the ultimate imposter of the absolute.  Think of it like Tofu.  By itself, Tofu is bland, nearly tasteless.  But Tofu is prized for its ability to be flavored to mimic most any other kind of food.  So if you don’t want to eat meat, but must have a food that tastes like meat, you can eat a meat flavored Tofu substitute.  In the end, however, it is not meat.

Relativism allows you to have the comfort of a pseudo-truth without having to acknowledge the absolute.  All you really need is to find the group that provides the appropriate context—those who share your truth—and you can remain safe and sound in your own little Tofu paradise.

Now of course, you can adopt relativism in all its glory and believe that all points of view are equally valid.  Where I am from we have a word for that; cowardice.  Even worse, it is impossible to operate under that philosophy because no matter how you try to hold to that position, it utterly falls apart when confronted by someone who believes that your philosophy is wrong.  If you concede that the previous statement is valid or “true” based on your philosophy, then how can you also believe that your philosophy is also true?  You just admitted that yours was wrong by validating the other position.

Since that word cowardice is still hanging out there, let’s address that next.  It is a cowardly philosophy to concede your beliefs because you feel yours is not the only truth.  Would you stand there and do nothing while your loved one was being beaten because the attacker believed he was wronged in some way by his victim?  Would you allow someone to take your home because they believed that they needed it more than you do?  Do you agree that it is ok to murder thousands of people if the murderers believed that it was their duty to punish those they feel are wicked?  If so than I would submit that you are a coward and your belief structure is founded in fear.

A relativistic philosophy only exists as the byproduct of rejecting absolutes.  You cannot have your cake and eat it too.  An often overlooked principle is the fact that everyone has a belief system.  Even those who claim otherwise are establishing a belief system on their claim.  Since you and I are not absolute, our truths cannot be absolute, so if we reject absolutes we are relegated to the realm of relativism.

You may have noticed that I said that because we are not absolute, our truths cannot be absolute.  And it may be confusing because if we cannot create absolutes, how can there be any; relativism must prevails as the only means to divining the truth.  If you have reasoned that, then your reasoning is faulty.  Just because we cannot in and of ourselves create absolute truths, does not mean they do not exist.  What it does mean, however, is that the source of the absolute truth must be external to man.

Enter God.

Yes, you can reject God and yes, you are left with relativism.  Good luck with that!  For the rest of us, God is the ONLY source for any absolute truth.  His claim that He is “the truth” should be sufficient enough for all of us.  But we must also acknowledge that he is also external to Man and therefore cannot be influenced by man.  That leaves only one or three but one will.  Regardless, there is nothing relativistic in one.  There is no consensus, deliberation, majority vote, or protest.  There is only the absolute.

It does not matter if you agree with the absolute truth.  It does not matter if you want to put a spin on it.  Nothing we can do invalidates or changes it because we have no part in shaping it.  It just is.

The fact that we can do nothing except accept or reject it is a real problem for some.  Absolute truth means that anything contrary is absolutely wrong.  If the absolute truth is “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me,” no amount of good deeds, rituals, suicide bombs, praying to dead people, sacrificing animals, or social standing will ever save you.

But people try.  They claim that the Bible is in error because men wrote it.  Or they claim that so and so is misrepresenting the text and it actually means something else.  Or a million other reasons why it must be wrong so that their sin remains hidden, their intellect remains superior or their ultimate fate remains positive.  All have their reasons and all will come to understand what absolute really means.

Understand that it all begins here.  You are not absolute, but there is one that is.  If you are willing to reject that in order to show your superiority or hide your shame then you will never know the perfection that awaits you.  Instead, you will come to know what is meant by “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: Than no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Oh no you didn't... An Introduction

I have decided to put under public scrutiny my examination of what I believe to be true about Christ, God, and the whole of the Bible.  In so doing I will not be prefacing this with a biography of any type but instead will let my words define and shape your opinion of who I am and what I believe.

In this exercise I am determined to solidify my position on varying topics so that I more fully understand the foundation of Christ that I chose to build my life upon, chose to defend, chose to fight for, and chose to share with the world.

In this journey I believe it is important to have an antagonist that forces me to take a stand for what I believe or concede ground to.  And in this method not only will I be required to identify the scriptural basis for my believes, but I will have the opportunity to understand how and why the Word of God has been twisted, manipulated, or otherwise misrepresented in an attempt to validate the claims and theology of those who claim another or other God(s) and of those who claim a kinship to Christ or God.

Some of you may have recognized that I have made certain assumptions and leaps already without defending them, and you would be correct.  Let me address that next.

I believe that the only argument that exists is the accuracy of the Bible.  I don’t have to prove it exists (If, however, anyone doubts it existence, go to your favorite bookstore and ask to be shown where the Bibles are).  Also, I don’t have to prove it is the Word of God.  The claim is made within the Bible itself, so if it is found accurate, then it must also be found to be the Word of God.  I don’t even have to prove which one of the thousands is the real Bible.   In determining the accuracy of the Bible, any that are inaccurate will eliminate themselves.

Now, it will be impossible for me to go down the lists of books that claim to be the Bible and one-by-one eliminate the inaccurate ones as new ones are being created every day.  And because there is so much material to support the accuracy of the Bible, it would also be impractical to identify it all here.  So instead I will identify the classes of supporting material here and devote a separate discussion on the actual details should anyone ask that I go deeper into it.

The accuracy of the Bible has been confirmed through Science, Prophecy (prophesies made and recorded in the Bible that later where shown to be accurate), Textual Evidence, Those living at the time of Christ, and Proof by Historians.  This may not be all the classes there are, but these are the ones I have researched or read about.

To establish a common and readily available Bible from which I will find my scriptural sources, I will choose the King James Version.  While this may make the KJV purists happy, I chose this version because I am most comfortable with it and because my concordance is linked to it.  I by no means am arguing against any version founded upon the work of Westcott and Hort nor any that reference the Vaticanus or Sinaiticus manuscripts as source for some of their text.  Despite the differences in the original Greek they have been translated from, I have yet to find any differences that are of any doctrinal significance.

I would also like to mention that my previous statements do not endorse all Bibles that reference the KJV or versions based on work by Westcott and Hort.  I am aware of versions that pervert God’s word and claim the same doctrinal authority as what I previously mentioned because they claim to be “sourced” or derived from them.

To some, there seems to be quite a few Bibles I have not eliminated yet and therefore I have not fully explained my position.   In answer to that, let me just say that I feel confident that the remainder of this exercise will, as a result, eliminate those as well.  Any that you may find that still remain can be addressed then.

I am aware that I am a nobody in the world of theology or Christianity.  I have no published works, no original research material, no pastorship, doctorate, or even a blog audience.  Nonetheless, I am compelled to do this and if it is only useful to me then it is still worthwhile.  Anything else is just bonus.  But I am also aware that it could be useful for others and that chance alone makes this endeavor worthwhile.

Referring back to my statement about an antagonist, I will not be using one person or one group.  Instead, I will use what I feel is most appropriate for the topic at the time.  This could be a person or a group, in multiples or combinations, or anyone or anything at large.  Whoever or whatever the antagonist will be, the selection will be deliberate and a distinction will be made to show the contrasting positions.  It will be offensive to some and I make no excuses for that.  I firmly believe that God is True and it is the Holy Spirit that is convicting.  So for those who would form their comments with the words “How dare I…” understand that the reply you will receive will be scripture or scripturally based.  As best as I can, I will try to follow the words of John, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”[John 3:30]  I believe that his statement provides a very good example of getting out of God’s way so to speak.

So I will conclude here for now and consider this my introduction for what is to come.  I am under no pressure to crank out text, so I will work on this as time permits.

Getting off center

I caught myself today wondering when believing in God or Jesus or the Resurrection or the Bible showed intellectual immaturity or naiveté.  Why do those who believe suffer from a lack of enlightenment or a lack of good old common sense?  Why does there have to be something wrong with us?

I am sure at this point most of you are thinking that I am looking at things from the wrong perspective and you would be correct.  Sometimes I think I go too long wading through this world before spending time with God and I lose a little “perspective.”  Here is a little perspective.

1 Corinthians 1:18-20 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”  Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not God made the foolish the wisdom of the world?

2 Peter 2:2 – Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

Isaiah 55:6-9 – Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

1 Corinthians 3:18-19 – Do not deceive yourselves.  If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.  As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Psalm 94:11 – The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

Psalm 111:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To Him belongs eternal praise.

I suppose I could go on and on, but for me this is enough to bring me back to center.  Once again I am reminded about how important it is to study God’s word and seek the truth.  He is our defense and our place of shelter.

Offensive Christianity (Part III)

In the first two parts I covered two areas that some find offensive about Christianity; God and Sin. I would now like to wrap things up with one more area that for some is the greatest gift they have ever and will ever receive, and for others it is probably the most offensive message they have ever heard. So let us finish up here with salvation.

I think there are two groups that feel offended by salvation as defined in Christianity. The first group would be those whose beliefs do not include the concept of salvation. Atheism comes to mind here, but then again, they reject God altogether. The second group would be those whose beliefs claim some other method or methods to salvation and/or reincarnation. I add reincarnation here because for those who believe in it, it is a form of salvation.

In order to identify what some consider offensive about salvation, we should probably define it. I am going to try to avoid promoting any specific theology here and try to stick to the basics. I would rather share the message than obscure it with a theological debate, but you are welcome to contact me if you must and I will open up a blog thread for discussion.

Since we have covered why we need salvation (Sin) we can move on to the reason why salvation is possible at all. We can easily sum this all up with one name; Jesus. One of the more famous verses in the Bible shows us that salvation is possible. In John 3:16 it is written, For God so loved the world that he gave is one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The story of Jesus is truly the greatest ever told and in this story is the reason why we can be saved.

Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life as a man. He endured the same things in his life (and much more) as you and I yet never sinned unlike every other person living, dead, or to come. Even though He was untouchable by anything in existence, He allowed Himself to suffer and die on the Cross for all our sins. Three days later he victoriously arose from the dead. This is why salvation is possible and this is why Acts 4:12 says, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.

The fact that this concretely establishes Jesus Christ as the source of salvation and no other invalidates all other beliefs. It so clearly draws a line in the sand that any other belief system which includes a type of salvation cannot logically incorporate itself into Christianity. It must stand apart with its own salvation doctrine.

Now some of you may be hung up on the word “fact” that I used in the last paragraph. I believe the Gospel story and therefore I can only present it as fact. Otherwise I would be in contradiction. I have never met anyone who died and received eternal life through Jesus Christ. So yes, it is by faith that I accept the gift of salvation. But it is by this same faith and the Truth that is God that I can say with absolute certainty that Jesus Christ died for all mankind’s sins and it is only through Him that I am saved and it is only through Him that anyone can be saved. It is not a hypothesis, theory, interpretation, or fantasy. It is another absolute and in that some may feel offended.

Another reason salvation may appear offensive is that salvation is a gift given from grace. It cannot be earned and it cannot be purchased by anyone. God gave His Son and Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified out of a love none can match. This was not simply a generalized love for all mankind. It was a personal love for each and every one of use. He loved me enough to die for my sins even though I did not deserve it. Put another way, salvation was not for man, it was for you.

If it is not clear why this might seem offensive to some, consider it from the context of ego. The self righteous my feel they deserve salvation and might believe that someone else does not. As a gift to all, it levels the playing field so to speak and some egos cannot handle that. The gift of salvation negates stature, class, intellect, social popularity, works, ritualization, intensity of suffering, or any other reason that might lead one to believe they are worthy of salvation by their own hand. Salvation is free and it is for everyone.

It is my prayer that this series has helped you in some way. If you find yourself offended by anything presented here I would ask that examine what you feel is offensive and take some time to search yourself to really understand what is at the root of that feeling. It may be how you were raised, or that you were hurt by someone, or what you were taught. Take that and compare it to what is written in the Bible. God loves you and he does not want anyone to perish.

If any of you find yourself asking what you can do to become a Christian please read on.

Salvation is not a complicated process or special ritual. All it requires is:

1) The acknowledgement that you are sinner in needs of a Savior
2) That Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins and arose from the dead
3) Confess Jesus as your Lord and God surrendering control of your life to Him
4) Accepting Jesus as your savior.

If you are ready to come to Jesus, they pray to him these things. Use your own words and speak to Him as you would anyone else. Jesus is real and desires to have a personal relationship with you.

If you have asked Jesus into your life you have made the most important decision you will ever make and I encourage you to seek out a church in your community that will help your grow in your new faith. Pray for God’s guidance to help you find the place where he wants you to be.

Offensive Christianity (Part II)

In part 1, I began to answer the question of why some find Christianity offensive by removing Christians from the discussion. At first blush it would seem that there is no place else to go. In all actuality we can and will go to the fist and the last place, God.


Here again I will have to provide context because man has raised people and things to godlike status and called them God. They have perverted the one true God with their cultures and practices and religions. They have claimed an ancestral, supernatural, or cosmic relationship between their Gods and the one true God. Some have elevated man to godlike status. And some even try to present counterfeits and call them God.

Before you cry out and ask why my truth is better than your truth or how dare I tell you that your God is not the one true God, please bear with me because we will get to that.

I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are the whole, and none could exist without the other yet they operate independently and at the same time in concert with each other. And in no way am I referring to modalism. It is a hugely difficult concept for a finite mind to try to understand let alone explain and I have to admit I am far from fully grasping it. But for this discussion, I do not think I need to dive any deeper here. I do want to bring in a couple verses here to illustrate this, however.

Genesis 1:26 – “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”


Matthew 3:16-17 – As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”


Matthew 28:19 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

So, I tend to assign a basic attribute to each to help get my head around it all. These would be: God the Father – Creator, Jesus Christ the Son – Savior, Holy Spirit – Helper. Please understand this does not come close to adequately describing God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This just helps me to understand basic concepts by keeping these in the forefront of my mind.

One other thing I would like to clarify here is that when I say “offended by,” I do not mean to apply that God or Christianity offend anyone in any active sense. I cannot think of any reason why God or Christianity would set out to offend as there would be no purpose in it. The offense is a perception by those who find offence or feel offended. It is that person’s feeling or understanding that leads them to those conclusions and is wholly contained within them. And numbers do not change this fact. A group of people that feel offended would never mean that God or Christianity must have actively worked to offend them. It simply means that the members of that group, no matter how large and diverse, all share the common feeling or perception.

So let us begin right here with the first issue; God.

If God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all one, then you cannot have any without all. Any who claim that Jesus was just a prophet, or was just a holy man, or does not exist must also deny the existence of God. For some, God must exist but Jesus is not Lord or never existed which is counter to Christianity. If their theology is founded on this belief, then not only are they forced to deal with their concept of god, but any and all arguments based on their “god concept.”

I guess this is a good place to identify what the offense actually is. If we could distill it down to its essence I believe it is the concept of Absolute Truth. In a world of relativism, there is no absolute anything. Everyone is just a correct as everyone else which, I might add, is self defeating. If I say that you are wrong and I am right and you say you are right and I am wrong and my position is as true is yours, then you cannot be right. (if you want to explore this further, look up self-referential inconsistency).

Back on point, an absolute truth means there is no possibility of degrees or change. And in the context of our discussion, any absolutes are defined by God eliminating any chance that they can be or will change. As God exists outside any human moral or intellectual relativism and outside time itself (I am who I am, Exodus 3:14) accepting God requires accepting the concept of absolutes beyond the control or influence of man.

Expanding upon this a little further, acceptance would also require one to admit that they were wrong. I think that this is the most difficult thing a person can do because of pride. We will try anything to keep from losing face. We will do whatever we can to justify our position, beliefs, or actions so that we do not have to admit we are wrong. We all do it time and time again. No one wants to be wrong.

Most often admitting that we are wrong also means admitting that someone else is right. Understanding this is very important to a Christian, but often unrealized. It is not the person who is right. It is God who is True and it is the Holy Spirit that is convicting. It would be wise to get out of the way and let God work (He must increase, but I must decrease – John 3:30).

After God, I think it is logical to move onto Sin. Let me begin with a few verses.

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.


1 John 1:8 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.


1 John 1:10 – If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.


Romans 3:10 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.

As a Christian, there had to be a point where I accepted the fact that I was a sinner in need of a savior. It did not matter what my sins were. Sin is no more a matter of relativism any more than Truth is. Any opinion that I am good enough because I have not done anything that bad is simply wrong because it is not a matter of how bad, it is simply yes or no. Without Christ, the person who stole a candy bar shares the same fate as a mass murderer.

And from this simple principle comes a flood of responses. “I am not that bad.” “A loving God would never condemn me.” “The good I have done outweighs the bad.” “I want no part of a God who could condemn this beautiful person.” “Just because you think it is sin does not mean it is. I don’t think it is and my position is just as true as yours.” The list can go on and on but the bottom line is that these are all feeble attempts at justifying sin.

Why would anyone need to justify their sin? Up to this point, it almost sounds like sin is just a character flaw so why try to justify it. Well, there is a cost. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Basically, if we have sinned we will not receive eternal life.

At this point the typical response is “Who are you to judge me.” But in all reality it is Jesus who judges, not man.

I do think it is pretty clear to see that because in Christianity there is realization that no one is sinless and because of that sin we are condemned some find this offensive. No one wants to grouped with those who they think have far worse sins then they and no one wants to miss out on eternal life because of sin.

In part 3 we will cover the one last thing that some find offensive about Christianity.

Offensive Christianity (Part I)

Have you ever wondered why Christianity is so offensive to some? Let me stop here and provide some context because without that, the list would be infinite.

I spent some time trying to figure out how to clear the clutter and get to the heart of this blog and I find it best to differentiate between Christianity and Christians so we can exclude Christians. I know that sounds a bit absurd, but I am confident that my explanation will be acceptable to most.

 

Aside from the fact that only God truly knows our heart and therefore is the only one who can validate any claim we may make about our faith and beliefs, I believe it is a fair statement to say that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Attending church makes a person no more a Christian than a fan attending a football game makes them a football player. Similarly, being “baptized” in some ceremony as an infant in no way makes you a “member of the club.” Our parent’s faith does not provide any supporting evidence for any claim of Christianity we may make. Our adherence to ritual, rules, or conditions can never bring us into the Christian family. Any suffering, sacrifice, or penance we might endure will never justify us in the eyes of God. And finally, we cannot bribe, buy, coerce, blackmail, or steal the title of Christian.

To help you understand my position on Christianity, I believe at a minimum, a Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Included in that belief are the following verses:

 

John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” 

Romans 10:9-10 – “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Unfortunately for those on the outside looking in, a Christian is recognized by the Christian’s claim, a social circle, a national citizenship, or an ethnic or cultural affiliation. Since we have already established that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian, there is a real distortion in perception.

Add to this the consistent an utter failure of all mankind, Christian or not, to follow the example set by Christ, I find it impossible and even insane to look at man and expect to find the definition of Christianity beyond one simple principle; man has fallen into sin and needs a Savior in order to come back to his Creator. To clarify that last statement, without Christ there is no way to become right with God. We will always carry the stain of sin and therefore our future will be the eternal and complete separation from God.

If the sole reason why someone is offended by Christianity is the Christians, then the offense lies with man and has nothing to do with Christianity.

Since we just eliminated Christians from Christianity, it would seem we are stuck. What else is there? Part 2 will go into that.

The Zone

Have you ever been in an environment where the noise level was so high you had trouble focusing?  Have you ever been in a place where there was so much activity that you found it difficult to move without fear of getting trampled? Have you ever found yourself so surrounded by activity, people and things in your face, that getting your bearings seemed next to impossible?

I am sure everyone has experienced that to some degree a few times in their life.  But I submit that today most everyone is lost in a "noise floor" that seems overwhelming. Think about your day today and while you do let me throw out some of those noise sources...

Medicare, Militants attack, Glenn Beck compares ABC report to Nazi Propaganda, Iraq on highest alert for terror attacks, two car bombs explode in northern Mexico, unemployment close to 10 percent, new home sales worst in 25 years, record home foreclosures, national debt  at 13,300,000,000,000, prayer banned, mosque to be built near ground zero, thousands flee wall of water and mud, many others killed, abortion rates rising, workplace violence increasing, IED, Insurgents, suicide bomber, Nuclear Iran, campus killings, BP, Gulf destroyed, genocide, Obamacare, Political corruption, Atheism, religion, Jihad, and on, and on.

For anyone who wishes to engage in the world today, this is that world.  And it seems that any rational discussion involving any one of these topics have given way to dogmatic arguments with the loudest gaining some ground for their cause that day.

Others who opt out lose themselves in video games, sporting events, or other activities that help to insulate them from the blender of controversy, pain, anger, entitlement, revenge, conquest, hate, and power chewing up the streets of America today.

I would like to offer up an alternative for those one the edge, those losing themselves to the madness around them, and anyone else looking for a place of comfort and peace.

Now I cannot promise that anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ will find much comfort in what I am about to propose, nor can I promise it will make much sense.  But for the rest, the events found in Matthew 14: 22-33 demonstrate some principles very relevant today.

While you can read the other verses in Matthew for context, I would like to focus on just this section.  It begins by Jesus sending the disciples ahead of him in a boat while he went up on a mountain to pray.  During the trip a strong storm began battering their ship.  Let's parallel that storm with what what is going on in the world today.  Isn't it easy to see the parallels here.  Can you imagine that you feel inside today the same as you would on a boat in the middle of a sea in storm.

Now if the storm was not bad enough, Jesus went out to them walking on water and the disciples thought he was some type of spirit and they became very afraid, but Jesus called to them and told them not to be afraid.

Well Peter, being Peter, challenged him and asked that if he was Jesus the Jesus should ask him to come to Him on the water.  Jesus said come, and (I am sure to the amazement of everyone there) Peter started walking on water to Jesus.

Now the text does not say this specifically, but I believe that as long as Peter was totally fixed on Jesus, he was able to this.  His faith was sound and his gaze fixed on Jesus.  He was in the zone.  If any of you have played sports you can understand this somewhat I believe.  When I played basketball, I would get into the zone.  All the fans would just disappear and the only thing that existed in my world at the time was those on the court and the purpose of what we were doing.  I would like to think that was where Peter was as he started walking on water.

At some point, he began to notice the storm again and got afraid and started sinking and cried out for help.  I know we all have been there before.  Despite his apparent collapse into failure, Jesus immediately reached out and caught him and saved him and they continued onto the boat at which point the winds stopped.

So I say, using this event as an example, Focus on Christ.  Get into the Zone.  Let Him bring you peace.  Let Him recharge your soul.  Let him take your hand and assure you that the winds will cease.

SCM