Job 5:6-8 reminds us of the plight of man, but also what to do in the midst of those troubles: “Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause.”
This week’s Decency Minutes also point us to both the potential difficulties we may face and to remind us to look to the God of Heaven. We are called to remember God’s goodness to us in the past, urging us to seek Him in future troubles, as well as daily.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, addressed his son’s graduation class in 2017 with a speech entitled I Wish You Bad Luck. Here, in part, is what he had to say; might we give some consideration to his words: “I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice; betrayal will teach you the importance of loyalty; rejection will teach you not to take your friends for granted; being ignored will teach you the importance of listening to others; pain will teach you compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend on your ability to see the message in your misfortunes.” (To hear or read Justice Robert’s speech in its entirety click here.)
Just as Job, Joseph, and others – including you and me – were, and will be, put into difficult situations, God has a purpose and a plan for us. He intends to purify and refine us; do we accept or struggle against His will? Sometimes God graciously puts us in the middle of these troubles to grow and sometimes to show – His grace and transforming power in our lives.
As we face troubles or friction in our lives, may we remember that a gem cannot be polished without friction and men cannot be perfected without trials. Also, keep in mind that God knows exactly how much we can handle; trust Him all the way to the end, just as Job and Joseph did.
Trump’s Middle East Trade Deals are All About AI
The world no longer falls into the categories we’ve grown comfortable with. Possible or impossible, friend or enemy, conservative or liberal – President Trump’s new AI deals in the Middle East have boiled it all down to one issue: America or China.
The winner of the AI race will call the shots globally and if it’s America, perhaps our values of liberty and equality will be baked into the “intelligence.” But as the very meaning of the words “liberty and equality” have been up for debate in recent years, Christians and other conservative groups can’t afford to hope that even this would be a welcome outcome.
Whether Artificial Intelligence liberates itself from the constraints placed on it by its engineers or human intelligence continues to be outsourced to machines, the real issue we are all faced with isn’t going to be America vs. China; it’s going to be humanity vs. AI.
There have been a lot of questions regarding President Trump’s choices in the Middle East, including cozying up to pro-Hamas Qatar.
Following the admonitions of the Qur’an, President Trump is being called to convert to Islam. Prominent Egyptian scholar Al-Adawi calls on “Great American” Trump to “submit to Allah and find salvation.”
Qur’an 16:125 tells Muslims: “Call them to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching.” In a hadith, Muhammad is depicted as telling Muslims to follow up the “invitation,” if refused, with a second invitation asking non-Muslims to enter the Islamic social order as dhimmis, with institutionalized second-class status; or if they refuse both, to go to war with them.
After President Trump’s truthful Easter proclamation of who Jesus Christ is and what he’s done, how will he respond? How will Islamists respond? May the one True God’s glory be seen!
This week we commemorate Memorial Day – a day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
God also commands us to remember. We’re to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. In Deuteronomy, God commanded the Israelites not to forget His blessings: “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness ...”
Here at American Decency, we’re also setting aside a day to remember what the Lord has done, as we mark the 40th anniversary since God raised up this ministry.
We encourage you to join us on July 11 as we give glory to God, looking back in celebration and thanksgiving for the blessings and victories that God brought about in and through this ministry. Call 231-924-4050 for more information.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (I Cor. 10:13)
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:2-8)
Here is a song by Laura Story called Blessings. May it give a perspective on troubles that we do not often think about.
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