| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity” Our Bible verse for today: “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (CSB) Our thought for today: “We need more people with wisdom and insight” At the end of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo and his companions are finally returning to their hometown in Bag End after having been gone for a very long time on a very dangerous journey. When they finally arrive in Bag End, they discover that in their absence the town has been taken over by an evil authoritarian strongman by the name of Sharkey. The people were living in fear of Sharkey and they were being ruled with an iron fist. However, Frodo, now older and wiser, immediately sees that Sharkey is really a paper tiger; he doesn’t have any real power over the people and he is ruling them by means of clever lies and deception. You see, there are two ways to control people. One is through force, the other is through deception. Wise Frodo immediately saw that Sharkey’s control over the people came through lies and deceptions and therefore the people had the power to reject those lies and to no longer be deceived. Once they realized that, Sharkey lost his power over them and he was quickly deposed and banished. In our nation we are not ruled by force, but we do often allow ourselves to be deceived. That’s true socially, culturally, politically, and sometimes in our churches. And this is why the issue of character and integrity is so important. On the one hand, we need to ensure that those we allow to have positions of power and influence are truly worthy of that trust, that they are men and women of character and integrity. But second, it’s essential that we not allow ourselves to be deceived by the liars and false teachers in our society, in our politics, and in our churches. It’s up to us to be wise, to ask questions, to study the issues, and to hold our leaders accountable. Over time, men and women of godly character and solid integrity become increasingly wise and insightful as they continue to mature in Christ. Their wisdom and insight can then be brought to bear upon situations in our society and in our churches. They are the ones who are able to see through the lies and deceptions and to help others see clearly as well. And for that reason, we need more men and women of godly character and solid integrity. This is a vital truth and it bears further discussion. Therefore, we will continue our thinking about this tomorrow. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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