And Some Call Him the "Messiah"

I believe this is the first time in a Presidential campaign that I have ever heard one of the candidates being called the "Messiah." I have heard the candidate himself make some jokes about it, but I have never heard him come right out and deny it. You'd better careful, you better be right, for the messiah has come to town. Sen. Barack Hussein Obama attracted an estimated crowd of 35,000 swooning followers as he spoke in Leesburg, VA this past week.

On October 9th the WorldNetDaily posted the following by Louis Farrakhan leader of the Nation of Islam about Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. Farrakhan says when Obama talks 'the Messiah is absolutely speaking." Last Spring when Barack spoke in Germany many European newspapers called Obama the Messiah.

According to the Websters Dictionary, the word mes·si·ah means "anointed." Definitions include: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews; a professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause.

In Matthew 24:4-5 Jesus warns us with the following words, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ (Messiah),' and will deceive many.

Jesus confronts the Pharisees in Matthew 22 by asking them, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." 'If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

What do you believe about Jesus? If you believe, like Peter did, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (see Matthew 16:16), could you give the reasons for this to people who might ask you (see 1 Peter 3:15)?

What do we look for in our leaders especially our President? We want to know what they are basing their decisions on, what governs their thinking. We also want them to be capable of the job entrusted to them.

If elected President, Barack Hussein Obama, says he will bring change. The most reliable indicator of the changes he will bring is to look at his past. With his election and the re-election of Nancy Pelosi in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate we could be looking at a very different America in a very short period of time.

If new Supreme Court judges are put on the bench changing the ideology of the Court we could see the following areas undergo major shifts or changes along with one party in power in the Congress:

• Same-sex marriage in all 50 States and all Territories


• Compulsory gender training in all public schools


• Adoption placements with homosexual couples nationwide


• Medical professionals would have to do compulsory abortions and artificial insemination


• Church buildings would have to be used for all wedding ceremonies


• Churches would lose their exemption to reject certain staff position applicants


• No student Christian activities at school either during or after school hours.


• No church meetings in public schools.


• Dismissal of "don't ask, don't tell policy in the military


• No Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in public schools because of "under God"


• Reversal of Partial Birth Amendment and all abortion restrictions


• Eliminate all restrictions on pornography in public libraries and schools


• Loss of gun ownership or heavy restrictions with new Second Amendment decisions


• Loss of or very limited home schooling availability


• Heavy handed enforcement of single provider government health care insurance


• Re-enactment of the "Fairness Doctrine"to eliminate or restrict conservative talk radio and TV programs


• Restrictions on Christian preaching, books, and education as it relates to same sex marriage as hate speech


• Continued price increases in energy cost as the US does nothing to keep up with demand domestically


• Union-ification of industries and business with no secret ballot which drivies up prices


• Massive budget deficits

And some call him the "Messiah."

We Work Hard for Our Money

We work hard for our money. All of our wages earned through the month of May each year goes to the payment of taxes at all levels of government from the local to the national. Americans are some of the most highly taxed people in the world. We work hard for our money.

Work is part of the fabric of our lives and we use it as a means of identifying who we are. If you ever hear a group of men talking to each other for the first time they usually get around to asking each other what they do for a living. Work becomes a way to identify who we are. If we become unemployed, our lives become a mess. Pressure comes to bear on the family and other relationships. Even if we don't do the right kind of work, we can become frustrated. Work and life go hand in hand.

In two weeks the American people will be going to the polls to elect a new president. I have spent a lot of time reading about the two candidates. One has had a public life for many years and it appears their are few new skeletons in the closet. The other candidate has had a very brief public life and has not been scrutinized by the main stream media to uncover any skeletons (which I believe they have avoided). Both are offering various tax cutting schemes that will effect the taxes we will be paying in the coming years and the amount of work we will have to perform to pay our tax bills. With the current financial crisis many will have to work way beyond their retirement in order to survive.

God's character is associated with work. God has been active in human history from the creation of Adam and Eve. 'All mankind will fear, they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.' (Psalm 64:9 NIV). The Psalmist tells us that men will tell the stories of God's acts which will cause them to worship Him. God is the God of history. His fingerprints are all over human history. He is in charge. The Psalmist's words remind us that our lives are under God's authority and control. It is God who is directing our circumstances.

As you march down the road of life in these trying times become aware of what God is doing in your life so that you can proclaim His works to others. Reflect on God's history with you. It is our life story being written from God's perspective. This raises an important question: Do you see your work as the hand of God written into your own history? Can you proclaim your work as God's action in your life? It's not about you, is it? Even work is about Him. Trust Him in the days ahead as He continues to write your life story. We work hard for our money.

Times Like This Where Do You Put Your Faith?

The best word in English that we can use in place of "faith" is trust. In these trying times to whom do you place your faith? In yourself, in your abilities, in a higher power, luck, or God. With the full blown worldwide financial meltdown in progress it won't be long and we could begin to see the consequences of this disaster touching you, your friends, family or neighbors. Just to name a few things we could experience:

• Loss of tax revenue to government will cause projects to be delayed or cancelled


• Corporate cutbacks and layoffs


• Business closings


• Inability to retire


• Reduction in government programs


• Churches, para church organizations, and other non-profits suffering from income loss

I hope we do not see a full fledged recession or worse. I can remember going through rough economic times as a small business owner during the Carter Presidency in the 80's. If I remember correctly unemployment was around 10% and interest rates were as high as 21.5%, outrageous personal, corporate, and capital gains taxes. The government officially announced that we were in a recession and it was like someone had flipped a switch and the economy light went out. It wasn't until the Reagan administration made some radical changes in the tax code did the economy begin to pull out of the doldrums. Since the Reagan years we have seen the longest period of economic growth ever experienced by a nation. Many young people today have no idea of what it is like to go through a significant economic down turn.

When God wants us to understand the mystery of suffering, He does not give us an intellectual argument – he gives us the story of Job. After losing everything God restored seven-fold what Job had lost. He has got it all – health, wealth and a loving family – but he loses everything. His friends tell him it is his own fault. He must have sinned or offended God. Job insists that he has not sinned. He questions God. He gets angry with Him. But through it all, he holds on to his belief that God is in control. He puts his faith (trust) in God. If you haven't read Job lately it might be worth taking your time to do so.

God eventually speaks to Job, but does not give him an answer. He just points out that these things are too big for Job to comprehend. And Job is satisfied – because he doesn't really want an answer. He just wants to know that God has not abandoned him. And in the final chapter of Job, God shows him that He is on his side. God reprimands his friends, commends Job and blesses him.

The message of the Bible is that we need to hold on to God in the bad times. As a believer there is no other answer. Of course, we should not let the good times hide Him from us either! Of course many people don't seek God or build on the personal relationship with Him during the good times. They run to Him only when they are affect by the bad times.

Job 42:10 says, "After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before".

The Book of Job is a wonderful story of loss, restoration, and faith!

Your Gold and Silver Have Corroded

Today's news continues with the world-wide financial crisis and now I hear that after Wednesday's NY Stock Exchange closing the mega insurance company AIG got another infusion of money from the US Treasury, to the tune of $39 billion. Those are the guys who had the $400,000 meeting days after receiving the $89 billion from the US Treasury I wrote about in a previous blog.

The book of James warns the fat-cat-city-types who get obscene bonuses: such as pop stars, football stars, Wall Street stars, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stars, and even AIG stars could be judged, especially if their wealth comes from exploiting others.

Riches are relative when compared with many in the world, to have clean water, food, clothes, a home, education, and access to medical care is to be very rich indeed. There’s nothing wrong with being rich. It's how we get the wealth and what we do with it that matters.

The Book of James gives us two warnings:

1. It won’t last. If we build our lives on material things we have a great shock coming when those things pass away.
   
2. James warns that if our wealth comes from the exploitation of others we will face the judgement of God.

James 5:1-3

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

What do you think?

Are we as a nation paying the price for something that has been going on under our noses and we have said nothing? We have even participated in it. All was well as our home values skyrocketed year after year. We took advantage of those teaser mortgage rates and loans.; you know the no money down, low interest rate, no proof of employment kind. Things were so good we even bought houses and flipped them to make a quick buck.

It is interesting to note that Americans giving has stayed the same over the years and our personal debt has soared. As the Rev. Wright (Retired Pastor of the United Church of Christ Chicago) has been quoted as saying, "The chickens have come home to roost!"

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Would we dare fast and pray as believers to save our nation?

The Love of Money

One week after the federal government bailed out American International Group Inc. (AIG), the company sent executives and their top producers on a $440,000 retreat to a exclusive California resort as the company tapped into a $85 billion loan from the taxpayers it needed to stave off bankruptcy.

About 80 people received $5,500 of royal treatment each from the use of the spa to playing the golf course. The retreat didn't include anyone from the financial products division that nearly drove AIG into the dust.

Documents released yesterday by the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee, which is examining the chain of events that caused the government to bail out AIG, disclosed that AIG executives hid the full range of its risky financial products from auditors as losses mounted.

It is difficult not to judge the leadership of AIG and the series of poor decisions they made over the years. I can't blame their top producers for attending an event that rewarded their top people for doing a great job. After all, if you were told if you are one of the top producers for the company and they will pay for a trip to a California resort, as well as, allow hob-nobing with the top executives as an incentive to produce, who wouldn't want to take advantage of it and attend, especially with all expenses paid? A great incentive reward!

However, it was poor judgement in timing on the part of the company decision makers to go ahead with the outing. The event has certainly angered many people and rightfully so. I can remember when I worked for the Xerox Corporation and they had similar incentive programs. If you achieved certain goals it resulted in a great trip with the wife to a plush resort. It was a perk that made all of the time spent on the job and away from the family worth it.

But company executives lied about the financial position of the company, therefore lining their pockets with money that was not rightfully there's. As usual money corrupts. This whole financial mess is about greed and the corruption of people by money.

Money is important and the Bible has a lot to say about it. Two of the passages I am reminded of as I learn about the AIG fiasco.

1 Timothy 6:10 states, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."

In Matthew 6:21, 24 Jesus says, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. "

Show Me the "Pork"

As everyone knows the so called "Bailout Bill" has been signed into law by President Bush. To get it to pass the US House of Representatives it contained a little "pork" to sweeten the pot and help it to pass.

The signed bill is over 447 pages greater and 100 billion dollars bigger and to think it started as a measly 3-page document and a paltry 700 billion dollars only a week ago. Does this tell us something about the bloating of government. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. It is our money that the Congress spends and promises on our behalf. While we waited for the plan to pass our Congress allowed us to stew a little while they added the pork. We are told it needed the "pork" to pass.

Here are some of the "pork provisions" in the law.

• The bill would raise the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's current insurance limit to $250,000 per account from $100,000.
• The FDIC also would receive temporary unlimited borrowing authority from the Treasury under the bill.
• Some 24 million middle-class taxpayers would get relief from a one-year fix that shields them from higher tax rates under the ATM (Alternative Minimum Tax).
• It extends tax deductions for state and local sales taxes and allows deductions for state and local property taxes and higher education expenses for taxpayers who do not itemize their tax returns.
• The bill includes $18 billion in tax breaks for clean and renewable energy by continuing production tax credits for wind and refined coal, as well as breaks for solar and plug-in electric vehicles.
• The bill includes extension of favorable business tax provisions, such as tax credits related to new markets and research and development as well as the tax treatment of costs for retail and restaurant improvements.
• The bill would require insurance plans that offer mental health benefits to offer them at the same level as medical-surgical benefits.
• The bill provides for exemption for excise taxes on certain wooden arrows designed for use by children.
• It allows for a more favorable tax treatment of income from litigation over the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
• The bill also gives the Securities and Exchange Commission authority to suspend "mark-to-market" accounting standards to protect investors and the public interest. It also authorizes a study on the advisability of modifications to the practice, which has been blamed for billions of dollars of write-downs by financial services firms, eroding their balance sheets, as they struggle with elusive valuations in an illiquid market.
  

"The government proposal is more accurately described as a 'rescue plan' for the American consumer and taxpayer," said Ric Edleman this week who is listed by Barron's as among America’s 100 top financial advisors.

Visit Ric at http://www.ricedelman.com/.

New York Times article Pressured to Take More Risk, Fannie Reached Tipping Point

The time to be especially wise and dependent, not on ourselves, but on the Lord Himself is now. What does the Word of God have to say about the times in which we find ourselves?

Proverbs 1:20-33

Wisdom's Rebuke

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: "How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

"Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Renew your faith and trust in Him who loves and cares for you.