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the elephant and the 600 lb gorilla in the room

2/21/2018

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2Chron 7:14 & James 4:1-8
   We have all heard the expressions of the title used. It means that there is something obvious that no one wants to admit or to talk about, so just ignore it and it will go away. Not so easily done, were such to actually be the case, yet we often do so when we pretend to deal with a problem without addressing the real cause thereof.
    The recent school shooting, which follows on the heels of other mass shootings, is tragic to say the least. Yet the clamor is again for 'more gun control'. Now, while it seems to be a solution, it really is not, for the shootings, while a symptom of guns, are not the real problem any more than cars are the cause of accident related deaths. 
    The elephant/gorilla in the room is not going away because we make more restrictions on legal gun owners, nor banning guns altogether. If murder or physical harm is in the heart of a man, he will seek out any means possible to carry out that intent. Remember, people killed people long before the gun was invented.
    Note that I said, "people killed people".  The elephant/gorilla problem lies in the heart of mankind. We are depraved and sinfully wicked people and our hearts are "deceitful and desparately wicked" according to the prophet Jeremiah. Psychologists disagree, insisting that man is inherently good and that individuals respond negatively due to poor education and economic conditions. So, our government throws billions of dollars at the problem...yeah, how's that working for us?
    While I concede that we have socio/economic problems in our country and that financial aid is a part of the solution, it is not the whole solution because it does not deal with the whole of the problem...the elephant/gorilla.  We must address the heart of man. This is a spiritual problem.
     Man is a tri-part being comprised of  Body (physical), Soul (life, morality, will), and Spirit (God consciousness). We have denied the Spiritual aspect of man by removing prayer, Bible reading and the 10 Commandments from our public places, hiding behind the misnomer of 'separation of church and state', which is being interpreted as 'separation from"...So, in order to 'protect' children from ideas that might influence them, we have effectively made them vulnerable to evil.
     Because our societal leaders have ignored the problems that arise in the hearts of men, evil increases and the results are becoming more and more tragic. Imagine what might take place if morality, decency, kindness, the Golden Rule, and yes, even the 10 Commandments were reintroduced to our schools. Could it be that the hearts might be changed and attitudes and actions altered?
    Deuteronomy 28 records the blessings and contrary curses that would befall a nation depending on whether that nation heeded or rejected God's Word as the governing influence over them...take the time to read it and ask yourself where we seem to be as a nation...and why.
    We, as a nation, like the Prodigal Son, need to come to ourselves out of our insanity, realizing that the only way out of the hog pen, is to arise and return to our Father. Seems he saw the elephant/gorilla...or pigs...and did something about the problem rather than trying to make the pen more comfortable.
    William J. Kirkpatrick wrote "Lord, I'm Coming Home"...sing it today~
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    With A Song of Praise
    Please join me here for devotional thoughts and songs which will hopefully serve to enforce the message from God's word as you reflect on it during your day.  Pastor Bob

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