Gettin' under my skin.

I must confess, there are many things that get under my skin.  But nothing does so as quickly or as irritatingly as when people get history or science wrong.  I realize that there exists in a culture today a malevolent attitude toward the Bible, and I know that this attitude is only going to get worse.  But there is a real bias against anything biblical.  


Consider the theory of evolution.  Have you been to the zoo lately?  Or perhaps you took a trip to the natural history museum.  The theory evolution is all on their placards.  It usually reads like this..."over 100 million years ago..."  They must spend a fortune on this placards since the dates change every 5-10 years.  When I was a kid, it was only millions of years.  But I digress...  Are there no scientists who believe in a young earth - sure there are!  In fact, there is a growing pool of scientists who believe in a young earth.  Do you think they will ever be asked by the Discovery Channel about the evidence to support a young earth?  I doubt it.  And Bible believing people are intolerant?


But today, it was taken to an entire new level.  My family and I went to NYC to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.  The "scholars" told me that the Bible was written many years after the date accepted by most scholars...that the Jewish religion was a "folk" religion, but most Jews were pagan idolaters...and that Jews were of Canaanite descent.  This was given by a leading "scholar" and was "backed up" by the archeology found in the area.  This news came right after the map on the wall showed the cultural significance and diversity of Judea throughout the ages.  


Here is my problem.  Just because you find some Canaanite idols in Israel does not mean that the Jews were of Canaanite descent who who had some kind of spiritual reformation, nor does it mean that the real religion of the Jews was idolatry, in particular feminist idolatry (worshipping the divine female).  It could simply means that there was a Canaanite influence in the land and many people left Judaism to follow after false gods.  


Deuteronomy 7:1 states, God wanted Israel to drive the Canaanites out of the land with many others occupants.  Why?  Because God knew that if Israel did not drive the Canaanites out, they would subvert the people from following God.  Did Israel follow God's instruction?  Look at Judges 16:10.  "And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute."  So what do we find in the archeological evidence today?  We see a Canaanites presence and their pagan idols.  But the existence of this evidence does not prove that the religion on the Bible was a "folk" religion and idolatry was the real religion of the land.  What is does prove is that God knew what he was talking about when he told Israel to drive the Canaanites out of the Land.  And that's just a quick look at the word "Canaanites" in the Bible.


I guess what really makes me so mad is that people will go through the exhibit and say.  "Yea, that must be right, because an 'scholar' said it."  And many of those people will say that they are christian.  Warning believer...We are at war!  The enemy will do anything to lead people away from God.  Be diligent.  Study God's word, so that you will not be deceived by the lies of the Evil One.


Oh, and by the way...it was awesome to see the six fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls that were on display.

Generous Giving!

I have always considered myself a generous giver.  I believe in tithing.  I believe it is the place all believer should start their giving.  A tithe is a tenth of my income.  And not to be trite, but I believe it's on all my income, not just what gets deposited into my checking account.  I believe in giving God the first fruits, so my tithe check to my local church is the first check I make out after I write my deposit in Quicken©.  On top of that, there is missions through my church, missions that I support personally, and special opportunity giving.  I don't say that to brag, just that you know I understand biblical giving.

But recently, my world was rocked by a simple little book called The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn.  I enjoy most of the books from this author, and I find them spiritually encouraging.  Our church had recently studied all about Heaven, using this authors book on heaven as a study help.  So when Christmas came around I jumped at the opportunity to give our church more resources from this man of God.  I hadn't read the book myself, but I was confident in the author ability to reveal scripture clearly.

I have been taking some days off to prepare for the upcoming year at our church.  I picked up the little book and started reading.  I must confess, I was amazed at how much the book affected me.  The author uses scripture after scripture after scripture to drive home the point that we should be laying up treasure in heaven, not here on earth.  That's not a new concept for any believer.  Yet, most believer's I know get swallowed up into obtaining too many earthly treasures.   All the while claiming to be storing up treasure only in heaven.  The author was not content to let me stay in my lie any longer.  this is where he hit me.  He said, we buy a new TV, only to figure out we "need" a new DVD player, then our stand is too small, then we need a surround sound system, then high definition reception, etc, etc, etc.

Nothing is innately wrong with having these things, but his words hit home with me.  Why?  Just the other day, I was looking at a Bose surround system for my TV.  Do I need a Bose surround sound system.  No, I can hear my TV just fine.  But there is a part of me that says, "Mike, you deserve that surround sound system."  I guess you know where that little voice came form don't you.  Yea, it was my flesh.  I don't deserve a surround sound system.  Let me tell you what I deserve...

Maybe at some other time.  The author sets forth 6 Treasure Principles that should guide every believer's mind about money and possession.  These principles are the foundation for a biblical worldview concerning money.  They are all biblically grounded although the dot and line principle is a picture of biblical truth.  I loved his antidote for materialism (principle #5).

The best part of the book was the "giving covenant".  The book calls its reader not only to contemplate the truths found in scripture but to take action upon what the Bible says to be the way of financial life for every believer.

I encourage this book for all believers, young and old.  It will not take a great amount of time to read the entire work, and it is easy reading.   I recommend reading it slowly while looking up each passage of scripture.  Maybe even take it chapter at a time so one can fully digest these treasured principles.  But take warning, It may challenge your ideas about giving...It may even revolutionize your financial outlook!