The Demands Of Truth

When Jesus stood before Pilate, he was asked: “Are You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:23).  Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If Me kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”   Desiring more clarification, Pilate said:  “So You are a king?”   To which Jesus replied, “You say correctly that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”   Upon hearing these words, Pilate said to Jesus: “What is truth?”   Then Pilate said that he found no guilt in Him.  (see John 18:37-38)

Pilate had the same problem with truth that many have today.  Due to the influences of humanistic philosophy, truth is no longer absolute or attainable.  It is not knowable, understandable, teachable, believable or necessary.   Each person can make up his/her own truth.   Or we can change the meaning of truth to fit the need of the moment.  We can even make up our own history.   After all, what difference does it really make??!!    When you consider all of the lies being told in politics and by people in general, it really makes one wonder.   But Jesus stated clearly that His kingdom would be based upon the principle of truth. 

Everyone who is of the truth hears the voice of Jesus.  He is the fullest expression of truth and the fullest expression of God.  Jesus said, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father.  He has explained him” (John 1:17-18).  As the great Shepherd, Jesus identified the true sheep as those who are willing to hear His voice and follow Him only.  "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers" (John 10:2-5).   He also said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  How can I know truth so that I will not be deceived?   Well, Satan, the great deceiver, is always at work.  Paul wrote: “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; ⁹ that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:8-10).  Some will perish because they did not love and know the truth.  The knowledge and practice of the truth is our only protection against Satan! 

Definition of Truth

Here is the dictionary definition of truth:  “1. The quality or state of being true; specif., a) orig., loyalty; trustworthiness  b) sincerity, genuineness, honesty  c) the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts, or reality; conformity with fact  d) reality; actual existence  e) agreement with a standard, rule, etc.; correctness; accuracy  2. That which is true; statement, etc. that accords with fact or reality   3. An established or verified fact, principle, etc. “ (New World Dictionary, 2^nd College Edition).    Is there any difficulty in understanding the definition?   No.   All of this sounds great until one starts to apply this truth to religion.  Then all at once people get weak-kneed and wobbly and their vision becomes blurred.   And if someone suggests that there might be absolute truth in religion, they will call that person all kinds of names like bigoted, radical, homophobic, etc.    

Truth, if it is worth anything at all, is knowable, understandable, teachable, consistent, profitable, valuable in a court of law, reliable, dependable, absolute, honorable, believable, etc.  Truth is opposite of a lie, is not deceptive, does not mislead.  Words may be multiplied, but one who seeks truth will not be deceived.  In praising God’s word, David wrote:  “O how I love Your law!  It is my meditation all the day.  ⁹⁸ Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine.  ⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.  ¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (Psa. 119:97-100).

Do Not Be Afraid To Stand Up For What Is Right

Those who are genuine seekers of truth will go wherever truth leads.  They will place truth above family, tradition, culture, self or other such demands.  I had loving parents and I owe them so very much, and yet I could not use them as a standard to follow in everything.  The early Christians had to choose Christ above family and religion.  Some came from Jewish backgrounds and others from pagan. But none of this matters.  Jesus Christ must be #1 in our lives and this must be based upon the truth of God’s word, since it is impossible for God to lie.   I could use scripture to document all of the above, but all of these descriptions are true and do not need explanation.   One of the biggest stumbling blocks in following Jesus Christ is religion itself, as Jesus Himself warned over and over.   It is amazing that people can give lip service to Christ and then go their own way without giving any time or effort to find out what He requires.  Jesus said, "Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’,  and do not do what I say?”  (Luke 6:46).  

Some have just enough religion to be miserable.  Others have just enough religion to be dangerous.  Still others have just enough religion to feel good about themselves without fully embracing truth.  My friends, truth is not just a vague concept, nor does it compromise with those who have embraced the philosophy of tolerance at the expense of truth.

Truth Is Demanding

A true seeker desires truth more than silver and gold.  He will not rest until he obtains it.  Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).  He is willing to not only search for it, but live up to its demands.   Such a person Jesus compares to a wise man who builds his house upon a rock, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  ²⁵ "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25).  It is never easy to follow the path of truth.  There are so many distractions and stumbling blocks for those unwilling to forsake all and follow Jesus Christ.   A true disciple of Jesus Christ is successful because he/she is willing to count the cost of discipleship and be faithful come what may.  Such a one has a passionate faith and is full of joy because of the experience of knowing and following Jesus Christ.   Read this description of those who were victorious in Revelation 11:12:  “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”  

As we gain knowledge of the truth, it is necessary to live according to the demands of that truth, or else we corrupt our conscience and stop the process of growing in grace and truth.  In my own life, I have often been reproved by the truth and forced to adjust my life to newly acquired knowledge.  It is important that we “test ourselves to see if we are walking according to truth:   “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5).   The Bible teaches, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you.  ⁹ Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning” (Pro. 9:8-9).   No one really enjoys being reproved, but truth seekers know that this is necessary.  You see, a truth seeker is not one who is proud and thinks that he has all the right answers.  But he delights in the truth and is willing to receive instruction.  Some people are content in their religion and simply want to be left alone.  Such are not genuine seekers.  Even if I am confronted by a person who is aggressively pushing a false religion, I will still show him/her respect and feel obligated to follow the words of Peter to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15). 

Our Conscience and the Challenge of Truth

How do we know if a person is a truth seeker?   For one thing, a truth seeker is willing to change his mind to bring it in harmony with any newly discovered truth, whereas one who is not a truth seeker has no trouble bending the truth to match his long held cherished beliefs or desires.  When a honest man learns better, he does better, or else, he becomes dishonest.  A truth seeker is never afraid of what he might discover in the pursuit of truth.   A good conscience is a good thing, but as we grow in knowledge, we must be true to this new knowledge or else we exchange a good conscience for a guilty or evil conscience.  Thus, a truth seeker is always willing to change.  That is the real test.    Life will definitely put us to the test as to whether we really want the truth or will settle for lies.   I do not claim to know all things, but I must be willing to open my heart to further instruction and knowledge.  Truth has nothing to fear, and always maintain a good conscience.  

We need to seek truth in every field of knowledge.  But spiritual truth is the most important of all for this will determine our eternal destiny.  

Thanks so much for reading this article. 

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A Collection of Scriptures About Truth

(with my brief comments in italics)

Exo. 18:21-22:  ²¹ "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.   Israel’s leaders were to be men of truth.

Pro. 3:3-4: ³ Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.  ⁴ So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.  Truth is part of our character and gives us favor with both God and man.

Pro. 8:7-8: ⁷ "For my mouth will utter truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.  ⁸ "All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them.   Our mouths should always speak the truth.  Truth does not need to be disguised or spun.

Pro. 12:17: ¹⁷ He who speaks truth tells what is right, but a false witness, deceit.  Just say what is right, plain and simple.

Pro. 29:14: ¹⁴ If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.   Truth is important, even in politics, for God will judge all liars, even those in high places.   Pro. 20:28: ²⁸ Loyalty and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne by righteousness.  God honors truth in the political realm.

Pro. 21:28: ²⁸ A false witness will perish, but the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.  Truth does not change, but a lie has to be covered up with more and more lies.

Pro. 23:23: ²³ Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.  The truth will always be our most valuable possession.  Once you find it, do not let it go for anything.

Jer. 9:3-5: ³ "They bend their tongue like their bow; lies and not truth prevail in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me," declares the LORD. ⁴ "Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; because every brother deals craftily, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.  ⁵ "Everyone deceives his neighbor and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity.  This is a description of a society that lacks integrity and no longer values truth.

Jer. 23:28-32: ²⁸ "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth.  What does straw have in common with grain?" declares the LORD.  ²⁹ "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?  ³⁰ "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other. ³¹ "Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, 'The Lord declares.'  ³² "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD.  God hates all lying but especially those who speak falsely in the LORD’S name.  

John 1:14: ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard bearer of truth.

For a list of other scriptures speaking of truth and its various qualities and applications see John 3:21;  8:31-32: 14:6, 17; 16:13; 17:17-19; Rom. 2:4-8; 1 Cor. 13:6; 2 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 4:16; Col. 1:5; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thess. 2:10; 1 Tim. 4:3; 1 John 2:21; 2 John 1:1-4, etc.  The information is overpowering, but the definition is simple.

*****

Sorry to have delayed the writing of this article.  My wife and I have been constantly on the road since late June visiting Tennessee, North Carolina, Maine, New York and New Mexico teaching and preaching.  We traveled about 8,000 miles by car.  Most recently, Nancy and I were flown to Tampa to hear Cal Ripkin, Jr. speak,  sponsored by Florida Collage.  It was great fun.  I will attempt to write 3 or 4 more articles before the year is over.   The photo at the end of this article is of my wife, Nancy, and me, taken by one of the many lakes in northern Maine.  On this trip we saw many beautiful scenes including Niagara Falls.   In viewing nature, we see the great handiwork of God. We were treated grandly everywhere we went and saw such beautiful country as we traveled through the northeastern states and back home to Lavon, Texas.

If you know of others who would like to receive advanced copies of Pitching For The Master attached to E-mail, please write to me at:  1095 Meadow Hill Drive, Lavon, Texas 75166.  Or contact me at my E-mail address: lindymcdaniel77@reagan.com.   

August, 2013

Is "Being Saved" An Emotional Experience?

 

The Bible teaches that salvation is based upon teaching.   We can be taught a lie and think that we are saved, or we can be taught the truth, believe and obey that truth, and know that we are saved.   Not only does salvation depend upon being taught, but it depends upon what we are taught.   This message of salvation is called “the gospel” or “the faith”.   It is the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  This message can be changed or perverted, as has often been the case, but even today 2000 years later, it can be understood, believed and provide the same blessings as it did when first preached.

Salvation Comes Through Teaching

Here are a few Bible passages to be considered.   Jesus Himself said, quoting the Old Testament:  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.  It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’  Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”  (John 6:44-47).  Yes, those who come to Jesus must be taught of God.   In a series of connected and logical statements, Paul wrote: “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?  And how will they hear without a preacher?  How will they preach unless they are sent?  Just as it is written, 'HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!'  However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, 'LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?'  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:14-17).    My dear reader, do you get the point?    The pure word of God must be taught.

In the parable of the sower , Jesus emphasized the necessity and importance of preaching  or sowing the word.  This simple parable speaks of sowing the seed on four different kinds of soil and the different results obtained.  Jesus, in explaining the meaning of the parable—Matt. 13:18-23,  states clearly that “the seed” represents “the word of God”.  The different types of soils represent different kinds of hearts of those who would either reject or receive the word of the kingdom.    Just as there is power in a grain of wheat, so there is power in the word of God to germinate and bear fruit in the heart of man.  When the pure word of God is planted in the heart, it will produce only one thing – a Christian.  In order to produce anything else, a different kind of seed would need to be planted.   The pure gospel makes only Christians or disciples of Jesus Christ.   In the end, only those with good and honest hearts would bear fruit. 

 The apostle Peter drives home this same point with these words:   “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,  for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.  For, 'ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,  BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.' And this is the word which was preached to you”  (1 Peter 1:22-26).

The power of God’s word is stated in Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” 

The Great Commission

When Jesus sent out His chosen apostles to bring the message of salvation to the whole world, which is called “The Great Commission”, this message contained details that must not be perverted or changed.  This commission was given to the apostles after Jesus was raised from the dead.   The children of Israel would not dare change the 10 COMMANDMENTS given by God through Moses to Israel.   Why would anyone want to change the great commission given by Jesus to the apostles to be preached to the whole world?   As stated in three accounts, these are the words of Jesus: 

Matt. 28:18-20:  “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.”

Mark 16:15-16:   “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned’.”

Luke 24:45-48: “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

 and He said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,  and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things'.”

Jesus gave some final words to His apostles recorded in Acts 1:8:  “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  From this we see that these particular men were to receive special powers of the Holy Spirit (see also John 14; 16:13) so that they could verbally express accurately the message of Christ.  They were also eye-witnesses of the resurrection.  The combination of their being eye witnesses plus their testimony being aided by the power of the Holy Spirit guaranteed that their testimony would be complete and consistent.  This protection involved both their speaking and their writing.    A perfect example of inspired writing as to their witness of the resurrection is found in 1 John 1:1-4.

The Preaching Of The Gospel in Acts

The book of Acts contains example after example of the message that was preached by the apostles in their role of preaching the “great commission” to the world.   Is it not comforting to know, with all of the verbiage coming out of Washington, with all the rewriting of history, with all the books on every subject imaginable, that there are some words and some writings that can be depended upon to tell the truth?   This is why I encourage everyone to read the Bible for themselves and not through some second hand filter.   The words of Jesus, these are the words of eternal life (See John 6:63).

Saved Apart From Being Taught?

Now some believe that salvation can be divorced from the message preached and that it has more to do with some emotional experience than anything else.  Some teach that being saved has to do with a “direct operation”  of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, and that those who experience this know that they are saved.  Many religions believe and practice such “subjective” tests of salvation, even though such a thing is nowhere taught in the Bible.   For example, if you are approached by a Mormon, how do you know if they are telling you the truth?  Do you compare what they say with the Bible?   No.  Here is what they tell you to do. They say all you have to do is pray to God and God Himself will reveal whether or not their religion is true.    This is an emotional appeal and not a test based upon any objective truth or evidence.   Others simply say, just believe in Jesus with all of your heart and immediately God will save you.   Not only that, they say, you will know in your heart that you are saved.   It finally comes down to an emotional experience.   

One young man that I know told me that he knows that he was saved by faith, and that having experienced this salvation, he knows that he could never be lost.    When I questioned him about the importance of being a disciple of Jesus Christ and following Him in everything (which is part of the great commission), he told me that such a commitment was optional and not necessary to salvation.   Here he has taken hold of a particular concept, salvation by faith only confirmed by a “religious experience”, which enables him to ignore anything else that Jesus or His apostles taught.   He wanted no more talk about religion.  He interpreted “not being saved by works” (Eph. 2:8-9) as meaning that obedience to Christ as Lord has nothing to do with being saved.   My pointing out scripture after scripture which contradicted this interpretation had no impact upon him.   I do not know of any doctrine that undermines so completely the authority of Jesus Christ.  Sad to say,  thousands who claim to be Christians share his views.   

So, with many, faith boils down to a particular experience which has no connection to obedience or following any rules, etc.   Thus, you can understand why so many people profess to believe in Jesus Christ and yet remain so completely divided over what the Bible teaches and don’t really care.  Ignorance and apathy will destroy us all.  What we have in America is that most people claim to believe in Jesus Christ but church attendance has never been lower.  There are hundreds of different denominations professing to believe in Jesus Christ while teaching and practicing conflicting things, even on basic principles.  This encourages the spread of atheism and agnosticism more than anything I can imagine.   Does this represent the preaching of the gospel and the kind of results we read about in the New Testament?    Not by a long shot.    The fact of the matter is that truth and the word of God have little to do with what people believe and how they act.    The subjective mindset has little to do with standing upon the foundation of God’s message and “growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.”      It has now descended to the point that even so called religious people refuse to talk about the doctrine or teachings of Jesus Christ.   They feel good about themselves and their religious choices and that is good enough.   Some think that it is the job of the “pastor”, “priest”, etc. to make the people feel good and understand that God loves them no matter how they live or what they believe.  Since they are told not to judge anyone (that is one scripture that they know by heart), the conclusion is that there are no standards by which any judgment can be made.   All of this tends to undermine the authority of God and His word.   For such people it is never proper to preach against sin, and especially don’t get too specific.   After all, I’m saved and I know it!      

Will Rogers, An American Humorist

If something is based upon emotions or how we feel, then no proof or objective evidence of any kind is needed.   This is about where we are in religion today.  But this is not much different than it has been for a long time.  I recently read a book about Will Rogers, the great American humorist.   He was also a first rate roper and entertainer.  At one time his writings were syndicated in Newspapers all over America reaching about 40,000,000 million people at the peak of his popularity.  He wrote mostly about politics, making fun of politicians in a generic way, which is always a popular thing to do.  People took him seriously although he disdained anyone taking his humor seriously.  However, He got very serious money, about $130,000 per year during the great depression, for not writing anything to be taken seriously.  To his favor, he had a lot of common sense and wrote on the level of the common people.  He was also part Cherokee Indian which identified him with the downtrodden and common people.  He gave a lot of his money away to charities.   Of religion, which he seldom mentioned,  he wrote:  “I was raised predominantly a Methodist but I have traveled so much, mixed with so many people in all parts of the world, I don’t know just now what I am.  I know I have never been a non believer.  But I can honestly tell you that I don’t think that any one religion is ‘the’ religion. . . . . Every man’s religion is good.  There is none of it bad.  We are all trying to arrive at the same place according to our own conscience and teachings.  It don’t matter which road you take.”  (The Quotable Will Rogers, page 86).    He also was very negative about religion.  He believed that when it came to religion, the more learning a person has the more evil he will become.  He wrote:  “There is no argument in the world that carries the hatred that a religious belief one does.  The more learned a man is the less consideration He has for another man’s belief” (ibid, page 86).   So, he believed that every religion is good, just don’t become too “learned” in a particular religion.  That would be bad.   And certainly do not heed all of the admonitions found throughout the Bible to learn about God by means of His word.  Too much learning might drive us to madness, as the worldly Festus accused Paul in Acts 26:24.   Yet on another level I can understand what Will Rogers was saying.  Much evil has been done in the name of religion, but misguided zealots do not represent the teachings of Jesus Christ.  The Bible itself warns against such things.

Getting back to the main point and heading of this article, is being saved just a matter of some emotional experience or how we feel?  Legally speaking you can believe what you wish to believe or you can believe nothing at all.  Thank goodness, the constitution guarantees the freedom of religion.   That allows me to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in its completeness and simplicity even if someone adamantly disagrees with me.   But if Christianity is based merely upon how we feel, it differs not one iota from all of the others religions of the world.  If that is the case, Will Rogers was perfectly correct in his analysis.   When the gospel was taught in the 1^st century, evidence was brought to light which was strong enough to convince good and honest hearts that the Bible is the word of God, that God does exist, and that Jesus Christ is the son of God.  Even Jesus taught that no one should believe in Him apart from convincing evidence (read John 5:3-47).  

As a Christian I ought to know what I believe and why I believe what I do.  It is a great joy when I find others who are sincerely interested in the truth.    It is my prayer that truth seekers everywhere may abound more and more.  As Jesus taught, only the truth can set us free.    He declared that His kingdom was based upon truth.     Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except by me.”  It does not matter what men say, only the truth will abide forever.   Please, Lord, open up the hearts of men and women that they might see.

                                                                             Lindy McDaniel

                                                                             April, 2013

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The photo at the beginning of this article is a baseball cartoon appearing in the St. Louis Globe Democrat newspaper in 1960.  Amidee is the cartoonist.   The boxed quotation in the lower part of the cartoon should read, “Allowing none through June this year” instead of “last year.”   This proves that we all make mistakes.  This cartoon illustrates that baseball is a game of many emotional ups and downs.   1960 was a good year for me, but that was followed by two sub-par years.  In one game you can be a hero and in the next game you can be a goat.   But the point is that how you feel emotionally (whether you are cheered or booed) does not determine who you are or whether or not you are acceptable to God.    Our relationship with God is based upon a firmer foundation than that.   Do we follow Jesus Christ regardless of environmental circumstances and do we seek to do His will at all times?   And yes, serving God with all our heart does bring great joy.   The emotional part is based upon service and obedience.

                                                                  

If you know of others who would like to receive advanced copies of Pitching For The Master attached to E-mail, please write to me at:  1095 Meadow Hill Drive, Lavon, Texas 75166.  Or contact me at my E-mail address: lindymcdaniel77@reagan.com.    I appreciate your comments pro or con.  If you disagree, I only ask that you give thoughtful reasons based upon reason and facts and not general accusations.