Proverbs 14:12, “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Have you ever wondered about this scripture? I have. King Solomon was and is known as the wisest man on earth. God gave Solomon tremendous wisdom to rule the nation of Israel. Obviously that wisdom carried over into life in other cultures. His fame was widespread and heads of state from other countries came to sit under the wisdom under this man. But I digress.

As I was thinking about this scripture, the picture of the story of the prodigal son came to mind. There were two brothers in that parable, the prodigal son and the elder brother. The path that the prodigal took initially is the obvious wrong path. Many commentaries and expositions dwell on the pitfalls of wasting a life on self-indulged living, squandering one's wealth and inheritance. That is an important story to hear and teaches us many good lessons. But the story of the elder son is the one that we should learn from also.

In the dialogue between the father and this elder son, we see an attitude of jealousy and greed. He was the heir of all that the father had. His only responsibility was to be faithful to the father to do his will and all was his. But he got all out of joint because the prodigal came home and was given such a great feast. He couldn't see the forest for the trees.

As Christian individuals we are influenced by two kinds of love. One kind is a love that is centered in the Father. A love that has no agenda other than to give all that he has without ever expecting anything in return. In other words a love without any hooks. The other type of love is based in self gain, giving one's love in an agenda of getting something in return. In the Greek, this word is "eros." The picture of this word as depicted in Greek writings is one of a snake eating its own tail, which will eventually cause it to consume itself.

Both of these brothers had love for their father. The younger brother probably understood that his older brother was going to inherit all that his father had and he would be subservient to him. It was the custom in Israel in biblical times that the eldest son would receive the father's blessing. The younger brothers, whereas they would have an inheritance, would be under the leadership of the oldest brother. I can see the wheels turning in the prodigal's mind. "I'll get my father to give me what I've got coming to me and I'm get out from under my older brother. There is no way I want to live the rest of my life being told by him what I can do and what I can't. I'm going to make my own way. I'll show father how it should be done. Just because he's older doesn't mean that he knows what best to do." I know that you've known men just like this. I know I have. Well, along the way to his destruction, the prodigal came to his senses and came home. That's the obvious lesson of the parable.

The elder brother was just as eaten up with eros as the prodigal was. The only difference is that he stayed home because he knew if he just hung around it would be all his. He had an agenda all of his own. He didn't serve his father out of an attitude of love, love that was the God kind of love. That love in the Greek language is "agape'." This is the love that has no hooks in it. The total purpose of those that exhibit agape' love is to give solely for the purpose of giving. There is no thought of what could be received in return for their giving. This elder brother loved his father only because of what he was going to get when the father passed away. This is the way that seemed to be the right way, but its end is death.

If we serve the Father because of what He can give us in return, there will be nothing laid up for us in heaven. We will receive reward only here on earth. However, if our intention is only to do the will of the Father without any thought of what we could receive in return, the Father tells us that no only will we receive reward in this life, but also in the life to come. The elder son, was upset because he didn't have a party thrown for him like the one the prodigal got. He couldn't see beyond his own nose. His love had all kinds of hooks attached. The interesting thing is that the prodigal came back with the understanding that even if he had to live as a servant in his father's house he was satisfied to do so. Now he had no hooks. He knew that he had already blown his inheritance and had nothing else coming. He still came back to serve.

All of us have two paths that we can follow as a Christian. We are wooed by the television evangelists that promise the hundred-fold return if we would serve their ministries by supporting them financially. They appeal to the eros nature in us the give so that we can receive. Not all public ministries are like this, unfortunately there is a percentage out there that gives the rest a bad name. I want you to understand that kind of ministry is not the pattern that we see in the Bible. The evangelist is supposed to be under the accountability of the local church and submitted to the local church when they come into a town to win souls. The men on the TV are trying to build their own ministries. They basically have established a mobile church. The bad news is that if you become a member of that church, you will not have a pastor that will come to you home when you need him to pray with you and wipe your tears away. The only thing that TV pastor wants from you is money to keep him on the air, or promote a book that he has written. He has hooks.

The path that the Father desires for us is one that will give us an eternal reward. When we can give to the kingdom without expecting any return, we are walking in the will of the Father. The Father is looking for servants. Servants have no other agenda than to please the Master. Bob Dillan had it right in his song, "You Got to Serve Somebody." We are made to serve, but the Father is looking for servants that will serve of their own free will. The father of the elder son was looking for free will service from him. What he received was a servant that had an agenda to outlast the old man to get what was coming to him.

Make it your goal to serve the Lord out of your agape' love for Him. Don't look for a return. Do your service for your reward to be laid up in heaven. That's where it will do the most good. This life in years in a mere drop in the bucket compared to eternity. Oh, by the way, when you give out of an agape' heart, you will receive reward in this life too, but please understand that what you receive in this life is not for your consumption only. God expects the blessings that He give to you to be given to those that are in need. That's why he prospers us.

Stay tuned. There will be more!

No Substitute For Character

It really gets under my skin to see how people with character seem to be disappearing from our elected officials. It appears that they have sold their souls for position and power. I'm sure there are many out there that would agree that the founding fathers of this country would turn over in their graves if they could see the low level of integrity that is accepted all levels of government in America. First and foremost, this country was founded on the principles of the Word of God, the Holy Bible. They wanted this country to be a place that integrity reigned. They wanted to see this country founded on whatsoever was pure, true, trustworthy, and of a good report to mention a few. Too many today are basing their public lives on whatsoever works to serve their own desires, not to serve the people that voted them into office.

At the founding of our country, politicians laid aside their personal endeavors to handle the necessary things of a government by the people, for the people, without the view to personal gain. Once the necessary was done, they took off their political robes and returned to private life to carry on business. Those of you that have read about our history will remember that when George Washington was voted our first president, there were those that wanted to make him our king, making his election permanent for life. George, himself, nixed that idea and helped set the term of the president at a four year term with elections at the end of each term to vote for a new leader of our country. The center focus was not to be a professional politician. It was to be a temporary statesman to steer this country in the direction of our constitution and bill of rights. I wonder today if our congressmen and congresswomen even know what our constitution and bill of rights even say. They get elected, take their seat in their respective houses of government and immediately begin to campaign for their next term in office. All of their decision seem to be made around what will return them to their seats. What their constituents have voted them into office to accomplish for them has been put aside.

I think its time to limit the number of terms that a congressman get serve in our government houses at all levels. Let them serve two terms and then be required to return to private life and required to stay out of office for at least two terms. This country needs to have integrity returned to the halls of government and I believe that this would be a good start.

Christian men founded this country. They based our government from the Word of God and it needs to return to the principles of the Word of God if we ever want to return to the blessed nation it has been in the past. American is a mere shell of what she used to be because she has turned her back on the Lord, God Almighty. Let's return to prayer in public places. Let's return to Christian values in our schools. Let's return to the church taking care of the needy instead of our govenment having to set up welfare programs. Let's return to becoming self-reliant and trust-worthy. Let's return to the Lord and lean of His wisdom and word to lead us into the future. Its time people. Its time.

Stay tuned for more...........

Competition

It's a good thing to be competitive. Competition raises our level of achievement. It pushes us to excellence. Remove competition and we all fall into mediocrity. I am amazed at the opposition I hear and read about from the more liberal Americans, especially in education circles, wanting to eliminate competitive activities in our schools. Their excuse is that some children will experience rejection and develop a poor self-image. What a ton of hogwash. Can you imagine a school with no grading system so that no one will have to endure failure. What a crock. I believe that comes from someone who never wanted to compete and probably didn't have the ambition to achieve anything.

We are challenged in the Bible to compete. The Apostle Paul said that he pressed toward the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. He competed. He also wrote from the approach of the athlete running a race for a prize. His point was that the runner didn't enter the race to be an also ran. He entered to win. Our Heavenly Father put the competitive element in our makeup and He expected us to win. He gave us dominion over the earth to rule and subdue it.

If you look at the world when God gave that command, there wasn't anything to rule over, except one being. Satan! The Father had banished Satan to earth as his judgment for trying to exalt himself over God's throne. When he was sent here it wasn't to be the ruler of the earth. Adam, after his creation, was told to rule over Satan and keep him subdued in his personal prison. The reason we have so much problem with Satan and his kingdom today is because Adam was not obedient to the Father and did not rule his household well. His wife, lured by the Serpent, convinced Adam that to partake of the fruit of the forbidden tree, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, against the command of God. In eating the fruit, Adam allowed Satan to surplant God as his Father and became enslaved to his own will that was ruled by a sin nature, placed there by Satan when he took authority over man.

The only way that this dominion, that was taken through deceitfulness, can be restored is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The reason that God chose this method is far beyond my comprehension. However, I don't question my God who through His knowledge, power, and presence was able to create all that we see today in the universes. He chose that method to return Satan to the place of his imprisonment. Satan held the keys to death, hell, and the grave. No one had ever been resurrected from the dead without the intervention of a prophet, according to the Bible and its comtemporary writings. When Jesus raised himself up, he took the keys from Satan and returned him to his place of prison. He also gave us back the authority over Satan and the earth that was given to us at creation.

I am well aware that there are those in our world that think that this is idiot logic, but I don't think it has anything to do with logic. The Bible, written by anointed men over the centuries, has never been proven false. Not one verse has ever been disputed so that it could be removed from its writings. Of the over 500 prophecies accounted in the Scriptures all have been fulfilled or yet to be fulfilled without error. The cities of the world that have been chronicled in the Scriptures have all been verified as existing. No other spiritual writing can make that claim and back it up with evidence. Its not logic, it is verified fact.

I challenge anyone to take the time to read the Bible and try to dispute it. You can try, but you will find not only is it true, but you will probably find that you need Jesus Christ as your Savior. Notice that I challenged you. That's a competitive word. You will have to compete to try and discredit the Word of God. I will tell you that you will loose, but in loosing there will be a great transformation. You will find the Lord and you will win, but your win will be found in eternal life with the Lord through the salvation provided by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Don't ever stop competing. Compete in your job. Compete in your play. Compete in your destiny. Never give up even if you fail. Remember that failure only sets you up for the next success. The Bible says that a righteous man falls seven times, but get back up and continues to compete. We are fortunate today that we don't have to compete to the death to share our convictions like the Apostles were subjected. We have the freedom to share without the fear of death. We may experience some rejection, but that is a small pitance in comparison. Make this your motto: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The only thing that is impossible is nothing.

The State of Our Nation

Like most Americans, I have been heavily involved watching and listening to the political rhetoric that last several months. I am totally amazed at the bombardment of commericals and PDAs we have be subjected to. If we took half of the money the candidates and would be candidates spent, we could have baled out GM and Chrysler. Its been quite of ride to our new President. It is my belief that all Americans need to pray for President Obama as he leads this great nation. He will need those prayers to be guided to make the proper decisions for our nation and economy. I invite my readers also to pray. Pray not only for our President, but also our Congress-men and Congress-women to make the right choices, but that they will take the time to pray and seek the Lord for the decision that they make.

It is also apalling to see the depth of debt in this country today. We have truly become slaves to the credit gods in America. We have also become slave to our every desire, whether we can afford it or not. Others have it so we want it, no matter the costs. We have been sold a bill of goods that everyone is entitled to own a home. That is a deceitful lie. We are not entitled, we must earn the right to own a home. Unfortunately too many people have bought into that lie and now we can see the reprecussions of those decisions. Our citizens are in foreclosures and bankruptcies. They have lost their credit rating, effecting their ability to purchase again in the next 7 to 10 years. We can thank our almighty Congress and greedy mortgage lenders for this mess, along with the people who did not do their due diligence before they got involved.

This is the reason that I began involved in my present business. The government is not going to get thesee people out of debt. It is only going to make it possible for them to get further in debt and be under the control of our government for every facet of their lives. The company that I represent has developed an online software that can get just about everyone out of this strangling debt. It works 24/7/365 to get people out of debt and save them thousands of dollars in projected interest cost and can accomplish this in as little as 1/3 to 1/2 the normal scheduled time. Our country needs to get out of debt. I believe we can achieve that goal one person at a time and I am making it my goal to see as many people reach that goal in the years that I have left in this earth, which I pray will be many.

If you would like to know more about this product you can go to my website: www.u1stfinancial.net/save1000s and then send me an email message telling me how I can get in touch with you.

There's another thing I'd like to add. Learn to live on a budget. It doesn't matter whether you have all the money you want or not. We have been put here on this earth by God to be good stewards of what we have and be able to help others along the way. If you don't know where your money is going, how will you be able to determine whether you have anything to help others. When this country was founded, it was established on Judeo-Christian principles that sets as one of its standards to help the widows and the motherless and poor. We have neglected that responsibility over the centuries and now we look to the government to do our job. They don't do a very good job of it. Their help enslaves the people that they purport to help and will never give them an opportunity to become free from the welfare lists they become a part. If everyone would select one or more persons and see that their needs are met when they don't have the means to do it themselves, we can instill a new confidence in them that they can get back on their feet. We don't have to make a lifetime commitment to these people. Just help them temporarily. Then take the time to speak into their lives how they can improve their situations. If you have businesses that employ workers, hire them. Maybe take the time to help them find employment. It really doesn't take that much time to help, probably less time than you spent in front of that TV right now, and I know you spent entirely too much time there.

We can all help. When we do, we will lift some of the burden from the government and might even get our government the opportunity to shrink in size instead of increasing in size. We must remember the words of Ronald Reagan: "We are a nation that has a government, not a government that has a nation."

This is Steve signing off for now. Stay tuned for future disertations.