Red Herrings

You've probably heard the expression, "red herring." Fans of mystery know what I'm talking about. It's used to describe something that misleads or distracts you from the actual thing. Red herrings want to send you to the wrong conclusion.

The origin of "red herring" is debatable. People say it came from the training of hunting dogs. Once the dogs were familiar with the right scent, their trainers would drag a fish across their path. Initially, the dogs would be diverted by the new scent. They had to be trained to ignore that scent and stay focused on the original scent.

There are so many spiritual red herrings in our lives. Countless things mislead us or distract us. There are far too many things that can get us off the right scent and following the wrong trail. Next thing we know, we are lost.

Note that the dogs had to be trained. It wasn't something that came naturally. Obviously, the scent of a tasty fish would throw them off! It was enticing! Things that get us off the trail are things that are attractive. Only with training could the dogs recognize the wrong scent and ignore it. It takes discipline and instruction.

We are pursuing Jesus. Our goal is Christ. Anything that is dragged across our trail to distract us, entice us, or mislead us MUST be ignored! We must recognize or (church word alert!) discern that it is not the right scent and discard it! Only through constant prayer, study, and communion with the Holy Spirit is any of this possible. Praise God for the Holy Spirit, am I right? Without which, we would be like lost hunting dogs chasing after the wrong prey.

Good hunting and God bless!

Fighting Against God

If God is in it, there can be no stopping it. If He is not, it will fail.

This was Gamaliel's advice to the Sanhedrin when the apostles were arrested in Acts 5:17-42. "Leave these men alone! Let them go! If their activity is of human origin, it will fail. But, if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Who was this Gamaliel anyways?

Gamaliel was a Pharisee which means He was a teacher of the law. He was honored by all the people. He was smart enough to learn from past mistakes. I can't say if he was for the apostles or not, but it seems like he was only giving this advice to save his own hide, doesn't it? He wasn't saying, "These ARE men of God! Let them go!" He was saying, "IF they are from God."

Regardless of Gamaliel's motives, what he said is absolutely true: If God is in it, you will not be able to stop it. You will only find yourself fighting against God.

Fighting against God. Even as I type that line I think just how ridiculous a concept it is. Ha! Good luck with that, pal. You have about as much of a chance as... (what's the most silly thing I can think of?)... about as much of a chance as the Taco Bell chihuahua would have in a boxing match against Mike Tyson.

The opposite is also true: If it's just humans, it will fail. I am reminded daily just how frail and flawed we humans are. It is only if we are in step with God's will that we can ever hope to accomplish anything.

So, I have to thank Gamaliel for putting it so succinctly. He was right on the money.

God Bless!

The Nose On Your Face

I read somewhere that your brain can always see your nose, but it chooses to ignore it. There is a section in your field of vision that gets continously... deleted.

Sin can be like that. It's gets so constant, that we just sort of ignore it. We knows its there, we can see it... but we continously delete it from our sight.

Conversely, Good can be like that also. Far too often we ignore what's so plainly in front of us: good health, amazing riches, and unbelievable blessings. The fact that you are reading this right now means a coulple of things: 1. You can see. 2. You can read (14% of US Adults are illiterate). 3. You have access to the internet (119 million lack broadband internet). How about thanking God for any of those?

Ignoring something doesn't make it go away. If it's something bad - address it. Proverbs 3:6 says in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. If it's something good - give thanks for it. Psalms 95:2 says let us come before Him with thanksgiving. Either way, let's stop deleting things from our sight and acknowledge our Lord and Saviour!

It's as plain... as the nose on your face.

God Bless!

Look/See

Look with the eyes of Jesus and love.