At any given time of the day, we typically find our minds full of endless details, thoughts, and activities. We may be driving to an appointment, and on the way we are considering not only what we want accomplished at that meeting, but also all the thoughts from the issues that came up in the morning. Now, of course, all that frantic activity is going on while you’re supposed to be concentrating on driving!

There are too many times when we finish our day leaving unresolved problems nagging at us, and making a good night’s sleep difficult. It is because of the overwhelming lifestyle many of us live that a passage in Hebrews becomes so vital.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

I think that he was reminding us that we all have too many things to think about. There are some thoughts that must become anchors in our brain, through which all of the other thoughts must pass. These foundational thoughts can help keep us grounded, and remind us that we have a God in Heaven who is fully capable of bringing sense out of our chaotic schedules.

Too many times, we allow pressing problems to take the forefront of our minds, pushing back everything else. Those problems seem to burn so brightly, nothing else can be seen. In the heat of the alarm, seemingly secondary issues get ignored, leaving them for a quieter time.

The problem with that behavior is over time, we become slaves to the hottest fire, instead of that which is most important. Things that should be getting done, things that count far more in the grand scheme of things than the blaze in front of you, are left incomplete, and your life becomes the worse because of it.

What are some of these ‘anchor’ thoughts, things that we should hold fiercely regardless of the emergency? First and foremost, we should always keep our love for Christ, and our efforts to worship Him in all we do.

Cruise ships are enormous. I walked next to one time and was amazed at the size.
I got busy and wasn’t paying attention, and when I turned around, the ship was gone.
That massive ship left the port seemingly without making a sound. I missed seeing it again all because I got distracted. I missed the really important for the immediate interest.

Such are those important thoughts that keep us anchored in our spirit and emotion. We can far too easily become so caught up in the issues of the day, we forget to remember what is really important.

Let’s be sure and keep good thoughts of Christ and His love in our hearts and minds. Then, all the rest will not overwhelm us.

We are living in an age in which discernment from the Word of God is more important than ever. At any given moment of the day or night, we now have access to multiple channels of preachers, evangelists, Bible teachers, and religious talk show hosts, all spewing their particular version of truth. It is amazing to me how similar they all sound to each other; at least on the surface.

I once was listening to a man preach a message on the radio as I was heading home from work. The part I caught was really good and captivating. As I was about to pull into my driveway, the preacher began an invitation. He told his listeners that they could go to Heaven by putting their faith in Jesus Christ…and in the Book of Mormon. Honestly, had I not heard that last phrase, I would have thought I was listening to an evangelical. When I learned the persuasion of the one speaking, I suddenly put everything he said through a closer examination. The problem was I hadn’t been listening critically, so my guard was down.

How many times do we hear Biblical instruction that is filtered through a lens of someone in which we have nothing Biblically in common? Today you can hear intriguing speakers who are Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, and Mormon, just to name a few. They can craft a message that sounds so close to us, we don’t even notice the difference. That’s the problem. Many of the religions taking to the internet today espouse a works salvation.

A classic example is what we are hearing from many Catholic speakers. So determined they are to convince us we are all the same, they use many of the same words we do, and many of the same phrases. Some preach messages that sound convincingly like they could have come from one our pulpits. However, by looking a little deeper, it’s not long before the grace they so lovingly present, finds its access through something we have to do.

Grace is still unmerited; it still comes freely from our Lord, and there’s nothing we can do to deserve it. ‘For by grace are ye saved, through faith…’ the epistle of Ephesians states. That faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ; not the institution of any church. The truth is, no matter how ‘spiritual’ someone sounds, if their message is not exactly the same as presented in the New Testament, we should avoid it like the plague.

Paul faced attacks on the simple Gospel message even in his day. He warned the churches in Galatia of the danger in…

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

There were those in his day aggressively promoting the concept that salvation was by faith in the Lord Jesus AND in keeping the Law. Paul fought back teaching that salvation came by grace through faith alone; not faith plus anything.

Since our eternal security is based on accurately interpreting the Gospel, we had better be extremely careful what gospel we listen to.

Since man introduced sin in the Garden, it has grown in the thoughts and actions of mankind exponentially. It is no wonder that Satan is called the ‘Prince of the Power of the Air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience’ (Eph. 2:2). He reigns and rules as a chief potentate, arrogantly boasting of his subordinate race; determined to conquer the souls of all men.

So, how did the Devil assume such a position of leadership over man? He did so because we elected him to the position when we chose to sin. Every time man disregards God’s right to rule over him, and choses instead to submit to the world, his flesh, or the Devil, he empowers the Evil One, willingly ceding the throne of his life over to him.

The world has progressively grown darker. Believers are called upon to be lights in the world. Their reflections of Christ are needed now perhaps more than ever. Because light repels darkness, and, because men love their darkness, light-bearers often face persecution and hatred. We who know Christ must not only live our lives in righteousness, but we must be willing to tell others about the Light as well.

When Paul wrote the believers in Rome, he began his letter with a description of humanity that is far from complimentary. He described the hearts of man as not only wicked, but skewed from reality because of their rejection of God. When we shake our heads at some of the horrible things going on in the world, we wonder how anyone could behave so wickedly and evil. Paul answers our query when he declares that God has given those steeped in their sin over to a reprobate mind. The word in Romans suggests being worthless morally, or without the ability to any longer discern between right and wrong. It is a perverted state that seems to be at the end of the road of sin.

It is with that in mind that Paul makes the following statement in…

Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Earlier, Paul describes in Romans how God has placed in everyone a moral consciousness, or the distinction between right and wrong. When someone continues to reject God’s authority over their lives, and chooses rather to live in sin, they eventually lose their moral compass, leaving them in a freefall of evil.

That is the only way we can begin to understand how people can participate in the most grievous and hurtful of sins, and have no remorse. In fact, there are those who find great satisfaction from watching others perform those same wicked and hurtful acts.

The world is not in need of more psychologists to explain why they do what they do; it is desperate for the truth of the Gospel, and the transforming power that it brings into the lives of those who are otherwise blind and lost in their ways.

The book of Romans opens by describing the deplorable decline in men’s hearts, as mankind pushes God aside to make way for his own will and agenda. It’s really hard to comprehend why he would want to make such an exchange. Man is typically highly motivated to find the best value in things. He carefully researches large purchases before actually buying them. He wants to make sure that he is getting the most for his money.

Before buying a car, some men spend months evaluating Consumer Reports articles, reading magazines, analyzing various reviews, and actually getting behind the wheel and trying it out. Every possible resource available is accessed to help the prospective car buyer determine whether or not a particular car will be a solid investment.

All of the knowledge gained becomes a leveraging tool to use against the seller of the car. If the seller tries to make the car out to be something it is not, that valuable resource of stored knowledge kicks in to warn that he’s not telling the truth. That knowledge can make the difference between a honey of a deal, or a lemon.

While there is some knowledge we treasure, and find ourselves contemplating often; there is some knowledge that history has proven to be sadly driven out of all conscious thought. When the book of Romans describes man’s condition, it gives one of the reasons for man’s downfall. It is mentioned in…

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

Man did not like being ‘bothered’ by those nagging feelings of conviction. As man strayed farther and farther away from God, and sought after his own interests and delights, God mercifully pricked his heart as a warning to try and wake him up from his poor choices.

Those pangs of conviction brought one of two responses; either they were met with an awakening to the truth, and confession and repentance; or, they were ignored, or worse, despised.

When man pushed off and ignored the Holy Spirit’s warnings, he slowly hardened his heart to those warnings until he could hear them no longer. With no warning signs, he felt ‘free’ to pursue any and all delights, regardless of their danger. Before long, he became so immersed in the pleasures of the world, any remembrance of God was an offense.

With every thought of God now successfully pushed out of his mind, not only is he able to sin without any feelings of regret, he has also prepared his mind to become ‘reprobate,’ or literally worthless. No longer will it have the ability to discern right and wrong rationally. He will be subjected to a skewed reality in which bad is good, and right is wrong.

Man’s only hope is being ‘retrofitted’ by our Lord Jesus Christ through salvation and sanctification. Thank God for His merciful provision.