Even "red devils" must look to God! "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

"Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) With what brick and mortar are you attempting to "make a name for yourself", building your own personal Tower of Babel, to reach the heavens in your own merit?! "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)

Is Knowledge the Answer?

Ted Koppel, of ABC, said of this generation,
"We now communicate with everyone and say absolutely nothng. We have reconstructed the Tower of Babel and it's television antenae. A thousand voices producing a daily parody of democracy on which everyone is afforded equal weight regardless of substance or merit. Our society finds truth too strong a message to digest undiluted."
Knowledge does not change the heart.
A thief with a PhD is still a thief.

Is Laughter the Answer?

Jim Carrey said on the CBS program "60 minutes" that he is better able to deal with depression now that he lives a life free of Prozac and alcohol. Carrey said he took Prozac for a long time but the drug didn't cure his depression. "I had to get off at a certain point because I realized that everything is just O.K.," he told Steve Kroft in an interview at his home in Brentwood, California. Even when he was taking Prozac, the depression didn't go away entirely, he says. Carrey says that he still has bouts, but that he knows how to deal with it. (From the International Herald Tribune)

Jim Carrey,
Johnny Carson,
John Belushi,
Chris Farley,
Dick Van Dike,
Jerry Seinfield.
What do they all have in common? Great comedians, yes but they also had deep problems which they could not fulfill with their humor.
It was said of Phil Hartman by his co-actors of Saturday Night Live, "I have never met a funnier man yet he was sad all the time."
Dick Van Dick, who became a raving alcoholic, said of his career, "I was making people laugh every week and I was dying on the inside."
"Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish? (Ecclesiastes 2:2)
The Bible is not against a good laugh, but if you think that laughter is the answer for life, you are dead wrong. Today's world is all about laughter and comedy. Comedy networks, comedies, funny commercials...Some of the funniest comedians in history have had some of the biggest problems.
Jerry Seinfield said of this generation, "Everybody's looking for good sex, good food and a good laugh. They're just little islands of relief in often what is a painful existence."

Being a Kingdom Citizen

(From "The Man God Uses" by Henry and Tom Blackaby)
Spiritual truths often contradict what we accept as reality. Christ demonstrated lordship by washing his disciples' feet. In the world today, to be the owner or boss is to rule and control by directives. Look at the following list. Note carefully the contrast between what the world says and what the kingdom says.
The World says pride is important.
The Kingdom says Humility is essential.
The World says "hitch your wagon to a star".
The Kingdom says Jesus is Lord.
The World says success.
The Kingdom says obedience.
The World says professionalism.
The Kingdom says servanthood.
The World says competition.
The Kingdom says service.
The World says maintain your rights.
The Kingdom says give all your rights to God.
The World says negotiate for the best deal.
The Kingdom says obey God's commands.
The World says excellence.
The Kingdom says Christlikeness.
The World says save your life.
The Kingdom says lose your life for my sake.
The World says affirm self.
The Kingdom says deny self.
The World says accomplishments.
The Kingdom says character.
The World says you don't have to take that.
The Kingdom says take up your cross.
The World says live to die.
The Kingdom says die to live.
The World says rule and be served.
The Kingdom says service in order to rule.
The World says things will make you happy.
The Kingdom says Godly character brings joy.
The World says walk by sight.
The Kingdom says walk by faith.
The World says set long-range goals.
The Kingdom says God reveals the future.
The World says take the initiative.
The Kingdom says let God take the initiative.
The World says get revenge.
The Kingdom says do good to your persecutors.
The World says eat, drink and be merry.
The Kingdom says seek first the Kingdom of God.