Psalm 63:4 - So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
I have to take a break in my thoughts this week. I'm still wondering about the over reaction to all this stuff about Michael Jackson. It bothers me that someone with his lifestyle, which started innocently enough but with popularity and money turned itself into something quite bizarre, could be elevated to such a high position in this world. My thoughts may be jumbled....
There is One who is the true epitome of this thing called love. NO MAN ON EARTH CAN DO THIS...NONE! Only the King of kings, Jesus Christ, should be elevated to His rightful status in this world. There is only one King of kings and it's not the King of Pop. I'm sorry MJ had a bad relationship with his father, perhaps suffered with low self-esteem which eventually turned his whole life upside down. I'm sorry he had to succumb to drugs and perhaps trusted too well the plastic surgeons. His money could buy anything anyone was willing to give him. That alone is sad. He had it all and what did it really get him?
I'm feeling disquieted in my spirit about all this. All this attention to one person is wrong. Even some unbelievers recognize it's wrong. Those who support all the hoopla need a reality check. It's not all about one fragile individual who could not keep his life in a balanced condition but allowed himself to live on the edge. Along with the stories and publicity about his memorial came another lesser publicized one..that of the father of a recently killed soldier. Here is a young man who has fought for the freedom of this country, and he is lost in the Michael Jackson "legend." Why should all coverage, even in conservative media, be so focused on one person? (Of course, I know the answer...the world does not know Jesus Christ.)
We've had politicians debating whether or not to honor Jackson as a great "humanitarian." I've said it before, MJ was talented. But how in the world can someone who knows of Jackson's odd behavior be accepting of it and lift him up to idol/icon, god-like status and turn a blind eye to his behavior? I would not go so far as to speak the unkind words that one Republican representative used to name him. I'm not quite that heartless. I'm sorry MJ made bad choices in his life. I think about those changes and I can't help but say all I feel is darkness. He entered into a dark place in his life and was without the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. He could have been saved, but he was not.
Our God is a God of peace and love. Yes, there can be ups and downs living in His world, but He always promises a good end, even if that end is death...with promise of eternal life. Our God speaks harshly about Jackson's lifestyle and the others who choose to live like this. Our God desires that we live in a peaceful setting, under His wings and place Him in the center of our lives. Our God is to be high and lifted up. His name is to be worshiped. His name is ABOVE all names. There is none greater than He.
Jackson may have attempted to bring love into the world, but he failed...because he was just one person. How can people not look up to the God who created this world and created us? How can people not worship Him? He alone has our life in His hands. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him we don't have eternal life. Without Him there is no peace. Michael Jackson was no greater than you or I in the eyes of God. His accomplishments, or anyone else's, are of little consequence if they are done without God's glorification. There's a bumper sticker: No Jesus, No Peace - Know Jesus, Know Peace. That about sums it up.
Lamentations 3:41 - Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
I have to take a break in my thoughts this week. I'm still wondering about the over reaction to all this stuff about Michael Jackson. It bothers me that someone with his lifestyle, which started innocently enough but with popularity and money turned itself into something quite bizarre, could be elevated to such a high position in this world. My thoughts may be jumbled....
There is One who is the true epitome of this thing called love. NO MAN ON EARTH CAN DO THIS...NONE! Only the King of kings, Jesus Christ, should be elevated to His rightful status in this world. There is only one King of kings and it's not the King of Pop. I'm sorry MJ had a bad relationship with his father, perhaps suffered with low self-esteem which eventually turned his whole life upside down. I'm sorry he had to succumb to drugs and perhaps trusted too well the plastic surgeons. His money could buy anything anyone was willing to give him. That alone is sad. He had it all and what did it really get him?
I'm feeling disquieted in my spirit about all this. All this attention to one person is wrong. Even some unbelievers recognize it's wrong. Those who support all the hoopla need a reality check. It's not all about one fragile individual who could not keep his life in a balanced condition but allowed himself to live on the edge. Along with the stories and publicity about his memorial came another lesser publicized one..that of the father of a recently killed soldier. Here is a young man who has fought for the freedom of this country, and he is lost in the Michael Jackson "legend." Why should all coverage, even in conservative media, be so focused on one person? (Of course, I know the answer...the world does not know Jesus Christ.)
We've had politicians debating whether or not to honor Jackson as a great "humanitarian." I've said it before, MJ was talented. But how in the world can someone who knows of Jackson's odd behavior be accepting of it and lift him up to idol/icon, god-like status and turn a blind eye to his behavior? I would not go so far as to speak the unkind words that one Republican representative used to name him. I'm not quite that heartless. I'm sorry MJ made bad choices in his life. I think about those changes and I can't help but say all I feel is darkness. He entered into a dark place in his life and was without the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. He could have been saved, but he was not.
Our God is a God of peace and love. Yes, there can be ups and downs living in His world, but He always promises a good end, even if that end is death...with promise of eternal life. Our God speaks harshly about Jackson's lifestyle and the others who choose to live like this. Our God desires that we live in a peaceful setting, under His wings and place Him in the center of our lives. Our God is to be high and lifted up. His name is to be worshiped. His name is ABOVE all names. There is none greater than He.
Jackson may have attempted to bring love into the world, but he failed...because he was just one person. How can people not look up to the God who created this world and created us? How can people not worship Him? He alone has our life in His hands. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him we don't have eternal life. Without Him there is no peace. Michael Jackson was no greater than you or I in the eyes of God. His accomplishments, or anyone else's, are of little consequence if they are done without God's glorification. There's a bumper sticker: No Jesus, No Peace - Know Jesus, Know Peace. That about sums it up.
Lamentations 3:41 - Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
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