Lacking Moral Fiber

2 Timothy 3:7-8 'Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their also was.'

In todays Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Raquel Rutledge reported that the Wisconsin State Legislature unanimously approved a bill curbing fraud and keeping criminals out of the state's troubled taxpayer-supported child-care program.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/69319792.html

"Fraud will still be rampant after this vote. It's disappointing . . . But it's better than nothing.' - State Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine)

Of course the bill lists a host of guidelines (laws) to be imposed. Is this the best the 'ever-learning' can do? Of course it is, because this is what government is.

Jannes and Jambres were the magicians who tried to protect the Pharaoh from Moses. They kept resisting the truth the Lord spoke, for the truth the government - the Pharaoh spoke.

2 Timothy 3:8 '. . . men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.'

It is important that we begin to understand that law, man-made law is corrupt and reprobate concerning faith. Law does not and cannot work - hence - government does not and cannot work.

Hebrews 7:19 'For the law made nothing perfect. . .'

The State Reps passing this bill acknowledge and admit this will not make the situation better, but they think it is better than doing nothing at all. Do you realize why an official in any managerial capacity would say such a thing? They say it because it is their job to pretend they are accomplishing something.

"The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.' - Mark Twain

John Adams, the second President of the United States when speaking of the U.S. Constitution, said that it ". . .is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."

Romans 8:3 'For what the law could not do. . .'

Absorb that. Remember, the law cannot make anything perfect, there are things it cannot accomplish. Mankind, so in love with the concept of government and law, swears by and honors its strength - but it is weak.

Romans 8:3-4 'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, Yahweh, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.'

Everytime something bad happens, the government responds by changing the laws as if this will make things better - more perfect. They know this is exactly what people want to hear from them. People want to feel a secure sense that the administrators they elected to office are not doing nothing but actually providing a service. Like Rep. Robin Vos said "Fraud will still be rampant. . . But it's better than doing nothing."

So where is the real answer? Where is the truth on solving all our problems?

Romans 8:7-8 'Because the carnal mind is enmity against Yahweh, for it is not subject to the law of Yahweh, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please Yahwweh.'

The truth is, man cannot solve his problems alone. Those that believe it is necessary to have government, to have laws, to have some people ursurp authority over others inorder to make life more just and peaceful, are living in the flesh and not led by the Spirit.

Romans 8:14-15 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of Yahweh, they are sons of Yahweh. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. . .'

Do you realize why most people in favor of government want a government?

They are scared. They want someone to protect them. They are bound to the fear of what it is like not having a government to protect them. They don't want a government that intervenes in their lives and says who can or cannot marry, they don't want a government that intervenes and says who and who can or cannot carry weapons, they don't want a government that supplies healthcare services to the poor and needy - BUT - they do want a government that maintains a strong military presences in troubled nations and sends out a strong message to the world that we are the top dogs. Don't mess with us. We want a government that protects our interests - right or wrong - just or injust. What it truly comes down to is, the moral fiber of civilization is lacking. Without a spiritual code, a religion, a moral framework that says I am my brother's keeper, I am responsible for others, I have a duty to do right by others as I would do right by myself; all is not perfectable. It cannot get better.

Galatians 3:12 'And the law is not of faith. . .'

Law has nothing to do with faith. And what is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not see.'

When lawmakers make new laws, it is their 'hope' that this will make things better - yet in truth, they know it will not. It is simply better than doing nothing. In other words, it is simply better than having and exercising faith.

Faith, unlike a new law, is the substance of hopes. Faith in Yahweh, in our Creator, is out ability to see beyond fear, beyond doubt, beyond loss, and do what is right by others - with or without law.

Lawmakers in government make laws to protect people, and we like those laws because they are made to protect us. In contrast, the Spiritual Law, the Holy Law, has nothing to do with us and that is why the carnal mind cannot grasp it, and stands against Yahweh. The Spiritual Law, the Holy Law, makes us help everyone else but ourselves.

James 2:8 'If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Then shalt ye love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.'

The next several verses speak on the respect of person in law, and any who wish to have law cannot offend in any law without breaking them all. If we truly loved our neighbour as ourselves, if the leaders and those running government and business really loved their neighbours as they love themselves, the nation would not be at a 10% unemployment figure.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ECONOMY?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

2 Timothy 3:10-12 'But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions. . .out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that live godly in the Messiyah Yahshua shall suffer persecution,'

Remember, government is there to protect people. People want government to protect them. A Christian has to come to the understanding that what they believe runs contrary to the worldly, it is enmity with them. In Matthew 10:25, Yahshua told us that they called Him Beelzebub - so what do you think they will call you? In John 15:20, Yahshua said, '. . .they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. . .'

In knowing this, why in the world would we as Christians look for and seek out a government of people to protect us from persecution and suffering?

Persecution and suffering are part of the deal.

2 Timothy 3:11 '. . .but out of them all the Lord delivered me.'

Who are you looking too, to deliver you? What are you fearful of? With true moral fiber, you can endure anything while exercising the Royal Law.

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." - Mark Twain

We build monuments to those who display physical courage and yet we crucify those who display moral courage.

The more laws you make the more injustices will occur.

James 2:10 'For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.'

Moral fiber allows us to have something law forget long ago. It is something those living in the flesh cannot phantom or permit. Forgiveness and mercy goes against everything the lawful stand for.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/69319792.html

This Journal Sentinel article says it '. . .has identified suspicious payments of more than $5.7 million thus far in its investigation (of state child-care payouts).

American believes in education. It believes you can educate incompetence out of the system. Lawmakers as well as the public believe that more rules and more oversight can fix the problem. In the end, they still ignore and avoid the lack of moral fiber in its educated fools. It does not matter how many years of schooling someone has had, or how many trainings they have completed, or how many certificates and titles they amass. In the end, what matters is the moral fiber in that person who is given responsibility. It is easy to look and point fingers at the criminals, at the ones who committed the acts, submitted falsified paperwork, and took advantage of the system. The hard part is those who were managing the whole thing to come forward and take responsibility. Some careworkers who had their licenses suspended and were under investigation, continued to receive payments. All of us can look around us, at our own jobs and see the lack of moral fiber in many of the workers, in many of the managers. People oftentimes lack the courage to do the right thing. People often times ignore problems and do the minimal amount of work required to get by. They operate under the system of law that allows them cracks and creases to slip between. I have always said, for every new law you make, you create two new cracks, one on either side, for water to run through. Law upon law is patchwork for a society morally bankrupt.

2 Timothy 3:13 'But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.'

This is the way of the worldly. Without moral fiber, the rules are not there for the just man, for those who deserve forgiveness and mercy. No, it is there to give those powerful and rich enough the authority to enforce it upon whom they will, while shielding themselves from it.

Proverbs 24:23 tells us that the wise man knows it is not good to have respect of persons in judgment and yet we see it all the time.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=9317494

In this article from Alaska, Senator Ted Stevens continues to get a $122,000 tax-payer funded pension despite being convicted of seven felony counts. Read what the articles says further down. ". . .Steven's criminal case is the first test of the new legislation, and is calling for loopholes in the bill to be closed."

It's new legislation and the first test already revealed 'loopholes'. No one wants to admit that there will always be loopholes and they simply had respect of person for a man who had the money and means to find the loophole. Most people in this nation, in the world for that matter, don't have the money or means to find those loopholes. The weight of the law crushes them everytime.

Romans 6:20 'For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.'

Do you comprehend this verse? When we lived according to the laws of the flesh, the laws of man, we were free to do injustice because the law sometimes said it was so - we could seek, find and use loopholes to avert, prevent or annihilate justice.

Once we come to Christ - that foolishness is over. We are a new man, a new creature, and we stop looking for precedents to accomplish our own selfish desires.

Romans 8:18 'For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.'

I reckon it is time we stop using law as a means to prevent suffering, and rather, eat the Bible, devour the Holy Word, and gain within us some moral fiber to withstand the fiery darts of Satan and stand on what is right. If we don't, in death and judgment, we will slip through a large crack for our rock was not the Lord.

Amen