Beech Tree News Network

Some folks in our past, and in our more recent, have said some pretty worthwhile stuff that we can take to the bank. Since much of this worthwhile stuff comes from the Bible, let's establish that authority first-off.

As far as we know Jesus never wrote a book, however God spoke through him, "God, who at sundry times and in divers (diverse) manners spake in time past unto the fathers by prophets . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son (Jesus), whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also HE made the world." (Heb. 1:1 & 2). Is that enough authority for you? If we believe that scripture, then we can't buy into the lie that some have bought into; that is, "Ahh . . . that was spoken and written by humans like us. How can the Bible be completely true?"

We do have testimony from humans like us, other than the Son and the prophets. Blaise Pascal, for one, was a Godly man. A French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (1623-62): "It is vain O men that you seek within yourselves the cure for your miseries."

Augustine speaks of his own will, not God's: "When I choose to do something, sometimes good; sometimes bad, I am certain that is of my own self-making: this act of will. But I see now that evil comes from the perversion of the will when it turns aside from you, O God."

Charles Colson (who died recently) said of will, "Because something is legal (from a human standpoint) does not make it right. Nor can the will of the majority be confused with the will of God. They may be different. In fact they often are." A good example is, "president law," or sometimes called "case law." This refers to a decision rendered by a judge or judicial body, based on a court finding from sometime, somewhere, in the past. That kind of law is unconstitutional; it never saw the inside of a legislature house or the Congress of the United States . . . by whom our laws are made.

We also can't buy into the lie that a woman can make the decision to have an abortion without offending God. We get the argument that, "It's her body; she should have the right to do with it as she wishes." The Bible says, ". . . Ye are not your own, for you are bought with a price." (I Cor. 6:19 & 20). The US Supreme Court says she can. They are wrong. The price with which we have been bought is the shed blood of our Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ. That, my friend, trumps any earthly court.

I used to not like our Vice-President, Joe Biden. But I think more of him, (not his politics), after reading his testimony about his relationship to God: "I do not derive my rights from the Constitution, but from God." Atta' boy, Joe. I'll buy that.

Sometimes even people we don't particularly admire say worthwhile things. Larry Flint said (and I'm not comparing Joe Biden to Larry Flint), "Apathy is the greatest enemy of democracy." Truth to tell, most people don't care what goes on in Washington or Frankfort. It's boring to them. Sad. Apathy caught us with our pants down at Pearl Harbor. It also caught Mexican general, Santa Anna with his down at San Jacinto where Sam Houston flat kicked his backside and won for Texas its independence from Mexico.

A lot of people do not have a probing mind, and they shy away from anyone that does -- sometimes to the point of anger. They just like to go on their merry way and not have to think about anything controversial. It takes too much energy and effort. So they just straddle the fence with the attitude: "I don't know if I'm a Democrat or a Republican, a conservative or a liberal, I'll just rock-along and not get involved, yet they tend to squall the loudest when jobs go down the drain, or the Government does stupid things. Politicians are subject to the SEVEN DEADLY SINS like anybody else.

People in power don't like it when the folks they rule think on their own . . . have ideas of their own. That's why French King, Louis II had his second in command, a Roman Catholic Cardinal, throw a guy in prison for drawing up plans for a jet engine as early as the 1500s.

So, my good friends and fellow travelers, you'd better be glad when the people in Congress and the state legislature do differ. We better start to worry when THEY DON'T. If they all crawl in bed together, you and me and John Q. Public are in a heap of trouble.

Ever hear of the Maryland, Virginia and New York debates when our forefathers were hammering out our Constitution? History records: "The fight over ratification was a bitter one. Never the less, it was a victory." Democracy is not the result of folks getting together, all warm and fuzzy, holding hands and singing "Com-bi-yi." We'll do that in Heaven. Not here.

Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the poorest form of government, except for all others." I can't argue with "Winnie" on that one. So I'll pull a Hank Snow and move on.

Kindest regards . . .