Saturday, January 01, 2005

Billy Idol Gets It, Why not Bush 2/2

Take me back home
There is nothin' fair in this world
There is nothin' safe in this world
And there's nothin' sure in this world
And there's nothin' pure in this world
Look for something left in this world
Start again
Come on

It's a nice day for a white wedding
It's a nice day to start again.

I suddenly realized that Billy Idol gets it! In this world there is nothing that is fair, safe, sure, or pure. Only that which has come from above, only of Jesus Christ can these comments be made. It is interesting how Idol says, “It’s a nice day for a white wedding. It’s a nice day to start again.” I think to the future marriage supper of the Lamb when Jesus will take us to be his bride, white and pure by the washing in His blood. Truly Christ’s coming was a “nice day to start again.” The sacrifice of Jesus makes it possible for us to approach God with whom we are at enmity without Christ. Now I know Billy Idol wasn’t prophesying. He was merely lamenting that there is nothing left in the world worth anything and it would be nice to start over. It is the lament of those who have no hope, no future, and no life.

So if the man with the rebel yell, a recovering drug addict / alcoholic, sexual revolutionary, materialistic maniac can speak truth, why can’t our President? Instead, George W. Bush takes the stage, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and speaks soft, comforting words to a nation in turmoil and leads us like lambs to the slaughter. Here is what I wish our President would have said:

"Each year, we gather here to celebrate the humble life of Jesus Christ our Lord as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah who said, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I exhort you to remember Jesus and his sacrifice this season. I would say to you what the Apostle Paul said to the Philippians, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

"As we approach Christmas in this time of war, we pray for freedom, and justice, and peace on Earth. We ask for God to watch over our men and women in uniform who are serving overseas. Their families miss them -- hold a seat open for them -- and pray for their safe return. America's military men and women stand for freedom -- and they serve the cause of peace. Many of them are serving in distant lands tonight, but they are close to our hearts. We pray for this nation also, for its return to Biblical truth. Dr. Abraham Kuyper, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, said in 1897, “One desire has been the ruling passion of my life . . . It is this: That in spite of all worldly opposition, God’s holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God.” I pray this would be our ruling passion this year. May God give you and your loved ones peace this Christmas, the peace that comes from knowing His Son. God Bless America.

I guess if President Bush won’t say it, I will.

Book Reviews: Short & Sweet

[FYI: Sorry, January does not exist as a posting month but as a backfill for long articles and the like]

Below is a list of (short) book reviews I wrote to encourage others to read good literature. Our society does not encourage reading, nor independent (and godly dependent) thought. Here is my small way of trying to entrap Christians into thought-provoking and thoughtful books enforcing Biblical truth.

(This list will be added to as reviews keep coming in.)

1. Where in the World Is the Church?, Micheal Horton.
2. Maintaining the Delicate Christian Balance, Jay Adams.
3. The Mystery of Godliness, John Calvin.
4. The Art of Prophesying, William Perkins.
5. The Bible Tells Us So, R. B. Kuiper.

SDG