Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester. OK
July 23, 2012

“A Commitment to Excellence!”
“For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life.” – Proverbs 6:26

It’s not often I am stumped for understanding but it is taking me a while to come up with a way to explain this verse. I think I hear a bowl of ice cream calling me which just might open up the creative juices. Am I being seduced or just distracted? I will get back to you on that one. Okay…now that I have had some time to think this through I believe I have a direction to go—and it has to do with our commitments.
How do you define commitment? I’m not asking you to open up Webster’s dictionary and then call me up with the definition—what I want to know is what does commitment look like to you?
I am going to make a rather bold statement here and say I do not believe that you can be “partially committed.” It’s kind of like trying to describe “partly cloudy,” or “partly sunny.” It’s either one or the oither…I have as of yet to figure out which one is which—it’s either cloudy or it’s sunny!
When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus did not hesitate: “…love the Lord your God with (all) your heart, with (all) your soul, and with (all) your mind, and with (all) your strength…” (Luke 10:27, NIV; Emphasis mine) All is a pretty big word and one you cannot ignore. It commands attention—demands involvement and encompasses our entire being. What Jesus was saying is that a relationship with God is not a partial commitment.
How does this apply to this verse? Simple—how can one be committed to one’s partner while giving themselves to someone or something else? Relationship demands all and you cannot give your heart and soul in pieces. It just does not work that way.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” – Matthew 6:24

I believe what Jesus was saying in this verse is exactly what Solomon was trying to get across in Proverbs 6. You cannot be divided in what you give your all to. Are you committed to God? Then we are to give our all to him! Are you a committed husband…wife? Then give your all to that person. Are you a father…mother? Give your all to your children! Are you an employee? Give your all to your job! Are you a member of a Church? Give your all to that Church for by doing so you are giving all to God!
I am not being contradictory here. We can give our all to each of these—but it begins by giving all to God. When we do that He gives us the power and ability to be all we can be to all other areas of life. However, and this is what I believe this verse to be saying, if we are not committed to God first, someone or something will drain our spirit until there is nothing left to give. It is as the title says—a commitment to excellence.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Slander and the Campaign

Whatever your political persuasion if you are a Christian slander should not be part of your political agenda. I receive too many emails which attack the character of the candidate on very subjective grounds. These emails get deleted. If we are to regain civility in public discourse Christians must lead the way! Quentin Clingerman, Monrovia, MD

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
July 13, 2012

“Seduction Reduction” (Part 2)
“Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.” – Proverbs 6:25 (NIV)

Lust is a curious thing…literally! In fact, that is what lust is—curiosity to the highest degree. When Jesus made the statement: ‘…anyone who looks at woman lustfully has [already] committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27, NIV), He was inferring that there is a point that goes beyond just the visual glance—the longing stare—that there is a point where desire is born and the thought of having that which is not yours to have begins. That is lust at its crest. To say that lust only applies sexually would be to take away its power upon the human mind and spirit. It goes far deeper than that! In fact, after I had finished yesterday’s message it dawned on me that I had only scratched the surface of what this verse (or passage) means and how we should apply it to our own lives. Not all of us are captivated so-to-speak by how others look. But what if there are other “lusts” out there that we tend to overlook? Shouldn’t we be aware of those as well? How about the lust for Power? Wealth? Recognition? Fame?
Would it be fair to say that more people have been seduced by these “beauties” than some sexual tryst that probably would never happen anyway? Power struggles have led to more wars than we have time to discuss at the cost of millions of lives. The desire for wealth has destroyed more marriages and relationships than adulterous relationships have! In fact, a 2008 article from Focus on the Family said that money problems, not sexual issues were the highest contributing factor in divorce among marriages in the United States. And then there is the harlot we will call Recognition! “Look at me!” “Listen to me!” “Give me your attention!” Those are just some of the ways this woman seduces her prey. And there are a number of people who fall into this category and the danger is that if no one pays attention (as they want) they simply increase the degree in the attempt to attract us toward them!
When we ministered a Church in Missouri, we had a young lady that truly epitomized this very thing. When she turned 16 she began a rebellious stage that went beyond annoyance—it was enough to pull one’s hair out! She and another young man took off one night and were gone for a couple of days. She then started creating “fainting” spells. She was skipping school. All of it was later determined (by her own admission) she was simply seeking some attention. Today, she is married to a wonderful young man with three beautiful children and is a leader in that same church where she caused so much trouble.
There are a number of these individuals in our churches that create situations for these very reasons—to have power—to get some recognition—attention. Not that we should ignore them, but these “lusts” must be taken care of before they destroy, both the ones under the power of these harlots as well as the Church!
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
July 12, 2012

“Seduction Reduction”
“My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.” – Proverbs 6:20-24 (NIV)

I purposely listed verses 20 through 23 to provide a basis for verse 24. Not that it could not stand on its own but it makes far more sense when you apply the whole passage as one. In fact, the purpose of this passage is entirely preventative in nature—or as I have titled it, “Seduction-Reduction.” Can we be perfectly honest here and say that verse 24; “keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman,” does not apply to everyone reading this message? I think it is entirely safe to make that statement. But who among us can say with absolutely certainty that we are not at some point or another seduced by some element of life that appeals to any one of our senses? Oh, I am not necessarily talking about the sense of taste, smell, hearing or feeling.
Consider this: what about one’s sense of well-being? Well-being can describe our quality of life, or how we view our future. If Satan can get us to question our sense of well-being, we become highly susceptible to that which Jesus told us to guard highly against—worry!!
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? – Matthew 6:25-27

I recently had a conversation with an individual that was completely one-sided and it all had to do with their “problems.” This individual could not get beyond their problems long enough to even see Christ in their life. That is the seduction of well-being, allowing worry to erase the power of Christ in our life.
Another seduction of the senses is that of self-deprecation. That is the state of belittling or undervaluing oneself. There is a HUGE difference between this and humility. Humility is not making oneself bigger than life. Jesus Himself practiced humility to the fullest sense (Philippians 2). When we say “I am not worthy of God’s love,” we speak the truth. No one is worthy of love. However, we must never think of ourselves as worthless or unnecessary! Consider the words of Paul:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. “ – Ephesians 2:10
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
One of my favorite verses comes from Psalm 8 where the Psalmist is contemplating this very thought: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (verses 3-4)
I am truly disturbed by the complete lack of confidence that so many have in their Christian faith. They have been seduced by the voice of discouragement. Worry clouds our future. Discouragement clouds our present. For those who would never think verse 24 would ever apply to them, I would hope that this message would prove otherwise. God’s instruction(s) for life apply to us all—to every part of us. Perhaps a good conclusion would be this verse: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” – Ephesians 6:10
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
July 12, 2012

“Finding Your Way in the Dark…”
“My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching… For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light…” – Proverbs 6:20, 23 (NIV)

Charles Colson recalls a time when he was asked to serve on a commission to help a school system overcome a rash of thefts and random acts of violence. The commission consisted of civic leaders, a couple of members of the local school board along with himself. In the initial meeting when asked for ways to help the schools overcome their problem, Colson suggested teaching the Ten Commandments. “We can’t do that,” the president of the School Board responded. “We must be able to maintain our separation of Church and State.” After several minutes of debate, Colson made another suggestion. He said, “Why don’t we make a banner that says, ‘Thou Shall not Steal,’ and hang it in every class room.” The President of the School Board responded, “Now that’s a good idea!” The man who opposed the Ten Commandments obviously did not even know what they were in the first place! And that is where the problem lies in so much of our society!
You see, tragically, ours is a culture that has forgotten -- or at least chosen to ignore -- God's rules of right and wrong. We have not heeded the warning in Proverbs 3:7 where it says "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." Instead society makes up its own rules...we are "wise in our own eyes." I read a story recently about Chi Chi Rodriguez -- the famous golfer. He was driving down the street with a friend, going a lot faster than he should have been. A light changed from yellow to red up ahead of him and he zoomed right through it....didn't even slow down. His friend almost had a coronary. He looked over at Chi Chi and sputtered, "Chi Chi, what in the world are you doing? You went right through a red light! Don't you stop for red lights?" "My brother taught me to drive," Chi Chi replied, "and he doesn't stop for red lights.” As Chi Chi inferred....today's society can be a very dangerous one in which to live...for it is one in which people make up their own rules. There is little or no belief in an absolute truth that applies to everyone. We live in a world today where many people follow Hugh Hefners' philosophy...the creed that says, "If it feels good do it."
In his book, Right From Wrong, Josh McDowell writes, "Our children seldom hear the words 'right' and 'wrong' from Hollywood, Nashville, and Madison Avenue; instead they are bombarded with thousands of hours of sounds and images that glamorize immorality and mock biblical values." Much of this philosophy of moral relativism is rooted in the teachings of the 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzche who argued that, "...languages of good and evil are rooted in neither truth nor reason but in the will to power."
Nietzche taught that rules about what is right and what is wrong are simply cultural inventions that serve as smokescreens for power struggles. According to Nietzche and his followers, subverting authority is a good thing...an act of liberation. He taught that might makes right. Whoever is strongest....whoever can win at "king of the mountain"....defines what is moral. Nietzche's philosophy is partially to blame for the establishment of the Nazi party and the subsequent annihilation of six million Jews. Charles Colson reports that seventy-five years ago two college students, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, murdered a 14-year-old boy. Their defense lawyer was the infamous Clarence Darrow and his most dramatic appeal was to argue that Leopold had absorbed the ideas of Nietzsche at school. He said, "Your honor, it is hardly fair to hang a 19-year-old boy for the philosophy that was taught him at the university." Well, this same philosophy is alive and well in our world today and is part of the reason that two teens in Littleton, Colorado could come to believe that killing 15 of their classmates was a good thing. The members of the commission Colson served on were in the dark. They needed enlightened but when given the light they did not recognize its source. This makes it even the more incumbent upon us to teach it to our children…grandchildren and even ourselves that the “Light” of the World is Jesus!
Pastor J. T. Carnell