Is This What We Want?

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

This could not be any simpler than that... and this is what President Obama administration is bringing to us.

The Resurrection

Matthew 28
The Resurrection
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

The Guards' Report
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Blame

Going Home

Who was it who said, "You can't go home again." I just got back from down home, that's Southern Indiana taking care of Uncle Sam request. I drove a little over 800 miles in all; back in Abram day when he and his nephew, Lot gathered up all that they had to be led by God to a promised land flowing with milk and honey that He swore to give to him and his descendants. Their journey would have taken them nearly a year or so to reach this land.
Most people today here in America do not know what real hardship is like. On this trip home I visited my old grade school in Alford, the same school that my Father had attended from 1921 to 1929. The Old School House as it is called has now been turned into a Arts and Craft shop. It was a two room building with the first through fourth in one room and fifth through eighth in the other. Several school pictures were hanging on a wall. The pot belly shoves were missing as well as the old coal house which stood about 120 feet to the south. The first old water hand pump outside of the building was still there. I can remember standing in line holding the small white paper cone cup waiting to get my drink of water and I noticed that the girls and boys outhouses were long gone.. But all of this is nothing compared to how much hardship many are still living with in most of the third world countries. Countries where many must carry their water long distances for drinking, bathing and cooking and still no electricity.
How different it must have been for Abram and his family as they travel hundreds of miles, often maybe just ten miles or so a day, but Abram was guided by his faith in a great promise given by a all knowing God. God changed Abram name to Abraham... God accredited Abraham's faith as righteousness and through faith all believers in Christ are counted as Abraham's descendants. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29
Many today are to occupied with looking for sources other than the Bible in an attempt to gain popularity, power and riches of this world. Their pride will be a great snare to them. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2