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THE POLK COUNTY PULSE
July 27, 2016
PEOPLE OF PRINCIPLE! OR PEOPLE OF OPINION? Strange way to begin something…different titles. And they are different. And each of these titles raises questions that Christians must answer…soon…not because I say it, but simply because that is the way it is. So what is a “principle?” Are principles important? Are we a people of principles or a people of opinions? Are we for sale? Webster defines principle as “a fundamental truth upon which others are based.” Good starting place. People of Principle have discovered things that are true and have bound themselves to those truths. They will not consider that compromise may offer a more palatable solution. People of principle know that they will never be in the majority whether it be politics or “religion” or business or how to raise children or almost any other issue. They are not “issue-oriented;” they are “is it right” oriented. Once they discover the “right” they are fixed. And they will never be popular. Neither will they change. The most principled man (yes, Jesus referred to Himself as “son of MAN”) who ever walked this little planet was Jesus Christ. He never compromised Truth no matter the consequences. Jesus was, and People of Principle must be, concerned with Truth and never with consequences. Unfortunately, we live in a time and place (and are we part of it?) in which consequences have become the major consideration. And those “consequences” are mostly “will it work for ME.” It is getting harder and harder to find folks whose only concern is whether or not a thing is right. But if principles are not opinions then where do they come from? Are we born with something in our brains to tell us what is right or wrong, good or evil? Maybe so, to a degree, but the major thing in knowing what is right or wrong, good or evil, comes from a document that God Himself gave to us and has miraculously preserved over the years just for our benefit. Cultures do not survive where there are no absolutes, no principles to live by. And a wrong set of principles can be destructive, and perhaps even more so, than no principles at all. America has been a good place for Christians for many years. We brought the principles of the Word of God here and, for the most part, sought to implement and live by those principles. And God blessed us. No politician can “make America great again.” No! The “secret” of America’s greatness seems to have been lost to almost everyone, but, there are a few who still understand, whose hearts are broken by the incredible change from Principle to Opinion, from Truth to “will it work for me.” The “secret” (?) to America’s greatness has always been, and always will be, the touch of God upon us, and that touch came because we understood that we are His and that we are responsible to the Truths of His Word. And, lest we forget, the First of His Truths is this one: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” The incredible thing about Truth is this: it stands whether anyone believes it or not. So will He. The grand question is “will we?” My name is Gene Stacks and I approve of this message.
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