Reaction to Shingles shot has kept me from Blogs last week. Hope this is the first of several this week!
In February, 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt departed from his predecessor’s mild-mannered “get-along” policy. In the first of 40 anti-trust suits filed against colossal economic Corporations, the President sued J.P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Company for violating an earlier Sherman Anti-trust Act. Accustomed to finding common ground in contentious issues, the alarmed Morgan secured a personal meeting with Roosevelt. Wanting to reach a compromise benefitting everyone, he offered his usual procedure: “Your man meets with my man and they fix it.” That had always worked with Morgan. Meeting with the President would surely follow. Life History U.S., Vol. 9, 3-4 The President’s reply nonplused the Industrialist. He didn’t intend to “fix it” with Morgan’s empire, but to “break it”. While he didn’t declare war on Trusts in general—the politician’s usual persiflage—the President warned that any position Trusts took that hazarded free enterprise would be attacked. T.R.’s response to J.P’s offer has spiritual implication. Through Adam—our man—humanity had a sin problem with God. God sent his MAN Jesus to resolve the problem. However, when he came from God with ALL AUTHORITY to confront the issue on God’s terms, he offered himself ALONE as God’s Sole solution. To this day, God removes sin from us in the same way he did in the first century: ONE PERSON offering ONE DEAL. Jesus Christ: believe in; accept his sacrifice; be baptized for the forgiveness of your sin; accept Christ’s Lordship of your post-baptismal life; persevere in Christian discipleship daily. All of the above leaves nothing to negotiate; to reach an arrangement leaving both God and us satisfied, a “square deal” for both, a “give-and-take” relationship we can both accept. God doesn’t aim to fix us. He aims to transform us. We don’t need a few adjustments to our life. We need total conversion from the ego-centered self to Christ-centered inspiration and behavior. In the end Roosevelt did re-make America’s economy by making it more competitive. God will have his WAY with us or we will have NO WAY to be saved. Christ’s unblinking STARE stating his help will either shatter our confidence in self or we will die in our sins. No mercy will be shown to those who disregard the MERCY he’s given Hebrews 10:26-31.
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