Jump Start # 1298

Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

  I read recently that a detailed research study was conducted by Cornell University on the best way to survive a zombie apocalypse. The study revealed that the chances of survival in most U.S. cities would be limited to only a few weeks. However, the study showed that in remote areas that are not heavily populated and especially in elevated areas, the survival rate could last several months. The conclusion reached was the those in the eastern U.S. should travel to mountains of Colorado, Utah and Montana, in order to survive.

Several things were of interest to me in this study.

First, zombies do not exist. I am a fan of Walking Dead and my wife is convinced that there could be some in the woods behind our house, but the reality is medically, spiritually and logically, zombies do not exist. How do you study something that does not exist? How do you do a “detailed study” on something that isn’t there?

Second, it took a detailed study to come up with a conclusion that most twelve year olds could tell you? Common sense says get away from people, if zombies were real. But they are not.

Finally, no studies are free. Who paid for this? Why would someone pay for this? What a waste of money and time. Is this where academia has gone? Universities studying non-existent zombies and coming up with an escape plan that will never be used? It would not surprise me if some universities started offering classes in Zombie 101. Then, some college kid will switch his major to zombies, and spend four years running up student loans and getting a degree in advanced zombieism  that will do absolutely nothing for him. Where is he gong to get a job? What good are those studies?

What is baffling in all of this is that for many who head up these studies, they have more belief in zombies than they do God. They would think a threat of running into a zombie is more likely than running into God after we die. More people would be interested in things that do not exist than things that do exist. Bring up the subject of UFO’s and you’ll find all kinds of interests, theories, studies and books written. Pass out flyers announcing a lecture on UFO’s or zombies and the house will be packed. Do the same with a lecture on God and only the church family shows up. Why? Superstition, speculation and wild assumptions can draw the attention of us more than what we really know. Even among believers, we can chase ideas that cannot be known and spend a lot of time discussing, debating and trying to figure out things that do not advance our relationship with the Lord nor build our faith. The curious mind can become unglued and led to areas that are false, dangerous and counter productive to our faith.

Our verse today declares, “Know that I am God.” Know Him. Believe Him. Paul said, “I know whom I believe.” The proof of God is around us in nature. The universe, without saying a word, declares God, as Psalms 19 states. Then there is the Bible. Proof. Witnesses. Evidence. Real names. Real places. Accurate. Sensible. Real. We need to pour our efforts into knowing Jesus, the real Jesus. Watch Him. See Him. Notice how He is around people. Notice that He never screamed, “Leave Me alone.” Notice, He never turned and said to Peter, “You bother me.” He never lost His focus. He never got side tracked. He never got bogged down and forgot why He was here and what He was doing. See Jesus around people. He saw things that others didn’t. He cared when others didn’t. He allowed others to interrupt Him, question Him and even challenge Him. He was thoroughly examined by the critics. He was, as Peter declares, the chief stone that was rejected. Those closed minds and stubborn hearts had no room for the real Jesus. He didn’t fit into their mold, their theology nor their thinking. We must be sure that the same doesn’t happen to us.

The current flavor of the month that is rapidly spreading across this country is for someone to declare that they are spiritual but not religious. That doesn’t make much sense. It’s falls into the zombie category for me.   What it typically means, especially to the twenty and thirty year old crowd, is that I like Jesus but I don’t belong to any church, have room for any doctrine, rules, teachings or structure. “I’m a Jesus person,” as one  declared in a leading magazine. Boiled down this means, I like Jesus when it’s cool to like Jesus and when it fits into my schedule. However, when it doesn’t, this amazing Jesus will allow me to party with my friends, being a bit loose in my morals and let my hair down. Spiritual without religious means I don’t pay much attention to the Jesus of the Bible. Commitment, sacrifice, dedication doesn’t fit into the Spiritual but not religious crowd. They don’t get worked up about whether Jesus is coming back, what we are supposed to do and any of those things. Just sit around in a circle, hold hands, and repeat, “I love Jesus,” over and over. It seems that these folks missed the hippie movement so they have their Jesus movement. Churches are catering to such nonsense. Books are being written that promote this stuff. You won’t find the Bible saying anything positive about this.

Jesus said to deny self, take up your cross and follow Me. Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God. Jesus said if you love Me, keep My commandments. Jesus said, if you are not with Me, you are against Me. Jesus said. Oprah confessed many years ago that her god accepts homosexuals. That is true. Her god does. I don’t know who her god is, but like the spiritual but not religious crowd, we can make up a god that fits our thinking. Instead of we changing, some try to change god. The problem with that is you cannot change the real God. We must conform to Him.

Zombies, UFO’s, Spiritual but not religious—they are all very similar. Unfounded. Ungrounded. And sadly, without God. Don’t get caught up in chasing after the wind. Don’t waste time on things that do not matter. Set your mind on things above. Fill your heart with what is true and right. Our faith rests in the one true and living God.

Be still and know that I am God.

Roger