Compass Point

I have been reading Ephesians 6 about the armor of God. Paul did a masterly study on Roman armaments and compared it to the clothing a Christian must put on in the daily fight against Satan and the forces he throws at us each day.

Just reading this passage reminds me of the fight we have each day to live according to God's way. Life is a spiritual battle. It is easy to forget this reality and think things are going smoothly. The hard truth is we have been thrown into a struggle for eternity and the forces arrayed against us are spiritual.

One of the weapons is our "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Verse 15).  The gospel of the kingdom of God is a message of peace, lasting peace for the nations. It is what motivates our forward movement as Christians. It first gives us the peace of mind and quiet courage we need to combat the issue of daily life. It is what gives us peace with God, knowing His plan and purpose for each of us and all of humanity. We don't have to rail at God as if He is an unknown and His ways unknowable.

It is a foundation of peace to which we can return when we have to walk near or through the dark valleys of life. This knowledge of the kingdom of God transforms and drives our life each day. It is the good news we want to share with others. That is why it is on our feet. The gospel gives us the motivation of a life filled with purpose and meaning.

Paul asked the Ephesian members to pray that he would be able to "open (his) mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel..." (Verse 19).

We should pray that we can have the means to speak the gospel boldly to a disoriented world in dire need of the words of peace.


Who is To Blame?

Robert Samuelson asks this regarding the unstable markets we are seeing. Yesterday the Dow Jones closed down and Asian markets were off today. There is still a bubble of uncertainty.

Samuelson has a good read on placing blame on both ends of the sub prime case. He shows both lenders and borrowers share the blame...
 

Paradoxically, the fact that the U.S. economy grew in spite of so many daunting obstacles -- corporate scandals, 9/11, higher oil prices -- may have created a false sense of confidence that it could overcome almost anything. Sophisticated investors and ordinary consumers alike seem to have fallen under the spell of this logic. Believing risks had declined, the first group actually adopted ever-riskier investment strategies -- and unknowingly increased financial risk. The second, believing in continuing economic growth and rising home prices, assumed ever-heavier debt burdens -- and created potential obstacles to future spending. In 2000, household debt was 103 percent of disposable income; in 2007, it's 136 percent.

There are enough lessons for all to learn here.

Iran's Nuclear Threat

President continued to focus attention on Iran's nuclear ambitions in a speech to the American Legion on Monday night.
 

Mr Bush said: "Iran's pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust. "Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, and the United States is rallying friends and allies to isolate Iran's regime to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late," he told war veterans in Nevada.

There is still debate whether to use force to attack Iran's nuclear installations. No doubt plans ore on the drawing board for such a contingency. The fallout from such an attack would be awesome. It would plunge this nation into a major crisis in the midst of an election campaign, creating a further political and social divide.