There’s a reason to not eat the king’s meat…

or bow to his idols…

Situational ethics, situational faith, situational morals are no ethics, no faith, no morals at all. The shadow of death which has crept into every institution and clings to every aspect of our society in this age is the adoption of and prevalence of Relativism.

Relativism is a disease. A cancer of words, thoughts, and a belief system that only leads to turmoil and further corruption and defilement.

And while the article following my comments appears on its surface to be solely political in nature as a man who was in public office, and became nationally known, while also professing to be a Christian is making a very clear plea to Christians regarding the election in November.

What’s this all about? An article I came across titled “John Kasich: It’s OK for Christians to Vote for Joe Biden Though He Supports Killing Babies.”

Was a time, a number of years ago when John Kasich was Governor of Ohio he led with what appeared consistent and strong morals as part of his governing. He once was a conservative. But as time moved on, as with the vast majority, including many that count themselves as Christians, or consider themselves conservative, massive erosion took place with regard to morals, ethics, faith, and integrity.

It’s that constant erosion present in society, The accepting of moral decline while making excuses, or outright being oblivious, and before one knows it much of the foundations have been removed.

Too many people in this age all too easily cast aside traditions. Treating traditions as if they are somehow poisonous while in truth traditions provide a handrail, a steadying walking stick to hold onto in turbulent times. To abandon traditions is asking for troubles, and as we witness daily from our abandonment of traditions, of our foundations we have a whole heaping of troubles presently.

I always say we all should always go to God’s Word in all things to show us the way.

I hear people continually ask “How do I know God’s will?” With many of them, I think actually believing they are supposed to have a mysterious cloud appear in front of them and the voice of God emanates from it telling them directly what His will and desire for them is.

God has done this is a much easier and more accessible and universal manner. It’s called the Holy Bible. And whatever situation any person might find them in? No matter the situation or the timeframe in history? They will find at least one example, most likely many more to answer their question, “What is God’s will for me in this?” next thing, or decision to make.

Have you read the Book of the Prophet Daniel? I hope so. More than once.

If you have or have not Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (the Chaldeans) sought the finest, brightest, wisest of the people of Judah who he and his army had taken captive. To educate them, teach them the Chaldeans ways, their culture, their language, and beliefs.

Nebuchadnezzar had Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch take food to the captives daily, the same food and wine the king drank. Among these captives, the best and brightest were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

Daniel resolved he would not defile himself with the king’s food and wine. Now God was with Daniel greatly, as God is with those who truly believe and walk circumspectly and know and obey His word today. Daniel when he told the steward that was assigned to deliver the king’s food and wine to them he would not eat or drink of it the steward was afraid. Of losing his head and life for disobeying his master.

Daniel gave the steward an out. An option. Daniel asked the steward to replace the king’s food and wine with food that had been sown and harvested and to give them water to drink. The King James Version uses the word “pulse” which translated means something sown, and in many other translations is determined to be vegetables, but the food Daniel requested in exchange could easily also have included various grains. The steward agreed to Daniel’s terms and proposition, which was, give us ten days of eating what I’ve requested, and if we are not as healthy as the others who are eating the king’s food and drinking his wine we will not trouble you further with this request.

Only in the 10 day period Daniel and those mentioned above actually appeared stronger and better than the other youths in captivity eating the king’s food.

Daniel’s FAITHFULNESS, Daniel’s REFUSAL TO DEFILE himself and submit to the ways and requests of an idol-worshipping pagan man, albeit a mighty king,  rather than obey God not only kept Daniel well but Daniel grew stronger and prevailed due to his faithfulness, refusing to yield to the prevailing worldly winds and nature and to continue to abide in God — no matter what.

It may seem a nice little story, or something irrelevant to many, but this is much more than a story from a time long ago. This is applicable today. To each person claiming to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do we refuse to defile ourselves and not partake, not eat and drink what the world serves up? Now I hope and pray you to realize I’m not writing of literal foods we all know and may love. I’m writing about the world’s ways, beliefs, philosophies, dictates.

Or, do we eat of the king’s meat and drink what the king drinks because we do not want to offend, take a stand, stand firmly in the faith because we don’t want to appear odd or different? So we would rather imagine we’re playing it safe by doing what the world does, listening to the world’s teachings and ways. To not rock the boat? Not offend?

Do we realize and understand how we are thusly grieving the heart of God? How offensive we are in God’s sight!? Preferring to obey the world rather than the Word, rather than imitating the Lord Jesus Christ who we claim we are disciples of!

Once taking steps towards something. Once allowing something. Once opening the door to something it can never be the same as before doing those things ever again. The erosion goes on. Things get blurred as we make excuse after excuse and allow more and more of the world in.

There’s a reason to not defile oneself with the king’s meat.

Because sitting at that table and eating of that food leads to death. It is of the world and its ways rather than of God and His ways, His word.

Sitting at the table of the Lord and eating and drinking what He provides, no matter what that may be is for our spiritual and eternal nourishment and life!

There is no such justifiable thing as situational ethics, situational morals, situational excuse-making.

There is right. There is wrong. Right in God’s sight. Or sin. God has no part in and therefore when we go against God and His word and sin we alienate ourselves from God.

While professing to be His child and a disciple of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, one cannot have their cake and eat it too.

As no one can eat the king’s meat, make excuses for doing so, and push themselves away from the table of the world and expect God to be pleased with what we chose to eat and fill ourselves with rather than His Word, His life-giving food and drink!

Life is a series of choices. And our words, our actions — the choices each of us make, what we allow? All is seen, heard, and known to God our Father. Let us keep in mind God our Father is always present and we ought not want to disappoint our Father rather than upsetting or standing out from the world.

Let us all choose wisely. According to God’s Word, not the world’s words and ways. No matter how we might be shunned, mocked, no matter what may come upon us — but if we have the faith and obedience of Daniel? We may just become that light of the world in which those we come into contact with see the Father in us and they begin to glorify His name.

Imagine that rather than our submitting to the world’s ways…what might happen if only we were more Daniel and less how we have been for so long…

Ken Pullen

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

ACP — A Crooked Path

John Kasich: It’s OK for Christians to Vote for Biden, Even Though He Supports Killing Babies

By  MICAIAH BILGER

AUGUST 11, 2020   |    WASHINGTON, D.C.

Reprinted from LifeNews

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich encouraged Republican and Christian voters Monday to consider voting for pro-abortion Democrat Joe Biden because he is a “man of faith.”

Biden claims to be a devout Catholic, but he supports taxpayer-funded abortion on demand and opposes religious freedom for nuns and other religious charities. Many are trying to downplay his radical positions, the accusations of sexual assault against him and other scandals as he challenges President Donald Trump in November.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Kasich insisted that Biden is a strong “man of faith,” Breitbart reports. Kasich, who identifies as a pro-life Republican, is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention in support of Biden’s nomination.

“I think he is a man of faith. I don’t sit down and talk about all of his religion with him, but I’m comfortable with him. I, like I say, I consider myself to be a man of faith. A flawed man of faith for sure, but aren’t we all?” Kasich said.

However, Kasich went on to attack Christians for supporting President Donald Trump because he, too, is a flawed man.

“So I don’t think anybody can speak for the entire faith community and try to say that this person is good and that person isn’t. A lot of people scratch their heads about why some of these very conservative Evangelicals support Trump. It seems not to be consistent with the things that they believe in as promoted in the Old and New Testament,” he said.

The former Republican governor encouraged Republicans to “take off your partisan hat” and consider the future before they vote.

“I would encourage other Republicans to … vote on the basis of what your conscience tells you about the future of our country, not just for yourself but for your kids as well,” he told CNN. “I believe Biden can bring us together. I’ll disagree with Joe on things, and [the DNC] expected that when they asked me to do this. I said yeah, there are things I’ll disagree with Biden on. There are things I’m concerned about. At the end of the day, I think he is a man of faith.”

But children’s futures is one of the biggest reasons so many pro-lifers, Republican and Democrat, will not support Biden. If elected, Biden would be “the most pro-abortion president in history,” pro-life Democrat leaders said in a recent piece at the Wall Street Journal.

Though the Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion, Biden does not. His support of taxpayer-funded elective abortions alone could lead to more than 60,000 more dead unborn babies each year, according to research by Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Even more unborn babies could be killed if he succeeds in restoring funding to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion chain in America, as he promised to do.

Biden also said he is committed to “the constitutional right to an abortion” and to reversing “the Trump administration and states’ all-out assault on women’s right to choose.” He promised to “work to codify Roe v. Wade.” The infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision made the United States one of only seven countries in the world that allows elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Contrary to his so-called faith, Biden also opposes religious freedom for Catholic charities like the Little Sisters of the Poor and Christian businesses like Hobby Lobby that do not want to be forced to pay for contraception that may cause abortions. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the nuns’ favor this summer, Biden vowed to reverse Trump’s actions supporting religious freedom.

“As disappointing as the Supreme Court’s ruling is, there is a clear path to fixing it: electing a new president who will end Donald Trump’s ceaseless attempts to gut every aspect of the Affordable Care Act. If I am elected, I will restore the Obama-Biden policy that existed before the Hobby Lobby ruling,” Biden responded.

Though Biden and his supporters like to highlight his faith, his actions demonstrate that he does not live it. And, as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

Living the words of the Holy Bible speak louder, shine brighter, these words directing our actions daily, always…