Welcome to Truth Talk Live, a daily program powered by the Truth Network, where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Welcome to Truth Talk Live.
This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be back with you today. I've been off for a couple of weeks as we transitioned out of, no, not that kind of transition, as we transitioned out of the hospital. And we left Denver after almost five months. We were there in Aurora with my wife through a medical odyssey, if you will, and we were back home. And it's been quite a journey. I won't kid you. We went down there for two operations.
It turned into 11. And the surgery count she's had now in her lifetime is 98. All this is because, for the vast majority of us, because of a car wreck she had way back in the early 80s during Ronald Reagan's first term. And I think most of you that listen to this program regularly know I host a radio program here on this network for family caregivers. That's the thrust of a lot of what I do, but it sparks conversations that go into other areas because, as C.S. Lewis said, suffering is God's megaphone to get our attention.
And he certainly has ours right now. But I love, a friend of mine once said, a pastor friend of mine once said, it's hard to cry out to a savior that you don't think you need. As long as we think, well, we got this God, we got this God, then we're going to distance ourselves from God. But it's when we get in these moments of crisis that we all of a sudden get serious about our faith and say, okay, well, what do we believe? And that's something I've been observing for many years as we've gone through this journey. And in my own life I've been watching this, okay, well, God, I got this. Well, after 40 something years of this, I can clearly tell you that, no, I don't have this.
But he does. And I've seen him sustain us both through this journey that has been beyond the pale. And even by our standards, it's been a grind. This last five months has been a grind for us. But we're home in Montana.
Gracie is recuperating. The good mountain air is healthy for her. It took forever to get out of Denver. I'm not kidding you all. I mean, we'd been there so long. And then the traffic, we left that day and the traffic is like two hours to get out of Metro Denver just to head north.
And once we got into Wyoming, I was able to finally breathe a little bit. We had to spend the night along the way. They didn't want her to fly. And so we had to arrange it so she could lay flat in our vehicle. And anybody else with what she's got going on would still probably be in the hospital. But they felt like, you could be in the hospital for so long and you start getting sicker just from being in the hospital. And they felt like it would be better for her to go, that they had cleared her as far as everything was, the surgeries worked and now it's just the long recuperation process. And evidently they felt confident that I could handle whatever was going to be here. We got some home care coming in and looking after her, but I think good mountain air and rest and peace and quiet, you know, there's never peace and quiet in a hospital. I mean, they're coming in all the time and that's just the nature of it. And so it's been good to get home.
She went from though, a staff of a whole bunch of nurses and doctors and PAs and everybody looking after her to just one decrepit old caregiver. That's just me. But we seem to be muddling along and I appreciate your indulgence as I give you that update. So that's where I've been. And I thank you all. And I thank the Whole Truth Network for covering for me as we've gone through this process.
The number to call 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884, if you want to be on the program. And I'd like to talk to you about what's going on. I'd like to hear your thoughts as we see what's been going on in the world here in the last week. Are we in the end times?
A lot of people are asking that question. Are we in a situation where it's Ezekiel 37, 38, or are we just dealing with another geopolitical headache that's going on in the Middle East? And what do you think about this? What are your thoughts about? Do you see current events that confirm or challenge what you believe? What do you think Scripture is actually saying?
Is this just a dust up? What shaped your understanding of all this? Is there somebody you particularly read or listen to that you think has a pretty good handle on this sort of thing?
Or do you just kind of look and say, look, I've got too much going on in my life. They're just going to have to fight it out. And Jesus is going to come back when Jesus is going to come back. I mean we don't know. I mean the good news is that according to what Jesus said in Matthew, no one knows but the Father. So when Jesus knows, we'll know soon thereafter.
These people that try to come up with a date and so forth, I'm always a little bit suspect of that. I've got too much going on right now and I've got a wife who needs me to have my head in the game and be incredibly attentive to what's going on with her today. And whenever the return of Christ happens my prayer is that he'll find me busy doing the things that he's asked me to do which is husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church, who gave his life as a sacrifice. So that's my job and I'm going to continue doing that and staying busy even while I do this program.
I'm only yards away from her at this point. That's not going to change for some time. And we are called to be busy, industrious people as Christians but always keeping an eye on what's going on in the world and ready to speak the gospel into it at any point. And do we know what that is? Sometimes I think we preach a lot of grace but do we preach the need for grace? Do we preach the reason why there is good news? How can there be good news if we don't have bad news? And this is where I think the opportunity for the certainly the western church is plentiful to be able to speak into that vacuum because I think we've had an unhealthy pendulum shift over to just talking about God's grace.
He just loves everybody and really borders on universalism versus wait a minute there are consequences to sin. If we have a Savior then that implies that we have something that we need to be saved from. Well, what is it we are being saved from? And all of these questions start coming to the surface when you see Middle East tensions like this because everybody starts thinking, oh is this it? Is this it?
Is this it? And you know Jesus Himself warned about this. He said you know there is going to be wars, and rumors of wars, and earthquakes, and famines, and floods, and all kinds of things. But what is our responsibility in this? And I'd like to hear your thoughts on that 866-34-TRUTH.
866-348-7884. I briefly alluded to this whole thing of eschatology which is just a high dollar word for the study of last things. And I put a quote in there that I've always loved.
I came up with this, I don't know, a decade ago. And this is in my new book called A Caregiver's Companion which will come out in August. And it's scriptures, hymns, and 40 years of insights for life's toughest role. And I just put a quote that I've said over the years that I marry it with the scripture about eschatology and the study of end times. And of course that is what is on a lot of people's mind as they see anything that happens in the Middle East. But I said don't let your eschatologist be your financial planner. And a lot of people thought, what are you trying to say there?
Well, it was pretty clear. The study of end times is an exciting study but it is a bit precarious. And there are a lot of different views on what this all shakes out to be. And I go back to that again, that scripture Matthew 24-36, but concerning that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father only.
So if only the Father knows, not even the Son knows, then it's probably best for us not to speculate. It doesn't mean we don't pay attention. But I, and I'll talk about this more when we get into the next block, I come from the mindset that we tend to look at the sensational and miss what God is doing because we're looking. Remember what Jesus said, you're always looking for a sign. You're always looking for a sign. And He's looking for a sign.
And He was standing right in front of them and they missed Him looking for a sign. And are we still guilty of that same trap as a species? And I would suggest to you that yeah, we are. And I'll talk about that more when we come back.
Again, this is on a lot of people's minds because of what's happening in the Middle East. But I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. You stand on this and you can give us a call. 866-34-TRUTH, 866-348-7884. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is Truth Talk Live. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. This is Peter Rosenberger.
Glad to be with you today. If you want to be a part of the program 866-34-TRUTH 866-348-7884. In the last segment I posed a question a lot of people are quietly wondering or loudly debating as we watch escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. We're seeing all this is going on.
You've got everybody seems to be weighing in with this on are we seeing signs of the end times. And it's a fair question but one that has sparked a lot more sensationalism, the discernment. Throughout Scripture people have looked for signs and still miss the work of God right in front of them. We tend to look for the sensational but we're missing the quiet where God is moving.
Are we paying attention to this? I mean think about it. Who was looking in Bethlehem for Jesus to be born?
Nobody was looking for this. And you could go through all of Scripture and you just see more and more of this. For example the Israelites wanted a big king. They rejected God as a king and they chose Saul because he was what?
Head and shoulders above everyone else. Literally physically he was just a taller big guy. And when the kingdom was taken away from Saul Samuel was sent to Jesse's house to look at his sons and he saw Eliab, David's older brother. He almost said well look at this guy.
He looks like a king. And God was like no you're missing it. And David was out there in the back pasture somewhere and he was kind of the runt of the litter. But that's who God picked. We're so busy sometimes looking for what we think this is going to make sense and God is doing something different. Do you remember the guys on the road to Emmaus and they were saying well we were hoping this Jesus was going to be the Redeemer and Jesus is walking right with them. And they couldn't see it. And only when he broke bread that they saw that it was him.
And we tend to get real caught up in the sensational but we're missing what's going on. And Jesus said go back to Matthew 12. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign but no sign will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. What was his sign?
Well he said three days, three nights in the belly of the whale. And I think Jesus clearly was alluding to what was going to happen. The sign was going to be him crucified dead and buried and then risen. But Jesus said you know wicked and perverse generation, evil and adulterous generation they seek for a sign. When it comes to the end times we get all excited about certain things but from what I understand in Jonah the message was to go and repent.
And we're calling people to repent, to turn from this. And we get I think the battle lines get drawn between dispensationalism versus covenantal theology and it's hard to understand where do you land on that. If you got for example the end times focus on dispensationalism you're looking at a rapture, tribulation, thousand year reign and covenantal theology espouses Christ reigning now, one final return. And you've got a dispensationalism book at Israel and the church, separate programs. But covenantal says no they're one people and it's fulfilled in Christ.
There's neither Jew nor Greek. Second coming and dispensationalism you got two stages rapture then return. But covenantal says one return bodily, visible and final. And I had figured out you know on the dispensational side you got we're going to get raptured and then the church will be raptured and then we hang around in the air for three and a half years and then come back with Jesus when he returns to earth.
So he calls us up to the air. How does that work? I don't know. It's kind of puzzling to me.
I hadn't figured all that out. And then you've got the millennium dispensationalists tend to be a literal 1,000 year reign after his return. Whereas covenant theology says the symbolic reign of Christ is happening now.
He's reigning right now. And then the signs to watch for dispensationalism is wars, Israel's rebirth, the temple rebuilding. And then in covenantal it's the Gospel to the nations, faithfulness and suffering. And so it's complex.
And a lot of people who are very scholarly are battling on both sides of this issue. Let me ask you this. Are you living in fear of missing the rapture? Or are you living in hope of his triumphant return?
It's a good question isn't it? Do you believe God has two separate peoples or one church? Born of grace and adopted through Christ. Is your hope in watching world events? Or are you working faithfully until he comes? And I go back to the words of Jesus. Not my words, his words.
Look what he actually told us to do. Matthew 24 42 through 44. Therefore stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
The Son of Man is coming in an hour you do not expect. And again how many people were watching Bethlehem? Herod didn't do anything about Bethlehem and the children born there until the wise men had shown up. He didn't know what was going on. He should have known but he didn't. They knew. They came and they followed the star. And then he had when they showed up and then he had all of his people go out and search the scriptures. But when Jesus first came to earth nobody was watching in Bethlehem. Luke 12 35 through 36.
Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast. Acts 1 6 through 8. And the disciples asked Lord will you now restore the kingdom to Israel? This is the the last question they asked him before the ascension. And Jesus says it is not for you to know times or season but you will receive power and be my witnesses. In other words are you seeing a theme here?
Don't build charts. Be the church. Go about the business of the church. First Thessalonians 5 2. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Then go back to Matthew 24.
If the master of the house had known what part of the night the thief was coming he would have stayed awake. Therefore you also must be ready. We don't need to live worried. I come from the mindset that we need to be vigilant. We need to be working. There is work to do. I am watching every day the things that go on globally and seeing the headlines just like you you were doing.
We all see it. But I have work to do. I have a wife who needs me to provide for her to care for her and to be able to to minister to her and her suffering and her disability and now in the recovery from these surgeries. It does not honor God for me to sit there and go go back and read through all the left behind books.
That's not something I have time for nor does that interest me at all. What interests me is the fact that scripture commands Ephesians 5 25 husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of the water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish in the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. This is a clear commandment. This is a clear commandment. Eschatology is going to have to be what it's going to be right there in black and white in the text in Ephesians. Here's what the scripture says for me to do. And then Jesus says go into all the world preach the gospel make disciples.
These are clear cut instructions. In other words I'm seeing from the text we're to be busy about the work of the kingdom modeling it living it talking about it and equipping others to do the same. When he comes back we'll know. But I want him to come back and find me busy doing the things that he has commanded me to do. It's important for us to be vigilant and look for all the things that scripture says are going to happen but not at the expense of not doing what he asked us to do. And speculation about well is this newest dust up in the Middle East going to be it and is there going to be a third temple do we need to get a red heifer is this guy the Antichrist all that kind of stuff. I'm just going to have to let that be what it's going to be while I go about doing what scripture clearly commands for me to do.
Being vigilant but being industrious working. What about you? What are your thoughts on that? 86634 truth if you want to weigh in on that 866348 7884 are we looking for a sign are we looking to be industrious on behalf of the kingdom of God. Weigh in with your thoughts this is Peter Rosenberger we'll be right back. Welcome back to truth talk live I am Peter Rosenberger glad to be with you 866348 7884 86634 truth if you want to be a part of the program I want to just touch one more thing on this when I put this quote of my new book that's coming out it's called a caregiver's companion scriptures hymns and 40 years of insights for life's toughest role and I take these quotes that I've said over the years I've just kind of grabbed them from different places and I've I've married them with a scripture or with a hymn I love the hymns you know I love the hymns and they I put that in there don't let your eschatologist be your financial planner I remember my editor and my publisher said are you sure you want to put that in I mean you know I thought it was self-explanatory maybe it's not but I'm going to say it anyway don't let your eschatologist be your financial planner I mean we've got things going on in the world around us right now and we're always looking at this and this and this and then is this the guy that you want to go to with all of your finances maybe you need to get some investment stuff or buy some life insurance or do this or this and if you got a guy that said well the rapture is going to come next September you know kind of thing you don't want that guy being your financial planner and and it's it's not good to have that and so I put that on there because and and the scripture that I use with it is a simple one uh you know nobody knows the hour that Jesus said and even even the son doesn't know the hour so you know you you don't want to get into that kind of speculative stuff when we have so much that he's clearly said to do and and there's a guy I follow I can't remember who it is but I see this pop up on his twitter feed on his x feed sorry it's x and he puts out there you know we're never closer he puts this out regularly like we're we are never closer than we've ever we're closer than we've ever been to the return of Christ well and I'm like thank you captain obvious you know I mean yeah we're 24 hours you just you just posted that yesterday I mean really what what is your point in this and and it I don't know it just for some reason just leaves a bad taste in my mouth it just seems like come on do you not have more to to offer people than something like that yes you're right 24 hours it's true he's not lying we are closer because we're 24 hours closer in fact we are closer to the return of Christ now than we were when I started this program at the top of the hour but really I mean what do you want to do with that piece of information so I think it's one of those things where as Christians let's be the thought leader yes there are things going on you know Daniel said that knowledge is going to increase and you see the the exponential race to a certain to certain things in our culture that we never dreamed of I'll tell you something that does concern me my nephew was telling me about this in DC I think they have a store that Amazon runs now if I'm wrong on this somebody correct me I don't mean to be but I'm relaying the second hand because I'm not in DC so I don't know but he said you scan your hand when you go in and then they've got they know who you are and all the stuff you're buying and and so forth and you don't have to worry about carrying your credit card or anything else they've already got it and you just you've scanned your hand when you go in now that seems a little bit more in line with some things that we ought to raise an eyebrow about I mean would you say I mean what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that you know I mean are you going to scan your hand go into the grocery store what if they if it's on the if it's on the hand of what about if they want to put it on your forehead you won't be able to buy or sell without it now does that concern you well yeah I think those are things that we ought to have a conversation about have a conversation about and see but I can't live in fear about it because we still have work to do but understand that's where we're going as a society cashless society has been a goal for a very long time there's a great series that is worth your time it's a bit dated okay the production is a bit dated so just be forewarned I think you could still get this on Amazon Amazon Prime I'm not sure but it's out there in various mediums that you can get whatever it was how should we then live no let's see what was it with Francis Schaeffer was it how should we then live yeah I think it was how should we then live it's a 10-part series that he did and it's really worth taking a look at and he lays out things from the late 70s that he didn't have the names he didn't know about google he didn't know about AI and and all these kinds of things he didn't know all these things however he got it right as far as the principle of what's coming down the road and this was back in like 1978 or 79 so it's an astonishing thing to go back and look at and prepare for because there's so much more going than just Israel and Iran and and I you know and you saw of course Trump got pretty hacked off and swore yesterday and that made global news I think Franklin Graham told him to cut that out some time ago and so Franklin's probably giving him a call up say hey hey mr president let's let's tone it down a little bit but you know I've maintained for a long time that we ought to change the name of Iran to irate because they just seem to be so messed up angry about everything but again if we're watching Iran and Israel but we're not watching having to scan your hand to go into a grocery store now what does that tell you does that cause you any concern does that does that cause any red flags in your life eight six six thirty four truth eight six six three four eight seventy eight eighty four would you shop in a grocery store where you scan your hand to go in would you do that does that trouble you at all it's something to think about isn't it because it's coming it's coming and we might give some thought to um growing our own food but that's uh that's a conversation for another time with people who are eschatologists and biblical scholars I pretend to be neither of those um I am clearly not but I read it and I see it and I see what scripture says and I ask questions about it and I think those are the things we do but at the same time I go back to what I said in the last block are we busy yeah I can't get that story that Jesus told of the talents and he gave the one guy you know the five talents turning into ten he gave the other guy two talents turned it into four and then the other guy gave one and the one guy just went and buried it because he didn't want to lose anything so he just buried it didn't do anything he knew the master was a hard man and he you know that kind of thing and Jesus called him a wicked and faithful servant and I thought he was not industrious and and I what I see in scripture is a call for us to be industrious people and and I I go back to Jeremiah 29 how many of you all know Jeremiah 29 11 I mean just a show of hands do you know that for I know the plans that I have for you we get that quoted a lot and and people will say that to each other a lot I know the plans but do you know the context of that scripture you ever gone back and look at that look at Jeremiah 29 4 through 11 and what was the context well the Israelis the Israelites I guess they call themselves by that time at that time were in captivity in Babylon and they got a word from the Lord from the prophet Jeremiah they were all excited when's he going to tell us we can go home when's he going to let us be free of this and we can go back to Israel and the word of the Lord came to them through the prophet Jeremiah said thus saith the Lord and by the way if you say thus saith the Lord by Old Testament standards when a prophet is false if you got it wrong one time you're a false prophet and the penalty was execution you might want to hold that same standard to today's prophesiers one guy called him prophet liars if they get it wrong but they're saying thus saith the Lord you know this dangerous water I know many scholars that look at that as saying that they're taking the Lord's name in vain so keep that in mind but anyway they were sitting there waiting for Jeremiah and tell us where we're going home and Jeremiah said I put you here I put you here this is from the Lord that thus saith the Lord I put you here don't don't you guys simmer down I mean this is the southern translation y'all you simmer down I put you here you build houses you plant crops you get married you have kids get your kids married and have grandkids and you stay here I know the time that I'm gonna leave you here I think it's like 70 years I'll come for you when I'm ready I know where you are for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord isn't it amazing how context changes everything we don't cherry pick scriptures we have to see the whole context the thought process of what is the scriptures who are they speaking to who's speaking what what's the situation how did they get here all those kinds of things and that's proper exegesis of scripture you can't just you know hold your hand over one one hand over your eyes and then flip through the pages and and pick a scripture and say well this is I'm gonna land on this that's that's not the way it works you study and show yourself approved you be industrious about the word of God and God was calling these people there in Babylon to be industrious don't just sit here and wait for me to bring you home get to work build a life let's do it and so I think that that message that principle is echoed so much in scripture that it bears us applying it in today's world when we see things going around wars and rumors of wars and all those things pay attention be aware but our our lives reflecting the industrious industriousness of where God has put us and in my case I'm a caregiver I take care of my wife I work all the time but I'm always in proximity to her and I I'm not getting distracted by this this and this even when I do this show I'm only 25 feet from her and if you have dead air that means she called me and I have to go help her so I asked her I said kitty are you okay for just a few minutes while I go do a show and and and she is but she's my responsibility and she does not benefit from me wringing my hands over Israel and Iraq and Iran Israel and Iran it's not Iraq but it's again combine it all and just call it irate but she doesn't benefit if I'm if I'm struggling with all these things going on I she benefits when I am engaged in the things that God has for me on my plate right now right here in this moment and he will sort all these other things out I'm paying attention but I'm doing what he's called me to do how about you 866-34-TRUTH 866-348-7884 this is Peter Rosenberger this is Truth Talk Live and we will be right back. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live this is Peter Rosenberger glad to be with you if you want to be a part of the program 866-348-7884 866-34-TRUTH I wanted to wrap up today a little bit with some things and thank you it's great to be back with you it's been a we went in in January to Colorado for this lengthy journey we had we didn't know it's going to be that we're supposed to be home by the end of February 1st of March and we got home in the middle of June so it was a bit of a challenge but I learned a few things while there and and I said in the first block that God grabs our attention through suffering we we have the attention span of goldfish or at least I do I don't know about you maybe you don't maybe you have got this all worked out and sorted out that's fine I'm just I'm like that's how I am and for those of you who may be in that same position where you feel like that unless you know God uses this some of these painful things in our life to get our attention we kind of blissfully go around almost ignoring God well and that's when I spent a lot of my life but I learned some things while I was there and and I and I put a lot of this stuff into a new book that'll be coming out in August these quotes that I've said and the hymns that I lean on and these are things that I've said over my lifetime while I've been doing it but I also I've finished this book I compiled all these things I've got actually finished another book when I was there I wrote well over 50 something thousand words while I was in the hospital doing it right there most of it in ICU and it's it gave me a sense of clarity on some things that I don't feel like I necessarily had and obviously God was bent on making sure Gracie and I had some other things going on in our life to learn about his provision in the midst of this he was waiting for us down there I'm convinced of this and it didn't just happen I gave up as a believer this is just this is me this is what I see from scripture maybe this resonates with you but I gave up believing in coincidences years and years and years and years ago or happenstance or chance either God is sovereign or he's not if he's Lord at all that he's Lord of all and can I trust that sovereignty and yes the answer is yes and we know this and and I I I went through as I was I was listening to uh sermon series there we we have you heard on the break uh renewing your mind with RC Sproul well they Ligonier Ministries got an entire library of sermons with his and I went I was finishing up Romans when I got there and I listened to them on audio so as I'm walking back and forth the street from the hotel to the hospital I was doing six thousand plus steps a day and I got the whole route memorized and I would listen sermon series because I knew there was nothing else to sustain me how could I be sustained in this while Gracie was going through all this stuff how could I offer anything to her unless I was filling my mind with the things of God and that word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee and and and I will meditate on the law of the Lord with faith comes by hearing hearings comes from what you know how they're going to hear without a preacher and so I just went out and found a sermon series and I went through finished Romans I got went through the entire gospel of John with him and then I went through the entire book of Acts 65 plus messages and doing this over and over and over filling my mind with the things of God so that I could properly navigate these things I don't know how people navigate something like this without that now granted I've never met anybody who's done what we've done Gracie's had now 98 operations and I've been her sole caregiver now for four decades so I don't know I mean I'm we're in rare air here as far as experiential but I can't imagine doing this without scripture without knowing that God is directing my paths and and and here's one of the quotes that I put in my new book that comes out in August when you feel like you have no idea where you're going slow down don't try to look too far ahead and instead just do the next right thing go back to what scripture says that word is a lamp unto my feet it's a lamp not a searchlight now the scripture I put with that is from Psalm 40 he said he drew me up from a pit of destruction and out of the miry bog and he set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure now as I'm going back and forth to the hospital as I'm watching my wife go down to surgery I went I went all the way to pre-op with her every surgery there were 11 of them this time I was there every day now how am I going to be able to effectively point her to Christ and encourage her and strengthen her if I'm floundering if I'm in that pit of destruction if I'm looking way too far ahead and not doing what scripture says that word is a lamp unto my feet do the next right thing it's a lamp not a searchlight he's not going to tell me everything I want to know he's not going to tell you everything you want to know in fact he rarely does that but he assures you of your his presence 24 7 constant yea though I walk through the valley through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for what thou art with me presence his presence now so I I gotta ask you here we're at the end of the program I'm gonna ask you a lot of things going on in this world a lot of turmoil we covered that Christian what do you believe and I'm asking you I'm asking you straight up what do you believe is he Lord if he's Lord at all that he's Lord of all and you know that phrase that people say sometimes with the invitation are you going to make Jesus Lord of your life let me tell you something he is Lord of your life whether you acknowledge it or not is the question we don't make him Lord he is Lord okay that's let's be very clear on our language and there's another phrase that I don't particularly care for that we use God's trying to get our attention God doesn't try to do anything the question is are we paying attention are we watching are we in step with where he's leading are we so busy doing it our way demanding what we want I want it now remember Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka you know I want it now are we so busy living like that that we're missing what he's doing nobody was watching Bethlehem and I just the example from today's program a lot of people are watching Israel and Iran how many people are watching that store in Washington DC where you scan your hand to go in God is not going to do things the way we expected he's not going to show up the way we expected he's not going to do these things and we're going to miss it if we're not watching and he's giving us signs and we're gonna we're gonna allow things to happen in our life in our culture in our churches if we're not paying attention and grounded in the word and saying something there's a debate right now going on um within the southern baptist convention about the er erlc whatever it is the it's the their political lobbying wing and there's been a lot of drama going on with that it's been in the light in the news in the last couple of weeks and I was the only thing I can say to that is why does the church need a lobbying wing a paid group for policy and so forth the church the people of God are commanded to speak the prophetic voice of God through scripture not our own thoughts we're saying thus saith the Lord on our own but saying this is what the scripture says and we speak it to the state period regardless of the repercussions because that is what the prophets that is what the apostles did that is what Jesus did and are we able to do that if we're not grounded in his scripture if we don't know the word of God so my challenge to myself and I invite you to participate if you want is to know the word of God you hear it over and over and over on this network know it embrace it hold it thy word if I hid in my heart thy word is a lamp into my feet we are in in the the world is moving so fast right now and we're going to get swept up into all kinds of stuff if we're not grounded in this and people are going to say hey look over here we look over here look over here scripture talks about this but if we're grounded in scripture our feet will be it says well was set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure how do you like your steps to be secure there it is right there in psalm 40 that's it the book is called a caregiver's companion scriptures hymns and 40 years of insight you can pre-order it right now go out to my website peter rosenberger.com while you're there look around i got my substack page i put a lot of stuff out there articles and video and so forth i'd love for you to to engage with and there's so many different things that i have available for you as a caregiver for you as somebody who is asking a lot of questions about how can i trust god at a lot of these things going on around it but you can't and it's all out there peter rosenberger.com and by the way our standing with hope prosthetic limb ministry full swing swing we are moving ahead we're putting legs on people and you can help us do it we partner with a group that helps us recycle limbs core civic out of arizona's doing this so many things at peter rosenberger.com would you take a look and see how you can get involved thanks for letting me spend the time with you see you next week
