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The Biggest Loser

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them. These hoarded riches were then lost in bad business deals. The owners had children, but now they have nothing to give them. Eccl 5:13-14 (GW)

On the NBC reality series The Biggest Loser, families who are attempting to battle the bulge, compete against other families, to see who can be the biggest loser. It is a reverse of the old “keeping up with the Jones’.” Instead of trying to outdo each other in gaining more, these families are trying to outdo each other in loosing more. On this show when you loose you win.

In a way, this is how the kingdom of God operates. God states, those who are attempting to win at life by the world’s standards, are the losers. Those who loose by the same world’s standards, in order to gain Christ, are the definite winners.

Loosing one’s earthly worldview, in order to pick up a heavenly viewpoint, is the only sure way to win in the end. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? (Mark 8:36-37 ESV)

A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. We didn’t bring anything into the world, and we can’t take anything out of it. As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied. But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires and schemes which drown them in destruction and ruin. Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich or having more than they truly need have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief. (1 Tim 6:6-10 GW)
“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. Your heart will be where your treasure is. (Matt 6:19-21 GW)

When we set our hearts on things above, we are not downtrodden every time things turn bad down here. When we realize that our real treasure is safe and sound- in Christ, then we do not have to worry about the things that the world worries about. I know it is not an easy thing to keep looking up when things are looking down, but when you put your hope and trust in the one who promises to never leave you or forsake you, then you can truly walk in peace in a hostile world.


Let’s face it! Things down here are not going to always be easy. In fact some may even attest that things can be downright cruel, but when you know that you have a home not built by man whose builder and architect is God, then you can patiently wait and endure until moving day comes.
Don’t love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.”(Heb 13:5 GW)

“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? “Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?


“Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying? “And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?

“Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. (Matt 6:25-34 GW)

“There was a certain rich man who had land that produced good crops. He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’ He said to himself, ‘I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you’ve accumulated?’ That’s how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with God.” (Luke 12:15-21 GW)

“Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.” Luke 12:15 (GW)

The bottom line then is to put your hope and trust in the only sure thing. GOD! Guaranteed On-time Deliverance!


But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)
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Truth or Consequences

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV)

truth1From the very beginning of time certain activities were considered off limits. The very first inhabitants of this planet understood that there were things they could and could not do. God had set in motion immutable laws that continue even through today.

From 1940 until 1987 an American quiz show originally hosted on radio by Ralph Edwards became a hit television show. That show was truth or consequences. Hosted from 1956 until 1975 by none other than Bob Barker of Let’s Make a Deal fame.

The idea of the show was to mix the original quiz element of game shows with wacky stunts. On the show, people had to answer a trivia question correctly (usually an off-the-wall question that no one would be able to answer correctly) before “Beulah the Buzzer” was sounded. If the contestant could not complete the “Truth” portion, there would be “Consequences,” usually a zany and embarrassing stunt. In addition, during Barker’s run as host, “Barker’s Box” was played. Barker’s Box was a box with 4 drawers in it. If a contestant was able to pick the 3 boxes with money in it, they won a bonus prize.

In many broadcasts, the stunts on Truth or Consequences included a popular, but emotional, heart-rending surprise for a contestant, that being the reunion with a long-lost relative or with an enlisted son or daughter returning from military duty overseas, particularly Vietnam.

Citation: Truth or Consequences. (2007, September 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:17, September 12, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Truth_or_Consequences&oldid=156188604

Although it made for entertaining TV the idea that wrong choices yielded sometimes unpleasant surprises was not a new concept. Most people if honest will admit to times in their life where a wrong turn, a wrong choice, a wrong answer landed them in less than favorable conditions.

The embarrassment of being seen on TV not knowing the right answer to some obscure game show question is not as important as not knowing the right answer to a midterm test question.

Although both wrong answers had consequences one could be considered more life changing then the other. Getting blasted with whipped cream on the game show although embarrassing was not life altering. Missing questions on a midterm exam could mean the difference to passing or failing.

Making the wrong turn while driving could get one hopelessly lost. Thank God for GPS units which are ever ready to help a hapless driver find his or her way back to civilization. Heading the wrong way on a one way street could cost you a handsome fine or loss of license.

Choosing to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs could end a life, yours or someone else.

In a culture which hates consequences there is an ongoing attempt to remove all truth, all absolutes in order to eliminate consequences of wrong choices. IF there are no wrong choices then logically one could assume there are no consequences. Morally if there is no RIGHT or wrong then no matter how I choose to live my life there is no consequence.

Man’s best efforts to root out all laws and opposition to wrong choices only end in futility each and every time they are tried. There are certain laws in place that just can not be avoided. Take for instance the law of gravity.

Even if one wishes to ignore the laws existence it does not take a person long to know that jumping from a high elevation without the aide of wings or some other flying apparatus plummets them to the earth where they will meet another law, that of an irresistible force and an immovable object.

History is riddled with humankind who have chosen the wrong direction and learned the consequences of such action.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, legendary early American writer, penned these prophetic words in “The Golden Legend”:

“No action, whether foul or fair, longfellowtheman
Is ever done, but it leaves somewhere,
A record, written by fingers ghostly,
As a blessing or a curse.”

All of us leave footprints in this world a record of where we been and the direction in which we are headed. The question that needs to be asked if someone was following in your footsteps would they find blessings or curses along the way? Would the path you are leading lead others to a greater good? Does the road you are following lead to greatness or disaster?

There is a way that seems right to a person, but eventually it ends in death.
Prov 14:12 (GW)

Each day we are faced with choices and each day we need to choose a path. But choose wisely because a wrong choice will have consequences. In this life the consequences may not seem too unbearable but in the life to come a wrong choice could land you in a destination unfit for human habitation.

A gullible person believes anything, but a sensible person watches his step. A wise person is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is careless and over confident. Prov 14:15-16 (GW)

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