I’m sitting in the breakfast room at the hotel we stayed in last night in Rehoboth Beach, DE. I have the privilege of preaching the Gospel this morning to the congregation of one of my good friends in the ministry. Last night Patty and I walked the boardwalk on the beach and got our favorite Thrashers fries, enjoying the chilly ocean breeze.

On the beach there was a wedding. But there was no bride.

Since the start of the century our culture has been going through a bellwether change. We have moved from a general adherence to Judeo-Christian ethics to an embracing of feelings as our ethical guide. The problem with feelings is that they change. and they don’t always jive with the truth. When the truth offends our feelings, we have to be grown ups, admit that we are wrong, and change to fit the truth. There is no such thing as situational or personal truth, there is only the truth. It is absolute, unchangeable and eternal.

Gods’ Word is the Truth. And it is offensive. I don’t like everything it says. But I believe it. Being a grown up means accepting reality. We have become a people who believe that if you don’t like the way things are you can change the world to fit what you like. That sounds inspirational, sounds so very right. But its very wrong. There are some things we can change.  We can change our evil habits, wrong attitudes, uninformed actions into truthful ways. But when we are intent on changing the truth of God and His Word to fit our personal world view, we are wrong, no matter how sincere we are.

I know I’m a dinosaur. A conservative, backwards, old fashioned nerd. Its ok.

I’ve found the truth, and He has made me free. Not free to do as my heart desires. That would be a train wreck. My heart is deceitful and wicked above all things, I can’t know it will lead me correctly. The freedom Christ has given me is the freedom to follow His perfect plan for my life. If you are not following His plan, you don’t know what you are missing. Rebel against having to serve Him if you want, but as Dylan said, “you gotta serve somebody.”

Don’t be offended that Christ is the only way to eternal life. Be thankful you have found that He is the Way. A recent Barna poll found half of those who call themselves Born Again Christians believe that there are multiple paths to heaven, that Jesus is not the only way. Yet He said He is the ONLY WAY (John 14:6). And if there are other ways, why did He have to die? As Paul said, if righteousness comes by the Law (Any other way than through the sacrificial death of Christ) then Christ died in vain.

Its His World. He created it, and He gets to set the rules.

I’ve found that when I submit to His rules, my ratio of happiness increases dramatically. When I fulfill the role He created for me, and act like the man He wants me to be, that elusive “fulfillment” everyone is searching for becomes second nature.