Niceness is Overrated

Hurricanes and Tornadoes get a lot of media attention these days.  The unsettling photos of roofs torn off and debris strewn streets can be very dramatic.  But guess what destroys a vastly greater amount of homes each year in America?  The phenomenon has been described as the “single greatest economic pest in the United States.”  What force of nature could possibly do more structural damage than violent storms, winds, flooding and wildfires combined, you may ask?  It’s TERMITES.    

Termites are nice and quiet while they chomp down your house.  They don’t seem to be bothering anyone at first.  But, if left unchecked, your home’s very foundation will crumble into a worthless heap of rubble.  They need to be aggressively confronted and resisted by constant treatment and awareness. 

Like violent weather, Islamist Terrorists are easy to spot.  They are crashers of planes, suicide bombers, throat slitters and rioters shouting “Allahu Akbar.”   They are readily identifiable as destroyers of society. 

Human Secularists, on the other hand, can probably be described as “nice guys.”  According to their philosophies, they want everyone to just be happy and do their own thing.  They believe man’s reason is superior to God’s reasoning.  They bring us pleasant sounding terms like “fair share”, “wealth equality”, “choices”, “public option”, and “civil discourse”…all of these sound so reasonable. Well…so NICE!

However, it doesn’t take long for these policies to slowly eat away at our foundations with more ominous sounding follow-up words like:  “mandate”, “penalty”, “requirement”, “control”, “compliance” and “enforcement.”  Apparently, if we want everyone to “play nice,” the government will have to impose it.  History shows us that when we hand over our freedoms to a nanny or police state, we will soon find ourselves in tyrannical bondage.  Then, when the violent societal winds of anarchy start to blow, we will fold like a termite-ridden house of cards.   

Out of curiosity, I researched the word “nice” in the Bible.  It didn’t show up in any of the three major translations of King James, New King James or New International versions.  I finally located ONE scripture in the New American Standard (no pun intended!) version.  Interestingly…it was a warning about the treachery of people who say “nice” things:

For even your brothers and the household of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you, Even they have cried aloud after you.  Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you. 

~Jeremiah 12:6

This scripture is a warning to believers about those who are claiming kinship.  Today’s churches are overly concerned with nice-sounding sermons.  They are dealing treacherously with God’s people.  Their focus is mainly for their own popularity and profit.  Just like termites, they thrive in sandy soil…Soil that is no longer on a firm Rock-solid foundation.  Like the proverbial house built on sand in the Bible, they will fall with a great crash (Matthew 7:27).

Jesus/Yeshua has been depicted in many ways throughout the last two thousand years. However, I don’t believe “nice” would ever really be an accurate portrayal of Him.  Jesus didn’t mince words.  He told one of his best friends “Get thee behind me Satan.”  Can you imagine how well that would be received today at our next family dinner party?  As for government officials, he showed disdain…calling Herod a “fox” and telling Pilate he had no power over Him that God didn’t ordain.

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

~John 19:11

This verse reminds us that the CHURCH and apathetic Christians are guilty of the greater sin for the failures of our society than the politicians.  Yeshua reserved his most scathing pronouncements for religious phonies calling them VIPERS and SNAKES.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

~Matthew 23:33

23=DEATH

33=PROMISE

 To those that used the Temple of God as a personal profit-making venture, He flipped tables with more passion than The Real Housewives of New Jersey. 

He aggressively CONFRONTED evil and sin!  He didn’t restrain Himself with the concern that perhaps someone may get offended.  In fact he said…if your eye offends you PLUCK IT OUT.  If your hand offends you CUT IT OFF.  In Strong’s concordance, one of the shaded meanings of the Greek word “offend” here means “to make indignant”, “to cause displeasure.”  The Greek word is “skandalizo” the root from which we get the word scandalous.  Jesus SCANDALIZED society with His words and actions.  He knew that OFFENSE was the catalyst in the chain reaction ultimately resulting in REPENTANCE. 

Niceness may prevent you from being violently crucified.  However, like Jesus, if we want to save the peace and security of our national home and the foundations of the world…

Nice won’t suffice.

"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?"
- Thomas Jefferson

They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.

~Isaiah 30:10


~Posted by permission of Pastor Jeff Daly