"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Famous lyrics from a famous and very old song! You know, it might as well be a 'hymn'! From the One Who loves us the most!

But it reminds me to say that when we fail to look at what the 'world' or that which some folks call the "secular", we often miss some of the Lord's greatest gifts to us!

Think about it! "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you lately that I care?" For me they are similar to the wonderful words from that great hymn - "Wonderful Words of Life".

What's the difference?! They came from the same source! They had their essence from the same Creator and the difference isn't where they came from but who wrote them down. We KNOW what was in the heart of the hymn writer - we can't be sure about the lyricist who penned words, that from my perspective are just the same 'wonderful words of life'!

I'm often confronted with the dichotomy of the "sacred" and the "secular". I don't make that distinction. Well at least I rarely make that distinction.

Let me relate it to you this way.

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a fairly rigid religious type who also has a relationship with the Lord. He made a remark about "the world".

I responded, "what world?'

"You know, the secular world!"

"No," I responded. "I don't make that distinction!"

Well there ensued a lively debate over "world or secular" from his perspective and "sacred" from mine. I declared that from my vantage point everything is part and parcel of the "sacred" because God made all that is and only man can 'screw it up'. Besides, I said - it's all in our perspective!

His eyes lowered and a scowl walked upon his face!

"Well, what do you call all this porno and junk that is happening around the world?" he responded smugly.

"I call that what man does to God's design," I retorted. "What do you call it?"

Well, he went off on a tangent that ended up with placing the 'blame' on the "other guy" (he used a term I rarely use for the 'other guy').

I took a deep breath and chose to attempt to teach something he had not yet considered!

I asked, "Who is in charge of everything?"

"God is", he shouted back.

"Okay, if that is so, how come folks are so willing to give credit to the "other guy" when things don't seem attributable to God - at least God-from-our-limited - human perspective?"

"Well," his voice trailed off. "What's your answer, smarty pants," he slung sarcastically.

"You know I can't articulate it nearly as well as it can be found in Job. My recommendation is to go home and re-read that account of a man whose life was touched by every imaginable evil and then encountered the God of the Universe Who set the record straight with Job and with his friends!"

"And," I said, "don't skip the prologue!"

When we come to a point in our Christian spiritual growth and maturity that we KNOW ultimately He Is In Charge of it All, then we don't need to blame anyone except fallen human nature. And even then, God is In Charge!!! It's all in the perspective we have once we've walked with the Master; heard His Voice and absorbed His Words and the meat of His Message and Wisdom into our soul!

Let me leave you today with wonderful words of life . . . .

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"

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