Facts are good but not always useful, God's truth will always be beneficial!

It is Monday, October 11, 2010, Columbus Day, and a holiday for some folks. It's also Thanksgiving Day in Canada but for many of us, we should be reminded that every day is a day to give thanks. Why? According to the Psalmist, it's because God's mercy endures forever! Read Psalm 136 and it will get you off to a great start. And, that's information you can use. Have you ever thought about how much time we spend talking about trivia that really doesn't amount to a hill of beans? There are 6.8 billion people breathing air on the planet. Only 6 will make it to age 116. See there? You learn something new every day. I would bet you didn't know that banging your head against the wall burns up 150 calories per hour. You thought it only gave you a headache. As for those buzzing flies, they hum in the middle octave of the key of F. If you are a baseball used in a major league game, you won't be around for very long because the average lifespan is 7 pitches. Women blink twice as often as men and I thought she was doing it only to annoy me. All polar bears are left handed so now you know which side to avoid when they are chasing you. The word stewardesses is the longest English word that can be typed using only the left hand but you are not allowed to call them that anymore, they are now flight attendants and that takes both hands. You see how they are always making life difficult?

Here's a scary fact. On average 12 newborns are given to the wrong parents every day. The phrase "rule of thumb" was actually derived from an old English law that said you were not allowed to beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. I know my wife is breathing a sigh of relief on that one! The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the most often stolen book from public libraries. I wonder if they get a prize for that? Charlie Chaplin, the early film star, once entered a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest. He finished third. That microwave oven you use everyday has an interesting history. The idea for it came about when a researcher walked past a radar tube one day and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. A normal human heart produces enough pressure to squirt blood for thirty feet. The term concrete jungle is well named because each year there is one ton of cement poured for every person on earth. The slogan you will find on New Hampshire license plates says Live Free or Die. You guessed it. They are made by prisoners serving time in the state penitentiary system. At one time Michael Jordon was paid more by Nike in one year than all the factory workers that make Nike products added together. And finally, be careful out there because on average 100 people per year choke to death on ballpoint pens.

These tidbits of trivia came from a website listing of useless facts. They might have some merit if life was nothing more than a game of Trivial Pursuit. But life is not trivial. Each week when we go into the inner city for our Crosstrainer Bible Club we attempt to bring God's truth to the boys and girls who attend. We first and foremost want them to know the facts that God has provided to them in how that they, we all, are sinners because we all do things that are wrong. (Romans 3:23) Next we want them to know there is a consequence for this sinful condition as spelled out in Romans 6:23 and those wages are paid out in death. But the verse doesn't end there, it goes on, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The good news is how that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) It's as simple as A-B-C. A, we have to agree with God and admit that we are a sinner in need of salvation and ask for forgiveness, and turn away from our sin. B, we have to believe with our heart (innermost being) the truth that Jesus died, was buried, and three days later gloriously rose from the dead. (1st Corinthians 15:1-4) C, we have to confess with our mouths, make a public profession of the heart change that has taken place as a result of our believing in Jesus. (Romans 10:9-10) I have a friend who calls those verses God's T-N-T (Romans Ten, Nine, and Ten), because it is an explosive truth that will very much radically change one's life! Now that's some facts that will change one's eternal destination and enrich the life here that God has given. It's what every one of the 6.8 billion need to hear including the 6 who will reach 116! Amen. Have a great work week and may God bless us all!             ......More later.