I recently sat through the fourth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” saga if you will and right at the end of the movie before the credits rolled Captain Jack Sparrow and Mr. Gibbs exchanged a statement that is very familiar with the two and that was, “Take what you can, give nothing back.” I chuckled with the rest of the audience when I heard it but then, as I often do, I pondered over it.
This is the motto of a violent time in history. It was the theme of those who lived and cared for self and self only. Their goal was to live just a head of their impending judgment. Sadly enough, it sound like the headlines in America today except for one thing, a pirate knew or at least realized that there was an ultimate price to pay up ahead. He knew that the next corner could be his last; always keeping an eye on the horizon for the doom that was after him. They knew who they were running from and knew they were after them. Many of them even had a fear of God in them as well.
In our world today there appears to be no such fear in the majority of the population. They live life to the fullest fearing nothing. “Take what you can, give nothing back.” They take what they can; even the sanctity of life has little meaning to them. Life has no sacred quality to them any more. They take a life and when they get caught they take their own life to keep from being punished. The first life taken makes it easier to take the second even if the second is their own.
There is no remorse; there is no guilt, only selfish motives and desires. They appear to be driven by the very base nature of man, running rampant trying to satisfy the selfish desires that flood the heart.
Today’s generation thinks that they are in the right as most generations have. The sad truth to this is that they have not a clue as to how far to the left they are. They have swung so hard and so far to the left that they have wrapped themselves around center and are in the right camp but soundly in the left philosophy. You can hear their “right thinking” in the majority of their conversations. Stating things such as, “I have the right to be happy,” “I have a right to have a cell phone.” “I have a right to get on the internet, to have a ‘My Space’ or ‘Facebook’ account.” It is sad to see that this is the way of life of kids and adults alike.
What do you say to someone today that has no grasp of sin? What do you say to those who have no idea or concept of right or wrong? There is neither fear of God in their heart nor fear of Satan in their eyes. They are right, the world is wrong and to prove them wrong you may have to talk until you are blue in the face
So where am I going with this? Right back to the Word of God, that’s where. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Did you notice that last statement? There is nothing new under the sun. This problem has been around for a long time it is just more prominent than ever before. It is almost as if we are going backward in morality as we move forward in time. This era we are in reminds me of the mentality of the people in the time of the judges. Judges 17:6 says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Another verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 14:12 which says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” This generation is not fooling any one not even themselves they are very aware of their own selfishness. Scripture says this about their selfishness, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12
We must approach them as Christ Himself did in love and stern truth. “Call for Parlay,” as the Pirates say, answer their questions and ask your own. Be diligent and remember it will take time, it may become painful but it is what we are to do. Do not give up; your stand must be unyielding because eternity is at stake. What ever you do, do not compromise, you have the truth and the truth will take care of itself. Above all, give them Christ; give them scripture for the Holy Spirit to work with. Do so with passion and compassion and Christ will prevail.
Let their motto be “Take what you can, give nothing back.” We will respond back with, “Give them Christ, hold nothing back.”
This is the motto of a violent time in history. It was the theme of those who lived and cared for self and self only. Their goal was to live just a head of their impending judgment. Sadly enough, it sound like the headlines in America today except for one thing, a pirate knew or at least realized that there was an ultimate price to pay up ahead. He knew that the next corner could be his last; always keeping an eye on the horizon for the doom that was after him. They knew who they were running from and knew they were after them. Many of them even had a fear of God in them as well.
In our world today there appears to be no such fear in the majority of the population. They live life to the fullest fearing nothing. “Take what you can, give nothing back.” They take what they can; even the sanctity of life has little meaning to them. Life has no sacred quality to them any more. They take a life and when they get caught they take their own life to keep from being punished. The first life taken makes it easier to take the second even if the second is their own.
There is no remorse; there is no guilt, only selfish motives and desires. They appear to be driven by the very base nature of man, running rampant trying to satisfy the selfish desires that flood the heart.
Today’s generation thinks that they are in the right as most generations have. The sad truth to this is that they have not a clue as to how far to the left they are. They have swung so hard and so far to the left that they have wrapped themselves around center and are in the right camp but soundly in the left philosophy. You can hear their “right thinking” in the majority of their conversations. Stating things such as, “I have the right to be happy,” “I have a right to have a cell phone.” “I have a right to get on the internet, to have a ‘My Space’ or ‘Facebook’ account.” It is sad to see that this is the way of life of kids and adults alike.
What do you say to someone today that has no grasp of sin? What do you say to those who have no idea or concept of right or wrong? There is neither fear of God in their heart nor fear of Satan in their eyes. They are right, the world is wrong and to prove them wrong you may have to talk until you are blue in the face
So where am I going with this? Right back to the Word of God, that’s where. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Did you notice that last statement? There is nothing new under the sun. This problem has been around for a long time it is just more prominent than ever before. It is almost as if we are going backward in morality as we move forward in time. This era we are in reminds me of the mentality of the people in the time of the judges. Judges 17:6 says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Another verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 14:12 which says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” This generation is not fooling any one not even themselves they are very aware of their own selfishness. Scripture says this about their selfishness, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12
We must approach them as Christ Himself did in love and stern truth. “Call for Parlay,” as the Pirates say, answer their questions and ask your own. Be diligent and remember it will take time, it may become painful but it is what we are to do. Do not give up; your stand must be unyielding because eternity is at stake. What ever you do, do not compromise, you have the truth and the truth will take care of itself. Above all, give them Christ; give them scripture for the Holy Spirit to work with. Do so with passion and compassion and Christ will prevail.
Let their motto be “Take what you can, give nothing back.” We will respond back with, “Give them Christ, hold nothing back.”
