Wanted: Truth, Honesty and Integrity

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; 
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; 
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, 
And prudent in their own sight!”  (Isaiah 5:20-21).

If you have been paying any attention to the world of politics for the last 8-9 years, you have undoubtedly noticed that something is missing:  truth, honesty and integrity.

The current administration is undergoing numerous investigations for everything from a U.S. Ambassador being murdered in Benghazi, to the improper handling of classified emails, to the Internal Revenue Service being used to silence those who would dare to disagree with a sitting president, to deals being made with Iran (the number one sponsor of Islamic terrorists and their attacks), to the Veterans Administration being so corrupt that some men and women were not able to receive proper treatment which resulted in their death.

Has anyone been held accountable?  Has anyone been charged with a crime?  Has anyone lost his or her six-figure government salary?  Where is the truth?  Where is honesty?  Where is integrity?

It seems as though some politicians, on both sides of the aisle (Republican and Democrat), have forgotten why they were elected.  For some, it has simply become a way to amass more financial security for themselves and a means to exercise political power and position.

There was time in our country’s history when serving as a representative of the people was an honorable, noble and selfless task.  Things have changed, but we shouldn’t be too surprised.  A majority of those who are running our country will readily say, “God bless America” with no idea Who He is or what He requires.  A majority of those running the country have acquiesced to the loud voices of sinful people who don’t want God at the center of their world or this country.  And, once again, those same loud voices are screaming to remove “In God we trust” from all of our currency. This is not new but now they have momentum on their side.

There’s an old saying:  “Politics isn’t everything; but it is in everything.”  That saying is both true and sad.  Perhaps the saddest part of that statement is that there is politics even in churches, the one place where God and His Word should be honored and obeyed above all else.

The verses above, Isaiah 5:20-21, seem to fit the time in which we are living.  The world, as whole, has rejected the God of the Bible in favor of countless other gods of their own making.  For those who reject the God of Scripture, they can use a relativistic scale (instead of God’s absolute scale) to determine what is good and what is evil.  Each person can be “wise in their own eyes” and choose what’s acceptable to them without regard for the One who created them.

Politics and religion are two of the most divisive topics known to man.  It is no exaggeration to say that friends and family members have parted ways due to the heated discussions that occur with regard to these two subjects.

First, let me encourage you by saying that God is still in charge.  No one has, or ever will, knock Him off of His throne.  Jesus is still the Savior of the world and He is still interceding for the saints.  The Holy Spirit is still at work convicting individuals of sin and drawing them to the Father through grace and faith.

Second, as this next presidential election gets closer, remember that we are ambassadors for Christ.  Certainly share your political opinions, but remember to keep a loving attitude towards those with whom you may disagree.  It may very well be that a loving attitude will open the door to share Christ with a lost and dying world.


May the Lord bless you as you seek to serve Him in this New year.

By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D.

The Wages of Sin

My first thought as I sat down to write this article was begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year.  However, God, in His sovereignty brought an event into my life that caused me to change directions.

“The wages of sin is death”  (Romans 6:23a).  The truth of that statement by Paul was brought home all to clearly for me this past week.  Our pet rabbit, Mocha, died.  She was an elderly rabbit, eight and one half years old.  Most rabbits don’t live much past 4-5 years.  God brought Mocha into our lives just before our lives were about to get rather chaotic.  During that time, especially, she brought smiles to our faces and, like most pets, helped us to take a break from what was happening all around us.

So how is it that Mocha’s death drove home the point of sin causing death and grief?  If it weren’t for Adam and Eve’s sin of disobeying God, death would never have entered our world.  The day that they sinned, to all of Adam’s progeny was added a sin-nature.  No human being has escaped it except for Jesus.   And it is to Him we look for a pardon from the wages of our sin.

As I spent the hours after Mocha’s death grieving, crying and even weeping, the heinous nature of sin became much more clear.  The consequences of sin are never, ever confined to the individual committing the sin.  For example, when someone has an affair and commits the sin of adultery, the consequences of that sin are catastrophic.  More often than not, a marriage dies; trust is obliterated; and grief is overwhelming.  If there are young children, they are caught in the middle and don’t understand why their parents are no longer living in the same house or why mommy and daddy are no longer married.  The consequences of this particular sin will affect the children, literally, for the rest of their lives.  If you doubt it, just ask someone whose parents divorced when they were young.

How many friendships have been destroyed because of sin?  How many friends have lost their close relationship because of sin?  How many families have been torn apart because of sin?  How many churches have split because of sin?  How many neighborhoods are destroyed because of sin?  How many countries are left impoverished because of sin?  How many people are dying as a direct result of sin?  Those are tough questions to think about and, most of the time, we don’t want to discuss it because we would have to be willing to admit that there is a God who sets the standard of righteousness; we would have to acknowledge that sin is real and the consequences are real and far reaching.

“… but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 6:23b). The last part of the verse brings us the reason for rejoicing.  This same Jesus, who is the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, who would take away the SIN OF THE WORLD, He is still actively interceding on behalf of all believers.  He is still talked about and shared with a world that is in desperate need of the Savior.   

As we begin a new year, it is my prayer that all believers will rejoice in their deliverance from the penalty of their sin:  death.  Secondly, that we will be ever cognizant of the fact that sin can, and does, have far reaching consequences.  All of us still struggle with our sin nature but if we will live our lives yielded to the power and guidance of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, we can avoid a lot of the grief, sorrow and pain that is caused by our sin.  Thirdly, there are people, real people, who need to know about Jesus and His amazing sacrifice on their behalf.  Tell them about Him; ask the Father to draw them to Himself that they, too, would know the love, forgiveness, mercy and grace that is found only in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

May the Lord bless you and keep you as you seek to serve Him all the more in 2016.

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D.