Beyond Today Daily
The Petraeus Episode
As this unfortunate story unfolds before the public what lessons should we learn?
Audio file
Transcript
[Darris McNeely] Washington is still reeling off of the news just revealed on Friday about the personal life of the director of the CIA, General David Petraeus, who resigned because of a personal sexual affair that he was having with a woman who was writing his biography. It happened over a period of time beginning a few years ago. It came to light a few months ago and now into the public affair and the General had to resign. It's a very sad situation. It's a very tragic situation. But it points out a number of lessons at several levels.
[Steve Myers] I think one of the most important things as you look at this is that it still matters.
[Darris McNeely] Yes.
[Steve Myers] You would think in some sense that society, especially the world that we live in would consider that normal. And yet it does still matter.
[Darris McNeely] It points out to the fact that personal character, morality does make a difference - certainly at the highest levels of government, but it also matters in our life no matter what job we may have. Our sins will find us out. There's a scripture in Numbers 32:23 that says that your sins will find you out. And there are certain sins and very often sins of moral character dealing like this with adultery, illicit sex that have a way of coming out no matter how well the cover-up seems to be. It does have a way of coming out. It's in the very nature of this type of a sin.
[Steve Myers] And it's a reminder of what our actions bring. Galatians 6:7 reminds us of that, that as God's people we are responsible for our actions. And it says this, "Whatever a man sows that he will also reap." And so what types of seeds are we planting? Are we planting those seeds that will have a spiritual crop, a good crop, a godly crop? I think that's what the reminder is for every one of us when we hear things like this. Let's make sure we think of ourselves and think about the things that we are sowing so that ultimately we can have a spiritual growth, spiritual crop that will be the result of our actions.
[Darris McNeely] This is just another story in multiple stories that happen like this, but it is a significant one when we bring it home and we learn the lesson of character, righteousness, and obeying God's law. It does work. It does matter and it does count.
[Steve Myers] That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.
The Ten Commandments
Don't you think it's about time you learned what the 10 Commandments are all about? Sadly, most people know little about the Ten Commandments or where to find them in the Bible (read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). Few people can name more than three or four of them. Those who take the time to study the commandments find they're not a list of "Do nots," but are in fact God's guide to the good life—a life full of blessings. That's why the Bible calls them "the royal law" and "the law of liberty." There's much more to these commandments than meets the eye. They're not just God's way of preventing us from having a good time. The commandments are relevant to us today and are designed to protect us, our families and our communities. They're a guide to transforming the way we think, what we do and how we live. They truly are ten keys to a successful and happy life! Learn more about God's Commandments and how you can begin having a life full of blessings.
Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
Steve Myers
Steve is the Operation Manager for Ministerial and Member Services of the United Church of God. He is also an instructor at Ambassador Bible College and served as a host on the Beyond Today television program. Together, he and his wife, Kathe, have served God and His people for over 30 years.
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