Benjamin Franklin
stood before the Constitutional Convention more than 200 years ago and said, “I
have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proof I
see of this truth: that God governs the affairs of men. If a swallow cannot fall
without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?” Franklin was referring to
a statement made by Jesus, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one
of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of
your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). I believe in the providence of God! The longer I
live, the more I am convinced that God still rules in the affairs of mankind,
to accomplish His purposes. The Scriptures abound with examples of this, and
our lives testify to the same if we will examine them. God did not just wind up
this universe and walk away. The winds and the waves obeyed Jesus, and they
still do. God created a home for His offspring and he is still serving as Head
of His household. We can have faith in our Father’s care.
The mood was light
and happy as the men and women walked through the barbed gate and into the camp
for the first time. Rumors of the horrible activity which defiled these
secluded scenes had traveled from person to person, but no one actually
believed those stories. These people were nothing more than loyal followers of
their fearless leader; all they wanted was a better home with better
inhabitants. They looked forward to a “better Germany.” The joy and laughter
turned to sorrow and crying as Allied troops led the German men and women
through each building in the concentration camp after the war was over. Their
eyes were opened. Their Nazi leaders had been murdering thousands of people
from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. They could no longer hide
behind ignorance; they saw reality. Many later admitted to a previous knowledge
of the camps, but simply dismissed it from their minds. They became increasingly
numb to the reality of mass horror and innocent bloodshed. Christians look on
the Holocaust and find it difficult to believe that many people ignored the
horrors around them. However, many individuals – even Christians – seem to
ignore another horrific situation – the loss of the majority of souls in this
world (Matthew 7:13-14). Reality checks are good for Christians. Apostasy numbs
one to sin. We are currently separated and isolated, masked and afraid of each
other through the evil deeds of Satan and his disciples. There is much going on
in the world that God hates – murder, abortion, persecution of the saints and
destruction of the church, sexual immorality and the exploitation of children,
and euthanasia around the world in the name of population control and the
preservation of “mother earth”. While you’re locked up in your house, watching
worthless programming on TV, ignorance and numbness is setting in. We are in
the middle of a war for the freedoms and unalienable rights given by God and
most people don’t know it. When the war ends - what then?
[1 Timothy 4:1-3]
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies
in hypocrisy, having their own consciences seared with a hot iron, forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received
with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” The words “seared
with a hot iron” mean to brand or render insensitive, apathetic to sin’s
destructive forces (Ephesians 4:17-19). We can be so accustomed to the sin
around us that we lose sight of its seriousness. Are we not working as we ought
because we are numb to sin? Take a tour of the camp and see.
We have all heard the
call for volunteers. It happens almost continuously from one source or another
and Americans, in general, answer that call by opening their hearts, purses and
wallets in astonishing ways. From political to civic, to service clubs, to
emergency relief, hospitals – you name it – folks generously help with
dedicated time, sacrifice and funds. Nobody forces us, it’s done voluntarily.
Volunteerism is looked on as something to be admired. We think of an all
volunteer military as an asset. People enter into the military life because
they want to serve and we admire them for that attitude. We all know
individuals who spend many long, often tiring hours working in service or civic
organizations with no financial recompense and we admire them for their
dedication. That’s just the way we are! Most of these attitudes expressed arise
from the basic foundation of what it means to be a Christian. Christianity is a
way of life, but it too is all voluntary. No one forces us! We become a part of
the Christian family because we want to. When one has liberty then one can make
those sorts of decisions in their life.
[Romans 6:16 (ASV)]
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” We all decide who we are
serving, Satan or God. We all decide what we serve, evil or good. There isn’t
any place between evil and good. Sin, Satan, or evil is bad because it leads to
separation from God and spiritual death. Good, God, or righteousness is good
because it leads to a relationship with God and life. Life is liberty. Citizens
of the Unites States of America
have many liberties. You are familiar with most of these: the right to bear
arms, free speech, the right to vote, etc. Patrick Henry is recorded as saying,
“Give me liberty or give me death.” His speech was expressing the goal of many
to be free from the rule of England.
We should have the same cry in our hearts between sin and righteousness. We
should desire to be free from sin. Our desire must be to follow God’s will and
not that of wicked self-serving men. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by
which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of
bondage” (Galatians 5:1 NKJ).All who are living in liberty should rejoice in
liberty, physically and spiritually, and have no desire to be in unrighteous
slavery again. “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to
righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of
which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that
you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you
get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus or Lord”
(Romans 6:20-23). We do enjoy many liberties in these United States
that many people in the rest of the world do not have. But spiritual liberties
are possible for every living soul on earth. These liberties are found only in
Christ. Sinners do not have these liberties. Christians are granted these
liberties because they serve under Christ. But just belonging or hanging around
the periphery of the family of God is not really a good option. Just as being a
volunteer in a civic organization takes activity, being a Christian takes
activity in the family. Christian is an action word! We are always looking for
ways to serve one another and in turn bring honor and glory to God. In these
difficult times of separation and inability to assemble - continue to pray for the saints everywhere, encourage the
faithful, continue the practice of worship on the Lord’s day, be it innovative
and different, and remember to support the local work the best you can.
“Lockdown Lament” by
Dalton Key. “Alone and then, lonely – two different words, So alike and yet
standing apart; One speaks of location, of not “being there,” The other, of
bruising the heart. We may be at distance while we are confined, Unable to
share the same space; Though love remains still and our hearts remain joined,
How we ache for that sweet face to face.”
The other day I
thought about my work-life during this “limited shelter in place” situation. If
only I could come up with some sort of strategy for dealing with all of this
craziness: finding ways to create normalcy. There have been times when I found
myself stressed without really knowing why and looking at the calendar or my
phone display just to figure out what day it was. That made me realize how
disorienting the loss of routine is. So I’m trying to maintain a normal
routine. I get up early and do my usual morning humdrum. I take my supplements
and meds, feed the dog, get myself something to eat, brush my teeth and hair,
and dress as if I were going to my office. Be it later than usual, I do go to
the office and try to keep normal office hours, but there just isn’t a whole
lot of activity going on. So, between the office and home I do my best to find
something to do all day. But what if one can’t? I can work from home if need
be, but not everyone can. I still say you need “work hours,” where you are
doing something productive. It may be cleaning and organizing your home. It may
be working on that home improvement project you’ve been putting off. Or maybe
your “work” could involve education; Learn something. There are free online
courses. There are apps available to help you learn the rudiments of a foreign
language. There are online videos to teach you how to play an instrument, how
to bake a cake, how to build a birdhouse… so many different things. Or maybe
you want to educate yourself more on world politics, global economics, or
things of the sort. Now’s a good time. This is a great time for writing
letters. Making phone calls to encourage people. Spending more time in prayer.
To each his own - just don’t get lazy.
[Deuteronomy 2:7]
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows
you're going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God
has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” The number “forty” is quit
prevalent in God’s Word: It rained forty day and nights (Genesis 7); The
Israelites ate “manna from heaven” forty years (Exodus 16:35); Moses spent
forty days and nights with God receiving the covenant commandments, not once
but twice (Exodus 24:15-18 &
34:27-28); Those sent to spy out the land of Canaan spent forty days
doing so (Numbers 13:25); God’s judgment on unbelieving Israel resulted in them
spending forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33-34); Jesus fasted and was
tempted in the wilderness forty days (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2). I’m
not going to get into an argument about when all this COVID -19 shut-down
started but it could just possibly be a “forty” issued by God upon one nation
at a time throughout the whole world. I’m not waving a magic wand of profound
knowledge here, but it might be something worth thinking about during this time
of “rest”. I personally look at this time in the wilderness as a time of
serious prayer and thanksgiving. Are the intellects of the world going to
continue leaning on their own knowledge to “make it a more sustainable place to
live” or give it back to God and live as He would have us to live? Folks, I
believe it’s judgment time. I believe God is watching and waiting to see if He
is still involved in the affairs of man or not (Genesis 6:5-7). What will God’s
evaluation reveal? It all belongs to God; it’s up to Him.
With COVID-19
dictating our every move in life these days we are discovering day by day all
the little to huge repercussions that are going to surface changing our
lifestyles forever. Yes, there is a new norm on the horizon. This past month
there has been much talk about the state of the world and our nation regarding
the current economic situation and what the future holds. One cannot deny that
we are in a crisis, that times are difficult and our nation is hurting. As
sojourners through this life we find ourselves enduring these times of
difficulty, hardship and pain. However, we must always keep in mind these
fundamental truths concerning God and our relationship with Him.
[Deuteronomy
11:11-12] “...the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills
and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord
your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the
beginning of the year to the end of the year.” The land the Israelites entered
was one abundantly blessed by God. Whether one looked to the hills or the
valleys, God’s care was clear. It was in this fertile land from which they
would reap bountiful harvests. As long as they remained faithful to God he
would always protect them from their enemies. He would always be with them, to
provide and care for them. The time the Israelites spent in this land, though,
would not always be easy. They had allowed idolatrous nations to remain among
them. These nations would prove to be a snare to Israel, seeking to turn them away
from God. Their lives would find hills and valleys, good times as well as bad,
trials with the blessings. If only they had remembered that God was with them
through it all! By forsaking God, they abandoned their source of blessings. They
would one day find themselves in a foreign land, taken captive because of their
sins. Not all of life is filled with mountain-top experiences, but neither is
it always lived in the valley. We also have high and lows in our lives, good
times and bad, hills and valleys. We need to remember that God is with us
through it all. He is a constant source of strength and blessing for our life.
If we seek Him and His will, he will provide for us. Paul reflected, “I can do
all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). If we keep our
lives focused on Him who loved us and offered Himself for us, he will never
fail us and we can be victorious in the highs and lows of life.
“For the God on
the mountain, is still God in the valley; When things go wrong, He’ll make them
right; And the God in the good times, is still God in the bad times; The God of
the day, is still God in the night” (“God on the Mountain” by Bill and Gloria
Gaither).
God is still God – He is
still in control of the events of time; He still establishes the seasons; He
sets up kings and takes down kings. His supremacy is not determined by the
circumstances of the day (Daniel 2:20-23). God
is Faithful – “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful
God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his
commandments...” (Deuteronomy 7:9). God will provide (Matthew 6:25-34). God is the God of Hope – Hope is a
commodity we just can’t run short of. In Christ we find comfort in the hope He
gives. Knowing that He is with us and will never forsake us, the hope in
knowing that no matter what happens the Christian will overcome. At the end of
time – God’s people Win! It is in this hope we live and endure (Romans 5:2-5).
While on the peaks of life it is our loving heavenly Father who provides every
good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Also realize, even in the depths of seeming
despair, God will provide the strength to see us through (Romans 8:35-39).
COVID-19 is only a valley we’re passing through, with God.