God's Wrath Is On The Horizon

 

In light of the ridiculous scenarios of life that are being thrown at us every day, I find it difficult to write with joyful memory for those who willingly gave their life in battles throughout the world, in their best effort, to preserve freedom in this country from the tyranny of socialism and communism. I’m deeply saddened to witness the super inflated egos of some worldly, unelected, or otherwise unappointed, self-indulging superheroes who are doing their best to push mankind into a one-world-order type of governance with no borders or individual governmental law. They wish to dictate how one will spend their life, how long one will live, manage everyone’s health, and manage an equal income base for everyone. “You will own nothing and be happy,” says leaders of the World Economic Forum. Many, in this country especially, have allowed much immoral lifestyle changes to be thrusted upon them without push-back. As a veteran myself, it makes me sick to see freedom being spat upon as if it were free and equal to all. Freedom is not free! And once those who are ignoring the warnings are under one rule of thumb, they will be the first to start crying, “Why didn’t somebody do something?” My question to you is, “Why aren’t you doing something about it, NOW?” Men and women have died to keep America free thus far, but it seems most don’t think their country is worth fighting for anymore. We today are actually living in a lawless society with open borders overseen by a group of liberal propagandizing socialists out to destroy the country our veterans fought for. Let’s face it – Americans are spoiled, selfish brats that want it their way and are willing to watch it all go down the toilet for a pot of soup.

[Genesis 11:1-9] “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it is called Babel (Babylon) – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole world.” What God has established - language, law, borders, etc. is being destroyed and believe it or not, returning to Babylon. Yes, the United Nations Council is contemplating moving to Babylon. It will become the capital of the New World Order. In the Bible, we see an example of where king-sized egos take us as individuals and as a society. Nebuchadnezzar ruled a big kingdom – the Babylonian Empire. In Daniel 4, looking on his kingdom, he said, “Is this not Babylon the great which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” Bad idea. God lowered Nebuchadnezzar and made him like one of the beasts of the field, acting insane and eating grass. It wasn’t until he recognized God as the highest ruler and King of Heaven that all his reason returned. Ultimately, though, the Persians overthrew Babylon due to the ego of invulnerability. Perhaps it’s time for reason to return to the rest of us. Your prayers are working and push-back has started. But God’s wrath is on the horizon.

No Disappointments With God

 

A man had three sons. He wanted to evaluate their ability to discern. So, he gave each of them a piece of apple with a rotten spot in it. The first ate the whole thing. The second threw the whole thing away. The third separated the bad and ate the good. The father noted that the third was the wisest, and he exclaimed, “When we receive instruction, some of us believe everything we hear. Others reject everything because some of what we hear is bad. But the wise separate the bad from the good and benefit from the good.”

Believe it or not, there are two mountains named, "Mount Disappointment.” In 1894 workers from the U.S. Geological Survey were looking for the highest point in Los Angeles County, California. They found a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains with a summit elevation of 5,960 feet. Intending to use it as their next triangulation point, they climbed together to the top. When they reached it, however, they discovered they had made a mistake. The San Gabriel Peak, just half a mile to the east, was 167 feet higher. As a result, they had to descend the peak they had climbed and start over. They named the first peak, “Mount Disappointment.” What a waste of time, money, and effort.

The other “Mount Disappointment,” 37 miles north of Melbourne, Australia, rises 2,625 feet. European explorers from New South Wales, Hamilton Hume, and William Hovell, first made the difficult climb of it in 1824. They hoped to view the distant Port Phillip Bay. Unfortunately, the mountain’s many trees prevented this, and so they chose this sympathetic name.

You’ve had your disappointments too, perhaps more than your share. Maybe you’ve never landed that job for which you had hoped. Your dream home developed cracks in the poorly prepared foundation. Perhaps you’ve lost all your possessions in a flood or a fire. Disappointingly, your health or youth have prematurely faded. Possibly your spouse has passed away. Probably many people have disappointed you over the years. And in retrospect, you have probably disappointed yourself and others in your life. There are many warnings in the Bible about the consequences of our words. The most powerful is expressed by Jesus. He said, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).

[Romans 10:11] “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’” Moses was often disappointed by the Israelites’ disobedience, grumbling, and unbelief. Yet it was his own sin that cost him the most (Numbers 20:7-12). He climbed Mount Nebo and from there he could only see what he was not allowed to enter - the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). Jesus found the three disciples sleeping, three separate times, when he had asked them to watch and pray (Matthew 26:36-46). Paul felt the loss of Demas, Crescens, and Titus (2 Timothy 4:10). Alexander the coppersmith had done him great harm (2 Timothy 4:14). At the time of Paul’s first defense no one had stood with him (2 Timothy 4:16). From the top of his “Mount Disappointment,” Paul saw and recognized something higher, more powerful, and quite capable of giving him victory (2 Timothy 4:17-18). We too, when we look toward heaven, see “Zion’s glorious summit.” We see a God who never disappoints. We chose a Savior who knows – and bore on the cross – all our disappointments. We are blessed, forgiven, renewed, and feel energized. Everything looks better because our perspective has changed. Jesus has delivered us and continues to deliver us (1 John 1:7). On Him we have set our hope. And there will be no disappointment. We will cross over into the “Promised Land” one day.

Mother's Day

 

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother” – Abraham Lincoln

“A mother understands what a child does not say” – Jewish Proverb

Mother’s Day by Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959). Let every day be Mother’s Day! Make roses grow along her way, And beauty everywhere. Oh, never let her eyes be wet, With tears of sorrow or regret, And never cease to care! Come, grow up children, and rejoice, That you can hear your mother’s voice! A day for her! For you she gave, Long years of love and service brave; For you, her youth was spent. There was no weight of hurt or care, Too heavy for her strength to bear; She followed where you went; Her courage and her love sublime, You could depend on all the time. Let every day be Mother’s Day! With love and roses strewn her way, And smiles of joy and pride! Come, grow up children, to the knee, Where long ago you used to be, And never turn aside; Oh, never let her eyes grow wet, With tears, because her babes forget.

[Exodus 20:12] “Honor your father and your mother” is the fifth of the Ten Commandments. Though we do not live under the Old Testament law today, God brought nine of those commandments into the New Testament, including this one (Ephesians 6:1-3). Giving Mom a card and a box of chocolates on the second Sunday in May is fine, but God makes it clear in His word that honoring your mother goes far beyond a fabricated annual holiday. How does God say we should honor our mothers? Love her! Young children seldom have to be told to do this. It comes naturally. The Scriptures call it “natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:3 KJV). It is the warm, tender devotion that you feel toward close family members. This very passage, however, warns of the danger of suppressing or even losing that natural affection. Cultivate love for your mother every day, not just “Mother’s Day.” Obey her! “Children, obey your parents” (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). Even Jesus submitted to His mother and Joseph (Luke 2:51). When I hear a young child defiantly saying “No!” to Mother (or Father), I see red! Parents who fail to correct such impudence swiftly and effectively (including some firm swats to the posterior) are inviting disaster. That leads to the next point. Speak respectfully to her! Sassiness and back-talk are not limited to small children. Though He was older, Jesus spoke respectfully to His mother and Joseph, even when correcting them (e.g., at the Temple, Luke 2:48-49). No matter how old we are, we ought always to speak respectfully to our parents. Under the Mosaic Law, cursing a parent was a capital offense (Exodus 21:17). While this penalty is not in effect under the New Testament, it speaks volumes about the importance God assigns to speaking respectfully to our parents. Never hit her! This was another capital crime under the Law of Moses (Exodus 21:15). Of course, this dealt with older children, not toddlers! A small child sometimes defiantly slaps his mother if he isn’t getting his way. Worse, parents sometimes allow children to suffer no consequences for such obnoxious behavior! Little ones may not know any better at first, but they will learn quickly if parents discipline them promptly and consistently. I have also known of cases where older children beat their parents; such conduct is criminal according to the laws of both God and men. Provide for her in her old age. Jesus rebuked the Jews of His day for evading their responsibility to provide for their aged parents (Matthew 15:1-6). Although popular culture looks to civil government to fulfill the need, Paul teaches that it is first, and foremost, a family obligation, and secondarily the responsibility of the church (1 Timothy 5:4). Honor, your mother! Keep her in your heart.

Righteousness Is Not Offensive

 

Society has become so thin-skinned that almost anything we say is perceived to be offensive by someone or some group. Ours is the age of “political correctness.” We have to be so careful that we don’t offend people. Within limits, I understand it, but the movement has gone way beyond common sense in the desire to be politically correct. In the course of an average week, we hear many things which we find personally objectionable, outright disagree with, or believe to be untrue. People have the right to be wrong. We should appreciate those who challenge our thinking and force us to re-evaluate what we believe because truth has nothing to fear from careful investigation. Truth is what we should always seek. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Jesus, the master teacher, could not avoid offending people – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13). He was the kindest, most caring person to ever live, but even He could not avoid offending those who oppose the truth. It was not His intention to be purposely offensive, but, if the truth offended, the problem was not His but those who heard Him.

[Luke 6:6-11] By Luke 6, in the chronicles of Jesus, His ministry is in full swing. Practically, this meant that while He had not only a following of supporters and disciples, but He also had a company of enemies who followed Him and sought to put His ministry to death. About this time we get a glimpse of the hateful atmosphere these enemies sought to create for Jesus. While in the synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus came upon a man with a withered hand. He knew the volatility of this situation because He knew that if He healed the man of his affliction that He would be breaking the scribes’ and Pharisees’ personal rules about the Sabbath, rules that God had not authorized, but rules of which they were nevertheless very protective. Yet could Jesus not do for this man what He could? Even if it lit a fuse of controversy, to prove Himself as the Son of God and to healing an affliction, was He still not obligated to heal the man? You know this Savior as I do. You know what He did. Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand.” He did as Jesus ordered and his hand was restored. You would think that anyone with a grain of compassion would be rejoicing …but not the scribes and Pharisees. Verse 11 reads, “But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.” Try to put yourself in Jesus’ place. It is not farfetched to try this, because one reason He came to this earth is so we might connect to Him as one who “…was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). What would you be feeling? Would you be frightened? Panicky? Anxious, to say the least, for these men were ready to tear Jesus apart, limb from limb. Even more importantly, what would you be willing to compromise? Give into their rage, concede and make a cowardice retreat? Well, the next verse reveals what we should consider to be a model of what our own response ought to be when we are in pressure-cooker kinds of situations. “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12). Our example – escape and pray. Escaping is fairly natural. When under extreme stress, most people escape – to the television, to the lake, to take a walk. However, Jesus added a necessary ingredient, He prayed. One has to wonder whether effective stress management can be attained without prayer? I think not (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).