A Random Reproof?

I was taken this morning with a gentle reproof that I think is worth sharing.  It was in 1Kings 22:34, " Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor."  This happened to King Ahab, who resisted the words of God all his life, worshiping false gods among many other evils he did. A prophet of God predicted that he would die in this particular battle, but Ahab ignored the warning from God and went to fight anyway. Even though he disguised himself so the enemy wouldn't recognize him, in the thick of the battle an enemies arrow found him and the same day he died. The warning is twofold. If you happened upon this blog and are not a follower of Jesus Christ, that is, haven't placed your faith in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sin, be warned. The just judgment from God that will soon come upon all the world at the last day will certainly include you. If God has been trying to get your attention, you find your thoughts directed towards things spiritual, eternity, life after death and so on, please heed Gods activity toward you. Those thoughts and impressions are His Holy Spirit calling you, trying to communicate to you the free offer of salvation through faith in Jesus. Listen, look into it, pray, Jesus promised, "seek and you shall find." Otherwise, no matter how you try to avoid it, how clever you may think your argument is against Him, somehow, someway, like an arrow seemingly at random, God's hand will fall upon you, as it did with Ahab. It doesn't have to be. It's a decision you must make, in the light of God's grace working upon you.
Another aspect of this reproof is for those of us who have made that decision, and are following our Savior. The arrow that killed Ahab hit him at a joint in his armor. It was at a place between the scale armor and the breastplate that soldiers wore. It was at a very small opening.  We know that we are clothed in the armor of God, and that a specific piece of that armor is called in Ephesians, "the breastplate of righteousness." We also know that our enemy shoots fiery darts or arrows at those who have placed their trust in Jesus, walking in the christian way.  The warning is, don't allow any gaps in the armor of God in which you are clothed. Keep on guard against every temptation, especially those you know to which you are most prone.  We all have those specific areas in our lives or souls that give us trouble from time to time. Be alert, be on guard against them and prepared, lest some arrow seemingly at random find a mark in us. It may be a mortal wound, from which we will lose everything, perhaps our own souls. So, if you're facing the decision to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, or if your facing some temptation, heed the voice of God's gentle reproof. Do the right thing. It isn't a random thing that you're reading this entry today, it is God guiding you into victory and safety. May God bless, and keep  us all.

Society Without God? It Isn't Working

After the shooting in Las Vegas a few days ago, our entire nation is asking questions as to how this could happen, why would a person commit such an atrocity, and where are we going as a nation. What is becoming of us as these types of actions become more common?  I suppose the answer as to where we are going depends on how we are going to respond in the wake of this crime. I very strongly believe that we are reaping what we have sown over the last several decades of rejecting the Gospel, creating our own sense of morality based not on Christianity, but on a secularized view of reality. Politics and the state have become the definers of what is right, wrong, moral and immoral.  A philosophy that excludes God as Creator and lawgiver has crept into our American culture and has replaced Him with the State as the almighty, the final word on what is acceptable for the nation. It is taught that we were not created in the image of God for His purpose, but a mindless, chance event started the process of evolution, and over the past billion years or so we humans have become who we are now, on our journey to nowhere. We have no meaning, no purpose, no destination, no real reason for any kind of morality except to adhere to what the strongest political party or government tells us is the best for the most.

Our society is unraveling because in our thinking, our cultural mindset,  there is nothing to hold it together. There is no philosophical or moral view of the world to help us satisfy the true desire of every human heart. That desire is to have an answer for the questions,  who am I, why am I here, where am I going and for what reason? The Christian faith answers all these questions and more. It deals with the problem of evil, sin, joy, true peace, justice, true meaning. It is the most well rounded worldview that humanity can embrace because it is true. It isn't merely a philosophy or a religion, it is reality and the most articulate explanation of our existence in this creation.  Our nation has always had our share of problems and controversies, and have been guilty of great sins and wrongs. But it was the Christian faith that our founders based this new government upon that gave us the means to recognize and right those wrongs.  Now that faith, the glue that held us together as a people seems to be almost gone. At the very least it is marginalized and disregarded  as irrelevant to the political powers that be. The prevailing mood is one of confusion and bewilderment, as atrocities like the Las Vegas shooting become more common. It won't stop until we regain our footing back on the solid ground of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We as a nation started out on that good ground, but have wandered out of the way to a godless,  progressive vision of the world and of our nation. Is isn't working out very well. It didn't work in Nazi Germany, or fascist Italy, and it will not work in left wing, progressive America either.