Good morning,
Boy, is it hot and dry in
America. Those of us living in California still have the water from the
mountain lakes to keep our crops alive, but the rest of the country is
drying up as well as heating up. Our weather people keep telling us we
are setting new records every month and our farmers are plowing up their
dying summer crops and selling off their animals because there is not
enough food for their animals to eat. Our scientists and politicians
keep reminding us that all this is our fault. They tell us we are not
taking care of our world like we should, to distract us from the truth
that only God can control our weather and our world. It is true that
what we are doing does have an effect on the weather, but the Bible
makes it clear that sin and not greenhouse gasses are the root of the
problem. Hot summers can be a part of the normal cycles we live with,
but when combined with the political turmoil, the financial uncertainty,
the commitment of religious leaders to conquer the world and the
defiant determination of the world at large to rebel against God’s
leadership, we may actually be dealing with the judgment Jesus promised
would come before his return as king of the world.
We are not allowed to have
enough information to know exactly how or when these events will take
place, but we know enough about what is going on to decide our focus for
these troubled times. Jesus warned his followers not to be fooled into
following the fear filled enemies of God who will develop their own
ways of coping with the reality of God’s judgment. We are warned to
“Watch out” that we don’t lose our focus on following him and substitute
dreams, drugs and drunkenness for a life focused on following a life of
loving obedience. These fearful events give us many opportunities to
live our lives based on our faith in a living God in ways that will lead
open hearted God seekers into our lives. There are a series of traps
we must avoid. First, we need to know the promises of God when it comes
to dealing with rebellious sinners. Second, we must avoid the trap of
allowing the world to define the causes of these judgments and finally
we must avoid the trap of seeing ourselves as unprotected enemies of the
world. As our lives are guided by our prayer relationships with our
Shepherd, we can look forward to being able to escape these coming
horrors and stand safe and sound before our loving Savior and Judge.
Luke 21:34 “Watch
out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and
by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35
like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.
36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to
escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man
Roy Wisner
