In spite of what some of the most popular preachers and pseudo prophets are feeding us, things are NOT getting better.
No, I’m not preaching gloom and doom.
I’m simply agreeing with what the Apostle Paul wrote almost 2,000 years ago.
“BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:1-4 AMP)
Go ahead and say I’ve lost the sense I was born with.
But this is really bothering me; troubling my spirit.
Societal evolution has reached a point where human beings seem to be evolving into animals. Whatever inner urge, desire, passion, and feeling one has must be satisfied.
Like animals.
Animals. Except animals have a greater respect for life and the God of life than many so-called civilized people.
It’s kind of scary; thinking about how quickly things are decaying. And if THIS is your best life, your future is not very bright.
Isaiah gives a fairly accurate description of our world; its obsession with self and hatred toward God.
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness… Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace.
“Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men… our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:1-14 ESV)
I ask you; doesn’t it seem like Isaiah was speaking of our perilous, pressurized days?
And how about these words, also penned by Isaiah:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right.” (Isaiah 5:20-23 ESV)
I’d love to say to everyone, “These are your best days. Enjoy yourself. Live it up! Eat, drink, and be merry.”
But I can’t.
Yes, it’s true; Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundant. But Jesus used the word “zoe” when He said “life”. “Zoe” is the God-kind of life. What’s the God-kind of life look like? A simple description is found in Galatians:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22,23 ESV)
God doesn’t live a helter-skelter kind of life. Even His ways are governed and orderly. He’s not living for His own pleasure, nor is He consumed with having His own way.
He alone knows how to really satisfy the human heart, and has everything we could ever need or want; if we’d only look to Him instead of being governed by our own selfishness.
He is patiently waiting for this world to turn back to His fountain of life; but while He’s waiting, things are falling apart.
People are quickly filling their lives with everything that can’t satisfy.
There IS hope, in case you’re interested. But if you take God up on His offer, you’d better prepare to give up your “best life now.” Instead, get ready to buck against the systems of this humanistic society.
With God’s help, you can.
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path…” (Proverbs 2:1-9 ESV)
Jan Grace 