Trees Without
Leaves
We know
that there are tribes in remote areas of the world, never penetrated by
civilization, where members of the tribe have lived and died having never heard
God's plan of salvation. We know that IF God had just one member that he had
chosen to live with Him forever, the gospel in some form would have reached the
chosen. "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph 1:3-4). The writer C.S Lewis, Screwtape Letters, said, "The
road to Hell seems to be soft under foot....without signposts." This writer disagrees, there are always sign
posts before hitting bottom. The fact is and Lewis said this in his writing,
"Most Christians do not know we are at war, can not recognize the
enemy."
In the
silence-darkness of the night, knowing well the unexpecteds of tomorrow, only
the "barren" soul would not consider the possibility of a supreme
designer, the absolutes of Heaven or Hell.
It is truly
amazing with what God has managed to do with those he chose-elected-predestined
to do his work. He chose his disciples, unlearned, bold, "working"
men (Acts 4:13). Of course God can
use even those who are not His, can use inanimate objects if he so chooses.
History proves that much of Christianity, at least the outward signs of
Christianity, built by a variety of people. Construction of the Notre Dame
Cathedral, Paris, started in 1163. It took 868 years to finish the building,
many generations of artisans. Even Victor Hugo, Hunchback of Notre Dame,
would testify that those who built and those who were blessed were probably not
all chosen. I will never forget the first time I walked into that great edifice,
looked at the great rose window, can you even imagine the thoughts of 12th
century French peasants walking into Paris and seeing this building? We are amazed,
overwhelmed, with the love-mercy that God has extended to those who just
"flirt" on the edges of discipleship...ever learning but never
knowing the truth. Perhaps this is the reason there are 40,000 Christian
denominations, some just a few families.
What does
it matter the label you put on an empty bottle? The road to Hell is paved with
religion. This writer has traveled the world, has seen first hand the emptiness
of religion...Hindu temples, Wat of the Buddhist, Muslim mosque, etc. With the
information age, 24 hour "controlled" news media, as Nicholav Linnen
said, "Most world citizens are just dead men walking." "The
truth will set you free" (John 8:32),
but most do not want to know the truth about anything. Just fill in the blank, in
a nation (Greece, Italy, Portugal,
Spain,
etc.), any national or world economic agency (Euro dollar, American
entitlements), all bankrupt. Like the giant in Gulliver's Travels, tied
down by many threads (regulations, licenses, permits), it is an accumulation of
much weight that sinks the ship. WWII, there were more deaths from the fire
bombings at Tokyo than the deaths of atomic
explosion at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The children of Israel, chosen, redeemed by God,
"journeying" towards a land of milk and honey, quickly became
homesick for the flesh pots, cucumbers, melons of Egypt, their slave masters. So it
is with Christians "For it had been better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the
true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire" (2
Peter 2:22-23). Please God, forgive all of us AND we are all afflicted with
the same sinfulness, attracted to the world with its fun (sports events, parties,
classy living), even sometimes jealous of their veneer of happiness,
masquerading-pretending holiness. Even Christians, so called Christian
churches, ebbing further into sins depravity each year, celebrating-basking in
the vulgarities of Halloween, the gluttony-hyperglycemia of Thanksgiving, all "mashed"
into the mirage of Christmas.
Please
God, having put my hands the plow, keep me working forward, not turning or
looking backwards. "Remember Lot's
wife" (Luke 17:32). Please
God, today, tomorrow, next year, more of Christ and less of me.
Jesus did
not break a bruised reed (Matthew 12:20).
We have many bruised people in our world,
many carrying around baggage, walking in moccasins that we have not walked.
There was a
time that this writer easily criticized people who "just don't care."
I had relatives, associates, many of whom regular church attenders, who knew
nothing at all about God's word but could talk at length about sports figures,
politicians, and certainly world affairs. With the coming of television,
Satan's dream machine to manipulate the human mind, they become less and less
interested in the church, God's book, even the civic affairs of their community.
As with my own parents, living before the time of movies, even the radio, I
knew that had always done the best they could with what they had. The
neighborhood people who had lived through hard times- sad lives, needed to
laugh with "I Love Lucy."
God put men
into a perfect world but it did not stay perfect very long. Satan plus man can
mess up anything. So, we have the killings of war, pathology from viruses just
because we live together. Then comes government, efforts to make everything
right. My childhood, FDR and his Gestapo troops, crop controls, cutting down
growing corn (corn, world's greatest food product), cotton, soy beans, etc.
They even killed off farm animals, hogs, chickens, to "stabilize-equalize"
everything. Then they supplied, to those they had
defrauded, excess commodities such as apples and cheese. Today, excess taxation,
government debt, to furnish entitlements for which future generations will pay.
It is the same old story, Harrod- Caesar- Stalin, knew all about it. Now, for
the present tyrants of the world, particularly this nation, manipulation of the
stock market: bailouts, sellouts, cop outs, "big I, little you."
Nearby
town, widow in a government subsidized apartment, no family, friends, surviving
on a social security check, her only resource was her church. Unable to pay her
bills, phone, electricity disconnected. So many bill collectors, she did not
answer her door. Finally, women in her church went to the door, told her who
they were, "We have paid all your bills, you can open the door to
us." I don't have to tell you that "Jesus paid it all", such a
tremendous price. All the riches of God, available to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment