I was walking my dog this morning …
And some thoughts occurred to me about living in today’s society at the age I am presently, 78 by calendar years. Perhaps you can relate to these thoughts!
The current culture in the United States of America is counter to what I was taught from a very young age to emulate in my own life. Many people, some would say most people, living in our country no longer adhere to the values of their forebears, let alone the forefathers of this democratic republic. Truth is no longer revered as a guiding principle. Individually our grandchildren are being taught societal aspects of life that are so embedded in lies that they become confused. In their confusion, they seek escapes and many turn to drugs and other addictions as crutches upon which to lean. Parents abrogate their roles in order to seek pleasure for themselves, because they are taught by mass media that they are entitled to the good life. We are after all the most technologically advanced nation that ever existed and shouldn’t we reap the benefits of all these “wonderful” discoveries? But at what price do we pursue the American Dream? I think it all boils down to priorities!
Family life, good relationships between children and parents, grandparents is no longer the foundational principle it had been for decades, centuries. Family units have historically been the core instructional source of cultures. Ponder for a few minutes how you learned to relate to others, how you discerned right from wrong, and good from evil! Nowadays children receive most of their instruction from sources outside the family, primarily from teachers in their schools, many of whom now see their own roles perhaps less enthusiastically than in previous years. Schooling is necessary for acquisition of knowledge, and knowledge is necessary to equip people for moving forward in society. But isn’t the more important aspect of living how we learn to relate to others? I am convinced that the best instructional book ever written pertaining to relationships is the Holy Bible! For it tells of the most important relationship any man can have, a personal relationship with His creator! It is the ultimate source of all answers to all of life’s questions. Many people today view the Bible as merely a literary work, fraught with errors and not of much value. I propose that In order to glean answers to life’s questions (and there certainly are many), one must first have a relationship with God, the Creator of all mankind. Portions of Holy Scripture were recorded millennia ago, but the message contained is as relevant to us today as it has been to our forebears. The Bible is the ultimate guidebook for all mankind-there is no other “literature” in all that has been written by man that even compares.
The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship with mankind and His unending love for man throughout time. It says that despite man’s desire to be equal to God, the choice he made contrary to God’s admonitions, when tempted by God’s adversary the devil, resulted in man’s separation from God. But God didn’t abandon mankind! He provided a pathway to reconciliation and restoration. Jesus Christ by His sacrifice of Himself, His death and resurrection, provides that pathway to every believer. The Bible says if we seek God’s forgiveness for our wrongdoing and believe in Jesus Christ as that pathway to redemption of our souls, He does the rest through His grace. But there is more offered to believers than redemption alone. For Jesus Christ told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to guide His followers into all truth. That same Holy Spirit is really the author of the Holy Scriptures. He guided men to write down what they experienced through their senses and the thoughts they had in their lifetimes. When we read the Bible empowered by the Spirit of God, we find that it speaks to our souls and any former confusion is dispelled.
In the current environment we are being barraged by many competing voices. We are being deluded into believing that:
- God is dead or doesn’t exist; otherwise we wouldn’t be experiencing all these natural disasters
- Men are genuinely good and thus well-meaning no matter how they act or what they say
- There is no such thing as evil, Satan or demons
- Science has all the answers, can heal all our diseases given enough time and money
- Our government is obligated to provide for our well-being especially for healthcare, food and shelter, and for all the downtrodden who seek asylum in our nation
- We must not judge the behavior of others, especially if it causes us no harm
If we allow ourselves to place merit in these errant philosophies, we might become confused, discouraged, depressed and finally lose hope and give up. I believe God is our only real source of love and hope. One thing my eight decades of living has taught me is God has established certain Absolutes, and those Absolutes have defined what God’s will is for mankind. The Bible describes sinful and unholy practices and behavior as contrary to His will, and describes ramifications for such. The attitude by many that these rules of behavior no longer apply does not make it so! I believe God is presently very grieved by the gross self-centeredness and outright expressions of rebellion so evident in our country. We are on the verge of anarchy and self-destruction as One Nation Under God.
Every Christian needs the guidance afforded by God through His Word and the Holy Spirit in order to live their lives in a way pleasing to God. Absent this guidance we become like ships without a rudder, tossed about by every wind of doctrine that comes our way. The Bible alerts us that in the “last days” many will fall away from faith in Jesus Christ.
- 1 Timothy 4:1-3 says: 1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron
- 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says: 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
- 2 Peter 3:3 says: 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
Please read the Bible and chew on the passages contained therein. And then instruct your children and share with others your testimony!
Everlasting Truth 