Our American culture encourages one another to accept a diverse range of beliefs and lifestyles. This tolerance in our houses of worship and on the streets of our cities has failed miserably. It has bred an unaccountable culture.
How will such a society respond to the wrath of God? There are literally hundreds of verses from the Bible that speak directly about this from both the Old and New Testaments. One passage says “whoever does not obey the Son [Jesus] shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
What does the wrath of God mean? Theological scholar, Dr. Leon Morris, writes that it is the “active opposition of God’s holy nature to everything that is evil.” What is evil? It lives in the heart of all mankind and it is every thought, word or deed that violates the glory, honor and holiness of God. In simple terms the wrath of God is His anger against our sin.
No matter how we feel about something is not important, it is how God sees it. If we are engaged in behavior that violates the holiness or justice of God we ought to tremble. God is invisible, is everywhere, reads our thoughts, can control the weather, dispatches unseen forces, can alter the course of daily events and possess the power over life and death. What is the ultimate expression of the wrath of this God? Hell. Hell is the full manifestation of His wrath for an eternity. Truly, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
What shall we do? One thing - call out for the mercy of God. What can save us from God’s wrath? Jesus. Have you ever heard of the term “Jesus saves”? What does He save from? A follower of Jesus once wrote, that we “shall be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). When we admit our sin then desperately appeal to the mercy God in Christ then we can be covered and ultimately saved from God’s wrath.
Individually and as a country may we flee from our sin. May we be rescued from the coming wrath of God before it is too late. May we turn to the love of God in Christ and receive Him as our hope for today.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
HOPE FOR TODAY: In Money Do We Trust
What is the root of the economic mess plaguing our country? Everyone seems to have an answer. The political talking heads says it’s the fault of President Barack Obama or President George W. Bush, the Democrats or the Republicans, or Wall Street executives. The economists say it’s due to the fallout of the mortgage crisis, high oil and gas prices, or the increasing trade deficit. The man-on-the-street points toward a growing national debt and says, “We need to reduce our debt and get our spending under control.”
The Great American Experiment is now 230 years old. We have gone from 13 colonies to 50 states and from millions to trillions in national wealth. No doubt about it, the hand of God’s blessing has been on our country. Yet, what have we done with His blessings?
Our government, along with local businesses, families and churches across the country have managed to take the bounty of God and squander it in prodigal-son-fashion. Instead of being stewards, we have become owners. Instead of being thankful we have demanded more. Instead of managing wisely, we have spent and financed foolishly.
Our money is imprinted with the national motto “In God we trust”. Maybe we ought to change that to “In Money We Trust”. We believe that with enough money we can solve our government’s problems, build a larger congregation, have a happier home, or grow a more profitable business. Really? What about the God factor? A wise King once wrote, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous [those who trust in God] will flourish like a green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28). Notice, it’s not the possessing of, but trusting in riches that predicts the downfall of people and nations.
Maybe God is strategically working through this financial crisis to humble us so we will turn from trusting in paper and ink and turn to the fortress of Almighty God. May we recognize the error of our ways and receive His gracious healing on our land that is so desperately needed. May He alone be our hope for today.
The Great American Experiment is now 230 years old. We have gone from 13 colonies to 50 states and from millions to trillions in national wealth. No doubt about it, the hand of God’s blessing has been on our country. Yet, what have we done with His blessings?
Our government, along with local businesses, families and churches across the country have managed to take the bounty of God and squander it in prodigal-son-fashion. Instead of being stewards, we have become owners. Instead of being thankful we have demanded more. Instead of managing wisely, we have spent and financed foolishly.
Our money is imprinted with the national motto “In God we trust”. Maybe we ought to change that to “In Money We Trust”. We believe that with enough money we can solve our government’s problems, build a larger congregation, have a happier home, or grow a more profitable business. Really? What about the God factor? A wise King once wrote, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous [those who trust in God] will flourish like a green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28). Notice, it’s not the possessing of, but trusting in riches that predicts the downfall of people and nations.
Maybe God is strategically working through this financial crisis to humble us so we will turn from trusting in paper and ink and turn to the fortress of Almighty God. May we recognize the error of our ways and receive His gracious healing on our land that is so desperately needed. May He alone be our hope for today.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
HOPE FOR TODAY: The Sex Nation
I was a late bloomer in getting married. It was not until 32 years old that I walked down the aisle with the woman of my dreams. In high school I began a list of what I wanted in the one I was to marry. One thing was a woman who dressed modestly. God answered that. He gave me a woman who was modest and absolutely beautiful too.
Today, modesty seems like a foreign word in our sex-obsessed nation. Purity, innocence and respect seem out of date too. Where are the modern ladies and gentlemen that have a sense of self-respect and are respectful to each other? Our nation is crumbling from within as we selfishly feed our passions. In government, the church and home it has brought disgrace and ruined marriages and families.
We were born with these sexual desires. Our Creator gave them to us. However, they were meant to be fulfilled strictly within the boundaries of marriage. For centuries men and women have continually rebelled against this protective barrier to their own peril, pursuing all forms of sexual gratification. This has tested God’s patience. The Scripture says, “Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their heart to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24).
Since our society is so accepting and saturated with the influence of sex how can we live differently? Through the holiness of God. In the entire universe, He is the only being who is absolutely pure. There is no spot of sin, evil or any form of immorality within Him. When we turn to Jesus through faith and in repentance of our sin, an incredible thing happens. God through His Spirit pours His holiness into us. We become holy as He is holy and receive the power to walk in it day by day.
The love, mercy and holiness of God give us a second chance. We can come to Him individually or collectively as a nation. Then if we turn from our immorality and seek Him for His cleansing we will be given a chance to start over again. Even if we have sacrificed our innocence on the altar of impulse there is still hope. By faith, may we receive that hope for today.
Today, modesty seems like a foreign word in our sex-obsessed nation. Purity, innocence and respect seem out of date too. Where are the modern ladies and gentlemen that have a sense of self-respect and are respectful to each other? Our nation is crumbling from within as we selfishly feed our passions. In government, the church and home it has brought disgrace and ruined marriages and families.
We were born with these sexual desires. Our Creator gave them to us. However, they were meant to be fulfilled strictly within the boundaries of marriage. For centuries men and women have continually rebelled against this protective barrier to their own peril, pursuing all forms of sexual gratification. This has tested God’s patience. The Scripture says, “Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their heart to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24).
Since our society is so accepting and saturated with the influence of sex how can we live differently? Through the holiness of God. In the entire universe, He is the only being who is absolutely pure. There is no spot of sin, evil or any form of immorality within Him. When we turn to Jesus through faith and in repentance of our sin, an incredible thing happens. God through His Spirit pours His holiness into us. We become holy as He is holy and receive the power to walk in it day by day.
The love, mercy and holiness of God give us a second chance. We can come to Him individually or collectively as a nation. Then if we turn from our immorality and seek Him for His cleansing we will be given a chance to start over again. Even if we have sacrificed our innocence on the altar of impulse there is still hope. By faith, may we receive that hope for today.
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