Wrath Is Rising

The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.  But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.     2 Chronicles 36:15-16 ESV

So much is on my mind these days.  There are personal struggles, family struggles, professional struggles…  All of that in the context of the struggles in our nation and in our world, and life feels very heavy at best, and at times overwhelming.

I want to edit that opening and “pretty it up” a bit, because it reads a little rough to me.  But life is a little rough, and so I’m just going to leave it as-is.

As I was reading the Word this morning, my chronological reading plan brought me to the final chapter of the capture of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.  The last of the people had been taken away to exile or to be executed, with the exception of a few folks left behind to look after the land and send its produce to Babylon.  The people are in turmoil, having suffered great loss and upheaval. 

It didn’t have to be that way.

For generations, God had been warning the people of the consequences of disobedience and rebellion.  He had blessed them, rescued them repeatedly from their enemies, provided for them, disciplined them, restored them.  Over and over, time and time again, God had looked past the sins of the children of Israel and offered them second, third, and many more chances.  He called them to repent – to change their ways.  Occasionally, a king would come to power that would begin to lead the people away from idolatry and back to the worship of God.  But these kings would be followed by evil kings (which frustrates me greatly because it tells us a lot about the way the most godly kings failed in parenting and caring for their own families, but that is a thought for another day), and so more idolatry and rebellion would ensue.

God sent great leaders – Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Josiah and others – to show His people the way that they should go.  He sent the prophets – Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and more – to warn the people about what was going to happen if they didn’t change their ways. 

But the children of Israel refused to listen. 

Israel had been exiled to Assyria.  Judah was exiled to Babylon.

It was not sudden.  God had been very patient with His people.  But eventually, He turned them over to experience the full consequence of their rebellion, that some might eventually be saved.

I believe that the Lord has been very patient with America.  Our founders, many of whom came to the New World seeking Christian liberty, established this nation on biblical principles.  Certainly, mistakes were made along the way, but our foundations were purposeful and noble.

“Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony…”  These words from the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of what we now know as the United States of America, clearly identify the goals of establishing the colony.

“For the glory of God…”

I am saddened and disturbed and really at a loss.  As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the tragedy that struck our country on September 11, 2001, I look around at a nation that barely resembles what I knew just twenty years ago.  The flag of our nation that was raised solemnly above the rubble of the twin towers brought unity and solidarity in 2001.  Now many – even many among the political leaders in our country – view that same flag as a symbol of oppression, and deem “heroic” those who dishonor our flag.

In our country, our leaders and courts have ruled that evil is good and good is evil, legalizing the killing of the unborn, and destroying biblical values at every turn.  The church has opted to be “welcoming” and “affirming” toward sin and those who promote it.  In our efforts to not seem unloving, we have instead chosen to be unrighteous.

And the Scripture is clear that there are dire consequences for unrighteousness.

For many years, the Lord has had compassion on us.  He has persisted in sending us messengers of truth, but we have rejected those messages, and mocked the messengers, despising God’s Word.  We have scoffed at God.  What is happening around us should not be surprising, but it should be sobering.

When the people of Israel and Judah rejected the ways of God, the Scripture says that the “wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.”

I believe it is fair to say that we are seeing the wrath of the Lord rising.  I pray that we the Church come to repentance before we reach the point where there is no remedy.

So today, it is not a happy thought that I bring to you, or even necessarily an encouraging one.  But I feel that it is important.  And it is, after all…

…Just a thought…

Whether or Not They Listen

And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”     Ezekiel 3:11 ESV

I have friends who are teachers.  Some will soon be going back to their classrooms; others have already started their new school year.  I believe that my teacher friends could probably relate on some level to the prophet Ezekiel.  Ezekiel was being sent to talk to people who were not going to listen to him.

Ezekiel has seen some incredible visions from the Lord.  In chapter 1, Ezekiel describes some heavenly beings that he saw.  They have wings, and multiple faces, and wheels, and they fly, and I guess they roll, and it all seems kind of terrifying to me!  I guess it was terrifying to Ezekiel, too, because at the end of chapter 1, he says that he fell on his face.

Actually, Ezekiel fell on his face because he had seen the Lord.  But the Lord called him to stand back up, and so Ezekiel stood.  God had an assignment for the prophet.  He had a message that He wanted Ezekiel to take to the people.

It was kind of a bad point in history to be a prophet...

The children of Israel are kind of scattered at this point.  Because of their rebellion and disobedience, and because of the sins of their leaders, God has allowed many of the people to be taken into captivity.  Ezekiel himself is among the exiles in Babylon.  The people are living in a foreign land, held captive by a foreign king, living among people who spoke a foreign language.  It's just not the best circumstance in which to find oneself.

Among the exiles, there are some guys going around calling themselves prophets, claiming to have messages from the Lord.  They're promising the people freedom and deliverance and telling the captives what they want to hear.  But these prophets were lying.  

Jeremiah called out these false prophets in Jeremiah 29 (the context of a verse - Jeremiah 29:11 - that most of you are probably very familiar with), announcing to the people that they should not listen to the false prophets.  Jeremiah shared with them the truth - that they would be in Babylon for seventy years.  But the people didn't want to hear that message.  They wanted a message of deliverance, and they weren't really interested in the truth.

So here comes Ezekiel, fresh off a scary awesome amazing encounter with the God of the universe.  Ezekiel has a message for the people.  It's not a good message.  It's not particularly encouraging.  This is not the message that is going to gain Ezekiel favor with men.  It is a rebuke and a lament.

The Lord warns Ezekiel up front that the people are not going to listen, and He makes it clear that this is not Ezekiel's problem.  Ezekiel's assignment at this point was simple - tell them.  Later on, Ezekiel's assignments will become much more difficult, but this one was not complicated.  "Give the people the message, whether they listen or not."

Often, we get overly concerned about outcomes.  We get so focused on results that we fail to give proper concern to the process.  We tend to measure our success or failure by what others say or do in response.  We do that because that is how the world system is designed.

Many teachers miss the opportunity to help children develop vital skills because the pressure is to produce good outcomes on tests - outcome versus understanding.  Companies produce poor quality products when they emphasize quantity over quality, pressuring employees to work quickly rather than carefully.  In the wake of the Olympics, around the world will be found many young adults lacking purpose and direction because their lives to this point have been so focused on winning a medal in their sport that they've never been given to chance to learn basic skills for living.

And in our Christian lives, we can get so focused on outcomes - or perceived and potential outcomes - that we become effectively paralyzed.  We may find ourselves so afraid that someone will respond negatively to our witness that we fail to witness.  I sometimes find myself failing to write because I believe my reach to be too small to make an impact.

We are living in uncertain and volatile days.  It is tempting to refrain from speaking the truth for fear of backlash.  We find ourselves tiptoeing around everyone's feelings and opinions and politics, not wanting to offend, and so we fail to speak the truth.  We are called to speak the truth in love, yes (see Ephesians 4:15), but we are called to SPEAK THE TRUTH.

God did not call Ezekiel to share His Word with any promise of good outcome.  He just told him to tell the people what He said. Period.

In later chapters, God points out to Ezekiel again that he is not responsible for the outcome, but there is a qualifier: he is not responsible for the outcome as long as he has shared the message.  If he failed to warn the people, then Ezekiel would bear responsibility.

Like Ezekiel, we are responsible for sharing the message.  We cannot control the outcome, but we must make the truth known.  

The truth our world needs in these crazy days can be found in God's Word.  We've got to get past our fear of people and begin acting on our love for people.  When we love someone, we tell them the truth.  They may not listen, but we've got to try!

...Just a thought...

Why I Am Pro-Choice

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.    Romans 12:18 ESV 

I am pro-choice.

I’m sure you will find that shocking, but it’s true. 

Literally.

Now, in the political sense, I absolutely do not follow the so-called “pro-choice” ideology.  That is an ideology of murder, not choice.  I have never met anyone who claimed to be “pro-choice” who actually was in favor of legitimate actual choice.  They have always just been in favor of allowing babies to be killed.  That is not choice.  That is murder, or accessory to murder, at best.  It is actually ANTI-choice.

I do believe that a woman should have choice with regard to what she does with her body.  I believe that she should have the right to engage in sexual relations if she chooses to do so.  (As a Christian, I would prefer that a woman choose to have sexual relations in the context of marriage, obviously.)  I do not believe that a woman should be raped, or in any way coerced into any sexual activity where she is not a willing participant.  So I fully support a woman’s right to choose.

Now, the corollary here is that choices have consequences.  Being sexually active is a choice.  Pregnancy is a consequence.  It’s really that simple.

For the record, I also fully support a woman’s (or man’s) right to take measures that can prevent pregnancy from occurring.  There are many methods available for reducing the likelihood of pregnancy.  Abortion does not prevent pregnancy. 

As I said, I am pro-choice.  That does not apply only in the realm of reproduction.

I am pro-choice about food.  I believe that you should have the right to eat junk food if you choose to do so.  I also believe that you should have the right to eat healthy fruits and vegetables if you want to.

I am pro-choice about sunshine.  I believe that you should have the right to go out into the sun without sunscreen if you choose to do so.  I also believe that you should have the right to use sunscreen if you want to.

I am pro –choice about masks.  I believe that you should have a right to wear a mask if you choose to do so.  I also believe that should you choose not to wear a mask, you should have that choice.

I am pro-choice about vaccines.  I believe that you should have the right to have chemicals injected into your body if you feel that will help you.  I also believe that you should have the right to decline having chemicals injected into your body.

I am pro-choice, and I believe that choices have consequences.  I happen to think that individuals should consider the potential consequences of every choice they make, and then make a conscious decision to act.  Your choices have the potential to make you pregnant, obese, or sunburned, among other things.

The reality is, if I choose not to wear a mask or get a vaccination, I could get sick.  I could even die.  I recognize that my choices have consequences.  I am prepared to live (or die) with those consequences.  If you choose to wear a mask and get vaccinated, you also could get sick or die.  You must recognize that your choices also have consequences.

All of that is to say that I am weary of the rhetoric.  If you are curious about the reasoning behind my choices, I am willing to have a respectful conversation with you.  I am not interested in debate.  For every “study” that supports one perspective, there is another study that supports the exact opposite. 

And so, at the end of the day, as Americans, I just believe we have to support each others’ right to choose.  And as Christians, we are called to act in kindness, extending grace to the people around us.

The key verse today is so important, I think it bears repeating:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Romans 12:18 ESV

Choose wisely.  Live peaceably.

…Just a thought…

*And just to be clear - I am absolutely, unapologetically PRO-LIFE and anti-abortion! *