Woe unto them
Isaiah {5:20} Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! {5:21} Woe unto
[them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight! {5:22} Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink
wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: {5:23}
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the
righteousness of the righteous from him! {5:24} Therefore
as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth
the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their
blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away
the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the
Holy One of Israel. {5:25} Therefore is the anger of the
LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched
forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the
hills did tremble, and their carcases [were] torn in the midst
of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but
his hand [is] stretched out still.
Sound familiar?
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Once we begin changing the meaning of something it alters so much.
Once upon a time swearing was a bad thing.
Now it's so common place you can scarcely turn on a tv show or watch a movie without swearing in it.
Already upon reading that how many of you thought- swearing? So. What's the big deal about swearing? They're just words they hurt nothing.
Why do most people teach their children not to swear?
Why do teachers frown upon children who swear?
Employers wouldn't like their employees swearing to their customers, would they?
And yet we've taken the standard of swearing and broken down so many barriers with it that children to do swear, people expect their children to swear- why not they grew up learning it from their parents. People are willing to bend their sensibilities in many ways, changing wrong to make it right.
Swearing is just a small example.
What about pregnancy before marriage? Acceptable. Has is always been so?
Sexual freedom- mulitple partners, sex in any way, shape, or form. Accepted. Has it always been so?
Lying. Accepted. Expected.
People might say that these things are *normal* and have been around since man, and I wouldn't disagree fully.
What hasn't been around since man is the acceptance of them to completely.
What hasn't been around is the mindset that not accepting these things is wrong.
Even now people are called strange, old-fashioned, unenlightened, odd, when they don't readily accept the way things are. Voicing the opinion against those who are supposedly trying to bring freedoms to people is called suppression. Change is herald loudly and those who don't go with the changes become those in the wrong.
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Woe unto them.
God has been very clear in His Righteous path for mankind, very clear.
No wonder fewer and fewer people are believing in God, or changing God and His ways until they suit them.
No wonder God can scarcely find a true people on earth.
May God help us. May the blinders be stripped from our eyes so we may see His truth, His ways in their purity and follow them, follow Him, believe in Him and His ways.
May the Holy Spirit guide our understanding so that we don't call evil good, or good evil, that we don't claim darkness for light or light for darkness, so that we may know without doubt that bitter isn't sweet, and sweet isn't bitter.
We need the Lord. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need the blinders off our eyes so that only the truth in Christ remains.
By the mercy and grace of our Savior Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever.
Amen.
2/25/10
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause
Do you ever feel like the whole world hates you? Or do you blame your life and the way it is and the things that happen, on God? Satan is thrilled when we do that. He loves to hear us even think the words, 'Why, God, why!' He revels in our anger towards God. He adores our emnity with God because He is the author of that emnity and it is his life's mission to get as many human beings on board with that emnity as He can. And you know, He doesn't care if the emnity we feel is so minute that we don't even recognize it for what it is. There are many who are comfortable in their lives without any thought of God and when we have no thought for God, we are blind and comfortable in that blindness. Back to the the world hating us. Satan hates us, there is no love in Him whatsoever. Satan is the prince of THIS world and He would have the world hate any that are with God. He will not leave any trick unturned to get us to hate God and that includes using the world's hate to turn us against God by misplacing the blame. We are chosen OUT of the world. We are NOT of this world and yet we think we need to fit into the world and when we don't, when our lives don't fit in place in the world we get dismayed. We don't want to be one of those *crazies*, and sometimes we do want that but on our own terms. We'll be considered a *crazie* for God as long as He keeps our lives uncomplicated. It doesn't work that way. The world will hate those that love God, Satan will hate those who love God. The world hated Jesus without cause. Will we deserve any less? There won't be a reason for the bad things that happen to us in life. There won't be something we can look at and go, 'Oh...that's why.' Without any cause we too will be hated and while our sin filled lives are cause enough, we have to trust God, trust God fully and not look at ourselves for answers. We have to expect a life of being hated and living a life that is unfair in so many ways. We can't get caught up in believing our life is right with God only if things are going good with us. Our lives are right with God when we have faith in Him no matter what life brings us. The next time life turns on you and throws you for a huge loop try placing the blame where it belongs- on Satan, the prince of this world we live in. Cling to Christ's love and Christ's righteousness when it seems as if we are no where near the life God would have us be.
By the grace and mercy of God may we live our lives in Him fully. Protect us Lord, protect us and keep us no matter what befalls us or in what way, Keep us from the enemy within us that would bring us to despair. Create in us a clean heart Lord, renew a right spirit within. Please Lord.
Amen.
2/25/11