If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Psalms 11:3

 

It was June of 1963. World War II had ended 18 years earlier, led by what many have called the Greatest Generation. This was the generation that was raised during the dust bowl years of the great depression. When war came, men and women of all ages answered the call to serve their country. First, it was to fight the evil axis led by the Nazis and Adolph Hitler, but then they were called upon to fight against the nation who masterminded the sneak attack on Pear Harbor. Some of the greatest heroes of this era were those who stayed home to produce the weapons and equipment needed for this monumental war effort. It was a great generation, indeed.

 

After the war they began to rebuild, supplying the world with vital products needed to put back together everything that had been broken through the ravages of war. America was the industrial capital of the world and she put her efforts into the production and manufacturing of the items that were so desperately needed in a world that was now healing instead of destroying. Many settled down and started families, creating the famous "baby boom". A housing boom followed the babies as the nation rushed to fill a demand that had not been seen in over two decades. It was an exciting time, to be sure.

 

Adding to all of this activity was the fighting of two additional wars. The Korean War began around 1950, and no sooner had it ended that the crisis in Vietnam began. One of my earliest memories is of my Mom meeting my dad at the doorway when he was coming home from work. She had been listening to all the news stories and was concerned that he might be called back. I can remember him reassuring her that the military probably wouldn't need men with young families, Fortunately he was right, but it was just one more thing to worry about in a series of continual distractions in the world in which we lived.

 

Maybe this explains why the greatest generation almost completely missed one of the most horrific crimes ever perpetrated against the American people. The crime was not done on some far away island, nor was it being committed by some madman bent on taking over the world through military conquest. Instead it was done in the heart of our Capital, Washington D.C. It was a godless act done by a group of men serving on the Supreme Court. They doubtlessly considered themselves righteous men, but they were far from it, for in June of 1963 they ruled that prayer and the Bible has no place in the schools of America. 

 

They said it was unconstitutional. This despite the fact that one of the earliest acts of congress after the new nation was born and her Constitution signed, was to authorize and pay for Bibles that were to be used in the teaching of our children in the schools throughout this brand new country. And the response to this act of evil perpetrated in June of 1963 against an entire nation (a nation, it should be noted, that had prayed continually for God's assistance and intervention throughout the great crises of the day)? The response was nothing more than a weak whimper. 

 

And, as Judge Robert Bork once pointed out, our once great nation began its slog towards Gomorrah. 

 

Fast forward to today. We have skyrocketing homeless and alcohol and drug use and crime. Instead of our children attending schools where God was once honored and welcomed, we have a perverted type of educational prison facility where metal detectors, armed guards, and all too frequent shootings and lockdowns have replaced the Bible and prayer that were once a hallmark of this great nation's schools.

 

I don't want to be too hard on the "Greatest Generation" for I believe that they were one of the most self-sacrificing generations in the history of our country. But they did fail us in this... and it had to have been the greatest failure of this otherwise remarkable group of the men and women to whom we owe such a great debt. I do want to point out that they allowed this travesty to occur, not because of some sort of evil plan to bring down the country they so valiantly served, but simply because they became too distracted to realize what was happening.

 

Now the question that remains our generation is this. Will we recognize the enemy within our midst and fight, or will we simply continue our pleasure seeking decent into the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah in which we find ourselves today? Where, I wonder, will the next "great generation" come from? And when will they begin doing something about the correcting the evil circumstances in which we find ourselves living in today?

 

It's something to think about. And, it is something to be praying about as well!

 

 

 

 

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief...

II Peter 3:10, NASB

 

Throughout Scripture, we read of the warnings to get prepared. Jesus and the apostles pointed out that the Day of Judgment would come when it was least expected. Just as in the days of Noah, when people were marrying and giving up in marriage (In other words, living life as normal) and the flood came taking everyone unawares, so too will be the Second Coming of Jesus. Jesus pointed out  during His ministry that the thief comes when least expected, and it will surely be the same with His coming. He did not say this because He hated us. Unlike the thief who comes only to kill and to steal and to destroy, Jesus' coming will bring only good things to those who love and obey Him. We know this because He sacrificed His very life that we might have a chance at eternal life. But Jesus was trying to help us to see the urgency.

 

So, too, was the Apostle Peter in his letter to the churches. He pointed out that the Lord's coming would seem slow to many, but that it was because of God's love that He was patiently waiting for everyone who desired to repent to have the time to do so. Still, His patience will someday end and so too will this world in which we live. So Peter uses the same concept that His Lord used when he reminded us that the end would come unexpectedly - much like a thief coming at an unexpected hour.

 

The question, then, is do we understand the seriousness of our present situation? Do we have things in our lives that we know are displeasing to God, that we fully intend to get rid of some day, but we just haven't got around to yet? Do you have sin that you are still holding onto? Have we had that sin washed away yet? Are we walking in the light as He is in the light, or are we pretty much living in a worldly fashion just like everybody else?

 

In short, do we feel the urgency of our situation? If so, yet we still find ourselves in need of changes, then change! Don't wait until it's too late to change, and don't allow those you love to wait either. I realize that you and I cannot force change upon anyone, but we can encourage those we love in the right direction. You mamas and daddies can encourage your kids to do the right things, just as true friends can encourage one another to get their lives right before God. 

 

Change rarely comes all at once, so do not be discouraged if your loved ones are not responding as fast as you would hope - just do the best you can every day. We have to start today, though, for how can we say that we see the urgency if we don't get started, right now? God will help you, but you must see the urgency. Just as God has been patient with you, you must be patient with others, but...

 

the time to begin getting serious for God is right now. It is not too late, but you must see the urgency for our time will be up some day. By the grace of God, we still have a chance, so by all means take that chance. If your life is not right with God, then get it right. And if your loved one's life is not right before God, help them to make the necessary changes. Pray to God for wisdom. Read His word to find out what He expects of you. Then, do it!

 

For the day of the Lord really will come like a thief on a day we are least expecting. If you are ready for that day, you can look forward to it with great anticipation. But we must get started now, and we can only do that if we see the urgency to do so. You don't have to do this in a panic, for God wants you to have peace, but you do have to do it. So, what are you waiting for?

 

 

By the way, if you have been helped by this article and think others might as well, be sure to like and share it. I appreciate, so much, your kindness in taking the time to read and share these daily thoughts!

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

And when He saw their faith, He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Luke 5:18-20, ESV

 

I have always loved hearing the account of this event, for it is one of the most beautiful stories of true friendship contained within Scripture. Try to picture what actually took place here. Jesus was now well into His ministry and it became known that He had the power to heal all sicknesses and infirmities. For those who had given up on getting help for themselves or their loved ones, hope had now appeared in the form of the Messiah!

 

So these good men carried their friend to see what could be done for him. Imagine for a moment their disappointment when they realized that they could not carry their friend to see the Lord. But they were not to be deterred! Not these friends, for they hoisted the man up onto the roof and then dug down through the roof and ceiling in order to lower their friend into the room where Jesus was. Assuming it was not their house, they were fortunate not to get arrested! Destruction of private property has been frowned upon in just about every era.

 

But the men's efforts were rewarded far beyond what they could have hoped, for before Jesus healed the man, He actually forgave him of his sins! Just think, before finally being released from the confinement of his paralysis, Jesus first released the man from his confinement of sin! And this never could have happened had not this man's friends not been willing to bring him to Jesus! 

 

Do you have people who love you in this way? I suppose you do, for somebody first introduced you to Christ. Now, what lengths are you willing to go to in order to bring those you love to Christ? It's something worth your consideration, wouldn't you agree?

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers,

but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither,

in all that he does, he prospers.

Psalms 1:1-3, ESV

 

In West Texas, my home, it seems that we are often consumed by the thoughts of rain. It is the largest cattle producing region in the United states, and we rely on the rain to keep the grass growing so that the cattle can keep on eating. In addition to the needed hay and native grass crops, we grow wheat, cotton and even corn. It is a bountiful area with timely moisture, but a hot and dusty land when the rains don't come.

 

In chapter 11 of Deuteronomy, Moses describes the Promised land into which Israel is about to enter. He points out that it is not like Egypt where they had to rely on irrigation for their crops, but was instead a land that God cared for, and that He personally showered with abundant rains so that the land could produce its rich crops.

 

I have often wondered what that would be like, since it is so foreign to the conditions of the area that I live in, but I guess I don't mind all of the heat and dryness and wind. As a good friend of mine likes to joke, "It keeps the undesirables from moving here and messing everything up." And when we see how wicked the children of Israel eventually became, we realize that righteous living requires much more than well-watered fields. In fact, it might be the need to be continually praying to God for the rains we need that keep us a little more focused on the source of our blessings in the first place.

 

I think we all realize that there are very few truly drought resistant regions left in this world, so we will just have to make the best of it in the places that we actually do live. But the wonderful thing about our relationship to God is that we can, in fact, live in a drought resistant spiritual place if we so desire. Isn't that what the Psalmist in the above passage was trying to tell us? We don't have to be "dying of thirst" spiritually because we have the Word of God to satisfy our thirst if we will let it.

 

We live in a time wherein people actually think that they can change the climate by their behavior. So they put their trust in something they call science, but which has very little relationship to true science, and they start trying all sorts of ridiculous schemes to bring the climate to temperatures more suitable to them. And while part of their efforts are noble (after all, what kind of a psychopath wants to live in a polluted world?) most of their solutions involve enriching the already rich and giving more power to those who already have too much power.

 

In a like manner (but in a far more consequential and dangerous way), many people have turned their lives over to wicked men. They genuinely believe that they can walk in the way of the wicked  and somehow get relief for their drought stricken souls. And so they seek their counsel for a happy life from evil men and women whose advise will only cause more damage, instead of the thirst quenching help they so desperately need.

 

So what is the solution? It is given in the passage above! Instead of turning to men for answers to the problems that they themselves have made, we turn to the Word of God. In the Bible we will find all we need to become likes trees planted by streams of water. How can it be so simple? It's because God is the only source of true refreshment for a dry and weary soul. Jesus pointed out that He was the source of living water, and if we would drink from that source we would never thirst again, (John 4:5-13). I believe Him, don't you? I have found that as long as I seek this Living Water that I never thirst, haven't you? In fact, I have found that God and Christ are the only way to drought proof the soul. Have you? 

 

This is what reading the Word of God will do for us, if we will only do it!