2021-04-30
Good Morning Dear Ones,
In its crudest, most elementary form, human evil is shocking in the damage it can and has done. This negative statement unfortunately is true; one only needs to look at the many forms of evil done to the Jews in the Holocaust to see it. The woe that will come to those without remorse and regret who did this evil is unthinkable. We can see what happened with people like Adolf Hitler, Herman Goerbels, Dr. Mengele, and Adolf Eichmann, for example. One only remembers them for the evil they did. In the same group of vehemently evil people are those who mistreated black families, sentencing them to a life of being separated, sold, abused and made into slaves. Their hate of certain groups of people set them apart by their ignorance and wickedness.
We are the sum- total of our experiences, defined by influences from both within and without. If God created us to do evil, all the world would be so. However, He created a much larger portion of the world’s population, which is receptive to the influences leading them to goodness and kindness. Even if we disagree about the details of another’s theology, we can assume that the average person who differs from us is still decent, hard-working, and caring [1 PET 5: 2-3; PR 3: 34; 1 PET 5: 5b]. This allows us to respect others and to befriend an ethnically diverse group of people. Our own Lord, Jesus Christ, teaches us to behave ethically and set a good example. He rewards those who do this. He wants us to be humble, helpful, kind, and to demonstrate all the gifts of the Holy Spirit [GA 5: 22-23].
Consider our society’s suggestion, “Follow your heart.” In JER 17: 9-10, this beleaguered prophet, Jeremiah, was given the command by God to preach the truth to a group of people, who didn’t want to hear anything he said. “’Who can understand the human heart? There is nothing else so deceitful; it is too sick to be healed,’ Jeremiah complained. The Lord replied, ‘I, the Lord, search the minds and test the hearts of people I treat each of them according to the way they live, according to what they do.’” And so, we must understand that from the Lord’s point of view, all should be held to a common standard of behavior, and we may assume, judgment on His part. The final fate of any person is an area only the Lord Himself has the right to judge. I see this as lifting a very heavy burden off the shoulders of God’s human creation. Our Creator is sensitive to the meanings of names. For example: Jacob means “Deceiver;” so after the Man at Peniel wrestled with him, He changed this younger of twins’ name to “Israel,” meaning “He struggles with God.”
When we look at people led by the desires of their flesh, their serial sin leads to spiritual death. Those who reject that life in favor of being God-led avoid spiritual death and eventually gain eternal life. Each person must decide which force will influence his decisions, thoughts, and attitudes. He must decide which actions he will take—those of the flesh or those of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord teaches us what is found in 1 JN 4: 4, “But you belong to God, My children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit Who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.” An example which illuminates this concept is found in MT 6: 24, “You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” There is a family member who buys only the finest, most expensive items for himself and his family. He never misses a chance to brag about his expenditures. He speaks of everything in terms of how much it costs or what is in it for him. On the other hand, there are others in our family who realize that no matter how expensive something in their custody might be, it won’t make the journey to heaven with them. At our age, we are made to consider the finiteness of our earthly lives and the legacy we will leave behind. These considerations have forced us to think about the real worth of earthly matters. These are the truth vs. lies, the ethics of situations where we must make decisions, and taking actions are what really matter. And how do we know this? We know it because the Holy Spirit has taught us in union with Christ!
PRAYER: O Lord, You love us so much that You want us to be participants in Christ’s victory procession. You use us to convey the Gospel, accurately teaching the Scriptures by the example we set. You cause us to consider our legacies that we will leave behind after our glorification (coming into Your presence in heaven when You decide we are ready) [2 COR 2: 14]. It is by Your power that we have all we need to lead a Spirit-led life. It is through the gifts You give us that we can escape the destructive lust the evil one loves and can share in Your divine nature in heaven [2 PET 1: 3-4]. We can feel Your divine and constant presence, helping us to do what we must to gain eternal life. That is a life of bliss and fellowship with You in heaven that lasts forever. We are grateful and offer You thanks and praise for sending the Holy Spirit to us, to advise us in times of decision and strengthen us to eschew temptations of the flesh. You are a loving and wise God, Who judges all who believe in Your Son equally. These words are uttered, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue writing about sin, law, and grace next week. Grace is undeserved merit, and true believers are given the knowledge of the many blessings our loving God gives us. Let me share some of my most precious blessings as examples. After a very unhappy childhood and a soul-destroying, 15-year first marriage, I was given enough self-confidence to make a new and better life for myself. Self-confidence had never been my strength beforehand. I met my husband, Peter, who was living next door to where my son and I moved when my first marriage was over. Despite my lack of interest in dating, Peter was both a gentleman and persistent. We developed a friendship based on mutual respect first. When I introduced him to my dysfunctional family, he was not put off. A year later, we decided to get married. That, Dear Ones, was 44 years ago, and our friendship grows better and better every day. We’ve been through some hard times with illnesses, disappointments, the loss of loved ones, and things that challenge us. We have stuck together and allowed God to bless us with shared faith in Him, ethics that agree, some shared interests, and willingness to care for each other when the need arises. While we aren’t enriched by wealth or the earthly trappings of materialism, we still see ourselves as blessed by our Lord, Who loves us. When we are at rest, we love to watch game shows, like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Masterminds, and the Chase. Once the Covid restrictions are over, we hope to travel around our country, admire its amazing scenery, and enjoy eating our favorite foods. All the while, we remember that every good thing on earth comes from our Lord. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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