November 19
Ezek 39:1-40:27 | PS 118:1-18 | Prov 28:2 | James 3:1-18
I had another, all too frequent sad conversation with a long term patient of mine. She sees the world changing around her. She notices that things have perhaps gone too far, and that there appears to be no earthly solution. She is a devoted wife and mother to her family. But when I mentioned God and the reading of Scripture, she smiled and politely stated that we have been through this before and that she has no intention of reading it. I began to talk about God, and she told me emphatically that she is a good person, that she leads a very good and ethical life, as she put it, according to the ethics of this world. She then began to excitedly discuss where she would like to move to escape the coming judgment, which she herself feels is coming to our nation, and perhaps to most of the world. We shouldn't look too critically at this, as this kind of talk is now commonplace. Many seeking the open lands of places such as Montana, as a safe haven. What is so sadly missed, is that God is truly the only answer, and if and when He decides judgment is coming, there will not be any place on earth where anyone will hide, from the deepest bunker to the remotest island. For God does not see as the world sees.
Sadly, many feel there is the option of neutrality when it comes to our relationship with God. But such is not the case. We are either for Him or against Him, and as such, we are either His friend or His enemy. When we read the rather graphic depiction of His enemies strewn across the landscape in judgment, in Ezekiel 39, after the battle of Gog and Magog, this should be sobering. But notice in 39:6, “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord." I'm sure there were those in Magog, who disagreed with the leaders, saw the coming destruction, and mistakenly felt they could find a nice hidden place on the coastland, but such was not the case. On the flip side, when you are in the Lord, He is your shelter, your stronghold, and you are safe, as we read in Psalm 118:5-9, "I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes."
The choice truly is ours. World events will continue to unfold, and God's story will continue to move forward. Sides are being drawn. Which side are you on? There are only two choices. Political affiliation, national identity, occupation, etc. mean nothing. The question is: are you squarely in God's camp, or have you chosen to be in the world's camp. Even if you are dissatisfied or angry with the world, as it currently stands, if you are seeking a different worldly solution, then you have still rejected God. Please meditate on the choice that you have made, this day.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: