A
daily,
Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Wednesday,
September
29,
2021
We never weary of seeing our Amish neighbors and their various means of conveyance and resourcefulness. This family had rigged their Vermont Garden Cart to use as a trailer behind their spring wagon to haul neck pumpkins! Click on photo to enlarge "A
Powerful Delusion" (Part 1)
Note: This
is
the first of a projected 2 part message on delusion.
I wonder if
we are seeing the beginning stages of the great delusion
Paul wrote
about in 2 Thessalonians 2 which we will consider in the
2nd part.
Message summary: Today we consider and seek to make sense of the great deception and powerful delusion that is sweeping our world. We must be vigilant in protecting our hearts from deception! In seeking to understand the times in which we live, the mess our country (and world) is in, and the blunt reality that things will only worsen without a transforming revival let us commit to faithfulness. Listen to this message on your audio player. "Men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chronicles 12:32). “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). Yesterday I saw a video of shoplifters brazenly and apparently without shame stealing from a store in Chicago. This seems to be indicative of an increase in lawlessness as more and more moral restraints are cast aside. Good is called evil and evil is called good. Spiritual unbelief and rebellion always bring about consequences. Sometimes immediate, but other times the consequences lag for a season. We might even think that the fall-out from our actions will be inconsequential. Following his adulterous sin with Bathsheba and then having her husband murdered, David thought he had beat the rap but alas, “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). God’s Word plainly states, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction” (Galatians 6:8). All believers should, like the men of Issachar, seek to understand the times so they can know what to do in remaining steadfast in our faith and commitment to the Lord. Today’s second verse is from a powerful section in Romans 1 dealing with a panoramic view of man’s state of disbelief, disobedience and rebellion against God. Disbelief, disobedience and rebellion against God lead to one’s failure to glorify and thank God. This in turn results in the dire consequences described in the remainder of the daily verse (as well as the verses that follow). Although this portion portrays the human race as a whole it also describes the individual. Romans 1:21-32 describes the awful descent of the human race into depravity. They went from a loss of knowledge of the true God, even further downward into idolatry (and polytheism) and then into the gross immorality (as God gives them over) and finally to internal conflict in which, as a result of a depraved mind, they become filled with all unrighteousness. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him.” This speaks of the knowledge of God available through general revelation, that men are conscious of God’s existence, power, and divine nature through His Creation (Romans 1:18-20). But knowing this they did not glorify or thank God. “Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Man’s search for meaning and purpose apart from God only produces vain, meaningless conclusions. The result of rejecting the truth about God is an empty mind and a darkened heart. What a tragedy! Man the worshiper became man the philosopher, yet his vain wisdom only revealed his foolishness. Paul summarized all of Greek history in one dramatic statement: “the times of ignorance” (Acts 17:30). This is a portion that is very helpful to me in seeking to understand current events. The world apart from God's truth is under a delusion. Increasingly the world is mocking people of faith and labeling them as ignorant and uninformed. Sadly some in the professing church want to be loved and esteemed by the world more than staying true to God, and they sacrifice their beliefs to accommodate the world’s way of thinking. I am appalled at the increase in liberal and "woke" outlook that is infecting so many of our historic Christian colleges and eventually dilutes the pure message from God’s Holy Word in our pulpits. Today we who follow Christ need to examine this passage and determine that our knowledge of God will result in belief, obedience and submission. This in turn will fill our hearts with a desire to glorify and thank God. In turn our thinking will be clear and our hearts will be enlightened as we walk in His ways. Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13) Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
Romans 1:21 indicates that those who knew You
neither glorified nor
gave thanks to You which led to their futile and
foolish thinking. It
eventually caused the light of Your Word to be
veiled and ineffective
in their lives as darkness crept in and covered
the radiant light of
Your truth. They sought honor for themselves and
lived for self-glory.
Anything good in us is but a reflection of the
Spirit of Christ who
resides within, so we will glory only in the cross
of our Lord Jesus
Christ though mocked and ridiculed by the world.
We are unashamedly
children of God whose depth of wisdom comes not
from the understanding
of the world but the understanding of Your Word.
May its truth always
be our source of light in the darkened age in
which we live. In the
name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Calf
sitting?
This
photo was
taken on Trout Run Road near our house.
Click on photo to enlarge Yesterday
afternoon
we witnessed the next stage in farming the
field across from
our home, seeding rye. This is considered a
cover crop and both
replenishes and protects the soil through the
winter as well as giving
us a pretty green view. The rye will be
harvested next spring and then
they will plant corn (most likely). The scene
is a verification of the
promise in Genesis 8:22. Can't
capture this in a photo but
this morning we got a whiff of a very pleasant
aroma not expected out
here in the country; chocolate from a Cargill cocoa and chocolate
processing plant in
Mount Joy!
Note:
Brooksyne continues to recover from her
surgery on Monday afternoon and is even
making a peach pie today!
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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