Daily Encouragement

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Another beautiful sunset peeking through the foliage last night right from our front porch.

We never weary of sunsets and often gather as a family to watch the "countdown".

Click on photo to enlarge

The same view early this morning.

"Morning by morning, great is Your faithfulness"

Click on photo to enlarge and see the old order traffic

"Moral Troglomorphism"

Message summary: Moral troglomorphism is the inevitable regressive adaptation to living in the constant darkness of a sin-filled world characterized by features such as loss of sensitivity to sin and progressive spiritual blindness.

Listen to this message on your audio player.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

The Nippenose Valley is a small bowl shaped valley in north-central, PA. Several years ago we drove through it on the way back from a bike ride. It was in this valley that biologists discovered a new species of fish in a cave, a type of troglomorphic sculpin. Well, I can't speak for our readers but troglomorphic sculpin is not a name I normally use so I had to look it up. Sculpin is a type of fish, but it’s actually the word, troglomorphic, that prompts today’s spiritual lesson.

“Troglomorphism is the morphological adaptation of an organism to living in the constant darkness of caves, characterized by features such as loss of pigment, reduced eyesight or blindness, and frequently with attenuated bodies and/or appendages.”

Two lines in this description jumped out at me; “living in the constant darkness” and “reduced eyesight or blindness”.

That got me thinking Biblically how there must be a parallel in the spiritual realm and then I came up with one! Moral troglomorphism is the inevitable regressive adaptation to living in the constant darkness of a sin-filled world characterized by features such as loss of sensitivity to sin and progressive spiritual blindness.

Today let's consider an easily observable truth regarding moral troglomorphism; the grave consequence of adapting to darkness to the point that one becomes increasing morally blind.

Spiritual blindness is a natural condition of the human race before redemption as a result of the fall but it seems in our age that moral blindness is rapidly increasing. In fact it seems to us the state religion increasingly seeks to diminish the light of Biblical truth and force people into this blindness. Concurrent with this we see more and more policies incentivizing sin and irresponsibility as well as policies punishing decency and responsibility. *

Today's text describes this condition of moral troglomorphism. Paul writes to the Ephesian believers and all of us through the inspired Scriptures.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking."

Telling and insisting, that's compelling preaching! The Gentiles here is an expression for the unredeemed who live in "the futility of their thinking". What an appropriate expression to describe the unredeemed! Consider that today as we observe the utter foolishness of this world's philosophies.

“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts". Consider this awful description.

Darkened in understanding
Separated from the life of God
Ignorant
Hardened hearts

"Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality.”

This verse speaks to the heart of moral troglomorphism. The human race becomes insensitive to the God-ordained moral restraints and progresses into greater and greater degrees of sensuality "so as to indulge in every kind of impurity". Romans 1 speaks to this as well, especially the phrase in verse 30, "They invent ways of doing evil".

As we see this increasing moral troglomorphism in our age the faithful must ever resolve to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).

Let my yes be yes to you, oh, Lord
Let my no be no to things of this world
If I rise or fall, If I stand at all
I am leaning on Your everlasting arms

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, in the darkness of night the light of Christ appeared drawing people near and far to follow Him, to receive salvation, then and now. Though Christ incarnate appeared as a light to the nations, the vast majority are still drawn to darkness, indifferent or intolerant of anything that pertains to Jesus and the salvation He provides. And, tragically, there are those who once walked in the light who have entered into the caverns of darkness and taken on the attitudes and actions consistent with those who walk in darkness. We don’t understand such thinking since we who once were blind can now see, we who once were bound are now set free, but we know they have allowed the enemy to deceive them. Thank You for the freedom to choose light over darkness, truth over deception. Lord, we choose You to live for You now and for all eternity! Amen.

* As I mused on the increase of policies incentivizing sin and irresponsibility a verse came to mind from Romans 13:3 that has been turned over on its head. "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended." Well in our upside down age in many situations this is not what we see. Do what is right and you will be penalized or worse! But, as believers, we choose to do what is biblically right so that we will receive commendation from the righteous Judge and be awarded a crown of righteousness.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Leaning" Video Matt Maher, Lizzie Morgan

Let my yes be yes to you, oh, Lord
Let my no be no to things of this world
If I rise or fall, If I stand at all
I am leaning on Your everlasting arms

"Morning by Morning" Video Pat Barrett

I will trust where You lead
I will trust when I can’t see
Morning by morning
Great is Your faithfulness to me

I will trust with all my heart
You are good, You always are
Morning by morning
Great is Your faithfulness to me

"Faithfulness" Video Matt Maher

In the breakers that storm my faith
God my rock and God my hope, You will prevail
You're the constant in a sea of change
What You've done and what You've said will never change
What You've done and what You've said will never change
Great is Your faithfulness
Great is Your faithfulness
Always and forever
Always and forever

Early this morning I (Brooksyne) took Ester to work and was surprised to see all the "animals" still in the same position that I saw them last week at this preserved farm site.

Click on photo to enlarge

A Bible word study examining verses that contained both “light” and “darkness”:

    * “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (2 Samuel 22:29).
    * “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light” (Job 12:22).
    * “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28)
    * “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).
    * “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). (This was quoted by Jesus when He began to preach Matthew 4:12-17).
    * “But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23)
    * “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
    * “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).
    * “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17,18).
    * “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).
    * “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
    * “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
    * ‘You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
    * “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
    * “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

Nippenose Valley: (a technical description from Wikipedia) The region includes anticlinal karst Nippenose Valley part of the northernmost fold sequence of the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province. Nippenose Valley is uniquely bowl-shaped and consists of a doubly plunging anticline. According to a research paper from the University of Akron, the center has been eroded, exposing carbonate rocks in the valley. There is an average total of about 470 meters of Lower to Middle Ordovician limestone and dolomite underlying the valley. The Reedsville Shale is stratigraphically above them, and overlain by the ridge forming Bald Eagle Sandstone. The valley has been intensely karstified, as evidenced by the numerous sinkholes, springs, caves, and disappearing streams. Within a number of caves in this valley a new species of fish, a type of troglomorphic sculpin, was identified in 2003 by Luis Espinasa, an associate professor of biology at Marist College.

See here for location on Google map

Finally today:

Brooksyne took a little extra time to prepare our breakfast today and after I saw the layout on the picnic table I realized why. The food choices were reminiscent of our breakfasts while growing up in the mid south: sausage gravy and homemade biscuits. She even prepared a small quiche though neither of our mothers made quiche in our childhood years!

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