Shade Tree Wisdom 6/29/30

The walking was humid this morning, no breeze was stirring at all, but I got my time in anyhow. It is still dry and fireworks are strictly forbidden lest a spark catches grass on fire.

“In vain we call old notions fudge,
And bend our conscience to our dealing.
The Ten Commandments will not budge,
And stealing will continue stealing.”

Remember memorizing that? James Russell Lowell wrote these words back in the 1890’s. So disregarding or treating lightly the Word of the Bible is nothing new to our day.
Our day seems to bear out what the Scripture says:
“The wicked freely strut about,
When what is vile is honored among men”. Psalm 122,8.
Our day sees the things of God slighted, ignored or ridiculed.

It brings to my mind what the apostle Paul said when he wrote his letter to the Romans. He began it by speaking of their faith and expressed his desire to visit them to bring the Gospel of which he was not ashamed to them personally.

Paul then speaks of the “wrath of God revealed from heaven against godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness since what may be known of God is clearly seen.” 1,18. Then he speaks of the results of being so disobedient, for the result is that “God gave them over”.(See vv,24,26,28.) It is not that God sends disaster, just that He allows sins to reap its own rewards. We forget when we speak of the wrath of God we are not speaking of human petulance, irritation or vengeful vindictiveness. That is not God’s wrath. God’s wrath refers to his holy anger against any sin. A Holy God cannot abide sin, hence his wrath.

God’s wrath has been obscured by people who speak only of the love of God. The wrath has been obscured by theological and moral blur. The Christian religion has become a journey into a fog and God is dismissed with a smile or a smirk.

Our Lord ended his sermon on the mount with the builders of houses, one on sand, one on a rock which stood in a storm, and said His words were like that. Hear them and obey, stand firm; hear and not do, and disaster strikes.

Lord, give us strength and wisdom to hear Your Truth.

GPD 6/29/11