My Unusual Journal
My Unusual Journal 18 - Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 9:37 PM
What Will It Be – Heaven or Hell?
The following thoughts have been evoked by the terrible state the world is in economically, climatologically, militarily and in just about every area one can think of.
I often hear sincere believers urging their brothers and sisters to pray that God will save the United States. I wish it were possible, but I (who am not an authority on such matters) am nevertheless convinced the time for the saving of our country has passed us by; now the best we can do is save individuals out of a country that has “gone to pot” – literally. As a nation this land started out with high hopes, basing its laws on the Person and laws of God, but we have for some years now – two or three generations of increasing Godlessness – turned our back on what God wants and now we do not want what He wants nor do we want Him in our lives.
We still “talk the talk” often, but we certainly are not walking the walk: we are not obeying His written word and we strut and posture like peacocks, not realizing that our formerly beautiful plumage is now drab and lifeless. In fact the few feathers we have left are dropping away, exposing our shameful nakedness. No longer are we the glorious America of days gone by. We have in truth become a spiritual Ichabod (No glory) – we have lost the glory of God in our impassioned pursuit of all for which our lusts craved, whether power or wealth or fame or drugs or sexual debauchery. Yes, indeed – we talk the good talk while our feet are walking straight to perdition and the ignominious end of our once proud homeland.
It is a sad picture, but we still have hope as individuals – IF we turn wholeheartedly to the God of our fathers and live by His commandments and daily walk in the steps of Jesus. This is no small commitment we must make; God is not looking for a lukewarm saint; He is not interested in us if all we care about is what we want, what we need and the praise of men. We are in a perilous position and we can ill afford to come to God in a bargaining manner – “God, if you give me so and so, I’ll serve you and worship you.” That will not cut it, my friends.
If you do in truth want to get under the umbrella of God’s special grace (all of us live and move because of the general grace of God), you have to make a big, positive commitment to God. You will have to forego your selfish pleasures and focus on what pleases God. Nothing in this life, whether material possessions or family or friends, can come between you and your God. He is a jealous God and has every right to be: He created you and all that is around you; He causes His sun to shine on the unjust as well as the just. He provides us all with food and all that we need to sustain life. And I must warn you: God is not in a bargaining mood after all these centuries of being ignored by the creatures He made and on whom He lavished so much tender care.
The clock is indeed winding down; there are precious few grains of sand left in the hourglass; and if you really want good advice from those who know God, He doesn’t need any of us and His glory would be diminished not the least if the whole world went to hell. But despite our contrary, unlovely natures God still loves us. Notwithstanding that He will not at this point haggle with us over what we should give in exchange for His loving care – we have to give our all or nothing at all.
God is waiting still with His arms outstretched in love; but He will not wait forever. The clock is fast winding down and the divine edict is clear: There is no such thing as purgatory. Be saved or be damned!
Comments