Pastor’s Desk March 25th

Scripture Passage:  “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eye, and prudent in their own sight.”  Isaiah 5: 20-21
 
Dear Friends,
 
     Can you believe there is a verse like this in the Bible?  Surely this was written by a Pastor in the last decade over the moral decay in the present day church.  Could it be a parent dealing with a teen over their sexual identity crisis?  Maybe it is a woman struggling with her spouse over infidelity issues in their marriage.  He sees nothing wrong with what he is doing and seems to revel in the sordid choices he has made.  Perhaps it is the musings of a past generation that lived in a different time when right was right, and wrong was wrong, and people knew the difference.  No, it was written by a prophet of God nearly three thousand years ago.
     When God gave the Ten Commandments he kept the concepts simple.  Four of the commandments dealt with man’s relationship with God.  The other six dealt with man’s relationships with each other.  They are simple and easy to understand and written in black in white “in stone.”  The do’s are abundant and the Thou shalt not’s limited, but man has decided to become God’s themselves and remove all restraints and boundaries.  The result is a Woe from God because of the physical, spiritual, and emotional depravity brought on by a godless generation.  Evil is now called good, and good evil.
 
     When I was a child there were things that were never discussed in public.  “Making out” was something married people did in the privacy of their bedroom after curious minds had gone to sleep. I never knew my momma was pregnant until she disappeared and two days later came home with my brother Bobby.  Other things that people did like drinking and drugs were a shame and were associated with darkness and evil.   Preachers, teachers, and parents all spoke of enlightenment, but their definition dealt with the light of Jesus shining through the dark exposing sin.  He was the light that shined in darkness and the darkness would never be able to comprehend it.  He left us with the command to let our light shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.
 
     I have never personally lived in a time filled with more bitterness and hate than we have today.  The innocence of childhood, the sweetness of family, the pride in the flag and patriotism of being an American has been replaced with a bitterness toward all that is good.  Can we not speak civilly and address each other with kindness rather than seething with bitterness. The bitterness has spilled over from society into the family and the church causing decay to the very core.  The remedy is not tolerance and sexual enlightenment, but repentance and coming back to God and His standards.
 
     The final indictment comes from God in the form of another woe. “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes.”  Paul says, “That because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”  Romans 1:21-22    “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  Proverbs 14:12   Enough said!
 
In Christ, Pastor Johnny

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