Tuesday, April 12, 2016
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So Moses went down to the people. He consecrated them for worship, and they
washed their clothes. He told them, “Get ready for the
third day, and until then abstain from having sexual intercourse.” On the morning of the third day, thunder
roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s
horn, and all the people trembled. Exodus 19:14-16 (NLT)
When Moses
talked with God on the mountain, and then explained God’s ways to the people,
they were quick to accept God’s covenant and follow as his people. Through Moses God gave them instructions on
how to prepare for the holy time of covenant-making. Included in this was three days of sexual abstinence. Even with appropriate spiritual preparation,
when the third day arrived, meeting with God was a moment not many of them would
forget: thunder, lightning and the
mother of all trumpet blasts!
Just about
every conversation is open for discussion these days; especially conversations
having to do with sexual relationships, preferences and personal choice. They’re all open…until you bring God’s Word
into the mix. The minute you begin to
turn in the direction of the healthy limitations God placed on the human family
(particularly in the area of sex), you’re either dismissed or verbally attacked
as if you have no right to speak.
Isn’t it odd
how “tolerance”
only tends to go in one direction?
Now, I know
we live in an extremely pluralistic culture, and that means getting along (or
tolerating) other peoples’ choices without judgment. It’s not socially acceptable to disapprove of
another’s behavior, much less tell them God doesn’t approve.
This
generation’s Social or political correctness standards aside, for those who
profess faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord and coming King, humanity’s tolerance
or preferences has nothing to do with the validity or eternal verity of God’s
Word. It’s true no matter what the
culture accepts or rejects.
The fact that
someone can choose to reject God’s Word and even shake an angry fist at God, defying
God’s will (and not be immediately incinerated) is not proof that the atheists
and the ungodly are right; it just proves what God said about God’s patience,
allowing humankind to exercise free will.
God’s forbearance and fatherly open arms extend even to those who refuse
to believe in him…or worse, those who believe, but refuse to obey. The only thing it really does show off is our
silliness and shallow understanding of the gracious and loving ways of our
sovereign Lord.
His patience
does, however, have a limit.
In Scripture
we see that time after time Israel was blessed and rescued by God’s hand from
their persecutors and predicaments. And
time after time, following their vows to walk with their God, Israel went right
back to their foolish disobedience.
America certainly
has nothing to brag about in this area; we have pushed God out of the
conversation in favor of political polls, and we have caved-in to the outcry of
“injustice” by groups demanding their rights.
All the while we turn a deaf conscience to the outcry of God’s Word which
demands sexual purity. Instead we have
opted for sexual license against the will of Almighty God.
And it is not
just the LGBTQ community; heterosexual behavior is also appalling. Sex outside of marriage (both fornication and
adultery) is rampantly acceptable in our culture. Divorce is so commonly accepted there is
virtually no difference between the secular culture and church-going group.
So, what is
to become of us?
Well, I’m not
willing to claim to be a prophet to tell you the future; I can only proclaim
what the Word says…that the ways Israel walked were given as an example for us
to learn and so order our walk.
On the morning
of the third day God came in thunder and lightning to the nation of Israel, who
had promised to walk with God. And on
another morning of the third day, Christ came out of the tomb having judged sin
and death. And there will come another
third day – as they used to call it – that great-getting-up morning.
Trust me; you’ve never heard thunder
like it will be on that morning!
For You Today
You chew on that as you hit
the Rocky Road today…and have a blessed day!
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