Bird With a Death Wish

 

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Revelation 22:18-19

And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book:  If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

Our daughter, Jen, has a lovely home, and the yard is a peaceful oasis.  Except for one thing…a mockingbird that shows up sometimes, courting death.  It is a goofy bird with a death wish…meowing!  That’s right…bird – calling – (of all things) – a feline with an appetite for bird!  Every time we pull up in the driveway for a visit, I check the back porch for feathers.

Now, if that sounds strange (and, it certainly impressed me as such), there are stranger things.  I won’t bore you with the full tour of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, but the world is full of people and critters that do dumb things.  For today, (and eternity) the strangest thing I’ve ever encountered are those who insist on changing what God has said to suit what they want to hear with their itchy ears[1], rather than obey the Almighty Creator who has said, don’t mess with my Word.

At present we are dealing with a moderately lethal pandemic that has a death rate holding at about 4% of those who are confirmed to have the virus[2].  This is “mild” by comparison with the 1918 flu pandemic that had an infection to death ratio of approximately 20%.[3]  That being said, coronavirus is more than a blip on the screen, infecting roughly 1% of this country’s population.

Now, if one of the worst plagues (in modern times) killed 20% of those who contracted it, and the current plague is around 4%, what are we to make of a plague that holds stable at 100%?  And what, pray tell, could we possibly say about human mockingbirds meowing at a plague like that?

Of course I’m talking about the plague of plagues, the pandemic sin-demic.  It infects 100% of humanity, and the death rate is 1 out of every 1.  The source for this statistic comes from Scripture:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Now, that’s the bad news, and the good news.  The pandemic is real, and it kills us all, eternally.  But, for those willing to trust God at His Word, the cure, or recovery rate is just as comprehensive; everyone who entrusts his or her life and will to God, because of God’s great gift of forgiveness, will live forever.

But, for those who want to change God’s Word, make it say what it doesn’t, and silence it where it speaks plainly, the last sentences of Scripture hold an ominous threat – God will add to that person the plagues of all time. 

·       There were 10 plagues visited on Egypt for unbelief

·       There is coming a series of plagues, both diseases, natural disasters, and dictators who will enslave millions (read Revelation’s prophecy).

All of it will fall on the heads of those who not only ignore God’s Word, but try to make it say what it doesn’t.

·       For those whose God is wealth and power…the plague of getting what they want in the here and now, and Hell in the future

·       For those whose God is sexual perversion and promiscuity, a sexually-transmitted character virus that will rot the soul for eternity

·       For those whose God is their own image, an eternity alone, abandoned, and unbothered by any other voice, smile, or warmth of human contact; just a mirror to see how wonderfully amired they are…by no one!

This is the picture of my daughter’s suicidal mockingbird, looking into the face of death, and calling it closer!

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, our ways are strange and fickle, driven by a plague of coldness and hardness of the heart.  Let your Word rest on those frozen hearts, warming us with the fire of Heaven’s Hound.

For You Today

For every word of condemnation the Scriptures use to warn us, there is a corresponding, and loving offer of redemption…for those who will change their song from death wish, to life in the hands of Jesus.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO                                                                                                                  

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on this text:  Words That Destroy and The Power of a Curse and A Life of Sacrifice

---

[1] 2 Timothy 4:3

[2] According to 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic Latest updates (update as of 7/14/20)

[3] The Greatest Pandemic in History – Written by Richard Gunderman for The Conversation — Updated on August 7, 2019

So...Why Didn't the Apostle Paul Have a Bodyguard?

[1]

                                                                                  

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.  Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.  Three times I was shipwrecked.  Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.  I have traveled on many long journeys.  I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers.  I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles.  I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas.  And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.  I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights.  I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food.  I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 

2 Corinthians 11:23b-27^(NLT)

I’m not sure the Apostle Paul would have had a bodyguard standing over him at his book signing at Barnes & Noble.  Well, he did write a considerable chunk of the New Testament, which certainly has been a best-seller for quite some time.  But Paul’s royalties were never deposited in earthly banks.

When you read Paul’s account of what life was like on the missionary trail of the first century it is somewhat different than that of “American” Christianity.

In the 21^st century there is severe persecution happening in parts of the world most of us have never/will never visit; we read about it or see news clips of the violence.  But in the good ol’ U.S. of A. our brand of persecution centers around whether or not you can stand in the pulpit on Sunday morning, or if the music is too loud, and not what you are accustomed to hearing.  Heaven forbid the temperature in the sanctuary is too hot or cold.

It’s quite different from the beatings, shipwrecks, dangers, toils and snares Paul faced – to the advent of American rock-star pastors with bodyguards.

It is little wonder the sheep wander from the fold.

But Paul predicted this too:

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.   2 Timothy 4:3^(NLT)

I believe what Jesus had in mind for his followers was going a little farther-in than the itching ears…all the way to the heart and will.  This is what must be bent in the direction of Christ’s sacrifice.  Genuine sheep-followers of the Great Shepherd don’t wander…they serve.

For You Today

When tempted to complain about your church, pastor, fellow parishioner, or even the temperature setting in the sanctuary, remember what that old time preacher, Vance Havner once said:

Faith that is fickle at the first will fizzle at the finish!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image: By cliff1066 @ flickr, via Wikimedia Commons