Wars and rumors of wars

You know. I know. Nothing for months, and now all these thoughts? I can't help it. I just gotta write when the mood strikes.

Anyways, we've been doing the Beth Moore study of Daniel at church. It's been really good. I've learned new things, and I've had old truths confirmed.

I've been talking with some friends in the past few days about the deplorable state of our nation. Yes, deplorable. The moment you think that everything is fine, well, take a closer look. I won't get into politics or debatable issues here. My intent is not to focus on these.

The closer I get to God, however, I'm reminded more and more that the whole point of this life, the whole reason I'm here, you're here, any of us are here is to love Him. Is to know Him. Is to have sweet fellowship with Him. And out of that overflow of life within us, to love others. To know others. And to be a witness of Christ's love to others.

That's it. Period. We're not supposed to change the world (only God can do that anyways) nor are we supposed to worry about the end.

Here is truth: (All Scripture quoted is NIV)

Matthew 24:5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Okay. So we know the end is inevitable. It's going to come eventually. There's nothing we can do to stop God's will from being accomplished.

Isaiah 55:10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

However, while here, we also have a responsibility to stand for truth. To seek God's truth. And also this.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

We are to act justly and love mercy. To act justly is to stand for those who are oppressed, the poor, the downtrodden, the widows, the orphans. It is to seek justice where justice is not found. Okay. Yes, we have it.

But at the end of the day. Our biggest motivator is still: pray without ceasing. Love the people of the world. Show God's love. When evil men prosper or evil seems to abound (as it will more and more in these last days), it's easier to hate those people. To let our righteous anger build up towards wicked humanity that the only cry of our heart is: Punish them Lord!

But slow down. Don't forget. The enemy is our enemy. People are not our enemy. The enemy uses people for evil. Those people who do evil are trapped, bound, decieved. They are serving a heartless god that hates them--and they don't know it. That's why we are here to love them and to pray for them. To pray for their good, not their evil. To pray for their redemption and salvation. Everyone experiences the consequences of their actions and we need to require justice for wrongdoing. But mercy on the soul is always a must, I think.

And if we believe that the soul is eternal, and therefore, the first of importance to consider, then we should live like salvation of the eternal soul is most important. I'm not saying we don't feed, clothe, and give shelter to those who are in need, nor do we turn a blind eye when injustice is rampant. I'm saying, don't forget your purpose. Don't forget eternity. Don't get so caught up in providing for temporal needs or fixes that you forget only the soul lives forever.

To close. This passage focuses on the little children that Jesus encountered of whom the disciples did not feel it worthy to extend salvation. But I think the bigger ramifications is for all of us. That the Father is not willing that any of His creation remain lost to Him.

Matthew 18: 12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

And this is why we live our life. Why we remain true to our God, true to His calling.