Our Grand Daughter, Julie, Ron and Cindy's oldest, expresses it well.
Julie and Eric live in Colorado and have a son graduate of Pensacola Christian University, and three daughters who are students there. Julie's sister, Betsie, and her husband, Trent, also have two sons there as well. I suspect this sudden outpouring of our Great Grandchildren into this fantastic Christian University is just the beginning of a family tradition. We now have "approximately" 80 Grand, Great and Great Great Grandchildren.
Julie's letter arrived in Ron & Cindy's email Nov. 6 following the 2020 Left Wing vote count, discount and recount... which continues. RB
Dear family,
Today, I find my mind bombarded on every front. Maybe yours is too. This year has felt like an assault. Not because worse things have never happened upon our soil - they have and likely will again. Nevertheless, I feel as though I may explode if I don't express these thoughts, so please bear with me as I try to make some sense out of the discordant thrumming within my person.
As this year quickly approaches its final weeks and the turmoil rages on, and our governor continues to make threats of stricter lockdowns, I find myself coming to a better understanding of what drives humanity to rebel against corrupt powers. Unfortunately, like the unsuspecting frog sitting comfortably in a tepid pot of water, I fear those who still love America shall wait to do something until she's fully cooked in her passivity and devoured by her enemies. What seems so painfully obvious to me now, to some is still merely entertainment, a mild irritation... a rolling of the eyes as they continue with "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of their hands to rest" while those who devise wickedness and work evil continue unencumbered by noble notions of caring for anyone other than themselves.
Meanwhile, we have been further driven into our cocoons of comfort and tools of escapism by rogue authorities, forcing able-bodied, healthy people to cower in their homes and behind their masks, refusing to work or being told they cannot - So we have handed over our liberty in the name of "safety"... which has been based primarily on lies, or at least the stretching and distortion of truth for some other purpose. It seems the mantra has shifted from "give me liberty or give me death" to "guarantee my safety from death with the taking of my liberty"... a guarantee which, in truth, cannot be bestowed upon anyone save the Almighty is the one doing the bestowing. Another mantra is "my wants are most important" where what one wants matters more than even honesty and integrity... where there is no right or wrong... or at least it is up for interpretation by the individual. These shifts in mantra have not occurred overnight but rather over time in subtle attacks and further hijackings of the minds of each generation through many avenues of attack. Where pride in one's country and the preservation of it, as well as honesty and hard work, were once demonstrated and taught, these have been utterly abandoned, but for a few, so that now we have a people who have lost their identity of nationality and human decency entirely.
Someone once said, "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This is, of course, something which stirs fires in the hearts of good men while causing good women to swoon at the masculinity of honor and protection, and yet, in truth, the statement isn't entirely accurate either. I daresay, godly men and women are what we need. Mankind, no matter how seemingly "good", is prone to yielding to the desires of the flesh when met with temptation and opposition. This isn't to say we cannot screw our courage to the sticking place for some time, as a great many have before us through bloody battles and wars, it is to say that such determination and conviction is short lived apart from God... and even shorter so with generations raised having been sheltered from consequences or disappointments and living in a virtual world of coveted "likes", digital "friends", faceless "followers", and "fake news".
One wonders what our founding fathers would say about the incessant infiltration of our minds via screens and devices. I doubt it would truly be shocking given they too were combating generations of "human programming" in their quest for freedom. "When in the course of human events...", something which the declaration of independence shouts as though it isn't surprising that humanity does and will continue to be ensnared by corrupt, evil rulers, but which goes on to say that we're even wired to put up with a great deal of suffering and a "long train of abuses and usurpations" before we'll remember our "rights', as those created by God, and fight back against the shackles.
But might these individuals, who would wish to be godly, be utterly confused these days about their role in the matters at hand? I daresay, I think we are. It seems we think "gentle and quiet" spirit means passivity, especially when we read Paul's admonition to Christians in Rome to obey the government. We tend to think this means "obey no matter what". Either it does not mean such or Paul was a hypocrite. We know that neither Paul, nor any of the apostles for that matter, blindly obeyed the earthly authorities over them... hence the persecutions, beatings, jail time, and ultimately, death. Most of what was taught in the early churches regarding how to live life as a follower of Christ was in stark contrast to the culture and the authorities of that day. Perhaps, some who disagree with these thoughts would say, we must remember that these men were hardly infallible, very much human, and might have been hypocritical at times. Fine, we could concede this, except for one thing. Even Jesus, Whom the Word says lived a sinless life on earth (therefore could not be hypocritical), fought back against the powers of his day except when, according to His divine purpose and knowledge, the greater good demanded his silence and inaction (his trial, sentencing, and punishment for the redemption of sin). It is certainly true, that if Christ had erred (which He did not), He would have erred on the side of demonstrating love. Of course, He also had the advantage of knowing the heart of the person to whom He spoke. He was never harsh with a humble person, just the prideful ones.
Some may use Christ's example in some passages of scripture to fly to the other extreme from passivity toward annihilation as demonstrated by the "Sons of Thunder" (James and John, the sons of Zebedee) when they asked Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire from heaven and destroy those who rejected the Lord. Goodness gracious, such passion! People are so prone to extremes, which are typically quite troublesome when guided by the whims of the flesh rather than harnessed by the Holy Spirit toward God's purpose. Of course, one wonders if God prefers extremes tempered to His will rather than lukewarm behavior (Revelation 3:15-16).
Then perhaps the real question is, whom do we consider to be our authority? Is it man? Or is it God? Paul claimed God as his authority. Jesus claimed God as his authority. And if it is God for us too, what is He telling us to do in His Word and through His Spirit during such a time as this? Or are we too full of the world to have a clue what He's saying? Is the church in America too Laodician in her tepid bath of wealth and comfort to realize she's been cajoled by the world's lullaby into passivity at best or woefully lost in her transgressions at worst? And when she does become riled, are her passions distorted toward evil rather than good? As the heat is turned up, will the church continue to "bite and devour one another" rather than face, in the full armor of God, the true enemy (Galatians 5:15; Ephesians 6:11-12; 1 Peter 5:8; John 8:44)?
We would need to understand what it means to abide in Christ and Christ in us... we would need to daily yield to the Holy Spirit rather than the flesh. We would need to stop allowing ourselves to be bewitched and return to the true gospel of Jesus Christ without a single thing added or removed. Looking unto the "author and finisher/perfecter of our faith", we would need to have a fresh encounter with the brutality and beauty of the cross (Hebrews 12:2) . The ultimate war has already been won... Did we catch that? It has already been won, but we live like the victory is still up for grabs... I assure you, it is not... but it matters not what I say... God assures you!
So then, is the train of deception and disenfranchisement of Americans, set into motion long before 2020, too powerful to stop for those who believe the ideals America was founded upon are still worthy pursuits? Aye, it is indeed too powerful for us, but not for God (Matthew 19:26)! Let us then pray for the Lord to awaken the hearts of His people (Ephesians 1:18), to give them a hunger and thirst for Him (Matthew 5:6; John 6:35), to seek His face and His righteousness (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; Isaiah 55:6-7; Matthew 6:33), to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25, Ephesians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 5:2)... and that He would continue to add to His numbers daily (Acts 2:47), new brothers and sisters, who understand that "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:27-29, ESV). Let us surrender to You, Lord, and no longer be "enslaved to the elementary principles of the world" because "the fullness of time has come" (Galatians 4:3-5). Raise up an army of believers for this present evil age, Almighty God! And please, tarry not one second longer than necessary for that final soul, you know their name, to find redemption by the blood of your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment