Let me be blunt; we got here because people who claim to love the Lord refuse to follow the Word of God and live in the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ.
Make no mistake, the God we serve “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23); therefore, Christians should stop praying for the death of perceived enemies and pray they will repent instead.
During my recent visit to Washington DC, as I walked the grounds of Martin Luther King, Jr, Memorial and the Halls of the Holocaust Museum, I wondered how anyone could visit either place and still believe that the murder of one soul or the annihilation of entire races is God’s plan.
Walk in the Light! Jesus Christ said, I am “the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness” (John 8:12).
Abiding in Christ and allowing Him to abide in us means we also become a light to the world. Turn from evil to the knowledge of truth; the God we serve is kind, tolerant, and patient.
When David’s son, Absalum, betrayed him, forcing him to flee Jerusalem, he was weary and in despair. However, he continued to cry out to the Lord and when his son died, he expressed his deep grief (2 Samuel 15-18). Let us strive to "not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
For those in Christ, we have been called out of darkness into His light, and we still have hope because the Lord “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 2:9). However, we must continue in love because evil spirits have taken up residence in many human bodies and will challenge our belief and resolve.
We got here because we did not test spirits.
The Lord told John to say: “Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1).
God does not contradict Himself; therefore, we must understand that there are many false teachers and deceitful workers among us, who are introducing destructive heresies, and bringing swift destruction on themselves and those who follow them (2 Peter 2:1).
I beseech you to let no one deceive you with a philosophy based on personal opinions or human tradition. “Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).
How did we get here? We are here because Christians, those truly called by God, have forgotten the playbook that Absalum used against David and the Nazis used against the Jews; it is the same playbook that governing authorities are using today to intimidate people and fan the flames of hatred.
Nettie Pennington, is Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church. She is a faithful contributor to your Tate Record church page.
