It’s Time to Take a Stand

“Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in His season:  He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”  Jeremiah 5:24

Many people today do not fear God, at least they certainly act like they don’t consider Him to be powerful and sovereign, and some even doubt His existence.  He provides everything that sustains life, the life that He created.  I don’t know how the scoffers explain their existence nor explain all of nature’s beauty that they see around them in this world.  Some believe that there is a God, but they shake their fist at Him in the way that they flaunt their sin.  They may or may not suffer the consequences of their rebellion in this life, but it is for certain that eternity will not turn a blind eye.

In Revelation 21:8, Jesus said the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God, but He was not speaking of the fear of God.  He was speaking of those who feared what man could say or do to them if they acknowledged God and served Him.  Jesus also said in Matthew 10:28 to “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  I had rather fear the One who loves me beyond measure than the ones who couldn’t care less about me.

It is past time for born again believers to take a stand for righteousness.  Coming from a rather sheltered childhood, my exposure when I was young to things that are shameful and ungodly were limited.  My parents didn’t use profanity or drink alcohol.  We went to church every Sunday and gave a helping hand to whomever was in need even though we had limited resources.  The television programs that were broadcast were family oriented.  For a long time, I was naïve enough to think that everyone else was reared like I was.  As I got older, I realized that not everyone was brought up by God fearing parents and taught the fundamentals of Christian living.  It appears in this day and age that folks who try to live righteously and in line with Biblical principles are becoming more and more of a minority.  Folks that I know or know of who had represented themselves as God-fearing believers for years have been leading secret lives unknown to others, lives which demonstrated no real fear of God.

I spent a little over a year studying the book of Revelation.  While it is a difficult book to understand because of all the symbolism, one thing is perfectly clear–judgment is coming eventually and maybe sooner than later.  We used to sing a song in church about the signs of the times being everywhere, and one doesn’t have to look far to see some of these signs.  If you hear of some ungodly actions or some outlandish ideas among folks, know that these are likely signs of the end times.  Jesus could come tomorrow or perhaps many years from now.  The thing is, how bad does it have to get before He returns?  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 13:11-12: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”  That’s a good word.