Which Way are You Headed?
“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts”. Jude 17-18
Have you ever been driving somewhere that was unfamiliar to you and took a wrong turn? I have many times. However, now, with GPS, we really don’t have an excuse to take the wrong turn, that is, as long as the GPS is correct. I remember one time I was trying to find a particular street, but the directions were wrong. I finally did find it, but not until after I went all the way home and looked it up on the map. I usually double check now before I start out on my journey. I hate getting lost. It is a creepy feeling to not know which way to go. It is sad to say that there are many folks across the globe who do not know which way to go. They seek peace, comfort, and freedom from troubles, but this sin-cursed world does not provide any solution to their quest.
Our world system of religion and politics has always been one of a secular society whose god was wealth and power, but which had maintained a reasonable semblance of peace and tolerance. There was a sort of “checks and balances” which kept nations in line overall with one another except for times of war when one nation would cross the bounds of its limitations. Most civilized nations in earlier times would, in general, not condone overt sin and evil practices. There was somewhat of a moral code that most people followed. Criminals were punished and peace and safety of the citizens was of the utmost importance to the local authorities. Folks actually cared about one another and desired for their communities to thrive as a model of the American way.
I read an article yesterday about the reliability or rather lack thereof of the human conscience. The point of the article was to say that faith in the Lord was reliable, but not so much the dependence upon conscience. One comment that was listed after the article stated that men and women do not need God because their conscience was sufficient to teach them right from wrong. I beg to differ. Over the years, people have let down their guard and have embraced what they would have overwhelmingly shunned in earlier times. It is this progression into immorality and sin, the road to perdition, of which earth is speeding along at a faster and faster clip. Folks aren’t just walking after their own ungodly lusts; they’re racing to see who can get further away from what is righteous and godly.
We used to have television programs that parents could sit and watch with their children without embarrassment or having to answer difficult questions. Today the major themes of programs and movies are murder, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, transgenderism, lying, cheating, stealing, and making men and fathers look stupid. Christians are mocked while followers of Islam are held up to be something to be respected. Truth is rejected and lies are accepted. I’ve known what scripture says about times like these for a long time, but I never thought that I would see this spiritual and moral decline in my lifetime like I have seen it now. It would appear that the vast majority of people are headed in the wrong direction, and fewer are taking the narrow path of righteousness. If that wasn’t so, then I think we would see a different world, not a perfect world, but one that was not filled with anxiety, fear, and suspicion.
Since Jude told us that there would be mockers in the last time, walking after their own ungodly lusts, he definitely knew what he was talking about. So, while we have to live “in the world” with its mockers, liars, thieves, and those who follow Satan, we don’t have to be “of the world”. We can go in the opposite direction of those who choose to walk in the wrong path. It most likely will certainly be less crowded! Jude added, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (verse 21). That definitely sounds like the direction in which to take.