I love/I don't love/I like/That's all!

I love…
Unexpected surprises, like soft pure snow blanketing the earth !
Unsolicited laughter from children when life tickles their fancy!
Unabridged recitations from a creative mind!
Uncharacteristic comments that soothe a sin-sick soul!
Unconditional love flowing from the perfect heart of our Lord!
Uncanny wit that makes me belly laugh!
Undeserved “just because” gifts!
Unceasing forgiveness from an unchained heart!
Unbeatable songs from the 70’s…like “Endless Bird”; “Stairway to Heaven"; "Layla"; "Smoke on the Water"; "Piano Man"

I don’t love…
Unaffordable “stuff” that I really desire!
Unfashionable low-rider-pants-on-the-ground!
Unpleasant, unceasing sarcasm!
Unreasonable expectations!
Unnatural makeup!
Untidy homes!
Uncomfortable situations!

I like…
Lobster!
Bread!
Books!
Serving!
Shoes!
Art!
Piano!
Singing!
Pinterest!
Board games!
Gospel music!
Praise and worship music!
Instrumentals!
Theatre!
Blue!

That’s all!!!

In the beginning…GOD

GOD.  The GOD of the Universe.  The CREATOR of the Universe.  The AUTHOR of the Universe.  The ARTIST of the Universe.  GOD…who CREATED man and woman… who SPOKE the world into existence…who GAVE the blueprint for life to Moses…IT WAS ALL GOD!  HIS IDEA!  HIS IMPLEMENTATION OF HIS PLAN!  The World!  You and me!

 

GOD…NOT the author of “religions” or “denominations”.  NOT the  creator of doctrine or religious sects.  MAN fabricated those, and continues to do so!  MAN is not GOD!  GOD, in one of the three parts of the Trinity, became MAN, yet remained God and the Holy Spirit.  So GOD was man; man has never been GOD, nor will he/she EVER BE!  Really?  Yeah, really!  NEWSFLASH:  Try hard as you may, YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN NOR WILL YOU EVER BE GOD!!! 

Look at the current state of our world, of our country, of our government, and it seems that we have many people~ perhaps it is safe to say a majority of people, of “us”, who try so hard to be God…to be in control of their little universe…who try to control the direction and outcome of their lives, either never relying on God or perhaps placing HIM on the back burner and reaching for HIM in a real crisis!  “Oh, God, my family member is dying, please do something!”  “Oh, God, my spouse is threatening divorce…or “I just lost my job and have a family to feed”…or “Oh, God, I really want to marry and have children”, etc., etc., etc.  Then we pull GOD to the front burner, turn up the heat and hope he gets hot really quickly.  When HE does show up and answer, we push HIM back to his little back burner position again in our lives, and take the reins of control back from HIM.  Oh, but we know HE will always be there when we reach for HIM…because we know HE is true to HIS Word, and it will NOT return to HIM void.

So my question is this:  IF GOD was in the beginning; if this whole Universe was HIS idea and HE made it just like HE wanted it; IF GOD is not the author of evil or confusion; IF GOD saw all that HE had made and “behold it was very good” (Gen. 1: 10, 12, 18, 21, 25)…then what happened to get us into the mess we are in right now?  Wars!  Economic downfalls!  Divorce rate increase!  Hatred!  Violence! 

I believe it is because we have forgotten WHOSE we are, WHO we are, WHO we were created to be, and WHO is on the throne (hint:  it is not you or I!) 

Just some of America’s roots: 

1.  Mayflower Compact, 1620:  “In the name of God, Amen, We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland….having undertaken for the Glory of God and Advancement of the Christian Faith…”  You won’t find these words history in public school textbooks today!  Might be offensive to someone!  Might step on someone’s toes!  Might violate someone’s rights!  REALLY?!  Maybe it needs to offend and violate what are some “perceived” rights!
2. Our pledge of allegiance:  “I pledge allegiance….one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. “One nation”?  REALLY?!  Ideally, maybe, but not reality! “With liberty and justice for all” (bold mine).  Justice?  What is that?  (definition)  For who?  ALL?  Who is that and what is that about? 
3. “In God we trust” was adopted as the official motto of the US in 1956.  It has appeared on coins since 1864 and on paper money since 1957.  In 2006 the senate reaffirmed “In God We Trust” as the official national motto of the USA.  And the House of Representatives passed a resolution affirming it in 2011 with a vote of 396-9.  There was a joint poll but USA Today, CNN and Gallup in 2003 that found 90% of Americans support the inscription “In God We Trust” on coins of the USA.  In whom do we trust?  GOD!  Who is GOD?  Is it us?  NO, NO, and again I say, “NO!”  Is it Buddha, or Mohammed, or Joseph Smith, or your preacher, or you?  NO! NO!,  And again I say NO! 

C’mon people!  Wake up!  While the USA is still the best place on the earth to live, and while we have freedoms and privileges that others don’t have, we are in a mess!  A BIG MESS!  And it is not getting better; in fact, we are declining!  When will we ever learn?  Will God continue to be patient with us, or will HE—is HE—losing His patience with us and may we be seeing some of the signs of the “wrath of God” we read about in His Word?  Will it get worse? 

Psalm 2 says this:  ^“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”  The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”  I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,  the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter ;you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

But make no mistake:  His love never changes!  His mercies are new every morning! (Lam. 3: 22-23) He longs to give us the desires of our hearts! (Ps. 37:4)  BUT…(there’s that conditional word…but!)  God’s promises are true; yet, they are conditional!  Don’t believe me?  Read the Word and see!  Here’s an example from 2 Chronicles 7: 14-16 (NIV):  “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”

There it is!  HIS Word for us!  “IF”…”THEN”.  God longs to forgive our sin and heal our land IF we will:  1. Humble ourselves 2.  Pray   3.  Seek His face   4.  Turn from their wicked ways

I propose that it is time to turn things around!  WE, as a generation of God’s people and as Christ-followers, must become less tolerant of and desensitized to the ways of this world and turn back to the precepts of God’s Word and beseech the God of the Universe to find favor with us and to turn our hearts back to Him.  May we work hard to become “one nation, under God…”

Please leave your comments…but not hate mail!