Choose Today

We are at crossroads in our nation at this point in time. The upcoming election season will be a defining moment. If we choose poorly, there may be no recovery. God has placed before us several situations which are warnings, redlines of danger for us and our country. How we react to these warnings will show the spiritual condition of our nation. God spoke to the Israelites just before they crossed over the Jordan River into the promised land, the land of Canaan. Moses's last message urged them to follow God's commandments. The message also threatened them - warning them that doing as they pleased, not following God's commands, would prove to be dire. Look at what He said to them - Deuteronomy 30:11-19 "This commandment I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote... 15 "Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and disaster on the other. 16 What I am commanding you today is to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you will live... 19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live!

God told them that what He wanted was not difficult, it was not a secret. It did not require mystic knowledge, or a special dispensation to know what to do. He had given them clear instructions. "Love God. Obey His commands." It is frightfully simple. Sometimes these simple commands are so 'in your face' that we tend to think, "Nah! That can't be right! There must be more I need to do." He gives them stark choices, Life or Death. All creation knows what He wants from them, from us. We cannot say, "We didn't know! Who told us?" He can turn to the rocks and trees, fish, birds, animals, angels and planets, and raise his eyebrow and say, "Really?" He will get a resounding reply, "Love God. Obey His commands."

We are in a similar situation in today's world. God has placed several redlines of warning for our country. God is warning us to choose wisely. If we fail, God will judge us as He has done with other rebellious people. These must not go on. First - Planned Parenthood harvesting and selling baby body parts. Second - the persecution and slaughter of Christians by Muslim extremists in the Middle East and Africa. Third - Our government (the United States of America) flaunting corruption and willful ignoring and breaking of laws.

First - Is there any greater evil than murdering babies for profit? Yes! Murdering babies with the intent of collecting bits and pieces to sell. It is supposedly for a good cause. What cause is worth dismembering a child? What cause is good enough for people to munch on salad while joking that a Lamboghini was a preferred payment for baby body parts? We are killing and dismembering the most innocent and defenseless. Over 1.2 million babies were aborted (killed) last year. That is about 15 Charleston church shooting tragedies per hour. We were shocked at that tragedy. That is about four Colorado Theater killings per hour. We wept for the dead in that tragedy. More babies are killed by abortion per hour than shooting deaths in Chicago in a year. Our nation is becoming a culture of death. God has warned us to protect the most innocent. We are not. This cannot continue.

Second - Can we with clear conscience stand by while Muslim extremists are beheading, burning alive, shooting, crucifying people who do not believe in Islam. They are especially cruel to Christians, but do not spare women, girls, homosexuals, or those who disagree with their cult of Islam. Do you want to talk about 'war on women'? Consider Boko Haram, or ISIS. Are you concerned about justice for gays? Homosexuals are being thrown off of roofs in ISIS controlled towns. We cannot say we do not know what they are doing.
Some of the accusations against the Germans during the Holocaust were they feigned ignorance of the slaughter of the Jews. They did not have the advantage of the internet or the 24-hour cable news, so they might not have known. However, there is the report that the church members sang louder each Sunday morning to drown out the sounds of the death trains rumbling by on the way to the ovens. To our shame, America turned its back on Jewish refugees, refusing their entry into the country. Our response to the ISIS situation is eerily similar.
We are becoming acclimated to the horrific violence of these religious zealots. We were shocked to the core when we saw the first beheading. Sickened at the immolation of a caged prisoner. Disturbed when more than twenty were beheaded on the beach. It has not gotten better. This week ISIS tied people on top of bombs (IEDs) then blew them up. What has been our response? Hold up handwritten signs with some inane 'hashtag'. Pathetic. We have not demanded our government do something. We cannot continue doing nothing. But on the other hand, perhaps we believe our present administration would do nothing even if we demanded it.

Third - Our governmental leadlers - mayors, governors, legislators, the president and his administration openly and brazenly flout the laws of the land. Of all the countries in the world, the United States is a product of the people and laws. Lincoln said it best, "of the people, by the people..." We have chosen our leaders, whether they be corrupt, incompetent, greedy, or honest, forthright, with good character. At present we have very few of the latter. Whether it is the President, or the Speaker of the House, or the mayor of a city - we need honest people of good character leading us. We don't need liars. We don't need power-hungry narcissists. We cannot say that it is their fault, not ours. God had a warning for the people of Israel. He let them know that it was not just the king's fault, or the priests. The problem fell on all of the people. See Jeremiah 32:32,33 - "...the people of Israel and Judah have made me angry with all their wickedness - their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem have done this wickedness. 33 They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. I tried over and over again to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction."
The political/government leaders, the religious leaders, the business leaders and the common man were all deep into sin.
Is America any different right now? One of the people running for President has spent a lifetime lying. If you need an example, start with the attack on our Benghazi Embassy. Or, what about secreting communications on a personal server, rather than using the government servers as proscribed by law. What about the majority leaders of the Senate, both Democrat and Republican bending the rules for personal gain rather than the good of the citizens of the country. We also see the legislators willing to put off until later, years or decades later, solutions to major problems. This is similar to king Hezekiah of Judah seeking approval of the Babylonians, rather than God. The Lord chastised the king, telling him the kingdom would be stripped away. Hezekiah's response? "Hey, at least it will happen after I am gone." Doesn't that sound like kicking the can down the road? This is related in chapter 39 of Isaiah, the punch line found in Isaiah 39:8 - Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The LORD's word which you have announced is appropriate." Then he thought, "For there will be peace and stability during my lifetime."

We no longer have any 'wiggle room'. The warnings are clearly before us. We must decide - do we say and do nothing, hoping the problems will fall on our nation after we are dead and gone? We must decide - can we stand by and be silent while babies are being torn asunder? We must decide - can we be quiet because at least the slaughter of believers isn't happening here? Do we let the power brokers drive our government into the sewer because we won't speak up, speak out, and vote? Joshua challenged the Israelites after they began to setlle down in their land. Joshua 24:15a - If you have no desire to worship the LORD, choose today whom you will worship. We need to live our faith, not just in church on Sunday, but in the world. Joshua 24:15b - But I and my family will worship the LORD! If we don't do this, God will withdraw His blessing from us. Choose today whom you will serve. Choose life. Or, choose death.

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(note: Thank you Glenn Beck for the idea and the inspiration for the above.)