Isaiah 24:5-6 English Standard Version

5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

Should those few feel blessed to survive?

“And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.” Verse 2 says no.

Believe what you want, I only quote the bible. Has it happened? Will it happen? If not now when? I don’t know. It is not for me to say, this is not my land, it belongs to my Lord.

Mankind takes the land for granted. If they want it and cannot buy it, they take it. That has been our history and that has not changed. Transgression has gotten us here, so what are we to do?

“For just pennies a day you can save [fill in your favorite ad here]!”

Advertising is the price paid for bringing a bored generation eye candy. Sure we can stream content without advertising, for just $79.95 a month. But that is just one limited service and everyone has their hand out looking for a piece of the pie.

This is exactly how easy it is to influence and control the conversation to distract us away from what is truly important.

God has made a free will offering of life and we are so indoctrinated in the cost of everything that even free sounds like it must have strings attached. Somebody has to get paid?

We who believe in that free will offering have been set free from the power of sin in our life. We have a life that started the moment we accepted His gift and there is no end to this life.

The scoffers will say to us, “You are here in this mess right along with the rest of us.” This is true but what has happened to the land does not change His blessing us. I have His Word.

• Psalm 119:89
  Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
• Psalm 119:160
  The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

Philippians 2:14-16 English Standard Version

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Paul led the Philippians to Christ. Who led you to Christ?

For me it was Don and Betty Williams. They were the first to show me the love of God in its truest form. They have gone on to be with the Lord and they leave in the wake of their absence a flood of children that call them mom and dad Williams.

One thing was true during all my visits that never changed, ever. They prayed over me every time. Consistency in the face of change in my life said that no matter what I was going through in my life, their love for me remained consistent.

So much of this life in Christ is growth and maturing. We follow Christ and our paths take us away from our origins and when our focus is on the Lord, it might be a long time before we look back on the ones that led us here.

Not everyone had parenting like Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:5

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Paul gave credit where credit was due, honor where honor was due. I would call them from time to time and never hung up without reminding them how much they meant to me.

John 13:15

For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Remember who got this ball rolling. Keep it going.