DISOBEDIENCE – THE PROBLEM WITH THE WORLD
Proverbs 1:22-33
22 How long, O simple ones [open to evil],
will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and
[self-confident] fools hate knowledge?
23 If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold,
I [Wisdom] will pour out My Spirit upon you, I will make My Words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you have refused
[to answer], have stretched out My hand and no man has heeded it,
25 And you treated as nothing all My counsel
and would accept none of My reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will
mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic–
27 When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity
comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then will they call upon Me [Wisdom] but I
will not answer; they will seek Me early and diligently but they will not find Me. 29 Because they
hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord, [Prov. 8:13.]
30 Would accept none of My counsel, and
despised all My reproof, 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their
own way and be satiated with their own devices.
32 For the backsliding of the simple shall
slay them, and the careless ease of [self-confident] fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkens to Me [Wisdom] shall
dwell securely and in
confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil.
Dear people of
God, it would do you a great good to reflect carefully on today’s lead Holy
Bible text above.
On a short air
trip recently I was having a discussion with a friend on the reasons for
problems in today’s world and we both concluded that disobedience was at its
heart.
Even when the
flight attendant told passengers how electronic devices disrupt the plane’s
navigational instruments and flight communications with the ground tower and
then instructed us to switch off all electronic devices during the duration of
the flight, a young man was busy using a digital camera to take pictures of
himself continuously when the plane was in the air at 21,000 miles.
Even if
someone reading this believes the digital camera may not affect the system, the
fact remains that the instruction was for all electronic devices to be switched
off during the flight’s duration, which was for just about 35 minutes.
Disobedience
to God’s commands brought sin, death and great distress into the world at the
beginning of mankind’s history in this world – Genesis 3:1-19. Disobedience to
God’s command caused Saul, Israel’s first king, his throne – 1 Samuel 15:1-23.
It was
disobedience of God’s command that only a priest could burn incense on the
sacred temple’s altar of incense that caused king Uzziah of Judah to be
afflicted with leprosy on his forehead until his death – 2 Chronicles 26:1-21.
Each time the
Israelites disobeyed God’s commands not to engage in idolatry, they paid dearly
for it when foreign nations invaded their land and took them away into slavery
as God warned.
Dear friend,
the problem remains the same even as I write this. All over the world, people
continue to disregard and utterly disobey God’s commandments in the Holy Bible
but they expect the Creator to overlook them and allow them to have their way
always.
Every second
of this life, disobedience to God’s commands is driving millions of people into
an eternal damnation in HELL where the pain, suffering and anguish is
unbearable but unfortunately cannot ever end for them.
God has made it
clear that great distress would come upon those who disobey His commands. The
Lord Jesus stated this in John 16:33b, “In
the world you have tribulation and
trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer
[take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the
world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for
you.]”
The Lord Jesus
Christ overcame satan the god of this world at Calvary when He shed His
precious blood to die for the sins of mankind.
Three days
later, Jesus resurrected as He said He would and only those who believe, accept
this fact and live in strict obedience to His commandments in the Holy Bible
has He given the authority and power over satanic forces and their ability to
cause harm.
Anytime you
see distress and calamity, satan is behind it. Only those who are genuinely in
Christ will always overcome it as God has promised in His Word.
The choice is
yours, dear friend. Jesus Christ is coming NOW. After His coming to take His
genuine followers away in Rapture, the greatest distress this world has ever
known would come upon everyone else left and it is better imagined than
experienced.
Today and now
is the day of decision to avert the coming calamity over recalcitrant sinners because tomorrow or later
may be too late for you to reject satan and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
May the good
Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in
Jesus’ Most Righteous Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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