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Is God Paying Attention?
Sometimes we wonder about that question. We see the wickedness of the land we
live in, and realize that there are many nations and lands that are even more
wicked. The number of lands that behave within the realm of God's righteousness
are overwhelmingly outnumbered. While it may seem that some areas are more prone
to seek God and live within His statutes, even many of those areas despise God
and choose not to hear of Him.
The prophet Jeremiah, asked God some questions in chapter twelve. "Why
is life easy for sinners?" (12:1) That is how it appeared to him. In Proverbs
we read that "the way of the transgressor is hard" (13:5). So is there
a contradiction? No; because sinners will have their day coming whereby they
will be judged. Jeremiah described it as a day of carnage (12:3).
Jeremiah also asked why sinners are successful? The answer lies in the fact
that they do not adhere to God's word about how to treat others. They act by
selfishness, and do not care about who they hurt in the process.
Every day we see people who do what they want to do. There are several reasons
why people do what they do. One is the fact that they refuse to recognize God
as God. We read in Romans 1:21-23 "They know about God, but they don't
honor Him or even thank Him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds
are in the dark. They claim to be wise, but they are fools. They don't worship
the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look
like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles"
(CEV). So it might appear that God does not care or sits back while people do
their own thing. But in reality, God is watching everyone and has warned them
that a day of judgment is coming. When people do not love the truth of God's
word, God allows them to believe whatever they want to believe, even though
it is a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Even in Romans 1:24-25 we read: "So
God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and
their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. They gave
up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead
of God, who will be praised forever. Amen" (CEV).
Another problem lies in the fact that few people have come to realize that they
have a soul, and that soul is a valuable possession. God loved these souls so
much that He provided Grace in the form of His Son, and provided the way of
salvation. But we must remember that if a person does not realize they have
a soul, they have nothing to live for except themselves. Some might take up
a cause or might be interested in helping others, but most refuse to accept
the concept of God, and thus the moral code that God has given us through His
commandments.
Remember that God is keeping a record of everything. God has a book with the
names of those who reject Him, and refuse to follow His word. And God has a
book where the faithful and righteous are recorded. The bottom line falls upon
each individual to do God's will and living a righteous life. God has already
told us what will happen to the wicked and the righteous. Each of us needs to
examine ourselves to see if we are on the Lord's side. And we must make adjustments
in our behavior to insure our salvation.
By Carey Scott
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