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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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