Life Matters - January 18, 2023
“Peace be still.” (Mark 4:39) When we do have peace within, when the storm of inner confusion has stopped, then it is we discover it is not the end of the road. In a momentous way the road gets easier because we have a Master who assures us, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) Though the outer storm may continue, peace and freedom within—as we abide in the presence of Jesus, through His Spirit, word, and in prayer—make these outer storms not only doable but “easy and light.” The Apostle Paul, who endured beatings and stonings “within inches” of his life spoke of “our light affliction which is but for a moment,” and then continued, giving us an insight into why he considers it light, “worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (II Corinthians. 4:17) There we have it. “Eternal glory.” That hope is what makes this life, even in troubles, trials, and uncontrollable circumstances, not only doable, but joyful. We are no longer in control of our own destiny. We have given it to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, trusting Him in forgiving our past sins, to continue His forgiveness, guiding and refining us in the present time and in the future. Conversely, the road also gets harder, because we now have an enemy in retreat who has, nonetheless, left land mines and sabotages in his wake. There is a way. A safe way through the mess. That is the juxtaposition of the Gospel message, is it not? On the one hand, this life can be messy, this world is a mess, on the other, the comforter has come, (John. 15:26/Acts ch. 2) ministering grace, comfort, assurance and the hope of eternal life. On the one hand, our enlightened eyes see much in this life to be discouraged about, on the other, courage flows into us from the throne of God’s grace.
It takes courage. As we avoid the land mines, (the explosions against Truth), the sabotages (the undermining of Truth), the enemy lurking in the “shadows,” we are also called to call as many of our fellow travelers onto the safe way—pointed out to us by God Himself through His Word and by His Spirit—as we possibly can. To help the fallen back up. To encourage the weary. And to accept help when we need it. Because we all do need help at times. And we are called upon to warn those who persist in taking their own way and resist the way of God. The devolving influence of The Theory of Evolution into American society had been impossible without the consent of a corporately devolving American mentality. A society made up of enough individual people willing to depart from science in the name of “science” as to swing public opinion away from scientific facts as proven by testable, repeatable experiments to a system based upon foregone assumptions. Assumptions that have, since their inception, migrated from theoretical assumptions to a belief so in-grained in thought patterns and so defended, even emotionally, without material evidence, as to be religious in nature. The carbon-dating, etc. methods are based upon theories, that have become foregone conclusions, that rock layers and fossils etc. were formed in the same conditions we live in today.
With its religious overtones and nature, The Theory of Evolution can never be called true religion as it has never “evolved” beyond theory for its “foundation.” “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians. 3:11) We have historical eyewitnesses of His birth, His miracles, His teaching, His death by crucifixion, His resurrected person, His ascension and the supernatural promise of His coming again. In nature “the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1) Besides all that evidence, the Holy Spirit of God has been sent into our world by God Himself to be a communicative witness to all the above through an undeniably spiritual knowing. Who can deny it? There is an inner knowing, a conviction, that God is, which we must believe and that “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) A knowing that comes alive in us when He speaks to our inner storms, saying, “Peace be still.” Freedom.
Life Matters!