January 24, 2019
I watched with horror this week as the New York legislature passed laws so that babies could be killed right up to the time of birth. They also broadened the scope of who could do this type of murderous infanticide.
The most disturbing image, though, was the immediate reaction of joy, applause, cheering when the bill was passed in the halls of New York government. They congratulated themselves on the "great victory" they had won.
And then today in my Bible reading I read of Jesus' encounter with the legal leaders of His day (Matthew 16). Two things stood out to me in how Jesus evaluated them.
THEY WERE BLIND TO REALITY.
"Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?' (Matthew 16:3).
These supposed rulers and judges and leaders stood in the presence of Christ and called Him a demon. Their pride and self-sufficiency led them to complete and total moral darkness. Their supposed wisdom (of which they were extremely proud) was absolute foolishness in the eyes of God. They loved what God hated and hated what God loved, and were proud of their opinions. They genuinely felt it was totally right.
We are in such a day. The ONLY explanation of the cheers of the New York legislature when the worst kind of evil is promoted is total moral blindness.
WE MUST BE WATCHFUL AND AWARE OF THEIR LEAVENING INFLUENCE.
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees," Jesus said (Matthew 16:11).
Leaven (yeast) is a component that creates a chemical reaction that always affects everything it is in. It affects things way beyond its size. A little leaven leavens an entire lump of dough. If placed in a massive pan, it always changes everything. Other things take on its properties, and not vice versa.
This kind of blindness among our leaders is with us and is affecting us. It is creating a slow rise in wickedness and moral darkness that permeates and evolves our entire society in no uncertain terms. You cannot promote the killing of 60 million babies and remain the same over time.
Those of us who follow Christ must be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves,” Jesus said. We must be discerning and not naive. And we must be increasingly bold in our proclamation of the truth and judgment spiritually of all that is godless and wicked. We must give GOD’S evaluation of these things, calling them as they are with boldness, but always with a humility borne of an understanding of God’s grace. We need a generation of weeping prophets.
But most importantly, we must do as Jesus: Go everywhere, every day to everyone announcing the gospel of the kingdom and inviting people into God’s new world order that transcends this life. Christ can penetrate this darkness. He did in the beginning and He is still doing it today, life-by-life. His light not only reveals, but shows the way to something better.
We must be this light and we must point the way to all who will receive the light of Christ. An insipid, weak Christianity that is quiet about the gospel will not help our world. A real and saving relationship with Him has always been the only thing that can give any of us sight. We must boldly proclaim the gospel as we daily, hourly pray for God’s saving mercy upon our nation, reviving the church and awakening those in darkness, one life at a time.
April 30, 2025
And then he said with a twinkle in his eye that had seen nine decades plus, “I believe this may be the best season of my life!”
April 24, 2025
This is only possible with God’s aid. He tells us to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us. But that approach begins with a plea for His help in this foundational task. It is our most important step of every day and throughout the day. We must be aware of God.
