“…you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God. They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power.”1 (Letter from a Roman prison)
Since these words were written, ca. AD 67, we have ‘progressed’ a full one thousand nine hundred fifty-five years. It would be great to say the author was mistaken, that society has learned from its amassed failures, its woes, its wars; that mankind is getting better, more intelligent, more understanding, more accepting, more generous, and more loving. Wouldn’t that be lovely? However, as one looks around, it appears that this prophetic word is playing out, with terrible precision, on our world scene on innumerable fronts. It would already be tragic if true of the world system, but it is devastating that these pronouncements are also true within the Body of Christ. Just days before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one … You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me…”2 Today, estimates are that, worldwide, the church of Jesus’ followers is divided into 45,000 denominations! Another one just became official May 1, 2022, so make that 45,001.
It is so good to know God cannot be tempted, and he cannot go back on his word, because if I were he, I’m sure I’d be sorely tempted by a redo of the Flood, a fresh start. “… God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation…Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change. God was delighted to give us birth by the truth of his infallible Word so that we would fulfill his chosen destiny for us and become the favorite ones out of all his creation.”3 So, there we have it! God’s eternal delight in His choosing of us holds eternally true despite astonishing odds. We’ve been talking about a journey whose destination is the heart of the Father and it’s our journey. There’s a bit of heaven’s work left to do, wouldn’t you agree? But: “… don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!”4 Looking forward to seeing all you vigorous, well-rested, enthusiastic, fellow journeyers tomorrow at 10 AM, 3 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM. PD
1 2 Timothy 3; 2 John 17; 3 James 1; 4 Galatians 6 – TPT
