The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever. ~ Isaiah 40.7-8
Dear Depraved World,
When I was a child, I would visit my grandparents in the summer. We would sit on the front porch with mosquitoes nibbling and fireflies blinking in the twilight. I sat at their feet churning peach ice cream and sneaking a piece of rock salt laden ice every now and again as the conversation paused and reconvened with commentary of the world. The consensus was always the same. Grandma would tire of lamenting and she would say, “The world is going to hell in a hand-basket and if it had any sense it would get right with Jesus.” Granddaddy would nod and offer a “mmm-hmmm” and an “amen” like exclamation points. I was not exactly sure what was wrong with the world. Other than the mosquitoes, I was having a fine time.
But now? Now I understand what they meant. Everyday I awaken to some new chaos. Someone is always angry about something and what ever they are angry about is in short order on its way to being cancelled. I get it. I do. There are somethings worth being upset over. It is fine to choose to spend your money with businesses that align with your worldview and to avoid those that do not. However, in my opinion, it is not your place to police others. I would tell you to peddle your wares of craziness elsewhere, but it is not craziness you suffer from; it is a soul drenching depravity.
All this cancel culture nonsense has had me stewing and it has had me thinking.
And this is what I think: There are some things as the world you do not have the power to cancel. And I think it is worth mentioning to you…
Adonai’s word which stands forever.
His divine order and His creation.
Adonai’s covenants and promises, His Torah and His truth.
The definitions of good, of evil, of what constitutes sin.
Yeshua’s sacrifice. His intercession on our behalf. The grace He bestowed upon us.
Yeshua’s return, the final judgement, His reign.
Now dear world, you might say you don’t believe in all of that. That it is just nonsense and fairy tales.
So I will just say this about all of that:
Your arrogance is showing. It does not matter whether you believe it is true or not because Adonai is not dependent upon you. You are dependent upon Him. For everything. For the very breath you draw. For every thought you think. For every decision you make. For everything that you possess. And maybe you are a Christian who has bought into the lie the world has sold you – that Adonai and His word are antiquated and non-applicable to a modern world-view; maybe you believe the watered down pseudo-gospel preached by the hip Steven Furticks and the Bethel Churches of the world that as long as you are a good person, judgement won’t befall you, that God just wants you to be happy.
That is not what Scripture says and it is not what Yeshua taught. Happiness is not the goal; holiness is and there is only one standard of holiness and that standard was created by and belongs to Adonai. Every single one of us will give an account and we will answer for the things we have said, the things we have done, the things we have turned our eyes from and to. Believer and unbeliever alike.
Now for me, I would not want to be standing there trying to explain why I changed His definitions of male and female and then proceeded to abuse my children by changing their biological sex. I would not want to have to explain why I supported same-sex marriage and destroyed the perfectness of His created family order. And most certainly, I would not want to have to try and babble an explanation for why I lobbied for abortions or supported a legal act allowing for babies of botched abortions to be left to die on a cold metal slab of a table.
So depraved world, keep your rage and cancel on. Cancel the things that don’t matter, the things you can control. I have peace knowing that no matter how you try, you will never, not ever, cancel Adonai and His truth nor Yeshua and His sacrifice.
So like Grandma, I have tired of my lamenting for the evening and I am grateful I wasn’t swatting mosquitoes while I typed these words. I wish Granddaddy was here to offer a solid “mmm hmmm” and an “amen” after I say this, “The world is long on its way to hell in that hand basket. And Yeshua is the only thing that can save it.”
Lord, have mercy.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ~ Hebrews 4.12
3 responses to “An Open Letter to the World”
-
Truth, well said.
-
Thank you!
-
-
Hello, friend. Thanks for comforting my aching soul with the understanding I am not alone in this lament. Woe! For He is not mocked! What these sow they shall also reap.
Leave a Reply