AWSMGOD

“How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!”  Psalm 47:2

Not all that long ago I was working my way home through rush hour traffic, and got to a point where traffic is always particularly bad.  Well, that day the traffic was even worse than usual, and I sat on the ramp just to get into the main lines of traffic for what seemed like forever.  I listened to the radio and all I could hear was how bad the traffic was everywhere, and what a mess the world was in.

Really?  I needed the radio to tell me that?  Tell me something good, for Pete’s sake!  After all, I needed to hear something good after a long day that seemed only to be getting longer by the minute.

Traffic inched along, and finally I was nearing the actual entrance point to the highway.  At a near stand-still, I was preparing myself mentally for the fight to squeeze in somewhere.  A woman in an SUV  was in the main lane along side of me, and there was a gap in front of her car.  I looked at her and smiled, hoping she wouldn’t mind if I tried to get into the lane at that point.

Apparently, I was wrong.

I looked carefully around and just as I started to make my way into the spot, she gunned her SUV and closed the spot.  Are you kidding?  What was that all about?  I wasn’t trying to push her over, just trying to get into the lane at a point where there was enough room for my car.  I wasn’t happy at all, but I refrained from offering up any gestures.

Thankfully, the truck behind her must have seen what just happened, and the gentleman driving kindly let me in.  Now I was behind the woman who was just so rude to me.  I unclenched my teeth, and when the oxygen made its way back to my head I noticed her license plate: AWSMGOD

Oh, please… this woman really had the nerve to put that on her license plate?  HAH!  Apparently either her name was God and she loved herself, or she forgot that a license plate like that might just hold you to a little higher standard.  Either way, I was compelled to laugh at the whole thing.  The truck driving who let me in probably got a good laugh, too.

After I stopped laughing, I started to think about the fact that the reason I’ve never put a Christian decal or anything on my car is because I know I behave badly when I’m behind the wheel.  Seriously.  I’m not going to lie and tell you that I think all of these perfect, Christiany thoughts when I’m driving.  On the contrary.  I’m a nasty sinner behind the wheel.  I tend to be a lead-foot, always on the lookout for … “the man”, my hands are clearly not in God’s will when someone cuts me off, I yell (as if the other guy can hear me), and yes, a few not so nice words come out of my mouth from time to time, too.  Consequently, I never thought that a Christian bumper sticker would do me, or God, any good.  That got me to thinking.

If I love God, why do I behave so badly?  After all, isn’t He exactly what David described in his Psalm?  Isn’t He awesome, most high, and King over everything?  He is indeed!  And I do want to be more worthy of Him.  I know it isn’t easy to behave well all the time.  And God knows that too.  After all, didn’t he also tell us to be angry but sin not?  Paul struggled with it.  Remember when he said that the things I don’t want to do are the exact things I do?  Well, me too.  I don’t get in my car hoping to throw a fit.  I don’t drive along looking for people to annoy with my own bad behavior.

When we tell the world we are Christians, like it or not we are held to the standard set by Christ.  No one expects us to be as perfect as Christ, but they do expect us to behave a bit better than those who don’t know Him.  The more we know, in our hearts, just how truly awesome God is, and how amazing it is that He sent Christ to die for us, then we want to behave better, in a way more fitting of being His child.

Next time I get on the highway, I have to remind myself of how blessed I am to be a child of an awesome God, and that makes me a child of the Most High.  And hopefully, if you accidentally cut me off, I’ll remember that you’re His child too.

Lord, thank you for reminding us every day of your awesomeness and perfect holiness.  I praise you, and thank you for being so loving toward me… toward us.  Thank you for forgiving me when I completely screw up, and for being able to turn every moment of my life, especially the bad moments, into times that I can learn to be more like Christ.  I ask for your wisdom and love, and thank you for every blessing that you’ve given me.  I thank you for the unending abundance that you’ve graced me with, through Jesus your Son.  In His name I pray.  Amen.

Copyright ConnieD. 2013.  All rights reserved.

 

A Double-Minded Man

” I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. ”   Psalm 119:113

and

“For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”  Psalm 37:9

and

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”  Psalm 29:2

I ordinarily don’t like to talk about current events when I write – I prefer not to get distracted by this world’s insanity, as I prefer to just focus on the eternal truths of God’s word, and the love of Christ.  It makes me feel better, and hopefully it helps you, my beloved reader, to feel better too.  After all, bringing that kind of inspiration to you is why I love doing this.

But today is a little different.  Sometimes things happen in the world that smack us in the head, telling us and showing us that we need to wake up.  These are screaming examples of exactly what God is telling us throughout His word.  So what exactly happened?  Well, we saw an example of how a single “double-minded” man has the ability to destroy good, and promote evil.  Last week the United States Supreme Court issued a decision on obamacare, and one man, one double-minded man – Chief Justice John Roberts – decided that he alone would impose on the nation a law that stripped us of our freedoms, that uses the fruit of our labor to corporately choose death over life through things like funding  the of murder unborn children and the effective abandonment of those who are old or infirmed, and that mandates that we effectively abandon our faith or be punished.  And Chief Justice Roberts heralded the cause of four other Justices, who have long track records of pro-death, anti-Christian sentiments.  And sadly, these few justices echo the desires of an entire group of people in government and society who also desire and strive for these wicked outcomes.

I was utterly stunned by this decision, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that such outright evil is taking control of this nation, and this world.

So what do we do?  What do we say?

We tell the truth.  The whole truth.  And nothing but the truth.  And not just “the truth” – but God’s Truth.

So that takes us back to the Psalms.  David’s words – God’s words through David – are so appropriate and comforting in days like these.  David wrote of the difference between God’s law, which is given to us in love and mercy and eternal Truth, and the imposition of arbitrary, self-motivated rules of “double-minded” men.  Isn’t that what we see today?  Double-minded men?  The Truth – these are people who are supposed to offer us justice, equity, and yes, righteousness, but who in fact are more in love with their positions, power and themselves.  The Truth -these are people who claim to have a superior moral core but who give in to the evil forces and temptation of this world.  These are the people who are willing to sell their souls for temporary gains of the world system.  The Truth – they are willing to fabricate their own reality to essentially become legends in their own minds.  And let me be clear – God “hates” those people.  THAT is God’s TRUTH.  God tells us that these people will be “cut off”.  And God tells us that there is a bright future for those who hope in Him.  In the middle of these dark days, we have to remember God’s promise to us.

I would encourage you to read all of Psalm 37 – God gives us some amazing promises there, and some dire warnings to the wicked.  In Psalm 37:13 God tells us that He laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.  Yes, you heard that right – he “laughs”.  He sees their evil ways, and He allows them to follow the path of wickedness all the way to their own eternal demise.  He doesn’t reach out, begging them to see the error of their ways.  He doesn’t stop them in their tracks and tell them that He’ll gently help them to see the light.  Nope.  He LAUGHS at them!  He turns them over to themselves and to the evil one.  Some of you may think it’s terrible for me to take comfort in this, but I do.  Why?  Because God wants us to know that the wickedness of this world will not go unpunished in eternity.  And He tells us this so that we might know about His justice, and His love, and His faithfulness.  God tells us this so that we won’t worry, and so that we will continue to put our trust in Him – not this world.

I ask you to remember that we are in this world, but we are not to be of this world.  And through it all, through the wickedness of this world, keep your eyes on the Prize – our eternal future with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.  Never retreat from standing up and speaking up for God’s Truth.  Hope in the Lord, and YOU will inherit the land.

Lord, we thank you for reminding us of your eternal love, and your eternal justice.  Thank you for your promises to bless your servants, despite the evil forces in this world.  Heavenly Father, I ask for your wisdom and guidance as we work to continue to stand for You, and speak up for You.  Bless us so that we don’t lose heart in these evil days.  Hold us up and protect us in your loving arms – when we are tired, when we lose hope and when we struggle to find faith.  Hear our prayers, Lord, and please show us reminders of the hope we have in You.  In Jesus’ name we pray these things.  Amen.

Copyright ConnieD.  2012.  All rights reserved.