LEARNING DAILY

 

Luke 11:23, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”       Jesus

 

Jesus said this after He had cast out a demon from a mute person; the multitude was amazed that the mute spoke.  Jesus’ opponents tried to discredit Him by saying that He had cast out the demons by Satan’s power.  Jesus told the people that a “kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”

 

For Jesus’ followers it was time to choose sides.  In Luke 9:50 Jesus told His disciples, “… he who is not against us is on our side.”  But there was growing opposition against Jesus among the religious leaders and it had begun to make it more difficult to follow Him.  Jesus made it clear that His hearers needed to make a decision - either to be with Him or against Him.  The time for being somewhere in the middle was over.  Jesus would say it differently in The Revelation 4:15, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, I could wish you were cold or hot.”

 

It is impossible to remain neutral in the spiritual conflict between Christ’s kingdom and the kingdom of evil.  Those who do not oppose Satan and evil set themselves against Jesus Christ and His Church.  Every person is fighting on either the side Christ and righteousness or on the side of Satan and the ungodly.  Luke 12:23 above clearly show any attempt at spiritual neutrality or compromise with unrighteousness or partial obedience in following Him is wrong.

 

So, we choose between the blessing of obedience and the consequences of disobedience.  It seems to me that the problems of a nation begins with the choices each individual makes.  My close friend D.C. Adkisson made a comment on Monday’s blog; he said, “The lights of the city cannot be put out except by the inhabitants of the city when they invite darkness to come in.”  The statement was made in reference to John Winthrop’s speech some have called The City on a Hill.  Perhaps to understand you will need to reread that blog page. What the individuals of a city, of a nation allow to happen determine the course of that nation.  I am deeply concerned with the choices being made in the United States of America.  Think about the standards God has set for right and wrong, for what is acceptable to Him and what is not acceptable.  Examine for yourself what the issue is over a Supreme Court nomination.  Examine for yourself what the issues separating the two political parties; examine their platforms or their stand on the issues.  Each of must choose – it is impossible to remain neutral.

 

I fear that too many individuals in this country have chosen not to hear, not to follow the Word of God.  Anything and everything that refers to God, the Bible, to moral living is being attacked and removed from society.  The problem is that when righteousness is removed, unrighteousness replaces it.  The blessings of righteousness are replaced with the consequences of disobedience.  I fear that my admonition to so many of my students and friends to seek discernment or the ability to know righteousness from unrighteousness is more necessary today than in years past.  I pray that the people of this country refuse to “invite darkness into their life”.  I pray that people choose to be with Jesus and choose to gather with Him.  I fear we are at a time where the decision to follow Jesus is of utmost importance.

 

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15

 

“For this man who needs amazing kind of grace

For forgiveness and a price I couldn’t pay

I’m not perfect so I thank God every day

There was Jesus

There was Jesus!”   Zack Williams

 

Even when I can’t feel it You’re working

You never stop working!    Michael W. Smith

 

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