Finding Comfort in the Wrath of God

God is so omniscient that He is aware of every detail in our world all the time. And He is righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17). And He hates all that is done in sin to hurt someone (Psalm 11:5). He despises what is wicked and unrighteous and unjust. Therefore Psalm 11:7 states, “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Or as The Message has it, “Nobody gets by with anything. God is already in action.” The wrath of God and his forgiveness are not only compatible, they are fuelled by the same power – his astounding love and goodness.

 If you are a Christian this truth is meant for your comfort, not to terrorize you. You are absolutely forever free from God’s divine judgment and wrath (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Let me state this as clearly as I can, the fact that “Nobody gets by with anything” is for your comfort because it is written “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19).

All of us have been hurt and wronged at one time or another. Many of us have been lied about, insulted, abused, and mistreated. There have been times when we have been treated unjustly. The mistreatment may have been emotional or physical or financial. And the deep cry of our hearts has been “This is wrong, it’s not right, it’s not fair. It shouldn’t have happened. He shouldn’t get away with this. She should have to pay.” Or perhaps we’ve seen an injustice done in the world and we wonder, “How can these people get away with the wrong they are doing?” We understand deep down inside that it is wrong for people to get away with the terrible things they do.

 The Almighty says they won’t; “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” This quote from Romans 12 is from Deuteronomy. The full quote is, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35). So put away your bitterness and lay down your burden of anger, stop nursing your hurt feelings, stop wondering if justice will ever prevail. Take a deep breath and give up revenge and let your heart heal. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).”

 You will be vindicated. The wrong will be set right. Give vengeance to the One to whom it belongs and be comforted.

The New Morality

Perhaps you have heard the recent news that New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg wants to ban the Big Gulp along with large milk shakes and movie popcorn. He’s concerned about obesity (And yet, the day after announcing his desire for a ban on large sugary drinks the mayor proclaimed New York’s Donut Day. Then announced he was in favor of legalizing marijuana). Obesity is a problem. More than a third of people in the United States are obese and experts see the number rising. And an obese person tends to develop other health issues.

 It seems that too many people like their snacks supersized. So the mayor wants to make sure the drinks and snacks are smaller and healthier. Certain government leaders believe it is a moral imperative for those in government to do whatever they can to trim the fat (in your diets not their budgets). In fact, First Lady Michele Obama’s noble cause is fighting against childhood obesity—it’s a good cause, seriously. And Mrs. Obama has done a good job at encouraging families to be more active and make better food choices.

 But there is a problem with the new morality. Both Mrs. Obama and Bloomberg have taken a firm stand on the issue of nutrition. In their estimation consuming a Big Gulp is bad for you and the government is morally justified in using the power it has to remove bad food choices from the public. Fat people should not have the right to eat or drink something that will make them fatter. Having the right to choose what you want to eat isn’t always good. However, both the mayor and the First Lady fervently support a woman’s right to choose to abort her baby for any reason.

 The First Lady and the mayor believe that any action taken by the government to restrict the rights of woman to choose an abortion is morally wrong. This brings me to another recent news story. The US congress just recently voted against a law that would prohibit gender based abortions. It seems the Democrats are fearful of appearing judgmental about the morality of ending a baby’s life. But they boldly proposed a bill that would ban Styrofoam cups in the House’s cafeteria.

 We live in a world where our elected leaders see absolutely nothing wrong with using the power of government to impose a morality that tells you to put down the Big Gulp and step away from the Styrofoam cup, but they won’t protect the lives of unborn children. The prophets of this new morality will devote time, money and energy to warn you about the danger of high fructose corn syrup, while ignoring the weightier issues of life and death. The new morality will not allow you to enjoy a hot dog and 64 ounce soda, but it will let you choose to end the life of a baby because you wanted a boy instead of a girl.

 What kind of mindset can embrace this distorted morality? I humbly suggest that it is a person who has no sense of true biblical morality. We should worry about a government and a morality like this. When those in power take it upon themselves to decide what is morally right depending on the prevailing cultural trends, when they look to their own sinful hearts and the crumbling culture around them for guidance, they will eventually leave little room for your own conscience.

Scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12).” It also states “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).” We need to learn to fear God and not man if we are ever going to regain a true and good morality.

Happy Father’s Day

This Sunday, June 17^th is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads. But as we approach this day to honor Dad I think it is necessary to draw attention to what has become a great problem in our country: the loss of masculine leadership in the home.

Sadly there are more children being raised by single mothers today than at any time in our country’s history. Divorce is a big contributor to the problem. But also more and more women are choosing to simply have children out of wedlock. There are single moms who do heroic work as a parent and I do not wish to diminish their good work; God bless you. But the ramifications of children without a father is taking its toll.

According to published reports, 63% of teen suicides come from fatherless homes, 90% of all runaways are kids without a Dad, 85% of children with behavioral troubles are fatherless, 71% of all high school dropouts, 75% of young people abusing drugs and 85% of all young people in jail and reform centers all come from fatherless homes.*

But tragically a child can be fatherless even when Dad is living at home. The National Center for fathering reveals that 40% of Dads never read to their children. Many fathers spend less than two full hours a week with their children. And 54% of 4-6 year olds prefer to watch TV than spend time with Dad. No wonder so many families have problems.

The Bible says that fathers are to be teachers in the home (Proverbs 1:8). They are to correct and chasten their children (Proverbs 3:11, 12). And God holds them responsible to bring up their children “in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” A Dad’s job is to intentionally train his kids for a life of godliness and impact in our fallen world. Psalm 127 says: “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” Rare is the Dad who carefully trains and prepares his kids, handling them like an arrow intentionally and deliberately launched into the world.

The Christian father is really an instrument of God’s grace and love. Dad should never present himself as the ultimate authority in the home, rather he should point to God and Christ being the supreme authority and the Bible the means by which we know God’s will. Let your children see you worship the Lord and trust Him in all things  

I’ll tell you honestly and from experience: there are not too many problems that could not be solved by an honest, moral, upright, courageous, loving father. And studies show that one of the best things a father can do for his children is to show them how much he loves and respects their mother.

So for all the Dads who are going above the call of duty, those who are willing to put the well-being of their families above their own pursuits—thank you and God bless you. And if your role as a father needs improvement, it’s never too late to start.

 *National Principles Association, U.S. Depot of Health and Human Services, U.S. Dept. of Justice

Thank You. Who Are You?

We have arrived at the one year anniversary of Essential Matters. When I began writing this blog last summer my goal was to write about important, essential matters from a Biblical perspective. I know I am not the only person out there doing this. But I do think I bring a unique biblical perspective, a primitive one.

 I believe in one God and one alone, Yahweh, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is a true human being, fully human though divinely conceived. I believe in conditional immortality. Only Yahweh is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16). The fate of every human being in the world is wrapped up in John 3:16; believers receive the gift of everlasting life, unbelievers simply perish.

And I believe in the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the coming kingdom of God that will restore our world, and the present power of the gift of the Holy Spirit given to every believer.

 I have written on various subjects from science, social issues, government, theology, work, news, ethics and sports. But what has really surprised me are the number of readers of this blog and where they live. Readers are from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Kenya, Thailand, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Latvia. I’m stunned!

 Thank you—who are you? I would be very happy to hear from you; tell me who you are, where you live, how you discovered the blog and anything else that may be on your mind. You can leave a comment here at the blog. Or if you wish, you can write to me personally and privately at chuck@graceministryinternational.org. And again, thank you for reading the blog. Why not become a follower of the blog? And tell your friends.