The old saying is true, "Burning both ends of the candle, burns out twice as fast".
All the world is divided on everything. Complacency, Unwarranted Entitlement, Hypocrisy, and Pride abound. False Grievance and Fake Outrage stir the pot of that division. Weaponized by the mass insanity and loss of common sense that are the character of the cult of the mob.
The love of many has waxed cold, and the cruelty and lack of regard for natural affection and sanctity of life is easy to see everywhere. Good has been declared evil, and evil cherished as good. The victim is further victimized by the cowardice of Justice, and the protection of the criminal's rights. The infiltrator is treated as though they even have rights.
In all this, the believer holds fast, standing firm against the adversary, drawing the line for God, and shielded by their faith. For the lost, they have no idea what is in store, and likely wouldn't care if they did know.
We stand like Lot, not perfect by any means, but faithful and aware of the implications and the impending doom. Voices in the wilderness of this growing chaos.
Psalm 37:10
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
We intercede and we pray, yet they turn away. If only they could see, would they change their mind?
And on those that turn away, family, friend, and stranger, it is hard to relegate all responsibility to God for the lost. To realize that the chaff that is burned and blown away could be those we hold dear and thought held us dear also.
This is compounded when living among them in a family structure which is divided.
To have that sorrow shows us to be faithful to the mission, but we cannot linger in that sorrow, since the choice and its consequences belong solely to them to make and to reap from.
We feel the loss and the betrayal, but we do not own the guilt or responsibility.
All is as He has foreseen and He has allowed. All is in His will even when we don't understand the reasons in the here and now, or down the road of time and generations.
To the saved, the promise of peace and life eternal with God in perfection. To the lost, the sureness of life without God and eternal sorrow.
The victory, or the tragedy... A matter of the choice.
Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ!
Sums it up, doesn't it? This is the state of affairs now. It is clear. Obvious for those with eyes to see, but invisible to the world at large. No one escapes regardless of age or gender... unless they are solidly rooted in faith, believing and trusting Him to guide them through the chuck holes, dead ends, muddied waters and rugged mountains and every test of faith imaginable. Without the complete suit of armor (Ephesians 6), particularly the shield of faith... keeping our eyes squarely fixed on Christ, it is impossible to remain steadfast with a singleness of purpose that looks beyond the weeds and the tares to a life rooted in faith, knowing something more lies beyond the bend.
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