For evil to grow in our hearts

January 3, 2017

 Jeremiah 26:1-15

The world has never been this intolerant, never been this evil, yes, many have said things like this with no understanding of history.  But the facts are very clear the intent of humanity is to be the captain of one's life, to do it our way, and that is not a new thing it began at the beginning with the first man and woman. 

After the wall had come down between the East Berlins in November of 1989, it remained in the lives and action of the minds of those controlled by it.  I was asked by the leadership of the Electrical Engineering group of DuPont to be part of a team that would give counsel to some refineries, and one was in East Berlin.  I will never forget my talk with a lady in East Berlin by phone and I explained to her how 3M and DuPont had come to an agreement to use 3M’s cold shrink technology in the area of splices and terminations on all cables from 5KV to 35 thousand volts.

This is what she told me I hate this new freedom; now I have to make a decision and choose between brands or choose technology, it was so much better when we let a committee do all of this for us.  After so many years the wall of slavery was still active in her mind and heart, and I do not know what happened to her, but that was my last time to visit with her.  My report said that your head electrical engineer is going to be a roadblock to change, she is fearful of making decisions.

For evil to grow in our hearts, it requires deception, where questions are designed to have another motive.  What are they up to, what is the game plan, or what is in it for them?  And yet evil will masquerade as good and deceive many by getting them to hate and not be open to anyone other than their group; it is particularly useful in the political area of control.

It has taken me 74 years to understand that we are all a mess, that it’s not a new battle of choice, it’s an ongoing battle, and often what is seen cannot be trusted for it was designed to mislead.  But I, like Jeremiah, have come to understand that the God of the Gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ/ Messiah.  According to John’s gospel, we are told Jesus is the Word that became flesh, and that in Him is life and the light of man.  And that light will shine in darkness, and in the darkness it will prevail. 

Jeremiah gives a message from God to the people of Judah who they claim to believe and put their trust in.   But like today they had to fashion God into what they wanted, a conservative god, who votes Republican, and there are those of the liberal side whose god is a Democrat.  Both groups have the god they deserve, but He is not the God of Jeremiah, nor is He the God of the Scriptures.

It is fascinating the people of Jeremiah’s time were as intolerant of Truth as today.  Jeremiah was told by God to “Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.”

The truth is not what people who have made God into their likeness want to hear, then or now, and so after he had spoken, the leaders, priests, prophets, and the people wanted to kill him.  Listen to Jeremiah’s defense: “Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. Now, therefore, mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”

Nothing new under the sun, we choose what seems in our best interest, we hate people we have never met, we fear people because of their skin color, can we agree we need grace, and it is found only in Jesus Christ!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice