March 18, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor… follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4.25a, 5.1-2)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

In a different venue, I was asked about the term “age of lawlessness.” It is an age mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2.1-12 which existed because of the rule of the “man of lawlessness.” It should come to no one’s surprise that we have lived in the ebb and flow of such ages throughout times. Even the history of Israel as a nation, then and now, is filled with such terms, generations and eras. “It is easy,” I replied, “for us to see the malignancy of lawlessness rising all around us. It consumes our moral, ethical and righteous thinking. It influences our talk, walk and intentionality. We see it everywhere in the lives of others whether they are family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and citizens of this or other nations. But where it is most present is in ourselves! Jesus addresses this fact, and it is no opinion, when He taught ‘Why do you complain so vehemently about the splinter or even the speck of dust in the eye of another and assume you can so easily remedy the problem (which is at the heart of the complaint) when you are disabled with what amounts to a timber worthy of supporting the high ceiling of the Temple in Jerusalem protruding from your own eye?’” What? Did I exaggerate and overstate the teaching of Jesus on this point? As such, I pray I have increased the effect of your ability to hear what is being sad. It is our choice to live in an age of lawlessness when we ourselves violate the essence, nature, character and spirit of the Law. And I can quickly give a poignant example, as follows:

Our driving habits. I did not say your driving habits because I am at fault as well. However, I do try to heed my own recognition of the failure of others to comply with vehicular law. Recently a word came to me on this which is framed by a saying most of us have grown up with. It says “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” It is a line from a poem published in The London Magazine in 1734. Intended to demonstrate the fallacy and futility of human thinking, it exposes the negligent understanding of human beings that they can justify their own lawlessness. Observe an application of the principle as one runs a red light. I sadly assume many have set their intention to run the red light knowing it is going to turn red before they have entered the intersection. Some are caught in the “no man’s land” as they believed the caution light would last longer but it didn’t. Now what it their option? Of course, the option is to speed through the intersection regardless of the color of the traffic light or to never slow down as speeding was the objective and the traffic light was merely a nuisance. If there is a thought to merging or oncoming traffic it is fleeting and justified by “they should have known, been watching or it’s their own fault.” Now observe the “minimum” of “two wrongs don’t make a right [or a left or a straight ahead.] We could simply point out that failure to yield to the warning/caution light is a wrong. We could additionally recognize that a failure to stop at the sign of the red light is wrong. We could add complicity by raising our attention to the level of speed being wrong. Now, we have “three wrongs don’t make a right.” But, someone might say, “I wasn’t exceeding the speed limit as posted when I ran the red light.” Exactly what is the speed indicated by a red light? Would it be “0”? Now the speeding is not based on the street sign indicating the driving speed but the “not in motion” speed as indicated by the yellow light (to slow to a stop) and the red light (stop and now merely slow down.) Further, the excessive violation compounds with interest the permission given for other drivers “on the cusp” do follow suit as if they are entitled to speed through the light or even pause in the middle of the intersection because their lane of traffic had ceased to move due to a red light further down the road. Now all those who were waiting on the cross street and penalized because of your excessive desire to be entitled to the spot reserved for vehicles in motion. You should have to wait but others should. And so on and so forth.

The question, in this moment, as I have asked it of myself is this “Have we lost such sense of time and duty that the law doesn’t apply to me?” We live in the age of “lawlessness.” It is an age where laws cease to hold value and are then interpreted to be “whatever I say or do is right, regardless.” It began with the “original sin” as fostered by the Serpent when he asked Eve (and Adam by default or his own fault) “Surely God did not mean you would literally die if you ate of that apple?” And just that hint of “ignore the warning sign and speed right through the red light of God’s wisdom” opened the flood gate of immorality as sure as all the lights and traffic signs no longer exist. It is merely about acting as if there are no laws. It is the blatant disobedience which says “Laws don’t apply to me.” The ultimate expression would be “There may be a God but He has no say over me.” Really? I guess the end will prove there is no justification for the means unless we mean our own end.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.