01/11/2009 Psalms 36:1

01/11/2009

Psalms 36:1 - 4 (HCSB) ¹An oracle within my heart
    concerning the transgression of the wicked:
    There is no dread of God before his eyes,
²for in his own eyes he flatters himself _ëtoo much_û    to discover and hate his sin.
³The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive;
    he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.
⁴Even on his bed he makes malicious plans.
    He sets himself on a path that is not good
    and does not reject evil.

===

The Internet is an interesting tool. It allows us to do things we would otherwise not be able to do. Case in point: I recently had the chance to exchange ideas about religion with a group of ex-Mormons. What I found was that they have a lot of anger towards the Mormon Church, and religion in general. Because of what the Mormon Church has done to them, they are highly skeptical of any religion and resort to an agnostic, or atheistic worldview. The response of an ex-Mormon in response to my sharing my faith goes as follows:

    I pick and chose when it comes to religious scriptures. I like the good things I
    read about Jesus, and also the good things and thoughts I read about other great
    philosophers through history. But I don't believe that Jesus was a god the same
    way I do not believe in the religious claims of Islam or other religions. When I
    stopped believing that I was a sinful creature, I also got rid of the burden
    that Christianity puts upon every one of us. So nowadays I feel free and happy,
    and I also feel like a member of mankind, that we as human beings are a
    magnificent race related to every living thing upon this earth, and my feeling
    of respect towards other living creatures has also grown stronger since I waved
    goodbye to organized religion.

    I don't know if there is a living god somewhere in the universe, and I don't
    know if we will experience some kind of life after we die. But I do believe that
    if there is a god that he has absolutely nothing to do with organized religion.
    If he has, I'm afraid I don't like him very much.

As I read Psalm 36:1 this morning, I was immediately struck with the truth that leapt of the page. Those who reject God, have deceived themselves. They have decided not to reject their sin, but welcome it, as it were, and then hate the God who would hold them accountable.

I am deeply saddened at the response of the lady who responded above. I love her because God loves her. But all I can do is share my faith. I have learned that every time I witness to someone, I am woefully inadequate at convincing anyone to surrender to Jesus Christ. But I am also reminded that the Holy Spirit does the wooing. It is only my job to share my faith.

But the cold hard fact is: there will be some who ultimately reject God. God has given all humanity that freedom of choice. Does your heart ache for those who have rejected God? Perhaps it should.

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