Mountaintop Musings: Winter REflections

It looks like the ghost of winter past has decided to visit. We knew that we would have to plow, shovel and drive through a bit of snow before winter was out! If we wanted to complain about the heat we would have all migrated south for the winter, right? The beauty of the snow-capped mountains is wonderful. The sunshine on the ice crystals that form on the trees and shrubs is amazing. Hearing the laughter of my granddaughter playing in the snow is a joy. Yes there is a lot of joy in winter provided one is prepared for it!

Winter gives us time to reflect on where we are in life. What have you learned about yourself this past year? What have you learned about your neighbors? Or your spouse? What have you learned that made you reconsider an opinion you held, or a way in which you deal with others? Left to our own we will most likely conclude “I am doing pretty well and don’t need to change my attitudes or actions.” That is a natural tendency we all have. But the Bible would turn that evaluation upside down.

Going back to Genesis chapter 6, verse 5 we read, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” This verse gives us a brief summary of what happens when people ignore the ways of God and decide to live by their own standards and values. Moving ahead in history we come to Judges 21:25 and we see God’s opinion on what happens when his Chosen People, the Jews, turned their backs on Him and decided to live by their own rules: “ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The usage of the word “king” here reflects that God was their King for many years, the Jews were in essence a Theocratic Kingdom. God was their leader and He mediated things through the Mosaic Law.

Instead of judging sin and rebellion with a worldwide flood, God sent the Jews in to exile and eventually they lost their status as a sovereign nation until May 14, 1948! Well we are now in 2019, do you wonder if the Bible says anything relevant about us and our rejection of His Word? Well look at Romans chapter 1. The Apostle Paul gave a perfect description of history up to his time, and yes it fits in perfectly with us today! Let’s read verses 18 through 32:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evidentwithin them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

The Good news is that we have Romans 5:8 to end on today: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Yes, though your sins be as scarlet, they can be white as snow!~Isaiah 1:18.

(Dave & Lisa Carroll are area missionaries with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or [email protected])