Our God Will Not Forsake Us
Even though, as a people we have turned our back on our God, He will not abandon us. He may stand back for a while and in chastisement, allow us to reap the consequences of our backsliding, but He will not abandon us completely.
And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Deuteronomy 31:18.
With that in mind I saw according to one newspaper, Paganism is on the rise, in fact it is soaring apparently in the UK. An historian argues that ‘Paganism offers a way to believe in something and engage in ancient rituals without having to commit to the expectations of organised religions.’
Basically, what they really want is to believe and do whatever they like with a little social activity thrown in [ancient rituals] and not have to worry about sin, responsibility, or the one God who demands we are pure and holy as He is: Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1Peter 1:16.
This is what mankind has come to; he thinks religion, any religion, is just a matter of individual preference, in fact no more than a hobby or social pastime. People these days have no idea of the serious situation that we all are in. Our God is not just a figment of our imaginations; He is all too real and we, His creation, must follow certain rules if we are to live happy and contented lives.
Before the Fall, all that God had created was pronounced by Him ‘good’ and when God says something is good, it is VERY GOOD; perfect in fact! Now though, thanks to Adam, we are in this fallen state, and the worst part is man’s heart: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5. Nothing’s changed there then!
But God, knowing all things, had a Plan right from the start for this world’s renewal, and it starts with REPENTANCE. When the Word became flesh, He was and is the centre piece of that plan to save all those who would return unto Him. But His plan didn’t stop there; God does not and cannot fail, although looking at the state of things today one could excuse a non-believer for thinking He has. But No! the Plan is on track because God knew all that is happening today would happen, knowing man’s thoughts and desires.
Some might say, “If God knew all this would happen, why didn’t He stop it before it happened?” But this world [age] is a training period; God gave us laws to obey for our wellbeing, but He also gave us freewill. There are occasions in Holy Scripture where the people are invited to choose to be on the Lord’s side or not. Sadly, many chose the latter and so it has been down through the years.
So here we are being surrounded by all kinds of heathen and pagan sects and cults because man wants it so. What was it Satan said to Eve when persuading her to ‘eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’? … Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.Genesis 3:4,5. Both Adam and Eve fell for the lie and mankind has been believing that lie ever since.
We are now coming to the end of this age and what a mess we have made of God’s perfect creation. But God’s plan pushes on, and this is what He says to us now. We must return! God has said, if we return to Him, He will return to us and again for now, the choice is ours:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14
Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:7
And the wonderful thing is, that we will return and He will forgive us and heal us and bring us back home to Him.
And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.Jeremiah 24:7
All that remains now is, WHEN?
Well, the day or the hour we are not to know – this is God keeping us on our toes! Watch, pray, and study God’s Word. He has given us signs to know when it is near and those signs are showing now: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Matthew 24:33.
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
