Friday, April 25, 2008

04-25-08

Well, here I am again already. I won't be writing every day, I promise, but my heart is full, so I simply must let it pour from my fingertips onto the keyboard and onto the blog, where it will somehow magically post for you to read and respond from wherever you sit.
Which reminds me of a funny story. When Jordan and I were in St. Louis after he'd had the heart/lung transplant, I was getting ready to send everyone an update. I was pretty new to all this e-mail stuff at that point and I marvelled that I could access my e-mail account from a computer at the hospital. I think concretely and it seemed bizarre to me that I didn't have to have my specific computer; that the information in my computer could be accessed from anywhere. I was amazed and a bit flabbergasted by it all and was trying to express that to Jordan. He looked at me with a droll expression and said, as if he were talking to a complete idiot (he might have been--I'm not telling) "Mom. That's why they call it the world wide web." I promise you, a light bulb went off, no, exploded, in my head at that very instant. Seriously. It singed my hair.
But the point of today's missive is not that you are dealing with a technologically challenged idiot. It is that God is so supremely awesome we aught to break down and weep at the very thought of all He has done and continues to do for us.
Yet most of the world is so incredibly bleak and dark and deceived. I went to see the Ben Stein documentary movie, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" with the Thing One team the other night. If you haven't seen it, you must. It's as heartbreaking as it is compelling.
The point he is attempting to bring to light is that the academic world so vehemently clings to the ideology of Darwinism that even the suggestion of Intelligent Design--not necessarily even God by name, mind you--is enough to completely ruin an academics career. As my son Jacob told me recently, "Science is the new religion." I didn't realize how true his words were until I sat through the movie. People are being fired, ostracized and vilified for even mentioning that the design and complexity of creation suggests a higher intelligence might possibly exist and might be responsible for the very things they are studying.
I suppose it's no surprise. There isn't one of us who isn't acutely aware of the increasing polarization between those who hold to a traditional view of God and those who deny Him altogether or buy into Oprah Winfrey's "Course in Miracles" that advocates the "many ways to God."
Every time I see this stuff on grand display I am reminded of Romans 1:20-22 & 25 where God explains exactly what is taking place. "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. For even though they knew God, (or perceived him, maybe--my thought) they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the image in the form of corruptible man...For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen."
I'll tell you the truth. I sobbed in my prayer time today as I pictured the faces of the people in the movie who beautifully and intelligently articulated why belief in God was preposterous, the Bible was full of silly and dangerous fables, Darwinism made sense and any discussion about God should be eliminated from the higher ranks of academia. My heart broke as I tried to imagine how grieved the great God of the universe was over every lost and deceived soul.
But I know the reason God is not only rejected but scorned and ridiculed and His people are too. R. C. Sproul, my third favorite Calvinist behind my son Jacob and John Mac Arthur (I am not one) says this, "Christianity is not a religion. It's a revolutionary life of obedience to Christ and submission to God's sovereignty." It's admitting the supremacy of God and His reign over all of life and then, by His grace, submitting to it. If it were anything less, it would be benign. It would hold no threat. But Scripture tells us people love their sin. They are full of pride. The very sin that caused the devil to become the devil.
"And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." (John 3:19-20) This is what was running through my mind like the moving ribbon on the bottom of the CNN television screen as I watched and listened and shook my head in horror and disbelief.
We live in a lost and dying and deceived world. Jesus tells us the fields are ripe for harvest. Let's each of us pray that the Lord of the harvest will make us workers in the harvest for the sake of His Kingdom. We each have our sphere of influence. Let's pray that God gives us opportunities to exert our influence as He leads and guides us.
Remember, it was just seventeen sincere, passionate praying and believing people who ushered in the great Welsh revival. Seventeen.

1 comment:

Tara Lynn Thompson said...

We're in a time of war, spiritual war. And it's time to put on our armor. I feel so compelled and pulled toward scripture, like my very own life line, which it is.
I just keep encouraging all of us to soak in the truth. Anyone want to join me? Anyone? Anyone?
(Dang, gotta love Ben Stein.)