In the busy day to day struggles to get through what's become our self made grind, what we know has a tendency to become so common to us that we really don't give it much thought. For instance, we know that somewhere "God's watching". But we've known it for so long that we may have even become complacent with the idea. I tend to think that God alone is so big and so powerful that He can see each of us individually and continually at the same time. There may be others who watch and surmise the content of our thoughts, intentions and motives in a given moment, but God alone knows the truth - even better than we know ourselves.
As He watches over mankind, God's not surprised. He knows and expects with perfect clarity, knowledge and wisdom. But what we might acknowledge even less than Father God's continually watchful eye are the countless multitude of His mighty angels waiting with Him and having witnessed it all from the beginning. What must they think?
They've watched with great encouragement and interest as God created a new and beautiful wonder - laid out before them in a small corner of the heavens. It was awesome, clean and undefiled. It was magnificent and untainted. Then He created a new creature that He called man and they were amazed. In the beginning it was simple and peaceful. Man walked with God and had fellowship with his creator. It was wonderful, beautiful, safe and inspiring and the angels crowded together to watch in awe...
Fast forward...
As He watches over mankind, God's not surprised. He knows and expects with perfect clarity, knowledge and wisdom. But what we might acknowledge even less than Father God's continually watchful eye are the countless multitude of His mighty angels waiting with Him and having witnessed it all from the beginning. What must they think?
They've watched with great encouragement and interest as God created a new and beautiful wonder - laid out before them in a small corner of the heavens. It was awesome, clean and undefiled. It was magnificent and untainted. Then He created a new creature that He called man and they were amazed. In the beginning it was simple and peaceful. Man walked with God and had fellowship with his creator. It was wonderful, beautiful, safe and inspiring and the angels crowded together to watch in awe...
Fast forward...
Much of what passes for "news" these days has become little more than gossip, innuendo, idolization and exhibition of vanity. The voracious onslaught of "advertisements" we're intended to become captively subject to are little more than an endless parade of intended invitations to lust, become self indulgent, etc. And what passes for entertainment in the world in this day? Think about it and why.
Pause for a moment and consider mankind as a whole. What interests of mankind foster the kind of advertisements, news and "entertainment" that begs to surround us and swallow us whole? The people behind these productions are as fallible as any of us and they're not ignorant. They know what worldly mankind wants. They know what sells. One might venture to consider just a step farther and wonder - why does it sell?
If you step back and think about it all objectively, you might come across an interesting, yet frightening question as we contemplate the answer: Collectively as human beings - the creation of a sovereign, all righteous and holy God, created in His image, ... as a whole what have we become since?
Romans 1:28-32 (NLT) 28 "Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."
In his own foolishness, mankind has made himself the victim of his own crime against the ordinance of God.
Out in the world relationships among humans have become complex - inflamed by self centered pride, vanity, lusts and a drive toward the unholy. What was once considered sacred and holy has become disregarded as fantasy and an occupation of the weak minded. Security is shattered and the true contentment and soul satisfying peace of relationship with God is rebuffed and trampled under the feet of self confident and arrogant men in search of something "more"...
... when "more" is precisely what they're running away from.
As a species, mankind assures himself that he knows so much. In worldly arrogance encumbered with his own worldly intelligence, much of mankind defies the very God that created him and even denies His existence in order to console himself with the righteousness of his own pursuits... But the angels watching know so much more. They know that a somewhat similar scenario has played itself out before - when some of their former angelic companions rebelled against God's ordinance. They know that Father God's patience is only for a time and that when it runs out, He will avenge Himself and all who have suffered unjustly. They know that because God is holy and just, a price must be paid for every defiance, every rebellion and every unholiness - they've seen it happen before. The angels who rebelled pay a horrific price. So they know this for a fact.
The angels see mankind as a whole and may witness some individually, but Father God sees us all individually and as a whole at the same time. We may not stop to consider Him, but we are continually on His mind. In his mercy and His kindness He's made a way out for each of us individually. The price of His justice for our defiance and unrighteousness has already been paid for each of us because He sacrificed His own Son to pay that price. Yet some still scoff as the angels knowingly watch.
In accepting Jesus' willing sacrifice in our place, we have an opportunity to one day inhabit a world untouched by the sin and crime of mankind. We look forward to the opportunity to walk in peace not only with each other, but with God Himself in the contenting perfection and security of fellowship with Him. But we need not wait for the day of reckoning, we can walk with Him now while we wait and the angels watch.
In all that He's done for us, God's justice, righteousness, mercy, grace and kindness - along with all of His other holy attributes are on display for all to see...
... And the choice for us to freely accept it or not is ours while we still breathe. Few will accept it - willingly submitting to Him... and many will reject it, ignore it or just go through the motions...
What must the angels think?
Psalm 117 (NLT) 1 "Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2 For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the LORD!"
Pause for a moment and consider mankind as a whole. What interests of mankind foster the kind of advertisements, news and "entertainment" that begs to surround us and swallow us whole? The people behind these productions are as fallible as any of us and they're not ignorant. They know what worldly mankind wants. They know what sells. One might venture to consider just a step farther and wonder - why does it sell?
If you step back and think about it all objectively, you might come across an interesting, yet frightening question as we contemplate the answer: Collectively as human beings - the creation of a sovereign, all righteous and holy God, created in His image, ... as a whole what have we become since?
Romans 1:28-32 (NLT) 28 "Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."
In his own foolishness, mankind has made himself the victim of his own crime against the ordinance of God.
Out in the world relationships among humans have become complex - inflamed by self centered pride, vanity, lusts and a drive toward the unholy. What was once considered sacred and holy has become disregarded as fantasy and an occupation of the weak minded. Security is shattered and the true contentment and soul satisfying peace of relationship with God is rebuffed and trampled under the feet of self confident and arrogant men in search of something "more"...
... when "more" is precisely what they're running away from.
As a species, mankind assures himself that he knows so much. In worldly arrogance encumbered with his own worldly intelligence, much of mankind defies the very God that created him and even denies His existence in order to console himself with the righteousness of his own pursuits... But the angels watching know so much more. They know that a somewhat similar scenario has played itself out before - when some of their former angelic companions rebelled against God's ordinance. They know that Father God's patience is only for a time and that when it runs out, He will avenge Himself and all who have suffered unjustly. They know that because God is holy and just, a price must be paid for every defiance, every rebellion and every unholiness - they've seen it happen before. The angels who rebelled pay a horrific price. So they know this for a fact.
The angels see mankind as a whole and may witness some individually, but Father God sees us all individually and as a whole at the same time. We may not stop to consider Him, but we are continually on His mind. In his mercy and His kindness He's made a way out for each of us individually. The price of His justice for our defiance and unrighteousness has already been paid for each of us because He sacrificed His own Son to pay that price. Yet some still scoff as the angels knowingly watch.
In accepting Jesus' willing sacrifice in our place, we have an opportunity to one day inhabit a world untouched by the sin and crime of mankind. We look forward to the opportunity to walk in peace not only with each other, but with God Himself in the contenting perfection and security of fellowship with Him. But we need not wait for the day of reckoning, we can walk with Him now while we wait and the angels watch.
In all that He's done for us, God's justice, righteousness, mercy, grace and kindness - along with all of His other holy attributes are on display for all to see...
... And the choice for us to freely accept it or not is ours while we still breathe. Few will accept it - willingly submitting to Him... and many will reject it, ignore it or just go through the motions...
What must the angels think?
Psalm 117 (NLT) 1 "Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2 For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the LORD!"
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