I can't think of a better verse to describe the age we are in.

Isaiah 5:20(NKJV)

    Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;      Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;     Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

It is sad.  Especially in light of these verses.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10(NKJV)

since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 

and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 

in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 

when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

AS I have written before, those who think that God takes a live and let live attitude to this are going to be surprised according to Scripture.  The fact that the word vengeance is used tells me that God takes this personally!

Test All Things

Now this is some great advice right here.  Test all things. 

1 Thessalonians 5:21(NKJV)

Test all things; hold fast what is good. 

You will hear and read many things that "sound Christian".  Always check Scripture to make sure it is really in there!

Once again Scripture reminds us we will be held accountable for who we listen to.

Micah 3:9-12(NKJV)

    Now hear this,     You heads of the house of Jacob     And rulers of the house of Israel,     Who abhor justice     And pervert all equity,

    Who build up Zion with bloodshed     And Jerusalem with iniquity:

    Her heads judge for a bribe,     Her priests teach for pay,     And her prophets divine for money.     Yet they lean on the Lord, and say,     “Is not the Lord among us?     No harm can come upon us.”

    Therefore because of you     Zion shall be plowed like a field,     Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,     And the mountain of the temple      Like the bare hills of the forest.

Those in Judah, like Israel before them allowed themselves to be led astray.  And they were held accountable for that by being taken into captivity. 

Isaiah and Micah

Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries.  Both sent to prophesy to Judah.  Isaiah came on the scene 3 years before Micah and Micah prophesied about 10 after Isaiah. 

I am reading them both together.  One chapter each day.  So far the message of both is pretty much the same.  God isn't pleased and is warning Judah that they are about to go the way of Israel.  By that I mean they are being warned that they are about to go into captivity just like Israel did. 

God is extremely patient but His patience do run out.  For those who think that ultimately God won't send anyone to hell I would offer this as an example that yes God punish even those He loves. 

Always be willing to share!

I've mentioned this before but I had an experience the other day that prompts me to talk about it again.

I had a passenger the other day who was going to Battle Creek.  We started out just having a normal chat but somehow one thing led to another and we were talking about God.

Now that one thing that led to another was me simply sharing and being transparent.  I don't really even know how it progressed.  It was just a natural progression of the conversation. 

Anyway I was able to give a little comfort to a somewhat troubled soul.  I asked if I could pray for her when I dropped her off and she said yes.  I prayed for her, we said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways.

Never underestimate the impact you can on others for Christ!

A simple credo to live by!

Colossians 3:17(NKJV)

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Can't really think of anything to add!  :)

Does God hate?

There are some who believe that God is love and therefore God doesn't hate anyone. 

Unfortunately as is often the case, Scripture says differently.  This passage is God speaking in the first person through His prophet Hosea.

Hosea 9:15(NKJV)

    “All their wickedness is in Gilgal,      For there I hated them.     Because of the evil of their deeds     I will drive them from My house;     I will love them no more.     All their princes are rebellious.

God clearly says that He hated these people.  God tells why he hated them.  And then God reinforces the notion by clearly stating that He will love them no more. 

That must come as a surprise to those who seem to think that God will love them and take them back no matter what they do, even if they don't repent, because God is love.