What to my wondering eyes do I see through the Spirit of God?

What to my wondering eyes do I see through the Spirit of God?

We can search all the days of our lives and never find the blessings that are ours unless we ask the Lord with faith.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?  Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.  But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?   (Lk 18: 7 - 8).

The one attribute that is necessary for believers in God to reach his grace is faith.  Yet, in a simple manner it appears that this grace-filled gift from God is missing in our Church.  We might think that because we still have people going to Church appearing to pray they are left in a quandary of what many wonder what it's all about.  Jesus encountered that very significance when he quieted the storm on the lake;  “Quiet!  Be still!”  Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified ?  Do you not yet have faith?”  (Mk 4: 39 - 40).  How often are many modern disciples of Christ (all of us who attest to believe) standing in fear when the scruples of evil seem to overwhelm our own trust in God?  

It has occurred that far too many Christians may be in the way of doubting the grace of God by the manner in which many treat the distractions of society as a common reality that has no limits on what is corrupting our morals.  When we (senior citizens in their 60’s and older) were growing up, our parents took time to warn us about morally corrupting events that were against God’s principles.  Perhaps that is why we are insulted when the loose attitudes of today’s younger crowds have no concern about what they say, do, or accept as normal behavior.  

One other event that has become a normal existence is the dress we seem to allow in our streets and fashion attire.  Playboy, a magazine that began with good looking women posing in bathing suits.  That was when anything beyond that was considered risque’  Then as time went on the pictures finally led to complete nudity.  Today, the clothes many actresses adorn are leaving very little as the attire that they adorn is close to undressing on the streets or on TV.  This may become the accepted view from too many people where modesty is passe’.  

Call anyone who thinks that way is prudish.  And they are correct.   Prudence is someone who demonstrates good character when choosing praiseworthy manners to attain worthy ends.  Becoming scrupulous in our moral standards is necessary if we want to be morally upbeat in our society.  We stand for the rights of people who are protecting the rules of decency as an absolute moral choice for all people.  Satan can and will suggest that it is ok to undress women in social arenas.  After all, some may claim, there is nothing shameful about the human body.  But to parade around as a temptation to everyone else is morally deficient and should use discretion when semi-nudity leaves the house onto the streets.

Once these types of actions go silently into the minds of society, we could be entering the same attrition that corrupted Sodom.  When Corinth was preached to by Paul, it was to a very morally corrupt seaport with a statue of a prostitute in sight of ships entering the harbor.  Be careful that our nation does not reach that condition.  

Ralph B. Hathaway