My dear readers,

Remain or Be Removed – Your Choice

Proverbs 10:25: “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.”

The world of sin and sinners have no option but to do evil and commit greater wickedness. The reason is that the god of this world, the old serpent, the devil himself, has a deadly grip over every form of communication, propaganda and control. He has been given absolute rule over this world by the one living and true almighty God. As such the world is marching headlong toward her own demise and all who are without Christ are living a life of delusion. The make-belief facade of glitter and gold is nothing but the bitterness of wormwood festering in its own decay. The stench of it is masked by its fragrant perfume of lies and debaucherous living. Foolish men, women and children in the millions are being blinded and drugged by its alluring aroma till they all die in sin and are deservedly cast into hell! This is the tragic life of the wicked who do not know that they are!

The seed of all wickedness is idolatry. The word “wicked” in Hebrew simply refers to one who is morally wrong. Because of idolatry, man’s sinful state is reduced to total depravity. Idolatry is the rejection and denial of the existence of the one living and true God by atheists and also anyone who worships or serves anything or anyone who is not the one living and true God even though “they believe in God.” The worst sin that man can commit against God is idolatry. Idolatry is not a sin against man but against God specifically. Therefore, when a person commits the sin of idolatry, he does not see himself as a great sinner. For example, a professing believer who marries an unbeliever, and his Christian parents attend the wedding and give their blessing. Do the parents not realize that they have made their child their idol? They disobeyed God’s clear teaching on not being unequally yoked with unbelievers.

The Word of God that best describes the sin of idolatry and its evil fruits is in Romans 1:21-32: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

All the deeds of the wicked ones are fleeting like when a whirlwind passes through a town. Everything in its path is destroyed. The life and work of the wicked will be razed to the ground by God. All man-made cities and bridges from the largest to the tallest to all types of dwellings and hideouts that are underground or in the deepest oceans will be destroyed by the almighty God. The wicked and the works of the wicked will be punished and destroyed by God respectively.

In contrast, “the righteous is an everlasting foundation.” Only Christians are righteous in the sight of God. They are righteous before God because of their salvation in Christ. They have been imputed with the righteousness of Christ when they accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour. They cannot be removed from heaven and earth by any man. The invincibility of every believer is based upon the absolute sovereignty of God. If God ordained any of His children to remain on earth and be in a particular place, not even a whirlwind can remove him. He remains rooted and unmoveable. His time and service on earth stand. His place in heaven is even more secure. God compares him to an everlasting foundation that is eternally strong and firmly grounded. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that can shift or remove his place in heaven. Death, disease and Satan and his minions will never be found in heaven. As long as Jesus Christ lives and remains as every believer’s great High Priest, his home in heaven is eternal.

The deeds of every believer are also righteous before God because they come from the mind, heart and hands of righteous ones. These righteous deeds are not automatic. The righteous one must ensure that his heart is constrained by the love of God behind every word spoken and deed done. He must also walk according to God’s will and Word. His prayer life must be without ceasing. He must not regard iniquities in his heart. The moment he knows that he has sinned against God, he must repent and return to holiness immediately. His desire for righteousness knows no bounds. He is now a new person in Christ. He ceases his old habit of practising situational ethics. He stops manipulating people and circumstances.

He trusts his LORD by doing what is right according to Holy Scriptures. The Bible is now literally the lamp unto his feet and light unto his path. He experiences how wonderful the Bible is in his life from the day of his salvation. This is the only Book on earth that always teaches him all things righteous. He needs to study and meditate on all that he studies so that he will think, talk and live according to this perfect Book of Life. He will tread no other path but the righteous one as this reflects his inner righteousness. He likes all things righteous. He does all things justly toward all men, including his personal enemies and God's enemies.

He does all things pleasing to his heavenly Father by his righteous motives and life. He feels very comfortable at the thought of being in heaven where the righteousness of God and Christ prevail. The reason is he lives the same righteous life all his days on earth, serving and praising the Lord since the day he was born again in Christ.

Conclusion – To remain or to be removed is our choice. If we are truly born again in Christ, we will remain forever in eternity with the eternal God our heavenly Father, and His eternal Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If we do nothing, we will be removed by the holy God like a whirlwind passing through our sin-filled lives. Everything will be totally destroyed if our deeds and life are rooted in rotten wood.

All of us know that we were born in sin. Our own sinful heart convicts us of this truth. Our own words and life condemn us, for we have sinned grievously against the thrice holy God. Choose wisely by choosing Christ who is Life, and not death. Amen.