Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt
Last night I watched a 19-year-old man, Kirani James win Grenada’s first medal in Olympic history, winning the gold medal in the men’s 400 meter event. 
This fine young man has represented his country in more than just sports and track. He has shown Olympian character throughout everything he has done. I am not putting him on a pedestal that no person can live up to. That place is for Jesus alone. But I am always appreciative of those have obtained the stature of role models and actually are a great one for any person to view and learn from. We need them more than ever in this dark world.
In contrast to this, the commercials between the Olympics, previewing upcoming television shows for this Fall seem to get darker and darker with each year that passes. Every year they seem to try to redefine what normal is in this world. Some of the cable networks have had a profanity free-for-all because of a recent judicial ruling. 
Many of the networks are working to promote homosexuality as normal because they see this as an election year battle for whether same-sex marriage will be the new accepted norm. The liberal media is on the side of “normalizing” homosexuality and promoting same-sex marriage and has the power of Hollywood to support it. They do this despite the national polls showing that the majority of Americans do not agree with same-sex marriage or homosexuality. The fact is, more than ever, we are in a day where evil is called good and good evil. In saying that, I am not calling a person, a people group, or a culture of people, evil. I am calling the activities and behaviors that are contrary to God’s word evil. That would include anything that I or anyone else might do that would be inappropriate. (And that sometimes happens.)
Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. If we love Him and live to walk after His ways, His Word, and the leading of His Spirit, that is what He asks of us. Will we ever fail in the process? Of course we will! That is why we need Jesus to begin with. Only His mercy and grace pave the way for any of us to obtain Heaven’s residence. Only the leading of His Spirit and the instruction of His Word help us stay on His path in this life. But forgiveness of sin and His great mercy and grace does not create an acceptance for what God has described as sin. Sin is never okay! It’s not about making God angry. God is love and is full of love – not anger. He is trying to lovingly draw us into His ways. He is not throwing lightning bolts at us or killing us with car accidents, cancer, and disease, or nature. He is trying to reach us by His goodness – by His blessings that touch our life and make us thankful. Romans 2:4 says, “… that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” This world was never created by Him for the functioning of sin. Sin is a curse. It steals from us and destroys lives. It takes society everywhere it does not want to go!
We are now living in a time where the general population is beginning to call evil good and good evil. 
This is not a new thing but it is a dangerous thing. Every society that has embraced sin and made it it’s norm instead of seeking God’s instructions for righteous living, has collapsed at one time or another. No society is immune from the effects of embracing sin. There were times when God would warn His people when they got off track. They would get caught up in the cultures of the world around them and stray from the way God intended for them to live. They would pull further and further from the Lord and before long they would begin to call what was considered evil by God, good, and what was considered good by God, evil. God warned them of making this mistake. Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness or light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Today, I want you simply to understand this: the truth of God’s desires for society and culture are given only to us by God’s word – ways which never change. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What God considers evil will always stay evil. What God considers good will always remain good. Do not tolerate evil in your life. Pursue good with all your heart.
In life’s quest, be sure that you look for the good in people and love them for the good you find. At the same time, do not build a tolerance for evil out of those relationships. Oppose evil so it will not consume you. Oppose it so that you can be a light to a dark world. Oppose it by sharing the love and acceptance of Jesus. That does not mean you accept evil behaviors. It also does not mean you become anyone’s judge or jury. I receive Jesus’ love in my own life while never accepting any sinful or wrong behaviors or attitudes. As I see them, I will expose them by confessing them to God and asking for His grace to change. That is all any of us can do. Oppose evil because God hates evil and the destruction it permeates on mankind. Be vocal and call evil what it is – even in the midst of persecution. Don’t attack people because most every person has good that they do and evil that they succumb to. But oppose evil behavior and resist it in your life and in society. Do what you can to prevent it from ever become a norm!
Proverbs 16:12 (MSG) “Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation”
In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
Published by Pastor Tim Burt
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