Morning, readers! We’re very lucky to have Francine Rivers back on the blog today! It’s always such a pleasure to have Francine share her heart with us through her beautiful stories.
I’m in BSF again this year, and we’re studying Revelation. It is all about Jesus. Sovereign God, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Creator, the Word, Truth. He hasn’t changed since the beginning, and from the beginning God has used His creation to speak to man.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they had to leave the garden and contend with thistles, till soil, plant and harvest crops. It didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse. Second generation Cain murdered his brother Abel. A few generations later, Lamech is boasting of taking revenge seventy-times seven. Wickedness grew exponentially. So God made the first rainstorm and flooded the world.
God used His creation to reveal Himself to stubborn Pharaoh who thought himself god and made his people suffer plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, hail, locusts, and darkness before he let the Israelites go free. When the Israelites reached the Promised Land, God told them of the blessings of faith and the curses of rejecting Him. Did they listen? Sometimes they did. Most of the time, they thought they knew better and could do without Him. So the Lord sent prophets.
Noncooperative Jonah faced a horrendous storm and was swallowed by a fish before he did what God told him. Annoyed because enemies listened to the message, he sulked. God used a large plant, a small worm, and a scorching wind to teach him a lesson. The prophet Nahum said God displays His power in the whirlwind and storm, clouds, oceans, rivers (dry up), pastures (fade away), green forests (wither), earth (trembles). Zechariah spoke of fire, Joel of locusts. Those are just a few, and in every case, God did what He said He would do when the people refused to believe Him at His Word. And here we are again . . .
The vast majority of people today don’t believe in Jesus Christ. They don’t read the Bible. They don’t care what God says. The truth is refusing to believe doesn’t mean we won’t all suffer consequences. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 gives a chilling description of what our world looks like today. God also tells us how to get things right. Have faith in Him.
World leaders and news anchors talk about climate change, the causes and how to fix it. Good luck with that. Better to take a good hard look at how we view God, the Creator, and how we treat one another. What’s the solution to climate change and the world’s problems? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength—and love one another. And live accordingly.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One” (Revelation 1:8).
Have a wonderful weekend!
