Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart can tell these days are questionable at best evil even. With the reporting of wars and the rumor of wars. Floods, starvation on one side of the earth and a bounty on the other.

Murders of strangers by strangers, murders of people familiar, murders within a family.

The level of sexual horrific-ness, separation of families, children being neglected, abused, murdered by those they are supposed to be able to trust and love; both in the womb and out.

All through Scripture we see the same or similar state of society as we do today. Nothing has really changed. Even right down to a desire for a king, or a president as the case was for us these past several months and over the centuries.

In the beginning it started with God walking in the cool of the day with our original parents, and due to our pride and greed, sin, we lost that up close and personal connection with our Creator. God, then, through the words and hands of prophets, spoke to His people called by His name.

Though there isn’t really a strong timeline from Adam and Eve committing their first sin, it was about 1,000 years God’s people tolerated the prophets before asking for a king. Samuel was the prophet to lead the Israelite’s into this new reign and way of life that has never ceased.

Enter King Saul.

We are still seeking a king to lead us to victory and prosperity today. Currently it is Donald Trump.

Then it happened. Silence. Our Father was silent. For about 400 years the children of God heard nothing. Until, through the voice of an old priest, Zacharias, a word from God was spoken, or written as the case may be.

The children of God now enter a new age of hope realized after about 2,000 years of prophecy mixed with silence leading to this very moment, the birth of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist, the one who encourages us to make straight our way to the Messiah. To repent. Be baptized. Seek. Find. Our God, made man, in Christ Jesus.

The Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world.

One would think this would be what would satisfy us. Walking once again with God on the earth. But once again, pride and greed, sin, get the better of us and we kill our Creator.

But God made a way where there was no other way, the resurrection of the spotless perfect Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, conquering sin, death, and the grave. He walks briefly again on this earth, gives His disciples their marching orders, and goes Home.

What happens next is the birth of Christ’s Church. A people united under Jesus, under a banner of love, grace, hope, forgiveness, mercy, faith.

People, called Christians, people of The Way, were murdered, jailed, burned on crosses because of their faith in Jesus. They would not renounce their faith.

It’s the perfect plan, from the perfect Savior, for His imperfect people who make up His Church. We are admonished to keep ourselves from evil, to follow Jesus closely. To not be of the world, but just live in it. With His leadership through the Holy Spirit,

What if the day came we were jailed for our faith? Hung on a cross and burned?

For your faith.

What will you do?

This world is filled with distractions that tickle our imaginations and throw fire on our passions. All of it meant to keep us distracted from what is most important. Our relationship with Jesus. Jesus offers us peace in John 14. We find joy unspeakable in 1 Peter 1:8. Matthew 11: 28-30 is simply beautiful. It just goes on and on. The more we seek Him, the more we learn, the more we can rest. No, it doesn’t mean life is easy, but we have a better understanding of who we really are and where we are going.