Astounded At The Ruins

We are in the thick of it, dear reader, the ruins, in some ways yet to visualize, in others so blatantly obvious, as to turn the stomach sour. 

Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 29:24-25)

From Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible, page 392, pertaining to the verse above:

Why be astounded at the ruins? if you are guilty, self-convicted, self-condemned? You will be forced to acknowledge your shame, that you ruined your own life, spoiled your own family, laid to waste your own future, and theirs by forsaking the Lord your God 

• Ought we to be astounded at the ruins?
• Are we guilty, and self-convicted, by sinning in God's sight and hearing?
• Have we self-condemned, meaning damned ourselves by who we have become and all that we do?

If you answered yes to these questions, then there is hope for you, despite the ruinous and challenging situations you find yourself in. If you answered affirmatively, recognizing that God sees your guilt, that you have convicted and even condemned yourself, and deserve the recompense via damnation, you are in most excellent company. Are these harsh thoughts, and harsh words too? Yes, indeed, they are... and yet, the evidence dear reader, is so gut wrenchingly obvious that we have cumulatively corrupted the earth, that we must not look away; rather, we ought to shame faced gaze until our souls quake and have us saying, I must stop, I must change, I must think and do differently: give up sin for my souls sake, and that of my children. And so much more...

My family is not ruined. My family has been plucked from the fire, washed in the Holy Blood of the Saviour, made new in Christ Jesus. Of my own accord, I could do nothing, in fact, there were times that I lay prostrate, helpless, weeping, and God, and God alone, managed to scrape me off the floor, brush me off, and fill me with the courage to face what looked like devastation irreparable. It was the Lord that we sought, it was the Lord that over time healed, it was the Lord that deserves all the glory, and it was the humans that needed to be salvaged...

Have you ruined your life, dear reader? laid waste your future, and that of your children, by forsaking the Lord your God? The ancient Israelites did this, time and time again, despite having direct access to the Almighty! The shameful bit we must acknowledge now, is we have access too, and yet we prefer our own embarrassingly despicable ways, over the honourable ones he wants most for us. 

If you still have breath, there is a chance that your life can turn around, and by natural influence, you can help your children become godly, and goodly! It is not a far fetched concept, you know: saying yes to what is good, and no to what is evil, is more than possible. If you aren't sure what the differences between good and evil are, there is a very Good Book I highly recommend, that boldly defines all, taking the guess work right out of the wondering! 

We, collectively, are under God's judgment. We, collectively, must be accountable, and as responsible humans, do our bit to save ourselves and others, via submission to the will of God, and returning to our first love. Are you willing? If you are, God will make you able!

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41)

See now, what we, what you, must do? Pray, and God will give you strength to enter not, into temptation. If your spirit is willing, and you admit your flesh is weak and inclined to give in to temptation, God will strengthen your resolve as you depend on him in your saying NO! 

Dare I say it is, That simple? Yes, and no. It is hard in the beginning to change our wayward ways, but over time, with prayer and Bible study, you will want more of him and less of you... and the sinning will not be nearly as appealing. In fact, you can pray, whatever disgusts you Lord, make is repugnant to me too. Believe me when I tell you, this works. 

Try it for yourself, dear one. You won't regret it. 

Lastly, to close the circle and this piece of writing, I suggest to you that if your life is in ruins, you are the one that is in charge of the mess in your head, heart, and soul. You are the one that must detangle and disengage from what has become nightmarish and sick. If you don't, you are the one to blame, when you look about and see the destruction your choices have caused. You will not be able to point a finger at anyone else, and especially, not at God.

Ruin and rebuilding... we ruin ourselves, and God can and will, rebuild us, when we decide to believe and trust that he knows best, and we submit to his will.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (James 4:7-10)