Thursday, April 9, 2009
Iowa's Decision
I admit, I am not too current on worldy events. Being without an outside access television antenna, only receiving our local small town newspaper, and avoiding as much of the doom and gloom and tantalizing stories reported on the internet, it was with great sadness that I read this morning of the courts in Iowas decision to make gay marriages legal last week (to be finalized the end of April) with little to no option to the people of this state to voice their opinion.
Romans 1 came to mind. Specifically verse 18, The wrath of god is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. And verse 24 and 26, Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another...Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
God intended marriage as one woman and one man. In homosexuality we see revealed just another form of sin, which we all received from Adam. What is so devastating about our country approving and applauding gay marriages is not that these scriptures say that God will judge our nation for this sin, but that we are already under His judgement. The sinful desires of men to long for men, and women to long for women in homosexual relationships is the result of God giving man over to his own shameful lusts because he has denied God. As you read throughout scripture, we are not the first nation to experience this. But, as you read also in Scripture, God has not dealt kindly with nations that refuse to obey Him and repent of these wicked ways.
Of course, Scripture offers the hope of the Savior. Reading from Acts today revealed the good news! Acts 14:15 Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 10:43b Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name [Jesus]. Repent. Accept Christ as Savior. Obedience to the King of Kings. Best of all, He promised we don't have to do it all alone, He'll do it through us. But our nation does not seem to want to hear that either.Buckle up people, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Now is the time to prepare and decide who's side your on. Choose this day whom you will serve.
