Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD."¹

Chuck Colson in Breakpoint shared the following illustration. "It's a cartoon staple: Donald Duck is quarreling with chipmunks, Chip and Dale. When Chip and Dale race up a tree, Donald Duck saws off the branch on which the chipmunks are sitting. But the laws of physics operate differently in cartoon land than in real life. When Donald finishes sawing through the branch, it doesn't fall to the ground; the tree does.

"The cartoon is funnyâ€"but in real life, if someone saws off the branch we're sitting on, there are dire consequences. This is just as true when it comes to the law as it is with trees."

There's a great tendency today among many, including some Christians unfortunately, to compromise convictions for convenience especially when we cut off the branches of God's laws that we don't like or want.

For instance, I recall an ad on the radio a few years ago reminding us of how many million people up to that date had died of AIDS. The ad pointed out that that was as many people as the entire population of Australia. For a hard-hitting emotional emphasis, the ad then says, "Could you imagine wiping out the entire population of a nation?"

Most of us will agree that help is urgently needed to stop the spread of this dreaded disease. However, while the importance of safe sex is emphasizedâ€"abstinence in most circles isn'tâ€"which is the only safe sex outside of marriage. And what about the estimated 45 million babies who have been killed by abortion in the U.S. since abortion was made legalâ€"not to mention the murderous atrocity of partial-birth abortion! Who will weep for these innocent, helpless children? That's twice the population of Australiaâ€"the land of my birth. And I surely thank God that abortion wasn't legal when my mother was carrying me! And I would dare to suggest that most, if not all, pro-abortionists were also thankful that abortion wasn't the choice of their mothers.

In reality, can we Americans in particular expect God to deliver us from terrorism without when we legalize it from within? And how long will we justify and excuse irresponsible sexual and other sinful behaviors?

What we fail to realize is that God's laws were given for our safety, wellbeing, and protection. When we distort or defy His laws to justify and excuse behavior that God calls sin, we don't merely cut off the branches, we destroy the tree. In other words we ultimately destroy ourselves and the world of our children and our children's children.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in your mercy please sendâ€"whatever it takesâ€"a great spiritual awakening to our land while there is still time. Help us to see that we cannot defy Your laws and live safely and securelyâ€"nor establish a safe and secure haven for our children and our children's children. May we as a people turn to You, the God who reminds us that "blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord." Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 33:12 (NIV).

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