Paganizing Ourselves

 

Within 48 hours I read two separate posts on two social media sites that jarred me. The first was a chastisement of a woman who mercifully saved a baby squirrel from being carried off by a hawk to be eaten, picked over until all that was left was its bones. The chastiser told the rescuer that she ought to have left Nature to take care of itself. Wild animals do what wild animals will do.

The second post was written by someone who’d recently visited an animal shelter and who overheard a woman bring in her older dog to exchange for a younger pup. Thankfully, the woman reporting this incident immediately adopted the older dog.

Now, please do not misinterpret what I am about to say. I am NOT comparing animals to people, but I will say this: How we treat animals DOES reflect how we treat each other.

Solomon said it quite succinctly in Proverbs 12:10 – A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.”

I know I should not be surprised to learn of such callousness toward animals – whether squirrels or old dogs or cats or whatever. I mean, when a NATION is so mercilessly cavalier about the slaughter of more than 65 MILLION pre-born babies in their mother’s womb (euphemistically called ‘abortion), and when mobs of men and women across the country are FURIOUS that the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the individual States can determine their own laws regarding the cold-blooded murder of pre-born babies  – no one should be surprised that we treat animals as if they are like so much feces to be flushed down the toilet.

When a person tries to save a baby squirrel and someone else chastises her, and when people ‘trade in’ their older pet – who for years loved and trusted their owner – when people trade their older pet for a younger one –we must recognize the signs of the times in which we live.

These attitudes are the attitudes of pagan nations. Yes, pagan nations. Nations in which their people think only of themselves and do only what is right in their own eyes. And listen! History is incontrovertible: Pagan nations do not survive for very long. They simply implode on themselves.

The Holy Spirit moved St Paul to write these words to the Christians in Rome – and they apply also to the Christians of our rapidly rotting American culture: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) And there is reason why Jesus warned that in the days before His return, “The love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Don’t think for a moment that even the love of Christians can’t grow cold toward one another – and toward God Himself. It can, and it WILL – unless we remain vigilant in our faith, striving always to enter through the small gate and to walk the narrow path. Our hearts WILL grow cold toward one another and toward God unless we continually renew our mind – day after day after day – renewing our mind with God's holy word, and through prayer, and PRACTICING what we know to be true and right and just.

And it will do well for all of us in the pew and the pulpit to remember Peter. His failure is a sober warning for every Christian. And his reconciliation with Jesus is a comforting promise of our Lord’s mercy.

But it will also do all of us well to remember Judas. For three years he walked with the Lord, ate with Him, listened to Him, watched Him. Yet none of it made a difference in his HEART.

Christian! Pray always that the Holy Spirit will keep your heart soft to Him, that He will always draw you to seek to please Jesus at all times and in all circumstances. Christian, seek the Holy Spirit that He will keep you from paganizing yourself.