"King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon." Man, what an ugly thing it was! But the people had it there because they had no backbone and tolerated it.
And many today lack teaching in God's Scriptures, lack courage, and lack convictions. Any dead fish can float downstream with the flow.
You have today what you've tolerated. Yes you do, and you'll have tomorrow what you now tolerate.
Think about that for a minute. Do you tolerate your children disrespectfully smarting off to their teachers, to delegated authorities, or to older people? Are they allowed to cuss you out in private or in public? Parents that allow this have a lot of cussing and disrespect.
Do you tolerate lust, presumption, envy, prayerlessness, hubris, procrastination, ungrateful entitlement-attitudes, criminals illegally creeping across your boarders with drugs, the worship of perverse and lawless-leaders, spiritual compromise, lukewarm or carnal living, or unfruitfullness, or sloppy work?
"Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions." ~ G.K. Chesterton
"The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil." ~ Leonard Ravenhill
"It's unpopular to take a strong stand on anything (these days) except tolerance." ~ John Piper
I personally would never say that AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuals as many so called Christians have done. He loves them just as much as He loves any of us sinners. Besides, I am not God to know everything that He thinks or does regarding the wrong choices we each have made, but it and other diseases are indeed here on earth because of man's sin, pride, perversion and faulty view of God. The were zero sicknesses in the Garden of Eden. We've all blown it in different ways and our society gone astray has come to tolerate way too much. Yeah, we sow the wind and then reap the whirlwind and often blame God who has lovingly taught us and even warned us.
The Good News is that we have a holy Savior who forgives, who heals, who restores, and who patiently waits for thickheaded suborn rebels like me. What a relief to turn to Jesus! And there are so many Bible promises for those who believe. Do you have a two way meaningful relationship with Him today? Perhaps you need to returned to Him?
"As a follower of Jesus, you will be healed. Period. It's only a matter of time." ~ John Mark Comer
This week 70 Christian churches were burned to the ground in Egypt and how many mainstream media networks covered it? None, but what if they were Islamic Mosques or gay bathhouses? You know all would have. I'm glad that Fox News and Drudge covered those deeds. It's funny..or rather pitiful how our U.S. leader really hates and has spoken out against both outlets.
From time to time there have been those with the right character who have stood up against the evil in spite of the wrong desires of the crowd.. against the foolish kind of tolerances of their day.
What does God say to His kids who really love Him and hate sin..those who have inner convictions from Him? "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.'" (Isa. 43:1-2 nkjv).
And what came about just because loyal Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to tolerate destructive sin? Well check it out. King Nebuchadnezzar said, "Therefore, I make this decree: 'If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!' Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon." (Dan. 3:29-30).
In a world that advocates foolish kinds of tolerance every single day of the week, it's time we re-look at Daniel 3 and take a stand.. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you..." (16-18). facebook.com/shareJesus
