Recycle the Heart

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind.”  Isaiah 65:17

 

“And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Genesis 1:28

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  2nd Corinthians 5:17

 

The other day I was on the internet and I saw something that had been posted about disposable one-time use plastic, in regards to the wastefulness of it.  I’m not in disagreement about when there is a better way to do something, that is both efficient and economically intelligent to do, than do it.  Certainly we live in a world that has a bunch of waste and our landfills are filling up.

 

There is a merit on keeping things cleaned up and being sensible.  After all, who wants to have to get their drinking water from polluted sources, have to live next to industrial waste or smell a gigantic landfill?  God said that we can subdue the earth, but does that mean that when we clear cut for lumber that we can’t plants some new trees for future generations? 

 

Just how much pollution does war make?  How much waste is caused because of technological advancements that have been held back due to big oil?  As our society progresses on, oddly enough walking opposite from God, people seem to become more infatuated with going green. 

 

After all there is talk from our politicians about a green new deal, as well as no longer having children.  Perhaps this sort of thinking is one of the reasons that the Democratic party supports abortion so much?  Yet, I can’t help to pass along this verse that a friend pointed out, in regards to the world’s green agenda? 

 

“So I looked, and behold, a pale green horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed behind him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”  Revelation 6:8

 

People are very concerned about climate change, global warming, global cooling, whatever generation you happened to grow up, but what does those who fill the pews of churches around the country say to this:

 

“And the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.  And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has authority over these plagues; and they did not repent to give Him glory.”  Revelation 16:8-9

 

So both of these things happen in the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), better known as the Tribulation.  So much for combating climate change?  Shall the giant hailstones be mentioned also (Rev. 16:21)? 

 

Well the problem here is that those who call themselves Christians, the churches, should be focused primary on preaching the Gospel.  After all, men’s hearts are exceedingly filthy and need to be recycled, who else can do that but Jesus Christ? 

 

“And He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins be preached in His name to all nations, beginning out of Jerusalem.”  Luke 24:46-47

 

“Come now and let us reason together, says Jehovah: Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  Isaiah 1:18

 

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men that is required for us to be saved.”  Acts 4:12

 

“I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must lead, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. This precept I have received from My Father.”  John 10:14-18

 

Sin needs to be recycled and the only way that sin can be recycled is by repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.  Only through the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5) can we be made whole and in Christ.

 

…“testifying both to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Acts 20:21

 

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are made full in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority.  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in immersion, in which you also were raised with Him through the faith of the working of God, who raised Him out from the dead.  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross; having disarmed rulers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”  Colossians 2:9-15

 

How is it that the vast majority of churches have forgotten that this world is not here forever?  How is it that they can preach that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the Cross for our sins and the sins of the world, believe Him there, but not believe that there will one day be a new earth (Is. 65:17)?

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  The one believing into Him is not judged; but the one not believing is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But the one doing the truth comes to the Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been worked in God.”  John 3:16-21

 

While we, who are Christians, are foreigners (Phil. 3:20) on this earth, there is no reason to leave it trashed.  Yet it would make sense that we preach the Gospel to anyone who will listen that they too might become foreigners with us.  Have you not heard the horrors that will happen during the Tribulation?

 

Of course, those who are truly Saved, those who have repented and by faith believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior will not be here during that time (1 Thes. 5:9, Rev. 4:1) – despite what others may teach.   Though those whose hearts were not recycled will still be here.  For God has made it abundantly clear for those who are willing to listen.

 

“And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, out of the things which were written in the books.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one, according to their works.  And Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”  Revelation 20:11-15

 

So really the focus should be this:

 

“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, of what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness, looking for and earnestly hastening unto the coming of the Day of God, through which the heavens will be dissolved, being set on fire, and the elements will melt with intense burning?  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and without blemish; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware also that you not be led away with the error of the wicked, and fall from your own steadfastness.  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”  2nd Peter 3:11-18

 

So the next time you buy one product over another, due to reducing waste, take a look over at the person in front or behind you in the checkout lane and ponder if their heart has been recycled.  For this world is coming to an end, but the work is plenty and few are laboring.

 

“And He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Matthew 9:37-38

 

Amen!