Ep 49 "Paying the Price"

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Big Sky Writer INTRO.

Thank you, Mark. 

And thank you for dropping by to listen.

This is Episode 49 “Paying the Price.”

Have you ever done something wrong and then realized that you would have to pay a price for your mistake?

Perhaps it was something little when you were young that brought you a verbal reprimand or maybe a “time out¹.”

Or, perhaps, it was something a little more significant.

I can remember when I was living in Los Angeles.

One day I was driving to Glendale and took a route that was lightly traveled. I came to an intersection that only had a STOP sign.

No traffic lights.

Just a sign.

And at that particular time of day there was no traffic, which is why I chose that route.

As I came to the sign, I did what we called a “California Stop.”

Which is just another way of saying … I didn’t really stop.

Now don’t misunderstand.

I did slow down.

And I did look both ways to make sure there were no cars coming, and that it was safe to continue.

But I have to admit I didn’t actually come to a complete stop as the law required.

It was no big deal.

A California stop.

Everybody did it.

So I went through the intersection and continued on my way, and that’s when I noticed in my rearview mirror some flashing red lights on top of the car behind me.

Then there was a very short burst from a siren.

So I pulled over, turned off the ignition, rolled down the window, and watched in the side mirror as the officer got out of his car and walked slowly toward my door.

He carried a ticket book in his hand.

What could I say?

Telling the officer it was just a California stop was probably not going to work.

I knew at that moment, I was going to pay the price.

THE WORST PUNISHMENT

Sometimes we seem to “get away” with our sins, but quite often the time comes when we have to pay the price.

And it’s not just individuals.

Even nations have to pay the price.

God has made it clear in His Word that He judges nations with things like inflation, plagues, floods, droughts, hunger, war, slavery … definitely stuff a little more intense than a “time out” or a traffic ticket.

If you look at our world today, you probably are aware that we are facing all — as in ALL — of those things.

Perhaps one of the worst punishments God gives a nation is … well, let me read from the Word.

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”
Psalm 81:11-12

God letting people “follow their own counsels” is one of the worst punishments God can give a nation.

What?

Doing your own thing.

That doesn’t sound so bad.

In fact, it sounds kind of good … fun even.

If you believe that, I need you to pause.

Please, turn on your brain.

And think.

You can only say that everyone doing their own thing is good in a society … if you don’t know human history and … if you don’t have an understanding of human nature.

Through thousands of years of history, people have demonstrated that if they reject God and are left to their own devices … bad things happen.

Very bad things happen.

If you know the story of the flood, God destroyed all of mankind, except for eight people, because they were doing their own thing. And their own thing was not good.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. … So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land …”
Genesis 6:1-7

Evil continually!

That’s what people do when they choose to walk away from God.

And there is a price to pay for that.

Even the Israelites, after being miraculously freed from slavery in Egypt, turned away from God after they entered the Promised Land.

And how did that rejection of God work out?

“… they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. … They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, who they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.”
Psalm 106: 35-38

That sounds awful.

Parents sacrificing their own children to demons and idols.

Are you still thinking like I asked you to do?

WE HAVE REJECTED GOD

If you are, you are probably aware that our society has clearly rejected God.

Do we pour out the innocent blood of our children?

Remember, you’re thinking.

Since Roe v. Wade was made the law of the land by the Supreme Court in 1973, Americans we have brutally murdered over 63 million of our children.

To do that we crush the skulls of our babies, rip off their arms and legs, and then reassemble the body parts after killing the babies just to be certain we didn’t leave a hand or foot inside the mother that might cause an infection.

Now the people of Israel sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons and idols.

Who do we sacrifice our children to?

Our idols tend to be … us.

If having a baby would inconvenience me, then I’ll kill it because I worship me so much, I won’t allow myself to be inconvenienced.

Killing babies isn’t the only result of going our own way.

Consider our schools where we teach elementary school children how to engage in sexual perversions, teach them that boys and girls can magically change sexes at will (even if it requires chemicals or surgeries), and if our children are feeling sad, our public schools and public libraries will gladly host a drag show for them.

And if you dare to suggest these activities are “grooming” the children for a terrible future, you’ll be warned that you can’t use the term “grooming.” In fact some social media sites will ban you if you try to use the term.

Because the term implies the children are being “groomed” to become the targets of pedophiles. And you can’t use that term either because that would make pedophiles feel bad.

You must identify pedophiles as “Minor Attracted Persons” so they don’t feel bad.

What do think God sees when He looks at Americans today?

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We’ve seen that throughout history — nations pursuing evil because they have rejected God and done their own thing.

The ancient Assyrians often skinned their captives alive after winning a battle.

The Romans held “games” for the enjoyment of the public where gladiators fought to the death, or women and children were mauled and eaten by wild animals. Some Roman emperors even put people on stakes and set them on fire to light their gardens at night.

The Aztecs would gather their captured enemies and cut out their hearts while they were still alive.

In the last century, Marxists have murdered over 100,000,000 (that’s one hundred million) of their own people. For some reason they also felt it was important to torture many of those people.

China has engaged in the in the forced harvesting of organs from people who did not want their organs removed.

During the 1930’s and 40’s, the Germans killed children with birth defects, or those with mental problems, or the elderly, or Gypsies, or Poles, or Slaves, or Jews. German medical doctors conducted vicious medical experiments on unwilling participants.

“Because I have called and you refused to listen … no one has heeded … you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof … therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.”
Proverbs 1:20-33

“… they shall eat the fruit of their way …”

There is a price to pay if a nation rejects God.

Do you want to pay that price?

Do you want your children to pay that price?

ELECTIONS ARE COMING

In just a couple of months, elections are happening in the United States. Many people feel if they can just elect “their” candidates then life will be good.

While I encourage you to vote, electing your slate of candidates is not going to solve our nation’s problems.

Because our problem is not which politicians are in power. Our problem is that we, as a nation, have rejected God.

And we are now following our own way or the way of demons or the way of idols.

And there is a heavy price for any nation that chooses to do that.

A Book You Should Read

As a former history teacher, I have to admit that in my studies I have run across the stories of some fascinating people — some are inspirational, some are thrilling, some are courageous.

One of my favorite people in American History is a man by the name of Henry Bibb. Born a slave in 1815 in Kentucky, he shares what life was like growing up in the South, what it was like to marry the girl of his dreams, and what it was like to try to raise a family within that institution known as slavery.

After a number of unsuccessful attempts, Henry Bibb managed to escape from his “owner” and flee to a free state. But Henry couldn’t stand the thought that his wife and daughter were still in the vice-grip of slavery, so he disguised himself and went back to the South in an attempt to rescue his family.

This is a thrilling story that deals with a dark time in our nation’s history. Written by the man who experienced the events, this book will give you a feeling for what slavery was really like.

It will also reveal to you a man who was courageous and set an example for those of us seeking to live life well.

Read the book!

Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave, Written by Himself. This link will send you to a free digital copy of the 1849 book written by Henry Bibb. The first few pages are statements from people who knew Henry. His story begins on page 16.

Here are some stories I found interesting recently. I would encourage you to check them out.

“Why ESG is the biggest scam of the 21st century.” Glenn Beck interviews Vivek Ramaswamy. A fascinating discussion of the attempted reconstruction of society through governments and companies working together.

“Woke Military Policies to Blame for Recruitment Crisis, Servicemembers Say” by J. M. Phelps. The U.S. military is falling way behind its recruiting goals. This article suggests several reasons for that failure.

“Why Are So Many Young Americans Irreligious? The Secular Brainwash is the First Reason” by Dennis Prager.

“War on words: Left seeks to redefine terms like female, pedophile and even recession” by Natalia Mittelstadt.

Before I go I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today!

Clint

1. I was raised back in the dark ages when parents didn’t know about things like “time outs.” They went right to the spanking stage. I apologize for saying the “s” word but that was the way things were in those ancient times. It’s a wonder any of us survived.