Call a Spade a Spade

Woe to those who call evil good
       and good evil,
       who put darkness for light
       and light for darkness,
       who put bitter for sweet
       and sweet for bitter.     Isaiah 5:20

This verse is so pertinent today.  I'm thinking of the oil spill in the gulf, and thinking . . . for crying out loud.  Why can't this just be (and I use the word "just" very loosely) about an oil spill?  Why does it have to be about politics and pointing fingers and blaming and naming?

In Matthew 5:37, Jesus said, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."  The blame game?  Not godly.  "Spinning" the bad news?  Not holy.  Changing the definition of  "is?"  Don't even get me started.

In this day, it can seem as if there is no absolute good or evil, no moral right or wrongs.  But you know what?  We as Christians just need to call a spade a spade and stand on the truth of the Bible.  There ARE things that are absolutely wrong!!!  Right?

We wonder why the world is such a mess today, and Isaiah tells us why.  It's because we try to pretend that bitter is sweet, and sweet is bitter.  No wrongs, no rights, everything is just blah.

But God IS sweet.  Obedience is sweet.  Sin is bitter.  Joy is sweet.  Sorrow is bitter.  Hope is sweet.  Despair is bitter.  EVERYTHING godly is sweet.  EVERYTHING sinful is bitter.  No matter what the world says, the news says, or even the president says.  God is the only way to true sweetness.

Which brings up sweetness as a personality trait.  You know, the only way to stay truly sweet is to stay faithful to God and His ways.  When other things substitute for Him, it's just like using sugar substitutes:  it gets really close, but it just doesn't taste the same. 

Praying today that God will bring about His sweetness in your life!