“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!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.” Isaiah 5:20-25
Just when I thought I’d seen it all, there he was. Now I’ve seen all sorts of things in my lifetime, but this one I confess took me by surprise. The man stood in his bikini style underwear, or was it a bathing suit, with the American flag on the tiny piece of clothing he wore, amid loads and loads of people, proudly donning this little piece of clothing, for all to see – his clothing, and his body, as he stood in literally one of the most well known locations on this planet earth. Little did I know he stands there regularly, and little did I know there is even a greeting card for sale in a little shop with that man and his apparel – what little apparel he wore, and wears, that is. Nobody seemed the slightest bit phased about the fact he stands there in his little garb smack dab in the middle of one of the most crowded areas of one of the most crowded cities in the US if not in the world. In his eyes, and in the world’s eyes, it seems there is nothing in the least alarming, or strange, or odd, or wrong with a man showing off his body in such a way. Is there anything wrong with a man dressed in such a sexual way, sexily drawing attention to himself, showing off every part of his body, most of it naked for all the world to see? In the eyes of the world, no, not in the least, it’s the norm, it’s perfectly okay, it’s totally fine, we’re allowed to do whatever we want, whatever makes us happy, whatever pleases others, what brings us pleasure, what gets us looks and stares and perhaps money, whatever we feel like doing, whatever we feel like being, etc.
Long, long ago, in Bible times, the Lord made clear that people had everything backwards. What the world considered right was wrong, and what the world considered wrong was right. God’s will, God’s way, God’s Word, none of it mattered to the people in that time. They had twisted everything around to justify their sinful lifestyles, condoning, approving, making popular what dishonored God, convincing themselves that sin was not sin. Evil was not evil. Darkness was not darkness. And, when it came to God, well, who cared to honor God? They lived for themselves. They lived for their own pleasure. And God warned them, but they would not heed His warning.
You and I, and the rest of this world, may not be walking around crowds of people in our underwear, or skimpy bathing suits, showing off our body parts, and drawing attention to ourselves to bring ourselves and others pleasure, disregarding and dishonoring God, but we need to consider whether we may be walking around in our underwear, and skimpy bathing suits, in other ways, so to speak.
Are there things we’re doing in our lives that we are excusing, and condoning, and justifying, and convincing ourselves that they are okay, that we’re okay, that we’re doing right, when really we’re doing wrong, because we’re looking at the world to be our model rather than looking to the Lord and to His Word and doing what’s right in His sight? Are we living for pleasure? Are we living for ourselves? Are we living to draw attention to ourselves? Are we living to show ourselves off to others? Are we living for money instead of for the Lord? Are we drenched in pride rather than lowering ourselves in humility? Are we looking at the world to set our standards, or to the Lord to live by His? Are we excusing our sin because the world says it’s okay?
Do you realize we’re living in one of those times, again, in which the world has everything twisted around? When wrong is considered right? When right is considered wrong? When what’s popular is what dishonors God?
There’s a tidal wave in this day and age of debauchery, of wickedness, of false religions and false gods, of a world filled with people consumed with themselves rather than consumed with God, and people, so many people, are being swept away with the tide, being drawn into it all, joining in the wave, falling away from what is right, falling away from God, falling away from His ways.
Look closely at your life, friend. And most of all at your heart. Who are we to point the finger at the man in his skimpy whatever he wears in public when we need to look at ourselves and ask ourselves these questions.
On a daily basis, hour by hour, breath by breath, am I living my life in a way that is pleasing to God? Am I pleasing the Lord? Am I living to love and honor Him, to adore and worship Him?
The world may pat us on the back for doing what’s wrong in God’s eyes, and the world may make us popular when we allow ourselves to be swept away with the tidal way of the world’s evil ways, but at the end of the day, where we spend eternity, heaven or hell and the lake of fire, and, most importantly, with whom, the Lord or the devil, and how we will spend our time remaining on this earth, in the Lord’s awesomely amazing presence, in fellowship now and forever with Him, or drowning in the yuck and muck and dark of wickedness, of living for self and pleasure, it will come down to this.
Will you give your heart and life utterly to the Lord Jesus Christ or will you be swept away with the tidal wave of wrongdoing?
This isn’t about a man in his underwear. God will deal with the man who parades around the way he does about anything in his life that dishonors God.
This is about you and me. And whether we are living for the Lord Jesus Christ – or not.
For God will deal with us all. Yes, all of us. For how we all live our lives on this earth. And for whom we live. For ourselves – or for Him!
Is it time to repent? Is the Spirit of God speaking to you?
Please listen. And obey.