Today's lifestyles pose challenges

Fall is in the air. The beautiful fall leaves display their colors in an arrangement of hues. One can only marvel at the beauty. In the spring we marveled at the budding trees, bushes and shrubs and waited for the small leaves to open and impress us with the leafy green shade. All of this we acknowledge to be God's creation.

After God had created all this beauty, He created man in His own image. He saw that it was not good that man be alone, so he created a help meet for him. Adam named the help meet, Woman, and said, "because she was taken out of Man" (Gen. 2:23) The Lord God told Adam what he can do and what would cause death. The subtile serpent bequiled the woman into disobidience to the instruction God had given and she gave unto her husband to partake of also. The promise which God had given came true. They whom God had created in perfection had fallen into sin and could no longer dwell in the paradise God had created for them. But God also gave a promise of a Savior for sin fallen man. All of this we read in the first three books of the Bible.

Because of the inherited sin, man by nature is corrupt and not Heaven acceptable. The Old Testament traveler, who believed upon the promised one of God was cleansed through faith.

The apostle Peter reminds us of Lots life. In the second chapter, verse 8 of his second letter he says, "For the righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteoussoul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." One can only wonder what Lot would experience in today's world. Same sex unions, homosexuals in the clergy, and the accepted lifestyles of today are not as they were in the past nor founded on God's word. Is it even of this generation that Isaiah did prophecy, and of which prophecy Jesus speaks to the Scribes and Pharisees as recorded in Matt. 15:7-9? "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

God is yet calling sinners unto repentance even as Jesus instructed the disciples, to preach repentance and remission of sins. (Luke 24:27) The Psalmist says, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90: 13) Of that wisdom the apostle says, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (1 Cor. 2:13)

The teaching, reminding and admonition of Jesus, as recorded in several verses of Matt. 24 come to mind. Verse 37, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Then in Verse 42, "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." When we study the time of Noah we see the ungodly life, much the same as Lot also probably experienced in his life. The Psalmist writes, "Harden not your heart." (Ps 95:8) It is the hardened heart which does not need the grace of God, nor will they seek Him who would heal them and come to dwell in their hearts in the Holy Spirit, God in the third person of the Triune God.

Lastly the words of the apostle Peter: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of

God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you."

(1 Peter 5:6-7)