Hallelujah! Spring is in the air!
A smile came to my face the other day as I rounded a corner on the road and saw several hundred buckets collecting sugar maple sap from a grove of trees.
It seems like we have had a “real” winter this year, and I for one, am looking forward to the smells of flowers, and fresh cut lawns!
Living in the mountains of Northwest Pennsylvania, we sometimes get to witness an awesome event. If the winter is cold enough, the mountain streams ice over, and depending on how cold it is; the ice can get thick.
When the weather warms up enough, the rivers begin to melt and at just the right time; the ice begins to break up and go down the river. If you have never experienced the ice going out, you need to see it once in your lifetime; the power is incredible!
I remember growing up in the Village of Cameron, and one night, I believe it was during March, the ice went out. It had been raining off and on all day and the water was coming up over the top of the ice.
It was about 9:30 at night, and we heard the windows shake in the house, we could even feel the vibrations rumbling in the ground. Dad and I, along with a neighbor, grabbed flashlights and headed down to the river behind our house, which was only about 300 yards away.
When we reached the river, the sight was unbelievable! Behind our house, there is a long sweeping corner in the river, and the ice was jamming up. There are two big rocks back there, that are about 15 to 20 feet tall, and ice was going up over-top and crashing down on them.
We could feel the earth shake under the incredible crushing power, of about 6 miles of ice, pressing down around the corner. I will never forget the power and awe of that night!
Once that ice begins to move, nothing can stop it!
How crazy it would be if a person were to get in the way of such a powerful force. A person would be very crazy to go and stand on the ice in front of that flow. They would be ground to pieces!
Yet, today so many are resisting another incredible force; a power that is even stronger and mightier than any ice flow. I am amazed at the flagrant violations of God’s Holy Way that are taking place in our world, and I fear for those who do not know what is coming down the valley.
Some mock God openly, taunting Him to action, while others are just oblivious to the pending danger. We know that God is a God of love, but time is running out for many, and the time of God’s favor is ebbing.
For those of us who know God, we must remember that God is also a God of wrath! His wrath is not for us, but for those who will not inherit the Kingdom of heaven.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
There is a mighty power coming, and those who do not heed the rumblings, will be ground to pieces, I think it is time that we get serious about gathering in the lost, while we still have time.
To experience the wrath of God will be more terrifying than any ice flow. Let’s gently warn those around us of the pending danger, if they choose to get on board, praise God, if not, well then at least they were warned.
Luke 20:17-18
Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? “Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
See you down by the river
