Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Changing Directions"
May 14, 2018
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
~ 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
By the time you read this, it is quite possible that my farmer friends in Minnesota may be doing their spring planting. Major snowstorms in the month of April have played havoc with their annual schedule. One of them -- surveying his fields under a foot and a half of Easter snow -- commented, "Pastor, it sure is hard to believe in global warming."
According to a recent study which was published in a peer-reviewed journal, it appears my buddy may not have to believe in the most dire of predictions made about the barbecuing of our planet.
The study done by Nic Lewis and Judith Curry compared actual temperature records with the records predicted by the computer models. What that comparison told them is that the planet has the ability to deal with CO2 omissions far better than we had once believed. Indeed, Lewis and Curry found that those climate predictions had overestimated global warming by as much as 45 percent.
In other words, things won't be getting as hot as we had been told.
Which is good news for polar bears, coral reefs, cities that are situated on the ocean, fishermen, and whales. It is bad news for Minnesota farmers who have to wait until May to get their crops in the ground.
Now there are a few reasons I share this bit of information with you.
1. I share it because it's a really interesting tidbit of information.
2. I share it because I haven't heard anyone in the weather-global-warming business come forward and say, "Whoops! We were wrong. I'm really sorry about that."
It is that second point which intrigues me. You see, that second point is what we in the Christian community call "repentance." Repentance is something we feel, and say, when we've been brought to the realization that we've been thinking, saying, or doing something which is contrary to the will and wishes of the Lord.
When the Lord's people are shown that they are in the wrong, they don't
1. sweep their transgressions under the rug where they hope people won't notice them;
2. pretend their sins never, ever happened;
3. try to minimize their wrongdoings by comparing their teeny-tiny sins with the monster transgressions of someone else.
No, we don't do those things. Instead, we confess our sins to the Lord Jesus and, if necessary, to each other. Then, rejoicing in the blood-bought forgiveness we have through Jesus, we ask the Holy Spirit to turn us from our wrongful past and point us toward a God-pleasing future.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, it might be nice if the world would come forward and say, "I've been wrong." It would be nice, but it probably won't happen. In contrast, let the people for whom Christ died and rose, confess their sins and rejoice that the Holy Spirit forgives us, so He may set us on the right, God-leading path. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written on April 25, 2018, in Investor's Business Daily. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/global-warming-computer-models-co2-emissions/
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
By the time you read this, it is quite possible that my farmer friends in Minnesota may be doing their spring planting.
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