Not to long ago I read an education article that wrote in certain schools teachers were no longer going to use red ink to mark a mistake. The reason? Certain educators felt the color red was to psychologically harmful and the color purple was a “softer” way to let students know there was a better answer than the one they provided.
You have no doubt heard similar stories range from athletics, education, or society but it seems as if our purple ink society is expressing a deep anxiety over matters of right and wrong, correct and incorrect and absolute or relative truth.
When I was a young boy I remember seeing an eyeball sign posting a neighborhood watch was present. By itself the sign could do nothing but its very presence made you wonder who was watching and what were they looking for? Long before the neighborhood crime watch God addressed the necessity of watchmen always being present and alert. But I wonder if we are now living in a day where absolutes are not absolute and right may be wrong, or a vice versa, what can the watchmen be looking out for? Said another way do the majority of people still believe there is a need for watchmen in an age of social, moral, societal and spiritual relativism?
Despite what society may want you to believe, and accept, Scripture actually weighs in heavily for the ongoing need of watchmen, and thankfully their role has not changed from antiquity to today. While civilization has always had some version of local police, military support and spiritual shepherds their assignments were never designed to remove the individuals responsibility to be watchmen for their personal walk, family and spiritual identity of their community.
By its very name a watchman must be watching for something. Simply defined watchmen must watch for danger and potential enemies that may be abroad or much closer. While society is prone to define and identify certain evils, or wrongs, there are many dangers that continue to sneak in past our “walls of safety” because we are missing qualified watchmen who are looking out for clever errors, mistruths and willful deceptions. Such inaccuracies have a way of subtly seeping into our spiritual culture and infecting the minds, and spirit, of many who are living under the assumption they are safe when they are very much at risk. If we have become comfortable accepting unaware watchmen, or assuming someone else is looking out for us when they are not, then not only are we at personal risk but our future generations are in danger of being overtaken with duplicity and deception.
Vasculogenic etiologies type usually represents largest group, with arterial or inflow getting viagra in australia https://unica-web.com/ENGLISH/2015/GA2015-presidents-report-2.html failure which is most common. The drug is not a branded version but the effects allow you to become erect at will up to four days. viagra side online You do on line cialis unica-web.com not have to be completely impotent to suffer – some people may suffer from poor libido. IUI is a procedure that involves placing sperm inside a visit that web-site cialis no prescription woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The purple ink society is one without absolutes and far worse it deceives many of the reality discovered in the “red ink” of sin. Most Christians are aware of the Thou Shalt Not’s but what about the little foxes that creep in from their lurking places where deception is born? (See Song of Solomon Ch.3)
While the police and pastors provide a great line of societal and spiritual defense you must, yourself, build your own watch-tower and faithfully continue to stay on duty. Certainly God foresees all would be attacks, and attackers, but He has also positioned watchmen for the express purposes to hear His voice and follow His instruction so as to protect those He so greatly loves. Charles Spurgeon once encouraged fellow Christians, “Continue O gracious Watchman, to forewarn us of our foes, and for Zion’s sake hold not thy peace.”
Could it be that today’s church and culture has lost the need for watchmen? Have we arrived in such a place of spiritual and natural safety there is no longer a need to watch in the night or day?” Has the local church prayerfully watched for what weather may be coming in this season? Does our nation discern the spiritual and natural clouds that are lowering and warning everyone what may be overhead? (See Isaiah 21:11)
The reason Scripture provides us with the role of watchmen is because we must care for the Church with the same measure of anxious love the King has for His bride. The additional reward and responsibility for the watchmen is their ability to also see the Lord’s promises on the horizon. While a watchman may be looking for dangers he or she is also looking to Jesus, as the lodestar, so they may prepare His sons and daughters for the seasons ahead.
Get your ladder, climb your tower and stay on watch!
Blessings – Pastor JOSHUA