Great are the words of Isaiah

     I have decided I want to know my Heavenly Father better. I have read scriptures quite a bit and pondered what angle I could use to make my study more fruitful. Jesus himself promoted Isaiah as a great prophet writer so I figured maybe I could benefit from reading that book again. I was struck with Isaiah 33:14-16.
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
     Isaiah, as a prophet, speaks outside of time as measured by mortal beings. His words might apply to people in his lifetime, or in the future, or WAYYY in the future. But the principle is the same. If we want to not feel afraid, we need to walk and speak righteously. What does that mean? Can we just determine for ourselves what is right and fair? I, for one, don't feel qualified to set a standard like that. I have no interest in judging others. I'm grateful God is as merciful as He is considering that He is perfect and powerful. However, He will judge everyone. He has given us the agency (freedom) to decide for ourselves what standard we want to go by. We can choose what we think is right. I have not yet met a human being whose judgment I would trust as the ultimate standard to go by. That's why I read scriptures and pray. I trust God, not man.
     Paul has given nice lists to add to Isaiah's warnings of how to survive "everlasting burnings". I would suggest Colossians 3:12-17 as a good start for anyone who wants to know what God's standards are. But anyone can choose to just be the way they are, or seek a higher path.
     Last night we went to the newest James Bond movie. True to the genre it was full of action, violence, bloodshed, and nasty people. I didn't get as upset as I did when we went to see "Unbroken" some months ago. But the basic sorrow is the same. How can human beings actually ENJOY hurting other people and be entertained by watching people hurt other people? I realize there is necessary opposition in the world. I realize that "realism" includes gratuitous sex, self-indulgence, hate, killing, greed, and basic nastiness. But I worry when human beings actually PREFER all that to the moral messages we used to get in "Lassie" or "Father Knows Best" or "Dumbo" or countless movies and shows that didn't get adrenalin pumping for 2 hours at a time. Do we "stop our ears from hearing of blood" or "shut our eyes from seeing evil"? Or do we lap it up like hungry dogs and feel refreshed and excited by it? Everybody gets to choose.............