We live in a world today that is overrun with selfishness, anxiety, entitlement and a sense of extreme division. If the world was a hospital, we would see ourselves struggling to receive treatment, struggling to stay alive. If it were a prison, we would be sitting on death row feeling unjustly accused. I know it’s not a pretty picture, but the world that we live in today is filled with violence, selfishness, meaningless opinion and deceit. Truthfully, everyone seems to have their own version of the answer to our problems, but no one can agree on what “should happen next.” A few weeks ago, I heard a prominent individual say that the answer to our worldly problems is that we have yet to move from “protest” to “policy.” Really?
For thousands of years governments have tried to rule nations, peoples, tribes and such, some fairly, others being oppressive. They have all failed. They failed as their policies were not followed, and their leadership crumbled beneath them. If you doubt this, I encourage you to do your own research, these are historical fact friends. So, does that mean that we are never going to get out of this mess? No, it does not. What it does mean is that instead of protest and policy, we need Jesus more than we ever have, because only God Himself can rule over the human heart, and do it fairly, perfectly and with a measure of grace and love.
In the Garden of Eden, God had established the perfect life and environment for all to live a wonderful and fulfilled life. It was “good” as God Himself said. Think about this, in the Garden, Adam and Eve didn’t have any racial issues, or political affiliations to deal with, no, they were devoted to God, and followed Him in perfect peace until the day that they chose not to. While there are many factors surrounding the fall of humankind, it was the “choice” to elevate themselves above God, even for a moment when that fateful decision was made, that caused so much grief for centuries. As much as we refuse to admit, we are not totally capable of perfectly governing ourselves without the guidance of God and adherence to His will. Let’s face it, there are literally thousands of laws on the books in the United States trying to accomplish the same basic principles outlined in the Ten Commandments.
Today, many believe that if we simply put our time, energy, attention, resources and political game plan into action that we will end up with a just and affluent life for all. And that sounds great, and it is so needed! However, not everybody is “on-board!” People differ in their ideas of what is “just” and “right.” They cannot see eye to eye on the issues that we face, and many are simply unwilling to listen to anyone but themselves. In short, the world is a mess because we are a mess!
Now you’re ready to fight, to blast me because of my comments, to attack with your way of seeing things! Friends, again I go back to the story of humankind and human nature. We are, and have always been “at odds!” So, now what?
The problem cannot be rectified by rules, regulations, finances or human leadership. The problem is the human heart. Let me give you a brief and simple example. I can take away an individual’s gun, but I can’t make them not want to kill another person. The problems we are facing stem from our interpretation of what we think is right, what we think will happen tomorrow, what we think is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable.
Let’s get real. If the human heart (as a culture) really cared about the problem of homelessness, we would wipe it out in a heartbeat. If we really cared about lives, then we would not be aborting children. If we really cared about racism, we would look at our own attitudes first! If global warming was really important, we would make the changes necessary without the government even being involved. If loving our neighbor as ourself was really engrained in our hearts, we would be actively involved with those in need around us. Food Banks would not be necessary as neighbors would make sure others were fed. In short, we need God to lead us, but that would require our trust in Him and submission to His ways. Hmmm, doesn't sound so palatable, does it?
NOTE TO SELF: Turn to God, not humankind to resolve our problems.
For thousands of years governments have tried to rule nations, peoples, tribes and such, some fairly, others being oppressive. They have all failed. They failed as their policies were not followed, and their leadership crumbled beneath them. If you doubt this, I encourage you to do your own research, these are historical fact friends. So, does that mean that we are never going to get out of this mess? No, it does not. What it does mean is that instead of protest and policy, we need Jesus more than we ever have, because only God Himself can rule over the human heart, and do it fairly, perfectly and with a measure of grace and love.
In the Garden of Eden, God had established the perfect life and environment for all to live a wonderful and fulfilled life. It was “good” as God Himself said. Think about this, in the Garden, Adam and Eve didn’t have any racial issues, or political affiliations to deal with, no, they were devoted to God, and followed Him in perfect peace until the day that they chose not to. While there are many factors surrounding the fall of humankind, it was the “choice” to elevate themselves above God, even for a moment when that fateful decision was made, that caused so much grief for centuries. As much as we refuse to admit, we are not totally capable of perfectly governing ourselves without the guidance of God and adherence to His will. Let’s face it, there are literally thousands of laws on the books in the United States trying to accomplish the same basic principles outlined in the Ten Commandments.
Today, many believe that if we simply put our time, energy, attention, resources and political game plan into action that we will end up with a just and affluent life for all. And that sounds great, and it is so needed! However, not everybody is “on-board!” People differ in their ideas of what is “just” and “right.” They cannot see eye to eye on the issues that we face, and many are simply unwilling to listen to anyone but themselves. In short, the world is a mess because we are a mess!
Now you’re ready to fight, to blast me because of my comments, to attack with your way of seeing things! Friends, again I go back to the story of humankind and human nature. We are, and have always been “at odds!” So, now what?
The problem cannot be rectified by rules, regulations, finances or human leadership. The problem is the human heart. Let me give you a brief and simple example. I can take away an individual’s gun, but I can’t make them not want to kill another person. The problems we are facing stem from our interpretation of what we think is right, what we think will happen tomorrow, what we think is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable.
Let’s get real. If the human heart (as a culture) really cared about the problem of homelessness, we would wipe it out in a heartbeat. If we really cared about lives, then we would not be aborting children. If we really cared about racism, we would look at our own attitudes first! If global warming was really important, we would make the changes necessary without the government even being involved. If loving our neighbor as ourself was really engrained in our hearts, we would be actively involved with those in need around us. Food Banks would not be necessary as neighbors would make sure others were fed. In short, we need God to lead us, but that would require our trust in Him and submission to His ways. Hmmm, doesn't sound so palatable, does it?
NOTE TO SELF: Turn to God, not humankind to resolve our problems.
