Does it seem like the world has lost its anchor and is adrift? The world thinks you can borrow yourself out of a financial crisis. The world thinks it is normal for homosexuals to want to get married while heterosexuals avoid it. The world thinks that photos of beauty contestants in their underwear is wholesome. The world thinks that prayer is no means of knowing what should be done. The world owns a Bible but doesn't know where it is.
People would have told you that you were crazy if you described what the world would be like today twenty to thirty years ago. How did we get in this condition? The Bible has a very succinct answer.
After things got relatively good for Israel (starting in the book of Judges) they started to deviate from their devotion to God. The generation who followed God devotedly did not pass that relationship to their children. They did what their parents did but did not have the relationship that their parents had. Therefore, their children saw no reason to continue in their parents footsteps. In fact, they believed that their own methods of doing things were better than their parents. They did not follow the Lord and did what was right in their own eyes. In other words, they threw out any standard which existed and substituted what seemed right at the time.
A microcosm of this might be seen in the person who stops for fast food rather than getting something healthy because his hunger can be satisfied faster. It seems right at the time. It will not be right over time. So, doing what is right in your own eyes is doing what seems right without any standard to measure against what is right.
The Bible also says that this pattern will lead to death. Is it any wonder that most Americans are overweight? Is it any wonder how many Americans in debt past their ears? Shouldn't we expect extremes for stimulation when there are no restraints? Of course!
It seems like we are on a boat which has lost its power so the crew cut the anchor in hopes that the ship would naturally sail to Hawaii. It seems that we have people who are claiming to be Moses who have led the people to the middle of Red Sea. Instead of depending upon God for a solution they have chartered a boat. However, the name of that boat is Titanic! "Yes," they say, "Its unsinkable!"
How do you tell crazy people that they are crazy? Maybe crazy people think that sane people are crazy. They are absolutely convinced that the right in their own eyes will lead to a new heaven. How long can this craziness be sustained? As long as people are satisfied with the status quo they will go this direction. It is what seems right in their own eyes and they will not adopt another standard. They will not look elsewhere as long as they believe the solution is in their own hands.
It is more important than ever that Christians live godly lives. We must become the Bible to the world that is adrift. We must live in the most loving way possible. We must address sinfulness within the church. We must call for holiness in those who are believers. We must become a rock which declare that Jesus is the Christ and there is no other. We must live lives of joy which will attract others. We must keep the standard of the Scripture carefully while remembering justice and mercy. We must pray like never before. We must not crawl under a rock but proclaim our Jesus in the most loving ways possible.
Don't be surprised that the world has gone crazy.
Judges 17:6 (ESV)
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
No comments:
Post a Comment