Articles
Rejoicing in the Lord in a Fallen World
Rejoicing in the Lord in a Fallen World
By Paul R. Blake
Recently, I was asked a question by someone very troubled by a school official who made a speech promoting and praising an immoral policy in the school system. The hurt soul expressed helplessness and the belief that the whole world was careening toward complete immorality, and she felt like there were no good people left in the world. I empathize with those feelings and beliefs; sometimes it does feel like there are no good folks left in our contemporary world. What follows is my reply to her:
“It is not the whole world; most of the world is relatively good. If you see people as individuals, you discover that most of them, in spite of their personal weaknesses, are often more moral than evil. It is when we see an apparently unopposed travesty that we often allow its stark evil to color our whole world. We tend to generalize such things as a natural defense mechanism, attributing it to everyone instead of just the aberrant few. When I see moral train wrecks in public positions of authority, I have to remind myself that it is the deviant few who only temporarily hold the reins of power in education, politics, or media. Fortunately, their depravity does not characterize the majority they claim to represent. These “agents of change” believe they are soooo enlightened that they are entitled by their delusion of enlightenment to force their vision on the rest of us “poor, primitive religious persons.” Their mindset is similar to that of the medieval Spanish Inquisition. A few of vulnerable, impressionable, and lost school students will fall into the temptations offered by the immoral change agents, other young people will experiment with it as part of sowing wild oats sowing, but most will grow up and abandon it along with other youthful indiscretions like sagging their pants and purpling their hair.
Heave a sigh and think about healthy things. Focus on the greater majority of good folks who will respond to the Gospel. God is still in control regardless of who is standing on the podiums of power in our country. His will is done in spite of their rantings.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:6-9)
No Words For It
By Steve Melton, April 21, 2011
Sometimes we are discouraged
and the world’s lack of moral
makes us want to quit.
What if the bad things disappeared
and there were no words for it.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if truth
was never twisted or not even bent.
No one heard of lying, or what it even meant.
Words like envy, scorn and pride
could never ever be found.
Others like jealousy, greed and lust
would not even be around.
There would be no more wars and things
that cause this world to be so scary,
With so many words gone, we would
need to trim down the dictionary.
Think of other words, you never want to hear.
What about hatred, theft and gossip
also revenge and fear?
You may think there is no place, and
it is all just “your imagination.”
Please consider that there is one, it is
found in God’s holy nation.
The country up in heaven, there
is no sorrow, pain or foe.
Those that follow Jesus,
this is where we long to go.
Words like glory, praise and love,
will be on the tip of every tongue.
Some will be spoken, while other will be sung.
Next time you hear a bad word,
remember, it won’t always be that way.
For if we are only faithful,
only good words we will say.
