Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Evil- happens all the time

A friend's car got broken into today. She seemed violated in the worst way. To know that her things were rifled through, that some creep sat in her front seat and jerked out her stereo, and to know that the window he broke may just cost more than the things that he stole is a bit overwhelming. She is left to try to rebuild this little corner of her life. The gapping hole in the dash will be a reminder for a little while that evil happens all the time. Even to nice people.

Of course, there are much greater evils in the world. Huntas starving people who need food while feasting on the best themselves. Nations dying of AIDS. Great abuse at the hands of people who are supposed to be loving. Evil marches on.

There is something inside of me that gets so frustrated at evil and injustice. I think it wouldn't take much to push me over to vigilantism. But I also recognize that there will never be a complete dealing with evil by mankind. We are overwhelmed by it. It is simply too pervasive, too powerful, too personal- it is impossible to overcome as a society. That is another reason we need a Savior to return from heaven and bring divine justice.

But I will plead for mercy until then. For I know that I was a thief; I stole and broke things that were not mine; and I still wrestle with evil. God be merciful to me, a sinner! I can personally overcome evil with good in my life- so I will probably help her rebuild her life. My hope for justice isn't wrapped up in the election cycle or the court system or even the newspapers freedom to expose the prominence of the need for change. My hope comes from the heaven- it is in the Lord my King.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Why most Christians don't do much for the Lord

Compromise. There it is. That is the secret to no success. When Christians compromise in areas of their devotion to God, their morality, their acceptance of sin, and their lifestyle they become unuseable to God. Sad.

I know the temptation is to embellish this with more writing but really, do we need to? I see Christians fall prey to the sexual mores of the world around us and they are moved to the sideline like a star running back with a broken ankle. They cannot help the team; they cannot move the ball forward. Sadly, star ball players recognize more readily their contribution (or lack thereof) than the saints do.

And we could talk as well about the party spirit, the materialism, the tongue waggin' that goes on in the compromised lives of believers. They are all destructive.


Know that when we mess up God may or may not get his will done on the earth- but YOU LOSE. You miss the blessing of being a tool in his hand, an impliment of healing, a catalyst for change. And that costs the body of Christ as well as you.

However, even the most meager steps to live a life of earnest devotion to Christ can be blessed by God. Which puts you under "the spout" where the blessings come out. You get blessed, the body of Christ is strengthened, and people in the world can finally find a legitimate example of real life Christianity. And they desperately need the witness. What do you think?