Politics

So Tuesday morning I woke up to the news of bombs in Boston. I went to sleep Tuesday night also knowing  many had been killed in Iraq due to car bombs. Thursday I woke up to the news that New Zealand legalized gay marriage, Thursday night I went to sleep praying for Texas, and in between all that those close to me have compromised their values, let go of their faith, and chosen to ignore what they once believed, I've got a brother heading off to war and I'm fighting a war with a disease that can't just be 'cured.'  It's so easy in the face of all these things to question 'what this world is coming to,' to ask and demand God to tell you why.
But James 1:6-8 sums it up perfectly.

 'The key is that your request be anchored by your single-minded commitment to God. Those who depend only on their own judgement are like those lost on the seas, carried away by any wave or picked up by any wind. Those adrift on their own wisdom shouldn't assume the Lord will rescue them or bring them anything, The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.'

This is a hard truth, something that most people don't want to hear, but I guess truth is always like that -confronting, convicting, hard to hear, but ultimately, healing. We were not made to serve both God and the world. We were not created to rely on our own wisdom, and create our own truths. See, the world has this way of coming up with new truths, new standards according to laws and cultures, and if we, the Body of Christ, are not careful, we get pulled into believing these truths. But what we have to remember is that God's standards never change. His truths are as true now as they were when He wrote them.  It doesn't matter who is the president, it doesn't matter how many years have passed since Jesus was here physically, it doesn't even matter if everyone around us compromises and settles - we the Church, have to stay single-minded in our commitment to God. I don't know why bad things have happened and why they still continue to happen. I don't know why war can't be over and why those I love have to risk their lives, I don't know why a doctor felt it was the right thing to do to kill babies, I dont know why bombs are going off and taking lives. I wish I had the answer of how to cure every disease that is faced in this world, but all I have to offer is Jesus. He doesn't always feel like enough but in His presence all my questions fade, and that is enough. This world is falling apart at the seams, but He is not. He remains the same, completely unchanged. He doesn't leave us, He hasn't forgotten about us, and through it all, He has a plan. But if ever there was a time for the Church to be single-minded in their commitment to God, it is now. It's not easy to stand in the face of all this, and every single day I see another church fall, I see a pastor filled with pride, I see Christians compromise, and I see them stay silent when they should be speaking the loudest. And I know I'm not exempt from any of this either. Every day is a battle to stay focused, to not just 'take it easy coz you only live once.' Life is short - yes. But we have a purpose far beyond just pleasing ourselves and fulfilling our own dreams. The world is hurting, and Jesus is the Answer. and we - the Body of Christ - the Church - we are His Hands and Feet. We are the prayer warriors, God's service people. We can't give a person salvation, but we can show them they are not alone. We can't give everyone the answers they so desperately want to have, but we can point them to The Answer. The time is now friends. Right now is the time to love. The time to pray. The time to reach out your hand, to shine your light, and be a beacon of Hope to a world in need.
Stay in Hope, friends. Don't give up on people - there is no such thing as a lost cause. Look beyond the outward appearance and see the heart. And 'dare to know it's all good. Because that's what God does - He works everything for good.'