Lawlessness is rampant in the urban — and increasingly suburban –areas of Western society. The police are doing their best but must be dismayed when convicted criminals are given a verbal reprimand and released back into the community. In 1991 as I flew out of LA the Spirit of God said in my heart, “You have seen the world at its best.”
You might query this, thinking of the amazing developments in medicine and technology over recent decades. However, as good as most of them may be, they cannot solve the biggest problem, which is the inherently sinful nature of people. Until the sixties this was kept in check by restrictive laws and customs that were commonly accepted in civilized societies — most of them based on Judaeo-Christian ethics.
But then came situational ethics, as in “I am the one to decide what is acceptable in any given situation,” followed by “If it feels good it must be right”. These replaced absolutes with options, and then altered attitudes, which in turn changed Western society to what it has become today: sleazy, corrupt, amoral, increasingly dangerous, since these are driven by envy, resentment, greed, hatred, and that worst of evils, pride.
The only hope for Western societies is a return to the unchanging truths of the Bible. We can’t just moralize and lay these values on those who don’t believe; however, we can spread the Good News of the life-changing Jesus Christ through his redemptive work on the Cross; also, his coming rule over the nations of the world and the life-empowering Spirit of God at work in and through us until he returns.
Don’t bother looking to poll-driven politicians for direction because most of them either don’t know it or have lost it, but instead study the teachings of the New Testament. Jesus Christ came not just to bring us life but to bring us life but overflowing life that satisfies like nothing else can or could.
Those words the Lord spoke to me on that flight out of LAX thirty-six years ago summed up in one sentence the world as it was then and is even more so today. I grew up in Bendigo, which was built in the mid-19th century on the world’s largest goldfield. In the early 20t century, Australia ‘rode on the back’ of the Merino, the sheep that produced the world’s finest fleece, and
from the end of World War II until now, our nation’s wealth has come largely from the discovery of massive amounts of iron ore and precious minerals that have been so much in demand worldwide.
Having seen the world at its worst, I am now seeing it at its worst. Or so it appears. But according to Jesus the worst is yet to come. Much worse. The realization of this is causing many who in the past have not believed to turn to salvation through Jesus as the only hope of this world, and their only hope of peace in this life and eternal life in the next one. (A quick read of Matthew, chapter 24 or Luke chapter 21 will back up the truth of this statement.)
So, drop everything else now and turn to the Lord Jesus, who died for the sins of the world — your sins included — and rose from the dead to prove the truth of his Divinity. Jesus ascended into Heaven and became the High Priest of believers who need ongoing forgiveness for sins they commit.
The forgiveness that follows confession of personal sin is granted instantly on asking. God not only forgives but also forgets. Why would you and your loved ones not desire to live free from guilt and condemnation?
Where to from Here? To God through Jesus Christ in a short prayer in your own words. It’s a short trip.