Tuesday, August 16, 2011

What Am I Going To Do?

One of today's headlines reads:
Police: La. man decapitated disabled son, 7. Yesterday's television news was of a fifteen year old stabbing his grandmother to death in Atlanta. Another headline I read yesterday was about a mother who killed her three children. A woman in Florida was accused, but aquitted, of killing her two year old. A family of three siblings were just arrested in the last few days after a crime spree of bank robbing and attempted murder of police officers. The list of such frightening scenarios goes on and on, more of them every day. What, if anything, has changed in this wicked world? Hasn't it always been wicked? Haven't we always had such news and more? Can it get any worse?

I am disturbed with such reportings, but I should never be surprised. I shake my head in despair or in angst or just plain disgust, but if I am to believe what I read in the Word of God I shouldn't be amazed. This is the result of a contemptable enemy of God that is temporarily free to roam this world and snatch the unbelieving up to do his evil deeds and make them his prisoners. God has told us these things would happen, and there is more, and worse, to come. And if not, then it will be the end and I will have no more opportunities to do what He needs me to do.

The political and religious conflicts in Israel have intensfied and seem to be far from the "peace of Jerusalem" that David prayed for. The Church cannot even worship God without strife and conflict within its walls. Children are turning against their parents and each other. All of creation is painstakingly careful not to offend one another, but have no problem offending their Great Creator and Holy Father by ignoring Him, using His name in profane ways, and laughing and ridiculing His faithful. In much of the world Christians lose their lives in horrible ways for being His follower and disciple. And all of this has been the scene since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden.

Every generation has been convinced that the end of the world was near, but the more I read the Word, the more I believe it is closer than we think. So, what am I to do? I keep going to church every Sunday, and I keep praying for those loved ones that are lost to Him. I keep reading my Bible every day, and then, again, I pray for the lost and the sick and the hurting. And tomorrow I will get up and I will pray again, and I will read my Bible and I will be sure I'm in church next Sunday morning.

But what am I going to do about the problem?

And what are you going to do about the problem?