Certainly Uncertain

29 September 2008 by Brian.

…Or, “The Age of Irresponsibility”

First of all, it must be terribly unsettling to think that this life is all there is and that we could soon be plunged into a worldwide depression for many years.  I, for one, am glad that my hope is not in government leaders, the economy, or my (dwindling) retirement account.  No matter how difficult this life may get, I am convinced that by the grace of God, I will one day find rest in the glory of His presence.  As the readers of this blog are also aware, I am convinced that believers are called to glorify God in this life and to live out the life of Christ in whatever times we find ourselves.  His daily provision of grace is my only hope to accomplish this goal as well.  (Is it just me, or has the quality of my writing deteriorated as my blogs have grown more infrequent?)  For those of you who have placed your hope in material wealth, maybe it’s time you considered something (actually, it’s a “someone”) more dependable?

The second point I would like to make is that I find it interesting that we in the West (and particularly in the USA) have long lived under the banner of materialism and it’s offspring, greed.  We have pursued, more than any other goal, economic growth and have happily and quietly applauded ourselves as we have seen our wealth increase each year.  Few among us noticed - or cared to admit - that some of this growth had no real foundation and that it could come tumbling down like a house of cards if the right (or wrong) conditions presented themselves.  Now, we find ourselves facing the very real possibility of disaster and we are looking to be relieved of the consequences of the greed to which we have long given ourselves.

Of course, I’m not surprised at the reaction.  After all, our society has made a habit of living in denial of reality.  We have developed condoms to help avoid the consequences of illicit sex.  We have birth control (including abortion) to avoid suffering with a child while enjoying extra-marital sex.  We have anti-depressants to dull the pain of living a self-centered, empty life.  We have blood pressure medications to help us avoid the consequences of years of eating an unhealthy diet and divorce to deal with the effects of poor choices and misplaced priorities. We want our credit card debt wiped away in bankruptcy and our unpaid taxes to be forgiven.  On and on it goes. (No, I’m not saying that birth control (with the exception of abortion), medicines, or even bankruptcy are always a bad thing.)  We like enjoying ourselves and we really don’t like unpleasant consequences.  Sooner or later, reality asserts itself.  As Galatians 6 states, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.”

I’m not certainly not hoping for financial disaster, nor am I predicting that the apocalypse is upon us (although Vandy is leading the SEC East, so this is a real possibility!).  However, even if we bail ourselves out of this current mess, if we don’t change our fundamental approach to life and re-orient ourselves towards the balanced life God intended, based upon His truth and principles, we’ll find ourselves right back here again.  Eventually, we will face the consequences of our self-centered lifestyles and it won’t be pleasant.

Isn’t it about time to repent and place God in the center of our lives again, where He has always belonged?  Perhaps these troubling times will open the ears of those around us to the one true hope for salvation.

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