5 March 12

THE WORLD VERSUS GOD

Dear readers,
I'm watching the news about the election coverage and the tornado damage across this country. I can not help but think about the direction our ethics and morality are taking us. The apostle John wrote in his first letter, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." When examined this a very hard-hitting piece of scripture that many of us choose to ignore. I must wonder what would be different in our culture if those that are Christians lived by this verse. Now I don't completely agree with the Amish interpretation of this verse, in the rejection of tools just because they are automated or speed up a laborious process is completely valid. However, being in the world but not of the world should be the goal. The proverb, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge Him and your paths will be made straight", carries the same thought: Do not let this world or the things in it become what you focus on. Focus on God through Christ in everything you do because this is the only way that one may experience joy and peace in the midst of difficult circumstances.

I do not wish to sound crass or unsympathetic but there is an element of foolishness in building houses in areas prone to natural disasters and expecting to abide unscathed. The loss of life is always a tragedy and 38 lost over 5 states is truly sorrowful, but it could not be unexpected. If it weren't so ironic this would not have caught my eye, building houses on the side of an active volcano is of the same mindset. I watched on the news about the last house on the hillside being swept away by lava. What were the builders thinking when the erected the houses in the first place? What in the world was going through the buyers' heads? We build our houses to meet our needs and our sense of beauty without placing the structural necessities to endure the onslaught of nature or protect the lives that exist inside the finished residence. Cost and profit have overtaken our building ethics, work and the desire to satisfy our hungers, and worshipping the work of our hands have lead us astray instead of working for the Lord in all we do. Remember that this world is appointed for destruction. Scripture openly declares this. So why do we spend so much time and effort trying to keep that from happening? One of my favorite quotes is from Dr. Stanley and we would all do better if we could follow through with it: "Obey God and leave all the consequences to him."