Nadine Baum turned one hundred last week and was
honored
with a surprise party at her local McDonald's restaurant. Their present
to her: free food for life. "I don't know what I did to deserve all
this," she said. "I count my blessings every day."
Nadine is on to something.
Every morning brings new reasons to be discouraged by today's culture.
Since our society decided decades ago that truth is subjective and
morality is no one's business but ours, we've seen Western culture
continue to spiral downward.
Abortion is now
celebrated; children and the mentally ill are being
euthanized; racial conflict is
rising; sexually-transmitted diseases continue to
spread. Churches and Christian schools that defend biblical marriage are
worried about their tax-exempt status; transgender bathrooms are just the
latest battle in the sexual revolution.
It's tempting to withdraw from our broken culture into a siege mentality
that assumes the worst. What do we do when facing enemies who appear
stronger and more numerous than we are?
David knew the feeling. King Saul was not only the sovereign ruler of
the Jewish nation, he was also "taller than any of the people" (1 Samuel
9:2) and commander of the entire army. When he sought to murder David,
the young shepherd's life was in mortal peril.
But Saul was actually in more danger than David. When the king rebelled
against the will of God, he forsook the protection of God. He eventually
killed himself rather than be captured by his enemies (1 Samuel 31:4)
and David ascended to his throne.
In 2 Samuel 22 we find David celebrating his victory over Saul and his
other enemies: "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my
God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from
violence" (vv. 2–3). Note the personal nature of his testimony: "I,"
"me," and "my" are used a total of twelve times in forty words.
What was the consequence of such passionate, intimate trust in God? "You
exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men
of violence" (v. 49). As a result, he testifies, "I will praise you, O
Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name" (v. 50).
A refuge is helpful only if we trust it personally. It's not enough to
study it, to preach or hear sermons about it, or to talk to other people
about it. We must step inside its walls before its protection is ours.
Here's the point: Before you seek God's help, first seek his heart. Draw
close to him in prayer and worship. Then ask him what he wants you to
do to make a difference in our culture and obey his call. You'll have
all the protection and power you need to accomplish your Kingdom
assignment today.
Don't worry about what you cannot change—focus on what you can. C. S.
Lewis notes, "The dentist who can stop one toothache has deserved better
of humanity than all the men who think they have some scheme for
producing a perfectly healthy race."
To change your culture, count your blessings and be a blessing. It's really that simple.
NOTE: I spoke recently in Dallas on my latest book,
The State of Our Nation: 7 Critical Issues. The book is available in
print and on
Kindle. You can listen to the audio of my presentation
here.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar