In A World Of Turmoil, Remember You Are Blessed!
Word-of-the-Day: ‘And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.’ (2 Corinthians 9:8); ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ (Ephesians 1:3)
The other day, as I looked at some news items in the later part of the evening (fortunately the news my spouse and I watch comes on at 10pm), I’m certain that many of you do what I do; shake your head and wonder why people do what they do, why they act in ways that are opposite in what they say, and how the ideas and propositions they spew are so convoluted from what many of us consider common sense.
We have politicians who espouse the defense of policies that are obviously detrimental to their constituents, and people who are defending the murder of children as ‘hormonal imbalance’. Pundits in the news question the validity of a jury member’s decision and attempt to poison future jury members through the ridicule of doxxing of this jury member. This person did what jury members are supposed to do and have done since the creation of such trials; each member takes in and examines the evidence provided and then is supposed to come to a decision of guilt or innocence, with his or her identity kept secret and their personal decision respected.
It is hard to fathom the current trends of people cheering and celebrating the anniversary of the assassination of a young father, of immigrants who have left their homeland to come to the United States, only to trample our flag and proclaim their hatred for the nation they came to inhabit. It’s painful and often we can turn cold and hard upon these people, who enjoy the fruits of what they state they despise.
But then I look around, and I see the blessings that the Lord provides us, as His followers and as Americans. Gasoline and food are bit expensive right now, but they are plentiful. Our needs are met, and most of us are secure in having a home to reside in, to lay our head down when we go to sleep and to take a shower or bath when we need to clean up. The Lord has provided for us physically and has equipped us Spiritually.
Most of us have automobiles to freely come and go, to shop or go visit family and friends, or go to a beach or park and enjoy the outdoors. These provisions are material items, and the Lord has blessed us, as Americans and as Christians, with such items. We tend to ignore the blessing God has bestowed upon us; we take for granted what we have and the freedoms He has given us.
The bad news is only a part of the world we live in, and while we have to deal with it, the reality is through Jesus, our Joy is provided through Him and outweighs the evil in our society. We are blessed with His Spirit, the fellowship we have with other Believers, and in America the freedom to openly worship the Lord and share His Gospel message to those in desperate need of hearing it.
Our blessings should be seen as the catalyst to share Jesus with those who are the cause of ‘bad news’; those who have fallen into the trap of secularism can escape through gaining the knowledge of the Saving Grace of the Lord. Those who support evil causes can be changed if they opened their ears and heard the Gospel message.
We see this in the example of Paul, then Saul, as he persecuted the early Christians as the ‘Pharisees’ Pharisee’. He was one of those who espoused hatred while claiming he did it out of ‘love’, who practiced wrongdoing and selfishness while pronouncing himself as ‘Godly’. Jesus himself chose, while Saul walked down the road to Damascus, to confront Saul and with a bit of ‘persuasion’ in blinding him and striking him to the ground with just His presence, changed Saul to Paul and did it for the betterment of Paul and for those who Paul later met.
Through the Great Commission, we are, as Believers, given the charge to help bring about this change to those ensnared in the secular worldview of ‘wrongthink’. The blessings God has given us, His Joy and love, His strength and perseverance, and the time, treasure, and talents He has entrusted us with, all can be used for this purpose; to bless those who we encounter, to introduce them to the One who can change them, as we and Paul were once changed. Even the most hardened secularist can change through the power of Christ.
Don’t let yourself be discouraged by world events, or the bad news that is fed to us daily. We can change the hearts and minds of those who have yet to be introduced to Jesus. It may be one person at a time, but if we all work together, that one turns into ten, then one hundred, then one thousand. Count your blessings, be Joyful in them, and share the Good News with others so that they too may be blessed.
Note to all the faithful WOTD readers: First, thank you to all of you who read the Word-of-the-Day posts. I pray that they are uplifting, and that they are helping in instruction and encouragement. I am going on vacation so there will be a couple of weeks where I won’t be writing, so please, if you are looking for something, there are a plethora (a lot) of WOTD posts that you can revisit – remember, the Lord’s Word is always fresh!
Lord willing, you’ll see new ones by the first week of October… God Bless! -Elmer-
