Being Like Jesus In A Fallen World

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21

The point of this post is to remind you that as a Christian, this world is not your home - you are just passing through. It is easy to forget that what we see, hear or read about every day represents the nature of a fallen world. A world surviving under the crushing weight of sin. In Galatians chapter 5, Paul shared a contrast between the behavior of Believers (fruit of the Spirit) and unbelievers (works of the flesh). I have listed the titles of some of the articles posted in Yahoo News - an on-line amalgamation of news articles from different news agencies. Just this short list makes the state of the world clear. Each title is separated by a semicolon ";". Take a moment to read them and then see if you can spot how each is a product of the sinful nature - works of the flesh.  

Women working in Antarctica say they were left to fend for themselves against sexual harassers; Jacksonville killings: What we know about the hate crime; Large police presence reported in St. Johns Town Center; Florida’s Gulf Coast braces for Cat 3 hurricane as Tropical Storm Idalia strengthens; South Dakota woman admits to making false rape report after an extramarital tryst in Florida; Ignored by police, twin sisters took down their cyber stalker themselves; Trump's drumbeat of lies about the 2020 election keeps getting louder. Here are the facts; 'I live in the real world': Kevin O'Leary warns the US has a 'crisis emerging' thanks to the breakneck speed of interest rate hikes; China's $10 trillion hidden debt mountain could be the 'ticking time bomb' that Joe Biden warned of; Reported Israeli strike damages Aleppo airport and puts it out of service; Multiple victims shot, active shooting situation in Boston: police; Trial starting for suspect in Des Moines school shooting that killed 2 students; Man, woman charged in deadly gas station shooting in Rochester; victim identified; Ukraine-Russia war live: Key village Robotyne liberated as Kyiv claims five Moscow jets hit by drone; A gang in Haiti opens fire on a crowd of parishioners trying to rid the community of criminals.

It is like a world gone mad. My contention is that the only solution to this madness is Jesus - repentance and salvation. I am grieved to say, that will not happen for the majority of people and life on this planet is bound to only get worse not better. Not to say well intentioned people won't try to fix it, they will. Most people, Believers or not, are not happy about the bad things that are happening around them. They want solutions. But man's solutions are either out of reach or inadequate.  The best answers we can come up with, on our own, are like giving someone cough medicine when the problem is not a cold but lung cancer. In short - the world can only treat the symptoms and not the root cause. 

There is a movie, "A Few Good Men" starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. In the movie, Tom Cruise tells Jack Nicholson that he wanted Jack Nicholson to tell the truth to which Jack Nicholson replies "The Truth? You can't stand the truth!" In a similar way, the world needs to hear and understand the Truth, but it doesn't want to hear it if it is Jesus. But .....

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." - John 14:6

So what can we do? It is simple, really. Just do what the Bible says to do. Be the Light to whoever crosses your path.  Whenever you see a Jesus opportunity - step into it.

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." - Matthew 25:32-40

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone