What Shape The World Is In

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,"  Romans 1:21-22

We all can look around us and see the evidence of intelligent design, thus an Intelligent designer or Creator. We live in a world where more and more people refuse to recognize the reality of God.  People want to put their heads in the sewer until some tragedy befalls them and then they blame God and wonder why He allowed it to happen.

In light of the recent tragedy in Tucson Arizona and the many other atrocities the we've experienced as a nation in the last decade and longer, I thought it timely to share this e-mail that was circulating back in early 2002. I believe that the message is something we once again should seriously consider.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the early show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001).

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.  She said "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentlemen He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said okay.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... the Bible says 'Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself,' and we said okay.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem.  we said, 'an expert should know what he's talking about,' and we said okay.

Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave.  The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued, and we said okay.

Then someone said, let's allow our daughters to have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents, and we said okay.

Then some wise school board members said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire,and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school, and we said okay.

Then some of our elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.  Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

Then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body, and we said okay.

And them someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the Internet, and we said okay, they are entitled to their free speech.

Then the entertainment industry said; let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex.  Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes.  And we said its just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in our schools and work place. Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us that what God thinks of us.

Pass this on if you think it has merit.  If not just ignore it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in!

"And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."  John 3:19-21

  
God Bless and Press On
Larry