October 19

"... better a patient man… who controls his temper than one who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32 NIV)

When we read newspapers, watch television or listen to the radio, we are sometimes overwhelmed by the condition of the world. Evil seems to triumph over everything; rejection of the God of the Bible applauded, and the ethical principles that have been the guiding light for people in our society for centuries, collapse all too easily. Instead of labeling evil behavior as sin, and thus effectively addressing the problem, we alter the language - we want to delete the word guilt, sin, shame. No one ought to feel any shame if they have acted wrongly. Therefore, we remove any hint or mention of acts that could be classified as right or wrong. If no acts are deemed wrong, one need never feel guilty – we assume.

When I meet my own powerlessness in confronting this, I usually think: No, it's true I have no power to change either our country's domestic policies or foreign policies. I have no power to change the social context in which I live in. I have no power to change those closest to me. But there is a place where I have unlimited power and influence. It is in my inner being - in my will, in my thinking, in my emotions and in my intellect. I can, with God's help, and because of Jesus' work of atonement, keep my heart pure.

If God's kingdom be allowed to grow in my life, it will first have an impact in my immediate surroundings, then the rippling effect on a sphere larger than any I can imagine or think.

Prayer

Lord, I will give You control over my life and as I do, I know that You want to help me to live rightly, today. Let your Kingdom grow in me, steadily!