"...
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!
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