NO ONE.
Doesn't God know how much I need a big brother?
Thursday, August 27
This Hole
Who will care for me like he did? Who will hold me like he did? Who will protect me and look out for me like he did?
Saturday, August 22
Je Me Hais
Just when I thought something good was about to happen, I realize that no—I really actually am the worst, and I ruin every possible good thing.
Frustrated. Confused. Discouraged.
Thursday, August 6
What Is The World's Biggest Problem?
Serious questions often have simple answers. Such is the case with the question posed here--what is the world's biggest problem? If you were to ask a children's Sunday School class, it would not take long for someone to give the correct answer--sin. This we can take further to find that sin afflicts the world particularly through the propagation of lies. Lies are the problem. Next we ask what the solution is, and we see that truth is the solution. After analyzing mankind's situation, we come to understand that the way to solve this problem and promote the solution is to live lives of truth. Such premises do indeed appear simple, and we could probably have learned them from the lips of our little friends in Sunday School. However, the realities behind these statements are grave and vital if we wish to ever make a difference in our world for the better.
The specific manner in which sin plagues the world is through lies. No deep digging is necessary to find an example. Take what is perhaps the most crucial issue of our culture today--abortion. At the root of the cold-blooded genocide of the smallest, weakest link in our society is greed and hatred. But, in regards to greed, whatever may be gained by these vile acts is temporary, ephemeral, an illusion, a lie. More frightening is the state of those who are motivated by hatred, for their entire lives are saturated with the lie that evil is good and that somehow it will triumph over the righteousness of Christ. Abortion is just one example, though the reasoning behind it shapes an archetype for the motives of every other sin. Greed, lust, hatred, oppression--all are based on lies that lead to the misery of mankind.
Truth is the solution we have to offer against the problem of sin. Truth will not make everyone happy--it may not cure diseases, give fathers to orphans, or erase the pain of widows. What it will do is point suffering people to an altogether satisfying knowledge of a loving, magnificent, holy God who cares for the needs of His people. It will make wise the simple, convicting and correcting the sinner who is lost in his destructive ways. This truth is eternal and unchanging and the antidote to the sickness of our hearts. Jesus Christ, the truth of God, is salvation from sin. He is bread and water for starving, depraved souls.
The noblest, most influential, most difficult goal one can set is to live a life of truth. This includes daily submersion in the Bible as our most reliable source of truth. Search diligently, do not cease to knock, ask again and again, and God will not turn you away empty-handed. The next step is to faithfully and prayerfully apply these teachings to your life. Walk with the truth implanted in your soul. Let the word of God be a motive behind all your actions. Speak truth into others' lives--cut off flattering lips, boldly uphold and defend righteousness, do not be afraid to call out evil for what it is. In these ways I personally strive to solve the world's biggest problem. And when I fail--for I certainly do, repeatedly--the most truthful thing I can do is to trust in the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ who died to take away my guilt and shame. Such truthful living will shine into a dark, twisted world. God will use that light to set others free from the lies of sin.
Simple answers are often the most powerful--Jesus did not diminish the precious value of His wisdom when He said that it had been revealed to babes and hidden from the learned. It is our duty and joy to war against sin by seeking out His simple, beautiful truth. He alone can change us into a truthful people. Then, by His gracious and merciful power, He will use us to change the world in which we live, making it not only a better place, but an earth resounding with the infinite glory of our Lord God and Savior.
The specific manner in which sin plagues the world is through lies. No deep digging is necessary to find an example. Take what is perhaps the most crucial issue of our culture today--abortion. At the root of the cold-blooded genocide of the smallest, weakest link in our society is greed and hatred. But, in regards to greed, whatever may be gained by these vile acts is temporary, ephemeral, an illusion, a lie. More frightening is the state of those who are motivated by hatred, for their entire lives are saturated with the lie that evil is good and that somehow it will triumph over the righteousness of Christ. Abortion is just one example, though the reasoning behind it shapes an archetype for the motives of every other sin. Greed, lust, hatred, oppression--all are based on lies that lead to the misery of mankind.
Truth is the solution we have to offer against the problem of sin. Truth will not make everyone happy--it may not cure diseases, give fathers to orphans, or erase the pain of widows. What it will do is point suffering people to an altogether satisfying knowledge of a loving, magnificent, holy God who cares for the needs of His people. It will make wise the simple, convicting and correcting the sinner who is lost in his destructive ways. This truth is eternal and unchanging and the antidote to the sickness of our hearts. Jesus Christ, the truth of God, is salvation from sin. He is bread and water for starving, depraved souls.
The noblest, most influential, most difficult goal one can set is to live a life of truth. This includes daily submersion in the Bible as our most reliable source of truth. Search diligently, do not cease to knock, ask again and again, and God will not turn you away empty-handed. The next step is to faithfully and prayerfully apply these teachings to your life. Walk with the truth implanted in your soul. Let the word of God be a motive behind all your actions. Speak truth into others' lives--cut off flattering lips, boldly uphold and defend righteousness, do not be afraid to call out evil for what it is. In these ways I personally strive to solve the world's biggest problem. And when I fail--for I certainly do, repeatedly--the most truthful thing I can do is to trust in the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ who died to take away my guilt and shame. Such truthful living will shine into a dark, twisted world. God will use that light to set others free from the lies of sin.
Simple answers are often the most powerful--Jesus did not diminish the precious value of His wisdom when He said that it had been revealed to babes and hidden from the learned. It is our duty and joy to war against sin by seeking out His simple, beautiful truth. He alone can change us into a truthful people. Then, by His gracious and merciful power, He will use us to change the world in which we live, making it not only a better place, but an earth resounding with the infinite glory of our Lord God and Savior.
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