All eyes have been riveted on those scenes coming from Houston that stagger our minds. Homes which one week ago were filled with the sounds of life are now filled with flood waters. People, who one week ago were dreaming of vacations, of work opportunities, and of the start of another school year are now in a state of shock and asking how they will be able to pick up the pieces and start all over again. In a matter of hours last Friday evening, lives were unalterably changed. The Houston area was forever changed.
But, as I have sat and watched those images and listened to many of the stories, I was encouraged that, for all our differences, when a crisis occurs Americans band together. As those boats went from house to house, they did not ask whether a person was gay or straight, whether a person was a Christian or not, whether that person was a Democrat or a Republican. No, all were welcomed into those life-saving boats. And, upon arrival at those mega-shelters people were not separated according to any particular system. All were accepted because they were folks who needed help given in a loving way. This is what Americans do best. We saw it after 9-11. We have seen it during those horrific wildfires in America's west. We see it through the open arms of volunteers from the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse and other relief agencies.
Why can't America act this way all the time? Why must every weekend dozens of people living in Chicago be shot? Why must Antifa react with violence when anything occurs that differs from their attempt to change American culture and history? Why has violence become so embedded within our culture? Whatever happened to civilized conversations? Whatever happened to those times of civil debate? Whatever happened to Jesus' command that we should love our neighbors as ourselves? You might remember that Jesus said this was the second great commandment.
I believe the answer to our dilemma is found within that first great commandment. And what is that? Jesus said that we were to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and spirit. This is first, not just in its listing, but in its importance. This first commandment has a vertical component. It is how God desires we relate to Him. We are to love Him wholeheartedly. We are to be fully committed to Him as Lord of our lives. He is to be the centerpiece around which everything else in our lives revolves. Friends, when the vertical component is as it should be, then the horizontal component - that second commandment - will also be as it should. If I have a deep love relationship with God, then I will also have a deep love relationship with those around me, whether it is in my home, my neighborhood, my community, or my nation. It is a love that is shown through giving respect even when there are points of disagreement.
I have to admit that I have almost come to the point of anger at how the main-stream media has covered Hurricane Harvey. Yesterday's coverage of Melania's shoes almost was the final straw. Who cares what shoes she was wearing as she walked from the White House to Marine 1? Yet, her shoes became a feeding frenzy. That became a point of fixation. She and the President were on their way to bring encouragement to people who had lost everything, including their shoes, and all you could do was to criticize the First Lady's choice of shoes. Let's see: there are hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been shattered and, for many of them, they will spend the rest of their lives trying to recover from this powerful storm, and yet you focus upon Melania's shoes. How far removed from real life has the main-stream media gotten? They really are out of touch with reality.
Since the time of the Great Flood, the world has experienced many natural disasters. Innumerable earthquakes - some more devastating than others. Floods - some that have swallowed up entire communities. Tornadoes and hurricanes - think of Katrina, Sandy, and now Harvey. Yet, each disaster was just a small microcosm in that it impacted only a small area. Think of those pictures you have seen of the devastation from Harvey. Now, imagine what it would be like if there were a hundred Harvey's all occurring at the same time. Yet I believe the Bible tells us that in the last days that is exactly what is going to occur. The prophetic passages describe earthquakes occurring that will literally change the landscapes of our planet. Natural disasters will increase. The death and the destruction will be incalculable. Could Harvey be a wake-up call? Is Harvey another one of nature's groanings as it senses its soon redemption? I can't declare that with certainty. But of this I am certain: the coming of the Lord Jesus is getting closer every day. Are you excited for that day?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment