I don’t have to tell you that we live in a broken world, and I think that Christians tend to be the most discouraged about it. I’ll explain why in a minute.
In general we will all agree that there are a lot of negative things going on. Just watching the evening news on TV can be depressing for any of us, and that’s true for Christians and non-Christians alike. We are all aware of the increased violence in our city, fewer good paying jobs, higher grocery prices, struggles with our relationships, taxes… and I could go on.
Christians, especially American Christians, have an added burden to bear. We also see that our culture is continually embracing more and more wickedness. Many of the changes we are seeing would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
Even though most Americans are still opposed to killing the unborn, 30% of American women will have an abortion by age 45
The elected representatives in two different states recently passed legislation that would protect Christian business owners from being prosecuted for refusing to participate in homosexual ceremonies. Those protesting these attempts to protect Christians have reacted with unbelievable venom. Another state passed a law requiring everyone to use public restrooms or locker rooms according to the gender written on their birth certificate. The media has called that law “discriminatory,” a form of “segregation,” and even “hateful.”
The point is that, as Christians, we see our culture slipping deeper and deeper into paganism, and that is depressing. Where will it all end? How many of us will eventually be persecuted in America just because we are following Jesus? What has happened to the America we used to know?
The truth is that Christians have NO reason to be depressed or discouraged by current events. Let me show you why.
Even if all the nations of the world pooled their strength in an attempt to oppose God, they could do nothing unless God allowed it. “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:1–4).
God is not only all-powerful; He has given His followers gifts that no government could ever take away. Paul says that God has blessed His followers with “… every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
Paul then goes on to list what some of those blessings are. God “chose us” (Ephesians 1:4a) or pursued us before we cared about pursuing Him. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross not only paid for all of our sins, (Ephesians 1:7) but also covers us with His perfect righteousness so that “…we would be holy and blameless before Him…” (Ephesians 1:4b).
Not only that, God also makes every believer a member of His family. “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Ephesians 1:5). This act assures us that as believers we will have a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, and that we will never be “un-adopted.” “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! [Daddy] Father!” (Romans 8:15).
If you do not have that kind of relationship with God, He is inviting you to become one of His own. All of these blessings can be yours, too, if “… after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you [too, can be] sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
The British pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote: “There is no more blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a covenant-keeping God. We have no care, for He cares for us; we have no troubles, because we cast our burdens upon the Lord.”
If there is a way I can encourage you to stay positive in this negative world, please let me know.
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