2012 – THE END OF THE WORLD??

2012 – THE END OF THE WORLD??

  I’ve been thinking about various conversations that I have had (and overheard) with family, friends, people in the community (like the lady behind me in the grocery store check-out line).   The majority are concerned about our future as a nation and even as a community as we now know it.    Concern and fear about the economy, the leadership of our nation and even the weather has people talking!  Some think the world will soon end and discuss predictions they’ve heard from several sources, including the Mayan calendar which ends in December of this year.  Movies about modern-day disasters that destroy the planet are popular.  The enemy is taking advantage of every opportunity to spread fear and worry. 

 What if the end of the world does happen in December?  Are you ready?  Personally, I don’t agree with those predictions BUT I do know that God is in control and the end will come when He’s ready.  It may be this afternoon; it could be 100 years from now or it could be December 21^st .  It really doesn’t matter.  What does matter is our relationship with Him.  Either way you look at it, as far as our lives are concerned, we do only have a certain amount of time left.  Our days are numbered.  None of us are going to live forever.   So how are you going to use that time? 

 If we want to see change in our nation and our community, we must be bold.  I’m asking God for His boldness to stand up for what is right and to speak up quickly.  I recently watched the movie “Driving Miss Daisy” and the message of Martin Luther King, Jr., has been going through my head over and over again since then.  In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he talked about the troubles facing our nation, hatred, racism, prejudice, segregation, discrimination, etc.  I believe that God called Reverend King to stir people to action, encouraging them to stand up against evil and do something!  One line from that speech says it all:   “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” (Emphasis added)

 WE ARE THE GOOD PEOPLE!  We are God’s people and we’ve got to stop going along our way, doing our own thing, selfishly thinking only of our own small world.  Our nation is in trouble!  Everyone knows it but no one seems to know what to do about it.  We, as God’s people, have looked the other way for far too long.  We have been satisfied to live our lives well aware of the injustice going on around us as long as it doesn’t affect us or those close to us.  We don’t agree with the injustice, but we don’t do anything to stop it.   We tend to think (falsely) that there isn’t anything that we can do, but Martin Luther King, Jr., hit the nail on the head when he said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”  OUCH!!

 I refuse to cooperate with evil!  I refuse to witness injustice and keep silent any longer!  I refuse to believe the lie of the enemy that says there isn’t anything that I can do or say!  I refuse to waste another moment selfishly worrying about myself and what others might think or say about me!  I refuse to sit idly by!  Scripture teaches us that we are to stir ourselves up in the Holy Spirit.  Why?  To do good works.  What good works can we do?  We’ll know when we are confronted with a situation or an encounter with someone else.  We belong to God and His Spirit dwells in us richly to guide us and help us do whatever needs to be done.  We are vessels of His Holy Spirit.  We are His Salt and Light to our generation!  God’s purposes will be accomplished!!

 God’s Word is true!  Do you believe Him?  Watch for opportunities, not just daily, but moment by moment and see what God will do!