Wednesday, June 18, 2014

June 19, 2014

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Can you image what America would look like if it was led locally and nationally by people who were grieved by sin?

There may be a few of us old enough to remember when sin was taken far more seriously than it is today and those were far better days.

Many of you have been around long enough to observe how our culture has continued to disintegrate as sinful behavior has gone from being tolerated to being celebrated.

Allow me to take it one step further. Image what our churches would be like if the people who populate them and lead them were truly grieved by sin.

Jesus says in this second point of His Sermon on the Mount, that those who follow Him must be grieved by sin. They should grieve, first of all, over their own sin. They should be grieved over how their sin grieves God and how it hurts other people.

Would your life be better if you were grieved by the sin in the TV programs you watch and you stopped watching those programs?

How would it impact your life if you were grieved by the sin in the movies you watch at the theater or in your home?

How would your life be different if you were grieved by the sin in the music you listen to regularly?

Would you play different video games if you were truly grieved by sin? 

Would you parent your children differently if you were truly grieved by sin?

Would your marriage change if you were truly grieved by sin?

If you are distressed over the condition of the American culture, how you answer these questions should clarify the extent to which you are part of the problem OR part of the solution.

It is not up to your society to change, it is up to you and other Christ-followers to change according to the teachings of Christ. He began with the Beatitudes and so should you.