I Read the News Today. . .

Oh boy! It was more of the same. Nothing sensational per se. The same typical tragedies and disappointments were noted, internationally, nationally and locally. There were a couple of brief flashes of positive things going on. I do find it interesting that as much as the word "God" is used irreverently in our culture, it is pretty obvious that He is decidedly missing from the lives of many of those who make the news.

The one story I thought might be interesting had to do with "urban survivalists" preparing for the worst in the midst of our economic woes. They are stockpiling dried foods, water, etc. After reading some psychologist's explanation of this phenomenon, he confirmed the point I made about God being missed in the lives of many people when he said, "We have no real causal understanding of the way our world works at all. When times are good, you trust that things are working but when times are bad you realize you don't have a clue what you would do if the supermarket didn't have goods on the shelves and that if the banks disappear, you have no idea where your money is."

If it is true that our culture has no "causal understanding of the way our world works," it seems to me to be a pretty fair explanation of how we got into this economic mess. We think our existence is about things and our ability to buy things. We spend more time, money and effort in preparing for our existence in this world rather than the world to come. It is no wonder I read the news today and it was more of the same.

Rich would describe Americans, with very, very few exceptions. Consequently, we all would do well to heed the warning of the apostle when he wrote, "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." (1Timothy 6:17-19) Let your light shine – be rich in those things pertaining to God!