Dear
Fellow Children of God,
What do we do when the world is a mess? What do we do when our world is in deep trouble?
Do you watch or read the local and national news? Actually, maybe watching the news is not such
a good idea. I remember in the 1980’s,
when the country was in deep recession and jobs were hard to find, hearing that
the number one suggestion for finding a job was to NOT watch the news. News reports focus mainly on troubles,
problems, crime, and other bad things.
The point at that time was, if someone refrained from focusing on these depressing
reports, their attitude would be more positive, and they could spend more time
on pursing gainful employment.
However, we do not want to ignore reality. I confess that I do read and listen to news
reports so that I keep somewhat informed.
Many reports ARE bad news. As I read today,
and as I try to determine what is real, I hear of a horrible rise in crime in
the big cities of our country. I hear of
a rejection of God’s plan for the healthy use of His gift of sexuality, and of
efforts to share this rejection of God even in the lives of our children. I hear of political tensions in our country,
in our communities, and around the world.
I see church attendance declining, even among those who claim to believe
in Jesus. And, then we have our own
personal issues. My prayer list normally
has about 150 entries for family and friends, and for myself, concerning issues
of health, issues of personal trouble, and issues of faith. What do we do when the world is a mess?
First, I believe that God’s
children, rather than pointing our fingers at others, need to confess our own part
in creating the ills of our world. Paul writes in Romans 3, quoting what the Old
Testament says about sin and evil in the world. “10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11
there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one." " . . . 23 for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:10-12,
23) That
is why, as we face the evil in our world, repentance
is an appropriate response. What we can do
is to ask, “How did I help cause the problem?
How, as a child of God, can I make our world a better place to live?” After all, we are in the penitential season
of Lent! (You might read all of Romans 3:10-23 and consider how the evil which the
Bible describes resembles the evil of our day.)
However, remember the advice in the 1980’s about focusing
on the bad news. There is another
reality, the reality of our Lord’s power and love, a reality we might miss if
we focus only on the bad. I was recently re-reading the book, “Keeping the Sabbath
Wholly” by Marva Dawn. As she talks
about the Sabbath and embracing the gifts of God, she referred to Psalm 92. Listen to how the power and righteousness of
God stand against the evil in our world.
(Again, it would be helpful to read the whole Psalm, but these verses
stand out to me.) “6 The senseless man does not know,
fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all
evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. 8 BUT you, O LORD, are
exalted forever. 9 For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will
perish; all evildoers will be scattered. . . 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm
tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the
LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear
fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, "The
LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." You see, when the world is a mess, instead of only focusing on the troubles
created by sin, we can trust in God. God is with us now and eternally! Ultimately, all evil and sin will be
judged, and God’s people will live in the joy and glory of heaven. And, in Romans 3, the bad news is, “23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” But the good
news is found in the next verse. “24 and are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24) So, another way to respond to the mess of our world
is FAITH in God, in His power, in His righteousness, in His justice and mercy
and love, especially found in Jesus!
In that same Psalm I also hear one additional appropriate
way to respond to the troubles of this world: WORSHIP! Listen to the first 5 verses of Psalm 92. “1 A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD and make music
to your name, O Most High, 2 to proclaim your love in the morning and your
faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody
of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at
the works of your hands. 5 How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your
thoughts!” Instead of wringing
our hands in worry, we can praise and trust God for His victory over evil by
His love and righteousness, especially in the saving work of Jesus.
What do we do when the world is a mess? We do NOT bury our heads in the sand. We do confess our sin. We turn to the Lord
and Creator of all and we trust Him and we worship Him, knowing that in Jesus
He is already victorious over all the evil we face.
A Child of God, Dealing With The Sinful Mess in
our World and in Our Lives,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I continue to
encourage you to attend worship this Lenten Season, if not in person, then
online. Regular Worship IS a way to
fight the evil in our world!
(I preached at First Lutheran in
Gainesville, FL on February 26. I will
preach in Soldotna, Sterling, and Funny River, AK, on March 4 and 5. I am preaching in Chiefland, FL, on March 12,
and then again in Gainesville on March 15 and 19.)
P.P.S. On Tuesday, February 28, Kathy and I took a day
trip to Crescent Beach, FL. Here are
some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/UmUx77ApaNLjJLpQ9
P.P.P.S. It was a
REALLY GOOD week for fishing (and golfing).
I fished on February 22, 24, and 28.
·
On Wednesday, February 22, after many home
chores I took a quick run to Rodman Reservoir.
Basically, the gnats ate my legs.
L But, the scenery was beautiful! Here is a picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/jVPHY8CjMxrcXtCX8
·
On Friday, February 24, I fished at Orange Lake
in Cross Creek, FL. This is a famous Florida
bass lake, and it did not disappoint on this day. I caught 8 bass (keeping the limit of 5), 2
bream, 1 mudfish (bowfin), and miss many others. I surprised Kathy by coming home early. The fish do NOT always bite, but when they do
J! Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/gdCkVYnBSFJYtD2y9
·
On Monday, February 28, after golfing with
friends in the morning, I fished at the Wacassassa River. The winds were blowing, but this is a narrow,
tree-lined river. Sometimes I do well,
sometimes not. On this evening, in 2
hours, I had four bites, caught 3 fish, and missed the BIG ONE. I also had a talk with a Fish and Wildlife
Enforcement Officer for the second time in a month, which turned out fine,
again. Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/SpeHj8SKgWDta5P48
·
On Tuesday, February 28, Kathy and I went to
Crescent Beach, FL. She read and walked,
and I did some fishing. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vdy1smqsoFiPgjL19
·
I also golfed on Thursday, February 23 with
long-time friend, Pastor Rick Armstong.
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019
from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly devotion previously
entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St.
John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive
it. (Though I am now serving again
part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you
stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions
and do not wish to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove
your name from my distribution list. My
e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer
is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord,
Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
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