Have you looked around our country recently? America is in deep water morally. For the first time in our history there are more unmarried households than married, and divorce is a real problem in our world. More and more children are being reared in single parent homes. Too many children in our country are living without the guidance and direction of their fathers.
The statistics of the negative effects on children reared in these kinds of homes are alarming. According to statistical facts found in the book entitled Correct, Not Politically Correct written by Frank Turek, children from fatherless homes account for:
- 60% of America’s rapists
- 63% of America’s youth suicides
- 70% of America’s long-term prison inmates
- 70% of America’s reform school attendees
- 71% of America’s teenage pregnancies
- 71% of America’s high school dropouts
- 72% of America’s adolescent murders
- 85% of America’s youth prisoners
- 85% of America’s youth with behavioral disorders
- 90% of America’s runaways
We are currently in the throes of the great marriage debate in our nation. We have mayors of major cities as well as our president saying they favor same-sex marriage.
Then we have credibility problems among the Christian community. Christian people seem to be dealing with the same issues as the unsaved world. Divorce is a problem, and hypocrisy plaques many spiritual leaders.
Some men refuse to take a stand and speak out for fear of reprisal from their church or the community in which they minister. Others are nothing more than hypocrites, preaching one thing and living another.
When I think of all the problems that we are dealing with both as Americans and as Christians, I am reminded of the book of 1 Samuel. When you read the first several chapters, you will see dark moments in the nation of Israel. The priests and spiritual leaders were poor examples to the people. In fact, their conduct both in the ministry and outside the ministry was so unbecoming that, “Men abhorred the offering of the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:17).
Their behavior was so wicked that God said He was going to bring judgment on the house of Eli. God sent a message through an unnamed prophet that Eli and his two sons would die. The prophecy was fulfilled in a battle with the Philistines. Eli’s sons were killed in battle, and Eli died when he received word that the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines and his two sons were dead.
Times were tough in Israel, yet God was at work. In the midst of the darkness there was a light that grew brighter and brighter as days went on. This light was the life of a child named Samuel. He grew into a man of God that brought the nation back to God.
In some respects, we are in similar circumstances. We are living in dark hours morally, spiritually, politically, and economically. In spite of the darkness, there is a light—the light of truth found in the Word of God. The Bible speaks clearly of the day when Jesus Christ will return and the final days of this world will begin to unfold. What a day that will be when we hear the trump of God and the voice of an archangel!
Don’t think I am a fatalist who believes we should just sit back and wait for Christ; that is not the case at all. I do believe He is coming, and it motivates me to live a righteous and holy life. However, I also believe that we can see God move again in this world before Christ’s return. Here are a few things God’s people should be doing:
- We need to pray for a spiritual awakening among the people of the world.
- We need to get thoroughly right with God and walk in the Holy Spirit’s power.
- We need to love people and show them grace even when they are not kind to us and even when their lives are not what they ought to be.
- We need to work on our homes and families. If you are married, work on your marriage, and make sure you model the truths found in Scripture. Train your children to know and live for God.
- Pray for your pastor and your church leaders to be people of great faith and credibility.
- Live in the light that Christ will soon return.
We are either part of the solution or we are part of the problem. By God’s grace, let’s be a part of the solution!
