Lonnie Wilkey
My wife and I recently attended a church service with our daughter in South Carolina.
The service was held before the Nov. 8 election and the pastor was lamenting the sad state of affairs in our country and exhorting members to exercise their right to vote.
He quoted a phrase he had heard someone say, “Our politicians have hit rock bottom and started digging.” It drew a chuckle from the congregation, but sad to say, it was too true to really be funny.
Our country and world are in a mess. That is not breaking news. We have been on a downward spiral for decades. A large part of our problem over the years is that too many people in our nation, especially Christians, have tried to ignore the decline in morals and values, hoping it would finally reverse course.
Well, that strategy has not worked. I was watching television recently and a commercial came on that graphically showed two men kissing. What once would have been banned on airways is now commonplace.
Culture has redefined morality. One dictionary defines morality as “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.”
What once was seen as obscene is now accepted and those of us who oppose it are antiquated and out of touch with reality.
While it appears that our nation has indeed hit rock bottom, don’t be deceived. It can get worse as time has proven.
But we can’t blame it all on politicians. Christians have helped dig the hole deeper. We think we can escape the evil in our midst by expanding the hole. No. The evil will continue to follow us, burying us even deeper in the hole.
When we hit bottom, whether it be in our nation, our churches or our personal lives, it is time to stop digging. We have to look upward toward our only hope, Jesus Christ, and begin climbing out of the mess we have created.
As we climb, pray that God will use us to be His light so we can shine brightly for Him in a dark world. We can’t hide in a hole. We have to be salt and light to a lost world that desperately needs Jesus.
II Chronicles 7:14 clearly states, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NKJV).
Longtime Bible teacher and author Warren W. Wiersbe once wrote a book entitled, The Bumps Are What You Climb On.
He told the story of a little boy leading his sister up a mountain trail. It was not an easy walk. Wiersbe recounted that the sister complained to her brother. “Why, this isn’t a path at all. It’s all rocky and bumpy.” Her brother replied, “Sure, the bumps are what you climb on.”
He also wrote, “But this takes faith. It is much easier to kick the rock and turn around and go back. The secret to climbing higher is to look away from yourself and your difficulties and look by faith to Jesus Christ.”
Faith is a lot easier to talk about than it is to practice. I know. I am guilty at times of not having the faith I should have. But in every instance, God has proven over and over that He is faithful. Despite my moments of doubt, He has pulled me through the tough times in my life.
All of us no doubt have had times when we felt like giving up. Unlike some television preachers who promise health and wealth if we accept their teaching, Jesus told us “up front” that in this world we will endure difficult times (see John 16:33). But in that same verse, He gave us this promise, “But fear not, I have overcome the world.”
When we feel like we have reached rock bottom (whether it be in our world or personal lives), take a deep breath and stop digging. Pray and start climbing — with your eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” B&R
