Satan fails to speak of the remorse, the futility, the loneliness, and the spiritual devastation which go hand in hand with immorality.
~Billy Graham (1918- )
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
~ Romans 8:18-25
Oh beloved, it is coming apart.
The world.
Time marches, power corrupts, disease spreads, violence abounds, chemicals ruin, injustice pervades, anguish languishes, and so many simply hurt and hurt and hurt and fall into quiet – and not so quiet – despair.
There is this desperate edge to the world. Even in the cleanest and most orderly of places there is this rottenness in the bones of the world that will not heal. It is like there is this layer of gorgeous paint over gouges of the worst kinds of corruption and rust.
When will it ever stop?
Actually, it stopped about 2000 years ago.
What?
Yeah, Jesus said that death and corruption was done as He breathed His last human breath on this earth. And then He confirmed that statement by walking out of His own grave three days after being placed into it.
And also yeah, there is the continuing futility of the forces of darkness that fight against the Light who has poured into the world through His Own Holy Spirit now dwelling within those who have chosen to believe and then reckon true the promises made so long ago.
These forces of darkness scream that they are still in control and they have put up a rather good (albeit deceptive) marketing campaign over the centuries. And it does seem that the campaign is coming to some sort of a climax in most parts of the world. Fashion, money, machines, and copious portions of sex pour in some insanely inane flow through channels of media and the marketplace. It seems that there is almost no place where anything wholesome is seen as wholly acceptable any more.
But somehow, we all (read all of us) know that it is all a lie. And all of us (read everyone) is looking for SomeOne to fix the gnawing emptiness gnawing more deeply into our souls each day.
And this is very good news.
Because, the Answer is already in His Place. He is high and lifted up after the humiliation of His death on that horrible cross 2,000 years ago. He has proclaimed that there is a Kingdom flowing forth out through the people He inhabits and owns through the purchase of His own infinitely precious blood.
This Kingdom will most surely conquer the world. Nothing can stand against it. Not anything. No thing. Oh, there will be the death throws of a world throwing its final fits against the Authority who established Himself at the very foundations of the world He created. But, make no mistake, He will win. And in the winning there will be an unending Kingdom established that will not ever (read never) end.
Oh beloved, it is true. Hope. Hope deeply. Abandon your feelings of abandonment and embrace the Hope of this fallen world tonight.
