Thursday, January 27, 2011

God is in control

In my geography class lately, we've been discussing Africa. A main point that we have been talking about are the slums and poverty in Africa. How Africa 's history has been riddled with slavery, poverty, sickness, starvation, war, etc. First off, I became really depressed because I felt that there was nothing anybody on earth could really do to alleviate their problems. Thousands of people and governments have tried and ... minimal positive results seem to be the recurring theme. I began wishing I could go down there and help out in any way I could, any way that God would lead me ... but shortly after reaching this conclusion, I was reminded of all the diseases down there, AIDS, yellow fever, malaria, plus all the killing. Needless to say, I didn't really want to go down there any more because I really didn't want to die. But then a thunderbolt hit me. If God has my days ordained for me, I won't die one second before I'm meant to. My brothers and sisters in Christ have lived with these problems their whole lives and still manage to worship God through it all. and I'm afraid of going down there and dying!? Anyways I started to wonder what hope could there be when another thunderbolt hit me. GOD IS THEIR HOPE! No matter what struggles or tribulations they face on a day by day situation, when there is little hope ... who do you turn to? in whom do you have hope? GOD! I realized that salvation is the hope! Somewhat elementary I know, but its so true and yet so simple. God can provide a joy, a purpose for living that transcends all physical nature! No matter what disease, what war, whatever, the lasting joy of a faith in God and his sacrifice for us is the hope for the future! Now, I'm writing this from my room, from a rather spacious house, in the most luxurious nation on earth and so I know that I don't have a good perspective on this. But ... just take a look at the apostles! The persecuted believers in other nations. History shouts out the names of people who faced persecution, disease, killing yet still worshiped God through it all! He is our hope, He is our salvation, He is our life and reason for living. Without Him, life is meaningless and without the hope of Christ, the world and problem of poverty does seem hopeless. While I believe that we try our best to eradicate poverty and disease, I think the answer is much greater than than that yet so much simpler. It's simple, we are all desperately searching for cures for diseases, money to relieve poverty, peace to stop the wars ... yet we've found the answer in a little book that is oddly enough in millions of homes around the world. We just haven't known where to look. Nothing new but something that God opened my eyes to today.

2 comments:

  1. Hey, bud! Good thoughts here. It's definitely tempting to choose not to go to a foreign country to spread HIS word just because it would be an inconvenience or dangerous. But the people in those regions do indeed need Jesus as much as we do, and if you aren't going to go down there, than who will? I'm sure that God has a specific place where He wants you to be...and I am praying that when the time comes, you will know exactly where He wants you to spread His word. You are in my prayers, dude! Keep going strong in His name!

    -Spence

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  2. Thanks Bro! Yea I hope that He will reveal where and what I'm supposed to do when the time comes ... hopefull soon but His will be done.

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