"Chicken Little" Meets Paul

OK, so we look around our politico-economic landscape and we have to be--if we can fog a mirror--at least a little alarmed at what we witness. The "land of the free and the home of the brave" is now finding our long-enjoyed freedoms questioned and even outrightly attacked. And the only brave people we find are those who lobby Washington for yet another multiple-billion-dollar hand-out and that with little if any compunction! It's enough to make Chicken Little cry out, "America is falling, America is falling!" This time though, our diminutive fowl may be on to something. Indeed, as Proverbs teaches, "Sin is a reproach to any people" (14:34), even to those who don't care if they sin. The Church--God's "salt and light" in this world must be purified if she is to have any positive effect in our culture.

But there's another side to this--we must not let the world's malaise jade our heart and hope. No, we would hear the Psalmist affirm, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (46:1). But we also need to introduce Chicken Little to Paul and instead of fostering an alarmist mentality, train him to look for and to meditate on that which is good. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Phil. 4:8). There's plenty of bad news to wile away our TV hours, of that the networks will make sure! And, it is also true, that we cannot rightly "turn a blind eye" to troubles as if we lived in Neverland. Still, we must faithfully proclaim, like a "city on a hill," that God reigns, and there is indeed unparalleled victory in the cross of Jesus Christ. This is our hope--true, pure, and lovely which no one can strip from us, as long as our eyes stay riveted on Jesus!