A Dilemma

As the world continues to spin off farther and farther from a Judeo-Christian ethic into everyman's "whatever seems good to me," we find ourselves in the hard place of figuring out what to do. On one hand, God did not put us into this world to make it more moral. No one gets to heaven by being "more moral." No, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. On the other hand, since God is the Creator and knows how the creation works, it is patently obvious that, even if not everyone gets saved, they would certainly be better off living closer to God's way of doing things. So, how much do we get involved in government, in politics, in society, in culture? It can't be 100%, but it can't be 0% either.

But consider this. Paul said, "Finally, brothers, 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" (Php 4:8). That's pretty clear, but is it possible? Consider. Is it possible today to turn on the television or computer these days and not encounter all manner of things outside of those parameters? Is it possible to drive down the road without street signs, billboards, and your car radio violating that over and over again? We live in this world, but we're not of it. And I'm pretty sure most of us don't even have a clue about how much of that has seeped into our everyday thinking. Think about the true, the honorable, the just, the pure ...? In this world? Not likely.

I'm trying to figure out how to be a good follower of Christ, dying to self, pursuing the things He cares about, and shunning the things that He would shun, all while I live in this world, dead set against God. It's a difficult path. What's really hard to figure out is why it is that I seem to be one of a very few that has a hard time figuring this out.