But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be . . . .holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
These days we are watching ISIS terrorize the Middle East. They have become a formidable adversary. One thing that has interested me is that they are able to recruit young people from the West into their ranks. We wonder, "How can this be? We have given them everything, care from cradle to grave and they renounce it all to fight with the enemy. How can this be?"
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Man does not live by bread alone . . ." It is absolutely true that you can give everything to a person that is necessary to physical life and he will not be happy. For a person to find fulfillment he needs to love and be loved and he has to find something worthwhile to do! For how many years have socialists sought to meet physical needs without meeting the metaphysical needs--the needs of the human spirit? Materialism does not fulfill the needs of the whole person! A culture cannot denigrate Christianity and Christian values and then be surprised that their young would run off and collaborate with the enemy. How could it be any other way. Every person is designed to have a sense of purpose, even if that purpose is evil.
We have come to this in part because the church has not stood strong for the truth. Our worship has been half-hearted and our prayers are filled with cliche`s. It has always been true that if there is congruence between what a parents says and what he actually does, the children generally will follow. I think it is as well true in church leadership, if we truly live out what we say we believe the church will generally follow along. If we are truly people of faith, the church will follow. If we say we trust God, but act as materialists, our flock will scatter.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
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