their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, [romans 3:15-16]
those who seek their own purpose and their own pleasure, who live in rebellion to the Creator, and who live under the gloomy chains of imprisonment to their own sin, will stop at nothing to strive for their own glory.
in the old testament, the nations surrounding israel were quick to shed blood as they sacrificed man and beast alike to the gods that they hoped would bring them peace and prosperity. their sexual acts of pagan worship were second nature to them, a normal part of their weekly routine, and left nothing behind but ruin and misery as they reaped the destructive consequences of their abominable rituals. apart from God, they would never find peace.
today, in our modern culture, our shameless acts of rebellion may look different than they did in the old testament, but they are just as much an abomination to our holy Creator as the rituals practiced so long ago. we sacrifice many things on the altar of convenience, comfort, prosperity, and peace. our marriages suffer and are often killed, our children suffer and are often killed, our relationships suffer, our communities suffer, our churches suffer, our nation suffers. our culture of sexual promiscuity and perversion has become normalized and accepted as good and freeing, leaving behind nothing but tragic ruin and misery. no peace to be found. no prosperity to be had. apart from God, we will never find peace.
we are in as much need of a Redeemer today as the barbaric civilizations of the past or as any civilization since the beginning of time.
but there is hope for the world, because there is a Redeemer. there is light for the world, because God has put his light in us, and because he has sent us into the world! he calls us to spread the good news of peace and true prosperity through Jesus Christ to a world so desperate to hear it. we are his kingdom of priests, called to proclaim his goodness! to proclaim the only way to eternal life!
where has God sent you?
your place of work is not just a place of work. it is a mission field to which he sends you each day to proclaim his goodness.
your school is not just a place of learning. it is a mission field to which he sends you each day to proclaim his goodness.
your family is not just an obligatory community. it is an strategic group in which you have been intentionally placed to proclaim his goodness.
each day, you have an opportunity to proclaim the good news of peace, hope, and eternal life through Jesus, the Son of God. so where is he sending you today? ask for opportunity, and go be his light to the world!
~ arwen eastman