What do we do?

 

 I was visiting with my dad this morning (it’s his birthday–Happy Birthday, Dad!), and he shared a disturbing story from my home state of Ohio. A man murdered his wife and then asked his neighbor for permission to bury his dead dog on his property. The neighbor granted him permission, not knowing the man would actually bury his dead wife! What do you do with a story like that? (https://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/story/news/crime/2021/04/28/genoa-ohio-man-charged-murder-missing-wife/4870141001/)

 In Florida, a fourteen-year-old boy took a thirteen-year-old girl into a wooded area and proceeded to stab her 114 times as the terrified victim desperately tried to fight off her attacker. 114 times! What do you do with that? (https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/29/us/florida-teen-stabbing-first-degree-murder-charge/index.html)

 In California, a man serving time at Corcoran State Prison attacked his cell mate with a make shift knife, decapitated the man and dissected portions of the man’s body. Prison guards discovered the mutilated body the next morning next to the murderer who was wearing a necklace made of the dissected body parts. What do you do with that? (https://nypost.com/2021/05/29/prison-guards-didnt-notice-satanist-tortured-beheaded-cellmate/)

 I live near Minneapolis where crime rates have skyrocketed this year. Minneapolis has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Homicides have more than doubled compared to this time last year. Other cities have experienced surges in crime and homicide as well. Violence is on the rise and societal morality is on the decline. We live in a time when society views gender as subjective, facts as irrelevant, and the Bible as outdated. The boundaries of morality are shifting at an exponential rate in the arena of cancel culture. Rather than foundational principles of morality grounded on an absolute, we live in the shifting sand of morality where the next wave wipes out what was drawn in the sand so someone else gets to write down their new morals. What do you do with that?

 A friend mentioned to me how the country was going downhill, and I replied, “No, the hill has been blown up and the country is in a free fall.” I realize that may be an exaggeration, but it feels that way. My sister-in-law and I were talking about the current situation in the world, and she wondered about what a person could do or prepare for the future. What do we do? As believers, what do we do with everything we see going on in society today?

 In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul provided some answers to that question. The Thessalonian believers had some questions and concerns about the end times and what to expect. They had to deal with persecution from the government as well as their neighbors. Paul informs them of some of the difficulties that would be seen during the end days including deception, widespread belief in lies, and the underlying activity of Satan. Paul’s depiction is not a pleasant one but is accurate. Deceit and lies will reign and the result will be the persecution of Christ followers. So, what do we do with that? Here is what Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”

 Paul is to the point: stand firm and hold to God’s truth. In the midst of a tumultuous, deceived world, we need to stand firm and hold to God’s truth. But Paul also gives believers hope that they won’t have to do this in their own strength. He wrote: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

 God loves us and will establish our hearts in the work He has for us and in His word. A couple verses later, Paul reminds the believers that God will establish you and guard you against the evil one. Times may (will) get difficult and we will face opposition, but we don’t face this battle alone! The LORD will guard us against the evil one.

 Paul concludes the section this way: May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. That’s where we find the strength to stand firm and hold on in the midst of a world that seems to be falling apart. We focus our hearts on God’s love and the steadfastness Jesus showed all the way to the cross. God loved us so much He sent Jesus, and Jesus loved us so much He endured the cross. If my God is willing to do that for me, I can stand firm and serve as a light for Him in a deceived and broken world no matter what comes.

 So, what do you do with all that? How do we respond to the craziness we see in our world today? We do the same thing Christ did. We embrace the love of the Father and stand firm on the truth of His word to persevere through whatever may come. Yes, it’s a crazy, tumultuous world, but we can stand firm in Jesus. And when He returns that’s exactly where He should find us.