“The world's on fire right now.”
Six words were offered to me last Saturday morning when I headed to the bank to deposit a check. I had asked the accountant about traveling abroad and keeping my bank account. We got onto the subject of what I would be doing overseas, and I said that I was taking an eleven month missions trip to eleven countries. He was floored, and asked me if I was nervous about traveling abroad right now. I answered him honestly, “No.”
Then he spoke those six words:
“The world's on fire right now.”
He added that he wished me well, and God bless, but that the world is on fire right now.
There is no denying that the world is in a state of upheaval right now. Political unrest. Violence. War. Terrorism. Death. Evil. Slavery. Addiction. Depression. All very real horrors in our current times. One need only to turn on the television to the local news station, or even the regular TV shows to witness the atrocities around the world.
But to me, this does not cause a reaction of alarm or fear. For me, it creates an ache in my heart. It spreads the burning desire in my soul to go to these countries and reach these broken people. The fact that the world is in unrest right now reveals to me even more that Christ's love is needed now more than ever in the dark corners of the world.
Everyone needs to know the amazing love Christ offers. They need to know that there is another way of life. That there is more than war, violence, greed, bribery, evil, darkness, opression. They need to know the laughter, love, and life in Christ. Joy at its rawest core, and love at its fullest in Him.
“The world is going to hell in a handbasket.”
This is the phrase that popped into my mind when the accountant told me that the world is on fire. Many people often offer up this saying when they think about all the chaos around the world. When they see the war, or conflict, or just the deteriorating morals and standards.
But should that be our answer? Should we be so flippant in our words and our thinking? Just let the world carry on in its downward spiral without even putting up a fight for the lost and abused?
What do our actions say? Do our actions agree with this statement? Do we just sit back and sigh and say, “Well, we tried before, but look. The world just can't be fixed. It's never going to get better, those people will never change. Just accept it.”
The world will never reach harmony. There will always be conflict, and evil, on this side of eternity. Until Christ returns, there will always be discord and chaos. But that does not mean that we sit back and let it happen. We must stand and fight for those souls caught in the darkness.
We cannot simply sit back and allow Satan to swallow the world, and just accept that “the world is going to hell in a handbasket.” Not without a fight, drawn with heaven's sword.
My heart aches for those lost and unreached people groups around the world. It burns with a strong desire to reach them, and offer hope, whether or not they accept it. At least I could say that I tried. At least we can offer hope every day to those people in our lives right here, right now. We can be that light, and shine through this growing darkness.
My heart aches for those caught in violence. For those chained by addiction. For those held captive by modern day slavery. For those who do not know the incredible freedom found in Christ. For the Muslim community. For my community in Tucson. For people around the world.
I cannot even imagine God's heart and love for every person around the world. I think I would simply burst if I even felt the smallest fraction of His full, unconditional love for the world. He cries out for them. He created each of us, unique in Him. He cries for those who do not know Him. If we, knowing His love in our own lives, do not act on trying to bring our fellow brothers and sisters around the world to Him, think of our Father's heart, and the souls lost.
And so, I take heart. I pray to see my Father's heart for all of my brothers and sisters around the world who do not know Him. They will look different than I do. They will practice a different religion. They will live differently than me. But they are made by my Father, our Father. They are my brothers and sisters, and can we let family slip through the cracks, unnoticed? Untouched? Unmoved by the grace that has so strongly effected our lives?
No. We must act. And so I act, and do what I can every day, to spread God's light a little farther. To lighten this dark world and share His hope and love.
The world will not go to hell in a handbasket if we stand and fight for it. If we share God's love with all people.
Share God's love today, through action, through word, through a smile, a thank you, a hug, a kiss. It is so simple. Be His hands and feet, pray for those around the world.
Let's set the world on fire, but with Christ's love.
“YOU are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. YOU are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let YOUR light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
