Nearly all Americans are alarmed by the current crisis occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. For the past six weeks oil and gas have been gushing from a damaged well following the tragic explosion of a deep sea oil rig. Eleven men lost their lives in the explosion and the resulting oil spill will cause millions if not billions of dollars of damage to the livelihood of communities along the coast not to mention harm to the environment. Just this morning I saw a news report showing a pelican covered with slimy, greasy oil. How sad. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those whose lives are being affected by this tragedy.
There is another type of pollution, however, that concerns me even more than that occurring off our southern shores. It is the pollution of the world that affects the hearts, minds and lives of so many Christians today. Through the influence of the news media, entertainment industry and internet we are being bombarded with a tidal wave of worldliness that threatens the very heart of our commitment to Christ.
Listen to the admonition of scripture:
"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 by men. You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:13-16).
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas. 1:27).
A young lady went into the kitchen as her mother was preparing a salad for dinner. The daughter asked her mother for permission to attend an “R” rated movie. The mother remained silent but immediately reached down into the trash can, picked up shells of broken eggs, coffee grounds and a handful of other trash and threw it into the salad bowl. “Mom! What are you doing?” the daughter asked. The mother wisely replied, “if you don’t mind filth in your mind why should you mind it in your salad?”
Christian, your salvation has been made possible because God loved you enough that He allowed His sinless son to die for you. He expects you to live a distinctive life that refrains from the moral pollution and filth of the world. This includes avoiding every appearance of evil, dressing modestly and refraining from immoral situations (including immoral music, movies, web-sites, relationships, etc).
I pray for the successful clean up of the Gulf oil spill. I’m praying even more for the people of God to clean up the pollution too many of us have allowed in our hearts. .
That's The Way I See It...
