I find it increasingly harder to understand what is happening in the world today. There is a spirit of anger, rage, hate, cruelty, deceit that is palpable and that is infecting all of us. People are allowing hate to grow inside of them and thinking it’s okay to kill. Why is it different now? There has always throughout the whole history of mankind been killing and there always will be in this world. Somehow it feels different now. It feels rawer. I guess because we are alive now to experience this time in our history so I shouldn’t be surprised or alarmed. If I could quantify the feeling I have of late it’s of being tossed about in a huge ocean and not on solid ground. Waves of the next atrocity keep pounding us and we’re not sure where it’s safe. Our children increasingly wonder where it’s safe, especially school age children.

This morning in Hearing God by Dallas Willard: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15.

Tossed back and forth by the waves is what it can feel like today in this world. This morning in James 4…Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34). Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

He jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us…how amazing is that? This morning He told me He loves me and I was reduced to tears.

It breaks my heart to see the anger growing in people’s hearts. The spirit he causes to dwell in us…is His Spirit and God is love. Yesterday in our Thursday Theology Reading group one of our group put it so well in sharing how she deals with the problems so vast and so not in our ability to solve…God is good and He knows what He is doing.

Things go horribly wrong in this world and we ask, God, why did You allow that? I think it’s way past time we ask why do we allow that? What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3.

We have no excuse. Last night watching the recorded Revelation series and discussing Chapter 10, the panel began to share insights after the chapter had been discussed. I loved how one of the panelists said…there are deep consequences to sin that are in society – all of society. We are all bound up together – past, present, future, angels – all of us. We are all interconnected and we can’t understand the whole…that sin has consequences…we are all of us responsible but we want a scapegoat because it’s too painful to admit our sins and repent. Blame someone else. God is love and His love is on a collision course with darkness. Can we begin to see how much that is needed for every single one of us?

I don’t fear God. How can I? I want to be lifted up and grow in all things unto Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. I want to feel His love within me showing me a better way than anything this world could offer. I want to learn how to love from Him who is love and who loves us deeply but will destroy the sin that is destroying us.