Penury and Promises
We live in a world today, which is simultaneously fraught with peril, filled with opulence, devoid of spirituality and held captive by region-encompassing false religiosity. While oil princes in the Middle East drive Rolls Royces and some of the tallest skyscrapers on the planet look down upon luxury homes for the wealthy, at the same time in other parts of the world some ethnic groups live in extreme poverty and barely manage to eek out an existence, their children growing up in ignorance and destitution. Some of this comes about as a result of a faulty work ethic and slothfulness. Some of it is the result of a strenuous work ethic and industriousness. And some comes from the capriciousness of someone “happening” to live in an area with immense natural resources. We can look around and see a world, which contains bountiful compassion for human life — sometimes — and also, more probably, a wanton disregard for the same.
For almost two years now in Europe the “immigrant problem” has been escalating and engendering problems for some and opportunities for others. In a very graphic way it has highlighted the differences between the haves and the have-nots. And there is a reason for the disparity. When one watches the news and views report after report on the simmering troubles throughout the globe, one is reminded of what God’s Church has said for many, many years: mankind simply cannot govern himself. In any dispute or controversy there are always (at least) two sides. We are surrounded by no-win/no-win situations. When human beings reject God as their ruler (Romans 1:20 ff.) they are in effect saying, “We know better and we can do it better!” For nearly six thousand years now the bitter lessons of living without God’s direction have been repeatedly, nay, continuously not learned. What we see on the negative side of mankind’s ledger — which predominates the entire account — is the result of leaving God out of the equation. Mr. Armstrong said, probably hundreds of times, that God is allowing mankind to try every form of government and fail, so that in the end no one can confront God and say, “But if we had just tried my idea of governance, we could have been successful.”
This all sounds pretty bleak — and it is. A world without God, or with a wrong image of God, or a world which worships a false god will invariably find itself in a disparaging and desperate situation. But that should help those who are trying to follow the true God to see the difference all the more clearly and to be all the more thankful for what God is offering. God gives the instruction to His own: “Come out of her, my people!” (Revelation 18:4).
Within the body of the followers of God there will be different streams of thought, often simultaneously: on the one hand, “sighing and crying” for the results of sin in the world and on the other hand a hopeful, joyful and reassured looking forward to a time in which the law of God will be the law of the earth and all will be able to learn to follow God and reap the benefits.
Let us not be falsely attracted to the “glitz and glamour” that the god of this world, Satan, dangles before us, but also not depressively burdened by the poverty and penury, both spiritual and physical.
The challenge is for us to be able to raise up our eyes and look beyond the “now” to see what God promises is coming. It will be the answer to the problems we see around us. A new horizon, a new world — a chance to experience blessings for doing things God’s way. May God speed that day!
Cliff Veal
