by Old Shoe Woman

In this nation we love, evil is personified on television before our eyes. From colorful bad guys with a yearning for wickedness to the real life dramas of serial killers, this evil saturates our lifestyles. Daily we also see on headline news, stories that bring bad tidings. Murder, violence, kidnappings, hurricanes, tornado’s, war, famine, plagues, and more are the menu around the clock. This diet of mayhem comes from the high avenues of New York a famed Times Square news bureau, to the hallowed halls of most internet surfers, news is in. We get a lot of it.

As a result, people have learned to be distrustful. Gone are the days when kids would respect their elders. Now they are fearful, distrustful, and even spiteful toward other adults. Many kids are raised to “not talk to strangers”, being taught these strangers are axe murderers, kidnappers, and molesters. The problem however, there are those bad guys in the mix, evil men that will harm innocents. The sad thing is, many young kids miss out on knowing other adults who simply love kids and want to help them. As a result, adults today don’t even pay attention to kids. They leave that to their parents; unless, of course something happens to bring them to the point of getting involved with the kids, say an accident or something.

Even women today, sparked by more rapes and murders of females than ever before are keeping an eye out for those bad people. As a man, I know a woman who is fearful a block away. For those women, seeing a man, especially when a crowd is not around brings total fear. They advance to the other side of the street way before they would pass by any man on the same sidewalk, supposing that the man would throw the woman down in broad daylight and rape her. The problem, again, is not all men are rapists and murderers. Many have wives and daughters. Many have not been unfaithful to their spouses. In one incident on a street, I saw a young woman approach me. She smiled and said in nice friendly voice, “How are you today”? I was shocked, but smiled back and said, “Fine, how about you”? We passed by each other and went our separate ways.

In another part of the country we find the secular humanists, nihilists, and the like, according to author Mark Ames of nypress.com, an alternative newspaper. His distrust is of conservative Christians. He looks upon them as having an evil agenda, per say. Mark speaking of the agenda of conservative Christians and their belief of end time events says “Currently 65 million American cultists are using everything in their power, from prayer to politics, to make this Helter Skelter scenario come true.” Speaking of Christians as cultists, Mark is viewing with distrust of a certain segment of society. That part of society is the part, I personally follow. Even though, my doctrinal views may differ from other conservative believers, Mark has lumped us all together.

As we walk the narrow corridor of life, it contains many pitfalls. The major pitfall here for the believer is how to be a “light” shining in the darkness. Jesus spoke to us in Mathew chapter five, verse sixteen saying “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” As a follower of Christ, I am to let my light shine. That means, letting the love of Christ flow through me to those around me. Paul was commissioned by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter twenty six and verse eighteen being told “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” This verse reveals to us that there is a power of light and a power of darkness. This darkness is equated to the power of Satan. It is in the grip of Satan that people in this world find themselves. It is a grip that doesn’t want the individual to find forgiveness of sins or be sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. So begins the battle. One side is in darkness the other in light.

It is here that the “love quotient” needs to be inserted. In John chapter three verse sixteen it says “for God so loved the world that he gave”. Yes, God so loved, he gave His only Son on the cross. But in John chapter three verse eighteen it says that “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” The word believe here in the Greek, means to trust in, rely on, and cling too. This is like a life preserver in the ocean and you’re adrift without one, until you see the life saving preserver. You have to cling to it to be saved. On the reverse course, the words “believeth not” mean that person stands condemned and guilty before God. Further, John in chapter three, verse nineteen says that this condemnation means that “light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John explains further in verse twenty that “every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” Thus, we find the “love quotient” here in the world. You must accept this “love quotient”, which is Jesus Christ; believe on Him, to stand guiltless and not condemned. For many in the world, however, their love of evil things separates them from this. They simply do not want to give up those things they do.

So the battle is raging today. On the one side, people that think everyone on the conservative side, people that believe in the “saving of the soul” found in Hebrews 10:39 form a religious cult. Jesus warned us in John chapter fifteen and verse eighteen “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” Yet, as believers, we are as it says in Matthew chapter five, verse forty four saying “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” By doing this, Love conquers hate and unbelief. A lawyer asked Jesus what were the greatest commandments. Our Lord replied in Matthew chapter twenty two, verses thirty seven to forty saying “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

To love thy neighbor, this fulfills the law. This love propels the believer to testify what God has done for him through Jesus Christ. This love means the Christian stands for light and what it is. This love brings the believer to give his life to share the gospel. For the world, it means, the believer will not give up or shut up. For the world, it means, there is only one way to salvation. That is, through the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who tire of hearing the good news or about the need to be saved, it won’t stop. That is our calling to love, to share, to bring the good news of salvation to every person.

In the end, there will be those who will hate the message and the messenger. But, there will always be those who needed to hear the message. This message speaks of a loving savior who says “come unto me, all ye who are weak and heavy laden. Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is light.” There are those who even in this tossed and turbulent world, even up hearing a message of love, will hate and despise those who are bringing it to them. For those who follow the Lord, let us not forget the “love quotient” amidst a perilous world and tough times. For as Jude said in verses twenty one to twenty three “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

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