A Brief Meditation for the Month

March 2023

It is virtually impossible to open a newspaper, listen to a news broadcast, or the speeches of politicians and not be aware of the international concern about climate change. This concern appears confirmed by older generation members speaking of their childhood memories of very different weather patterns to what we experience now. Yet, despite all the problems attributed to this perceived worldwide change, our scientists and politicians like to sound upbeat as if they can, with enough ingenuity and universal goodwill, fix them: they just need a little time. Since, after all, this climate change is, we are informed, largely the result of human activity, why shouldn’t we be able, by different human endeavour, to put it all right? Such is the degree of disquiet over this matter that governments are willing to spend trillions of tax-payer dollars to ‘save the planet’ for future generations.

Without questioning the sincerity of those who claim they are working for the environmental recovery of planet earth, we can only stand aghast at the staggering change in morality across the planet, which appears to trouble comparatively few. Many of our major cities are rapidly becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah, constantly in the news because of murders, rape, domestic violence, dysfunctional families, robberies, and criminality of every description. Our legislators, with boldness and determination, push the boundaries of morality ever further to the extent that we are becoming a lawless society, in the sense that the divine law that has Christianised, moralized, stabilized, and made much of human society prosperous is now being legislated against with a vehemence almost unprecedented in human history. The knowledge and fear of God are largely gone. Science and pleasure are the new gods revered more and more. Sport and material success are the new objects of worship before which multitudes bow in obeisance. Growing numbers who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are being drawn into a web of entrapment, wasting time and energy following their favourite teams and their idolized sporting heroes and heroines. Sadly, many such cannot find sufficient time to be alone with God’s word or to read a helpful spiritual book. With so many pleasurable and exhilarating interests to pursue, they cannot manage to squeeze into their busy schedule even a few minutes at the throne of grace in prayer. It seems from the attitudes and conduct of many calling themselves bible-believers that they really don’t believe as Paul the apostle did, that “Godliness with contentment is great gain” 1 Timothy 6:6. He describes this contentment in verse 8, stating: “Having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” These are life’s basics, none of which we even deserve. Everything additional to these is a bonus in grace. Although these are testing times for many Christians in several of what are referred to as non-Christian countries throughout the world, where they experience persecution, God’s professing people are being tested in the ‘free world’ by the competitive and grasping spirit of the age. The same tempter who offered apparent attractive material advancement, accompanied with worldly glory, to our Saviour, in the wilderness, if he would just bow down to him (Matthew 4:8–9), will not hesitate to make similar offers to Christ’s followers if they will just leave the path of duty and serve his purposes. During his earthly ministry, Jesus warned us of days approaching when many would capitulate to the pressures of an ungodly society—“Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” Matthew 24:12. May God forbid that we would be numbered among such.

G. G. Hutton.