Day 2769 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Psalm 82:2 NIV

Why is it that our society stands in such awe of the violent, the arrogant, the selfish, the deceptive, the famous, the powerful, the wicked? Why are we seemingly drawn to those who are literally only out for themselves? Why are we okay with allowing our hearts to idolize people who are no different than us, sinful and lost and weak? Why does wickedness continue to garner such praise and prestige in this place? Why is there this fascination with all things wrong?

Because our hearts were born rebellious. Each of us have truly been born into sin and we’ve grown in a world where sin continues to flourish. And in turn, much our lives have been lived learning this understanding of how things work down here. This is all we’ve ever known. This is the only home we’ve ever had. This is the place in which we’re seemingly stuck forever, and so we’ve set our minds to finding ways to simply get by along the safest, easiest, most comfortable path possible.

And when safe, easy, and comfortable become our goals, we’ll quickly realize that the biggest risk to any of the above lies in going against the wickedness that controls much of this world. We look around and see evil winning hand over fist. If it’s wrong, humans will love it. If it’s vile, it’s considered exciting. If it ushers in a rush of endorphins and unleashes hits of adrenaline and ignites our rebellious hearts then we’re all in because we’re not only seeking safety and ease and comfort, but we also don’t mind a little bit fun for ourselves either.

So here we are. We’re living in a world where things are falling apart with very few standing up to say that it shouldn’t be that way. We’re living with a hollow form of religion that has us running in fear of making people angry or hurting their feelings because much of society simply cannot understand that love means more than simply letting someone do as they please. We’re sadly willing to adopt this fear of man because we’re somehow convinced that humanity has to like us in order for us to be good people.

It’s just one of those lessons we’ve learned as we’ve grown in this world. To gauge our kindness and capacity for love and compassion based only on how many people like us. If we’re hated then we’re doing something wrong. If we’re alone then we’ve taken a wrong turn. If we’re facing backlash and rebuke from those around us then we’re the ones who have erred and must fix ourselves because the majority is always right.

Wrong.

The majority of people in this world are okay with wicked things. They’re okay with leaving people lost if it means they think they’re loved. They’re okay with closing the bar on Saturday night because they can just ask for forgiveness on Sunday morning. They’re okay with bowing down to the powerful because they’re scared to stand against them. They’re okay with sin controlling their hearts because change is just too hard. They’re okay ignoring God if it means gaining the praise and applause that the wicked receive.

They’re okay with turning a blind eye to immorality because they’re not quite ready to address their own shortcomings. They’re okay with being entertained by filth so that they’re not bored. They’re okay with listening to music that talks about drugs and sex and dehumanizing other people because it’s on the top 40 at the moment. They’re okay with going along with their “friends” as they indulge in foolishness just so they feel like they belong.

The masses are okay with defending the unjust, praising the prideful, applauding the wayward, upholding the cause of the wicked, ignoring the sins in their own lives, ignoring sin altogether. All because much of this world is built on this illusion of power and control and authority that nothing and nobody down here can actually have. And we’ve just learned to be afraid of those who yell the loudest and issue the scariest threats because somewhere along the way we become more concerned about what other humans may do than we are about what God will do.

And that’s okay. For them. For the world. For a fallen society who doesn’t honestly care to pick themselves up, brush off the filth, and strive to leave their sinful ways behind. That’s okay for a world that has long turned its back on God and is more than happy to continue to run from Him.

But that’s not okay for Christians. It’s not okay for anyone who claims to be trying to follow the example of a Man who turned over tables and stood up to demons and looked evil in the eye without blinking. It’s not okay for anyone who claims to be living their life according to a higher standard set upon the authority of Scripture breathed out by God. It’s not okay for anyone who is actually trying to be fishers of men with hearts set on trying to save others from the death that much of the world denies is coming.

The fact is that we've long tolerated something that is simply unacceptable. We claim that we're living our lives according to the truth found in God's word, but we're apparently also more than willing to just ignore the wrongs that we see because we're convinced that the wicked have a power that is simply unbeatable. So which is it? Do we believe that God is the supreme authority, or do we think that humanity somehow has a fairly equal footing with Him?

Now I fully understand that sin flourishes in this world because the masses have largely decided to continue ignoring God and running rampant. I understand that many are weak and scared and just don't want to live miserable lives being hated by those who seem to have so much power. I understand that things will only continue to fall apart because that's simply how it's supposed to be. But for anyone who calls themselves a Christian, how long can we go along with the downfall before we finally realize that we're not going along but being dragged along by our fear of man?

How long can we stand idly by, hanging around on the fringes quietly keeping God’s truth to ourselves just hoping Jesus will hurry up and come back so we don’t have to get our hands dirty, offend anyone, or risk the vile retaliation of the hateful who are running amok down here?

So what are we going to do, or maybe better yet, why haven't we done it? What are we waiting for? What are we afraid of? What do we have to lose? Or is that right there the biggest problem our human hearts still grapple with at the moment? That we're afraid of losing. Afraid of losing our comfort in this world. Afraid of losing our standing in society. Afraid of losing the acceptance of those around us. Afraid of losing friends who are adamant to remain lost and controlled by sin.

Afraid of losing our lives should we stand up the wicked in this place and face the full brunt of the evil that's controlling their hearts.

For too long we've been completely focused on the potential cost of truly living out our faith in a place that's living for everything our faith is against. But have we ever stopped to consider what we’re trying to gain? How do we actually benefit by going along with the vile deeds being done in this world? What do we gain by proclaiming a Christian faith that is in no way Christ-like? What do we gain by allowing the world to remain lost while convincing ourselves that we’re doing good by loving others according to the hollow definition of love settled for by foolish people who only think that love equates to nothing more than agreeance?

What do we gain by watching the wicked steal more souls and ruin more eternities knowing we have a chance to point them to the One who has the power to save them?

We have got to stop being so short-sighted. Yes, defending the wicked will gain us their appreciation. Applauding the proud will earn us a welcome to join them. Praising sin will afford us a much easier life. Much easier. Ignoring the downfall and clapping our hands as our fellow man continues to plummet toward eternal misery will gain us friendship, a sense of belonging, a seat at the table, and an open invitation to live out the rest of our stay here lavishing in all the praise and power that the sinful have at the moment.

But it will all end when our lives end leaving us with a very painful realization of what "friendship with the world means enmity against God” actually means.

Do we honestly think that we can live our lives largely ignoring the things that Scripture tells us are wrong just so we don't have to risk anything while we're here? Do we really think that we can avoid addressing the things that our Savior taught and died for and still expect a pat on the back, a welcome home, a "Well done"? If that's what we think we're fools because God is not playing around and so we should probably stop as well.

The wicked are winning and will continue to do so. They don't need our help. They don't need our approval. They don't a bunch of weak-minded religious people to give into their power trip. They don’t need us to continue to try and walk the line between darkness and light so that we please both sides. It's time that we actually start being what we claim to be. It's time that we get off the fence, put on the armor, and join this fight because continuing to run from it or to try and appease both sides will only get us nowhere and gain us nothing.

We have to remember what it is that we’re trying to do here. We’re called to help point people to Christ so that He can save them as He has saved us. But we can’t do that if we continue to muddy the line between right and wrong. Look, all of us have a choice. The wicked have made theirs. Don't let them make yours as well. Because we can’t waste our lives refusing to stand up for what’s right and allow all that’s wrong to roll over us. We’re called to be stronger than that. And our Savior literally showed us that it can be done.

But do we believe it enough to step out of the darkness and see that truth for ourselves?

#LeaveNoSoulUntold