When Disappointed by Others’ Moral Failures

   The news of recent developments, some of which has been pouring out by the national news media, has been heart-wrenching and distressing to so many of us within the Lord’s church.  While we have been praying for the families whose lives have been permanently altered and suffered incalculable loss…while we have been weeping and agonizing over the moral failures of those we love and care about, the world has been gloating and blaspheming the name of God.

   We are reminded that every Christian must be actively engaged in the battle of his life due to the all-out battle for his life.  Satan has not yet raised the white flag in acknowledgement of his defeat.  The battle for our souls rages on while the devil works as the “chief terrorist” “to kill, to steal and to destroy” (John 10:10).

   We are reminded that God is still God and he is yet the rightful Sovereign of the Universe.  God is our “Commander-in-Chief” and we will continue to follow him and be subject to his guidance, commands, and supreme will for our lives.  “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever” (Jude 25).

   We are reminded that Elders and their wives, preachers and their wives, missionaries and their wives are not some type of super-human creatures.  We are all clothed in this mortal body and we are subject to various trials and fleshly temptations.  Elders, preachers, missionaries and their wives are not exempt from these.  We have equal opportunity to stand or fall. God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), he has given us the full array of Christian armament wherewith we can engage and overcome the enemy (Ephesians 6:10ff).  We must “leave no unguarded place…no weakness of the soul” for that is where Satan will attack.

   We are reminded that Satan may win a battle, a skirmish here and there, but God has beautifully depicted for the Christian in the Revelation of Jesus Christ written by John on the Island of Patmos how God will win the war between good and evil while Satan and his cohorts will surely be banished and sorely punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power.  However, Satan still searches for the weak, yielding, compromising Christian he can lure away to use for his devilish purposes.

   In the words of God’s faithful servant, Joshua: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15-16).

   May God’s people be alert to what is at stake in this spiritual battle.  May we rise up with God as our leader, our helper and our deliverer and so engage against sin, that Satan regrets his use of some of those so close to so many of us.

Tim Childs

Hillcrest church of Christ

Baldwyn, MS