With the nation of Scotland once known as 'The Land of the Book', (no, not Harry Potter), much of both private and public life used to be ordered in accordance with basic Christian principles. But sadly no more. Yet this has nothing to do with the diversity of ethnicity... it's because as a nation we've drifted so far from the foundational morality of our forefathers.
Over the past 60 years or so we've seen the time-honoured principles, attitudes and values of times past steadily eroded in favour of what we'd call 'progressive' thinking. So much so that much - though certainly not all - of what they would have called 'right' in their day, we now call 'wrong'. And much of what they would have called 'wrong' in their day we now call 'right'.
So let me suggest some ways in which we've questioned and at times even destroyed the absolute truth of God's Word (The Bible) so that our national moral compass is no longer aligned to basic, mainstream Christian morality... far from it! For example, nowadays...
We exploit the poor and call it...'The Gambling Industry'.
We murder unborn children and call it... 'A Woman's Right to Choose'.
We covet our neighbour's possessions and call it...'Upward Mobility.'
We pollute the media with profanity & pornography and call it... 'Freedom of Expression.'
We endorse perversion and call it... 'Alternative Lifestyles.'
We abuse democratic power and authority and call it... 'Political Expediency.'
We neglect the disciplining of youngsters and call it... 'Building Self-Esteem.'
We blur the God-given distinctiveness of gender and call it... 'Equal Opportunity.'
We reject God's right to order our lives and call it... 'Self-Determination'.
We banish true Christian education in our schools and call it... 'Comparative Religions.'
But then, surely we shouldn't be surprised by all this. Much of it was foretold by God many, many years ago...
'But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having the form of godliness but denying its power'.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Yes, in many facets of life today we've turned our back on our Maker through our pride and self-sufficiency and will continue to reap the consequences. The world will go from bad to worse as it careers towards final destruction. But for those of us who have found peace with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the future is gloriously safe and secure...
'Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people;
and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.'
Hebrews 9:28
So, if you haven't already done so, do reach out to Him today... He's only a prayer away.
