Have you ever watched news coverage of mass killings and wondered why people
do such things? Whether it is an innocent person trying to escape the scene, a
mother holding her baby or a grandmother who cannot defend herself, they all meet
the same senseless end. What motivates people to do evil?
Where do these shooters learn their skills and feed this passion to kill? Do we learn
these things at home? No! Do our schools teach our children to grow up to
slaughter the innocent? No! Do our churches disciple people with hate so that they
long to hurt others? Definitely, not! If you think about it, the answer is obvious.
The media has become the air we breathe. Where else do most of us see people shot
or blown apart? This violence flows into our innermost being and shapes the way
we think and act. The chief source of violence in most of our lives flows from
television, the movies and video games. They portray a world where life is cheap
and expendable. Watching so much has numbed us to the power of evil on the soul.
Even the religious zealots who kill for heavenly reward are drunk on the air of the
groupthink they have absorbed. They have allowed the agenda of others to mold
their hearts to enter this sordid world.
Sadly, the air of the media has replaced the fragrance of God’s glory for too many of
us. Listen to Psalm 72:19…
Praise be to his glorious name
forever;
may the whole earth be filled
with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
The air that brings satisfaction and joy comes only from the Lord. If we would
breathe in his Word so deeply that our lives exhaled love and service, our world
would sense his glory and want more of him. On that day when Christ returns, his
glory will fill the air of this world; but until then it is our responsibility to radiate his glory.
So, plug into the air supply that will make you shine, and hopefully, capture
the imagination of those you love.
My prayer is that the next time you and your loved ones are gathered around the
television hearing about another outbreak of evil in the world, they will turn your
direction to see and sense the goodness and glory of our great God. After all, light
always dispels darkness.
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