Our world is in crisis! It has been in crisis since Adam and Eve. God cleansed Adam’s world with a flood back then. He spared Noah and his family (God was gracious. Noah was just, perfect in his generation, and he walked with God). We all are here in the world because of God’s grace and Noah’s faithful life. Why is it that mankind cannot, will not learn from the past. Sin caused the world’s crisis then. Sin is causing the crisis in our world today. My article this week is negative, disappointing, even depressing. Please think about the current state of our world and rededicate yourself to make a change in your thinking which will lead to action at home, at school, at work, in the church, everywhere.

The economy is in crisis. Taxes, fees, tickets, tuition, insurance rates, and just about every expense is increasing while income and opportunity is decreasing.
Business and industry is in crisis. There are more closings than openings. Just this past Sunday Cindi and I ate at Piccadilly at Dutch Fork Square for the last time. They are closing. Many employees must take on ever more responsibilities while business owners and managers cut benefits and refuse any increases in compensation. Corruption abounds. Business ethics are outdated.

Agriculture is in crisis. There are fewer and fewer farmers planting crops even though the need for food has never been greater. Some farmers have discovered that they can make more money by not producing crops (government subsidies) than by producing crops. The last tomato I ate cost me $1.00. Unbelievable!

The environment is in crisis. We are now facing the worst environmental crisis in the history of the world in the Gulf of Mexico and no one seems to know what to do about it. This was not an “act of God.” We know that we need to lessen our dependence on petroleum, but lifestyle often supersedes values.

Education is in crisis. Fewer teachers with ever increasing responsibilities and increased class sizes are now acceptable sacrifices for the benefit of the bottom line. Just about every college and university in the state has increased tuition 6% to 14% this year. This was necessary of course in order to increase the salaries of the coaches and their assistants (USC did go 7 and 6 in football last season). No problem with the increased tuition, right? We’ll just borrow more money to pay it. What will our students do six months after graduation when they receive the bill for their college education - $50,000 even $100,000 in some cases? Payment will be due whether those graduates have a job or not.

Local, state, and federal government is in crisis. We cannot survive very long spending more than we take in. The Tea Party movement is just one example of a variety of people from all around the nation rising up to say, “Hey, when we elect a person from our town, county, or state, we expect that person to be a person of integrity and to represent our interests and the interests of America.” Many people are now voting for candidates that they know absolutely nothing about rather than voting for the status quo. Good candidates with the values that make America the greatest country in the world are far and few between.

The home is in crisis. More and more men and women choose to live together in sexual immorality rather than become husband and wife in marriage. Single parenting is now the rule rather than the exception. Many parents expect and even demand that schools, community youth organizations, and the church train up their children. VBS and Bible camp are not baby sitting services!

The church is in crisis. God directs every Christian to be the light of the world. In our day many Christians attempt to live in the light on Sunday morning from 11:00 to 12:00 but live in the darkness of sin’s deception during the week. Do not be deceived. God never has, does not, will not, and never will accept anything less than our 100% commitment to His kingdom and His righteousness.

God gave Solomon the answer to any and every crisis in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”