“There but for the grace of God go I.” Words we have forgotten, words we do not hear anymore, we have decided to attend the pity party, and we are always the guest of honor.
The “me” generation has turned into the “It’s always about me” generation, and we have decided to stop seeing the pain of others, perhaps because there is so much of it to see these days. People grow callous towards what they see every day, and do not be fooled here, the media know full well this truth, the more pain and suffering visible, the less we care.
I would ask you to check your memory here, when was the last time you saw an infomercial or even a regular commercial on your television for request for assistance to a particular group. Been awhile, hasn’t it? So much for the whales, the polar bears, the snow leopards, people starving in other countries, children’s funds, nearly all invisible these days. Fixate the masses attention on what you want them to see, bombard them not daily, but hourly with it, and you have the makings of apathy, too much of a good thing turns bad, too much of a bad thing does not make it worse, it creates apathy, and begins to feed the “I’ve got mine, you get yours” mentality.
In a very short time indeed we have gone from love thy neighbor, (Mark 12:31) to absolutely no fear whatsoever of casting the first stone. (John 8:7) The born-again believer is quite aware that the majority of the world has gone insane, that rules are being laid upon us only for the benefit of those who like to call themselves the “ruling class,” that evil men are in control of nearly all of the planet. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
There are still of course some who are continuing to do all they can for those in need, whether it be materialistically or spiritually, but the majority of mankind decided to leave the rest of mankind behind when the masks were introduced, and when vaccinations are the only way to move about freely, to use the term very loosely, even more will be left to fend for themselves.
Selfishness and pride are brothers, perhaps the closest brothers there are, for selfishness places itself above all there is, and pride reinforces that action with the thoughts of worth and value above its peers. I have heard Proverbs 16:18 misinterpreted so many times I have lost count, pride goes before destruction my friends, not a fall, but destruction. “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” (Eze. 28:15) From whence came this iniquity? We may never know, but it is quite easy to see the total effects of it today.
Many of those who may think in their own wording, “There but for the grace of God” do nothing more with that thought today, there is little desire to assist, much less action towards the one in need. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) Many will simply walk on, oh, they may feel bad about that person’s tribulation, but they have mistaken their feelings for action, they have regarded, quite mistakenly, their inaction as righteousness.
I am reminded again of an old line from a movie, “We see sin on every corner, and do nothing about it,” but in this scenario, we see pain and suffering, we see fires, earthquakes, floods, and we see them so often that we forget the thousands, perhaps millions today that have lost all they had, and then we change the channel. Perhaps there are just too many to give to any one cause today, perhaps hearts grow colder as troubles increase.
I will leave you with this interesting fact which I believe the Holy Spirit used to prompt me to write this particular letter today, and how it fits perfectly with what He wants you to contemplate. Personal savings around the planet have increased dramatically since the lockdowns began, while charitable giving is at the lowest point it has ever been. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12)
