What a M.E.S.S.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(ESV)

Let’s face it, we are all a mess.  Fortunately, God does not throw away messes, He cleans them up.  This is the hope we all have and why no matter how messy the world we live in becomes, we can have confidence and courage in knowing the blood of Jesus Christ has cleaned up the mess of our own lives and that he is returning again to clean up the mess the world is now in. 

Once again this presidential election, voters in the United States are left with a choice of a ballot full of imperfect messy candidates.  While we would like to believe there is a perfect candidate out there, the truth is anyone running for office is imperfect.  Many voters abhor having to choose between the lesser of two evils.  However, the truth is that every election, past, present, and future will always come down to this choice because Jesus Christ, the only perfect person to walk the face of the earth, is not on the ballot.  

We therefore must vote for the candidate whose policies will make it possible for the nation to clean up its M.E.S.S. consisting of,

1)      Moral decline – During a monologue on his August 9 program, radio commentator Rush Limbaugh brought attention to an article appearing in the Root, a publication of Skip Gates, a Harvard Professor.  The article is entitled “How to Survive, be safe, and Thrive, at a Predominately White Institution.”  (1)  While an article promoting further division in the country is alarming enough, the fact that the article was brought to Mr. Limbaugh’s attention by the President of the United States further demonstrates the decline the United States, and other nations of the world, are in.  (2)  In addition, the nation is in a moral death spiral demonstrated by its cheapening of the value of the life of the unborn to facilitate free sex with whomever one chooses with an abortion as an option if contraceptives fail.  The United States has even declined morally on this issue to where every taxpayer in the United States is forced to fund organizations promoting abortion like planned parenthood.  (3)  In addition, not only is taxpayer money funding abortion, Planned Parenthood sells body parts of aborted babies in the interest of “medical research” something CEO Cecile Richards is proud of.  (4)  Not since the horrors of the Holocaust in Germany has the world witnessed such barbarianism, sadly involuntarily funded by taxpayers, many of which find these practices sickening. 

2)      Economic decline – Once upon a time in the United States, being ambitious and striving to prosper economically was considered virtuous.  Unfortunately, those days seem to be way in the past and have been replaced with a view that anyone prospering economically, did so by stealing from the poor.  We have our liberal dominated media and education system to thank for the spreading of this philosophy and sadly many leading the nation today are products of this philosophy as evidenced by how they govern.  The domination of this philosophy economically has contributed to a low labor participation rate (5) and high unemployment among youth in our nation which according to an article in the economist is blighting a whole generation of youngsters.  (6)  If we do not stop this economic decline, we face an entire generation of individuals paying little or no taxes who will be dependent upon government subsistence.  Of course the ones left paying taxes will see a majority of their wealth confiscated to fund the many who have no economic opportunity. 

3)      Security fears – Secretary of State, John Kerry insists that ISIS is on the run in spite of recent terrorist attacks.  (7)  Many relying on the words of their Secretary of State may find comfort in these words but the evidence supported by 1457 attacks killing 12969 and injuring 15726 in 50 countries in 2016 alone indicate that radical Islam is hardly a religion of peace that is on the retreat.  (8)  An insecure nation is a nation on the decline because its people are afraid to do anything.  Left unresolved, these security fears will have a devastating effect economically and morally on the nation.  Economically as people are afraid to move about going shopping, to sporting events, and concerts.  Morally due to people losing hope and living lives of debauchery because they have no hope. 

4)      Spending beyond our means – In our instant gratification world of easy and cheap credit, it has never been easier for someone to spend beyond their income.  The economic collapse of 2008 was actually a day of reckoning for those who experienced the instant gratification of buying a home they could not afford because the government required mortgage companies to make loans to them or suffer serious consequences.  (9)  However, liberals and progressives not desiring to see the blame for the crisis placed on them continue to cite Wall Street greed as the cause of the crisis.  (10)  The government however, is no better with its debt increasing from $10.6 trillion when Obama took office in January 2009 to an estimated $20 Trillion when he leaves in January 2017.  A day of reckoning, like what occurred in 2008, is coming to the United States and if the nation does not start living within its means by balancing its budget, the nation will suffer an even worse economic collapse and worse yet, may not have the resources to keep the nation secure. 

The United States, and the world are a mess.  While electing leadership committed to allowing the economy to prosper, keeping the nation secure, and practicing fiscal responsibility will clean up part of the mess, it is only as individuals allow the Savior, Jesus Christ, to clean up the personal mess of their lives that we can begin to see an end to the moral decline of the nation.  This is where we who have invited Jesus into our lives come in for Jesus told us in Mark 16:15 to take the gospel to all the world.  It is only the message of the Gospel that can clean up the messy hearts of individuals and thus reverse the moral decline. 

I therefore invite each of you who are believers in Jesus as your savior to begin sharing your faith with others.  As a way to help with this I invite you to take them to needanswers.com where they can pray to accept Christ as their savior. 

Cleaning up the mess in our world is not something any one person can accomplish but is a combination of electing responsible leadership and faith in Jesus Christ.  The good news is, Jesus is returning to clean up the mess.  However, in the meantime we must live by faith knowing Jesus is with us always (Hebrews 13:5). 

1. Ware, Lawrence. How to Survive, Be Safe and Thrive at a Predominantly White Institution. www.theroot.com. [Online] The Root, August 8, 2016. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/08/how-to-survive-be-safe-and-thrive-at-a-predominantly-white-institution/.

2. Limbaugh, Rush. Our Country Is in Serious Decline. www.rushlimbaugh.com. [Online] EIB Network, August 9, 2016. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2016/08/09/our_country_is_in_serious_decline.

3. Severino, Jamie Bryan Hall and Roger. Disentangling the Data on Planned Parenthood Affiliates’ Abortion Services and Receipt of Taxpayer Funding. www.heritage.org. [Online] The Heritage Foundation, September 30, 2015. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2015/09/disentangling-the-data-on-planned-parenthood-affiliates-abortion-services-and-receipt-of-taxpayer-funding.

4. Ertelt, Steven. Planned Parenthood CEO Confirms It Will Not Stop Selling Body Parts From Aborted Babies. www.lifenews.com. [Online] lifenews.com, September 30, 2015. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.lifenews.com/2015/09/30/planned-parenthood-ceo-confirms-it-will-not-stop-selling-body-parts-from-aborted-babies/.

5. ycharts.com. US Labor Force Participation Rate: 62.80% for Jul 2016. https://ycharts.com. [Online] Ycharts, July 2016. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate.

6. J.F. Why is youth unemployment so high? www.economist.com. [Online] The Economist, May 8, 2013. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/05/economist-explains-why-youth-unemployment-so-high.

7. Bradner, Eric. Kerry: ISIS 'is on the run' despite recent terror attacks. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN, July 17, 2016. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/17/politics/john-kerry-interview-turkey-nice/.

8. The Religion of Peace. List of Islamic Terror: . www.thereligionofpeace.com. [Online] Therelitionofpeace. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/attacks/attacks.aspx?Yr=2016.

9. Randazzo, Anthony. ‘The Financial Crisis Was the Result of Government Housing Policy’. reason.com. [Online] Reason.com, June 2012. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://reason.com/archives/2012/05/17/the-financial-crisis-was-the-result-of-g.

10. Salsman, Richard M. The Financial Crisis Was A Failure Of Government, Not Free Markets. www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, September 19, 2013. [Cited: August 13, 2016.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardsalsman/2013/09/19/the-financial-crisis-was-a-failure-of-government-not-free-markets/#321854df449e.