Imagine
Imagine. People today still close their eyes and sing and sway with this pretty song and its lofty, dreamy ideals. Imagine there’s no heaven, no “real” hell. Imagine all the people living for today. (Wait a minute! Aren’t we doing that already?) Imagine there’s no religion and all the people live in peace. Imagine no possessions. (Which could make generosity and self-sacrifice challenging) No greed. No hunger. Stop it! These lyrics are a cry for an idealism this world will not experience. Whether you take the religion piece out or not, these lyrical ideals still give rise to conditions which oppose one another. Imagine reality. If you believe what Jesus said, this idealism won’t work. Division and strife are part of the world’s package and He claims to be part of the problem(as well as an ultimate solution). In Luke 12 Jesus said “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Even families will divide, especially about their expressions of faith and we see that regularly. There’s no denying we are experiencing a season of unrest. Our nation is torn by a series of challenges to the creation/preservation/advancement of racial and ethnic unity. Our churches and citizens have experienced significant disappointment from the moral conduct of key leaders. We are trying to emerge from the aftermath of a stressful and hostile election. It may seem there has never been such a divisive spirit ravaging our country and culture. What an opportunity for the enemy. These are troubling times, indeed, and it can be unsettling to see so many professing Christians bewildered and off balance, potentially losing perspective that our God in a real heaven is sovereign and still holds this shaky world in His capable, caring “hands.” Sound counsel from the Psalms(121) instructs “I lift my eyes unto the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” If you believe in Jesus, then believe Jesus when He says “I have told you these things that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.”(John 16, underlines mine). Think About It.