Thursday, August 13, 2015

You Might Want to Flip the Channel Instead

By Allen White

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17

James hits so squarely between the eyes that these words really don’t need much commentary.

What is the good that you ought to do? You can’t do everything, but what is the good that YOU ought to do? Who needs your help? Who needs your words of encouragement today? What cause is on your heart that needs to be championed?

As Edmund Burke put it, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

When we think of the immensity of evil in this world, it’s sometimes hard to believe that we could make any kind of a difference. Human trafficking, drug cartels, starvation, disease, terrorism, prostitution, slavery – most of us would rather change the channel than think about any of this.

There is something that we can do. The International Justice Mission works with local law enforcement in countries around the world to stem the tide of human trafficking. Water of Life drills fresh water alongside church planting in West Africa and India. Compassion International provides food, clothing and education for children worldwide.

What about the needs in your own home? How is evil influencing your children? While we all need to monitor in the inputs into our children’s lives, how have you connected with your child’s heart?

Parents are not raising puppies. It’s not merely the behavioral tasks of following instructions, behaving in public, and potty training. Our kids need more than obedience school. How are we influencing their thoughts? How are we teaching them to deal with failure and disappointment? How are we showing them to deal with their emotions?

If we do nothing and hope that all of this just goes away, we are just adding to the problem.


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