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Never before has there been such a seismic transformation of attitudes, morality, economies, national alliances, political ideologies, and movement of people from one nation to another. And things won't slow down in 2024, as more than 60 nations will be electing leaders this year.
Western nations face inflation, massive debt, plummeting morals, rising homelessness, political hostility, violence, "woke" indoctrination and pushes for abortion rights up to the time of birth, significantly altering societal norms.
Add to this the threat of increasing war and ongoing uncontrolled immigration, particularly at the U.S. southern border, and things can seem quite grim. We address aspects of the border crisis in this issue.
Yet for all the geopolitical and domestic shifting we see occurring, the old maxim holds true: The more things change, the more they stay the same. The roots of our troubles are the same as always -- the fact that we live in a corrupt world that runs according to the thinking of Satan the devil. And all people face this deep-seated problem in themselves, as explained in this issue's article on human nature.
Furthermore, besides people bringing natural consequences on themselves for their wayward choices, it should be understood that, according to the Bible, the defiant disobedience of our nations to the laws of God revealed in Scripture is bringing terrible curses and divine judgment -- and there is yet far more to come.
Where, then, does that leave you? As you survey society's ills, what can you do? Can you change the world, as our cover story asks? Can you as one person or with some others budge the world out of its set pattern of wrong?
Not as things stand. "What is crooked cannot be made straight" (Ecclesiastes 1:15). The problems are at such a scale that even major movements are unlikely to sufficiently undo them. The problems confronting this world and each nation will not be solved by any man, political party, think tank, organization or corporation.
Only the return of Jesus Christ will save mankind from the utter destruction it's hurtling toward. The Bible foretells terrible devastation unlike anything ever seen. Yet it also reveals that Christ will return just in time to usher in a world where true peace, harmony, joy and abundance for all will be possible. You see, God has the power to provide all those blessings. If only man would listen to God and follow His way now, things could be so much different.
In a moving statement that reveals His love for mankind and His desire to bestow blessings on those who will obey Him, God says 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."
This would take the whole nation yielding to God and turning to follow Him. Yet that's not likely to happen presently, as people and governments are just too steeped in the pursuit of ways of life that are contrary to the Bible (see Jeremiah 6:16). Surely, "their feet run to evil" (Isaiah 59:7), further and further from even the standard morality of a generation ago. God will not provide blessings to such a people with that attitude.
But, while you can't change the world at large, you can change your world. If your life is empty, frustrating, and lacks the happiness, sense of purpose and hope for the future, you can do something about it! While the world around you won't turn to God, you can!
All the answers to life's problems are in God's Word. It explains that what you need is a new nature from God that comes through His Spirit, as highlighted in this issue. At this time of year the Church of God observes the biblical feast of Pentecost, the occasion on which God gave His Spirit to Christ's early followers in founding the Church (see Acts 2).
Christ gave His Church a commission to accomplish today, but it's not about changing this world now. Yet the Church is being prepared to change the world at Christ's return. So if you are being called now and if you respond faithfully and endure, you will indeed help to ultimately change the world in the future.
When you know why you're here, what God is doing and what His plan for mankind is, you will find peace of mind, a sense of satisfaction, a meaning and purpose to life, with goals and aspirations given by God that you cannot imagine. It's all waiting for you. God offers it, but you have to reach out and embrace it and live it. Let the change in your world start today!
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