6/23/2013

Talk show hosts have been busy the last couple of days critiquing President Obama’s speech in Berlin where he said that climate change caused by carbon emissions was one of the great global threats of our time. One man, taking exception to that statement, said he thought radical Islam was the greatest global threat. Although both of these matters need not be dismissed, neither is our greatest threat.

Your immediate needs or problems are more likely to be on your mind than global warming or Islam. We are prone to have a rather short-sighted view of threats. The most visible and immediate threat can capture almost all of our attention. A two ton chunk of steel on wheels racing toward us at 60 mph is certain to grab our attention. If a big bad guy stuck the muzzle of a gun in our face, we would probably lose interest in our favorite team’s current standing. Tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms, and summer wild fires head the list of weather related concerns. Health issues and job instability can also pose both short and long-term threats to our daily well-being. But none of these things should be at the top of our list of threats. In fact, the greatest threat to every person on planet earth has never changed, but this reality is seldom recognized. The reason is because our greatest threat is invisible.

By now you have probably figured out that I am talking about Satan. He is threat number 1. Granted, every threat listed above has the potential to cause great misery and/or harm. But Jesus said that what people should fear the most is having their soul destroyed in hell (Matt. 10:28). This is not a pleasant thought. Perhaps, that is why Satan has been trying since the beginning of time to persuade men that we can ignore God’s warnings.

No one I know gets much joy from pondering life’s perils. In fact, many times life’s burdens overwhelm people and they despair of life itself. That is exactly what Satan wants. He wins when people give up on God. But what they fail to understand is this: Satan is the reason for ALL the agony in this world. He is the one who introduced Adam and Eve to sin.

Once we grasp the reality of the consequence of choosing Satan over God, the decision to choose the Lord becomes a “no brainer”. Who, in his right mind, would prefer hell over heaven? Don’t let day to day concerns cause you to take your eye off the goal. The eternal destiny of your soul must be your #1 concern.  KD