Most of us know what’s happening in the world. We can hear it on the news every day. But it is not enough to simply know what is happening. We must interpret and discern what is really going on in what is happening.
Our Lord desires for you and I to be good interpreters of the present time. Interpretation is when you address the disease and not just the symptoms. Even as Christians we are prone to outsource discernment to others: news reporters, politicians, law-enforcement officers, social media, and conspiracy theorists. They are the ones telling us what happened and why it happened and what we need to do about it. Trouble is, their assessment is often clouded by fear, prejudice, indifference, personal interest, or political agendas. Most of them certainly don’t have the discernment that comes from the Lord, from the very mind of Christ.
Discerning the present time may just be some of the most important and life-giving work we can do for our country, for one another, and for our children. After a tragedy everyone is talking about it—shouldn’t you—as a believer—be able to give them the proper interpretation? Should they get it from CNN or MSNBC?
In this week’s edition of PathLight, Dr. T. D. Worthington reminds us that this is not someone else’s work to do. This is our work. Our two cents are important. The world needs our interpretation, and they need to know how to properly respond. We dare not push this responsibility off on someone else.