Give It To God To Clean Up

 

There was not too long ago an expression of self-gratitude going around, “I owned it today; I took a test and totally owned it!” or “During our game today we owned the other team!” Do you remember what that means? It means the one expressing those words of triumph came out on top. They had a highly productive day, or easily passed the test, or won the game with skill and they’re full of pride in their accomplishment. I think we’ve all had that feeling .Wouldn’t it be great if we could “own” the world? I don’t mean in the sense of climbing over it on our way to the top. I’m thinking more in the way of having such an impact on the world that it would become better. About a decade ago National Geographic carried a story about the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Between 1908 and 1926 there was 423 million board feet of lumber removed from the once beautiful natural habitat teeming with wildlife. This human impact nearly destroyed that habitat and disrupted delicate migration patterns. Today, a National Wildlife Refuge, the wilderness is once again in pristine condition - as if man had never touched it. The magazine stated that this is a good example “of what nature will do to restore herself and heal herself.” Well, there are “laws of nature” that have been set forth by the Creator and although it was man who scarred Okefenokee, it was God who has healed it. We have here a splendid picture of the hand of God in human affairs. After all, it is God who made nature and set in order those eternal laws which govern life.

[Psalm 51:7] There is another way that God heals the damage done by man. Many lives have been ravaged by sin to the extent that they have nearly lost all hope of ever returning to their pristine state. Think about it for just a moment. Sin dominates our world (Romans 3:23; 5:12). And because sin is destructive (Romans 6:23), the world continues getting worse. But, (to borrow from the song), “There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.” That balm it speaks of is the cleansing blood of Jesus shed at Calvary for our misdeeds. He died for you – personally! Regardless of how deeply you are mired in sin, you may truthfully declare with David, “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow,” with the assurance that when you give your life to Jesus your sin will be removed to restore your soul to the purity that it possessed when it first entered the world. Man decimated the Okefenokee! Before the swamp could be returned to its natural state by God, man’s co-operation was necessary. He had to stop the depredation that had once ruined it. And if your soul is to return to what it once was, you must co-operate with the Great Healer by renouncing the sin with which you scared its beauty. Your soul is worth saving! Give God a chance to do it! You can “own this” and the power to do so is found in the Word of God. Become the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). As salt flavors and helps prevent spoilage, we need to help prevent the moral decay taking place in our society. We do this by upholding godly principles of righteousness for worldly things. Become the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16). Light has the wonderful benefit of showing the way before us no matter how dark the world may become. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Light exposes the hidden things of darkness that can cause us to stumble (Ephesians 5:8-14). We are to be the light of the world by reflecting the presence of God and His glory. When the world sees this positive effect in us, they will be able to see God. We can “own” the world if we become salt and light. It begins with ME! Each one of us must take personal responsibility for our lives before God - and those around us.