Dispelling the Smog

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

Proverbs 14:34

Once, while flying into Los Angeles, I looked out the window and cringed. The city was covered in an unusually heavy layer of thick, brown smog. However, as we drove up the freeway an hour later, you could barely see it.

I thought of this when I read a comment by Dr. David Wells: “What is striking about our culture today is that its corruption is not simply at the edges…it is not simply found among academics who are bent upon overturning all moral principles, or among vicious street gangs, or vendors of pornography. What is striking is that this corruption is not located in small pockets here and there, but is spread like a dense fog throughout society.” He’s right. And sometimes, like when we see smog from ground level, we hardly notice it. We tend to forget we live under a thick layer of moral corruption. We succumb to the numbness.

Yet this age is ripe with opportunity. I’ve noticed that more people than ever are open to discussing the problems. “What can we do? Where can we turn?” is their cry.

Now is the time to shine light, shake salt, and tell people that Jesus Christ is our hope, that the Bible offers answers (the Ten Commandments may not be old-fashioned after all!). In contrast to the despair and nihilism, we can proclaim an absolute morality—there are things that are right and wrong, good and evil, helpful and hurtful. “Don’t commit adultery”—families will be ripped apart. “Don’t steal”—society will crumble if you do. A moral compass like this is good! What’s more, in responding to the vague spiritual longings people seem to have, we can remind them that our hearts were formed by God and we will be restless until we find our rest in him.

May I never succumb to the numbness in our society, Lord, but share the truth. In so doing, help me to dispel the dense smog of moral corruption.