Now What?
By Dan Qurollo
Burke County
As I pen this article, early voting has just begun. It seems so many issues are at the forefront of our minds. What will be the future of America? Will America be awakened spiritually, or will America continue its downward spiral of spiritual digression? What will the results of the election be? Parents are pondering the future their children will be facing while acknowledging it is already vastly different than anything they ever experienced. Additionally, individuals are still battling the reality of COVID-19, a disease that caught the world by surprise months ago. Is there any relief in sight? What are we as believers to do in times such as these?
- Maintain resolute confidence that God is in control. One of the tragic realities of recent months is that many professing believers have been governed more by fear than by trust. I am not advocating that we abandon caution, but we must never be governed by panic and distrust. Such lack of trust betrays the abundance of Scripture that teaches God is always in control, regardless of what takes place in my life. When my perception of how things are to be governed does not occur, I must maintain resolute confidence that God is in control. Psalm 37:7a instructs believers, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.”
- Exemplify a godly lifestyle molded by the Word of God. Romans 12:2 commands believers, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The command be not conformed indicates these believers were being conformed to this world and needed to stop. The term translated world is not the orderly system known as the cosmos; it rather describes the current age in which we live. Tragically, believers have substituted biblical instruction with cultural ideology. Many are molded more by culture than the Bible. The issues at stake are not what mankind declares to be right; the issues are what God declares to be right. We must never substitute God’s instruction with man’s ideas.
- Exercise your God-given responsibilities. As our culture continues to digress, those who are saved must take a stand against that which is wrong. Imagine where we would be if the apostles refused to take a stand against the ungodly culture by failing to live a life of distinction? What if Paul were shaped more by the world than by God? As believers, we have the responsibility to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4) as well as submit to civil authority when it does not contradict biblical teaching (Romans 13:1-7). As citizens, we have ways in which our voices can be heard that are right and proper.
In Matthew 5:13-16, believers are called to live righteous lives so that their light may shine in a dark and corrupt society. Without a doubt, our society is becoming darker and more corrupt. Tragically, many believers have chosen to hide their light in times such as these. Let’s determine to do what is right in God’s sight regardless of what happens.
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Dan Qurollo is pastor of Morganton Baptist Church. You can visit them online at www.morgantonbaptist.net, on Facebook, or on Youtube. You can read more good news from Dan HERE.
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