Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Our world, especially the United States, is really sick. It feels like everything I once enjoyed has been spoiled.
I loved watching the NFL on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was relaxing, even at times exciting and fun to get lost watching the talent of great athletes. But so far this year, I can’t even stomach it. Not only am I tired of how politics is infused into everything these days; but each game has been turned into a life or death crisis. If a team loses a game someone must be blamed, “Off with the coaches head, too much violence, get rid of that lame quarterback, it’s all Joe Buck’s fault!”
I like the movies. But who wants to watch them anymore knowing that most of the women and child actors have at one time or other been targets of disgusting sexual predators?
You can’t turn on the news without someone trashing the President or the President trashing someone. Everyone is angry. And I even find myself being angry, at everything and nothing.
We are never satisfied. And I believe the main problem is that we have been spoiled by excess. Our pride and it’s unrelenting demand for having things our way is defiling all of us.
Let me show you what I mean. I want to use a hypothetical situation. I will call this the case of the ladies bible study. (I offer a disclaimer: I am not relating this story to any specific situation, and if it offends you I am sorry, this has no direct correlation to anyone I know.)
Three ladies want to study the Bible. Their purpose is very simple and clear: They want to learn more about their God. That is it. So they begin to meet at one of the lady’s houses. It really is fun, so they start inviting more ladies. As more ladies come, the desire to make them feel welcomed by one of the original members results in her making muffins and brewing coffee. The next week two of the ladies suggest decorating the tables and having neat cut out placemats for each lady. More and more suggestions occur: They decide to have a Christmas party, exchange secret gifts and even go out once a month to a local restaurant just for social reasons.
Summer comes and so does a break from the study.
The next year as they begin to start up the bible study the three ladies start off with just studying the bible again. So many of the ladies come, but there are no muffins, no coffee has been brewed, no fancy decorations and no gift exchange has been set up. After a few weeks of just studying the bible many of the ladies start complaining, “Where are the muffins? Last year the study had so much more to offer?”
Another lady replies, “Yeah, where is the gift exchange, and social events?” On and on it goes until many of the ladies agree, “We just aren’t doing enough?” So one of the original ladies asks the dreaded question, “Why did we even meet in the first place? To study the bible and meet God, right? That is being done, so what is the problem?”
One angry lady says, “It’s just not the same. I am leaving!”
This story sounds silly, but it shows how a life built on expectations formed by excess can kill. The NFL was meant to be about playing football and enjoying the sport. Now it is everything but the enjoyment of football, it has become life and death concerning politics, slavery, cancer awareness, high stakes sponsorship and proving which coach and athlete we should worship as god?
We changed what it once was meant it to be.
Hollywood, on the other hand, hasn’t changed at all, it always has been the place to go to brag about sexual deviance and excess. It started off celebrating its rebellion against conservative morality. Now after it finds itself full of pedophiles, playboys and perverts the moral flag is raised and we are supposed to be shocked that vampires are on the loose in Transylvania. The problem here is pride. Every starlet and strapping young gun believes they have a right to be earning the mighty dollar, even if the industry they are doing it in started in the world of vanity and excess. It always has been the place to sacrifice your good name and moral life for excess.
Where are the parents who would never sacrifice their children for the almighty dollar? Where are the virtuous women who will keep their clothes on even if they don’t get the job? I sound like I am blaming the women…no, I am blaming the expectation that comes with luxury’s excess – – the false belief that we all deserve to be rich and famous. Whatever happened to “make it your ambition to lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and submission.” (1 Thess. 4:11) Excess happened – – fat, overfed, and uncaring excess.
The cultural narrative use to tell people to flee the 7 deadly sins; run from pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. We would warn our children that behind each one of those sins lurks a bloodthirsty beast. The new narrative retold by hearts warped by excess is that these 7 sins are now no longer deadly. They are fun friends to play with.
But then they bite and people cry “bloody murder!”
I read a few years ago how the richest countries have the hardest time with the question of suffering and evil. Luxury makes people mistrust God. I would even say once people taste excess they begin to believe they deserve it. It is owed to them.
What is owed us? Can you answer that honestly?
