Which Way Do We Go?

Which way do we go?

I heard a comment made this morning during a "news" interview regarding the trouble our country is in currently. The response led one to understand that the primary cause of our trouble was our lack of confidence as a nation. The respondent said, sure the deficit would bankrupt the economy and surely the high unemployment was a tragedy, but what we needed was more confidence because we still live in the greatest nation on earth. 

While I have no doubt that the United States of America is an amazing nation with tremendous wealth and resources, I do not believe that we can overcome realities with false confidence. I do believe that personally it all comes down to what, or who, we place our confidence in. We have placed our confidence in an economy that has now led to astronomical debt (maybe the debt ceiling is the new space program - lol). We have placed our confidence in jobs that are disappearing like a magician's assistant (I never could figure out how they did those tricks). We are placing our confidence in education for the sake of education without being productive (sometimes I wonder if we have more people employed talking about the unemployed than we actually have gainfully employed). We place our confidence in new candidates for political office or other leadership positions only to be disappointed over and over again (will we ever learn?).

I'm currently in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible where God has the prophet telling of great nations that were once so "high and mighty" that would be coming to ruin because of their disobedience to the Lord. I'm not saying our future as a nation is or is not God's judgment, but I do believe we as people cannot simply place our confidence in the things, or people of this world regardless of God. After all, this world, and this nation are temporal; God is eternal. How foolish and short sighted we are when we place our confidence in anything less than God Almighty. 

The Bible also speaks of not laying up treasures here on earth, but in heaven instead. It is a shame that we spend so much of the wealth and resources of this world on things that have no eternal value. Rather, we should invest in the things of God and eternal lives of people. Next time we make a purchase or investment, let's consider the long term results rather than the short term satisfaction.

May God give us wisdom and confidence in Him alone. Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself.