Christian Living

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How can I glorify God as I confront the issues of our society
By Chaplain Dan Langerock

The issues of our day tweak our emotions, and sometimes we overeact as a result. How can we honor God when we need to confront such onerous problems? Here are a few suggestions to help as you consider how is the best way to respond to this question in your own life:

Pray intensely about the answer.
Have others pray with you as well about how you should respond to a given situation. Be honest with God about your feelings as you pray and tell Him you want to do what will glorify His name, then keep that promise. If you are mindful of this, you will be less likely to overeact as you get more deeply involved in your response.

Review what has already been done, and its result.
You don’t have to make a big project out of this step, but be aware of the results of the efforts of others. Is there a creative way to make the point you are after? What gifts do you posess that could be used to do this: poetry, art, cinematography, etc.?

Separate the people involved from the wrong they are doing
We don’t always agree with what people do, but we must separate their actions from themselves. Don’t make it personal in venting your displeasure about what is happening. Let them know you care about them as people but are not happy with what they are doing.

Look ahead to the consequences of what you propose to do
How will the media view what you will do? Will this honor God in its present form? Is there another way you could get the same point across that would glorify God? Think about how Jesus might approach this situation. Study how he addressed people and interactions with the leadership of His day? Admittedly, some were dramatic, while others were more subtle in their content such as when they were trying to trick Him into saying something amiss. Prayerfully study the Gospels for these types of clues. It is not always the most effective to confront something head-on.

What are you trying to achieve by what you propose to do?
What do you want to accomplish by the actions you have planned? Are you looking to stir anger or interest in the public? Anger can have terrible consequences if uncontrolled, while interest will generate more results if done in the right way. If you look at the Gospels, you will see that Jesus also got angry, but more often He generated interest by how he approached situations and taught.

Seek Godly counsel from several sources before you act
If the counsel you choose for advice does not agree, then take a second look at what your plans are. The Bible tells us, “The witness of two is true, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” . (Eccl. 4:12) You must also ask yourself if you have a mindset about the subject or are you willing to listen to contrary advice in the matter? Seek diverse counsel, then weigh the results before you decide.

If you are praying for God’s will to be done throughout these steps of consideration, you will most likely have a good result for your venture. Look at your motives honestly to see if you really want to glorify God or just want to set forth your own agenda? It is not wrong to be against what is evil in our world, but we must be careful that our actions and words glorify the Father. This was Jesus’ ultimate goal in all He said and did while He was on earth. Our goals must meet the same criteria.

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