What affects me concerns me, what concerns me affects me. These are two very similar statements with huge differences.
What is headline news? Who determines it? And what are its ramifications?
Most often headlines are geared to what affects us. We get so concerned with words like epidemic, terrorism, global warming, or the threat of nuclear holocaust.
All of these are valid points of major importance, yet, what is the real true perspective globally?
Consider, if you will, a 60 minute lunch break, on God's globe. Statistically: 2,738 people died of starvation; 76 mothers died in childbirth issues; 9,582 babies died of induced abortion; 8,898 infants or children were abandoned (18,480 abandoned); 20 (175,200 annual) Christians were martyred for their non-violent advancing of faith ("Did You Know," Mission Maker Magazine, 2009, 22-23).
May 7 marked the 58th National Day of Prayer gathering. Our concern should be the world day. It's not plural.
With statistics that you've just read, nationally, faithfully, deliberately, unceasingly, we should pray every day.
A very popular worship song has a lyric in it that I think is most important for us to end this article with:
"Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause, as I walk from earth into eternity. Hosanna, hosanna." (Frasier, Brook. "Hosanna." Hillsong, 2006).
In closing I pray this article has done for you what it has done for us: What concerns us, now affects us.
- Pat Propster is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Carson City.