Lack of Faith in the Future

by John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
___________________________________________________________________________

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to men.  All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. “- Abraham Lincoln

The headline read: “Survey: Floridians expect life to be worse in five years; no faith in governments to control growth, immigration, cost of living.� The article caught my eye as I was scanning the headlines. Two things caught my attention, a feeling of gloom and a lack of faith. It occurred to me that the two sort of go together.

The article noted that people like living in Florida even as they grow pessimistic about the future. That summed up a survey Leadership Florida conducted that polled 1,200 people throughout the state on a range of issues.

A majority said that government has a role to make life better, but a majority also said it is doing a poor job. Strangely, even though a majority said that Florida will be a worse place to live in five years, they still would recommend a friend move to the state.

People surveyed found fault with everything from immigration to education. Respondents also rated homeowners’ insurance rates, health care, affordable housing and growth management as other top concerns, but expressed little confidence in government efforts to improve those situations.

Author Gregg Easterbrook has written a best selling book entitled, The Progress Paradox, which notes that living standards keep rising, yet people are no happier as a result. What does this paradox tell us about ourselves and our future?

Perhaps it says that we have our comfort index hitched to the wrong wagon. Maybe we are looking for all the wrong things in all the wrong places. Madison Avenue spends billions to get us to spend more to have more. We are encouraged to “keep up with the Jones’s“, but once we get there, the Jones’s refinance and we have to run to catch up.

People today live in finer homes, drive finer cars, eat finer food and yet, somehow, they are basically unhappy. Maybe the answer is to turn to the Bible rather than conventional advertising to make our shopping list.

Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10)….. superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient.

As you give your total self to God, God gives His total self to you. That is the supreme message of the Bible. This is Bible based joy, the real possibility of health for your total being (body, mind, emotions, relationships), of your material needs being met. Above all, His prosperity brings eternal life. Stop to think about it. What else is there worth having?
 
As a Christian, what is your prognosis for the future? Really we know not what the future holds, but for the Christian, we know who holds the future and with that assurance, we can have the greatest of optimism.  
(a thought on life from John grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/12/31/jg_lack-of-faith/