Turmoil, to say the least, in the Middle-East, as well as other areas in that general region. And Africa; Africa: about the only news-worthy item, of late, to come out of the Dark Continent is those doctors that contracted Ebola and were quarantined and brought within our borders, but you can be sure that's the least of their/our problems when it comes down to it! There are numerous hotspots all over the world where needless violence & murder occur on what seems to be a daily basis. The Michael Brown incident in Fergeson, Missouri is simply the latest in a long rap-sheet of similar incidences!
We can argue & vilify the unjustness, or justness of his killing ( call it 'murder' or 'self-defense' ), but either way, it didn't have to turn out ( end ) the way it did! Michael Brown did not have to die, but neither did he have to do what he did, whether it was stealing a couple cigars or running from the cops ( resisting arrest ). Likewise, the cop who shot him did not have to kill him, he could have just wounded him so he could stand trial for his crime. Both of these men made choices which have had far-reaching repercussions! Right or wrong, this and other such incidents are having a much-needed effect on the populace at large!
We have seen an abundance of examples recently ( and that's just from the mainstream media ) of the almost boundless evil that human beings are capable of when their selfish nature goes unchecked! For a biblical example, just read the story of Cain & Abel in Genesis 4. Gold told Cain, 'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.' If Cain had checked his anger at the door, Abel would not have died!
There is much evil that occurs daily in this wide world in which we live, and it is all because of the choices that human beings make! Cain chose to let his anger & hatred rule his actions and so murdered his brother. Some people choose, for whatever reason, to commit similar atrocities on a daily basis. It is because of the choices that we, as human beings make, that evil exists, or happen. If people chose, unselfishly, to always act for the good of others, evil would not be a problem!
Though evil occurs on a daily, hourly & minute-by-minute basis throughout our Heavenly Father's glorious Creation, there is also much good, largely because of the evil! The apostle Paul wrote, in his letter to the Romans ( 7:13 ), 'Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.' So that good may be revealed in all it's goodness, evil is permitted to occur!
When bad ( evil ) things happen to good people, we can often ( usually ) see, at some point, that this evil happened to give other good people the opportunity to exercise their goodness! Does this, however, make the bad things any less evil? Well, yes & no! All things, as we believe, happen for good to those who love God! With the Peace of God ruling in our hearts, then, and with this knowledge & comfort, can we truly say that bad things happen to good people?
Evil only exist because people make bad choices, and yes, some people may have become so habituated to making bad choices that they seem to become evil thems! Nonetheless, whatever evil may come, we may be assured, through our Heavenly Father's wise bestowment, that is for our goo & the good of His People! Does this justify wrong-doing?! By no means! Those who do wrong bear the responsibility for their bad choices! All we can do is better!
Charles Haddon Shank
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