Should We Be Optimistic?

I heard a radio interview with an economist yesterday. The interviewer asked the economist: "should we be optimistic?" The interviewer, of course, was just talking about the economy.

I wonder, though, are you optimistic? Should you be optimistic? Apart from lots of money still flowing through the country because of a "mining boom", what do you have to look forward to? Is the future of this country really just all about money?

Is the ability to buy huge TVs and innumerable gadgets really a source of hope when neglected kids wander the streets in gangs? Is having a roof over your head really a comfort, when that roof isn't over the heads of those you love as well? Are payrises for politicians really compensation for children dying in state custody?

Isn't it about time you took off the blinkers and actually really looked around you at the world you live in? Can you be optimistic about it? Does what you see inspire hope? Go on, tell me - are you optimistic?

Hope For All Humanity

I love this time of year!

We've just observed the Day of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. In a few days we will be joining friends in our faith to observe the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day (or Eighth Day). These days (outlined in Leviticus 23, among other places in the Bible) celebrate, not what Jesus Christ has done for us, but the future hope for all humanity!

Earlier in the year we observed the Biblical days depicting Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, the removal of sin from our lives and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost).

What a joy it is to now (impatiently!) look forward to a time when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakuk 2:14)! We don't know when that will be, but we see the signs, like the fig tree putting forth leaves (Matthew 24:32).

Observing these days reminds us that God truly will offer everyone an opportunity for salvation - that no one is forgotten or left out. What an incredible promise!

Unlike the pagan holidays, Christmas and Easter, God's Holy Days are a reminder of His whole plan.

And that's why I love this time of year.