Problems and Solutions Today

Problems today:

Economic front:

1. Job crisis – not as many jobs as before, and the current jobs often do not pay as much as before. 
2. Prices have not gone down, but pay has gone down. 
3. It appears there is a promise that jobs and pay will continue to decrease, while prices will continue to increase. 
4. There is some talk of a “jobless recovery”, as government jobs increase. 
5. The present administration has just announced, since the health care bill has passed, they are going to tackle their next big project: the overhaul of the financial institutions of the United States – how Wall Street operates and how they are controlled. 
6. There seems to be much fear about the future and what all these new plans entail, for what it means for my family and me as individuals. 
7. A recent poll revealed that 64% of Americans believed the United States is on the verge of an economic collapse. 
8. This fear is because of the enormous national debt, trillions of dollars, which we can never repay, and the treasury prints money as fast as possible. 

Medical front:

1. According to most polls, most Americans are in favor of some kind of medical reform. 
2. According to all the polls, most of the nation is against the medical bill that our president just signed into law. 
3. Most people fear the rising cost of medical insurance. 
4. Most senior citizens fear they will soon lose the benefits of Medicare, which they are forced to obtain, if they will have any kind of health insurance. 
5. Most seniors are fearful that social security will soon be broke and they will not receive their monthly support, which they have paid into for many years. 

National security:

1. The United States has supported the nation of Israel for many years, because we, as a nation, have, by the majority, believed Israel is God’s chosen people. 
2. National support for Israel is gradually changing and believers in Christ are concerned about this change. 
3. God has blessed the United States since 9/11, keeping us safe, but with continual increasing unrest in the world, and with the focus of this current administration away from national security, many are wondering how long we will be save from terrorists attacks. 

All these are just a few of the real concerns of everyday citizens.  So my question today is: Is there any way individuals can have individual (heart) peace?  We all live in a troubled world – I think everybody will understand and believe this. 

As bad as all these things are, some things are not very different today than they have always been.  When I was a small boy, the “cold war” filled this world.  We were trained in school how to survive a nuclear attack by hiding under our desks with our faces to the floor.  In those days, people build “fallout shelters” stocked with food and water, just in case our enemies dropped an atomic bomb on us.  There were also economic difficulties, as people lost their jobs and struggled to pay the rent or make the house payment and purchase food.  There was some talk of the security of the nation, but by and large the nation itself was stable.  Today, the nation is not thought to be so stable, so there is a lot of fear concerning what will happen.  And when it will happen. 

I Corinthians 15:19 states, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

Where are true peace, happiness and joy?  It is in Christ and in following the precepts he established, which can be seen in the Ten Commandments, which are now illegal to display.  We are truly living in a day when right is called wrong, and wrong is called right.