Spiraling Out of Control

It is easy to lament the moral degeneracy in our society and for good reason. Dishonesty, immorality, and corruption are just a few of the indicators of our departure from virtue. I'm pretty good at identifying the culprits, the "ring leaders" of moral decline and then lambasting them. The Lord has used His word to challenge my knee jerk reactions. First of all, Scripture commands us to "hate evil and love good" (Amos 5:15; Ro.12:9). I'm pretty good at hating other people's evil and self-righteously loving my "own comparative good." Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure these verses are a command to "start with myself." For me to hate evil and turn from it in my own life personally and to love what is good, by pursuing it. Secondly, there is the matter of GRACE--unmerited favor/kindness. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn..." (Mt.5:3). They mourn over their own sin and the sin they see around them. Do I mourn for either? Do I pray for repentance in my life and in the lives of others...that I will turn from sin and so will those I'm quick to vilify? What if I began to pray more consistently for those whose actions offend me? I cannot and should not ignore the downward spiral of morality. Neither am I bound to remain silent in the face of gross degeneracy, but I hope to react with greater integrity.