Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17).

Love Not The World

World economic conditions have nearly everyone concerned. The majority of the world now lives in poverty, and the affluent nations have been struggling with recession. The United States has begun to crumble under the interest that amasses each year on their outstanding debt, with many economist predicting that all the taxes collected, in the not to distant future, will go toward paying the interest only.

We find Personal Bankruptcies growing at an alarming rate, leaving behind a crippling effect on the economy. There are thousands of real estate mortgage defaults, with banks failing at record highs, plant closures, unheard of losses and thousands of people being laid off. The businesses that remain are being forced to consolidate, merger or die.

Our political world hasn't be speared he effects of this great problem. Warren Rudman, former New Hampshire Republican Senator said, "The problem is the various special-interest groups...It is very hard to get anything done here...We are literally ignoring our single most pressing problem--the deficit--which is going to destroy the country and cause the financial markets at some point to collapse, the currency to be devalued; all that people have saved will be worthless unless we do something about it." Some find this hard to image but just ask the people who worked at Kodak and Enron who saw their retirement funds go up in smoke.

For many, the American dream has become a nightmare. Long is gone the days of owning your home, having a good education, having a stable job, and the chance to excel, to get ahead. Today there is mortgage defaults, education not ensuring a stable job, and getting ahead is only for the very few.

"We are reaching the thin edge, and every economist knows it. You're talking a national debt that will equal the annual GNP by 1999" (US News & World Report, Apr. 6, 1992, p. 19).

What has gone wrong?