Difficult Times
2 Timothy 3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
“Difficult Times Will Come”
“3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who [c]enter into households and captivate [d]weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the [e]knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as [f]Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.”
As I look at this scripture today, June 11, 2020, several things come to mind.
The United States is in turmoil. Rioting, looting, vandalism, are occurring daily in many major cities. Hatred abounds from certain people, not all. Many people who have been elected by the citizenry have allowed these cities to be ruined. Many of these elected officials are not using authority wisely.
Many people have used George Floyds murder for personal gain. Many are trying to right injustice and prejudice. It is true that for some there is injustice. It is true that there is prejudice. But not all people, regardless of skin color, are prejudice. Many have love for people of all colors.
The murder of George Floyd was wrong, and the perpetrators will be punished. I hear you when you talk about racial profiling. It is wrong for police to use racial profiling, but it is also wrong for people whose skin color is not white to profile Caucasians.
When all is said and done what will remain in these cities that have been ravished?
How will they rebuild and at what cost? How many innocent people of color have been hurt by the actions of selfish looters?
” George Floyd’s younger brother Philonise Floyd on Wednesday spoke before the House Judiciary Committee at a hearing on policing and accountability. “I am asking you, is that what a black man’s life is worth? $20? This is 2020. Enough is enough. The people marching in the streets are telling you enough is enough,” “he said. Floyd’s speech came just one day after his brother was laid to rest in Houston, Texas.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr4GGMowMuk While it is true that the police arrested him over an alleged fake twenty-dollar bill, and that the arrest led to his murder his life was worth much more than twenty dollars.
As a human being his life could not be measured in terms of money. He was a father, brother, friend to many whose lives will be diminished by his not being here.
That said if you do want to measure his life in terms of money if was certainly worth more than twenty dollars. His brother, Philonise Floyd established a GoFundMe for George Floyd on May 27, 2020. To date over four hundred ninety-six thousand donors have raised over fourteen million in George Floyd’s memory. https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd.
Fourteen million still does not compensate for his loss of life at the hands of four Minneapolis policemen. But it speaks volumes as to how many people care and reacted lovingly, expressing that they care.
Peaceful protesters expressed their concern and brought attention to issues that still need to be addressed.
Rioters and looters, in my opinion expressed selfish distain for others and to compare their actions with peaceful protesters is wrong.
I fully support dialogue on issues that show how prejudice is expressed, knowingly or unknowingly today. Legislation cannot and has not changed prejudice. Only a change of heart can eradicate hate. To claim I have answers would not be truthful. I don’t. But I pray that things can change, and that love can prevail.
We must talk and we must understand in order for change to occur. Let’s not let George Floyd’s death be in vain.