What is wrong with us?

Paris Hilton gets out of jail today. As I write this message to you, that is the opinion of the media. She will be out this week.

She will receive "over-the-top" coverage for her 20-plus days in the California county detention center. On Wednesday, she will appear on the Larry King show and, for her time in jail, she will reap millions of dollars. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?

The war rages in Iraq and Afghanistan. We lose brave young Americans every day. A large percentage of the world, especially in Africa, is starving. The immigration legislation is in chaos. State-by-state, we are losing the battle for the sanctity of marriage. The space shuttle just completed a very successful mission, but the world will stop to witness the release of Paris Hilton.

There was a popular song many years ago that had the words, "In a world of underrated treasures and overrated pleasures." That is one of our issues as a society. We have diminished the importance of things that matter and elevated the sensational.

One of the things that I think makes [a pastor's call] so vital is that [they] bring us back to the eternal ... to those things that have value. [They] help... people put things in perspective, even when it is not conventional to do so. Paul knew about that, "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud — lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Tim 3: 2, 4).

You watch — Larry King will have one of his highest ratings ever on Wednesday. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US?

Source: HB London,The Shepherd's Covenant Encourager,June 25, 2007