Download In the World for February 26 here.
DECAY . . .
A decaying national infrastructure is in the news. In California, the problems at Oroville Dam recently caught the public’s attention. Water in Flint, Michigan has been polluted for years with lead, E. coli, and dangerous levels of many chemicals. Texas roads, dams, flood control, and drinking water get a D or D– grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers. So it goes around the country. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that an investment of $3.6 trillion will be needed by 2020 to rectify the situation. Many say Americans have been selfishly spending money for years to make ourselves comfortable, though unwilling to allocate funds to keep us safe and well.
. . . AND GROWTH
Paul’s instructions to the Galatians emphasize the fruit of the Spirit—character traits that are directed to enriching the lives of others first and ourselves incidentally. The apostle warns us that we eventually “get what’s coming to us,” as the old saying goes. The principle seems to apply to societies as well as individuals.
- Do you think America’s infrastructure problems prove that “we reap what we sow,” to use Paul’s terminology? Explain.
- Beyond that, to what extent do you think the nation’s social problems are the result of “the acts of the flesh,” to use another of Paul’s phrases?
- Is reluctance to tax ourselves for the common good an indication of national selfishness?
- What have you found in your own life to be the benefit of cultivating the fruit of the Spirit? Give some specific examples.
—Charles R. Boatman
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