Selfie of Folly
Greetings in the Lord~
Well, by now I'm sure much of the world has not only heard about the shooting incident in Orlando, but has formed some sort of opinion on the topic. I typically don't share or compare too much of my personal opinion, but just try to convey what the Lord wants me to share with others. And in this particular case, there is both a happening and word to give.
At about 11:30 pm Saturday night (WST), I saw a young man posing with his cell phone in the lobby area of a friend's building. Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, as college students are always posing for a selfie. However, this young man wanted people's attention--he was posing for the people walking past, with an arrogant smirk on his face, hand confidently held to his chin and eyebrows raised. I looked around the room again to see who he was showing off to but there was no one with him. He was alone, and Arab students tended to always hang out in pairs/groups and never drew attention to themselves when alone--never. Strange sight, I thought at the time.
It wasn't until Sunday late afternoon that I had heard the news about Orlando. As I watched the pictures of the shooter I recognized the smug selfie pose and thought about the timing of the event--it was at least 3 hours after the shooting (EST)---that Arab guy from Saturday night had been gloating! Wow, so sad. Now, whether the shooter acted totally alone or was just an instrument used by another party, one thing is for sure--he has created a trademark for the wicked. At my Monday night prayer group someone was led to read Psalm 89 to the group and again the words, "arrogant" and "mocking" stood out to me. Yes, the enemies of God are arrogant and mock the people of God, revealing their own folly. Today the word the Lord is from Psalm 52 and seems to include those who are helping to instigate, plot, and finance such activities:
"Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!"
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, "Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Well, by now I'm sure much of the world has not only heard about the shooting incident in Orlando, but has formed some sort of opinion on the topic. I typically don't share or compare too much of my personal opinion, but just try to convey what the Lord wants me to share with others. And in this particular case, there is both a happening and word to give.
At about 11:30 pm Saturday night (WST), I saw a young man posing with his cell phone in the lobby area of a friend's building. Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, as college students are always posing for a selfie. However, this young man wanted people's attention--he was posing for the people walking past, with an arrogant smirk on his face, hand confidently held to his chin and eyebrows raised. I looked around the room again to see who he was showing off to but there was no one with him. He was alone, and Arab students tended to always hang out in pairs/groups and never drew attention to themselves when alone--never. Strange sight, I thought at the time.
It wasn't until Sunday late afternoon that I had heard the news about Orlando. As I watched the pictures of the shooter I recognized the smug selfie pose and thought about the timing of the event--it was at least 3 hours after the shooting (EST)---that Arab guy from Saturday night had been gloating! Wow, so sad. Now, whether the shooter acted totally alone or was just an instrument used by another party, one thing is for sure--he has created a trademark for the wicked. At my Monday night prayer group someone was led to read Psalm 89 to the group and again the words, "arrogant" and "mocking" stood out to me. Yes, the enemies of God are arrogant and mock the people of God, revealing their own folly. Today the word the Lord is from Psalm 52 and seems to include those who are helping to instigate, plot, and finance such activities:
"Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!"
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying, "Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
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