A Word Search for Today’s World 

One of my Father’s Day gifts was one of these word search puzzle books. I am sure you are familiar with how those work, as you examine a page full of rows and columns of letters looking for the ones which spell out certain words, usually words following a particular theme. I don’t know if my daughter gave me that present because she knew I would enjoy it or because she thinks I am getting more elderly and need to work to keep my mind sharp. Either way, I appreciate it.

This gift got me to thinking about some words and concepts which I believe need to be searched for and rediscovered in our day. They seem to be getting more difficult to find not only in today’s world but also within the confines of the Christian church. One such word is “repentance.” As politicians, social activists, media influencers, and Christian ministers talk about the remedy for the woes of our society today, I hear very few make reference to the need for repentance. Of course, in order to do that, you would have to acknowledge the existence of another word that has largely disappeared from view these days, and that is the concept of sin. One of the greatest problems and greatest needs in the world today is that we are embracing sin and refusing to repent. You will find many other words and phrases in that puzzle – love, acceptance, tolerance, inclusion, non-judgmentalism – but sin and repentance are hard to find. However, those concepts are very prominent in the Bible. Jesus began His ministry calling for people to repent (Matthew 4:17). Later He said that He came to call “sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). Why aren’t we issuing such a call in our day?

Another word that is missing in our culture and many of our churches today is “holy.” We may find it in reference to God as we sing a praise song or extol His greatness, but I don’t often hear it being applied to His followers. We often focus on our faults, shortcomings, and ungodliness while emphasizing a gracious God who forgives us. And that is a wonderful truth. However, God doesn’t call us to remain ungodly while enjoying the status of being forgiven. He calls us to be holy as He is holy. He wants not only to forgive us but to cleanse us. He intends for us not to remain slaves of sin and sinful living, but to be set free to live for Him and to become more like Jesus. We need to rediscover God’s call to be a holy people – a people devoted to Him who are letting Him purify their hearts and enable them to live godly lives.

Let me mention one other word we seem to have forgotten these days – “character.” A person’s character is important. As we evaluate people, especially our leaders, we tend to emphasize other words and phrases – skill, talents, good policies, fighter, charisma, clever, boldness, getting the job done. However, if a person isn’t of good character, he can’t be trusted to use whatever other qualities he may have for good purposes. He can’t be depended on to do what he says or to stand up for what is right, regardless of what he may have done in the past. Character matters, whether in church leaders or political leaders.

What words would you add to this list? We are living in a puzzling world that is choosing to ignore some important concepts. While we acknowledge their absence in our culture and pray for a turnaround, let’s make sure we aren’t neglecting them in our own lives. Regardless of what others do, let’s confess our sins, repent, and seek to be holy people of good character.