Corruption as a way of life

I was reading through the last Time magazine. What I found profoundly sad is that every single article that was dealing with the troubles of the world had the word corruption in it. What’s so sad about that? A corrupt heart, the inner man, human nature is the one thing that the Bible keeps hammering away at, telling us that it is the root of all our problems.

“For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” Mark 7:21,22

“The heart is desperately wicked and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind” Jeremiah 17:9,10

While the corrupt heart seemed to be recognised as a “fly in the ointment” in the Time articles it was almost said as an after thought. Lack of education is the problem. Poverty is the problem. Too many people is the problem. Lack of food is the problem.

The fact that we are evil to the core? Well, no. According to the worldly wise, “Corruption is just what happens when people are hungry and poor and haven’t finished school.” Or so we are told. The fact is, it is exactly the opposite. The reason that our world is flush with hunger, poverty, HIV, lack of proper education etc. is because there isn’t a government, community or individual in the whole world that isn’t flush with corruption which arises from a wicked heart or nature.

The latest installment or example of this was on CNN online today. It was in an article dealing with a new tool that would allow drivers to continue to break the law without getting caught. Take a read.

“ Tenereillo said one thing that surprised him is that "about half of our initial subscribers were soccer moms. But, when you think about it, that makes sense, they're in the car the most, and they take a lot of short trips, driving their kids to and from school, soccer practice, music lessons, etcetera -- so they're the ones getting the worst tickets, like for driving 53 [mph] in a 35 [mph] zone. Those are worse tickets than the ones you get out on the highway because judges show no mercy when it comes to speeding in residential neighborhoods or adjacent surface streets."”
How awful! Imagine the nerve of Judges who show the least patience with those who drive too fast through the most sensitive areas of town! Who cares if these people are putting other people’s children in danger while driving their own children here and there? According to people like him, we should be allowed to break the law and this guy, Tenereillo is making a fortune by helping us do just that.

Awe me. How can God stand to watch us. I am so sorry Father for how wicked we are. I am so very sorry.