Miley

          Entertainers need attention from their audience to keep their careers moving forward.  That often means they have to upstage one another to get top billing.  It seems this week that Miley Cyrus has accomplished that.  Poor Miley; she's not the problem.  She's simply a representation of a culture whose values have gone awry.

Jeremiah 8:12
Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?  No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.

          History records individual declines in morality and national declines.  Neither ends well.  We don't learn, do we?  How did we get to a point where we are ashamed of purity?  When did high moral standards start being seen as narrow and bigoted?  It's been in my lifetime.  It happened very quickly.  But there was a time I never thought I'd see the things I'm seeing today.
          Instead of shame, we take pride in our "broadmindedness."  We flaunt philosophies that degrade God's laws.  We replace God's wisdom with our own folly.

Philippians 3:19
...their glory is in their shame.

          Today our culture holds tolerance as the highest virtue.  Humanism has no boundaries that will not eventually crumble in the face of our most prurient desires.  As Christians we must be careful never to be ashamed of holding up God's standards.

II Corinthians 4: 2, 4
...we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God....The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

          We have the privilege and hope of being used by God to restore sight to the blind.  It will take courage and steadfastness and humility and, most of all, love.