Problems Multiplying

According to the United Nations, the world population is expected to reach eight billion persons in 2025.  Right now we are 6.9 billion people here on planet earth.  Here is when we reached other milestones - in 1970 there were 3.7 billion, in 1980 there were 4.4 billion.  By 1990 we had surpassed 5.2 billion, and in 2000 we made it to 6 billion. 

I got these numbers from a release from the Baptist World Alliance now meeting in Asia.  They were discussing the types of problems that this population growth would create and how to best address those needs as cooperating Christians.  Two things were sure, the population of the world will grow and with that the troubles of the world will grow.  All 6.9 billion people on earth right now have problems.  With more people, come even more problems.  That is inescapable and always has been.

Did you learn the world's shortest poem in school?  It is entitled "Fleas."  Here it is:

"Fleas"
Adam had'em.

From the beginning of time until now, everyone has problems.  As I put these words together, congress and the president are debating the debt ceiling.  NFL owners and players are arguing about a new contract.  An email just came to me urging power conservation to avoid power outages.  These are just a few about which I know right now.  There are more that I don't know about or more precisely, I don't want to think about. 

How do you think about your problems?  How should you?  That is what we will look at Sunday and begin looking at in a new series, "Problems - God's Presence in Difficulty."  We know we have problems.  They come to us all the time.  We need to remind ourselves that God has solutions. 

For the journey...