The Lord's Things

"Recently I heard a very pious man say, 'I don't mean to suggest that it is wrong to pay attention to some of these social issues- but I do wish we would spend more time talking about he things of the Lord!' There was no need to attack his fundamental premise. Of course it is of the utmost importance that we talk about the things of the Lord. But the important question is this: What are the Lord's 'things'? Doesn't Jesus agonize over attacks on the dignity of those persons for whom he spilled his blood? Doesn't he grieve over men and women who have been imprisoned because they witnessed for justice and righteousness? Isn't the Son of God angered by the oppression of widows and orphans, and by the schemes of those who plot the destruction of all that the Creator has called 'good'? If so, then many so-called 'social issues' are 'the things of the Lord'" (When the Kings Come Marching In, p. 123).