12/14/12

In Response to Evil

Romans 3:10-18 has some surprising words for us...
 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
 “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
     in their paths are ruin and misery,
 and the way of peace they have not known.”
     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Times like today bring us all to sense of awareness, a sense of wondering, "What is the world is wrong with us?"  We wonder what the cure can be for all this evil, the answer to some God-awful riddle.  In this post, I won't get into the philosophical question of evil, but if you interested in why God lets bad things happen, read this post (click here) about why He allows evil .

Aside from theology and philosophy, I want to grieve.  I want to, for some reason, really breath in the breadth of this bad day.  I want to ponder the power of an evil person, and how we could all fall off the sanity train and commit atrocious evil, too.

In countless news stories and web posts, people are seeking the answer to prevent awful tragedies.  Gun control, tighter laws, securer school buildings, more security, these are all well and good, but I can't help but hope there is a bigger and better comfort.

Thanks to brother in law, Trevor, I began thinking about man's ascent.  How we all try every day to create our own utopia.  Whole civilizations want it, and one of the most passionate longings of the human heart is to be in a utopian paradise. C.S. Lewis said:
If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world.
We want to want to really want to strive for perfection, but hey, we can't.  If we could, don't you think you would be over that bad habit you swore you would be over by now?  If we could, would we still have massacres on the news screen?  Would there still be fatherless homes and broken souls?

At some point, we must humble our weary hearts and realize WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CURE FOR EVIL.  That does not mean there isn't a cure.  There is a cure.  Let's give Him a try...

When the world thinks we should keep trying to ascend to Utopia, or Paradise, Jesus LEFT Paradise to bring it down to us.  And if He left there, then we should follow His advice on how to get there.
 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  -Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30
"I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."    -Jesus, John 14:6
 "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." -Jesus, John 14:27

These Bible passages and quotes, however, only apply to those who willingly submit their lives to Jesus Christ and accept that His way is right, and our ways are wrong.  That His love is perfect, and ours is broken.  If this were not true, then why haven't you succeeded in life yet?  Give it up, give your heart over, and find rest, peace, and security in the arms of God.

May God bless the families and lives hurt by today's tragedy, and may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Questions about God?

GotQuestions?org