Sad Reminders of Sin's Presence

When we think of life on this earth, for most of us, it is a rather good experience.  Most of us do not struggle with real hunger.  Most of us do not struggle with a daily fight for our lives.  Some do, and around the world, there are many to face a very difficult life.  But if I am being honest, my life here in the USA is really quite good.  Which is why it is so hard to face the reality of life when it gets hard to explain.  This week the city where we live there was a young lady who took her own life.  When events like this happen, our world is a little shaken.  Our pristine utopia that we though our lives were is suddenly darkened by a sharp reminder that evil still has sway in the world in which we live.  And while we know that Christ has conquered death, when death occurs it still feels so unnatural and foreign.  In light of the tragedy of this week, I want to offer a few truths that help me focus and help me manage the grief and sometimes terror that I face.

1. God sent His Son precisely because the world was a dark place. 
God did not send his Son because we were good people going a slightly wrong direction.  He sent His Son because we needed complete and total transformation.  We were dead and needed to be made alive.

2.  God sent His Son to save us.
God chose to take this dark and sin cursed world in which we live and redeem those of us who are willing to place our faith and trust in Christ and what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross.  None of us deserve it.  All of us were under just condemnation, but because of His mercy He died to save us.  And his salvation is available to all.  No matter what our life situation, God sent His Son to save you.  And this salvation that He graciously offers is free.

3. God left us here to remind others that they too need a Savior.
God does not save us and then remove us from the world because in His mercy, there are still more people who might respond to the gospel message.  The tragedy that we face in our lives is a stark reminder of the haste with which we must share the gospel.  People are not guaranteed tomorrow and so I had better not wait until tomorrow to begin building relationships with people who need the Lord.  The time is now because Christ's return is imminent. 

4. God is sending His Son again to take us home.
We will very soon be seeing Jesus face to face and basking in the glory of eternity with Him.  This is where our hope lies.  But this hope does not excuse me from my need to share the gospel.  I must always temper my excitement about eternity with the reminder that I am not there yet and while God leaves me here, I am here for a purpose! 

As Christians, we have a hope in the midst of hardship that we can only have because of Christ.  We should praise Him and thank Him, and then go and share that glorious news with the world!