For Nothing ?!
You got a gun ? A baseball bat ? A tazer ? Pepper spray ? Flame thrower ? How do you plan on defending yourself if the need arises ? Some o y’all done started gettin excited … lookin forward to some action … wantin t’ “throw down”, but I’m just tryin t’ get you t’ thinkin. What if you were asleep and a sound awakened you ? Burglar ? The dog ? Your defense mechanism kicks in…your “Spidey senses” are tinglin. Besides a flashlight, whachoo gon’ use for a weapon ? Cause you know most criminals don’t go unprepared … they usually anticipate an unwelcoming response to their invasions of privacy. It ain’t THEIR castle…they’re just willing to help themselves to yours ( ours ) and our stuff. The 10th commandment clearly states, “ You shall not steal” ( Exodus 20:15 )…but undoubtedly , they ain’t worried about God’s laws. So… you’re “shock-woke” to an unfamiliar sound. An intruder has broken into your house and is trying to kidnap one of your kids. The adrenaline is flowing and you’re one priority is to save your child. What’s your next move ? Another scenario : It’s prom night and you’ve taken all the pictures your senior can stand, so you send him / her out with all the normal paternal warnings and threats…followed by, “And have fun.” About halfway through the night, you hear a bulletin on the news… there’s a madman on the loose and he’s in the vicinity of the prom location. What do you do ? I mean…it’s your only kid. Another scenario: You’re at the park with your 5 year old grandkid…gonna grab snowcones afterwards. You’ve played all you can and you release em to have fun with them other kids that’s just as energized as yours. About an hour in, you notice a suspicious character lurking a little too close to the play area. You feel uncomfortable and start walking towards them, ready to take action if necessary . You done heard all about child trafficking and this may be one of em . You’re “packin”, so you mentally prepare to intercept and eliminate if your hunch is right . I wanted to present situations that make us think about the seriousness of our youngun in danger…and how it’d make us feel. Now think about this … God the Father, knew aheada time, what was gonna happen to His Son, Jesus Christ. He watched from heaven as Jesus was beaten within an inch of his life…spit upon…pounded with stones…cursed and mocked. He watched as “we” nailed him to a rugged cross…lifted him up and dropped the post into a hole, causing excruciating pain. He watched him suffer with a mock crown of thorns jammed on his head. He heard all the insults…saw the smirks on the faces of the religious leaders … and yet, He didn’t stop it . He had every available weapon in His arsenal and at His disposal, but He didn’t use em. He saw the agony on His Son’s face…saw His body bleeding, His insides exposed, but He didn’t stop it or come to His aid. He watched Jesus die…and didn’t lift a finger. I can’t imagine … can you ?! On top of all that, it was all “premeditated” ! God knew what would happen … and even orchestrated it all !! Imagine GOD, in the interview room at headquarters, being interrogated … one of the officers asking Him, “ Why ?!” … and with tears running down His cheeks, He chokes out an almost inaudible, “ I had to…for you.” See what i mean ? Unless you and i really make Jesus’ life “personal”, we’ll never really understand why He had to die. Our sin mocked Him and beat Him. Our sin accused Him falsely and nailed Him to that cross. Our sin literally killed Him ! So … was it for nothing ? Does it draw some sorta deep conviction within you…causing you shame and remorse ? It’s God’s way of “drawing” you … knocking at your heart’s door, wanting you to open it and let Him in ( John 6:44; Revelation 3:20 ). I hope and pray, if you haven’t received Jesus as your Savior, and let Him be the Lord of your life, you’ll make the commitment now ! Today is the day of salvation ( Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:2 ) ! Oh ! By the way… Jesus didn’t “stay dead” ! He rose victorious 3 days later … defeating the grave and death ( 1 Corinthians 15:4 ) ! O death, where is your sting ? O grave, where is your victory ? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ! ( 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ) Die to “self” … Live in Christ … and let Him show you what abundant life is like ! ( John 10:10 ) Don’t let His death be for nothing !