When
we enter the realm of discussing death that comes at the hands of another,
which bothers you more, hearing about terrorists entering a hotel and massacring
soccer fans who are not of their religion, or hearing of medical professionals entering
the safety of a mother’s womb with instruments of death and taking the life of
her child?
As
I grow older, I often wonder whether the news is really becoming filled with
more terrifying stories of hurt and harm to the human race, or whether my
maturing soul is becoming increasingly aware of how bad the world has always
been. What I do know is that the stories of people causing harm and death to
others are horrifyingly real. In many ways, they do seem to be increasing in
numbers, intensity, hopelessness, and despair.
While
I have had a growing awareness of the terrifying realities of civil wars,
genocide, terrorism, and far too numerous experiences of one human being taking
another person’s life into their own hands, I hope that my heart is equally
broken by the “big” and “little” stories without prejudice.
Hearing
of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing their home cities because of
terrorists murdering anyone who is not of their religion grips my heart.[1] So
does the thought of an unborn child having nowhere to escape the instruments of
death operated by life-saving professionals, by decision of the child’s primary
caregiver.[2]
I
do not want to minimize the terrorism that is all around. No matter how any of
us have been affected by someone taking the lives of others into their own
hands, the pain, and horrifying injustice is far too real.
However,
in this world of abuses of one human being towards another, or one group of
people against another, we also have those who are taking the lives of others
into their own hands in a very good way. There are many people and groups
aiming to help those whose lives are threatened by others.
I
am thankful for groups that seek to help those facing the terrorist activities
that are taking so many lives. I am thankful for groups that are working to
provide the greatest safety to all the little people inside their mother’s
wombs. There is some comfort in the face of all the deadly activities to see those
who are devoted to helping other people live.
So,
what about God reaching into this wicked, sin-stained, death-determined world
in order to save people into everlasting life?[3]
What about God sending his Son into the world as the life that is the light of sinful
men?[4]
What about Jesus entering our humanity knowing that death was absolutely certain,
that death was the reason he took on himself the full experience of human life?
There
is a comforting joy when we look at the big picture of man taking Jesus’ human
life into their own hands and putting him to death, while Jesus was taking our
death into his own hands in order to bring us to life.
Even
now, the children of God are the only ones in the world who can face any threat
of death with the confidence of life. As Paul once wrote, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”[5]
Life in this world is about Jesus Christ, and death is gain for the simple
reason that we are with Christ in a far more real and personal way than we can
experience here on earth, and without the constant threat of sin and death
surrounding us every day.
Paul
declared, “My desire is to depart and be
with Christ, for that is far better.”[6] However,
he went on to say that the fruitful labor he anticipated among the churches
made him want to stay and “continue with
you all, for your progress and joy in the faith.”[7]
Either
way, we can follow Paul’s example in this as well, “it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed,
but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body,
whether by life or by death.”[8] To
honor our Lord Jesus Christ in life or in death, even as he has taken our lives
into his own hands through his death and his life, is where we will find our
greatest hope in this world, no matter what trials and troubles we may face.
Now,
is there a baby you could save today by leading an expectant mother into the
life of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is there something you could give to those
groups that are helping God’s terrorized children? Is there someone you could
share Jesus with today for the simple reason that, whatever good or bad
condition of their lives, you want them to have “eternal life, and this life is in his Son”?[9]
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~
Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise
noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)
[2] I mean this only in
the sense that the mother’s body is life and protection for the unborn child,
hence she is the most influential over the child’s well-being while growing in
the womb.
[3] John 3:16
[4] John 1:4; 8:12; II
Timothy 1:10
[5] Philippians 1:21
[6] Philippians 1:23
[7] Philippians 1:25
[8] Philippians 1:20
[9] I John 5:11
No comments:
Post a Comment