I am seeing something, even in my own blogs, that is concerning about the way we view tragedies that hit us. I am concerned that when communicating our desire for people in America to turn back to God, and turn away from doing things they know are wrong, that somehow I could be communicating that I believe that what happened in Boston on Friday was a form of God's judgment on America. Here is my belief on that; I don't believe the tragedies that happened in Boston, Columbine, the Twin Towers, and others are God's judgment on us. I don't believe God is punishing the people in Boston or Sandy Hook.
I am saddened by what happened there. I feel for those who have lost loved ones in those tragedies. I can't imagine what kind of pain they are experiencing, especially those who have lost their children. My heart goes out to them, and I do not believe God is judging them by sending these tragedies that affect these families. I also believe that this is an opportunity for the church to minister to those who are hurting. What I don't know how to do though, in being honest, is how to help these people, but I'm willing to learn.
God's judgment for mankind will come on a particular day that is set aside for that event. Every person will be judged for their own sins. While we are on earth, we are under God's wrath until we come to know Jesus personally as our Savior from sin. Once we have turned from our sins, and trusted in what Jesus did on the Cross to pay for our sins, we are no longer under God's wrath and will not have to face punishment in hell for our sins. Someone paid the price for our sins, and now we can go free, if we turn to Him in repentance and faith.
How does this tie in with Boston though? Even though we are under God's wrath until we come to Christ, God has set aside His wrath and has placed us under His mercy. If God dealt with every person according to his or her sin, that person would be killed as soon as he or she committed the first knowledgable sin. None of us would be here. Instead, God is showing us mercy. He is showing us mercy so we can come to know Him. He is patient with us. He wants every person to repent and come into a relationship with Him through the Cross.
God is being merciful to Boston, and to you and me right now. God did not kill those who died in Boston on Friday. Nothing is hidden from God and He will not allow criminals to get away with what they have done. God is very sad when things like this happen. He weeps with those who are grieving.
Having said all this, I feel that situations like Boston, or the Twin Towers, could happen more frequently in the future. This could become commonplace for us in America to have school shootings, or bombs blowing up buildings. While I don't believe that God is judging Boston or any place experiencing disasters, I believe the health of our nation is only as good as the health of the church in America. If the church became strong and healthy, would we see less bombings and shootings in America? I don't know for sure, but I know that at the root of every tragedy, there is one thing in common; sin. We are all so sinful, and sin affects how we live, what we think, what is important to us, and what we value. The answer to sin is the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Not only that, but the Bible says that if any person is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17). Think about it. If there were enough Bible believing churches around, and if those who know the Lord Jesus Christ personally were doing evangelism, people would hear the Gospel. If they hear the Gospel, many will respond. They, in turn, will become new creatures in Christ. They will grow spiritually and will begin to affect the world around them. Instead of hate, there will be love. Instead of pride, there will be humility. Bullies can become servants of Christ who will make sacrifices for others instead of using them. The church in America can become healthy again. That is what needs to happen in our country and that is what we should be going after and praying for. Then we will know how to minister to those in Boston, Columbine, Sandy Hook, the Twin Towers, or wherever the next tragedy occurs. And perhaps crime would go down. If people knew the horror of their sin, the love of God for the sinner, and what Christ has done for them in order to rescue them from sin and slavery, they would repent and turn to Christ and become new Creatures in Christ who have a new vision and focus in life. That would be a life worth living for.
For more information on the Gospel, go to The Gospel Conversation or Take the Good Person Test
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