Recent events, public and heart wrenching, have generated so much pain, anger, bitterness, and hate. As I sit here praying and pondering, I wanted to share a few thoughts that are echoing in my heart. First, there has been much talk of a particular brand of political correctness, not really a new one but a redefined one, that is poisoning the hearts and minds of many. This ideology leads to hate that only has one logical outworking: Destruction.
I want to point out a Biblical reality: There is something much more deadly than the broken thinking that has infected the hearts of many, that is sin. The Bible reveals that sin is a deadly serious problem, and left unaddressed it will lead to darkness, despair, and ultimately death. This isn’t a left or right thing. This isn’t a generational thing. This isn’t about what podcasts you listen to or what books you read. This is the most fundamental issue that impacts the human race.
As emotions run high and our 24/7 connected culture continues pouring more and more gasoline on the rage, the only hope we have is the only hope we have ever had: Jesus. In John 10:10, Jesus reveals a startling truth that gets lost in the shouts of society: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV – emphasis added) As I look around, far too many are dancing to the beat of the enemy’s drum. People post and counter post, they allow anger and grief to consume them, and in the wake of their unchecked pain there is a path of pain, loss, and destruction.
So, in light of the brutal, heinous acts of murder and hate that have become so common place in our society, what are we to do as Christ followers? Fix our eyes on Jesus (see Hebrews 12:1-2). As I look at the life of Christ, He lived out the very ideals He is calling us to live out. In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus calls on us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. When we, as Christ followers, are drawn into a fleshly fight, we should only expect more pain, darkness, and suffering. Yet, when we look to Jesus, we seek to understand and live out His teaching, and we deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him, the light of Christ shines brightly in this dark world.
In light of the horrors we see unfolding in our communities all across this nation, we must prayerfully seek to understand Christ’s teaching and respond in faith as we live them out each day. It isn’t our neighbors, regardless of who they are, what they believe, or what they have done, who are the true enemy. As Paul writes: Our enemy is not flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:12). Our true enemy, the one who comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, cannot be defeated by human means. He can only be defeated by the Sword of the Spirit, that is the very word of God.
The late Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. put it like this: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Jesus and the life giving hope of the Gospel is the only hope for our families, our communities, and our nation. Jesus is still setting sinners free. Jesus is still bringing dead men back to life. Jesus is still bringing radical, life transformation and new life for those who trust in Him. The choice is ours, we can try to match that hate and respond with more rhetoric, or we can draw close to Christ, cry out in prayer and surrender, and trust that He and He alone can bring the light and life that our nation and world so desperately needs.
Today, don’t let hate win. Don’t let the demonic actions of the lost make you forget the sobering truth: Without Jesus, we are also dead in our sins. Today may we proclaim the hope of the Gospel and rejoice because of the but of Romans 6:23. There is hope because Jesus is still ruling and reigning on His throne. Because of this truth, let us live in the abundant life of freedom, hope, and love that He alone gives us when we are in Him.
