We live in a broken world. It doesn’t take much convincing these days.
I am watching my country spin on a crazy cycle of police shootings and riots. The story is similar from Minneapolis to Atlanta to Kenosha. Unjust brutality ignites a firestorm of destruction.
My Facebook feed is a tug of war between support for law and order and police verses victims of police brutality and unwarranted force. Thoughtful discourse has been replaced by pithy memes that only further hostility.
The most disturbing trend I see is that the church is indulging in this war of words and ideology. We are polarizing ourselves. We are dividing ourselves. And it is wrong. It isn’t wrong like a bad idea. It is wrong like a tearing of flesh from the body of Christ.
We have a huge problem on our hands. And guess what? None of us can fix.
Not one of us can fix the problem of police brutality or riots or looting. You know why? Because we are sinners incapable of healing sin.
Oppression is sin. Murder is sin. Violence is sin. Looting is sin.
There is only one who is able to deliver us and no, it isn’t Donald Trump.
There is only one source of healing. There is only one who has the authority over death. There is only who can redeem a man or a nation. His name is Jesus. He opened his ministry with a reading of this word:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. Is 61:1-3
So today, whether you are heartbroken or angry over another shooting or another bout of destruction, take your energy and share Jesus with someone. Share Jesus in conversation. Share Jesus on Facebook. Share Jesus in your action.
We must rise above this present distress and point people to the only answer. Point them to Jesus.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. Heb.12:1-4 NLT
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