WEEKLY
DEVOTIONS
|
|
Click Here for more Devotions!! NATURAL BORN KILLERS "If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John
1:8-10 On Monday, March 5, 2001, a 15-year old
California high school student opened fire on a classroom
full of people...leaving two students dead and thirteen
injured.
The recent rash of shootings and bomb threats in our
country's schools have shocked this nation and many are
afraid to send their children to school. Everywhere you
turn, people are asking the same question: "How
could this happen?" In searching for the answer some
blame the parents, others blame the students, while
others blame the guns. So who's right? I submit to you that
parents, children, and guns are all parts
of the problem...but not the problem itself. If we want
to stop the violence, we must get to the root of the
problem before we can hope to solve it. It's not a
parental problem, a discipline problem, nor a gun control
problem. What we have on our hands is a SIN
problem! You see, we can get rid of the guns but they'll
use bombs; we can get rid of the bombs but they'll use
knives; we can get rid of the knives but they'll use
their bare hands! If someone wants to kill another
person, they will find a way to do it! Every temptation and
every sin begins with a thought! Proverbs 23:7 says, "For
as a man thinketh in his heart so is he...."
You are what you think--not what you think you are! Until
we deal with the sin in people's lives we'll never be
able to stop the violence! One reason sin flourishes is
that it's treated like a creampuff instead of a
rattlesnake! Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin
is death but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord." In other words, when we
sin someone is going to have to die for it...it can be us
or it can be Jesus. The choice is ours. Not one of us is as good
as we think we are. Romans 3:23 says, "For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of
God." We can shake our heads at the news
reports of school violence across our nation but the
truth is: we're no better than they are. You might be
thinking, "How can you say that?! I've never killed
anyone. I don't even own a gun!" 1 John 3:15 tells
us, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in
him." If there is hatred in your heart...you're
not saved. That's not my word--that's God's Word! So how do we stop this
SIN problem? First, ask God to forgive us for allowing
hatred and jealousy to flourish in our hearts. Second, we
must join together and pray against the sin that has
crept into our homes and is destroying our families. In 2
Chronicles 7:14 God tells us, "If my people,
which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land." In other words, God
is saying, "You have a problem in your nation? Then
repent, pray, and seek my face...and I'll take care of
the problem!" So now I want to ask you a question: What
are you going to do about this sin problem in our
schools? Friend, if you are
unsure about where you stand in God's eyes, then I want
to invite you to pray this simple prayer right now:
"Jesus, I'm afraid and unsure about my life. At
times my life doesn't make any sense and I'm searching
for answers. I believe that you have what I'm looking
for. So I'm going to trust you with my life, my future,
and my soul. I ask you to forgive me for the sins and
mistakes that I've made. I believe that you died on the
cross for me...that you took the shame and the blame for
my mistakes and failures upon yourself so that I wouldn't
have to pay the penalty for my sin. Thank you for giving
me eternal life! Now, give me peace concerning my future
and all that it holds. Amen."
|