John Piper is the Pastor of a church in walking distance from the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed yesterday. His blog post is insightful and prophetic. In it he reflects on a conversation with his 11 year old daughter and Jesus’ warning from Luke 13:1-5
The meaning of the collapse of this bridge is that John Piper is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life forever. That means I should turn from the silly preoccupations of my life and focus my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection on God and embrace Jesus Christ as my only hope for the forgiveness of my sins and for the hope of eternal life. That is God’s message in the collapse of this bridge. That is his most merciful message: there is still time to turn from sin and unbelief and destruction for those of us who live. If we could see the eternal calamity from which he is offering escape we would hear this as the most precious message in the world.
I’m with John Piper… I also need to “turn from the silly preoccupations of my life” and focus my mind and heart on Jesus: my only hope.
Go read the rest…
Judgment – it’s really not something we like to think about or talk about is it? We don’t like to think that we are deserving of wrath.
At times we want to blame God, not thinking how we have wronged him. We ignore his mercy, his mercy that allows us to live each day in his world. Perhaps when people are aware of the death sentence that hangs over our heads we will then understand the incredible mercy of God in sending his Son into the world. His mercy – in not giving us what we deserve, and his grace – in giving us what we do not deserve. ‘God is good all the time, all the time God is good’.
amen.
tangent.
do you think the death penalty in secular justice systems is a mercy? ie… a mercy in that the one to be killed can be prepared to face their death and impending meeting of their maker… something (if they’re a murderer) they haven’t given to the one they’ve killed.
end tangent.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
Guess you could look at it like that, although I don’t think that’s how the secular system would view it!
Guess for us, who know we will all meet our Maker one day, we just don’t when, is to make sure we are prepared.
Now is the time for salvation. To receive God’s offer, where Jesus will take that judgment we deserve. That is love like this world does not know.
Now is the time to make this known to people before the time is too late.
‘Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me’
amen. again.