The land of the free and the home of the brave, right? The good ol' U.S. of A.. Maybe the greatest nation ever to exist in human history. But, why is that? What makes America so great? Most people agree that it is our right to freedom which has created this great society and changed the world. The ability to think freely has made it possible to conjure up some of the most incredible inventions. Our freedom to worship as we please has laid the foundation for our basic moral code. And whether you agree or not, this foundation of freedom comes from the free will given to us by God. So, why are we falling apart at the seams? Where did we go wrong? The answer, we were destined to fail. And not just the U.S., but humanity as a whole. The reason why is that human beings are innately evil and destructive; left to our own devices would most definitely put our own survival and pleasure before anyone else or the earth for that matter.
The real tragedy of our evil nature is that we don't often recognize it. If something goes wrong on earth or in our personal lives, it is almost automatic to find blame somewhere else before we take responsibility, if we are willing to take responsibility at all. All of the issues of life come crashing down on us, and we don't make the connections between our actions or attitude and the consequence. There are some things in life that occur well beyond our control and must be acknowledged, but even those occur due to the power of sin committed by mankind as a whole. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" the world asks. I ask, who is good? Why does anything good happen to anyone? We are self serving, filth ridden created beings; always challenging and mocking and doubting the creator. Mark Darling once said we are like cockroaches. So when bad things happen, we usually play the victim or fight back against the current; but we are always on a one way course to death. Man will die. Life on earth is a slow, self inflicted death. The question is, do you know you are dying? And when you die, then what? Most people don't want to die unless they are suffering, and in America most people aren't suffering in comparison to the rest of the world. So, when an American is approached with the Gospel, and told that it will save them from death; usually the comfy, wealthy American says to them self: "I've got my job, and my house, a smart phone and an HDTV, I really don't feel like i'm dying." We Americans are the rich young rulers. Our wealth and our comfort is our fortified city. And we look Jesus in the face and tell him that even though we could be dead tomorrow; right now, for the most part, i'm doing okay without you, Lord.
Whats it gonna take for Americans or man in general to know that they are dying? How scary or miserable does life have to get? What is there to loose in a life of knowing Jesus? These are the questions that most evangelical pastors in America ask themselves everyday. Its the same with every Christ loving believer that goes to the office, or campus, or social situation with the goal of sharing the good news of salvation to his neighbor. How do you convince someone of their eventual eternal death and torment?
Here is a video of a man who knows he is going to die. Three things to notice: How grateful is he to be rescued? How happy are his rescuers? If you don't know Jesus, how are you any different?
"It would be like you becoming a cockroach and sacrificing yourself to save the cockroaches because you love them so much. Thats what God did for you."- Mark Darling
