Upon arriving in Honduras it was as though I had stepped into another world. This beautiful nation, clothed with a tropical climate, dense colorful vegetation, and gorgeous mountains, is ridden with flagrant poverty, and vice. As I'm sure your heart would, my heart ached for the people, and it's given me a whole different perspective on life.
I can't help but wonder if Christ had a similar experience when He came to earth. He left the riches, the splendor, the glory, and the purity of heaven to come here to a sin filled world darkened by spiritual poverty, disease, vice, and impurity. And Christ's heart must have hurt because of our hurt. It must have pained Him more than anything we can imagine to walk this earth and realize that the crowning act of creation, man, made in the very image of God, had become so degraded, so downtrodden, so filthy compared to our original design and intention. Could it be that this is why Christ reaches toward us with a heart so full of compassion, mercy, benevolence, and love to give us those promises of a better life, a better place to live, with no tears, no dying, no orphans, no abuse, no physical pain and disease, no emotional pain, no loss, the impossibility of harm on any dimension, the promise of sin not rising the second time. Everything in complete harmony and unity. But no sin… no physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. Is it really possible? The Bible says, "with Christ all things are possible… Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It is possible, and when we all get to heaven won't it be a day of rejoicing?!
Lets grasp these amazing, almost surreal promises, share them with others, touch lives by Christ's influence in and through us, and lets go together...
To another world...
Quint
Amen!
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