Yesterday, I drove past a common and sad sight. The corpse of a black squirrel lay in the gutter beside the road. It looked so small and pathetic. There was no mistaking that it was no longer alive.
I had seen that squirrel just the day before; it was sleek, bushy, and full of life. I guess it’s a habit of running across the street in front of traffic that brought the inevitable conclusion.
When people pass away, they have that same look of death. There is no vibrancy, no animation, and no spirit. YOu can see they are no longer alive. We expect that.
What we often fail to recognize are the walking dead among us. I don’t mean zombies. I’m talking about those who are still dead in their sins. They look alive and can be animated and fun. Yet, they are dead in the spirit, wilfully blind and destined for a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
Contrast that to believers. We face the same trials and struggles. We still have problems, and our lives didn’t somehow magically become perfect. Yet there is an inner joy that circumstances can’t take away. We have a promise of everlasting life with the Lord.
Only Believers have true life. That’s a harsh fact. It means that most of the people we encounter every day are spiritually dead. That’s an uncomfortable truth we don’t like to think about.
Yet, there is good news. Those of us who are truly alive have a message of hope to bring to the world of those lost in darkness and without hope. We bring the gospel.
The very word gospel is from an Old English word, God’s spell, meaning good news or blessing. It derives from the Greek euangelion, meaning “good news.” The four gospels aren’t called gospels by mistake; they bring us the good news of Jesus.
What is this gospel? It appears in many forms, fully and partially formed in the Scriptures. We know that all of us are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We know that we must be born again by faith. Paul gives us assurance that accompanies those thoughts.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV
He died for our sins, died, and was resurrected. He is alive today. It’s not a wish, it’s a historical event and a promise rolled into one. That’s astoundingly good news.
God has given us the privilege of taking this euangelion to the world. He’s responsible for the result; our job is simply to live and proclaim the truth.
Will we?
Jesus, the one who came and paid the penalty for our sins, is real and alive.
Be blessed
Kevin
