It all seemed unreal when it happened 11 years ago. I remember a student stopping by my office to tell me that a plane had crashed into one of the Trade Towers. I decided to go home and learn a little more, and then watched on TV as that impactful morning unfolded. Still today, I remember many of the details that kept being shown on the news that day.
It's now been 11 years. The mastermind behind the attacks is no longer living in this world, though terror still finds itself attempting to influence politics around the world. And in the aftermath of that momentous day, many Christians still cling to the hope they have through Jesus and the cross, that this life is not the only one that we will live, and in that new life, nothing like that will ever happen.
It still saddens me that we humans tend to resort to extreme measures to get our way. And no, Christians are not immune to this, either. Anyone who has withheld offerings or left a church because they didn't agree with the pastor or the direction of the church has basically resorted to extreme measures to display their disagreement. And sadly, in many churches, there are those who will give in to such measures and allow these Christian "terrorists" to win.
That's the trouble with the fact that every single one of us is conceived and born sinful. We simply cannot help ourselves. It comes so naturally, and we don't want to think that we are sinning when we resort to such tactics. And yet, God's Word is very clear. Anything that isn't proceeding from faith is sin. Anything not done out of love for neighbor is sin.
9/11 now gives us a day to remember the tragedy, as well as a chance for us to think that we would never resort to doing such things. However, it pales in comparison to Good Friday, where Jesus endured the greatest act of terrorism of all time, as the weight of the sin of the entire world was pinned on Him unjustly and cruelly. And yet, out of that action, came the greatest gift that the world could ever hope for; forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus.
As I think about 9/11 today, more than anything, I am thankful for one who saves me and so many that I love from a life that will always be defined by terror and sin. I look forward to the new, eternal, perfect life in which such things will never occur.
It's now been 11 years. The mastermind behind the attacks is no longer living in this world, though terror still finds itself attempting to influence politics around the world. And in the aftermath of that momentous day, many Christians still cling to the hope they have through Jesus and the cross, that this life is not the only one that we will live, and in that new life, nothing like that will ever happen.
It still saddens me that we humans tend to resort to extreme measures to get our way. And no, Christians are not immune to this, either. Anyone who has withheld offerings or left a church because they didn't agree with the pastor or the direction of the church has basically resorted to extreme measures to display their disagreement. And sadly, in many churches, there are those who will give in to such measures and allow these Christian "terrorists" to win.
That's the trouble with the fact that every single one of us is conceived and born sinful. We simply cannot help ourselves. It comes so naturally, and we don't want to think that we are sinning when we resort to such tactics. And yet, God's Word is very clear. Anything that isn't proceeding from faith is sin. Anything not done out of love for neighbor is sin.
9/11 now gives us a day to remember the tragedy, as well as a chance for us to think that we would never resort to doing such things. However, it pales in comparison to Good Friday, where Jesus endured the greatest act of terrorism of all time, as the weight of the sin of the entire world was pinned on Him unjustly and cruelly. And yet, out of that action, came the greatest gift that the world could ever hope for; forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus.
As I think about 9/11 today, more than anything, I am thankful for one who saves me and so many that I love from a life that will always be defined by terror and sin. I look forward to the new, eternal, perfect life in which such things will never occur.
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