But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. –James 1:14-15 (NKJV)
A guy I have
known for multiple years passed away this week- the result of suicide. At one
point I was very good friends with him, his ex-wife, and their now 16 and 20
year old girls. Although it’s been a while since he and I have spoken, my mind
has been wandering as to what brought about this tragedy and why he saw no way
out. Here’s some insight:
I knew this
man and his ex while they were still married and the girls were young. I watched
as the marriage unfolded- a good portion of it to his drinking, violence, and
adultery. I am wondering, as the verse above states, if he had become so
entangled in sin that it led to his final decision. I recently learned at the
visitation that he had made a decision for Christ and was baptized, but sin
knows no boundaries and has no mercy. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that our
enemy’s number one goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. “Sin…brings forth death.” (James 1:15)I am also troubled with another thought: If I had perhaps shared the Gospel with him in years prior, could all of this been avoided? Of course I don’t blame myself for what happened, but as I read Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) today, I was given a very clear picture of just how vital it is for every breathing human being to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and that it is too late once we leave this world for the next.
With that
being said, I encourage all of us to examine ourselves and ask the Lord to
bring to the surface anything that is hindering us from witnessing to others
(Psalm 26:2). I will continue to pray for this man’s family and their healing,
but also for God to keep this fresh in my mind too so I don’t miss another
opportunity to save a life- for eternity.
It
is for freedom that Christ set us free… -Gal
5:1 (NASB)
No comments:
Post a Comment