Romans 5:15-17
Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly
parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people
at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s
gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no
comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving
gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict
on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If
death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine
the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp
with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand
setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
On
June 1, 2016, at 3:45 a.m., a 28-year-old woman drove on to the
Interstate 430 bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas…traveling in the wrong
direction. She collided with 60-year-old Gary Digiuseppe, who was on
his way to work as an on-air news reporter for radio station KARN 102.9
FM. Both cars caught fire…both drivers were killed. A co-worker
actually reported this crash on-air before he knew that one of the
victims was his friend, Gary. At 3:45 a.m. on June 1, 2016, dozens of
lives were forever impacted – and changed – by this accident.
Police
and highway department officials note that traveling the wrong way on
an Interstate highway happens more often than we realize…people make an
errant turn and find themselves entering on an exit ramp. We will never
know why or how this young woman came to be on the wrong side of the
bridge on this fateful morning. But every day, countless events – and
the decisions of others - change our lives forever. And so it was with
Adam in the Garden of Eden. Because he ate the forbidden fruit
presented by Eve, death became a physical – and possibly spiritual -
reality for all of us today. I would say that this decision had
probably one of the biggest impacts on the most people – EVER!
But
here’s the thing…JESUS made an even bigger impact, because He reversed
the finality of spiritual death. Because of Jesus and His sacrifice on
the cross, our sins can be forgiven. We can enjoy Eternal Life in His
presence. Jesus Christ offers the greatest impact on the most people
forever and ever…hands down! And we can all get in on this and share in
His gift.
There are a lot of situations and circumstances that
we cannot change. We can’t stop the poor decisions of others. We cannot
prevent physical death. Things will happen, people will argue, and
relationships will be broken – possibly for the rest of our mortal
lives. We can’t prevent natural disasters or many illnesses and
injuries. In short, “life” just happens…and it has a tremendous – and
lasting – effect on many of us. But when we focus on Jesus and what He
offers us, we can handle these other “life impacts.” When we trust Him
for our salvation – and focus on serving Him and fulfilling His purpose
for our lives…we can put these other life-changing events into proper
perspective.
My heart breaks for the family and friends of the
two people who lost their lives…and I pray that they both reside in
Heaven with Jesus today. I thank God that because of Him and the blood
of Jesus, we have hope – even in the midst of a tragedy like this one. I
am reminded just how much impact the words, thoughts and actions of one
person can have on so many others…and I am even more determined to make
sure that mine glorify God’s amazing gift through His only Son to the
very best of my ability. What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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