Two scriptures have been bouncing around my mind this week. The first is Romans 5:20: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” I know that Paul is speaking directly of Old Testament law, but this verse also applies to all areas of life where evil seem to be winning. The second verse on my mind is Luke 18:8, a more pessimistic perspective: “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Romans speaks of good overcoming evil, but Luke suggests that at Christ’s Second Coming many will compromise their convictions and fall from the faith.
I thought of this as Laura and I saw the Christian film, “I Can Only Imagine,” the story of MercyMe’s lead singer Bart Millard, who was raised in an abusive home in which his father brutalized him. It’s a great film that leaves most people teary-eyed at the end. It’s very moving, and a movie every Christian family should see. But on the way out of the theater I was struck by the contradiction of what I had just seen and what all the posters on the walls around me were glorifying. Every advertisement glorified upcoming movies about sexual perversion, gratuitous violence and blasphemy. How could two such diametrically opposite film subjects coexist?
That’s a moral microcosm of our world today, grace abounding with great opportunities for the Gospel, compared with precipitous spiritual declension and debauchery all around. Grace and apostasy. Good and evil. Angels and demons. Righteousness and perversity; this great film being screened in the middle of demonic lasciviousness. “I Can Only Imagine” versus the hounds of hell.
“Choose this day whom you will serve,” Joshua challenged the people of Israel (Joshua 24:15). Oh, the terror that awaits those who choose wrongly and the joy that awaits those who wisely choose the Lord. I can only imagine.
An Encouraging word: HOW GOD SEES YOU
I know a fair bit about running races. In high school and college my specialty was low hurdles. For a while, I even held the conference record for lowest time. The secret to my success was speedy legs, an ability to jump, and total focus on the hurdle in front of me. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul speaks about running to get the prize of an “imperishable crown” in heaven. When younger, I ran for a ribbon or a medal. But now I race for an eternal accolade. I still keep focus on the hurdle before me, not the one behind me. Overcoming obstacles in life is all about leaving the sins of the past and forging forward for the spiritual victories of the future. Do that with the hurdles in front of you today.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.
