If you don’t recognize the picture, you must have been spending the last month walking on the Moon. It is, of course, the casket of the King of Pop as it was on display at the Staples Center during the Michael Jackson memorial. Millions around the globe mourned his passing. Thousands attended a star-studded memorial tribute. Now the question is: Where will his final resting place be? Will there be some grand memorial for the tourists and fans to flock to? Will there be a Graceland west?He might have been proclaimed the King of Pop. He might certainly have been a musical genius. He might have changed his appearance more than a chameleon. He also stood accused of improprieties with children; he might, or might not, have been guilty. He had many detractors, but millions more loved him for his music and performances.
Although television, newspapers, tabloids, and many pundits will try to judge him, it is not for them… or us… to judge. The Bible reminds us that:
“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-24
In the end, Michael Jackson is just like me… is just like you. We are born, we live for a few short years, and we die. The most important thing a person can seek is NOT fame, or wealth, or recognition, or position, or power, or friends, or security, or peace. These are not bad things, and if God has blessed you in any of these areas, be thankful. You needn’t be ashamed of any success you have worked hard to achieve. Still, above all those worldly successes, the most important thing any of us can seek is to hear and accept the words of the gospel.
What is the gospel? It is the simple truth that all of us are separated from a holy God because of our sin. Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. Because He is the sinless Savior, the Son of God, death could not hold Him. He rose again from the dead and that same resurrection power is available to each person who, by faith, receives His offer of forgiveness and a new life. By believing this message, we can be forgiven of all our sins and both be saved now, and be with Him forever in heaven. This is a simple but wonderful and life-transforming truth. This is the gospel.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are led by the Spirit to not just hear and receive the gospel, but to live as a new creation in Christ. We should reflect and share the life-transforming truth of the gospel! It is good news… it doesn’t take special training to share good news… it just takes a willing heart.
I wonder if anyone ever shared the gospel from their heart with Michael Jackson. If you knew you couldn’t fail, who would you share the gospel with right now? Guess what? You can’t fail! It’s impossible for you to fail. All you have to do is SHARE the gospel… God’s Holy Spirit will grow the seed you planted.
Your brother in Christ,
Dave
"He who dies with the most toys... still dies."
ReplyDeleteDiehl used to say, "We Win!!" Because we knew we belong to the Lord, because we know His love, because we loved each other; and not only in the end does the person with the most still lose, but he loses out in everyday life, striving for the temporal, not building the eternal saving relationship with Jesus. Forgiveness is an amazing thing; both to realize we have it and to be able to give it. I have seen people treat 'believing' and forgiveness as a 'free pass' to heaven, meaning nothing much in the current temporal life. How much they miss!!!