The last week has been a tough one all around our country. There’s no denying it, there’s no covering it up; our world is broken to the core. A lot of hate has been stirred up, causing much division between the citizens and those who protect the citizens of this great country of ours. I have pondered over these issues for the last few days, not really knowing what to make of the state we currently find our country in.
Casey Coats spoke at the Rockwall campus on Sunday morning. As he worked his way through the tough subject of how we as Christians should handle these types of issues, Casey made sure to include the reality that more than just police officers had lost their lives over the past week.
Two men were killed last week by police officers, and whether you think it was right or wrong, the families and friends of these men are grieving.
Five police officers were killed by a man who went to downtown Dallas with the intention of taking their lives. The families and friends of those men are grieving.
The very same man that killed those five officers lost his life that night and — you guessed it — his family and friends are grieving his loss.
We don’t get to make the decision on whose life is more valuable in this world. Colossians 1:16 tells us this:
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
All things were created for him.
At the end of his message on Sunday, Casey challenged us as the church to step out of our comfort zones and be the change that Jesus calls us to be. To be the ones that go out into our communities and be the light of the world that we are called to be.
The light at the end of what seems to be a never-ending tunnel is that, one day, Jesus will return to take all of his children home. When I say all, that means everyone that has ever placed his or her faith in Christ. That doesn’t exclude anyone, regardless of profession, skin color, age, or any other worldly attribute. The scripture shows us this truth.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Jesus loves each and every one of us, and if you have yet to place your life in his hands, you will be missing out on the greatest gift of all. That gift is a truly rewarding eternity spent in heaven, worshiping our creator.