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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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A Crack in the Wall
Keith Wishum says… Imagine FIVE years locked up alone in a room! Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells the story of Brigadier General Robinson Riser’s confinement as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He was held captive for over seven years. Five of those years were in solitary confinement. Little food. Cold. Heat. Riser suffered many things, but perhaps the worst was the isolation. Five years with no conversation. No communication from home or friends. Silence. Five years staring at the same walls. At times, he stuffed his underwear in his mouth to deprive his captors the satisfaction of hearing him scream. One day, Riser made a simple, sanity-saving discovery. He lay down on the floor of his tiny cell and discovered a very small crack in the cinder block wall. By pressing his eye close to the crack, he could see outside. A leaf! He could see a leaf on the ground outside
his cell! Not much to get excited about, you might
say. But for a man locked inside for 5 years, it was a
ray of hope – This world is often characterized by disappointment, disease, and death. But the worst condition is separation – separation from God. Our sin is what separates us from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2) and creates a "wall" between man and God. But God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He paid the price for our redemption so that we can be set free from the bondage of sin (Ephesians 1:7) and the "wall" between man and God is destroyed. God will set free those who place their
faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their
sin in
Yet, even Christians are still "confined" by things in this world like disappointment, disease, and death. But if you look closely......, there is a crack in the wall. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, He was buried, but on the third day, He rose again! Keith Wishum points to the power of this fact saying, "Your Father raised His Son from the grave to put a permanent crack in the wall so you could have a glimpse of the bright life that lies beyond. He wants you to be free. He offers you hope." Because of Jesus, we can have forgiveness of our sins and be reconciled to God, NOW! We also now have the HOPE of eternal life in heaven where Christians will live with God for an eternity where "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). It’s a terrible thing to be in bondage to sin. But God offers salvation AND eternal life through Jesus. There is a crack in the wall. Do you see it? Won’t YOU accept His offer on His terms?
God will save those who place their
Sinful man cries, “Help!” God has answered by sending His Son Jesus to our rescue. Won’t YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life on His terms?
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