Jesus said, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” — Luke 13:2-5
What do you want to be when you grow up? You might remember getting asked that, and the dream that accompanied it. Astronaut, professional athlete, doctor, lawyer, business owner, farmer. Whatever it was, a dream of something better out there drives us to accomplish our goals.
But sometimes a vision of a better future isn’t enough.
Sometimes we need the scary vision of what life would be like if everything went completely wrong. What it would look like if we utterly failed.
Jesus was asked about some people who were killed while offering a sacrifice to God. How horrible! Trying to serve God and getting killed- they might have thought these people were actually wicked, and that was the only reason God would allow something like that. But Jesus clarifies for them: “Unless you repent, you too will perish.”
Imagine, for a second, if God gave you everything you deserve. Dwell on what life would be like if God stopped helping you out and being there for you. Think about how terrible it would be if you were stranded in your sin, shipwrecked in the shattered boat of your life. Things could get pretty ugly, couldn’t they?
If you are struggling to get a vision of a better life centered in Jesus, start by getting a vision of a worse life centered in your sin. That might be enough to scare you into seeing God’s hopes and plans more clearly.
I wonder if Jesus said, as a kid, “I want to be king!” Everyone would have thought he was silly. How can a poor boy, born to common parents, be king? But they didn’t understand what Jesus meant by King- the leader who leads by serving. The warrior who battles our enemies, instead of his own. The wise sage who teaches and guides us. Jesus is King, and he never turned from God’s best plan ever, rescuing us from ourselves, from a broken world, from the devil.
For better, or worse, continue in the process of repentance by seeing clearly where God is leading you- or what God is trying to help you avoid.
Heavenly Father, help us to see the many good things to which You are leading us. And give us a picture of the terrible things from which You are protecting us. We repent and seek after Your will in Jesus. In His name we pray, AMEN.
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