Tonight, I’m feeling extraordinarily passionate. I wish I felt this way more often, but I admit I don’t. In high school, I held back a lot. I have some serious regrets in my life, but my biggest is that I never said what I’m about to share. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I’m slightly skeptical. You also probably know that I don’t believe something without serious thought. Honestly, I would be an idiot to do so. When making a serious decision in life (such as a college or career choice), there should be some serious thought involved. So, before I go into details, know that this isn’t simply a tangent; it’s legit.
Basically, I’m a really messed up person. I mean, let’s face it, isn’t everyone? What does it mean to be “good” anyway? I know some people who, in my eyes, are really “good” people, but they’re still messed up. They still have problems. So, in that case, are they really good? I’m not. It might look like I have it together, but I really don’t. And, in reality, anyone who claims they do is probably lying to you. But I’ll be honest. I’m a terrible person. Simple as that. I could go into details, but that would take to long. Let’s just say I’m selfish. I think about Colby Davis a lot. But I’m one of, what, almost seven billion people on this planet? So how can I possibly think the world is about me?
But you do it too, don’t you? Come on, think about it. You think about yourself all the time. How can I make such an accusation? Because everyone does. It’s normal. But why? You’re one of seven billion people. And, if you died right now, the other 6,999,999,999 people would still keep going. Sure, a really minimal number of them would be upset, but life would go on, and the world would keep spinning. Now doesn’t that make you feel insignificant? I feel pretty unimportant right now personally. So why I am making us all seem like losers? It’s quite simple really. I’m trying to get you to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around me or you.
Okay, cool. So the world doesn’t revolve around you. Well, who does it revolve around? President Obama? The United States? Oprah? The evening news? Well, bad news. We lose any of those, and you’ll still be alive. Yeah, I’m sure there would be some serious repercussions, but you’d probably still be alive. So would a majority of the rest of the world. In fact, there are parts of the world that wouldn’t give two craps if the US disappeared. If you disagree with me, go visit a little continent called Africa, and find the remote tribes that have never even heard of it. Pretty sure they would be fine.
Well, the world must revolve around somebody. There must be some reason it even exists. Or maybe it was an accident. If it is, that’s one impressive accident. Ever heard of the Watchmaker Analogy? Say you’re walking through the woods. You’re hundreds of miles from civilization, with nothing but plants and trees and animals. Suddenly, you happen upon a watch. A pretty, gold, ticking watch. How do you know that it isn’t a part of nature? Because it isn’t natural. It’s way too complex. Someone left it there. You know that watches don’t grow on trees. And, even if you haven’t seen a watch before, you still know that it’s impossible for it to have just appeared. Somebody actually MADE that thing, and then, somebody left it there.
So let’s look at the universe. Would you agree that it is at least slightly more complex than a watch? I would hope so. But yet we assume that it just happened. Would you assume that with the watch? That it just happened? Probably not. But the universe did? And the people with the knowledge to create that same watch did? Just accidentally? Doubtful.
Okay, so say you’re following so far. If not, then you won’t really get the rest; please contact me, because I’ll be happy to discuss this more. If you’re following, you know that I’m implicating that God created the universe. Fact about God: He’s perfect. Again, if you disagree, contact me. Therefore, a perfect God would undoubtedly design a perfect universe. In fact, Genesis 2 specifies that God “made man in His own image and likeness” (and I’m paraphrasing there). So God designed man (people) to be perfect.
Wait, we’re not perfect! We just discussed this. Well, God also gave us a wonderful little feature called “decision-making.” The first two people He created, known notoriously as Adam and Eve, came with that ability installed, and so did the rest of us. Their choice was simple. Eat from the tree they weren’t supposed to eat from, or obey God and don’t. If you don’t know the whole story, check out Genesis 3 (at the beginning of the Bible or searchable at www.biblegateway.com). Bad news: they ate. First people to ever disobey God. Unfortunately, that really screwed things up. Suddenly, God’s perfect universe wasn’t so perfect. Hence the fact that there are so many things wrong with the world, and with us.
More bad news: since God is perfect, and we aren’t, it’s impossible for us to be with Him. Of course, I’m talking about heaven. Heaven isn’t messed up; it’s still perfect. So, if we showed up in our imperfect, that really screws things up, and suddenly heaven is wrecked too. And it gets worse: we have to pay for what we’ve done. Everyone knows that there are consequences for our actions. Well, to be blunt, the consequence for our actions is eternal separation from God… in hell. I don’t need to clarify that this is a really bad thing. If you’re confused, message me.
Great, so we’re all condemned to hell. Well, God made us, so that’s not something that He’s really cool with either. Seems like a disaster, but here’s the good news. Finally. God fixed this problem. He took care of our punishment. It couldn’t be ignored. The government isn’t going to ignore your fifteen speeding tickets either. It had to be taken care of, and God did it.
How? That’s right, I’m talking about God’s son Jesus Christ. I’m sure you’ve heard the story. Jesus, as both God and man, came to earth and lived a perfect life. Totally perfect. Before you say that’s impossible, remember that He’s God. But, since He was also fully man, He still went through all the same crap you and I have been through. Then He gets condemned for doing nothing wrong. The people scream that they want Him dead, capital punishment for no crime whatsoever. If you’ve seen Passion of the Christ, you know what happened next. Or you can read John 19. They executed Him in the same way that they executed murderers, by nailing his hands and feet to a cross and letting Him hang until His lungs collapsed. Extremely painful. However, unlike the other prisoners who had died in this manner, He hadn’t done anything wrong. He did this for us. You and me, and everyone else who has ever and will ever live.
By this point, the situation seems bleak. We’ve been condemned to hell, and Jesus is dead, which seems to accomplish nothing. However, if we move ahead to John 20, we find some really good news. Three days later, a few ladies went to Jesus’s tomb (which was actually a cave with a giant bolder in front of it) for some traditional burial procedures. They showed up, and this massive bolder was gone, along with the body. Then Jesus showed up. Totally alive. They checked; ghosts don’t have scars, and they don’t breathe. It really was Jesus. Now, before you claim that this is impossible, remember that Jesus is still God. I’m pretty sure the God who created the entire universe could come back to life quite easily. There is plenty more evidence for this, and I will gladly discuss it with you. It’s real. Jesus is alive, and, forty days after his resurrection, He ascended to heaven to be with God.
So what does that mean to you? Why am I even telling you this? Well, here’s the best part: when Jesus came back to life, He proved that He had beaten death and hell. So the perfect God-man pays the ultimate price to free us of all the things we’ve done wrong. Our sin problem is fixed! There’s no catch; this is a gift. God, through Christ’s death and resurrection, has given you a way to be with Him in heaven for an eternity. All you have to do is accept that. It’s really quite simple. Admit you’re wrong, believe Jesus really did save you through His death and resurrection, and allow it to change your life. Place God in charge. I know that seems weird, but think about it. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has a plan for your life. And, from experience, that plan is much better than anything else I’ve ever experienced. God isn’t going to set you up to fail. If He’s willing to send His son to die for you, He’s not going to turn around and screw your whole life over. That’s totally illogical. The reality is, He wants to use you to your full potential. And trust me, it’s way better than I could possibly describe it. I have this peace over my life. Something that nothing else has given me. I know that God is taking care of everything; I just have to trust Him.
So the choice, once again, is yours. You can surrender yourself to a God who knows every last detail about you and knows exactly why He created you and what you are meant to be, or you can try to live life on your own, where everyone is going to fail you at one point or another. Before you decide, I have one last request. Click on the link to The Story below. It will only take another five or ten minutes at most. Guys, this decision is important. We’re talking about eternity. We’re talking about your purpose on this earth. This isn’t minor stuff. And, if you have questions, just contact me. My info is on the top right corner of the page, or you can email me at colbyd3@colbyjdavis.com. Think about it.