As the news reports came in last night of the death of America’s Public Enemy Number One, the only sense I felt was sadness. It was a curious feeling.
I have all my adult life been a supporter of “just” was and capital punishment for the hardcore criminal who had committed heinous acts. Of course I’m a supporter; I’m a conservative, Christian Republican!
Last night and this morning as I was on my bus route before my first stop, I felt that foundation shake. It wasn’t an uncomfortable, fearful shake, but it was a shake nonetheless. Wait, let’s back up a bit.
Val and I have been taking an on-line course through In Christ’s Image Training. In that reading and listening, both in Scripture and the writings of Pastor Francis Frangipane, it is very clear that God’s sole purpose for the Believer is to be conformed or transformed into the very image of Jesus Himself. In fact, the appellation Christian means “little Christ.”
Lots of scripture, principally,
Romans 8:28-29 (New Living Translation)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son [conformed to the image of His Son, NKJV], so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
So, if God’s purpose is to make me look like Jesus, then WWJD – what would Jesus do?
OK, there's a typo. Second paragraph, first line should read "just" wa[r]s, not "just" was. Sorry!
ReplyDelete