June 3, 2010

Pelican Problems and Human Hopelessness




I don't know who has stayed up to date on the oil spill in Louisiana, but I haven't been. I did however see some disturbing pictures of pelicans slowly drowning and being consumed by this oily filth. Some of the footage was so dreadful, I felt a deep pain for these pelicans.
Let me say that I don't have any special love or ties to animals, but I think I know what the difference was about these animals compared to most. I didn't see filthy birds covered in oil. I saw helplessness and hopelessness (h&h), and that triggered something within me.
Being a Christian I see h&h everywhere I go especially when I am at college, because there are so many non-believers walking in the town of Muncie, in this nation, and even in our world. There are so many people covered in oily filth and muck, and they continue to tread heavy, and the sad thing is they don't see it. At least the pelicans understand there true predicament, but people are walking dead in their transgressions.
Some of the pelicans are technically not dead yet, but they might as well be because there is nothing they can do to rescue themselves from the weight of the oil. They have no way of cleansing themselves. They have nothing to eat or drink except for the sludge they find themselves in currently. The only hope they have now can only come from an outside source. If someone has the desire to show compassion to one of these birds, then hopefully it's not too late and they can be spared.
This is basically how you could find me before I became a Christian, and how you can currently find non-Christians. We are technically alive: we breathe, walk, laugh, jump, cry, etc. At the same time you can pronounce us dead. Like I said earlier we are walking dead in our transgressions. There is nothing we can do to rescue ourselves from underneath the weight of our sin. We have no way of cleansing ourselves from the filth of our sin. There is nothing we can do or say outside of our totally depraved heart's. Same as the pelicans, we too need help from an outside source. Someone that desires to show love and compassion on putrid beings like ourselves. Unlike the pelicans, we don't have to unknowingly hope if it's too late or not to save us. If that special someone decides to show love and mercy on us, then we can be assured that we will be saved. It's not too late, it's never too late. We know that our filth will be fully taken from us, and will be made pure.
Friends that special someone is Jesus. He decided to show us love and mercy while we were walking dead in our transgressions. Jesus stepped in and took our filth from us, and by trusting in his work alone for our salvation we will be made pure and righteous before a just God. If we are truly trusting in God and nothing of ourselves, we can be fully assured that Jesus didn't miss a spot and he totally wiped away all our filth and shame.
Out of this truth let us walk in purity and holiness. Let us run away and repent from the muck that we have been saved from. Just because we have been cleaned doesn't mean we are allowed to get dirty again. Out of love and thanksgiving let us cling to our Savior and stay away from the oily pit of sin.