World's Events of the Week

We have had three events happen in our world this week, all of enormous magnitude.  All three very different, and all worth talking about and remembering.

Tornadoes in the South
The severe storms in Alabama and surrounding states have been unreal.  To see the pictures of the devastation should help us all remember not to take life for granted.  I was so impressed by the many people interviewed on the news the last couple days.  Even though they lost entire homes and neighborhoods, people were praising God that they were still alive.  And, they were immediately concerned for those around them who lost even more.  My parents, one of my sisters, and two of my nieces live in Alabama.  They are all fine, but were without power for 5 days.  Even after the great inconvience of not having electricity for that long, they too have been quickly concerned for those around them and looking for ways to help.  We must continue to pray for those affected by these storms.  I pray that God will comfort them as the deal with the great losses, I pray that families and communities will come together and be there for each other, and I ultimately pray that even through this great disaster, people will realize their need for a Savior and turn to Him.

Royal Wedding
Okay, to be honest, I have no idea why there was SOOOO much hype about this wedding.  BUT, in a world of fighting and chaos, it was a nice breath of fresh air to hear about something positive on the news.  I watched part of the ceremony and every detail was just perfect and quite impressive.  I got a kick out of the thousands and thousands of people lined up on the streets (some waiting for days) just to get a glimpse of the bride and groom.  Also, I was stunned to hear that 2 BILLION people watched this wedding on television.  When we think about how big this is, I can't help but compare this to when Jesus returns to earth for His bride, the church.  Revelation 1:7 says "Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him."  There will be no need for news reports, DVRs, facebook statuses, twitter feeds, phone calls, mass emails, or any other communication to let us know.  Every eye will see His coming.  And His bride, the church, those who have a personal relationship with Him, will be united with Him in Heaven for eternity.  Now, that's a wedding I'm looking forward to!

Osama Bin Laden
Then, the third huge world event this week was announced by our President last night.  After years of searching and fighting, Osama Bin Laden has been killed.  Yes, it is a huge step in the fight against terrorism and that's a good thing.  But, I can never be excited about anyone's death, especially when you predict where he will lie for eternity.  Everyone has to make their own choice for their eternity...even Bin Laden.  I do hope we can all continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our military through this time.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
My encouragement through all three of these events is this....we must continue to move forward in our lives with an eternal mindset.  Colossians 3:1-4 is a great encouragement...

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

None of us are promised a tomorrow.  We, first, need to make sure we know where we stand with our relationship with God.  If that tornado took your family, would you be with Him now?  Even if you feel like you've done way more than God could forgive, you can still turn your life around and follow Him.  If Bin Laden would have repented and turned to God, even he, the evil man that he was, would have been saved.  Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate payment for EVERY sin.  None of us are out of God's reach.  Second, we need to be sharing His love with everyone we can.  God has you placed where you are for a reason...don't waste that opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around you.  And lastly, we've gotta quit wasting our time with trivial things.  I've recently had this same conversation in several different settings.  There are a lot of details in life, yes, but when we are bogged down with unimportant things, we get distracted from doing what God has called us to do.  Satan wants to waste our time, God wants us to use every second for His glory.  Use these huge events of the week to realign your focus and set your mind on things above.