HOPE FOR A BROKEN SOCIETY

A fish finds its natural habitat in the water. In the water, its proper boundaries, a fish lives and flourishes. Take it out of the water, it becomes miserable and it dies. It will not flourish, no matter how hard you try.

In the same way, God created us to live in the environment He made for us. He made us to live in a right relationship with Him, to love Him and to love our neighbour in the light of His commandments for us. This is life. In this environment God made for us, we flourish. To try to live outside of it brings misery and death.

For example, God made us to rest one day in seven, and to work the other six days. He gave us loving commands or boundaries to govern our relationship with Him and others.

To try to live outside of the boundaries God established is like a fish trying to live outside of the water. The violation of those boundaries, the Bible calls ‘sin’. And sin brings misery and death. Lovers of self, lovers of money, being proud, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unforgiving, unloving, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – such do not flourish.

This helps explain why humanity is so broken today. There is so much pain, hurt and shame because we have broken those good boundaries God made for us. Unlike fish, we try to live outside of God’s given boundaries. It brings hurt, pain and death. God created us to reflect Him, to image Him. Instead, sin brings brokenness. Think of looking into a mirror that is shattered a thousand pieces. Try to look at the image of yourself in a shattered mirror. It’s distorted, contorted. It’s not the way God made you.

But there is good news. God is able to make you new. And He is willing. And He offers to do so through Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who humbled Himself by taking the punishment of death upon Himself and to give new life to all who believe in Him. In Christ alone, God forgives and gives the miracle of new life, making us whole again.

Christ is the one hope God sets before a broken humanity!