Monday the national news media was all excited about the death of our enemy, Osama bin Laden, the man who masterminded the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as well as the fourth passenger plane which was taken over by passengers and crashed in Pennsylvania. He did not stop there but continued to terrorize US citizens wherever he could find them.
An Angry Sky Is Still Overhead
Our President said, “Justice was done” and it was. In life we must recognize what is good and what is evil. Yes, we are commanded to remember that there is evil in the world; and not only does scripture allowed us to celebrate when it is destroyed, we must. I remember seeing the videos of bin Laden’s excitement over the destruction and death of Americans and I knew this man was evil personified.
When I heard the news of his death I was glad and relieved that the hunt for him is over while at the same time a bit saddened by all of the excitement because the man was a fellow human being for whom Christ died. And, I wonder, are we any more safe now than we were before for an angry sky is still overhead.
As King Solomon wrote: “To every thing there is a season… A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance … A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
You and I know that our enemy is much bigger and more widespread than one individual or even a small group of individuals. Our real enemy is Satan Himself who seeks to destroy those who trust in God. He, not people, is our enemy. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they did not recognize the time of God’s visitation to them. Our real enemy is never others but the more subtle spirits inside.
The news made me wonder about how many times I have disappointed my Maker by being drawn into a haughty spirit of feeling justified and proud of my place with God. In the Kingdom of God with the Lord Jesus, our life is involved with the Spirit of God and His power for “we use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.” (2Cor. 10:4 NLT)
And if you are like me, you recognize that many times those erroneous human reasonings find a comfortable place in our own thinking and attitude. Yes, I am glad our enemy has been put down and I am glad our country can be happy over it because such news brings a certain amount of comfort and pride in our leaders and armed forces; but always remember that victories over the enemies within are much more important than over those which are without.
God bless each of you. Remember God loves you very much and the angels in heaven rejoice greatly over all of those who trust in Him.
