Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:3b
The fact that you are reading this devotion says you have a computer.
If you have a computer, you already know what a wonderful piece of electronic wizardry it is. You know how it can gather information, process facts, and allow you to contact thousands of people with a few keystrokes. You also know that it will break down at the most inopportune time. (Insert your own horror story here.)
Knowing all the things that can go wrong with a computer, I was amazed when the Associated Press carried a story about computer sabotage. It seems a computer destined for the International Space Station had been tampered with. That’s right, a worker at a NASA subcontractor that made the machine had, very deliberately, cut some of the wires.
Since reading that story, I’ve tried to figure out, “Why?” Why would a person do such a thing? Why would he endanger the life of an individual he’d never met? Was this some sick way of trying to make himself famous? Is this some way of getting back at his company, or his boss? Is he upset because his parents didn’t buy him a computer for Christmas? I would imagine hundreds of answers might be given to the question, “Why?”
Cutting to the bottom line, the Bible gives God’s answer. It says, ‘the hearts of the children of men are full of evil and madness is in their hearts.’ We do bad stuff because we’ve got bad stuff inside of us. It’s not a pretty thought, but it’s true. Even the best and most gentle of us still have a sinful core. Even the most loving among us has an evil center that will stay with us until we die. We may not sabotage Space Station computers, but it’s guaranteed that we’re going to mess with something, or someone, else.
This is precisely why we need a Savior. We need a perfect Savior who doesn’t have our sinful centers. We need a Savior who hasn’t been conceived in corruption. We need a Savior who is true man and true God. And where can we find such a Savior? We can come into contact with Him in a Bethlehem stable. We can see Him reaching out to lepers, publicans, and prostitutes. We can hear Him bringing healing to the hurting and hope to those who mourn. The one place we won’t see Him is at His grave.
A risen Lord Jesus has come to seek and save the lost, and to replace the corruption of human hearts with the completeness of God’s grace. And “why” would God do such a thing? I don’t know, but I’m glad He did.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I give thanks that You have come to seek and save the lost, and that You gave Your life so I might have eternal life. In Your Name, Amen.
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 136, 146 1 Corinthians 3
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