Having a brother who is in prison for life on account of murder, always has me thinking about crime, punishment and our justice system. It is not just the human justice system I contemplate, but the righteous, holy, sovereign justice of God Almighty. Recently I read an interesting Associated Press article detailing the way the state of Ohio chronicles the last hours of prisoners on Death Row. One can only speculate what one would feel and do with knowledge that this was your last day and death was coming at a specific hour, even minute, of that day. The state of Ohio apparently is interesting in knowing what men in this condition think and do. They have, since 1999, kept an accurate minute by minute log of these men and their actions. You can read the article and get a sense of what men do under an imminent death sentence. Or, you can walk the streets of your city or town tomorrow morning and see as well. If you want to read what thoughts dead men are logging on the internet, you can read the average blog to find that out. You see, according to Word of God, every human being is born under a death sentence. Everyday they live their lives and go about their business in what essentially could be the day that they find themselves experiencing the eternal judicial punishment of God. Yet, if they realized this, what would they do differently? If they realized that they essentially are no different than the men on death row in Ohio, would they be more sober about their decisions? Would they make appeals to the Judge of Judges, even as the men on death row constantly make appeals to human courts?
Reading the article, I was reminded once of again of the sovereign mercy of God to save, and even pardon death row sinners, of whom I was chief. I was reminded of the grace of God in Eph. 2:1-5:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-
Now, that's a dead man's log!
2 comments:
Wow that's deep Anthony, and when I look at this blog I'm further reminded of the Greek hymn that goes, "Hristos anesti ek nekron, Thanato, thanaton patisas, Ke tis en tis mnimasi zoin,
Harisamenos (Christ is risen from the dead,Trampling on death, by death,
And to those in the tombs,
Bestowing life.)" Though we were dead our sins, He in His grace bestowed life unto us. Thanks be to God
So very true. Those of us who work in the world can also listen to all of those dead men around us all day long.
Nice post.
Mark
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