Suicide Watch

I’m embarking on a journey to read the entire Bible this year.  And though I am far behind, there seems to be theme in the Old Testament.  Before the children of Israel would go to war, God would command them to kill everything, all the people, all the animals, and all the idols.  Before he dies, God issues the people a warning through Moses— what you don’t kill will come back and overtake you.

Let’s think about that for a moment.  Whatever you don’t kill will come back and overtake you.  Hmmm… That makes sense.  Any addict will tell you- if you don’t kill the habit, whatever it is, it will come back.  Most things that you turn your back on will eventually come back to see if a door is still open.  Think of the crazy ex that calls you every six months just to see how life is going.  If you’ve killed it, that conversation occurs less and less frequently, but left alive, you’ve probably found yourself in some sticky situations with that person.

But, this isn’t really about you and your personal situations.  I pray that you come to know the strength of the Lord in whatever situation you have, and that you gain the courage to kill it.  But, in the text, God spoke to the collective, the corporate body.  What you do not kill will come back and overtake you.  This means that this warning or admonition has some societal implications.  Ouch…

Let’s think about that for a moment.  Can we point to a moment in time where something wasn’t killed in its gestation and came back to overtake us.  Holy smokes- how long is this blog because we can go one for days!  Think about any societal plague that is overtaking us today, and we can probably point to an unaddressed problem or a communal belief or habit that was allowed to live.

For example, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the black community.  We like to address the symptoms, and don’t get me wrong, I am all about getting tested and knowing your status, but when did we start confirming and accepting fornication as an acceptable lifestyle.  Don’t be fooled, most people are not getting HIV by blood transfusions.  Could it be that teenage pregnancy is ridiculous because we have not lived a life that is a Godly-example for our youth.  Gang violence can be attributed to the rise in divorce.  The lack of fatherless men look to each other for support, affirmation, and a way of life.  So, can we be all too surprised about our President’s announcement yesterday.  He supports gay marriage.  That’s great.  He has a lot of company.  Depending on what poll you read, 30-50% of the country agrees with him.  And about 30% of Christians believe with him.

Wait a minute, three out of every 10 people that have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, believe that he came, died, rose, and is coming back believe that gay marriage is okay.  Let’s not pick on gay marriage, many Christians also fornicate, beat their wives, abuse their kids, and cheat on their husbands.  But can we be surprised?  Could we have killed any of this before now?  As a Christian, what have you allowed to live that is currently killing our society?  We’ve failed to mentor that father-less child.  We have failed to admonish talented people that live foul.  We have failed to call sin what it is.  We’ve allowed political correctness in the pulpit.  We’ve neglected righteousness or a cloak of acceptance, using our ancestor’s experience as an excuse to condone craziness.  We’ve allowed this.  We haven’t ushered people to deliverance because we refuse to be delivered ourselves.  We think the lives we live are okay, and that God will accept that.  He will not.  Nobody wants your mediocre attempt.  Give it all or give nothing at all.  We are being overtaken, and we have no one to blame but us.  Stand up for righteousness or get out the game.  Souls are at stake.  What you don’t kill will come back and overtake you.