I love to read, but I'm not a big fan of people spoiling the ending of a book for me.
However, there is one ending that I'm glad I heard about, even before I read the book.
If there is one thing that I have learned from the Bible, it is that Love wins. Love wins because God is love.
If I’m being completely honest, our tumultuous situation can look pretty bleak. Last week's shootings occurred three days in a row, and each situation is tragic. The loss of life breaks my heart.
See, I have this issue of getting caught up in the news and wondering to myself how things could get any worse. I find myself worrying and feeling desperate. After all, the world can be a pretty dark and hopeless place, and none of us know what is beyond the present.
But I have to remind myself that I do know one thing: the end is already decided.
Jesus wins. That battle was won as He hung on the cross for our sins at Calvary.
For that reason, I will not fear today, tomorrow, or next year because, whatever happens to this earthly body of mine, I know that my spirit is headed upward.
"Faith over fear" is a mantra that we need to remember. You can either fear the mystery of the future, or you can have faith in the One who formed it.
See, the thing about fear is that it is crippling, and it will render you powerless, hopeless.
Faith is altogether different, though. Faith opens doors. Faith sets you free. Faith empowers you.
Something that I have learned is that fear and faith are fighting for the very focus in your life. You must make the decision between the two. Faith is the absence of fear, and fear is, in turn, the absence of faith.
God is over every situation. He is sovereign, and He is so incredibly good. He is so worthy of our trust, and I can tell you that there is nowhere safer to place your life than in His hands.
I think that it is pretty easy to become disheartened at this point in time, particularly considering the amount of violence that has transpired within our country in the past week, but Jesus Christ is the reason for and the very source of hope.
The fact that numerous people died last week is tragic, yet the most heartbreaking part of this tragedy would be if these people died without knowing Christ as their Savior because there is no other hope.
As Christians, that should be our primary concern.
The only way that we will ever see a change in this world is when we are so overcome and so overwhelmed by the love that was shown on the Cross that it is literally overflowing from us onto every person we meet.
This doesn't mean that love is always easy. Love, many times, is a decision that we must consciously make. However, the way that love could change our hearts, this country, and this world is mind-blowing.
When we reflect the love that Jesus has for us, then and only then will we see a change. No elected official, no celebrity, no human being can save us or this country, but have faith: the end has already been written. And it's beautiful.
It may look as if hatred, along with Satan, has the upper-hand, but know this-
Love wins. Grace wins. Salvation wins. Jesus Christ wins.
