Saturday, February 22, 2014

My Heart Bleeds for Hailey

"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.'"
Luke 17: 1-3

     Hailey was a "vivacious spirit, a trusting little girl with a cheery disposition." This ten year old child of a loving mother was viciously killed this week, then stuffed into bags like so much trash. I can barely write these painful allegations as I cry for this little one, and my heart burns with indignation against this evil suspect, Craig Wood. Who does he think he is, snatching her up as she walked home from her best friend's house, using her for his own twisted perversions?

     Oh, how deep the darkness of sin can be!

     The Bible says we all have sinned, no one is righteous and that only God is truly good. We are born under the curse of sin; a broken world surrounds us.

     How could this Craig Wood be capable of such a heinous crime? When was this seed planted in his heart? Was he abused as a child? Was he hooked on pornography? Would any one of us be capable of the same?

     Jesus warns us to "watch ourselves." He said, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:30) Like the apostle Paul, I ask, "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) Praise God, Jesus's sacrifice at Calvary paid my debt and set me free from the bondage of sin. If any inkling of an evil thought should take root in my heart, I can hit my knees and pray to Jesus to forgive me, cleanse me, "lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil."

     Learn to recognize sin before it grows and blossoms into a full blown death sentence! Trust in God for deliverance and pray for those who wallow in depravity. Do not be one of those through whom sin comes, but strive to be the salt of the earth, like those neighbors who were trying to save Hailey Owens. We have to do our part to stop the madness!

     "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)

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