Friday, November 18, 2016

BBC Children in Need @BBCCiN #CiN

Do you appreciate your children? Do the stories of disadvantaged and ill children that you see tonight pull at your heartstrings because you think ‘that could be my child’? You picture your child in the situation and think about what that child is going through and how you would cope. We should be truly grateful for how well off we are! It’s another reason why we all need to play our part in Children in Need. They do fantastic things for an amazing cause to raise a lot of money.

BBC Children in Need (@BBCCiN, #CiN) is an annual but amazing event. It happens every year because the need in our world never seems to diminish. I hope that you give generously and the money is well used.

The question that it raises in my mind is why? Why is there cruelty? Why are there disadvantaged children? How can people be so cruel? What is the cause of the problem? It's one thing to give money to change people's lives its another to consider why the situation exists in the first place? It's just life I hear you say! These things happen?

The Bible tells us why - it is because of sin. The Bible states that sin, evil, abuse and pain exist because we were born into a fallen race. The first man, Adam, brought 'sin into the world and death by sin'.
We also are all in the habit of sinning and the Bible states 'sin, when it is finished brings forth death'. We all sin (fail, hurt, lie, disobey etc) and therefore the moral and physical result is death.
But the good news is things can be different! I do not believe that we can reform the whole world as a result of a political solution. The Bible promises ultimately a reformed world when Jesus returns to earth and establishes His righteous rule. Until then change is made on a case by cases basis. This is why the Bible teaches conversion and it's why Christians are keen to see people saved and converted to Jesus Christ (not conversion to the religion of Christianity but to total allegiance to the person of Jesus Christ). This is why Jesus said 'I am come that they might have life'.
This is actually only possible because 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'. The Bible puts it like this 'The Father (God) sent the Son (Jesus) to be the Saviour of the world'.
Amazing as it is God has intervened to solve the human tragedy of sin, death and all the negative spin-offs of abuse, cruelty etc. God's only course of action, legally, was either to punish the offenders (us) for someone else to die in our place. The only person who qualified to die for us was Jesus. This is because he was, and is, sinless and pure. His death was voluntary because death is as the result of sin and as He could not sin death had no claim on him. So the reality is that He chose willingly to make payment for our guilt and sin. Therefore, the Lord Jesus willingly died to save us from eternal death in hell and the lake of fire.
Children in Need is tragic but sadly children in need grow up to be adults in need. Adults are responsible for their actions, children are not! I believe children up until the age of understanding (don't ask me to define what age that is - I think it's different for each individual) automatically go to heaven if they die whereas adults have a choice to make.