Out of the Rubble

Out of the Rubble

"...Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us
from the present evil age, according to the will of our God"
Galatians 1:4

The pictures this past week of survivors of the earthquake in Haiti being dragged from the rubble of destroyed buildings, by rescuers from around the world, have been both staggering and sobering. With almost all hope gone, teams of experts who refused to give up, despite the slim odds of finding survivors, worked at removing the rubble of crumbled concrete buildings in the hopes of finding someone still alive. Their effort was a tribute to the intrinsic value of life. No matter how poor or battered the person, and despite the difficulties yet to be faced, still every life has value and is worth the all-out effort required to rescue it.

Sometimes I wish the rubble of destroyed lives, shaken by trials of every manner and kind, was as visible to the human eye as that witnessed in Haiti in the last few weeks. If only we could see the devastation caused by sin and addiction, by wrong choices and decisions, and by hurt and rejection, as clearly as we have viewed the newscasts of earthquake damage the past week or so. It may be that we would be moved to greater action. It may be that we would be moved to more sacrificial giving of ourselves, of our time and effort, to help those whose lives are shattered and broken. It may be that we too would give the all-out effort seen in recent weeks to rescue those drowning in a sea of hopelessness.

It doesn't always have to be overseas or in great tragedies that we are moved with compassion and stirred to action. The needs are great on the street you live on and in the families waiting with you to pick up their children from school. The burden may be overwhelming in the life of the student sitting next to you in class or working at the next desk in your office. We have each been called to be rescuers. The command of Jude is very clear:

"Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment"

Yesterday, rescue crews from Denmark, Japan, Britain and the United States packed up their gear and left Haiti, their part of the rescue effort, the search for life, completed and done. The same cannot be said for us; our job is not completed. Our search for the lost is to continue, undiminished by personal agendas, "compelled by love", and with hearts filled with compassion. Having been rescued ourselves, we have become God's rescuers to our generation.


God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church