The Wedding of Lifetime.

This weekend, I was blessed to be a part of the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. James and Breanne Walter have been two of my best friends for some time. I have watched their relationship grow, blossom, and flourish for the past 5 1/2 years, they have set a standard for all who know them. If you sit with them for 5 minutes you will see a few things, how much they love each other, the honor they have for one another, and the high respect for the other. I am amazed by them and their relationship.

I knew that the ceremony was going to be special, but I also knew that I would cry like a baby. 
As I walked down the isle I looked at James, and the look on his face was that of a little boy on Christmas morning, who knows that he is about to get the best present of all time. He had this giddy smile on his face, and it seemed to me that he could hardly contain his joy. The music changed and we all saw the Breanne appear at the top of the staircase. I turned and looked at James, he was crying and of course, this turned me into a ball of tears. As the father of the bride walked his daughter down the isle she was glowing. She had eyes only for her beloved. He was her focus. In that moment he was the only thing that mattered.
The ceremony was beautiful, and the rest of the day went off without a hitch, and I have never seen the two of them happier or more in love.
This morning during worship at church I got a picture of another wedding, one that has been planned for eternity and is still to come. The bible says that we as Christians are the bride of Christ. Jesus is the groom and we are His bride. His desire is for us, and He has done everything to win our hearts. He pursues us, romances us, and draws us closer to Himself. 
I saw a woman in a wedding dress, and Jesus was at the alter. When she made her entrance, He began to cry out of pure joy, realizing that the reward of the sacrifice He made was finally before Him. Likewise, she was beside herself... she only had eyes for her beloved. He was her safe place, she couldn't wait to be beside Him.

As the groom said His vows, the smile on His face grew. The bride glanced down at her dress and realized that some of it was blood stained, as she saw this they both began to laugh. The beauty of the blood is that it made her dress even more white. 

It made her radiant. 

The blood made her pure.

As she said her vows, the bride couldn't help the tears that began to stream down her face. She knew for the first time that she was free. 

She realized her destiny. 

She saw her beauty. 

She gained a new identity.

This is what happens when we say yes to Jesus. This is what happens when we give our lives completely. We are purified, given unspeakable joy, we realize our identity, and we become free. Jesus is waiting at the alter, the question is will we leave Him waiting, or will we give ourselves over to something so much better than we could imagine? 

Justice vs. Mercy

I have a feeling I may get some not so great feedback for this post, but I feel that this needs to be said.

As we all know Osama Bin Laden was killed this week. I understand how people are happy that this man has been brought to justice, and many of the families are now feeling that their loved ones are finally avenged. I for one am glad that when I listen to talk radio and hear that mans name I will no longer feel a twinge of fear somewhere deep down inside.

Last night as I was listening to President Obama speak about the mission and how our amazing troops executed their assignment with expert precision and tact; I began to feel thankful, happy even that this evil man is dead. I mean why would I not feel this way? This horrible man who is responsible for thousands of deaths has finally got what he had coming to him. As I watched the news this feeling of happiness increased and was solidified. Then, as I was looking at my Facebook friends updates, a heaviness began to come over my heart. The things that many people began to say really troubled me. One post in particular- made by someone the I highly admire, someone I look up to, and someone who's opinion really matters to me- said  something like,"Hell's real and bin laden will burn for eternity."

That stopped me in my tracks. Really? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Could we as Christians really be so cold about someone, anyone going to hell?  (This unfortunately was not the only post of it's type.) It was about that time that the Lord began to convict my heart about my attitude towards this man being killed. 

While I know God is a God of justice, He is also a God of mercy. In the word it talks of God not wanting anyone to go to hell. I believe that God's heart is burdened over the life and death of Osama Bin Laden. I wonder if more Christians had been praying for Osama Bin Laden if his outcome would of been different. I don't doubt that he would of been killed, but maybe he wouldn't have to suffer eternal damnation. Some would say he got what he deserved, but does God not see all sin the same? Sin is sin, and (from my 

understanding) there is no differentiation in the eyes of God.

Years ago, I heard a sermon from my childhood pastor, Dane Aaker. I don't remember a thing from the sermon except for one phrase, 

"We should never get used to the sound of footsteps on the way to hell." 

 These words have stayed in my heart for many years, but I don't think I fully understood them until last night. How could I of been happy that this man was in hell? I now have a new drive to pray for people that many feel deserve to go to hell for the things they have done.

Jesus came to save the sinners.

Jesus came as a doctor to heal those who needed a touch from God.

Jesus hung out with the sinners. 

I desire to be Christ-like in every area, not just the areas I feel comfortable doing so. I guess that means being counter cultural.

I implore you to look inside your own heart and see what God is saying to you about this topic. I wouldn't be surprised if He's saying the same thing.