August 10, 2012 (Friday)
Flags fly at half mast today, in memory of those who died in the latest massacre, this time in Wisconsin. There have been many events in which numbers of people have died at the hands of others. Officially, such events are classifed as “massacres,” although the designation may not precisely describe some of the happenings. Lists are incomplete and the statistics are not totally accurate, because of the confusion accompanying such horrible things.*
On August 1, 1966, a shooter fired from the tower at the University of Texas, shooting 48 people, killing 32 of them. Similar senseless shootings followed in succeeding years. Recently these mass killings have occurred more often.**
A radio program in the 1930’s began with the words, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”
What does the Bible say about the evil that lurks in our hearts? Here’s an example from Mark 7:21-23: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (c.f. Matthew 15:19) You can read a list of such verses here.
Having said this, we know that God has made a way for us, through faith in Christ, to conquer evil within and to love our fellow man. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). Are you praying for a spiritual awakening in our country?
*Click here for a Wikipedia reference
**Click here for a Wikipedia list of massacres in the United States.