Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 ESV)
As I write this, only a few days have passed since Adam Lanza killed 26 people in
Connecticut.
One thing needs to be made very clear:
This was NOT the work of God.
The motives for this young man’s actions are not known at this time, but consider this
from “The Psychology of Terrorism,” by Clark McCauley, Professor of Psychology, Bryn
Mawr College
“Terrorism inflicts immediate damage in destroying lives and material, but terrorists hope
that the long-term costs will be much greater. They want to create fear and uncertainty
far beyond the victims and those close to them. They want the enemy to spend time and
money on security. In effect the terrorists aim to lay an enormous tax on every aspect of the
enemy’s society, a tax that transfers resources from productive purposes to anti-productive
security measures.” (Emphasis added.)
I am not saying that Lanza’s motives were a well-thought out strategy as described in the
paragraph above. At this point, we don’t know that.
I am saying those are the motives of our larger adversary.
Jesus told us the devil seeks to kill and steal and destroy.
Actions like Lanza’s do all of those things. We see those 20 innocent lives senselessly
snuffed out and we want to give up. The situation appears hopeless. We are afraid. We
want increased security measures. Our peace and our joy are stolen from us. We want to
give up and crawl into safe little cocoons where nothing can harm us.
And once inside those cocoons, our enemy knows our witness for the love of Jesus Christ
and the power of the cross will be destroyed.
But God has given us a battle plan—and it is so God-like in that it is the complete opposite
of everything we would do if left to our own devices. Instead of seeking revenge and
lashing out in anger and fear and resentment we are told to love.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first
loved us. (1 John 4:18-19 ESV)
Much has been said about what could have prevented this, but I am absolutely certain of
this–If Adam Lanza had truly known the love of Jesus Christ in his heart and in his soul, he
could have never done this.
So, don’t we need to speak that truth in love, without fear or holding back, to as many
people as possible until the love of Jesus Christ fills our land from sea to sea?
Today’s Praise
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 ESV)