Spooh's 4 Thought

2 Ways to Live

Psalm 1 was brought to mind with new freshness today as I recieved news about an old colleague from highscool - Let's call him 'Mike'.

Mike and I were friends, not close friends, but friends nonetheless. We were both quite wild and reckless as teenagers. In fact I quite vividly remember sleeping over at his house one night because, his parents were out and we wanted to smoke weed and get away with it. Weed, alcohol, partying and girls were the order of the day, weekend after weekend - we were both able to get by in school fairly well and not let our recklessness affect our marks - us and so many others - a facade of successful humans.

When school finished up, it was the last I saw of him, and at that point the rest of his life becomes a mystery to me. My 'life', on the other hand, was just beginning - a few short months after finishing at school and starting at university I met the Lord Jesus and his Gospel message face to face as a friend witnessed to me from Scripture. From there everything changed dramatically - the weed, alcohol and partying dissappeared and within a year I was convinced that there was nothing else on earth I could possibly do other then pursue a life of full-time Christian ministry. So I set my eyes in that direction and have been pursuing it ever since.

Its been 7 years since I last saw Mike, and I've got no idea what happened in Mike's life in those 7 years. But this morning I wake up to the news that Mike has taken his own life, that whatever happened in those 7 years has ended in tragedy. This, fact shocks me this morning, to know that I was once on the same path that he was on.

Now I make no judgements upon Mike, I'm not permitted to, nor do I want to. I also have no idea what his relationship with the Lord was like - or if a realtionship existed at all. What I do know is that the Lord has been gracious to me beyond anything I can measure. And so this morning I'm not to sit and Lord the existence of that grace of God over others - that is a sickening sin. Instead I'm completely humbled as I stand before the cross and see its significance in my life. I am humbled and I am constrained - the love of God constrains me to proclaim his name in all the earth. This morning the reality hits me that there really are only 2 ways to live, and I am so grateful, beyond words, that God has granted me his way.

On Sunday morning I will be preaching of Psalm 51 - and constrained by the Love of God and with the help of the Spirit I am going to plead with people to be reconciled to God - God has given me a glimpse of his goodness, I can have no other response.

posted by Stephen Murray @ 12:05 PM