SpOL

SpOL-060 HUMANITY’S GREATEST NEED

A certain candidate for legislative office requested an advertising agency to produce campaign posters on his behalf. An ad writer there asked him what he would like emphasized about himself.

“Oh, just the usual,” replied the candidate, “superior intelligence, highest integrity, total honesty, complete loyalty, and of course, humility.”

With the barrage of media coverage today, we can be sure that regardless of how positively a politician tries to position him or herself, every mistake, misstatement, misstep, and misjudgment will soon become public knowledge. Local, regional, state and national candidates are all vulnerable to the media’s thirst for sensationalism.

Candidates, of course, feel they have to project an exalted image of themselves, or most people would not look at them with any level of confidence. Despite their differences, and despite their individual strengths and weaknesses, all of the candidates are flawed human beings. To be fair, they would love to solve the monumental problems facing our nation and the world, but they simply don’t have the power or the wherewithal to do it. They can only do their best to keep things reasonably in check during their term in office.

The problems and ills of human society continue. Violence, greed, cruelty, deception, injustice and other sins show that there is a dark side to humanity. In reality, that darkness comes from an alienation from the God who loves us. It is the greatest tragedy people endure and the source of all the other human evils. In the midst of that darkness one need rises above all the others – the need for Jesus Christ.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It tells us that light has come into the world. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus says. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12) NIV. Jesus Christ restores our relationship with the Father and changes humanity from the inside out.

When people put their confidence in him, the light comes on and everything changes. That is the beginning of real life, life in the joy and peace of fellowship with God.

I’m Joseph Tkach, speaking of LIFE.