Someone to Speak

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Today's Passage: Romans 10: 13-18
Memory Verse: Rom. 10: 13-14

The other night, I watched a documentary of Lee Malvo, the teen murderer accused of killing those people in Washington, D.C.  From prison, where he's serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, he described the details of how he and his mentor, John Mohammad, managed to take out at least 20 unsuspecting people who were just going about their daily lives.  In a telephone interview with William Shatner, he told of the systematic way in which Muhammad transformed him into a cold-hearted killer in spite of the fact that he was only an innocent boy.

Something leapt up in my spirit when I heard a comment Lee Malvo made in response to a simple question.  When William Shatner asked him why he allowed himself to be brainwashed into killing so many people, he had this to say: "He was the only one who cared what happened to me.  He was the closest thing to a father I've ever known.".  Even the mother of one of the men who was randomly picked out to be executed commented on how different Lee 's life might've been if he'd met a real father.

My question today is this: what if we could rewrite the script in the lives of all the statistics we hear of everyday?  What if we could somehow rewind the tape to the days when they needed to hear the words, "God loves you and so do I?" Exactly how many serial killers and pedophiles would not be in our prisons today all because they heard someone say the words a father would say to his son: "I'm proud of you... You're fearfully and wonderfully made just the way you are... You're special to God, and to me..."

More than ever before, the body of Christ needs to arise and be the answer to the dilemma we're facing today.  There are young people all around us who really need to know that their lives DO matter.  How will they know unless we tell them that there is a God Who has carved out a life of purpose just for them?  It takes time and effort, but no sacrifice is too great when it comes to investing in the life of a young person.

Prayer: Father, You've shown us that our lives mean something to You.  Help us show others that their lives are precious in Your sight.  Give us the grace to see beyond the way they act and what they may look like on the outside.  May the script of their lives be re-written because we dared to love like You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen!