“The time of death is 11:08.” – Spokeswoman for the Georgia Dept. of Correction confirming that Troy Davis has been executed.

Try to imagine this scenario. Waking up in the morning, knowing you’re going to die. When you see the sunrise, knowing it will be your last. Wiping the crust out of your eye, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast….all for the last time. Every person you walk past is a surreal moment in time, knowing you will never see them again.

The clock ticks closer and closer. You can probably hear the second hand moving every notch. Every deep breath of air feels so much better than any other day, and you wonder why you took it for granted. The grass looks greener, the sky bluer, the relationships all the more meaningful. But it all comes to an end today.

You walk up to the execution chamber knowing what to expect. You know the charges, and the consequences. It’s just a matter of time. And that time has come.

But then a call comes from no where…

The execution is delayed.

The entire day, you’ve been mentally preparing to die. You know what you’ve done. All the fighting back to save yourself has failed. It’s time to die. No more arguments, no more lobbying. Everyone has given up on you. The highest authority on the planet cannot save you. It’s time to go.

But who would literally stop death? This isn’t a scenario you have to imagine. It is completely real, and is true for all of us. We deserve the death penalty. The consequences of our sin is death. None of our good works, none of our cries for help, and not even the Supreme Court can save us.

That’s what Jesus did for us. He literally overcame the sting of death for us, when we truly deserved it. This isn’t about capital punishment or even Troy Davis. It’s about a story so much greater. Many people have mixed reactions about capital punishment, whether we have the right to perform that action or not. But stop and think for a minute what reactions were going through Troy Davis’ mind as he was strapped into that chair, and then getting a call that there is a delay.

The story doesn’t end well for Troy Davis. The Supreme Court denied the stay of execution and he was put to death. The delay was only minimal, and he was served with the punishment. We deserve death too, but Jesus came to save us from it. So what do we do with this amazing grace? Do we go back to our old ways knowing the immense sin He saved us from? How can you go back?

You have the chance to smell the flowers again. See another sunrise, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast. But if you want to throw it all away, it’s almost as if you have been given a pardon from capital punishment and tell the judge to just go on with the injection. Sounds crazy right?

It’s painful seeing someone experience death, but even more painful that there are people out there who don’t know they’ve received a call. A call that conquers death. A call from a Savior.

God bless,

Jobbin

Excerpt taken from: Metaxas, Eric. 2010. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN. pp.354-355

Just as Hitler had been planning for years to enslave the Poles and kill the Jews, he had been planning to murder every German with a disability…In August 1939, every doctor and midwife in the country was notified that they must register all children born with genetic defects…In September when the war began, the killing of these “defectives” began. In the next few years, five thousand small children were killed.

The places to where these poor souls were transferred would murder them. At first the method was via injection, and later on via carbon monoxide gas. The parents or relatives of these patients had no idea of these going-ons until they received a letter in the mail, informing them of the death of their loved one, who had already been cremated. The rationale given for the killings was that the patients were taking up medical facilities and beds that should be used by soldiers wounded while fighting for the fatherland. When the Third Reich was straining to battle its enemies, the cost for caring for the “incurables” was prohibitive. They must “give their lives” for the greater cause just as everyone else, and just as the parents of soldiers must “make the ultimate sacrifice” of their sons for the war effort, so too must the parents of these patients. The lessons learned in murdering these helpless patients helped the Nazis streamline their killing and cremation methods, which would culminate in the death camps, where hundreds of thousands and then millions of innocents were killed.

My heart sank when reading that. Every time I hear the news, or read an article about an innocent child being killed, raped, abandoned, or mistreated, my heart feels like it twists inside. Those two paragraphs above made me want to fly to Germany and stop the horror those children faced, even though they have been dead for nearly 72 years. Where is the justice? What could drive a man to label a handicap child as “incurable” and then on top of that try and wipe them out? After reading those paragraphs a normal thought running through your mind could sound a little something like this….”If only someone could just assassinate him, justice would be served.”

The injustice this world has seen is immense. From nearly 100 years ago to this very day, children are being treated like this. Dictators with a twisted view of the world and their method of “curing” problem are as evident today as it was in 1939. Countless people wanted to, and tried, to assassinate Hitler for his sick views of justice. But is it right for us to wish death on one man no matter how evil the injustice he delivers?

This week is the perfect time to ask that question. While most of the world celebrates the death of Osama bin Laden, the word justice is being thrown around. It has been served, it has been proven, and it has been delivered through the killing of one man. Can we justify killing with…more killing? Is it ethical to kill a man if it serves a greater purpose?

My answer? I have no idea. These are deep questions that have come up, and stir our emotions when historical events like this take place. But instead of ignoring them, and arguing about them, let’s not lose ourselves in the fact that God is sovereign and He alone provides justice. Should we rush out and try to stop every single human trafficker and make recurring mission trips to India to stop injustice? Maybe. But rather than focus on taking justice into our own hands, lets pursue God. Pursue things that please Him. Go after the meaning of justice itself, and He will make everything beautiful in the right time, and in the right way.

May 1st was a significant day. Hitler was pronounced dead in 1945 and a nation felt justice was served. Osama bin Laden was pronounced dead 66 years later, and a nation felt justice was served. Can justice come from the death of one man? I think so, but it didn’t happen yesterday. It happened 2,000 years ago. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross, justice WAS served once and for all. And that is something, that everyone can celebrate.

God bless,
Jobbin

Hey Everyone!

At the beginning of August, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mumbai, India to help out an organization called Bombay Teen Challenge (BTC) with several others from Philly, New York (chicken & rice, holla!!) and New Jersey.  BTC began as a ministry devoted to reaching out to the poorest of the poor and has evolved to rescue and care for sex slaves in the brothels of Mumbai, the children of sex slaves, juveniles roaming the streets, addicts and runaways.  I must say, we went with a mindset ready to bless all those we came in contact with on this trip, but moreover than we could EVER have imagined, we in turn have been the ones blessed.

We had opportunities to talk and work with the children at BTC, some HIV+, many not knowing who their father is, some not aware of their true age, others just thankful to not be on the streets anymore.  My first reaction when I saw these kids was just an amazement at how happy they all were!  It was a happiness I couldn’t understand; their smiles so large and sweet they became contagious… seconds after seeing all of them, we too were smiling!!  I quickly realized that their happiness boiled from within because they were so greatful to have an opportunity to be where they are at right now, and not out on the streets, unaware of their surroundings, or when they’d get to eat their next meal.

We heard testimonies from women who were once taken, or left, from their homes, promised a life of opportunity and hope, yet stripped of all dignity and forced into sexual slavery in Mumbai, India.  By being forced into this “lifestyle” many became scared and had no place to turn for help.  Not knowing who to trust anymore and not wanting to bring shame to their families or themselves, they remained shackeled to their new lives in the Red Light District.  Broken mentally, emotionally, and physically, many of these woman racked up debts that they were unable to pay off.  Many had children born to them by some guy who felt the need for a 5 minute sexual adrenaline rush… never to be seen or heard from ever again, yet these woman were faced with the choice of raising their children on their own, within the Red Light District.

Testimonies from the men began with running away from home hoping to find a better life in the streets, little did any of them realize the hardships they would face, or the atrocities of the life they had chosen at the time.  Consequently, many fell victim to the streets and became heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Begging on the streets throughout the day provided enough money for the drugs and alcohol that they craved, causing many to not even be able to eat or afford proper food.  Living in homes made of cardboard boxes, or tarp hanging over their heads, nearby the railway stations or transit centers, their lives were lost to wandering the streets, and with no education they were unable to obtain jobs to take them out of this poverty and wretched situation.

Yet… God is a JUST God.  God is SO much more of a Father to His children than anyone could ever be, is SO much greater than that guy who walked into the Red Light District as a client, and is SO much greater than any addiction that anyone on these streets had ever had to face.  After talking to many of the men, women, and children at BTC, it is SO clear to see the hope that God had restored in their lives.  The very fact they each of them can truly and genuinely confess that Jesus is their Lord, and He alone has brought them out of their past to take them out of such miseries to provide an open path of redemption and hope, is just AMAZING.

Only God can cause such a transformation in their lives.  How can I possibly say that it’s only God?  Because people always change.  People will always say something great to you in hopes to change you or make you feel better and to help you forget about your past, but there is only ONE person who can allow you to truly forget about your past by knowing that your sins have truly been forgiven… and that is Jesus Christ.  Jesus BECAME sin, and SURRENDERED that sin upon the cross to His FATHER, and according to one of His last sentences on that cross, “It is finished.” – meaning, sin is over, it’s done, it has NO bearing or hold over our lives, and we need to indulge in that fact and move forward in His unconditional Love and Grace.

Jeremiah 33:10-11- ”This is what the LORD says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without men or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither men nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD…’ ”

This verse came to life when I went to Mumbai, society might say that there is no hope or possibility for salvation within those streets of the Red Light District, but I say to you that is completely FALSE.  There IS hope, and there is SO much opportunity to bring that hope of Christ to people there, so that they may know that they no longer have to live in that lifestyle, but they can trust God to take them out of it.

It’s the least we can do with all that God has blessed us with, isn’t it up to us to go out and break the injustice and stop sexual slavery?  to stop the drug and alochol addictions?  to provide for and take care of the many hungry and homeless?

In all honesty, it’s not good to be back… I wish I was there helping in whatever way I can, but it’s up to us to be faithful in what God has already given us, and I truly believe if we align ourselves to Christ and work as a community for Him, He will take us to where He wants us to be, whether to minister on those streets, or not.  God bless!

In His Grace,

Steve