March 2000

by Carole Forde

he above idiom, coined by today’s youth, is hurled at those whose lives seem so lacking in substance, they leech onto another’s seemingly vibrant life to add vicarious meaning to their own. Every generation spawns its share of tragic "Want-to-be’s" who can never quite manage to "fit in" the mainstream of their social peerage. Their vain strife usually results in a breed of malcontents whose fruitless existence causes resentment or despondency that may erupt in unexpected violence: a) toward themselves (as with today’s epidemic suicide rate); b) toward those of their own family (as infamous Cain- whose offering was denied God’s approval, while his brother’s was accepted and blessed- struck out at God by slaying innocent Abel. But "Abel’s *blood cried out to God from the ground where it was spilled", and when God confronted Cain with his crime, he scoffed, "Am I my brother’s keeper?" [*This account in Gen 4:10 is Scripture’s first mention of "blood"] or c) toward innocent strangers (when inner turmoil erupts in its most amoral and dangerous form, as is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s acts of terrorism and random killings).
               The womb of this world is so shrouded in darkness, and her sinful offspring so covered by "gross darkness" (as prophesied in Isa 60:2) that our recent generations spawned the awful axiom, "Life is a bitch and then you die!" But what these poor, suffering souls don’t even realize is that they have never yet even seen, heard or tasted LIFE! They have learned how to make a living or livelihood; but they haven’t a clue what true Life is all about. The churches preach about "Life" but their convoluted concepts on the subject have led the world into greater confusion than ever.
                Consider how Jesus Christ- the Word of God and Light of the world- promised the Church, "If I (the saving, anointed Word of Light) be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Me" (Jn 12:32) yet despite the fact that organized religions have flooded the earth with their "gospel" of conditional love, retractable grace, inevitable damnation and eternal torment (for the vast majority of humanity); THE WORLD LIES IN GREATER DARKNESS THAN EVER IN HISTORY! So, what’s wrong with this picture? If today’s church systems are preaching the "GOOD NEWS", as they truly believe they are, where is the fruit of their labors? Why is the earth nearly consumed with the gross darkness of fear, hatred, lawlessness, irreverence and senseless violence rather than the GLORIOUS LIGHT OF CHRIST’S LOVE, MERCY, JOY AND PEACE?

"Behold, is it not by the appointment of the Lord of hosts that the nations toil to satisfy the fire (that will consume their works); and the peoples weary themselves only for vanity (emptiness and futility)?

BUT THE TIME IS COMING WHEN THE EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE *’KNOWLEDGE’ OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD, JUST AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA!" (Hab 2:13-14)

[*This is what the lost and hurting "Want-to-be’s"of this world are languishing for. Jn 17:3 says that, "KNOWLEDGE of the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent- is ETERNAL (age-abiding, aionian) LIFE!"]

               Jesus Christ made these amazing statements: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE; and no man can come to (be drawn to) the Father except by Me" (Jn 14:6); then He added in Jn 11:25, "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; he that believes in Me, though he were dead, ("To be carnally-minded is death") yet shall he LIVE ("To be spiritually-minded is Life" Ro 8:6) All of God’s little lost sheep may be comforted to know that their day shall come to taste of that "True Life"! And where shall it be found? God would encourage every man’s heart to know that:

"YOUR TRUE, SPIRITUAL LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD; AND WHEN ‘CHRIST WHO IS OUR LIFE’ APPEARS (IN US), THAT’S WHEN YOU SHALL APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY!!" ( Col 3:3 )

               Jesus came to promise ALL MEN (each in his own order) that their day would come when they would hear the true Good News (Gospel) when God says to them, "GET A LIFE!" Amen.