On March 23, 1997, 39 members of a religious group called “Heaven’s Gate” participated in a mass suicide. They had been taught that by taking their own lives and exiting their earthly bodies, they would end up on a space ship that was following the Hale-Bopp Comet. They trusted the teachings enough to take their own lives, believing that in the end their devotion would lead them to a better life.
This sad story illustrates two powerful truths. The first is that we long so deeply for a better life that we are willing to go to great lengths and take great risks to try to get it. The second is that we are all looking for someone to follow. We all want to hitch our wagon to the right person, the right teaching, the right path, the right guide, so that we will be led to a better life. The problem with the members of Heaven’s Gate was not that they trusted someone else too much. It was that they trusted the wrong guide. Because of this, their noble attempt to trust ended in disaster and tragedy.
Who do you trust to guide you? To whom are you looking to lead you to a better life? This Sunday we will walk through a passage in which Jesus offers Himself as the only one who can guide us to life. Though this passage we will see why we should trust Him, and we will also see what it looks like to trust Him.
Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment