{"id":1350,"date":"2012-12-14T21:05:51","date_gmt":"2012-12-15T02:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/14\/some-thoughts-on-a-tragedy"},"modified":"2012-12-14T21:05:51","modified_gmt":"2012-12-15T02:05:51","slug":"some-thoughts-on-a-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/some-thoughts-on-a-tragedy\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Thoughts on a Tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been deeply affected by the news coming out today of the intensely tragic shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. \u00a0We find ourselves asking how anybody could do something so heartless; so devoid of humanity? \u00a0It seems hard to comprehend, doesn’t it? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though I won’t go extensively into how I think it’s possible (though I did in last Sunday’s message at The Gathering<\/a>), I will say briefly as a student of worldviews that it’s not hard to see how an individual can go to such unthinkable extremes if he has given up the notion that humans have intrinsic value, that they are made in the image and likeness of their Creator, or that there is a Creator at all. \u00a0When life loses all meaning and the world becomes nothing but a random absurdity and hope is abandoned, a death spiral begins. \u00a0At that point, even the unthinkable becomes possible and a “new reality” is born in which even children can become targets.<\/p>\n

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Regardless, though, of what goes through the mind of a mass murderer, the source can be found in Genesis 3. \u00a0Sin is something that is inborn in every human being because of our rebellion towards God. \u00a0We’re sinners by nature and by choice. \u00a0We’re not born basically good, but the Bible makes clear that we are born in sin, capable of every<\/em> form of evil and in desperate need of a savior. \u00a0We often say that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” \u00a0Well, we could say perhaps more accurately, “Sin is the reason for the season.” \u00a0We sometimes forget that the reason Christ came in a manger was to overcome the sin that is present in the world\u2026present in\u00a0us<\/em>! \u00a0<\/div>\n
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This is why we MUST take sin more seriously. \u00a0We need to take repentance more seriously. \u00a0Sin is not just a personal choice among morals or preference. \u00a0It’s truly life and death, both here on earth and for eternity. \u00a0The stakes could not be higher.<\/div>\n
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So, what can we do in response to such a tragedy? \u00a0First, we can and must certainly pray fervently for the families of the victims of this tragedy. \u00a0Then, personally, we can refocus on personal holiness, committing ourselves anew to the care and guidance of the Sovereign Lord. \u00a0We can stand firm in the hope that even when it doesn’t look like it, Jesus has overcome the world. We can remind people that He is the reason for hope and the God to whom we can pray for comfort and strength.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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May God grant the comfort that surpasses all understanding.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been deeply affected by the news coming out today of the intensely tragic shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. \u00a0We find ourselves asking how anybody could do something so heartless; so devoid of humanity? \u00a0It seems hard to comprehend, doesn’t it? \u00a0 Though I won’t go extensively into how I think it’s possible…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4,5,21],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3jKZO-lM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/what-will-i-do-with-my-inheritance\/","url_meta":{"origin":1350,"position":0},"title":"What Will I Do With My Inheritance?","date":"May 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Every moment of every day should be an experience of worship because we are ever mindful of the shear grace of a loving God to hold onto us, though He receives nothing (as He needs nothing - see Acts 17:24-25) in return. As Steven Curtis Chapman said in a recent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian Living"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4164,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/noise-decluttering-our-minds-to-make-room-for-thinking-deeply\/","url_meta":{"origin":1350,"position":1},"title":"Noise: Decluttering Our Minds To Make Room For Thinking Deeply","date":"November 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s rare that I get the chance to spend a few hours in the car by myself on a road trip, but this was one of those days. Earlier this summer, my youngest had been with his grandparents for three weeks and the time had come to get him. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discipleship"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/317765B0-0FA3-4137-BEAD-43B94FBF877D.jpeg?fit=900%2C550&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2057,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/a-pivotal-day-gay-marriage-before-the-supreme-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":1350,"position":2},"title":"A Pivotal Day: Gay Marriage Before the Supreme Court","date":"March 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is a big day in our Country. \u00a0The United States Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments regarding California's \"Prop 8\" ban on same-sex marriage. \u00a0The suit that will be heard by the Court is being brought by one lesbian and one gay couple, challenging the voter-approved ban. As I've\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apologetics\/Worldviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1828,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/luck-and-the-providence-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":1350,"position":3},"title":"Luck and The Providence of God","date":"March 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Luck is a big part of our vocabulary. I wonder if it\u2019s a part of our theology? Is there such a thing as luck? When we say we\u2019re \u201cfortunate,\u201d are we saying the same thing, but in a less secular way?","rel":"","context":"In "Christian Living"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}