Marked for Death (revised)

The original "Marked for Death" was something I wrote back in 2003. It has gotten a lot of views but I really wasn't satisfied with it so I re-wrote it. Here it is.

I know a Veterinarian who several years ago was called out late at night to see a colicking horse. After the exam the Veterinarian determined that the horse was “twisted” and would either have to make the six hours trip to College Station for surgery or would need to be put to sleep. The old man accepted the diagnosis but surgery was not an option for him and he was not really ready to put the old horse down. He wanted some time alone to say goodbye to his old friend and told the Veterinarian he could do the euthanasia himself but didn’t know where to put the bullet. The Veterinarian got out a grease pencil used for marking cattle and put an “X” right between the horses eyes…. Put it there.

There's a horse that had a sentence of death placed upon him and had the mark on his head to prove it. We all carry or have carried the mark of death on our heads as well. The scriptures tell us that whenever we break God's Law he marks us for a death that will be carried out on the Judgment Day. There is only one way to have that mark removed and that is by substituting someone else in place of ourselves. Fortunately God has provided a substitute for us and we can be spared that sentence of eternal death. However, the gift is a conditional gift, it requires us to quit breaking God's Laws and to live lives that mimic Jesus' life on earth.

The first consequence of sin is that we die and are punished eternally. Sin does something else to us. Sin steals meaningful lives from us here on earth. Sin shapes us into something ugly...righteousness shapes us into something beautiful.

When we lie...we become liars and that takes away our trustworthiness.

When we have sex outside the marriage relationship it ruins the beauty and trust of a committed relationship.

When our priorities are wealth and pleasure our lives have no depth to them...we are behaving selfishly.

Even if we live basically good lives here on earth, if we don't assemble with other Christians we are neglecting our responsibilities to them and to God. God's Word does not teach solitary Christianity.

The second consequence of sin is it ruins our lives on earth.

Don't allow yourselves to be shaped by sin and miss out on what this life has to offer and what God offers us in eternity. All those people not following Jesus Christ are like that old horse with an “X” on his forehead just waiting for the day when God places the bullet that condemns them to eternal punishment. Have faith in Jesus Christ and have that mark removed.