Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Worst Punishment


I have a confession to make.  My wife knows this sin I struggle with and I want to share it with you; on Saturday nights I watch COPS.  For me, there is something about seeing people get caught for doing stupid things.  It could be the ex-criminal in me or just the need for laughter but I really enjoy COPS.

See in America we have a judicial system with different levels of security and offices to help protect our citizens.  Generally, the smaller crimes are enforced by local police officers and these criminals are taken to county jail where they are released or spend less than a year for a misdemeanor.  As the crimes increase so does the enforcement of those crimes.  If you are arrested and sentenced for a felony, you will typically go to prison for longer than a year.  As the severity of the crime committed increases so does the security around you increase.  Most people think the worst punishment is capital punishment; I disagree.  I think the worst punishment a criminal can experience is solitary confinement.  We were created to do life in relationship and the judicial system knows the worst punishment a person can experience is no human contact.  

You may feel like your Christian life is being lived in solitary confinement; you’re not experiencing fellowship with God or with other believers.  There is something special about having Christian fellowship, but Scripture tells us fellowship is secondary to fellowship with God (I John 1:1-4).  No matter where you are in life I want to share three ways you can break the feeling of solitary confinement in your life:


1) Reading Scripture

2) Time Spent in Prayer

3) Corporate and Personal Worship

What else would you add to break the feelings of solitary confinement?