Guilty



http://www.itv.com/news/wales/topic/mold-crown-court/

The jury in Mold Crown Court has arrived at a unanimous verdict in the case of the abduction and murder of a five-year-old girl April Jones. They have found the defendant guilty, and all now await the sentencing of the man responsible.

 

As we were on holiday in South Wales at the time, we can remember the prolonged searches that were features on the news at the time. As the hours and days passed, so hope began to fade that the little girl would be found alive. Indeed, her body has never been found and the precise manner of her death remains unknown.

The untimely death of a child, particularly in this manner, is something that challenges us all. We can’t imagine the heartache of a parent whose child is taken. We can’t really appreciate what it means to maintain hope and yet find it dashed when someone is charged with that child’s murder. Neither can we begin to understand what motivates a person to take a life, especially the life of such a young child. How do we explain it?

Atheists may question the existence of God when, as they see it, He fails to intervene and prevent such senseless killing. However, this avoids the really searching question – what is it in the human character that causes us to be capable of such dreadful acts? God says of man’s heart – your heart and mine – that it is “deceitful . . . and desperately wicked”. What is alarming is that the potential is in us all! We are sinners. History demonstrates that sad conclusion.

But what of this God of love? The real display of God’s love was seen in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. As the Father watched the cruel treatment meted out by humans upon His Son when He was crucified some 200 years ago, He did not intervene. Indeed, the Bible tells us that God made to meet “upon him the iniquity of us all”. In order that we might be forgiven the Lord Jesus Christ died at Calvary. Could we forgive the person who murdered our child? Yet God is prepared to forgive us in spite of our sin and guilt provided we acknowledge our guilt and turn to Him in faith.

A “humbling and sobering experience”

Image taken from http://www.independent.co.uk/

These were the words of the former Liberal Democrat MP, Chris Huhne. As he was released from prison today, he repeated his apology. Although he has only served a quarter of his sentence, it would seem that the former MP has learnt quite a lot during his time away. Humility may be a part of the lesson.

A dictionary definition of humility is: “having or showing a sense of lowliness or inferiority, modest”. We are all aware of those who fit the opposite definition. It is easy to tell people of your good points. Everybody likes praise, and some people like to sing their own praises! There are plenty of people who have a high opinion of themselves. The really hard thing is to admit you were wrong. As the song lyrics say, “sorry seems to be the hardest word”.

The Bible says quite a lot about humility. James wrote, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up”. What does this mean? One of the things that we need to do is to admit that God is right and we are wrong. When God’s word, the Bible, says that we are sinners – those that have done wrong – how do we react? Do we protest? Do we try and argue our case as “good people”? Remember, God can look past the outer show that we put on for others! God looks right into our heart. He knows us better than anyone. He knows us for what we are! Plenty of people may look at me and think that I’m a healthy individual without knowing what’s going on inside.

Am I prepared to be humble? Will I admit that I’m a sinner before God? This is the first step to blessing. But, having admitted that I’m a sinner, am I sorry for what I’ve done? Will I turn my back upon my old life and place faith in Christ to forgive me my sin? These are the key questions in life. It would be good if we didn’t need to go to prison to learn humility in the presence of a holy God!