It was a day that will forever be remembered.
On September 11, 2001, life for all of us changed. It was a day that will forever be remembered. For the first time since 1865, we saw and felt the terror of war touch the heart of our nation's soil. For those old enough to remember, it was 60 years ago, on December 7, 1941, that the United States endured the horror of Pearl Harbor. More of our civilian citizens were killed in this single act of aggression on September 11, 2001, than in any other single act of war during our history On this day, we were awakened to a new era in which our sense of security and safety in our own land was greatly altered.
We express sympathy and compassion for the many thousands who have lost father, mother, husband, wife, child, relative or close friend in the atrocities carried out by these few men. We cannot fathom the kind of hatred these men had in their hearts to be driven to such horrible acts of murder.
Where does our nation go from here? Our government has now launched a military campaign against those who have perpetrated this horrible and unjustified attack on our country. Where this will ultimately lead us in our relationship with the rest of the world, we can't fully know. We can and should pray for our national leaders to use wisdom, patience and discernment in dealing with these terrorists. Deal with them we must, but we cannot allow what they have done to our nation to cause us to have the same hatred in our hearts for them.
In the aftermath of these acts of terror, we saw a national response that some felt our nation was no longer capable of giving. We witnessed people of every race, religious and ethnic background, rallying together across our nation to respond to human needs with kindness and compassion. There is little doubt that God took notice of this outpouring of compassion and in His divine mercy brought about many miracles, some of which we may never know.
Some feel the current response and resolve of our citizens is only temporary and will not withstand the test of time. How long will this overwhelming public outcry for prayer and public show of spirituality go unchallenged by those who wish to remove God from the very fabric of our society? How long will racial tensions take a back seat to our national interests? How long will the selfishness of human nature remain tethered? Only time will tell.
Some have felt that these horrible acts of terrorism are the result of God removing His hand of divine protection from our nation because of our collective national sins. The sins of our nation are indeed appalling and pervasive. But could America yet repent? God will be the ultimate judge. God does want people to come to true repentance of sin, the transgression of His laws (1 John 3:4). As we read in 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4, God desires that all come to repentance and to the knowledge of the truth so that none should perish.
Where do you and I go from here? How do each of us individually respond to these acts of terror against our people? All of us wrestle with trying to understand why such a thing could happen in our nation. Can we say that this just happened to those whose lives were lost or forever changed and it doesn't affect me? I hope not.
Notice what Christ said in Luke 13:1-5 about those Galileans who perished at the hand of Pilate and those who perished when the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Christ used these tragedies that took place during His time to implore those listening to repent of their own sins instead of trying to figure out who had the greatest sin. He was telling them to use this tragedy to examine their personal lives and how this ultimately affected their relationship with God. Should each of us use what happened on September 11 as an encouragement to examine our personal relationship with God? I believe that is the message Christ is telling us in Luke 13.
Romans 2:4 tells us it is the goodness (kindness) of God that leads us to repentance. Does our nation need repentance? Yes, it does. But our people can't repent without knowing what to repent of. Jonah preached repentance to the city of Nineveh and the people responded. We need modern-day Jonahs to bring the nation to the knowledge of repentance for our transgressions of God's laws. We need our religious leaders to cry aloud for repentance, tempered with the love and grace of God that will lead people to repentance.
The changing of our human nature, which is naturally against God (Romans 8:7), is at the heart of what God has always desired for mankind. This is repentance - turning from going the way of man to going the way of God. Repentance is a clarion call of the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the writings of the New Testament.
John the Baptist preached repentance as he prepared the way for Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:2, 8). From the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus Christ taught repentance as a part of the gospel message (Mark 1:14-15). For three and one half years, Jesus continued to preach repentance from sin (Mark 2:17; Luke 10:13; 15:7; 18:13-14). When the 12 apostles were sent out, they were to proclaim this same message of repentance (Mark 6:12). The commission given to His Church (Mathew 16:18) was to preach repentance and remission of sins in His name to all nations (Luke 24:47). This is the same commission the United Church of God is endeavoring to carry out in this end time.
Jesus Christ's motive for calling on all people to repent is because He loves them. He gave His very life that all could come to repentance and receive the gift of eternal life. God desires that no one should perish, but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God is faithful and has provided a way for all that have ever lived to have their opportunity to come to the knowledge of the truth, repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
In light of what we see happening in the world around us, seeing that the end of this age is drawing to a close, we need to be asking ourselves, what manner of person do I need to be in "holy conduct and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11)? Where do we go from here? Let us go on from here, "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2). We must use this national tragedy to inspire us to "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15-17). And His will is that all should come to repentance and not perish.
