As Good as it Gets

It was a rough week this past week, as my church experienced we some vandalism on our church sign, although I didn’t see it, it was a four letter F – word against God and some pot propaganda. Beyond that, just down the street, they wrote that same 4 letter word on a handicap accessible van, belonging to a church member. It broke my heart, not only because they wrote on those awful things on my church, or the van; but because we live is a world where someone would want to write those things on a church, or someone would be ok to write those things in what is obviously a van for a disabled person.

It seems like things in this world just keep getting worse; and as my wife and I look to have child number 4 this winter, I have to wonder if we are even doing the right thing bringing more innocence into a world that is fallen, sinful, and rotting.

A few weeks back I preached on the topic of hope, and not the hope that we put into the things of this world, because I can’t say if things of this world will ever get any better. I hope they do, and I will continually fight for change to make to make a better world for my kids to grow up in. But to quote Jack Nicholson “What if this is as good as it gets?” This world may not get any better, but we can still put our hope into the future, because our hope is not found in this world.

This world gives us things like graffiti, it gives us hate, it gives us addictions. It gives us war and natural disasters, and the very best things we can get in this world are here today and gone tomorrow. Yet Peter tells us we do not have to put our hope into these things.

1 Peter 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

Peter tells us something all Christians need to remember:  even if this corrupted, sinful world is as good as it gets here on earth, something much better is waiting for us in heaven.  For us today if we are in Christ, then this is not as good as it gets!