Jesus died for Osama bin Laden too

I turned on the television last night just in time to hear President Obama address the nation, telling us that bin Laden had died.

It was, as I described in my facebook status update later, a "bittersweet" moment. Presidents Bush and Obama had both made the capture or death of bin Laden a top priority. One quote that stood out to me last night in particular:

"Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."

This moment was sweet, even though a person died, because it was the culmination of nearly 10 years of hard work and sacrifice by many people, a fact Obama pointed out several times in his address.

And yet, this moment leaves a much more bitter taste in my mouth long after the sweetness has faded, because at the end of the day, one more person has died because of our sinful, violent human nature.

Ezekiel 33: 11 was quoted on many facebook updates last night: "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." I read the full chapter to get the context of this verse, and it made me shiver a little bit.

Something those of us who claim fellowship with Christ must remember - and I was jolted into trembling as I was reminded myself - is that we are supposed to be those watchmen described in Ezekiel 33. We are responsible for blowing the trumpet call of the good news of the Gospel, and we will be held accountable for the blood of those who die if we don't blow the trumpet.

How can we sit and rejoice, knowing that a man has died and most likely gone to a Christ-less eternity? God said he takes no pleasure in such a death. And the blood of bin Laden's death is on all of us Christians.

God mourns whenever one of his lost sheep die without Jesus. He sent his Son to atone for ALL of our sins, not just Americans, not just those of us who are not in the "axis of evil." He loves every single person on earth as his own son or daughter. He knit bin Laden in his mother's womb, just as surely as he created me.

I pray today that God will forgive me, and any of my brothers and sisters, who have rejoiced, even just a little bit, over an occasion that caused our Father pain. The fervent prayer of my heart is that I remember always why I am here on earth: to worship God and to spread the good news. I am so sorry that I forget that sometimes and get caught up in our earthly affairs. Every person is precious to God and every person deserves to know about the redeeming blood of Jesus, even those who have murdered thousands of people.

~N~