Contrasting Two Recent Deaths

Both Osama bin Ladin and David Wilkerson died this past week. Their lives are a study in contrasts.

One man was weak; the other man was strong.

One man was evil; the other man was righteous.

One man killed people; the other man helped people find life.

One man was a Muslim; the other man was a Christian.

One man was full of hate; the other man was full of love.

One man was in hiding; the other man was always in the open.

One man was proud; the other man was humble.

One man condemned others; the other man lifted them up.

It was a matter of choice. Both Osama bin Ladin and David Wilkerson had a choice as to how they would conduct their lives.

One man was a terrorist; the other man was a philanthropist.

One man was a liar; the other man was a man of truth.

As we look at these two lives, we see a contrast between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of Light.

Both men were created by God. Jesus died for both. God loved both of these men.

David Wilkerson responded to God's love by serving Him with all his might. Though Osama bin Ladin may have thought he was serving God, he was actually serving the prince of darkness.

God does not want us to kill others; He wants us to serve others.

God does not want us to foment terror; He wants us to be peacemakers.

God does not want us to hide away in fear; He wants us to walk in love.

God does not give us our creativity to find ways to destroy others; He wants us to be creative in our attempts to build His kingdom on Earth.

May all of us become more like David Wilkerson. May we learn to avoid the traps that bin Ladin fell into--violence, viciousness, and cruelty.

The Bible says this about evildoers and those who commit wickedness: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetouseness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things. . . without understanding, covenant-breakers, withou natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. . . ." (Romans 1:28-31).

"...they which commit such things are worthy of death" (Romans 1:32).

The after-life, I'm sure, will prove to be quite different for Osama bin Ladin and David Wilkerson--two men who were created in the image of God, but two men who chose markedly different paths.