February 17th, 2019

TITLE: No Love
DATE: February 17, 2019
TEXT:  John 3: 16-17 – ESV -“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

On October 1, 2018 Stephen Paddock opened up on the crowd down below from his room at the Las Vegas’ MGM. By the time his guns were finally silenced 58 people were dead.
​
Since that night a great amount of time and money has gone into trying to find out why Stephen did what he did.

• His brother says that Stephen was, quite possibly, bored enough with life “to plan an attack which would make him famous.”
• His ex-wife shared that he came from a financially unstable home, and like almost all  mass-shooters, had no father figure to set an example.
• The FBI’s agents and behavioral specialists say that the complete reason behind the mass murders remains a mystery and may never be fully known.

About the most they feel comfortable saying is:
"It wasn't about MGM, Mandalay Bay, or a specific casino or venue. It was all about doing the maximum amount of damage and him obtaining some form of infamy."

In his Divine Comedy,  Dante had Lucifer proclaim, “Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.”

Although I am hardly an expert, it seems that Paddock might have actually agreed with the devil. You see, two weeks before his shooting spree, Stephen sent his girlfriend, Marilou Danley to her family in the Philippines. After the shooting, Marilou returned and tried to help the investigators any way she could. One of the things Marilou, a Catholic, told the authorities, Paddock had often said:
“Your God doesn't love me.”

Of course,  you know and I know that Paddock was wrong.

The Lord loved Adam and Eve when they broke the only law they had been given.  He loved David even though he was an adulterer and murderer. He loved both thieves on the cross and promised paradise to the man who confessed his sin and professed his faith in the Christ.

The Lord loved me enough to forgive my mountain of sins… and your myriad transgressions.

The Lord loved Stephen Paddock. Loved him enough to forgive him for the deaths of those concert-goers.

The problem for Stephen is the problem the world has always had… they don’t love the Lord Who sacrificed His Son so they might be forgiven and adopted into the family of faith. It is our hardness of heart; our stubbornness, our refusal and unbelief  which short-circuits the Lord’s plan of redemption and stops the Holy Spirit from completing the act of forgiveness and salvation.
It is for them that we pray:

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, since the fall into sin You have been about the saving of souls. Forgive those who have no use for You; who decline the Holy Spirit and the work of the Savior. Be with them, and, if it be possible change them In Jesus’ Name I ask it. Amen.

Today’s devotion was inspired by various articles, amongst which is the one written by the Editors of Newser on January 29, 2019.  Those who wish may check out this link which was, at the time of writing, fully active: http://www.newser.com/story/270597/fbi-shares-what-inspired-the-vegas-shooter.html

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann, one of my long-ago confirmands. He is singing with three brothers. This song comes from the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html