PERSONAL SAFETY IN AN ATOMIC AGE *by C. R. Stam

PERSONAL SAFETY IN AN ATOMIC AGE
*by C. R. Stam
The neutron bomb, they tell us, will not wreck buildings, but will
destroy all life, easily penetrating concrete walls three feet thick.
Yet we are also being advised to build fall-out shelters for the safety
of ourselves and our families! These can be erected for only a few
hundred dollars -- obviously not with walls three feet thick!
As General MacArthur once rightly said: "There is no security on this
earth." No man can count on physical safety, for the simple reason that,
apart from bombs and death rays, "it is appointed unto men once to die"
(Heb. 9:27). The moment we are born we begin the race with death, and
death always finally wins.
But physical safety is not most important anyway. It is not so much
death that men fear as the thought that death might usher them into the
presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rom. 14:12).
But even this need not be feared if we have "peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). The Apostle Paul, once a self-righteous
Pharisee, came to trust the Christ he had persecuted and now proclaimed:
"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (I Tim.
1:15).
Having thus been saved from sin by faith in Christ, he had no fear of
death. Indeed, he could say: "For, to me to live is Christ, and to die
is gain" and "to depart and be with Christ... is far better" (Phil.
1:21,23).
Why then, should we Christians shudder with fear at those things which
are so frightening to others? Our Lord said to His disciples: "I say
unto you, My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and
after that have no more that they can do" (Luke 12:4). No, the true
believer need not fear, for he is safe in Christ, not only in this life,
but forever. "He that believeth on the Son [of God] hath EVERLASTING
LIFE" (John 3:36).
*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK*
*Rest means to trust Jesus Christ as our Life-Source, depending on Him
to empower our actions with His strength and direction