Last week a 40-year old condominium near Miami, Florida collapsed tragically leaving 11 people dead and over 100 people unaccounted for. It is the third worse building collapse in the history of the United States following the Oklahoma City bombing and the Twin Towers terrorist attack. Although no one knows definitively at this point what caused the collapse, there were warning signs. Seaside structures are prone to subsidence issues and spalling—rusting of steel reinforcements inside the concrete. Allegedly there were cracks in the outer building walls which let in water. Three years ago a study revealed the condo was sinking. Hairline cracks in balcony concrete floor slabs and concrete columns, suggest the settling was uneven. Further analysis about the sinking was not done. An inspection from 2018 showed major structural damage from a leaky pool near the base of the building. If not fixed, the report warned it would cause exponential concrete deterioration. The expensive fix was scheduled to begin in July of this year. Another possible warning is that residents experienced tremors and shaking throughout the building when construction of a neighboring residential complex took place 3-5 years ago. The concern was that it would quicken the condo’s sinking and weaken it further. Their complaints were dismissed by officials.
Although there were warning signs, no one knew how imminent or devastating the damage would be. If so, they would have evacuated until the building could be fortified. The same is true spiritually. The Bible, God’s word, teaches that people everywhere are dying spiritually and if they don’t heed his warning signs they will forever miss their chance to be saved and experience true, abundant life.
God created you and loves you. He doesn’t want you to miss life with him. So he sent Jesus, God the Son, to save you. If you trust and obey Jesus you are born again into a new, everlasting life with God. If you reject Jesus, you refuse God (2 Peter 3:9; John 1:11-14, 3:16-21; Matthew 10:33; Luke 12:9). You miss all the blessing that a relationship with him offers now. Furthermore, after you die physically, you will tragically suffer in continual torment because you chose to separate yourself from all God is like his goodness, righteousness, love, community, joy, hope, and purpose (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:7-15, 21:6-8).
I’m writing this note not to scare you, but to inform you and encourage you to respond. Some people don’t realize how short and fragile life is until it is too late. May God give you ears to hear, eyes to see, and the wisdom to act on what Jesus is calling you to. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). People who recognize their need for God, submit to him, and rely on him are those who get adopted into his family and receive a bountiful, eternal inheritance. Jesus also taught that those who listen to and obey his words, especially what he said in his sermon on the mount, will withstand disaster, but those who don’t, won’t. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27).
In another parable, Jesus warned about being self-centered, self-sufficient, proud, and materialistic.
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-20).
Jesus’ warnings are more than just stories; they are vital realities that cannot be ignored. In the days of the prophet Daniel, when Israel was exiled in Babylon, foolish Babylonian king Belshazzar experienced this type of judgment. Daniel doesn’t record all that Belshazzar did wrong in God’s eyes, but he does write of his final rebellion. Belshazzar hosted a wild party. In a show of pride and blasphemy, he retrieved and drank from goblets reserved for the Jewish temple. He hadn’t learned from the judgment of his prideful grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. That night God publicly judged him before his multitude of guests. God sent a hand to write on the wall, “Mene, mene, tekel, parsin” which means, “God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” That night Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took over the Babylonian kingdom (Daniel 5:1-30).
Perhaps to a lesser extent you have been experiencing hardship or God’s judgment. Consider it discipline (Hebrews 12:7-13). God is lovingly trying to get your attention and turn you from danger to safety with him. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:4-10). Apart from God everything eventually collapses. Heed the warning signs in your life. Pride, greed, self-righteousness, or anything that goes against loving God and others separates you from God and cuts you off from true life (Isaiah 59:1-2). Tend to your spiritual health before it’s too late. Ask God to forgive you of any wrongdoing and to train you and empower you to live for him and others before yourself. He promises to graciously and faithfully heal your brokenness and transform you into all that he designed you to be in Jesus Christ.