Halloween part 3

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19).

A big part of Halloween is fear. Fear causes an adrenaline rush, and we all like to experience a thrill every now and then. Haunted houses, spooky movies, scary books—these all provide a thrill.

But there’s another kind of scary thrill that has become very popular—the sexy, dangerous monster. The two most common are the vampire and the werewolf. Bloodsuckers and shape shifters are the romantic leads in countless books, movies, and television shows. They are portrayed as the ultimate bad boy/bad girl.

What makes these particular monsters so alluring? The risk of danger. The thrill of keeping a secret, a secret that only a few special people are privileged to know. Power is also a turn-on, and these creatures are powerful. And there’s an emotional connection, too—everyone understands how it feels to be filled with dark urges that are hard to keep in check. But monsters are dangerous—fool around with fire, and eventually you will get burned.

Sadly, we are all monsters. We all have nasty desires that must be denied—we crave forbidden pleasures, we get a twisted thrill from violence, and we enjoy the feeling of power that comes from making others tremble in fear. Look at how easily love can turn to hate—only a monster could have such a fickle heart. No matter how charming we manage to appear, time will eventually reveal how ugly we truly are.

Jesus understands the blackness that we try to keep hidden deep inside. Yet amazingly, He still wants to be part of our lives. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to die for a monster like you and a monster like me. He suffered the punishment that our wickedness deserves. Because He did this, Christ has earned the right to forgive us—and He will, so long as we stop looking at evil as something interesting and attractive.