The Terminated Sentence

 My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains Unending love, Amazing grace

 

The Weekend of Champions has come to North Texas.  Bill Glass and his team of volunteers are spending 2 days ministering to the people in local prisons and lock-up facilities this weekend.  My husband was blessed to have the opportunity to be one of these volunteers.  They are bringing the Gospel message and personal testimonies of God's grace to a place where few would venture.

I have to confess that the idea of going inside a prison makes me nervous.  These people have committed crimes and have proven that they can't adhere to our societal norms.  Typically, they are a danger to themselves and/or others.  I know the recidivism rates with criminals and I've always wondered just how many of these people can be helped. But last night, my husband gave me a new perspective.

After spending all day behind bars, my husband came home and told me the story of Jack Roland Murphy, one of the event's key note speakers.  Jack (a.k.a. Murph the Surf) pulled off the biggest jewel heist in American history by stealing gems form the American Museum of Natural History.  The heist was such an ordeal that they even made a movie about it.   He was later convicted of murder and sentenced to 2 life sentences + 20 years.  As a prisoner, he heard the Gospel message when the Bill Glass volunteers came his facility.  And he was radically changed.  The State of Florida eventually released him to lifetime parole because of his work in the chaplaincy program and his ministry to inmates.  He then started working with Bill Glass and other prison ministries and became an ordained minister.  Eventually, Florida terminated his sentence altogether.  Jack is now the International Director of Champions for Life.  He is truly changed.

As I reflected on this story (and read the Wikipedia version at Jack Roland Murphy), I was convicted.  Prisoners are just like us, except their sins are usually public, violent, and a violation of man-made law.  Before God, their sins are just as bad as ours.  The Bible is clear that the sentence for ANY sin is death (Romans 6:23).  But that "whosoever believes in [God] shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).  Thus, from an eternal standpoint, without God, I'm in the same position as a man on death row.

I am so thankful that God, in His grace, has terminated my death sentence.  Why wouldn't I want to share the truth about His grace with others as well--even criminals?  Thank you dear husband for your example.  I may not completely understand your passion for wanting to work with criminals, but I do understand that you're right where God wants you to be right now--sharing the Gospel behind bars.  I'm praying that God will terminate some eternal sentences today.