Dead and Gone

I happened to hear the hook (chorus) on a rap song [Yes, I still listen to rap, on occasion. Forgive me :-)] by the artist T.I. today that caught my attention. The song is called Dead and Gone and starts out with the following:

Ohh (hey)I’ve been travelin on this road too long (too long)
Just tryin to find my way back home (back home)
The old me’s dead and gone, Dead and Gone,
And Ohh.. (hey)I’ve been travelin on this road too long (too long)
Just tryin to find my way back home (back home)
The old me’s dead and gone, Dead and Gone, yeah

This song appears to be one of reflection for the artist who is, presently, going through some difficult times in his life. I am sure, given his audience, that it is a song that many can relate to. When I first heard these lyrics I couldn't help, but think about the transformation that I have gone through as a Christian. French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, is quoted as saying, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ." Assuming he is correct, it is the pursuit of trying to fill that vacuum that can lead an individual down many paths.

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—" Romans 5:12

That "God shaped vacuum" Pascal speaks of is the absence of the life of God. All men, because of the sin of Adam, are born into this world spiritually dead to God. In many ways we have been cursed to try and fill that void through the various options offered by the world. Unfortunately, the only way the world can try and provide what we are missing is through some form of sin. In many ways all mankind has been "travelin on this road too long." We try and fill that emptiness with anything from sex, religion, relationships, careers, hobbies, drugs, physical fitness and so on. As we travel along this road, we soon realize that what we are pursuing does not fill that void. Therefore, we are left to try another option in hopes that maybe the next time we will find what we are looking for. The sad thing is that we never find it.

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die." John 12:32-33

God, in His love, wants all mankind to come alive to Him once again. But, before He could give us His life again, He had to take away the sins that caused that life to leave. Now, through the death of Jesus Christ, there is nothing standing in the way of anybody desiring to come alive to Him through receiving the gift of life made possible through Christ's resurrection. That endless pursuit we engage in trying to find something to fill that vacuum should make us give up from trying. And that is exactly what God wants from it. He wants everybody to realize that what they seek to get from the world can only be found in Jesus Christ. Our best efforts to find ultimate fulfillment can be described as "tryin to find [our] way back home." Home for us can only be described as a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. If you are truly seeking to find love, peace, acceptance, meaning and purpose to your life than, by all means, keep traveling down that road trying to find your way back home. Just remember that what you seek can only be found in Christ. The entire world is aware of the death of Jesus Christ. So much so that our calendars have been split by His birth; B.C. (Before Christ) and A. D. (Anno Domini -the year of our Lord). However, God splits time by the death of Jesus Christ. The death of Christ signifies the exact moment that the gap that separated us from God, created by our sins, was bridged. We can now approach Him, in Christ, to fill that void in our spirit.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

For those of us that have accepted Christ as Savior, and come alive to God, we have become new creations. The old creation, the one that had us searching in vain for anything to satisfy the emptiness we were born with, has gone. In other words, "the old me's dead and gone." We have been born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. God now sees us as His children. The road we traveled to get to Him can now be used to tell others about how we found God. The best part about the emptiness, the spiritual death we are born into, is that it acts as a homing beacon God can use to lead us to Him. He has revealed Himself to us through His creation, our conscience and, finally, Jesus Christ. This is more than enough evidence to lead us back to our real home. The Bible says that, as Christians, our citizenship is in heaven and we have been seated with Christ in heavenly realms. We have a home! The end of our journey to Christ is the beginning of our eternity with Him. That is enough to make us say, "yeah!" Amen!