As another big name in the world unexpectedly dies I couldn't help but notice the publics need to deify celebrities. Heather small from the 80s band the M People said on the Jeremy Vine show "Whitney was the Messiah." Kevin Costner co-star in the film The Bodyguard said in his funeral address that she was being taken to heaven by hundreds of angels. It reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father and he will at once put at my disposal 12 legions of angels?" So Whitney gets hundreds coming to her side just like Jesus! Sarcasm aside it is clear when looking at Whitney's life she was a troubled human being. She was a recognised drug addict from her late teens. A newspaper heading reads "Just another dead drug addict.'' Sad but true. What unsettled me greatly was the 'performance' at her 'going home' party. I say performance because 'God fearing' funeral service it was not. If Whitney was trusting in Christ then she was not a good advert for Christianity or the power of the cross. Can a drug addict become a Christian? A resounding yes! But they wont be able to stay that way. If they do they are denying the power of the cross and the shed blood of Christ to overcome the power of sin. It my well be that Whitney began as a gospel singer in her church choir but we know that going into a bakery does not make you a baker neither does attending 'church' make you a Christian. What we heard from the leaders of the church she once attended was nothing less than good old fashioned 'rhetoric.' It sounded good but was lacking any real biblical substance of truth.
Salvation is a free gift which is found through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It cannot be won by good works which includes singing in a church choir. A friend told me about the time she attended a funeral service for a known 'Spiritualist' in a Anglican church (Yes you read correctly). She said she expected the deceased to jump up from the coffin at any moment because of the pure fancy of the things being said. I wonder if Whitney would have felt the same?
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3 comments:
Her death, and it seems part of her life, was a tragedy. Yes, she was being deified like Princess Diana was and so many other celebrities in the past have been. The question begging to be asked from this post is was she a good Christian? Can a drug addict, or shall we get it plainer can someone whose life appears dangerously out of control, be a Christian? I believe that in the end only God can fully answer that question. In the end, when it boils right down to it, we have a choice; to serve God or to serve our appetites whatever they may be.
I have struggled with an addiction myself, I won't say what it was because it doesn't matter now, suffice to say it was a long lonely road with constant setbacks. God set me right and now it really isn't a problem for me anymore. Of course, I could slip back at anytime but I now try to live for God each day and put my faith in Him. Addiction, any addiction, is wearying and takes more than it gives; I just had had enough, perhaps with some people they just don't get enough and who can say why.
We are all imperfect and we live in a disordered and fallen and even divided world; people are the products of this fallen world and we need a Saviour to save us basically and set us on right courses. I think you were right to post this as it is something we all need to think about.
She was a popular legendary woman that is being idolize of our young one's. We will all miss her.
She was so good...why did she have to die, such a tragic story
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