Your Interstellar Mission

“Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.”

So says Coop (Matthew McConaughey) in the latest offering from the Director of Awesomeness (also known as Christopher Nolan) called Interstellar.  In many ways it is Inception in space, with grandiose landscapes and wormholes that seem as real as the theater you’re sitting in.  If you didn’t want to travel the galaxy before you saw this movie, trust me, you will feel a gravitational pull to hitch a ride on the next spaceship.

But the other element to this star studded flick is the human drama that drives the motivation to save the species.  You see, in this future time and space, our race has done something very nasty to the environment, and the whole planet is now a desolate, dirty, dust bowl that will soon be uninhabitable.

But McConaughey has visions of saving the world on his mind.  So he and his stellar crew go planet hunting in search of a new place to populate and quite possibly, squander again, right?

And that to me is the great irony of this film.  Doesn’t the fact that we messed up this planet in the first place indicate that no matter where we end up living, we will do it again and again?

But that is the height of human hubris…we always think we can save ourselves, even when we are the ones we need saving from!

When you think about it, this apocalyptic vision of the future is a great depiction of humanity’s spiritual journey since the beginning of time.  Adam and Eve were to care both for the planet and their souls, and in one act of rebellion toward the Creator, they brought death and destruction to the soil and the soul.

And we, their descendants, have continued in that insurgence for centuries on end.

So what do we do?  Try and save ourselves!

We chant and pray and meditate.

We follow the Path and uphold the Pillars.

We build a stairway to heaven like it was a wormhole to salvation, but it only leads to the next level of self-righteous corruption.

But Coop is right, we were born here, and we were never meant to die here!

You see, God intended for us to live in the Garden forever, but our rebellion sealed our death sentence both physically and spiritually…

Praise God—that isn’t the end of the story:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18).

Isn’t it fantastic that we don’t have to voyage to the furthest reaches of the cosmos to find salvation?  Instead of us going to the heavens, the breath of heaven brought a child named Jesus to the Virgin Mary.  Jesus lived a perfect life and died a horrible death to set us free from our own desolate spiritual landscape.

Now those who have trusted in Him for salvation have paradise restored within our souls. We, as God’s children, have the privilege of calling God our “Papa.”  But do not forget that like Coop, we need to be willing to travel to the edge of the universe to reach our friends with this good news for the sake of THE Cause of Christ!  They may look happy and fulfilled on the outside, but for most, that is just window dressing that covers an isolated and forsaken spirit.  Only the message of the gospel can bring life, value, meaning and purpose back into their lives.

I’m fairly confident that my dreams of being an astronaut (or in my case—an astronut?) are as likely as me becoming a movie director who is as awesome as Christopher Nolan. But there is nothing stopping me from suiting up in the armor of God, and setting my life trajectory towards making disciples who make disciples.  Our planet may be doomed, but may we never say that about the souls of humanity!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Isn’t it interesting that we would travel to the farthest galaxy in a spaceship, but we won’t even walk across the street to tell someone about Jesus?  This week, pray about which “planet” of people God is sending you to share the gospel with.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming down from the heavens to save our bleak and desolate souls from destruction.  Help us have the boldness to reach out and even be willing to risk everything to share the good news of the gospel.

Read: Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Get:  SomethingAmazing.net. Try sharing this video about God’s amazing gift of grace and forgiveness with your friends who need Jesus!