What is Man's Greatest Achievement?

CNN producers armed with television cameras recently stopped passersby in Berlin , Madrid , Roman, Bangkok , Tokyo , New Delhi , and Paris .  To each participant, CNN posed the question:  “What is man’s greatest achievement?”

Since July 20 was the 40^th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, it was supposed that many would nominate the moon landing as one of man’s greatest feats.  Answers given, however, were quite diverse.

One woman in Germany suggested the computer. "It has opened up my world. 
I can stay in my house and travel all over the world," she said.  The internet was specifically stated by more than one participant to be man’s greatest invention.

Another suggested the airplane. "It's the easiest way to get from one country to the other. Imagine if you would be able to only take the ship. It would take you ages to go somewhere, so it makes humanity more flexible."

Fire was also proposed. "Everything started there right?" said one man in Spain . There was agreement in Italy : "I think the most important is that man discovered fire because it's bringing a lot of life."

The written word was also nominated in Italy , as were architecture and sanitation.

In New Delhi , video games got one man's vote. "It allows you to be whomever you want, in whichever world you want, and lets you live an alternate fantasy life," he said.

Despite all of the tremendous achievements of mankind since the beginning 
of time, there is ONE THING that man could never achieve on his own...  

Even though man has been able to navigate the approximate distance of 240,000 miles to the moon, there is STILL one expanse that he has not been able to negotiate independently: the distance between GOD and MAN.

Our SIN separates us from the Holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2).  ALL of mankind’s advancements in technology are powerless to traverse the GREAT GULF  between 
God and sinful man.

But God loved us so much that He crossed that great divide and “stepped into our world” (see John 1:14).  God became Man in the person of Jesus Christ.  Then Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).  Through Jesus, man can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

We are reconciled to God when we: by faith in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27).  The blood of Christ continues to cleanse us from our sins as we continue to walk in the light of His word (1 John 1:7).

Man has accomplished great things, but the GREATEST accomplishment is RECONCILIATION with God.  God accomplished this for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Now, we must accept His offer on His terms!

Won’t YOU?

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

From CNN -- http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/19/man.greatest.achievement/index.html

To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:

                      HTML version:  subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
                   TEXT version:  subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net

Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com

Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org