This post is about trying to understand people. I have watched people most of my life and wondered about motives. What drives a person to do or feel? A lot of times it is something in their past. Something they experienced in their lives has helped to form them, but it is always their choice that gives the direction.
With that said, I wonder why someone responds to one tragedy over another? There are tragedies happening world wide almost daily! Which one touches your heart? There are multitudes of people being murdered, kidnapped, abused, mistreated and dying in our world now and with the advances in electronic communication we're exposed to all of it! (I need to admit here that I have isolated myself from all of this news, I simply cannot handle it!)
Recently I was in the company of people that chose one event to focus on, and it made me wonder how can they only be concerned with that one?
There are children being murdered in their mother's wombs, young teenagers kidnapped and sold into slavery, people taking their first step into a life of addiction that will destroy them and their families, elderly neglected and alone...one race pitting itself against another, one religion killing anyone who is not of their beliefs...how do you choose one tragedy to focus on? There are so many, every minute of every day....it is enough to make your heart sick, or to cause you to develop emotional callouses...or you can turn it off.
Of course you can't actually "turn it off" and make things not happen, but you can turn your focus off of those things. You can turn your focus to the Provider of your peace! A man, or woman, cannot have two Masters, current events could attempt to be your master, especially if the news reporters have their way! But if you have made the choice to follow Jesus then you don't have room in your heart for a second master! Keep your eyes on the One that lived and died for you that you are "no longer a slave to fear', you are a "child of God"!
Let your motives or actions reflect that you are not of this world, no longer bound to it or it's current events. Yes we do want to pray for the hurt, injured and grieving, but they are not our focus, they are our ministry. God first, ministry second.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Salt
To share this as a fact would require a lot of research on my part that I'm not inclined to do today, but I have read something in the recent past....something that I have mulled over and think it's a really good thing, but let's look at it as a possibility instead of fact(since I have not researched it!).
The secular news is really happy to report that there are less Christians in the United States today than there used to be. The report I read, but have not confirmed, says that while there are less people that claim to be Christians, there are more people that have truly changed their lives because of their belief in Jesus.
This really is a good thing! It's saying that the people who were only "claiming" Christianity are no longer going to be clouding the water, so to speak!
The United States is going through a lot of change and it does seem like the days when Jesus told the people "you must eat my flesh" and many left! The time is approaching that if you are a casual follower of Jesus' teachings and not in a relationship with Him it will be easier and more desirable to you to step back and say "No, I'm not a Christian". If you say "Yes, I'm a Christian", in the US you may face ridicule, slander, name calling, bullying and in some situations violence, but maybe that is part of eating His flesh? Those are all things that Jesus went through, aren't they? (John 6)
God told us that we are to be salt(Matthew 5) to the world, have you noticed that in the US the price of salt is cheap? Salt has been plentiful in the US and so has Christianity, but when it is scarce the price rises! The Christianity that has been seen in the US has not always been true Christianity, often it was only "claimed" and not lived. Now the world will see the people who really walk with Jesus, they will see what we are supposed to be!
Expect to see your value as a Christian rise also. The impurities are being sifted from God's body of believers, the pure salt will be left! Be the salt you were called to be, you were created for such a time as this!
Matthew 5
The secular news is really happy to report that there are less Christians in the United States today than there used to be. The report I read, but have not confirmed, says that while there are less people that claim to be Christians, there are more people that have truly changed their lives because of their belief in Jesus.
This really is a good thing! It's saying that the people who were only "claiming" Christianity are no longer going to be clouding the water, so to speak!
The United States is going through a lot of change and it does seem like the days when Jesus told the people "you must eat my flesh" and many left! The time is approaching that if you are a casual follower of Jesus' teachings and not in a relationship with Him it will be easier and more desirable to you to step back and say "No, I'm not a Christian". If you say "Yes, I'm a Christian", in the US you may face ridicule, slander, name calling, bullying and in some situations violence, but maybe that is part of eating His flesh? Those are all things that Jesus went through, aren't they? (John 6)
God told us that we are to be salt(Matthew 5) to the world, have you noticed that in the US the price of salt is cheap? Salt has been plentiful in the US and so has Christianity, but when it is scarce the price rises! The Christianity that has been seen in the US has not always been true Christianity, often it was only "claimed" and not lived. Now the world will see the people who really walk with Jesus, they will see what we are supposed to be!
Expect to see your value as a Christian rise also. The impurities are being sifted from God's body of believers, the pure salt will be left! Be the salt you were called to be, you were created for such a time as this!
Matthew 5
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