When Jesus is out of Focus, life is out of focus!
Dear Christian,
I am a gun owner and staunch 2nd amendment advocate.
However, I can’t help but wonder:
Would the world be different if we, as Christians, had fought as vehemently against the Bible and prayer being removed from public schools, as we fight to defend our 2nd amendment rights?
What if we were as compassionate in loving our fellow man, and sharing the truth of God’s love and gift of forgiveness and salvation as we are compassionate about the right to bear arms?
What if spent as much time studying the Word of God as we do studying to prepare an argument for why the second amendment applies today for us to have AR-15’s, bump stocks and high capacity magazines?
What if we stood as strongly against the decaying understanding of the sanctify of life via the legalization of abortion, the push for legalization of physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia, as we stand for our rights to own firearms.
What if we said no to the violence portrayed in TV, movies, music, video games, etc as loudly as we say no to the anti-gun crowd crying for tighter, more restrictive gun laws?
What if our children/grandchildren in America/world meant as much to us as our own constitutionally given rights and we invested as much in them as we do in our own rights?
What if we were as quick to share in love the name of Jesus Christ and the gift of God given grace with others as we are quick to express our love of the NRA?
Make no mistake, I believe strongly in the second amendment. I do not believe that more stringent gun control laws will have any impact to the good whatsoever in regards to mass shootings.
I believe that I as an American have the right to bear arms for hunting, sport, and to defend myself, my family, and my home.
I believe the hate that has led to so much violence to be a heart problem, not a gun problem. It is a sin problem and the only answer is Jesus Christ and the life changing power that comes in turning your life over to Him.
But I also think we have gotten our priorities mixed up.
The Bible says Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, love your neighbor as yourself.
I enjoy owning and shooting my guns. Maybe if we have our priorities right in putting God first, loving others as ourselves and teaching others to love God and love others as themselves, we would not have as much of a need for guns to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our homes.
Maybe if we had been loving God and loving others as we should, we wouldn’t have had to be having this gun rights debate to begin with.
Would the world be different? I can’t help but believe it would. It maybe late as lives have been lost and friendships have been hurt. But as God is still God, and their is still breath in our lungs, and a beating heart in our chest, it is not too late until...until it is too late.
The question is what will you change before it is too late.
When Jesus is out of Focus, life is out of focus!
Dear Christian,
I am a gun owner and staunch 2nd amendment advocate.
However, I can’t help but wonder:
Would the world be different if we, as Christians, had fought as vehemently against the Bible and prayer being removed from public schools, as we fight to defend our 2nd amendment rights?
What if we were as compassionate in loving our fellow man, and sharing the truth of God’s love and gift of forgiveness and salvation as we are compassionate about the right to bear arms?
What if spent as much time studying the Word of God as we do studying to prepare an argument for why the second amendment applies today for us to have AR-15’s, bump stocks and high capacity magazines?
What if we stood as strongly against the decaying understanding of the sanctify of life via the legalization of abortion, the push for legalization of physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia, as we stand for our rights to own firearms.
What if we said no to the violence portrayed in TV, movies, music, video games, etc as loudly as we say no to the anti-gun crowd crying for tighter, more restrictive gun laws?
What if our children/grandchildren in America/world meant as much to us as our own constitutionally given rights and we invested as much in them as we do in our own rights?
What if we were as quick to share in love the name of Jesus Christ and the gift of God given grace with others as we are quick to express our love of the NRA?
Make no mistake, I believe strongly in the second amendment. I do not believe that more stringent gun control laws will have any impact to the good whatsoever in regards to mass shootings.
I believe that I as an American have the right to bear arms for hunting, sport, and to defend myself, my family, and my home.
I believe the hate that has led to so much violence to be a heart problem, not a gun problem. It is a sin problem and the only answer is Jesus Christ and the life changing power that comes in turning your life over to Him.
But I also think we have gotten our priorities mixed up.
The Bible says Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, love your neighbor as yourself.
I enjoy owning and shooting my guns. Maybe if we have our priorities right in putting God first, loving others as ourselves and teaching others to love God and love others as themselves, we would not have as much of a need for guns to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our homes.
Maybe if we had been loving God and loving others as we should, we wouldn’t have had to be having this gun rights debate to begin with.
Would the world be different? I can’t help but believe it would. It maybe late as lives have been lost and friendships have been hurt. But as God is still God, and their is still breath in our lungs, and a beating heart in our chest, it is not too late until...until it is too late.
The question is what will you change before it is too late.
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God!
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm19:1
Eclipse 2017 was hyped up as a big deal. It did not disappoint!
Did you see that? Was it not awesome? Was it not a spectacular display of indescribable glory? Pictures of the event could not do it justice. Explanations of what had taken place fell miserably short of the actual event. God’s handiwork was on display and it was breath taking.
But…for a few moments, I thought it was going to be ruined.
What was forecast as going to be a generally clear sky for optimal viewing in Anderson, SC, was quickly becoming mostly cloudy. Large ominous clouds were cluttering the viewing area, and I thought surely our view of this once in a lifetime event would be obscured at the very least.
I even remember praying, “Lord if be pleasing to you, let these clouds clear out.” Yet, they didn’t. But, sometimes we have to stop and remember that we are not God and that He is and He knows what is best. His ways are far above our ways.
Those same clouds of which I was worried, the very objects I greatly feared would become a problem and hinder but became the canvas on which God painted a 360 degree sunset at 2:37 pm, when the eclipse reached totality. Sunsets are always better when you have a lot of clouds to reflect the colors of the sunset.
It reminded me that all though there are many things that occur in my life, and many things I ask God to remove from my path because I don’t see the use in them; God does. He can make all things work together for good. He can use all the things that I don’t like or think I need for His will for my life.
In this case He used them to make a wonderful event, that much more spectacular!
The Heavens declared the glory of God. Our lives our designed to declare the glory of God. Maybe, the storm clouds of trouble and disappointment that invade our lives are there so that God can use them to allow greater glory from a life lived for him to be seen as that much more spectacular.
The Heavens declare the glory of God. Live your life in chorus with the heavens declaring His majesty and when the storm clouds come, just wait and see how God uses them on which to splash His brilliance in your life.
What If It Never Happens
What if it never happens?
What if the solar eclipse never happens?
Why are we so certain it is going to happen? Because people all over have said so?
Haven’t we waited a really long time for this to happen? Why has it not happened before now?
Yes I know that “scientific experts” are all predicting this to happen, but what if they are wrong? How do we know they are right? What if it is all a big sham? A flim-flam?
What if it suddenly gets cloudy or we are inside, and we don’t see it…does that mean it didn’t happen?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think the eclipse is going to happen exactly when they say it is. But I am basing my thinking on faith in the people who “know” what is going to happen and when. I don’t know them, I am just believing that, that many people can’t be wrong.
Why is it that we put so much blind faith into what a scientific expert says, when there is not a scientist on this planet that has not been wrong at one time or another, but we struggle to believe someone who has never made a mistake or been wrong, not one time?
I will tell you this much. I am more certain that Jesus is coming back one day than I am that there will be an eclipse this afternoon. (And I am certain there will be an eclipse this afternoon.)
God has said that Jesus is coming back one day. He also says that no man knows the day nor the hour when Jesus will return.
The Bible has said so over and over. Many living in the days following Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension believed it. The Old Testament prophets wrote about it. Experts who can validate the authenticity of scripture manuscripts have done so. We have more validating manuscript evidence than any other historical writing in the history of mankind.
God has never been wrong. Scripture has proven to be historically and scientifically acurate.
Yet there are far fewer people who believe that God is real and Jesus will return than there are that believe an eclipse will take place today.
Yes I know it has been along time that mankind has been waiting for Christ’s return. Yes I realize there are some self professing experts that have erroneously predicted a date, and been wrong. But Jesus is coming!
I have been asked many times leading up to today, are you ready for the eclipse? Are you ready excited for the eclipse? What are you going to do during the eclipse?
Here is my question: What if Jesus comes before the eclipse? He could come at any time. There is nothing preventing him from coming now. What if he comes during the eclipse? If he doesn’t come before or during, he most certainly will come some time after. It is a fact. He is coming!
Here is my final questions: Are you ready for His coming? What will you do when He comes? Are you excited for His coming?
You prepare for the eclipse protecting your eyes. You prepare for His coming by giving him your heart and repenting from sin.
Turning to God for salvation is the only way you can be ready for His coming. Living for Him after I have been saved is what we must do while waiting for His coming.
My soul is saved…I am trying my best by His grace and power to live for Him. Now, where are my glasses…I want to experience this eclipse.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Revelation 16:15
A Personal Complaint
Constant griping and complaining is never Biblical, spiritual, or Wise. In fact it is the opposite of what a believer and follower of Christ should be doing.
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. - Philippians 4:4
More and more in todays world it is seen or heard: Complaining.
We complain about the weather, we complain about our jobs, we complain about the news, and we complain about politics. We complain about our family, our friends, and our neighbors. We complain about what eat, where we eat it at, and those that serve us what we are eating. We complain in person, in private, and on every form of social media that we can get our hands on. Sometimes it seems there are some people who don’t seem to have time for anything else but complaining.
The problem is that constant complaining is a poison that infects, and damages the complainer and anyone else who takes the time to listen to it.
Think about it: A person who constantly complains almost always has a negative outlook on life. Nothing is ever right, good, or at least, good enough. Someone is always doing you wrong, doing you dirty, or out to get you.
God does not intend for you to live that way. God does not want you to view life that way. The Bible says “Rejoice always!” Nearly 200 times there is an admonition to rejoice in scripture! Obviously God knew the importance of rejoicing while living this journey called life. God knew that there would be times we would be tempted to grumble and complain. But, He also knows that if you “count your blessings and name them one by one” it would lead to rejoicing to the point where you have no time nor see the need to complain.
Paul tells us here in Philippians to Rejoice always. The admonition is to let your life be marked and filled with rejoicing. Now, before you say, “Paul doesn’t know what I am going through” you should know that Paul was giving this admonition while he was in prison.
Paul had been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, mocked, and imprisoned. He would later give his life as a martyr for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, he encourages us to rejoice always.
Paul knew what we must remember: We can always rejoice, no matter our circumstances, because of the Love of God, because of Christ’s sacrifice and redemptive work, and because God will never leave us. When we weigh our slights, and difficulties in the light of His love, it will always lead us to rejoice.
Rejoicing despite your troubles leads to joy. Joy changes your perspective on life and leads to happiness. Happiness and joy are infectious and will impact others for the good instead of impacting them for the bad.
People want to be around a joyful, happy, positive people. People want to talk to you when you are pleasant and fun to be around. People will listen to you and why you are so joyful. That is when you can make a difference and share why you are rejoicing...so that they can rejoice as well.
Realize the love of Christ, and rejoice today!
