There is Hope

I've been reading some articles this morning about the shooting in Connecticut and why God would allow something so horrific to happen to innocent lives. In reading the comments to one article in particular, I'm seeing how lost some folks are. Unbelievers are quick to blame God and insult those of us who do. As if our peace of mind and heart is a threat to their opinions. And others say "if there was a god, why would he allow this to happen?"

I'm wondering if all these people who don't believe there is a God suddenly do, and now they're blaming the tragedy in Connecticut on Him in efforts to prove their own ideas of Him. Fact is, for whatever reason, He did allow this to happen. However, in my estimation, it goes beyond taking Him (prayer) out of schools, as I've heard some say, although I believe that does play a part. It was truly horrific what happened to these children and their teachers and their families. I can't imagine the pain those families are feeling. This is a very clear picture of the evil that lies within the heart of man. I can rest assured, though, that those babies are in Heaven with their Creator for eternity, where there are no more tears, no more pain. They are home and they are safe. (That's not to be inferred that I'm by any means glad about the shooting; it's merely a reflection of the confidence and trust that I have in God and His divine will)

Meanwhile, we have a society left behind that is still evil and self-seeking. What now will become of the families and all those left behind who make the conscious and so-called "educated" decision to reject our Messiah? Do they have any hope of ever seeing their loved one again? As long as they reject Him, I believe they don't. I'm praying that hearts will be turned to God through this terrible tragedy.

God sent Jesus to experience the pain that we all experience, yet he was completely innocent the day he was crucified - to atone for your sins and mine. God allowed that to happen, too. God sacrificed His son for the sake of all of us, that we would believe in Him and therefore, have eternal life. Death is but a detour for believers. It is not the end. But for those who don't believe, death is the beginning of anguish unlike anything we can fathom with our feeble minds. It means eternal separation from God and from those we love on Earth who chose to trust Him. I have the hope of seeing my loved ones who have died again one day. That's the peace I have in trusting God.

Just as a judge in a civil court sends murderers and thieves to prison, likewise, the Judge of the Universe will sentence us according to the choices we make in life. That judgment hinges essentially on whether we reject or accept Jesus as the Messiah. All this to say, in my own opinion, if God is willing to sacrifice His own son for the sake of all, then I fully believe He will allow other tragedies to occur. Perhaps to get our attention. I don't know why. One day, we'll know all the whys. Right now, we should just trust Him. That in this tragedy, there is hope. They are gone from this life, but with Him, they will live in exceeding joy with Him for eternity. We will be with them one day, if we choose to believe.

Like it or not, our country was founded upon Christian principals. Faith in God was essential to the success and prosperity of our nation. Our government in recent years has begun efforts to "fundamentally transform" those principals into what they feel will be better than the ideals of our founding fathers. In that process, our God, the God of Israel, and any reference to God has been systematically either removed or threatened. It's no surprise to me, however, because Scripture says that kind of thing would happen. The problem is, we've allowed that to happen to the point where society doesn't see the need for Him anymore and it shows in everything we do. Jesus is the light of the world. Without Him, there is darkness - and that's what we're living in now - darkness. We've embraced nearly everything His Word explicitly tells us not to because we think we know better.

If you really want to know the truth, I recommend picking up a Bible and reading it for yourself rather than taking someone else's word for it. Find out for yourself about all the prophecies contained in the scriptures that have come true. It isn't a fairy tale. It's the Truth. It's your prerogative to deny yourself the Truth and just accept what others tell you. But is all that really worth it? Are you willing to bet your life - and death - on what you've heard or what you currently believe without actually reading the Scriptures? I hope that anyone here who isn't a believer will earnestly seek the Truth for yourself. Don't take my word for it, or anyone else's. It's there for you to find out for yourself. I pray you do.

Blessings,

Why I Stand With Israel

For a week now, Israel has been defending itself against continued Hamas terrorist attacks. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that Israel would defend its citizens against such hostile and senseless attacks. I've noticed, however, that some people don't share that opinion, and I have actually been personally attacked for my position on the subject. When I say "attacked," I mean bludgeoned with obscenities, name-calling, and insults by someone whose position that we shouldn't stand by Israel is supported by nothing more than the statement that "the Jews hate us" and a few anti-Semitic videos found on YouTube. I was attacked for defending Jews by someone who knows nothing about me, let alone the reasons behind my views. I was blown away by the hostility this person expressed over my so-called "stupid" and "uneducated" views.

What I realized, once I got over the initial shock and anger of being attacked in this way, is that these particular people don't understand my position because, sadly, they have never experienced Salvation and the love of Jesus as I know it, so they have no appreciation for it whatsoever. They're blind and cannot see what is so clear to me. It's sad that some folks are blinded in that way. Sometimes, no matter how respectful you try to be and no matter how heart-felt your convictions, they will be trampled on by those who are blinded to the Truth. All you can do is share your heart, pray for them, and leave the rest to God.

And so I did. I could have remained silent and met their attacks without commentary, but I'm a little tired of feeling like I can't speak my heart out of fear of offending others, so I shared my ideas as straight-forward and respectfully as I could. I want non-believers to know why I believe what I do and I feel like it's my duty as a follower of Christ to share that with them when the opportunity presents itself.

I know full well that hostility has always existed between Jews and Gentiles -something I was accused of being ignorant of. Obviously, not everyone believes in Jesus, in the Truth of the Bible, or even in God. One of the many great things about living in the United States is that it's your right to believe what you choose. God gave you that right. God wants all people to come to Him, Jew and Gentile alike, but He doesn't force it on us. That's our own individual choice to make.

I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. In it, God designates the people of Israel as His chosen people. He says that anyone who blesses Israel will be blessed and anyone who curses Israel will be cursed. (Genesis 12:3). It also says in the Bible that not everyone who is physically born in the land of Israel are His because not all of them will choose to believe in Him. (Romans 9:6). Just like Gentiles, some Jews will turn away from God, their words and actions flowing accordingly. And just like Jews who believe, the promises that God made regarding the land of Israel spill over to believing Gentiles, as well. Believing Gentiles are grafted into God's promises by virtue of our faith in God and belief in Jesus as the Messiah. In that respect, we are spiritually the same as the believing Jew in God's eyes and thus we are a part of Israel. (Romans 2:29). Neither Jew nor Gentile is greater than the other, but through faith in God there is no difference. (Romans 10:12)

There are a growing number of Jews who have begun to realize that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, and the gap between Jew and Gentile is narrowing. It's the love of Jesus shown to them through Jews and Gentiles that brought them to that realization. Jesus is the key to eliminating that gap all together. Yes, there are prejudices, but the prejudice lies on both sides, not just with the Jews. It simply is not fair to a whole nation of people to hate them simply because some of them supposedly hate Christians. Or to hate them at all, for that matter.

I feel it's my responsibility to love the Jews and to bless Israel because I have been graciously adopted into the Kingdom of God, and I am one of them. That's why I stand with Israel. And I always will.

Blessings,