Recent events have drastically thrown my life into perspective. I pulled up my old facebook notes and I found one that applies to this situation. Perhaps it’ll be an answer to the whole “Why the heck is God letting our nation deteriorate to this?”…. a warning. If you don’t want to hear unpleasant things, or are still proud of America, don’t read this…. then again, maybe you should.
With the up-coming presidential election I have been thinking about what kind of nation America is… It’s not good. The bad far out-weighs the good. I’m not talking about our government I’m talking about the people themselves. every day people die because of immorality. Women kill their own children because it’s “inconvenient”. No one has respect for eachother… we treat our pets better than we treat other human beings. Parents don’t care whether or not their children ruin their lives. Homosexuality is tolerated even though it’s an abomination. So many people drown in worldy things to blot out the emptyness inside. people laughing at perverse and disgusting things. Art defiled by sick minds. Innocent children losing what they can never get back for the sake of fitting in. No apparent point to life except Sex, Violence, and Money. Any act of kindness twisted into something unclean. Friends betraying friends, Familys splitting up because a parent doesn’t “feel” like being a parent any more. People Torchering themselves for the sake of self-image. Girls modeling their lives after unreal people who only show the glamour and glitz and not the depression and insanity that comes with living a life of evil. People so wrapped up in their own little worlds that they can’t see the decay and death all around them. People all about “feelings” and the physical that they don’t even think about the consequenses. People so intent upon achieving their own goals that they will push aside anything and everything, regardless the importance, to reach it. People so concerned with making all equal and by trying not to draw attention to race draw attention to race. People putting themselves as no better than a monkey because they don’t want to face the facts, there is a God. People are so nosy and butting into other people’s business that I can’t do something they don’t like without them getting on my case and saying “thats offensive, stop doing that.”
Sodom and Gommorrah were wiped off the face of the earth for these same reasons. Mercy only extends so far. Where does Mercy end and Justice begin. Rejecting God is like if a child were to say to his parent “I don’t need you anymore. I can do this on my own.”. Put yourself in God’s shoes. If you had labored over something and poured you entire being into one thing would you be happy if that thing went and got chummy with your worst enemy? There is no middle ground. Either you’re with God or your with satan.
I was reading this book called Warrior Chicks by Holly Wagner and I stumbled accross something very profound. Not choosing is a choice.
~Grace
Another one of my favorite quotes is “When Satan rules in men’s hearts there is war. There’s really only one adversary, and as long as men follow him there will be violence and war and all manner of evil to deal with.”
Don’t lose hope! I also found this other note buried in my facebook archives. It gives me hope, and whenever I read through it it gives me the tinglies all over. I can hardly believe I was the one who wrote it.
In my short life time I have read many historical christian books. Four people weave in and out of these books…. well, five, but one’s a main character… Jesus Christ. They are John Huss, John Calvin, John Wycliffe….. and of course Martin Luther. Untill just recently they have just been names. Being totally dependant on modern technology as I am, I pulled up good ol’ wikipedia and read up on these names. They are all reformers living in diferent times and different places, yet believing the same thing, That Jesus Christ is the son of God(who created heaven and earth) and that we are sinners and the only way to heaven is through Christ’s forgiveness. The part that hit me is that each of these people gave their lives for the sake of the cross. Wether it’s living a full life of preaching life to all mankind, or becoming a martyr. To me, the greatest sign of devotion is dying for someone. Christ showed his devotion to us by dying, and we should also show our devotion by dying. Wether it’s physically dying for Christ or by giving over our self and letting God have full reign. The Reformers all gave God full reign and through them and many others God has spoken many things to us. Many people, mainly the Roman Catholic Church, have tried to stamp out their ‘heretic’ views. Somewhere in the bible it says that if something is not of God, then it will pass away. Logic says that zeal for christianity should die out, And yet it doesn’t… Because Christianity is not a dead religion. There is a God behind it, fanning the flames. What sets Christians apart from everyone else is that we aren’t in it for personal gain. We aren’t what we are so that we can get rich, or have power over others. We do it because of the single minded devotion that drove Huss, Calvin, Wycliffe, Luther, and so many others.
My question? If we have that devotion, why aren’t we making as big an impact in the world today as they did? The reason is because we aren’t willing to give over our self and become God’s vessal. When a squire becomes a Knight, they swear fealty to his master, and then have to obey that master untill he is released or he dies. We are all knights in God’s army, and he is the richest King out there. What are we so afraid of? God is interested in every aspect of our lives, He loves us, He cares for us, He know’s what’s best for us, He is more than capable of providing for our needs. Why are we so afraid of relaxing and letting him guide our steps. Relax, God isn’t gonna let you fall, And when you’re faced with life or death because of Christ, the devotion is what’s gonna make the difference. A person who has been living for himself is not going to, when faced with the question deny God or die, choose God. Because It’s dying for God on the inside that makes dying for God on the outside worth it. We can all be reformers. There are nations worth of people out there crying for Jesus.
We know stories of countless people who have given their lives for Christ. Jesus’ desciples died for him. Missionaries all over the world have given their lives on the field. Soldiers have fought for religious freedom, have given their lives so that we can freely worship the awesomest thing that was never created(that is, always been here.) pastors in their own churches have been martyred. People burned at the stake. People starved to death, people crucified, People tortured. All for the God of christianity.
Since it’s memorial day, I’m thanking all the men and women who have layed down their lives for my religious freedom. I’m thanking the reformists who never gave up hope, who never stopped spreading the gospel. I’m thanking my heavenly father for being awesome and allowing us to be devoted to Him. And I’m charging this generation to become a generation of reformists.
In Christ alone
~Grace
Nice thoughts. Thanks for sharing, doll. (Perhaps I’ll comment a bit more eloquently when life slows down.)