What if I were a Muslim? What if I were born into a family that this was the only faith that they knew? Surely they would want to pass it on to me. What if I were a Hindu, or Buddhist or one of a dozen other faith practices from around the globe? What if I had no faith at all? I made no claim to believe in a God that I did not believe in? Would you share the Gospel with me? I think sometimes we can be disparaging to people, people just like us, who had no choice as to what faith system their parents might pass down to them. A lot of this depends on what country or region of the world you are born in. If we take a minute to think about this, we may just realize that we had absolutely no control over this at all. So why then, is it OK to mock or look with disdain on others and what they believe. They are just like us, born into a world and that world is all that they know. If we have grown up in America, been taken to church all of our lives, then we are no different than they are. We grew up in it, with our faith passed down to us by our parents. We may not have wanted to go, but we were made to go to church anyway. Maybe it is time to own our faith, look into it and make sure that we truly believe in it. Not just because our parents told us to, but because we want to and to truly want to follow in it.
We speak out about other faiths and talk about those followers as if they are wrong and weird and why on earth would they believe that? I think we dismiss them too easily. How many of them, like us, are simply following what their parents have brought them up in. Just the same as we do here in America. If we truly believe that Jesus is the only Way, then we also have no right to withold that ideal from anyone of another faith. Just because we may fear them or what they could do to harm us, does not give us the right to withold evidence that our faith is real. The nightly news drives it home that they are not like us, but we are no better than they are if we are as fearful of them as they may be of us. They are people just the same as us and God made people. They have needs, they are persecuted and are dying because other members of the same faith, choose to turn to violence. Let us not try to repay that with talk of violence ourselves. Let us not withold from them if they are in need. Let us seek ways to help them, show God's Love to them and have a conversation about the One True God.
What if I were an illegal immigrant, maybe from Mexico? Would you try to understand that I came to America to try to make a living? Would you try to think about the fact that I need to make money for my family back in my home country? Or would you tear me down as well? Would you be so upset that I haven't learned your language? That I crossed the border illegally? Would you try to understand that the situation back home was desperate and that I really need the money to be able to send it home for health care? You see, my children are sick and my wife cannot afford a doctor's care. I am just like you, the health care costs a lot and I do not have the money. The closest quality health care is many miles away and I cannot find a job in my own country that will pay enough to get the kids the care that they need. If I snuck into your country from the north, from Canada, was white and could speak your language would this make a difference? Maybe then you would try to understand me better. But my brown skin and that language that you didn't learn in high school, gives you the right to look down on me for what I am trying to do.
What if I were Barack Obama? Would you pray for me? Would you pay attention to what I say and withold your prejudice? Would you try to understand that I want to be a peacemaker? Or would you just shout about all that you disagree with me on? Would you think it OK to have evil thoughts towards me, even though your Bible says not to? Would you play that guessing game that Christians like to play, the one where you try to guess which Democrat is the next AntiChrist? Would you blame me for everything that is wrong with America, even though all of the men before me were fallible as well? I make my own beer in the White House, so I must be a heathen. I have a hidden agenda to destroy America, you say, rather than believing that I have different ideals than you. Sure we may not agree, but you don't have to be so hateful about it. I am the President and not a King and I understand that. But you don't have to tear down everything I do, do you? Sure there are social issues that we do not agree on, but am I your enemy because of that? You don't like the way we are headed financially and I get that. But rather than pray for me, you would rather tear me down and post negative comments and draw caricatures of me. Your talking heads on talk radio tell you what to say and you echo their words in perfect pitch. All the while forgetting that some of the language is not ideal for a follower of Christ. Instead of praying for me and the decisions I make, you let it be known how much you disagree with me. I wonder how this can be. Do you pray for others, your neighborhoods, your cities, your regions, your state, your country and somehow forget to pray for me? I may be the one who needs it the most. You see, I deal with things that you may never know about. I make decisions everyday that protect you. Your Bible, your Guidebook, tells you to pray for me and the leaders up here in Congress. It also tells you that God Himself exalts leaders and casts them down. So no matter what you might think, God knows that I am the President and He has allowed me to be here during this time. If you don't like the way things are going try praying about it.
We, each one of us, has absolutely no control over who we are, where we were born on this planet, what faith would be passed down to us, what color skin tone we would have and yet we still feel that we have the right to talk about others; many times in a way that would not bring Glory and Honor to the God who made them as well. But we are privileged, we are rich, we are safe and secure here. We don't have to consider or ponder these things, because we are not them. But we must love them. The Bible commands it. It also commands us to share the Good News to others. The Good News is the message of Jesus. But we do not create opportunities to share it if we are too busy sharing how we feel about each of these issues. When we voice our displeasure and make blanket statements about people groups, people's faiths and the skin tones of others, we are of no service to our King Jesus in those moments. When we make the Kingdom of God political, we give the sense that He is only for one party and not the other. The truth is that God is on His own side. His agenda is not to control the White House, but to control Your House. He is for all people, no matter what they think, do or say at the moment. He wants to draw all men unto Himself and He wants to use us to do it. But when we are so focused on the wrong in the world, the wrong in our towns, the wrong in other's lives, we forget all about the Gospel of Grace. We cannot invite anyone to Jesus while displaying loudly our party affiliation. We cannot invite anyone to Jesus while telling them how wrong they are about their faith. Or telling them how wrong they are about crossing our border illegally. Or if we are shouting at them to learn our language. Our country will not turn back to Him if we forget to pray, or don't want to pray for our President and our leaders. And to complain about them wildly, without praying for them is wrong.
Lord, please help us to repent of our venomous talk and actions. Help us to show the world what we stand for and not what we are against. Help us to be a people of Peace who share the Gospel of Your Peace with others. Help us to love all people, people groups and people of other faiths in such a way that we attract them to You. Show us how to Love like You Love us. Help us to keep that thought fresh in our minds daily. Help us to think before we speak. Help us not to fear others who are different than us so that we may share You with them. Forgive us Father, for our stone hearts and closed minds. Thank You for loving us enough to send Your only Son to die for us and sins such as these. Help us to grow up and go out and Love the world that you died for.
We speak out about other faiths and talk about those followers as if they are wrong and weird and why on earth would they believe that? I think we dismiss them too easily. How many of them, like us, are simply following what their parents have brought them up in. Just the same as we do here in America. If we truly believe that Jesus is the only Way, then we also have no right to withold that ideal from anyone of another faith. Just because we may fear them or what they could do to harm us, does not give us the right to withold evidence that our faith is real. The nightly news drives it home that they are not like us, but we are no better than they are if we are as fearful of them as they may be of us. They are people just the same as us and God made people. They have needs, they are persecuted and are dying because other members of the same faith, choose to turn to violence. Let us not try to repay that with talk of violence ourselves. Let us not withold from them if they are in need. Let us seek ways to help them, show God's Love to them and have a conversation about the One True God.
What if I were an illegal immigrant, maybe from Mexico? Would you try to understand that I came to America to try to make a living? Would you try to think about the fact that I need to make money for my family back in my home country? Or would you tear me down as well? Would you be so upset that I haven't learned your language? That I crossed the border illegally? Would you try to understand that the situation back home was desperate and that I really need the money to be able to send it home for health care? You see, my children are sick and my wife cannot afford a doctor's care. I am just like you, the health care costs a lot and I do not have the money. The closest quality health care is many miles away and I cannot find a job in my own country that will pay enough to get the kids the care that they need. If I snuck into your country from the north, from Canada, was white and could speak your language would this make a difference? Maybe then you would try to understand me better. But my brown skin and that language that you didn't learn in high school, gives you the right to look down on me for what I am trying to do.
What if I were Barack Obama? Would you pray for me? Would you pay attention to what I say and withold your prejudice? Would you try to understand that I want to be a peacemaker? Or would you just shout about all that you disagree with me on? Would you think it OK to have evil thoughts towards me, even though your Bible says not to? Would you play that guessing game that Christians like to play, the one where you try to guess which Democrat is the next AntiChrist? Would you blame me for everything that is wrong with America, even though all of the men before me were fallible as well? I make my own beer in the White House, so I must be a heathen. I have a hidden agenda to destroy America, you say, rather than believing that I have different ideals than you. Sure we may not agree, but you don't have to be so hateful about it. I am the President and not a King and I understand that. But you don't have to tear down everything I do, do you? Sure there are social issues that we do not agree on, but am I your enemy because of that? You don't like the way we are headed financially and I get that. But rather than pray for me, you would rather tear me down and post negative comments and draw caricatures of me. Your talking heads on talk radio tell you what to say and you echo their words in perfect pitch. All the while forgetting that some of the language is not ideal for a follower of Christ. Instead of praying for me and the decisions I make, you let it be known how much you disagree with me. I wonder how this can be. Do you pray for others, your neighborhoods, your cities, your regions, your state, your country and somehow forget to pray for me? I may be the one who needs it the most. You see, I deal with things that you may never know about. I make decisions everyday that protect you. Your Bible, your Guidebook, tells you to pray for me and the leaders up here in Congress. It also tells you that God Himself exalts leaders and casts them down. So no matter what you might think, God knows that I am the President and He has allowed me to be here during this time. If you don't like the way things are going try praying about it.
We, each one of us, has absolutely no control over who we are, where we were born on this planet, what faith would be passed down to us, what color skin tone we would have and yet we still feel that we have the right to talk about others; many times in a way that would not bring Glory and Honor to the God who made them as well. But we are privileged, we are rich, we are safe and secure here. We don't have to consider or ponder these things, because we are not them. But we must love them. The Bible commands it. It also commands us to share the Good News to others. The Good News is the message of Jesus. But we do not create opportunities to share it if we are too busy sharing how we feel about each of these issues. When we voice our displeasure and make blanket statements about people groups, people's faiths and the skin tones of others, we are of no service to our King Jesus in those moments. When we make the Kingdom of God political, we give the sense that He is only for one party and not the other. The truth is that God is on His own side. His agenda is not to control the White House, but to control Your House. He is for all people, no matter what they think, do or say at the moment. He wants to draw all men unto Himself and He wants to use us to do it. But when we are so focused on the wrong in the world, the wrong in our towns, the wrong in other's lives, we forget all about the Gospel of Grace. We cannot invite anyone to Jesus while displaying loudly our party affiliation. We cannot invite anyone to Jesus while telling them how wrong they are about their faith. Or telling them how wrong they are about crossing our border illegally. Or if we are shouting at them to learn our language. Our country will not turn back to Him if we forget to pray, or don't want to pray for our President and our leaders. And to complain about them wildly, without praying for them is wrong.
Lord, please help us to repent of our venomous talk and actions. Help us to show the world what we stand for and not what we are against. Help us to be a people of Peace who share the Gospel of Your Peace with others. Help us to love all people, people groups and people of other faiths in such a way that we attract them to You. Show us how to Love like You Love us. Help us to keep that thought fresh in our minds daily. Help us to think before we speak. Help us not to fear others who are different than us so that we may share You with them. Forgive us Father, for our stone hearts and closed minds. Thank You for loving us enough to send Your only Son to die for us and sins such as these. Help us to grow up and go out and Love the world that you died for.
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