Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Understanding

So, there's been an awful lot of things going on lately that are troubling me. I see the works of the devil everywhere, trying to bring people down, pit people against one another, and just bringing out the worst in people. Today is the anniversary of the day that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was nailed to a cross, took on all of our sins, and paid the debt for them, so that those who accept Him may enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Yet everywhere I look, I see people arguing back and forth, posting pictures defending their positions on Facebook, and calling others down for defending their positions. WE ARE TAKING OUR FOCUS OFF GOD, AND JESUS! THE DEVIL IS ACCOMPLISHING HIS GOAL!!!! One of the biggest "hot button" topics tearing people apart right now is Gay Marriage. I would like to preempt this by saying, please read this entire post with an open mind and an open heart before you jump to any conclusions about my opinions on this. I have several statements and points to make. I ask that you read them all and take them as a whole, and do not take one statement out of context to construe my words. First, I believe that according to the Bible, homosexuality is against God's Will. I believe that man was created to love a woman, and vice versa. This DOES NOT mean that I believe a gay man or woman is a bad person in any way shape or form. It simply means that I believe they are not living in the way that God intended them too. In the same way I believe ALL SINNERS are living a life that is not in accordance to the way God intended us too. The black and white of it is, you are either a sinner, or you are not. Since there has only been one person to walk the face of the Earth, since the beginning of time to enter the world and live a sin-free life, I feel confident I can say which group you are in. Further more, there is no list anywhere in the Bible that lists out sins from the biggest sin to the smallest sin. The thought that one sin is more severe than another is a HUMAN THOUGHT! Sin is sin is sin in God's eyes! The next statement I would like to make, I have to give credit to Rick Warren for. Many of you may have seen the picture I posted on Facebook a few days ago that said this, and I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY believe in this statement.......
     "Our culture has accepted two HUGE lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are NONSENSE! You dont have to compromise convictions to be campassionate."
There is so much truth in that statement, and our society would be SO much better if we would apply this to our everyday lives. I see so many people spouting such hatred towards the gay community. Whats really appalling, is they quote my Holy Bible to do so! Just as I have asked you to read this post "in its entirety" before forming an opinion, people MUST do the same with the Bible! If you take one passage or another out of the Bible, and dont use it in its intended context, you can contort, construe, pervert the Word to say whatever people want to hear. While it does say that homosexuality is against God's Will, I would rebut that by referring you to John 8:7. When the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman in front of Jesus, and said to him "She is a whore and an adulterer, she should be stoned to death, should she not?" In John 8:7, Jesus replied "Let any of you who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus also says in Mathew 7:1-2, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." And again in Luke 6:37, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." I can pull a few quotes from the Bible about the issue of homosexuality, but I can pull quote after quote after quote out of the Bible about judgement, forgiveness, and compassion! How can you focus on a couple quotes, and ignore the words of our Lord that were said over and over and over?!? The bottom line is, WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE??? If you accept Jesus into your heart, your sins are forgiven, because He paid the debt for us on the cross! All of us!
The next statement I will make is about people standing up and arguing about Gay Marriage and how they are adamantly against it. I would like to point out, that every person that I know who is Gay, and I know many of them, I cant recall ONE that has told me they want Gay Marriage legalized because they want me to agree with their choice! I HAVE heard them say that they want me to accept their choice, and that they want the government to honor their marital union, so that their spouses may receive and be included in their benefits! I dont see how that disgraces the sanctity or holiness of marriage. If we chalked up ALL the things that our government passes, ok's, and allows that are a disgrace to our God, we would have a book longer than Leo Tolston's "War and Peace"! A marriage document that the government recognizes allowing these EQUAL HUMAN BEINGS to receive the same benefits that straight couples do, does NOT mean that everyone in America agrees with their lifestyle! It simply means that they are receiving the same benefits as another human being in America.
I will finish this by saying that I do not believe that homosexuality is something how God intended us to live. But in the same breath I would say that eating McDonald's everyday is not how God intended for us to live. Nor is seeing another man's wife, and having sexual thoughts about her. Nor is loving money, and worldly possessions. Nor is cussing. I can go on and on and on. I will refer you back to John 8:7. Before you cast the first stone, be sure your life is sin free. We are commanded to love one another, forgive one another, and have compassion for one another. Enough with the hatred. This is a holy weekend, Jesus Christ died for us on THIS day, and Sunday will be the anniversary of Him coming back to life, and fulfilling God's promise! Why dont we take this weekend, and take a look at ourselves. And try living the way the ENTIRE Bible says, not just the one or two verses that you pull out of context to fit YOUR life and your opinion.

My Easter Challenge

So I was challenged by a friend the other day, wanting to know why I havent written anything new lately, and my response was "Writer's block." This was the easy excuse, but really I just havent been setting the time aside to do so. There have been many things going on lately, but I would like to take this opportunity to answer a challenge with a challenge. This upcoming Sunday is Easter Sunday. When you ask most people about the foundational date for Christian Faith, most people respond with, "Christmas, Jesus' birthday." While this is a very important date, and I wish to take nothing away from it in any way, Easter Sunday is the single most important day on the calendar. This is the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is the fulfillment of our promise from God, that if we accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, confess our sins, and Worship God the father, we too will ascend into Heaven after our life on Earth is over. Without this promise, and without accepting Jesus, our only hope is that God isnt there! If you ask me, its a pretty scary thought to have all your hope placed im humanity, as we are inherintly flawed, selfish, evil creatures. But remember weight that was lifted off your shoulders when you accepted Jesus? Remember that feeling you had when you realized that Jesus took YOUR sins upon him, was nailed to a cross, and died, after saying to the Father, "It is finished!" He paid the debt for you! But now, as Christians, if we keep this knowledge to ourselves, and do not spread the Gospel of Jesus, then we are once again being selfish creatures! How can we keep this wonderful gift to ourselves, when we were commanded in Mathew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Many people hide behind the excuse, "I dont know what to say", "Im not as qualified as someone else to help them", or "What if they ask me something I cant answer?" But we must remember, as a very good friend of mine once said, "Your greatest ability, is availability!" Be available, willing and able, to speak to someone about God. God will give you the words you need when the time comes. Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Another quote I refer to often came from my Dad, who reminded me that, "God rarely calls upon the qualified to do His works son, He most often calls upon the UN-qualified, and qualifies them when they answer His call!" So I challenge you all with this....... Invite someone to join you at church this Sunday. Invite someone to come hear the story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Invite someone to come hear the Word of God, and possibly receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit! Better yet, invite 5 people, 10, 25, 100! Ask yourself this, if you ask 1000 people to come to church this Sunday, and ONE says yes, was it worth it? Think about the person who asked you to come to church. Was it worth it to YOU when they asked! ABSOLUTELY! My hope is this, that this blog will reach ONE person who is teatering on the edge of speaking up about Jesus Christ, answering the call of God, and bringing a non-believer to join us in church, and possibly follow Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven someday! You never know whos life you could change forever, by speaking up and asking one simple question, "Would you join me at church on Sunday? Id like you to learn why Easter is so important." You have been challenged, will you accept? Love you guys!