Well, isn't this fitting. I have a post about our beautiful country right when we go into the time we celebrate the beautiful freedoms we love about our country. We are so extraordinarily lucky. I think most of us would admit that we take our freedoms for granted daily. We have men and women who sacrifice their lives so we may be free to become anything we want to be. We get to worship whenever and wherever we desire. We can eat at any restaurant able to choose from countless varieties of food. We can drive freely from state to state. Men and women mingle without restriction. We can voice our opinions loud and proud. We get to argue and debate and fight for what we believe in our hearts to be right and true. We don't have to wake up everyday in fear of death or violence or that our children may be kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. We are free: free to love, free to hate, free to worship, free to believe, free to deny, free.
I think where things get murky is when we identify our freedoms and our country with our faith. Many see, feel, and believe that America is Christian and being Christian is American. Not true. We will not have to identify our nationality when we enter Heaven. Whether we identify with Christ or not? Yes. But not our nationality? No. Our origin began in God not America. Yes, I vote, wish, and desire a nation that follows Christian morals and standards, but my nationality does not hold my eternity. Christ does. We get so worked up about how our country is becoming so un-Christian that we lose sight of what Christianity is all about.
Our faith is not about our earthly residence. What we do on Earth matters. Where we live does not. What we do with our faith matters. Not where we live and what government we abide by. This does not mean we don't stop fighting for the very things that make us followers of Christ. We pray, vote, and move to show and live the kingdom everyday. We get so caught up in proving our rightness of our faith that we completely lose sight of the thing we were fighting for in the first place: Christ to be seen and felt in such a tremendous way that not one word needs to be uttered from your mouth. That's the fight we need to start fighting.
There was a lot of talk about love today. A lot. However, there were some pretty mean, nasty, and hateful words proclaimed as well. It's the American way right? A polarizing event occurs and we debate. It's what we do. It's our right; our freedom. Yet, when Jesus was wronged, He didn't yell slanderous comments. Time and again He showed loved so powerfully that He didn't have to utter a sound and the sinner turned from their ways and followed Him. Never once did He endorse sin but He also never left a sinner who was willing to change. Time and again people's lives were turned around because Jesus loved.
What happened today does not shock Jesus. Just because our world changes does not mean He has. The Bible says, "I am the Lord, and I do not change." Micah 3:6 (NLT) Our duty is not to go on and on spewing our judgmental opinions. Our calling is to pray for our nation, leaders, and the direction of the law. We are called to love everyone: not their sin but them. That means we don't slam them or tell them how wrong or morally impure they are. That doesn't show Christ or win anyone over for the kingdom. And, quite frankly, if I am going to stand before a fellow human being and point out their sins, they can just as easily turn that finger around and point it at me. I sin daily.
One thing I love about days like today is the conversations that occur in my home. I usually go to Scott and get all my crazy thoughts out of my head. He is much smarter, less emotional, and more level headed then me. And then I go to my kids. Tonight was a night we sat around the dinner table and talked about differences. I used to be scared of the world my boys were growing up in. I am not anymore. I left that fear behind because I rest in knowing that He doesn't change. Our world is insane but He is peace. We talked a lot about how people are so very different. We live in a very white, very affluent, very Christian area. That's not reality. I let the boys lead the conversation. We talked about how families eat different foods, how rules aren't the same in every house, that not everyone can hear, people have special needs and robotic arms and legs. We discussed skin color and that we can be peach like us or tan or brown. We talked about how some people don't believe in God and that some families don't have a mommy and daddy that live together. We talked about a lot of things but the predominant theme that weaved it's way in and through our conversation was love: just because others look, act, and are different than you and I does not mean we love them any less. If we are going to show Jesus than we are going to show love.
Our world in all it's chaos is not shocking. My eternity does not rest in where I live or the government that reigns. It resides in my Savior. I do not fear. I am not afraid. I rest in His control. Laws change. People change. Sin happens daily. Read the Bible. It's all in there. What I do fear is that more and more people turn their back on the One who first loved them because of us Christians. That's my fear. I wonder what our laws, our nation, our government would look like if we changed our arguments, debates, and unmitigated case for rightness to love and the desire to walk alongside those who need to see Him more clearly.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)
Love & Blessings,
Meg
I think where things get murky is when we identify our freedoms and our country with our faith. Many see, feel, and believe that America is Christian and being Christian is American. Not true. We will not have to identify our nationality when we enter Heaven. Whether we identify with Christ or not? Yes. But not our nationality? No. Our origin began in God not America. Yes, I vote, wish, and desire a nation that follows Christian morals and standards, but my nationality does not hold my eternity. Christ does. We get so worked up about how our country is becoming so un-Christian that we lose sight of what Christianity is all about.
Our faith is not about our earthly residence. What we do on Earth matters. Where we live does not. What we do with our faith matters. Not where we live and what government we abide by. This does not mean we don't stop fighting for the very things that make us followers of Christ. We pray, vote, and move to show and live the kingdom everyday. We get so caught up in proving our rightness of our faith that we completely lose sight of the thing we were fighting for in the first place: Christ to be seen and felt in such a tremendous way that not one word needs to be uttered from your mouth. That's the fight we need to start fighting.
There was a lot of talk about love today. A lot. However, there were some pretty mean, nasty, and hateful words proclaimed as well. It's the American way right? A polarizing event occurs and we debate. It's what we do. It's our right; our freedom. Yet, when Jesus was wronged, He didn't yell slanderous comments. Time and again He showed loved so powerfully that He didn't have to utter a sound and the sinner turned from their ways and followed Him. Never once did He endorse sin but He also never left a sinner who was willing to change. Time and again people's lives were turned around because Jesus loved.
What happened today does not shock Jesus. Just because our world changes does not mean He has. The Bible says, "I am the Lord, and I do not change." Micah 3:6 (NLT) Our duty is not to go on and on spewing our judgmental opinions. Our calling is to pray for our nation, leaders, and the direction of the law. We are called to love everyone: not their sin but them. That means we don't slam them or tell them how wrong or morally impure they are. That doesn't show Christ or win anyone over for the kingdom. And, quite frankly, if I am going to stand before a fellow human being and point out their sins, they can just as easily turn that finger around and point it at me. I sin daily.
One thing I love about days like today is the conversations that occur in my home. I usually go to Scott and get all my crazy thoughts out of my head. He is much smarter, less emotional, and more level headed then me. And then I go to my kids. Tonight was a night we sat around the dinner table and talked about differences. I used to be scared of the world my boys were growing up in. I am not anymore. I left that fear behind because I rest in knowing that He doesn't change. Our world is insane but He is peace. We talked a lot about how people are so very different. We live in a very white, very affluent, very Christian area. That's not reality. I let the boys lead the conversation. We talked about how families eat different foods, how rules aren't the same in every house, that not everyone can hear, people have special needs and robotic arms and legs. We discussed skin color and that we can be peach like us or tan or brown. We talked about how some people don't believe in God and that some families don't have a mommy and daddy that live together. We talked about a lot of things but the predominant theme that weaved it's way in and through our conversation was love: just because others look, act, and are different than you and I does not mean we love them any less. If we are going to show Jesus than we are going to show love.
Our world in all it's chaos is not shocking. My eternity does not rest in where I live or the government that reigns. It resides in my Savior. I do not fear. I am not afraid. I rest in His control. Laws change. People change. Sin happens daily. Read the Bible. It's all in there. What I do fear is that more and more people turn their back on the One who first loved them because of us Christians. That's my fear. I wonder what our laws, our nation, our government would look like if we changed our arguments, debates, and unmitigated case for rightness to love and the desire to walk alongside those who need to see Him more clearly.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)
Love & Blessings,
Meg
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