Wednesday, November 7, 2018

November 7 Thought for the day...senseless and stretching


Senseless shootings are just that, senseless! When they happen in a house of worship that makes them particularly heinous. It is the world we live in but not an unusual event.

Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 2 Corinthians 11:25

By now you might be saying why do you keep talking about this. I am bringing this up to remind us to live each day with intentionality. I am not fatalistic here, I am one of the most hopeful and hope-filled people I know, We need to understand we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Let's stop wasting time with our little squabbles, disagreements, prejudices, and sin.

My first trip to China we smuggled in some Bibles. I was met in the dark by two men who wept as we gave them their Bibles. When they reached for them, I noticed rope burns on their wrists. They had been hung by their wrist, with them tied behind them for 30 days. The only thing that saved their shoulders was their feet were tied just right to keep their shoulders from dislocating. If they wanted to eat they were fed their own feces, to drink, their own urine. Their crime, being a Christian in Communist China. Two or three days after their release they were meeting me to get more Bibles. Their love of God was amazing. China has dramatically changed since those days, but things like this and worse happen every day to believers around the world. November is persecuted Christian month, and we need to remember what faith in Christ costs many around the world.

Paul was "beaten with rods." Three times they bound him with ropes, strung him upside down then beat the bottoms of his feet severely to brokeness. The devil had hoped Paul would give up, so he attacked his means of transportation, his feet. Three times Paul got right back up and kept on walking. Rather than give up, Paul knew the resurrection power of Christ, and he quite literally walked in it knowing that God would bring him through anything. Why do we allow little offenses to hurt our relationships? Why do we give up so easily when the flesh or the devil causes some frustration? Paul's heartbeat more for God's plan then these "minor inconveniences!"

In this world, we will have troubles; we will battle physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual battles. God has already won every battle for us. If you really believe, if you have a real vision of God's divine plan, don't allow anything or anyone to steal that from you. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus has come to give us abundant life. The life we live in America is really unusual in light of Christian history. Pennsylvania was founded as a state to harbor those who suffered from persecution because they were true Christians. Allow the Lord to stretch your view of your faith. God wants to bless his children, always but we must always keep our eyes on Him, not our circumstances.

You might be thinking what does the photo have to do with the topic? Nothing, the topic was so intense I thought I might give you something peaceful to look at to take the edge off a bit!

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