All God’s Children

God’s Children,

Hello friends,

During this presidential campaign (longest in history it seems), I have heard several of my fellow Christians make the statement ” I don’t know if America is ready for a black president”. Friends who have made this statement I have always considered to be non-prejudiced people, and for the most part, I dont believe they even realize what it is that they are saying.

Christians should not differentiate people by the color of their skin. I live in the desert southwest, and dealing with illegal aliens (undocumented workers) is an everyday part of life. I will go to a convenience store in the morning to get coffee on the way to work, and the store will be packed with them, as there is a lot of construction going on in the area, and they mostly work construction.

I have always been against illegal immigration, and so I was always annoyed by the number of illegal immigrants I deal with in a common day. There are times I have probably given them a look, my annoyance clearly showing on my face. But, when I look at them through Gods eyes, they look different. When I realize that God loves them as much as he loves me, My heart softens. When I think that most of them have daughters or sons that they love just as much as I love Brooke, Lauren, Ivy and Kennady, My heart softens. When I think about How most of them have wives or husbands at home that they love as much as I love Stacia, My heart softens. But most of the time I don’t take the time to see them as fellow souls, I am too busy trying to get my coffee w/Hazelnut and get out.

I still believe we need to protect our borders, but an issue such as illegal immigration should not make it okay for us to dehumanize anyone that Christ died trying to save. Back to my original issue, I am conservative, and always will be, but, The fact that Barack Hussein O’Bama is black has nothing to do whatsoever with whether I would vote for him. It is his politics that keep me from choosing him, but I will assure you, if I agreed with his politics, I would vote for him in a second without regard to the color of his skin. What is the point of this post, It is time for us as Christians to stand out among the crowd, and for the world to see that we are different than everyone else, That Christ lives in us. The way we do that is actually simple, show love for everyone. Reject feelings of superiority and show kindness, the second greatest commandment. I am praying that God will help me to see others through his eyes, it really does make a difference.

God Bless you

JFT

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Christians Call to Action

Hello, this is my first blog post, ever, so please bear with me. My daughters and son in law are champion bloggers, and I am quite certain I will never reach their level of expertise. I would like to cause you, my fellow brothers and sisters to think on a few items, and if what I write causes you to be convicted in the way I have been, Praise God.

Since the beginning of time, very little growth has happened among Gods people when they were steeped in prosperity. At a time when we are fortunate enough to have many resources, do we put them to work for the Lord, or do we get addicted to the “things” in life. People stand in line for two days to be the first to get a Phone, Ipod, Wii, laptops, etc. All of those items if not controlled can become an obstacle between God and us, but that is not the main point of this writing.

The main point of this writing is this, never in time has the Church grown so much as when its members suffered. When Christians  suffer Christs church grows. We are sitting on many years of prosperity now, and I feel as though many of us in the brotherhood of Christ have gotten lazy on our laurels and forgotten what it is to to do Gods work. I feel as though all of that is about to change, our economy is a very hard one and is showing signs that it will not soon get better. People are losing their houses, their cars, and finding themselves with no place to go. Do we have an obligation to these people? Well, lets discuss a few things, and then you tell me. Here where I live, the housing market slump has been severe. many forclosures. So, if we have been responsible with our finances, is it not easy to judge others. Have you heard phrases like this? “They were in way over their head”, “they were investers” “They really brought the neighborhood down They had no class”, these are all things said by Christians. It really is easy to judge others when you have not yet begun to lose. here is a scripture suited to this subject. 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

In order to see the heart of God, let us first look at the Bible’s greatest commandment. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, wow, that is powerful, lets see what his second greatest commandment is.’ Love your neighbor as yourself.’

As Christians, we are part of a great community, that community exists between future inhabitants of the kingdom, and is not defined by the congregation you choose to worship at. As such, we need to answer the call of need of those brothers and sisters who are struggling, as did the examples on the first century church. If someone has a need, and you have the opportunity to help, with shelter, or money, do not hesitate. But pour out the blessings on your fellow believer that has been blessed upon you.  When you look at your brother, whether homeless and sad, look at them with love and equality. We are all closer to sleeping under a bridge than we think.

May God Bless and keep you all

Jim

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