Words that Hurt and Words that Heal

     In the past few days, I have received  emails from a company owner wanting to give me something for free.  He indicated that there had been a boycott of his business (I was blissfully unaware until he brought it to my attention) over his statements concerning our current president and those who voted for him.  As he elaborated in his emails, he said he did not mind losing customers who supported the president whom he declared was racist.  My heart sank.  I have purchased from this company through the years and enjoyed their products.  However, as my father used to tell me, business and politics really do not belong together.  If we have beliefs we are free to express them but when name calling and judging come into your business, it is bound to produce negative consequences.  I plan to politely write to this company CEO (since he emailed me) and let him know that I will no longer be purchasing his products.  This is the type of thing happening more and more in our country where people are discriminating against those with whom they disagree.  What ever happened to polite conversation?
     As always, the Bible has something to say about what we as Christians should be doing on a regular basis.  The Scripture comes from Paul's letter to young Pastor Timothy (1 Timothy 2:1-4):
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  In this passage, Paul is encouraging Timothy to remind the church at Ephesus to pray for the lost and those who are in pain.  Furthermore, he includes a call to pray for leaders and those in high positions as well.  Why?  So that the Ephesians and all of us can lead a quiet and peaceful life which is "godly and dignified" in every way.  He also says that this is pleasing in the sight of God.
     At the time of his writing to Timothy, the current ruler of the Roman Empire was none other than Nero.  For those who do not know the name, he was the Caesar (ruler) who burned Christians alive
to light his garden at night or sent them to die in the arena.  His wickedness and cruelty were well known, but Paul called Christians to pray for him and all in authority that they might come to the knowledge of truth.  Certainly Paul and many other believers did not condone or agree with this ruler but they followed the Lord's call to lead a quiet and peaceful life.
     Here is what my study Bible footnote relates concerning this verse regarding leading a "peaceful and quiet life":  "Quiet refers to the absence of external disturbances; 'peaceful' refers to the absence of internal ones.  While it remains uncompromising in its commitments to the truth, the church is not to agitate or disrupt the national life.  When it manifests love and goodness to all and prays passionately for the lost, including rulers, the church may experience a certain amount of religious freedom.  Persecution should only be the result of righteous living, not civil disobedience."  We are called to holy living before our neighbors.
     If we call ourselves by the name of Christian, we cannot ignore parts of the Bible that are sometimes hard to follow through on.  Nevertheless, God calls us to a higher standard and when we obey, it pleases Him.  There have been many leaders in the past with whom I disagreed, but I always prayed for them as Paul prayed for Nero.  Complaining, name calling, and hurling threats do not make for a peaceful and godly life.
    As for the owner of the business, I do not know if he claims to be a Christian, but he will go on my prayer list.  We must all remember that as believers we are ambassadors for Christ.  When we hurl epithets at others, we are really slapping the face of our Savior.  There are times when silence is golden.  My mother used to remind me often that "if I did not have anything nice to say, I should not say anything at all."  Let us be known as reconcilers, peacekeepers and run to God in prayer instead of blasting social media with hurtful things that can damage relationships.  Lord give us all wisdom in what we say, do and think that we might be pleasing in Your sight each day!  Selah!


P.S.  If you would like to know what business this is, please private message me on Facebook and I will let you know.

Before You Judge

     Growing up, I was privileged to work in the school library at C.D. Brillhart Elementary School.  While I tended the books, I also checked out many of the biographies and autobiographies.  I loved reading about people especially the great heroes and heroines of history.  I learned so much that is often overlooked because people are three dimensional not one dimensional.   There is so much below the surface that we do not know about until we investigate more closely.  People are much like icebergs.  We only see a small portion above the surface, but often there is a much larger section below the water.  This is why I was so taken with the documentary "Warriors of Honor" that I discussed in my previous blog.

     On the surface, Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were merely Confederate soldiers defending the South and the issue of slavery.  However, there is so much more to these two men than we could possibly know unless we examine their lives more closely.  I fear that we all jump to conclusions far too quickly, or we allow ourselves to be stirred up by social media or the press.  When this happens, we may join the crowds in pronouncing judgements that are not well informed.
     Unfortunately, this happens in the church of Jesus Christ as well.  Many a good person has left a fellowship because of innuendo, gossip or judgement based only on a one dimensional view of that person.  Pastors and other leaders have also felt the sting of unfounded statements made by members of their church based on incomplete information.  This is why the Lord Jesus Christ told believers in the most important sermon He ever gave (The Sermon on the Mount) that we should be careful not to judge others:  "'Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brothers, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is a log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye'" (Matthew 7:1-5, Reformation Study Bible).
     When looking at this verse, we have to be careful to see what it is not saying.  We should discern between what is evil and what is good. This is what we are to do.   The footnote to the verse in the Bible explains it well:  "Jesus prohibits one kind of judging, but approves a different kind.  Condemning others for their faults or failure to exercise forgiveness; only a gentle and humble criticism that first recognizes one's own greater faults can help.  There is also a necessary discerning kind of judgment that does not condemn but distinguishes unbelief from belief..." (Reformation Study Bible, digital edition, Chap. 7:1-5 footnote).
     If we set ourselves up as the standard of conduct, we have placed ourselves in a very precarious position.  Are we perfect?  Do we have any faults?  According to the Bible, the only standard by which we can measure our lives is the Word of God.  Indeed, this is what Jesus is saying.  Before we can pronounce judgment on another person, we must first examine our own lives.  Then, we can assist a brother or sister in Christ if we see an issue in their life, but we must do so out of love and not condemnation.
     Lately, social media has been infected with poison and hysteria when it comes to national issues and our president.  People are seeing only one dimension as presented by the press or one party or another.  Instead, we need to be discerning and get the whole story.  Name calling, judgmental pronouncements and some of the vile things I see written about our leaders breaks my heart.  As Christians, we must be careful to step back and get the whole picture looking at both sides of the coin thoroughly.  This is true of the church as well.
     Judging others harshly only builds walls, damages relationships, and sets us up in a position that can only be filled by Christ.  He, alone, will judge the world one day.  As believers, we can speak our mind, but we must do so in a God honoring way not with hatred, vile words, or pronouncements of judgment on others.  Let us be fact finders first examining both sides and the history behind a person or position.  Then, we can comment.  However, let love, mercy, grace and forgiveness lead us in our speech because God is hearing and seeing all that we say and do.  One day, we will be held accountable for how we have used our words.  Therefore, let our words be sweet because one day we may have to eat them.  Selah!

Give Thanks IN All Circumstances

     As I was looking at my Facebook page the other day, I saw a link for a historical documentary entitled "Warriors of Honor".  Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were the focus of this movie, and being a history buff, I decided to watch this.  It was the best decision I could have made as I was blessed watching this video.  Both men were Christians and loved the Lord with all their hearts.  Their faith in God played a big role in the way they treated their men during the Civil War and how they conducted themselves in their private lives.  I was so encouraged, and I learned some things I never knew.  So when I turned to my Scripture reading for today, the verse from I Thessalonians fairly leaped out at me.

General Robert E. Lee

   In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church (I Thessalonians 5:16):  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  At first glance, we often think how difficult this is to do.  "Give thanks in all circumstances" can be a sticking point for any one of us especially if we have recently faced illness, loss or hardship.  Yet, upon closer look, we see in this verse an important word "in".  God does not ask us to give thanks "for" our circumstances but to give thanks "in" our circumstances.  Some of the things that happen to us in this life are devastating so it would be hard to be glad about them.  However, since our citizenship is not of this world, we can thank God in the hard places for He is certainly with us.  There were several examples from this documentary that proved this to be true.
     History records that a total of 620,000 men died in the Civil War.  During the battle of Gettysburg, alone, one-fourth of the Union forces and one-third of the Confederate forces were killed.  This was a mighty blow to the forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee.  Following this battle, Lee called for a day of fasting and prayer.  Every man observed this and spent time reading the Bible, praying and fasting.  As a result, nearly 15,000 men repented of their sins and gave their lives to Christ.  I had never heard this before either in my history classes or in books I had read about the Civil War.  15,000 souls were saved as a result of a day of fasting and prayer following a huge defeat.
Despite the circumstances, General Lee felt the call to put God first.
     Stonewall Jackson also found a way to give thanks to God in all circumstances as well.  In Virginia, his home state, it was illegal to teach African American slaves to read or write.  However, after services in his Lexington Presbyterian Church, Jackson offered a "special" Sunday school class for the African American slaves where he taught them how to read and write.  He was deeply concerned for their souls and shared the Gospel with them at every occasion.  Once again, I was surprised as I learned this for I had never heard this before.  General Jackson was breaking the law, but he felt it was important to teach these precious souls to be able to read the Bible for themselves.  Following the war, many of these freed slaves went on to lead successful lives as a result of his tutoring.
     Circumstances can change in a heartbeat, but we can remain steady if our first priority is giving thanks to God in all things....not necessarily for what is happening but for what He will accomplish in our lives.  History is really "His" story as is evident from watching this documentary which I commend to you.  God uses all things to work together for His good and glory.  Let us remember this when we are faced with difficult circumstances and give Him the thanks for His provision.  Selah!


P.S.  The movie "Warriors of Honor" can be watched through Amazon Prime (if you are a member) for free.  It is definitely worth the time to see this.