For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. —John 11:53 When I travel, people often will ask me what I do for a living. Quite honestly, I don’t like to tell them up front because it can put up a wall. Some people become angry when I tell them I’m a pastor. I’m a representative of God to them, so they take their anger at Him out on me. “Let me ask you a few questions,” they say. Then they fire off their list: “Why does God do this?” “Why doesn’t God do that?” “What about this?” “What about that?” There are people today who hate Jesus Christ and everything He stands for. They despise His teachings. And if you proclaim those teachings or try to live by them, you’re categorized as a narrow-minded fanatic and as insensitive and hateful. It’s another way of saying, “If you don’t believe in what I believe, if you don’t believe we can make up the rules as we go, if you believe there are absolutes, right and wrong, good and evil, then I don’t like what you believe. And I’ll oppose you.” Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18–19). I accept the fact that I’m a representative of God. I’m not ashamed of it. And if you’re a Christian, then you are a representative of God too. We don’t want to be hated by people, of course. But because we’re representatives of Christ, that will bother people. If you follow Jesus Christ and His teachings and stand up for what you believe, then people will hate you.

[buckwheatpaul]

rl69 very valid points....we are all suppose to witness and bring the WORD to others.....it is difficult thing to do as well as a daunting task but it is worth the journey! I was in jail ministry for a while and I can only think of one time that we made a difference. The majority go to Jail Bible Study for one reason...to get out of the cell....and they leave Jesus at the jail door when they get released....but the one person we helped is like the Bible story about the shepherd leaving the flock to find the one lost sheep....it was worth it! Thanks for your daily lesson.....Paul

[GhostHawk]

People forget that people have free will. If someone does something they know they should not. Like driving while under the influence and causes an accident that takes part or all of a family away before their time. People blame God. When they should first not blame, as blame fixes nothing, solves nothing.

So how is God supposed to fix that?

Bad things happen to everyone. When it happens to someone less than good many call it justice, he/she had it coming. When it happens to a Saint people are angry.
Especially if they knew and cared for that person.

Good one RL thanks for getting me started off right.

[Blackwater]

As usual, Christ gave us the best advice we could ever have, and He did it in such a way that if we WANT to understand, we can. He always kept things pretty simple. Even then, many people prefer their "more nuanced" positions than the always great advice Christ left for us to go by.

And it's true, if you DO have the Love of Christ in your heart, and speak as He bade us to, you'll offend or run off a lot of people today. Some will hate you and disparage you and your beliefs and your willingness to state them clearly and without apology. But that's what we KNOW darn well we're supposed to do. Many would rather be "liked" (at least on a superficial social level, which is all many really care about) than do what Christ has commanded and advised us to do. Those people we really WANT to please, do you really think they truly CARE about us? If we died, would they mourn or maybe say something like, "Well, I never liked that old religious nut windbag anyway!" Christ DOES care about us ENOUGH to tell us straight up, what it is that we ought to do, and ought to WANT to do. But instead, many care more about people who don't really care about them. They just want to "fit in."

What a foolish creature we humans are! Caring more about people who really don't care about us MIGHT think, and turning our backs and our hearts from the one Entity that loves us more than we can even really imagine!

It's said, "Only the strong survive." There's a lot of truth in that when it's applied to our Faith, too! I wonder if we'll ever get to the point where we realize, and act on that?