This post may be all over the board, because I have a lot of thoughts going thru my head lately. I thought I should get that out there, because when something is really weighing on my mind, my "ADD" goes into overdrive.
I am quickly getting fed up with Facebook(this coming from a Facebook junkie). And I think there have been a time or two or the last several months where I felt this way too. Those moments are coming closer together now(and I contemplating deactivating it at least temporarily). For me, personally, Facebook is becoming one of those devilish things that is keeping me from having a closer relationship with God because I allow certain things from it to control me. This in despite of the fact that I also think it can be largely used for ministry when you count in the fact that you can reach a lot of people thru your Facebook statuses. They don't necessarily do the things, but they still see it and sometimes you can lead others by example.
With that being said, as probably everybody knows, there has been a lot of hype lately in the media(tv, Facebook, etc.) about Chick-Fil-A announcing their stand on gay marriages. It's no secret, considering the fact that I choose the Biblical approach to this, what my feelings on gay marriage is. It's the same for abortion, rape, murder, theft, insert sin here-you get the picture. I don't agree with any of it and from the Book that I read, neither does God. And before I go any further, some of this will be my opinion and I don't expect everybody to have the same opinion as I do. I do, however, believe that we all have rights to our own opinions and beliefs. It is America and that is what we are suppose to stand for as America. Also, in the Biblical sense, God knows there will be varying beliefs, opinions, etc. otherwise, we wouldn't have a Heaven or Hell. We wouldn't have the choice to live a Christian life and have a home in Heaven in the end. Matthew 7:21, "Not ever one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." KJV So yes, there are different opinions about a ton of different issues. I choose to take the Biblical approach to all these issues. I have been shocked at people and their stances on moral issues lately, because to be honest, with certain people, you just don't expect it. Sometimes people take you by surprise. But, I will say this, we are suppose to love everybody. James 2:8-9, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." KJV Did Jesus love everybody? Of course He did, but He also told people where they were wrong and asked them to turn from their ways. I think, as Christians, we forget to love as Christ loved. We don't have to agree with people's lifestyle to still love them. I don't agree to the fact that some people are drug addicts or alcoholics or curse like a sailor, but I still love them. Sin is a sin is a sin. Whether it be murder, gossip, or judging. I don't struggle with murder, but I do struggle with gossip and judging people. I am just as wrong for those things as I would be if I murdered someone. Sadly, some of those sins are harder to overcome than others. Something I thought about today-when I was in the grocery store, I spoke to several people by saying hi or I hoped that they had a good day. I don't know these people and I don't know the lifestyle that they keep, but I was still nice to them. Can't you imagine that is what Jesus was like? I would imagine that as He was traveling around that he greeted everyone with love. He still preached and taught to not sin and tried to get people to turn from their ways, but he still loved. On the other end, if we ever have children, I want them to know that I don't condone sin of any kind, but also make them understand that we do make mistakes. I also want to teach our children to love, but I also want to keep our children away from sin as much as possible. And I don't care what sin it is, we don't want our children to grow up thinking it's okay to curse, judge, murder, steal, drink, do drugs, to be homosexual, again insert sin here. Again, we choose to live our lives by the Bible. You don't want your children around drug addicts because you don't want them to think it's okay to be a drug addict, right? There is no difference to me as a Christian about which sin children are around. I hope that people still love me even though I am a Christian and I am of the Church of Christ faith. Sometimes you really do have to agree to disagree and Romans 12:18, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Atheist and agnostics don't agree with my Christianity and I don't agree with their way of thinking. Again, if I meet them in the grocery store, I don't know their beliefs and I still speak in a friendly and Christian manner. I choose to mostly associate myself with Christian people because they are who help keep me strong in my faith. I will, however, not turn my back on those that do not lead a Christian life because how else are we suppose to show them God's love, hope and forgiveness.
I am not perfect and I will admit that. I, sadly, fail everyday. Thankfully, I have God's forgiveness.
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." KJV
So to sum it up, everybody sins in one way or another. We didn't escape sin, afterall Eve introduced it to us. We do however have the choice to choose to work hard everyday to stay away from sin. Romans 12:21, "Do not overcome evil but overcome evil with good." NKJV and James 4:7, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." NKJV
I have admitted that I make mistakes and that I do sin. Just because I am Christian doesn't mean I think I am perfect. I will, however, stand up for Chick-Fil-A and their announcement because if you get the right to choose to be homosexual, Chick-Fil-A and Christians get to choose the right to disagree with that lifestyle. I will love you all anyway. I have always favored Chick-Fil-A for their food and loved them even more because they closed on Sundays and took a Christian approach to their business ethics and I will continue to eat there. Because homosexuals are getting more publicity and more freedom of speech shouldn't mean that Christians get to lose theirs. I am taking the Christian stand for anything because I choose to live my life for God and follow the Bible as closely as I know how. I do ask that as Christians, we try to stop being so judgemental about everything. And that is easier said than done because it's human nature to be judgemental- about everything. We should still teach God's word and stand up for what is right and try to lead by example in our daily living. We should still say no to cursing, homosexuality, abortion, murder, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc, but we need to let God decide Heaven or Hell.
This is in no way meant to offend anybody. I didn't set out to make anybody mad and I am not so ignorant to know that not everybody believes the way that I do. I am trying to show that sometimes, myself included, we tend to point out all the wrong in everybody and forget that sometimes if we love like Christ loved, then maybe we will be that shining light for others.
In Him,
The not so perfect Christian
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