God's Sovereignty

I'm reading a book on missionaries who changed the world. In it I found a quote about the authority of Christ that pierced me to the heart. It was spoken by John Piper in a sermon in 1983. It really puts a heavenly perspective on our half-hearted attempts at obedience.

"Here is our witness to the world: The risen Christ is your king and has absolute, unlimited authority over your life. If you do not bow and worship him and trust him and obey him, you commit high treason against Christ the king, who is God over all. The resurrection is God's open declaration that he lays claim on every person and tribe and tongue and nation... 'all authority on earth is mine.' Your sex life is his to rule; your business is his to rule; your career is his to rule; your home is his; your children are his, your vacation is his, your body is his; He is God! So if you resist his claim, feel no admiration for his infinite power and authority, and turn finally to seek satisfaction from thrills that allow you to be your own master, then you will be executed for treason in the last day. Your life of indifference to the risen Christ and of half-hearted attention now and then to a few of his commandments will appear on that day as supremely blameworthy and infinitely foolish, and you will... weep that you did not change." ("Worship the Risen Christ", 4-3-83)

Grace

For the past couple of weeks I have been often reminded of how blessed I am to be the recipient of Christ’s grace. Grace is one of the greatest spiritual blessings unique to the Christian era. It’s not as if God did not show his grace in the Old Testament, He did, just look at David’s sin and God’s response. But in the OT, God’s interaction with His followers usually focused on obedience, i.e. The Mosaic Covenant, Ten Commandments. In the Christian age comes an emphasis on Grace. John emphasizes this in Chapter 1 of his gospel. 16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. So many times in Jesus’ ministry we see Him pouring out this grace on the sinful and guilty of His time: the adulterous woman, the prostitute who washed His feet, Zaccheus the crooked tax collector, the Samaritan woman, the Gadarene demoniac. Jesus loved sinners. The kind of people you and I usually shun, ignore or castigate. He loved to show them grace, and that grace was not contingent upon a changed life, it was just grace. I’m so grateful He still loves sinners. He still pours grace upon sinful people like me. I’m so unworthy. Jesus no longer walks the streets of Jerusalem and Galilee. We can’t see him physically in New York, Dallas, Port Neches or in any place for that matter. He’s present, no doubt, but He needs us to be his hands and feet. He shows His grace through you and through me today. Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give." How can you be a channel of God’s grace this week?

Human Trafficking

There are 27 million slaves in the world today. More than in the 250 years leading up to the Civil War. They are of all nations, backgrounds, gender and age. This tragedy happens right under our noses and we hardly know anything about it. It happens worldwide including and especially in the United States. A common trap happens like this: A group of Indians is promised transportation, a job, and the opportunity for citizenship in America. They sign up promising to work to pay off their debt for this service. They are brought to America, forced to work for far less than minimum wage, forced to live in sub-standard dormitories, and forced to pay for these ‘privileges’ out of their paltry wages. The example I’m referring to happened in Tulsa, OK and the workers worked for an Oklahoma based oil industry parts manufacturer. You can read this story and others like it at slaverymap.org.

Many times the slaves are used for labor, but usually they become sex slaves. Girls and sometimes boys, of all ages fall victim to this tragedy. But the victims are usually young girls, as young as 7 and 8. A good overview of the issue can be read at www.worldmag.com/articles/15011. However, if you really want a full exposure to this injustice then check out the movie: Call And Response (callandresponse.com). It’s a documentary, non-Christian, about human trafficking worldwide. Fair warning: its rated R for a reason, so be prepared to be offended by what you see and hear.

Most people, upon hearing about such a difficult issue, feel helpless to do anything about it other than give a few bucks here and there. No doubt money helps the organizations that fight trafficking, but here are a few other suggestions of action: Contact your representatives, state and federal, and tell them to support anti-human trafficking legislation. There’s some working its way through the Texas legislature right now. You can also log on to Shared Hope International (sharedhope.org) for great information and action opportunities. Another great website I highly recommend is chainstorereaction.com. This website lets you send an email to various companies and request a pledge from them to use slave-free labor worldwide. It’s amazingly easy. The email is written for you. You just pick the company, type your name and email and hit send.

Human trafficking is a worldwide tragedy. A modern-day abolitionist movement is growing to confront it. Its composed of secular as well as Christian activists. If non-Christians are motivated to fight this issue, why not Christians? Jesus loves these children. I hope you’ll join in.

Obama and Terror

President Obama had very little to say about terrorism in his speech to congress this week. Granted the issue most on people's minds is the economy and he spent his time addressing that, I still am disturbed terrorism didn't rank at all. It appears the reason for this is because Obama views the terror problem as being a law enforcement issue rather than a war. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke before the house Homeland Security Committee and also failed to mention the War on Terror, Al Qaida, or terrorism at all until asked. A glaring absence considering her position was CREATED because of a failure to prevent a terror attack. The Obama Administration has taken a different approach to terrorism, it is now a matter of justice and no longer a matter of war. It is now a matter to be won in courts, and is no longer expected to be won in battle. If such is truly the case in today's world, if the War on Terror no longer exists, then either it never existed or the country and the president owe a tremendous, public debt of gratitude to George W. Bush for eliminating it.

Christian Indeed

In John 1, as Jesus picks his first disciples, He peers in to the soul of some of the men who would become his apostles. In Andrew He saw a man of faith and action. He brought his brother Simon to Jesus. In Simon Jesus saw a man of strength and leadership. Jesus renamed him Peter which means rock. But it is Nathaniel that impresses me. When Jesus saw Nathaniel He said "Behold, and Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit." (1:47b NKJ). The Greek word for 'indeed' means 'true' and 'genuine.' Nathaniel was a true, faithful Israelite, not deceitful and self-serving like the Pharisees and Sadducees. When He first saw Nathaniel, Jesus saw a man who was genuine, true to his faith, and Israelite indeed. The kind of man Christianity would need. It makes me wonder, what kind of man does Jesus see when he looks at me? What does he see in you? A Christian? Or a Christian indeed? A person who is whole-heartedly, genuinely, deeply faithful to their Christianity? Lets strive to be a 'Christian indeed!'

Intro to me

I don't know exactly why I'm starting a blog. Certainly to honor God, but also to dialogue with others, perhaps encourage some in their spiritual walk, and generally to just express myself. I have deep political opinions of which I am rarely shy about expressing. I feel a strong grief over Christians who are half-hearted and careless in their faith; weak believers to whom God is little more than a lucky charm on their bracelet. I feel heavy empathy for the hurting, grieving, and brokenhearted in this world. I hurt for those this relentless world has bruised and crushed. My desire is to be a source of hope and help to them. I love laughter. I have an extremely dry humor which I love to express. But most of all my passion is for God's Word. I love to delve into its pages and gather new insights and inspiration, many of which I hope to express in this blog. I try to be brief but meaningful; opinionated but fair; gentle yet pointed. Thanks for reading, may God's richest blessings be yours.