Watch out folks! I am posting again....and it hasn't even been a year yet. lol!
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
I know that people who know me well might say I am bold....or at the very least not afraid to say what is on my mind. Well that is true for the most part. However when it comes to "hot topics" I try to be nice and not step on toes. I don't want anyone to be mad at me or "unfriend me on Facebook" for having a different view or opinion. Yeah I worry about stuff like that. I don't want anyone to think I am being mean. I try to be mindful of who might hear or read what I am saying.
Question though...how does it make me mean to say I am a Christian...or that I love Jesus? Shwoo that was the easy one. What about that I am pro-life? That I want to protect those unborn little ones. Getting a little deeper here. Eeks! Okay how about the fact that I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. Oh mercy! I am already anxious and I haven't even hit publish yet. I will not vote for Obama in November. Oh my stars! I am really hanging it out there now. How does that make me mean? Or judgemental? Or close minded? None of these make me a "hater".
Better yet...why would someone not like me because of that? I have many people that I run into in daily life. I would never be mean to anyone based on their views. I always try to be nice and offer a smile. I don't dislike people that don't agree with me or feel the way I do about my relationship with Christ or my political views. Everyone has a right to choose their own view on life...to choose their own path. I don't think you should dislike me for mine...I don't dislike you for yours.
I have mentioned my personal views regarding Christianity and politics together because they co-exist for me. My values and my faith guide me in politics. It would make no sense for me to vote for a person that is pro-choice...because I am not.
I am sorry if anyone has ever wronged you in the name of Jesus. I truly am. For instance the group out of Kentucky that picket soldiers funerals. Yeah I am a firm believer that God is going to have a talk with that woman....and Lord help her...it ain't gonna be pretty. ;)
I am not afraid...but I am guilty of wanting to be liked. I am a Christian. I am not perfect....not even close.
Bold - a Christian perspective
With the hope of Jesus Christ to look to, why wouldn't Christians live bold and courageous lives in God's service? With sin and death defeated, there is nothing left to fear. From www.biblegateway.com.
2 comments:
Denise,
I appreciate your "boldness" and stepping outside your comfort zone. I think all of us struggle with the same issues to some degree, at least I know I do. Sometimes the fear of not being liked or accepted because of how we truly feel is more scary than just being authentic and who we really are. Sort of like closing that "gap" that Pastor Bruce talked about last Sunday. Now more than ever, social and political issues are putting people at odds with each other and stirring up some very personal and sometimes heated debates. As Christians, the very rock and foundation of our lives is the complete anthesis of what is acceptable in modern society today. Just remember this: 1 John 4:4-6 - "...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood." If we hold ourselves to the standard that God requires of us, to love others regardless of who they are and what they have done, and they choose not to like us for what we stand for, then that is all that we can do. Jesus said we would suffer persecution, and that is a bitter pill to swallow, especially when sometimes you just want everyone to get along and sing Kumbaya! In the meantime, continue to speak the truth in love and be bold! ;-)
~ Iva
Very well said Denise.
Post a Comment