Set Your Sights On Things Above
We so quickly get our eyes off God. Let's get back into
perspective.
perspective.
Guest Post Time! This article is written by Richard Chamblee (if you noticed the common last name, yes, he's my husband.) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently stated, when referring to his efforts on gun control and his nanny-state limits on obesity and smoking, “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.” He said this with a grin. This is the guy who legislated how big soft drinks could be in the city, and doesn't trust the law-abiding members of the populace to responsibly control their own guns. The criminals who threaten that populace by ignoring laws anyway are not in the purview of this discussion, but the criminalization of that populace by freedom-stealing laws is. This brings several points to mind concerning living in freedom down here, and entrance to heaven afterwards. 1) "For by grace(undeserved merit) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift(grace) of God: not of works(man's efforts), lest any man should boast(Bragging)." Ephesians 2:8-9 The Bible teaches that we get to heaven based on a gift from God that we do not deserve. We cannot work our way into heaven. Mayor Bloomberg's statement is framed as a hypothetical based on the existence of God; but the crux of God's statement in His Word is that we cannot earn it, so we cannot end up bragging about it when we get to heaven. "Look what I did to earn my way here!" This attitude is antithetical to salvation, as we have to admit we do not deserve it, before we can obtain salvation. 2) Mayor Bloomberg is notorious for living the maxim "Laws for thee, but not for me". His carbon footprint, if you care about such things, is enormous, but he thinks he has earned the favor of God by telling his constituents that buying a few more ounces of soda in one purchase is bad. Jesus blasted the self-righteous religious leaders of his day for doing the exact same thing. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe(10%) of mint and anise and cumin(spices), and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith(matters of freedom): these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Matthew 23:23 Jesus, God in the flesh, Who lived down here with us for 33.5 years, found that the hypocritical Pharisees needlessly burdened the people(took their freedoms?) by making up too many laws. What He did not do was blast and condemn sinners like the woman caught in the very act of adultery. The difference was her ATTITUDE of repentance. Take note, Mayor. 3) God, who spoke the universe into existence, has the authority and power to make us all robots to do His will. Many is the non-believer that asks the question, "How can God allow evil in the world?" The answer is free will. God can make us, but He chooses to allow us to choose to love Him, and follow Him. I much prefer when my children CHOOSE to jump up in my lap and say, "I love you, Daddy!" (Even my 19 year-old) It is just not the same when I order them to do it. It seems God's approach to freedom, i.e, free will, is to allow us to choose between right and wrong. God gave authority to human government to punish evil-doers(those who harm others), but I just do not see, Mayor, where that authority exists from Him that allows you to decide you won't let me make my own meal choices. That approach does not seem very divine, if you aspire to that standard. 4) I have been around someone when they say something distinctly ungodly, or casually mention some sin they are currently engaged in. They then realize my background(trained to be a preacher), and they look sheepish, and apologize. I do my best to not be self-righteous(enough sins of my own to be ashamed about), but I try to gently explain how sin offends God far more than it does me. His holiness will not let Him ignore sin, as we all have to pay a price for sinning, but He will not put us in some sort of supernatural tractor beam that will hold us immobile, preventing us from sinning against Him. He loves us enough to allow us to offend him with our sin, to allow Jesus to pay for that sin on the cross, and to allow us the time to realize the wonderful gift that the cross and the resurrection provide for us. Mr. Mayor, perhaps you should realize that there are some things that are in the realm of the spiritual, and God's responsibility, rather than that of the government. 5) "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" Habakkuk 1:13
Since you claim to be in God's league, and will not even be stopped at the gate of heaven for an ID check, how can you make criminals out of law abiding citizens for HAVING guns to protect themselves, and comparatively ignore those who are USING guns to "devour" those around them? You talk much about gun control, but seem to hold your tongue about those who destroy lives with their guns for their own personal gain. 6) So what does the application of God's Word to this situation teach us to do? a) Live and let live. It is not up to the government to legislate things that do not harm anyone else b) Lessons in humility are good for us humans. It keeps us from thinking that what we decide must be what God thinks. c) Legislating to PROTECT freedom, not to LIMIT freedom, is the responsibility of government, and, by extension, government officials like the Mayor. d) Forcing others to do something to right a small wrong, while ignoring a huge wrong, is backwards thinking. e) We should focus our efforts on the real wrong doers, instead of making criminals by fiat, due to a new law. We should do something EFFECTIVE, not do ANYTHING so we can claim to be solving the problem. I will not be the judge of whether or not the Mayor gets into heaven. I cannot know what is in his heart, anymore than he knows what is in mine or anybody else's. But the Bible does say, "By their fruits you shall know them." We can judge people's actions, albeit by God's standards. God certainly has the authority to tell Mayor Bloomberg what to do; it remains to be seen whether he will do it.
4/9/2014
Blog Hopping Time!I've done blog hops before, but this one is different than any other I've done. Hopefully if you read this, you'll also go to the person who began it all for me (well, this entire blog hop at least) ----> Author Lisa Crane <----click that - it's a link to her blog. K, thanks! Hope you enjoyed her post - now you can read mine, right?
What am I working on? I'm working right now on the sequel to a book I never promised there'd be a sequel for. Apparently for me, that means I'll have all sorts of ideas for sequels. On the other hand, if I promise a sequel, that very well may mean my mind will go blank on anything possibly resembling a second book. I'm actually really enjoying writing it, and while it's short, I hope to develop it well enough to create something other people will enjoy reading as well. How does my work differ from others in its genre? My main genre is Christian fiction. Its difference? I try to write lots of banter between my characters - make them be real people. My characters are people who usually want to do right, but sometimes fail. I don't know if that's really different from others in my genre, but it is my own take on my writing. Why do I write what I do? I write because I needed an outlet. I needed to be able to let all this out, and when I first began, I realized I couldn't quit. I write the things I do in order to try to bring glory to God. I've seen others say it, but I also believe writing is a talent from God, and He expects me to use it for Him. If I don't, I'm not really obeying him, or managing what He's given me responsibly. By writing for His glory I give back to Him, in a small way, for all the things He's done for me. I can't ever pay Him back, and to try would be to insult Him - but I can give Him my all when He asks, and manage His talents in me as best as I can. How does my writing process work? My writing process is evolving. My first book was an idea with no outline, until I put it on paper. I just wrote until the story ended. Since then, I've outlined, used 3x5 notecards, and plotted stories out extensively beforehand. I've found I need just a little bit of white noise in the background for me to write. I've also found that I have a ton of things I need to do for my family each day, so I try to write at night after everyone else is in bed. Sometimes I'm able to get up early enough to also write a few paragraphs in the morning, though my best, most uncluttered time seems to be in the middle of the night. Well, with those burning questions answered for you, I encourage you to read on to the next person in this lovely blog hop. I promise you that links to these lovely authors will be coming quite shortly. Click here ---->Terri Bright<---- Click here too ---->Kelly Hagen<----
4/2/2014
The Holy GrailI recently read an article about a group of historians claiming to have found what is known as the ‘holy grail,’ the cup said to have been used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. Whether they’ve found the cup or not, I don’t know. Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn’t. But it made me think. What difference would it really make if that were the actual cup Jesus used? Does anyone really think it holds some sort of magical power because Jesus touched it? I suppose there might be some who believe because Jesus drank from it, at such a powerful moment, that the cup itself might holds some sort of special meaning. I do think that for the most part people pursue the Holy Grail because it’s cool. It would be really great to have something – anything – that we knew for a fact Jesus had touched and used. Such a cup would hold great sentimental value, certainly; and if found, it could even become an object of devotion for some. Thing is, it’s a cup, that’s all. It physically wouldn’t have been changed by Jesus having used it, and do you know why? Because it’s not alive. This made me think further. When something is alive, THEN we can say that what Jesus touches, Jesus changes. You and I, we’re alive, and we have the potential to be changed by Jesus Christ. Salvation is the first and biggest change that Jesus makes if we allow Him in. Once we are saved, we are truly alive, and Jesus’ task of changing us can really begin. Secondly, Jesus’ touch is not a thing of the past, it is His touch NOW that is special. Jesus’ hand on my life, on your life, his present touch, is what creates a change. The hand of Jesus using you, me, NOW is what makes us noteworthy. It’s what makes us different, charged with Power, if you will. The so-called ‘Holy Grail’ is just a cup. But YOU are a vessel for God of a much different, much more potent sort. You are a living, breathing vessel for God to use. Let Jesus touch your life, and let His changes make your life into something to be u sed for Him, something so special that the world seeks it out as something precious. You be the Holy Grail – the vessel in your world being used by Jesus to serve Him. |
AuthorI'm Sherry Chamblee, aspiring author of Christian fiction, mom of six, wife to a cool dude, and caregiver to his granny. Besides that, I am just little old me - it's just a phrase, I'm not really old, honest. Check out my new release!
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