what a great question! i rarely ask this question before anything i do; i just pray please help me with this. of course praying is the same as asking these questions, because GOD and JESUS are our true guidance in all things; they are the same. i have been searching deeper into faith since starting this blog in august. i have begun a journey that i can never turn back from, because GOD so wants us to share CHRIST's words from the new covenant (new testament), no matter what our fears or insecurities may be. i will be judged by GOD on these posts.
over the last few days i have had to admit some great failures on my part as a christian and come to terms with those actions. i find that am judging harshly on many things and individuals in this journey and i am not doing very well at "taming my tongue." this is the devil trying to stop me from sharing scripture. i will be judged very harshly for this, with absolutely no wiggle room. I only pray that when I bow on my knees before HIM at the gates of heaven that i will be showed just a speck of GRACE.
one of my great passions is to study history. one of my favorite topics is the individuals and events of the 1960's generation. my children and i had lunch with my father and stepmother yesterday and i decided to ask my dad about this since he comes from this generation. i wanted to know what had happened during that time that had shaped their views that we are currently seeing in our politics. he told me some very interesting facts that i had never thought about before. one thing though in particular hit home and i realized at that moment that i may have misjudged my father's faith.
i am a daughter of a military man, a dentist who only works primarily with our veterans, and a great student of history. my father is very passionate about what he believes. he can be radical at some times, but he said something to me during our conversation that i had never discussed with him before and my jaw almost hit the floor. he said that one of the the greatest tragedies of his generation was not just the vietnam war, but also the death of dr. martin luther king jr.
my father believes that if the reverend had not be shot he would have been one of the greatest leaders in this country today. that dr. king's faith and teachings of the scriptures would have brought us a nation much more united as one nation under GOD. i will need to go back and read more about dr. king. if you have never read his speech "i have a dream" i really encourage you to do so.
this also made me think about malcolm x and his faith; islam. malcolm x was one of the most radical islamists of our time, and he was an american. he preached about by any means necessary; including violence to bring down the white man and those that did not follow his faith.
both men were strong in their faith, both men had very different views on how they were to solve the issue of civil rights in this country. one believed in violence and the other didn't. in my opinion rev. king chose the right path.
what one of our greatest constitutional freedoms is the 1st amendment; we are allowed to worship GOD freely without judgement no matter what our religion is. we have been forced into one our greatest trials yet and that is being tolerate and non-judgemental of islam (only GOD can judge the practices of this religion).
my question is how would JESUS do this? would he go to the front lines with a gun in hand and kill as many as he could including innocents, or would HE try to teach them the words of GOD? would he do both? i don't have an answer to this question, so if you do please share, but please back up with scripture alone. we are going to have educate ourselves in the quran and bury ourselves in scripture, because we are ignorant on how we can fight this. our men and women are doing this physically in the middle east daily. we owe them this, just as much as we owe GOD this because he gave is only SON for us. don't let your hatred of the attack on 9/11 base your decisions alone.
i have posted the scripture from my post two days ago and i finding it fitting to this post, but i also encourage you to read all of the new testament.
"love must be sincere, hate what is evil; cling to what is good. be devoted to one another in brotherly love. honor one another above yourselves. never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving in the LORD. be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. share with GOD's people who are in need. practice hospitality. bless those that who persecute you; bless and do not curse. rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. live in the harmony with one another. do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. do not be conceited. do not repay evil for evil. be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for GOD's wrath, for it is written: it is MINE to avenge; i will repay, says the LORD. on the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. do not overcome evil by evil, but overcome evil with good." romans 12:9-21
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