I guess I surprised a few people at the Calhoun County Commission Meeting on Thursday evening when I spoke passionately to two of the Commissioners. Perhaps too passionately, although that will be for God to decide. But I felt that I needed, for my own testimony’s sake, to clarify where my passion came from.
It came not from self righteousness.
I hate self righteousness, I’ve been a victim of it and the Lord knows that there is no body “self” righteous. We are all sinners saved by grace and without excuse without the Blood of Jesus to cover our sins. I am a sinner. Saved only by Jesus’ death on the cross. I fail my Lord daily. But I pray to God there is no arrogance in me.
When I proclaimed my frustration at Mr. Hicks and Mr. Helmick’s Christian testimony, I may have been out of line, only God knows. My reasoning wasn’t that I felt I was better than they, it was that these men profess Christianity but they were treating people like heathens. I took offense to that for my community and for my Lord. They spoke down to the community, they were arrogant, rude and inconsiderate of what they’re being paid good money to accomplish things for our community and they’re not doing their jobs. I had watched it for over an hour and my blood was boiling and the flesh got the best of me. As it obviously did Mr. Hicks.
So as I sit down to ponder my own heart I find myself in the book of James:
James 5:11-20 KJV
Count me Happy!
[11] Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
I thank God for His tender mercy. And while I technically only endured them a little over an hour before exploding, I have endured this world for 59 years. Not a record, but it gives me standing as an “elder” int the community I guess.
My happiness does not come from the decisions I make now or the decisions of others. My happiness is solely in the fact that I made a decision to follow Christ in 1996. From that day forward I had a hope that no man could steal. There is coming a day when this world will be gone and a new world will be created by God, fresh and clean and without sin. Glory to God! That makes me so happy. But it also causes my heart angst when dealing with this sinful world in the mean time. Should I care? After all, God’s going to make it anew. Why should I get upset over stupid decisions that will have no effect on the outcome of eternity. Or do they?
Count me Accountable
[12] But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
Everyday I fear my own testimony isn’t enough. When I make a decision that effects other people, does it draw their minds to Christ, or away from Christ? God will not look upon my sins because they’re covered by His Son’s blood. But God will hold me accountable for what I’ve done for the Kingdom. Have I drawn men to God, or driven them away?
It’s a point that many, if not most Christian’s, seldom think on when they’re doing their daily tasks of living. But people who do not know God are watching us. A decision that means very little to us, may cause someone to turn away from God because “we said we were Christians, but we hurt someone.” We are human of course and those things happen but or behavior after we’ve realized it makes all the difference in the world. It’s called repentance.
Count me In!
[13] Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. [14] Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: [15] And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. [16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
I’ve been afflicted, I’ve prayed. I’ve been merry and I’ve sang psalms (hymns). I’ve been sick and the elders have prayed, I’ve done all the things in these verses. Count me in Lord, Count me in! I am Your child which makes me righteous by Your blood. I’ve been the one prayed for and I’ve been the one praying. But I need to be ever mindful that this is a daily renewal of my relationship with the Lord when I do these things. I can’t just do it once and I’m done, we must serve Christ daily. Letting the world see how much we love them and how much we care about the things they care about. Because Christ did when He walked the earth. When the wedding party ran out of wine, He could have said “Get you a glass of water and quit whining.” But He did not. He took care of their current need. Should not we do the same?
Don’t ever Count God Out!
[17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. [19] Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; [20] Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Elias (Elijah) prayed for rain and believed it would. I’m sure there were doubters but Elijah wasn’t one of them. Elijah went on to be with the Lord later on in a Chariot of fire, he could have just as well let the drought go on. But he didn’t, he prayed for rain.
What ever it is that we have going on on earth, don’t think God doesn’t care. Why else would He have created so many amazing things for us to enjoy. We also have to know that the things of this earth are not to be thought of above God. Which is for certain a major issue. Everyone wants God to help, but they have no time for what God wants, which is a relationship with us.
I love my community. A statement I made very loudly at a community meeting. But I care far more about the community that I should be building in Heaven. The one where I show you how to join me there. A place where there will be no more heartache, sorrow, disagreements or ugliness like the world has now.
There’s only one way to live in that world. Accept what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross for you.
He died, to prove that He alone has the power over the grave. Everyone’s life will end. But then what? Where will you be. For that there are two choices. Heaven or Hell. Please, choose Heaven by asking Jesus to come into your heart and control your life.
I love you. So does Jesus. ~ Shari, the Jesus Chick