This is not a political post. My posts will never be political posts. By making that statement, I just lost a few readers. Because, sadly, some of us will only read political posts. Because some of us seem to have lost the Jesus of the Bible for the religion of politics. Think about it. How much time do we spend listening to the "news" or talk radio? How much reposting do we do of anything we read on Facebook that defends our political points of view? Where is Jesus in all of this?
Who are truly our founding fathers? Were they Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln? Or are our founding fathers Moses, David, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, James, and Timothy? In what kingdom do we reside? The kingdom of America, or the Kingdom of God?
Most of you have seen the picture of the young girl holding a gun and a Bible. She was trying to make statement. But I ask you, what statement is she making? Can you remove this girl from the picture in your mind, and then replace her with an image of our Savior? Wouldn't that be an utterly ridiculous image! How will the world know that we are His disciples? Will they know Him by our guns? Have we lost sight of Jesus?
So many of the issues, the "fights" we are fighting, boil down to our "rights" but my Bible teaches me to lay down my rights, to lay down the right to my own life, and to follow Jesus. It is extremely troubling and sad to me that the God being represented to the younger generation is a gun-toting, political fighting, religious Rambo full of hate and judgment. And we wonder why churches are filled with old folks. Where is Jesus?
We fight for the right to pray in school. But my Bible tells me to go in a closet to pray! No one can truly keep me from praying, and from constantly communicating with God. Any student in any school is welcome to take a moment of silence and pray to Him. What are we fighting for? Where is Jesus?
Think about how many people are remembered as a representative of what God is like. There aren't many. But, almost every major city has a street named after Martin Luther King. Why is that? What did this man teach? What was he willing to die for? Was it this Jesus we seem to have lost sight of?
Why do we think we can fight the Muslim religion of guns and hatred with our "bigger, better and 'righter' religion" of guns and hatred? James tells us that religion that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world. Are we keeping ourselves unspotted and uncontaminated when we listen to the voices of the world so much that we can no longer hear the voice of God? Are these other voices drowning out the voice of Jesus?
When people look at us, do they see Jesus? Or do they see "republican" or "democrat"..."right wing" or "liberal"?
My fellow Christians, I ask you: Where is Jesus?
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