Praying for Peace

I wanted to write a "touching story" today. A Maggie story or a farm life story. I long for a dose of fun, easy brain candy. Today, however, is not one of those days. I promise I will write something fun this week, so please don't abandon me.

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As I was pondering what to write this morning, I decided to check the news, just in case something immense had happened.

Something immense has happened. 

France has launched fresh airstrikes against ISIS in retaliation for the Paris attacks and acknowledged that they are at war. Russia has launched airstrikes against ISIS in retaliation for the bomb that brought down their Russian airliner. Israel has called for Arab nations to join with them to defeat ISIS. The Pentagon is calling for a "global coalition" to defeat ISIS. 

It has started. 

I fear that World War III, though yet unacknowledged, has begun. 

This enemy must be defeated, but I am frightened by how the coming months and years will go. I've read Ernie Pyle's book, Brave Men. This daring war correspondent climbed into foxholes with our soldiers, ate the rations they ate, slept on the ground as they slept, went unwashed as our soldiers did. He experienced war first-hand and described the conditions of war in clear terms. It's horrible. 

I'm not sure we, in this country, understand war enough to fear it. Those who have had war in their streets, occupation forces in their cities, bombs falling on their homes understand war in a deep way, and they fear it. They run from it. 

This time, ISIS has vowed to bring war to our streets, occupation forces to our cities, destruction to our homes. When they are finished, we, too, will understand war and evil enough to fear it at the core of our being.

Since ISIS took over Fallujah in January 2014, their progress has been relentless. Their gains have been immense. I reviewed the timeline of WWII this morning, as well as a timeline of ISIS activity. The similarities between the rise of the Nazi's and the rise of ISIS are frighteningly similar, as is the pull into world war. 

If you haven't reviewed those facts lately, I encourage you to do so. My intent is not to create fear but to create an understand of the immense need for repentance, humility, and prayer.

God is still in control.  

He was in control before ISIS was formed. He will still be in control after ISIS has been annihilated.

Is there nothing we can do to protect ourselves? Yes. There's plenty we can do, and no political platform is required. Here's three steps you and I, from the comfort of our homes, can take to help end the tyranny.

There is great freedom in truth, so seek it. 

In fact, it was Jesus who said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (Of course, He was speaking of the truth of the gospel, but there is freedom in truth. John 8:32) I encourage you to learn the truth about current political events. Don't go to "opinion" blogs or news sites. Search for unbiased truth and unvarnished facts.  

There is great power in repentance and prayer, so do it. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 offers a promise for those who will sacrifice to obtain forgiveness and healing. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

There is great protection in righteousness, so hunger and thirst for it. 

Psalm 9:9-10 promises a stronghold for those who put their trust in God. "The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."

There is no need to fear, for God is still in control, but there is a need to act with humility, repentance, and prayer.

Today, let us pray for ourselves, to be the kind of disciples Christ intended us to be, to be the salt and light that adds the flavor of Christ and brings the light of His Spirit into a dark and perishing world. 

Pray for us as a nation and for our world. Pray that the reign of the evil one will come to an end. Pray that, as a nation, we will seek God's face, his forgiveness, his healing and, in so doing, lead the world in repentance and healing.

Pray for peace.
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Photo courtesy of freeimages.com
In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Loss of Power, Grateful Heart: Veterans, Grateful Heart: Laughter and Grateful Heart: Worldwide Kindness,  Remembering Paris,  Persevering for Paris, and Resisting Evil.

The most viewed post of the last week was Remembering Paris
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#Prayers4Peace #ISIS #disciple #JesusChrist #saltandlight

Unfaithful Servant: Salt and Light and Logs and Motes

But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 45-48 NASB

We began our study of the unfaithful servant yesterday. If you missed it, I hope you'll follow the link (it opens in a new tab) and read it.

I expected to write today about the slave who knew his master's will and didn't do it. In a way, that's exactly what I'm writing about. In a way, I'm writing about the unfaithful servant who beats the other people. I hesitate, because I'm as guilty as anyone else of seeing motes in others' eyes while ignoring the log in my own, but this is a subject that has bothered me for months. It's so loud in my head that it must be written. 

We are talking today about the WORDS we choose to use. 

My life is chock-full of words because my days are spent writing and editing, correcting the wrong words and making them right. I was focused on words long before I started writing full-time, though. In my growing up years, my mother must have told me a thousand times, "You don't have to say everything that comes into your mind." (Well, maybe not those exact words, but that's what she meant.) I understand the importance of words and the difficulty with choosing good ones.

It has taken me a lifetime to get a filter on my mouth, and I'm the first one to say I'm not perfect with it, despite my effort. With that said, here we go.

Jesus called me (us) to be salt and light. He did not call me to rub a handful of salt into a wound.

I am called to be the amount of saltiness that adds flavor to food, not the amount that makes it impossible to swallow.  If my words spew forth and are filled with venom (in the name of "truth"), I am not adding flavor to the world around me. I am making my faith impossible to swallow.

I am to be light, but the warm light of a lamp that draws people in the darkness to Christ. I am not called to be a spotlight boring into the eyes of the unbeliever to the point that they are blinded by the glare. I am called to be a lamp, not a laser. 

I recently drove to a meeting late in the evening. When I rounded a curve, the sun was shining directly into my eyes. It was so bright that I was temporarily blinded and had to stop lest I run into a fence that was directly ahead of me. Progress toward the goal was completely halted by the glare. It didn't draw me to my destination. It prevented me from moving toward it.

As a disciple of Christ, I am called to obey the Word of God and to live righteously. I am called to share the Good News of a risen Savior with those who don't know Him. Christ died for me while I was a sinner, and He died for those who are also still sinners (which I am, t00).

How can people obey Christ if they do not know Him? Why would I expect the world to obey Him? Yes, Jonah preached a hard word to Nineveh and the people repented. His very effective prophetic proclamation was made only after a radical life-changing encounter with the Most High God had left him visibly changed. 

 If I want to be a modern-day Jonah to the world around me, I need to begin by having a life-altering encounter with God that leaves me so changed that all can see it.  I also need to remember the kind of message Jonah gave. He didn't spew venom. Not once did he say, "Your sin makes me sick." Jonah simply stated the truth. "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."

When I attack the world for acting like the world, but do not address the sin in my own life, in my own church, I appear not only hypocritical (which I am) but also foolish.

Can't I see the log in my own eye? 

Every mote looks like a log when it's in someone else's eye. Seeing a mote in someone else's eye does not mean I am without a log or two in my own eye.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am dedicated to truth, but I need to understand and live with all the truth. 

It is past time for the body of Christ to allow our Lord to clean the sin out of our own lives, out of our own churches. 

It is past time to let go of self-righteousness and see that we, like the world, are sinners in need of a redeeming, cleansing, forgiving Savior.

When I say "we", I include myself in that "we". Christ died for me while I was a sinner. He loves me even though I am still a sinner. His Spirit convicts me, presses me when I persist in sin, and draws me back to my Lord when I stray. 

For today, let's ask God to create in us clean hearts and clean mouths, to remove the venom and give us words that honor Him. (Yes, I'm praying that same thing.) Let's pray that the words of our mouths would be acceptable in His sight. 

Let's be the lamp, the flavor-enhancer He's called us to be, demonstrating Christ to the world in a way that is both filled with truth and also irresistible. 

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Our Father, forgive us for "log disease". Help us to see ourselves, our hearts, our words as You see them. Infuse us with the light of Your love and help us to shine in such a way that those who live in darkness are drawn to the light. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Tomorrow's topic is Christ and the constitution. I'm dreading it.

#disciple #JesusChrist #actlikewebelive #getthelogout