Zechariah 7:8-10
Then this message came to Zechariah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Andrew Solomon, author of Far From the Tree, recently interviewed Peter Lanza for a piece in The New Yorker magazine. Lanza is the father of Adam Lanza, the shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Far From the Tree is a book about children who are different from their parents...and how these parents cope with their children and the challenges they present. In some cases, the children became criminals - like Adam Lanza.
Andrew Solomon noted that Peter Lanza has (understandably) struggled with what happened at Newtown, where Adam also killed his mother (Lanza's ex-wife Nancy) before killing himself. Lanza has made the comment that he now wishes that Adam had never been born...and he apparently claims that he doesn't mourn Adam's death.
I am trying to understand this…to put myself in the shoes of Peter Lanza. There are reports that parents of some of Adam Lanza’s victims have approached Peter and told him that they forgive Adam…but Peter apparently cannot accept this compassion and mercy. And again, I think I can somewhat understand those feelings. Peter Lanza must surely feel incredibly guilty - and ask himself daily what could have been done to prevent this horrific event. Adam Lanza suffered from Asperger’s syndrome – a form of autism – and may have also been schizophrenic. I don’t say this to excuse his heinous crimes…but I do propose that his parents might have done everything humanly possible to keep Adam and everyone else safe – and still, this happened. Some things are simply beyond our control.
I think what struck me about this story – and this scripture passage from Zechariah – is that we must learn not to question things so much…or maybe we are asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking “Why, LORD?” or “Why me?”…let’s ask, “What are You doing with this?” Let’s look at how God can use all circumstances in our lives for HIS purposes…and let’s operate with fairness, mercy and kindness in every situation. Instead of asking God why He allowed a man or woman to die and leave a spouse, let’s ask, “What can I do for the widows in my church or community? How can I help them?” Instead of shaking our heads and wagging our tongues about orphans and foster children and their plight, let’s roll up our sleeves and ask, “What needs to be done for these children?” Let’s discover how God can use these innocents to enrich OUR lives as we minister to them.
Rather than be so upset about “foreigners” and the poor among us…let’s work on how to help them. What if we asked God to show us how we are supposed to respond and react toward these people for HIS glory, rather than gripe and grumble about their presence…and make things even worse for them?! Suppose we got busy asking the right questions and learning about others and their needs…then worked to find solutions and ways to truly help.
Instead of trying to figure out how to get even with others…or how to outsmart “the system”…suppose we worked together with love, compassion, grace, mercy and forgiveness – and found real, viable solutions and ways to share Jesus’ love with others. Understand that I am NOT saying we shouldn’t look for ways to keep guns out of the hands of children and others who might use them for evil. I do not mean to imply that we should turn and look the other way…and just “let the chips fall” – or excuse true laziness or an illegal or immoral act. But I do believe we must quit trying to wish away unpleasant or difficult people and circumstances - and face them head-on…“with the full armor of God”.
Jesus never shied away from anyone or any situation. In Jesus Christ, we find the perfect demonstration of how to conduct our own lives…and how to serve Him in the process. We have work to do! It’s time to get up and get going…to be about the business of loving others in Jesus’ name and sharing His Good News. Are you awake and alert? Is your heart filled with compassion, grace, mercy and forgiveness through Jesus? Are you really ready for the work of serving others? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label blaming our enemies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blaming our enemies. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 28, 2013
Mark 9:38-41
John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn’t one of us, and we told him to stop.”
Jesus said to his disciples: Don’t stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. Anyone who isn’t against us is for us. And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“You’re either with us or against us!” I bet you’ve heard this adage more than once. Many politicians have used this phrase – or some form of it – to illustrate that we cannot accept support from our enemies and continue to declare that they are our adversaries. In the words of former President George W. Bush as he addressed Congress in 2001, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed similar sentiments that same year…”Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price.” Few would find it difficult to argue with these statements.
But Christians seem to take this concept to a whole other level at times. Many tend to believe that those who support another political party…accept people who practice alternative lifestyles…and those who embrace people of all races, creeds, and colors are at the very least “less Christian” than they are. How do we miss the mark so badly? How do we figure that feeding starving, disease-ridden children in a foreign nation – or in our own backyard – somehow endorses and encourages bad politics? How can we justify belittling those whose skin is not the same color as ours? How in the world can we look Jesus in the eye and say we serve Him while we shun and humiliate anyone we consider to be different from us in any way? How can we claim to follow Jesus’ commands to love one another… then behave in such an unloving manner?
Jesus is telling us in this passage that true Christian discipleship has no room for “us” versus “them.” This is not a social “club” where some are in and some are out. Just because another believer’s politics, lifestyle, skin color - or even their broad view of scripture and discipleship - is different from yours doesn’t emphatically mean they are less a Christian than you!
Each Sunday morning as our pastor offers corporate prayer during worship, he asks God to bless and care for our President, his cabinet, and all world leaders. This is scriptural… we are to respect and obey our leaders (Romans 13:1). Still, I am certain there are more than a few who dislike this prayer… those who would declare our pastor “not one of us” and would like for him to stop. Some have probably even ceased to attend worship because of this. Our pastor’s obedience to scripture may be unpopular with some, but it does not negate his Christian witness.
By the same token, I have read posts on Facebook from “friends” who claim to be Christian disciples… yet they take advantage of this public forum to spew political venom… to call names… to share jokes and cartoons about those whose opinions and lifestyles differ from theirs… to ridicule and berate other races, and more. They may very well have moments when they truly serve Jesus well and lead others to Him… but in this case, they negate it all with these ungodly actions.
Do you see where I’m headed? We are passing judgment at every turn… and it’s not ours to pass. We are so hung up on our own agendas… on people conforming to our own ways of thinking… that we have totally taken the focus off of Jesus. Many of us are so busy pushing our opinions, principles and politics on others that we don’t even see Jesus any more. Quite frankly, this thing of “us versus them” is really more of “us” instead of Jesus! We’ve totally taken Him out of the equation. Oh, we claim we haven’t, but this is exactly what we have done! If you read the next few verses of Mark 9, Jesus is very clear about what will happen if we do anything to steer another in the wrong direction… if we cause them to sin in any way. By “drawing lines in the sand” in our daily living – and making these lines abundantly clear to others – we could very well be paving the way for others to sin.
So where do you need to take a long hard look at your life? Where have you “drawn lines in the sand” and created a “club” where a chosen few are allowed to participate? Where have you chosen to alienate those who would dare to behave differently – or worse yet… to disagree with you?! How have your actions set the stage for others to sin? How are you actively representing the name of Jesus Christ and bringing others into a relationship with Him?
It’s all about choices. Jesus’ own words say “anyone who isn’t against us is for us.” Where do you stand? How have you chosen, if even inadvertently? Is it time for you to re-tool your Christian discipleship? Is it time for you to change your mind? Isn’t this the perfect day to get started?
©2013 Debbie Robus
John said, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn’t one of us, and we told him to stop.”
Jesus said to his disciples: Don’t stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. Anyone who isn’t against us is for us. And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“You’re either with us or against us!” I bet you’ve heard this adage more than once. Many politicians have used this phrase – or some form of it – to illustrate that we cannot accept support from our enemies and continue to declare that they are our adversaries. In the words of former President George W. Bush as he addressed Congress in 2001, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed similar sentiments that same year…”Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price.” Few would find it difficult to argue with these statements.
But Christians seem to take this concept to a whole other level at times. Many tend to believe that those who support another political party…accept people who practice alternative lifestyles…and those who embrace people of all races, creeds, and colors are at the very least “less Christian” than they are. How do we miss the mark so badly? How do we figure that feeding starving, disease-ridden children in a foreign nation – or in our own backyard – somehow endorses and encourages bad politics? How can we justify belittling those whose skin is not the same color as ours? How in the world can we look Jesus in the eye and say we serve Him while we shun and humiliate anyone we consider to be different from us in any way? How can we claim to follow Jesus’ commands to love one another… then behave in such an unloving manner?
Jesus is telling us in this passage that true Christian discipleship has no room for “us” versus “them.” This is not a social “club” where some are in and some are out. Just because another believer’s politics, lifestyle, skin color - or even their broad view of scripture and discipleship - is different from yours doesn’t emphatically mean they are less a Christian than you!
Each Sunday morning as our pastor offers corporate prayer during worship, he asks God to bless and care for our President, his cabinet, and all world leaders. This is scriptural… we are to respect and obey our leaders (Romans 13:1). Still, I am certain there are more than a few who dislike this prayer… those who would declare our pastor “not one of us” and would like for him to stop. Some have probably even ceased to attend worship because of this. Our pastor’s obedience to scripture may be unpopular with some, but it does not negate his Christian witness.
By the same token, I have read posts on Facebook from “friends” who claim to be Christian disciples… yet they take advantage of this public forum to spew political venom… to call names… to share jokes and cartoons about those whose opinions and lifestyles differ from theirs… to ridicule and berate other races, and more. They may very well have moments when they truly serve Jesus well and lead others to Him… but in this case, they negate it all with these ungodly actions.
Do you see where I’m headed? We are passing judgment at every turn… and it’s not ours to pass. We are so hung up on our own agendas… on people conforming to our own ways of thinking… that we have totally taken the focus off of Jesus. Many of us are so busy pushing our opinions, principles and politics on others that we don’t even see Jesus any more. Quite frankly, this thing of “us versus them” is really more of “us” instead of Jesus! We’ve totally taken Him out of the equation. Oh, we claim we haven’t, but this is exactly what we have done! If you read the next few verses of Mark 9, Jesus is very clear about what will happen if we do anything to steer another in the wrong direction… if we cause them to sin in any way. By “drawing lines in the sand” in our daily living – and making these lines abundantly clear to others – we could very well be paving the way for others to sin.
So where do you need to take a long hard look at your life? Where have you “drawn lines in the sand” and created a “club” where a chosen few are allowed to participate? Where have you chosen to alienate those who would dare to behave differently – or worse yet… to disagree with you?! How have your actions set the stage for others to sin? How are you actively representing the name of Jesus Christ and bringing others into a relationship with Him?
It’s all about choices. Jesus’ own words say “anyone who isn’t against us is for us.” Where do you stand? How have you chosen, if even inadvertently? Is it time for you to re-tool your Christian discipleship? Is it time for you to change your mind? Isn’t this the perfect day to get started?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for March 28, 2013
March 28 ~ Psalm 25:19-21
Do you see how many people
Have it in for me?
How viciously they hate me?
Keep watch over me and keep me out of trouble;
Don’t let me down when I run to you.
Use all your skill to put me together;
I wait to see your finished product.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Nearly all of us have written a term paper at some point. If you were taught as I was, you began with an outline. You thought of the things you wanted to include… and you made notes and lists of the points you planned to cover. Honestly, for a while, the whole thing may have looked like quite a jumble of confusion. You might have even said, “The devil is having fun here… this paper is a mess!” But over time, things came together, and what seemed unconquerable at the outset became something you were proud to present to your instructor… or at least relieved to have finished!
A couple of months ago, I was not paying close attention as I cut the sleeves off a ladies knit shirt to make pants for my niece, Zola. I realized that I had cut the fabric in a way that I had two right legs – or was it two left legs?! At any rate, the outcome was not going to be a wearable pair of pants! I was in trouble. I felt I had wasted a really cute shirt, and naturally I blamed the devil for distracting me and causing me to cut the material incorrectly! But I was determined not to let him win. You can call me silly, but I began to pray… “LORD, what can I do with this? How can I take these pieces and create something useful – and cute – from them?” (I really do pray over mundane things like how to salvage a thrift-store shirt!)
I began to move the pieces of fabric around. “What if I used this piece this way?” I would ask myself. “Suppose I turned those mismatched ‘pant legs’ into sleeves?” And soon, everything was coming together to create a darling dress and matching accessories… all of which looked adorable on Zola and was one of her mother’s favorite outfits to date! God used all of His skill to help me use my skills to pull together a wonderful finished product.
So often, we throw up our hands and say, “So-and-so is out to get me,” or “I can’t win for losing… the odds are just not in my favor.” What we fail to recognize is how God has our back... if only we will keep our chin up and do what He expects. If we will continue to take the high road… if we will stay focused and maintain a positive attitude… if we will trust Him for an outcome… God will put us together into an incredible finished product!
I firmly believe this. I have full confidence that God can make lemonade from “lemons” like us! I am quite certain that operating with integrity brings about positive results…and amazing finished products! You can let the devil and his agents have their way in your life… or you can choose to live for God - and trust His outcomes. It’s totally your call… what do you say?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Do you see how many people
Have it in for me?
How viciously they hate me?
Keep watch over me and keep me out of trouble;
Don’t let me down when I run to you.
Use all your skill to put me together;
I wait to see your finished product.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Nearly all of us have written a term paper at some point. If you were taught as I was, you began with an outline. You thought of the things you wanted to include… and you made notes and lists of the points you planned to cover. Honestly, for a while, the whole thing may have looked like quite a jumble of confusion. You might have even said, “The devil is having fun here… this paper is a mess!” But over time, things came together, and what seemed unconquerable at the outset became something you were proud to present to your instructor… or at least relieved to have finished!
A couple of months ago, I was not paying close attention as I cut the sleeves off a ladies knit shirt to make pants for my niece, Zola. I realized that I had cut the fabric in a way that I had two right legs – or was it two left legs?! At any rate, the outcome was not going to be a wearable pair of pants! I was in trouble. I felt I had wasted a really cute shirt, and naturally I blamed the devil for distracting me and causing me to cut the material incorrectly! But I was determined not to let him win. You can call me silly, but I began to pray… “LORD, what can I do with this? How can I take these pieces and create something useful – and cute – from them?” (I really do pray over mundane things like how to salvage a thrift-store shirt!)
I began to move the pieces of fabric around. “What if I used this piece this way?” I would ask myself. “Suppose I turned those mismatched ‘pant legs’ into sleeves?” And soon, everything was coming together to create a darling dress and matching accessories… all of which looked adorable on Zola and was one of her mother’s favorite outfits to date! God used all of His skill to help me use my skills to pull together a wonderful finished product.
So often, we throw up our hands and say, “So-and-so is out to get me,” or “I can’t win for losing… the odds are just not in my favor.” What we fail to recognize is how God has our back... if only we will keep our chin up and do what He expects. If we will continue to take the high road… if we will stay focused and maintain a positive attitude… if we will trust Him for an outcome… God will put us together into an incredible finished product!
I firmly believe this. I have full confidence that God can make lemonade from “lemons” like us! I am quite certain that operating with integrity brings about positive results…and amazing finished products! You can let the devil and his agents have their way in your life… or you can choose to live for God - and trust His outcomes. It’s totally your call… what do you say?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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