Cross Wall Hangings and more.. (Part 2)

 

Hello Friends. I am so sorry that I did not get here yesterday for the second part of these posts. It turned out that not only did I have company but wasn't feeling all that well. So I sincerely apologize.

However, today I am back to normal and want to conclude what I started the other day on the various items in our homes that have to do somewhat with our faith.

Below is the article I found on gotquestions.org and then I will tell you what I have decided about the items I have in my home.

When God first gave His Law to mankind, He began with a statement of who He is: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2) with a warning that Israel was to have no other God but Him. He immediately followed that by forbidding the making of any image of anything “in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4) for the purpose of worshiping or bowing down to it. The fascinating thing about the history of the Jewish people is that they disobeyed this commandment more than any other. Again and again, they made idols to represent gods and worshiped them; beginning with the creation of the golden calf during the very time God was writing out the Ten Commandments for Moses (Exodus 32)! Idol worship not only drew the Israelites away from the true and living God, it led to all manner of other sins including temple prostitution, orgies, and even the sacrifice of children.

Of course, simply having a picture of Jesus hanging in a home or church does not mean people are practicing idolatry. It is possible that a portrait of Jesus or a crucifix can become an object of worship, in which case the worshiper is at fault. But there is nothing in the New Testament that would specifically forbid a Christian from having a picture of Jesus. Such an image could well be a reminder to pray, to refocus on the Lord, or to follow in Christ’s footsteps. But believers should know that the Lord cannot be reduced to a two-dimensional image and that prayer or adoration is not to be offered to a picture. A picture will never be a complete image of God or accurately display His glory, and should never be a substitute for how we view God or deepen our knowledge of Him. And, of course, even the most beautiful representation of Jesus Christ is nothing more than one artist’s conception of what the Lord looked like.

As it is, we don’t know what Jesus looked like. If the details of His physical appearance were important for us to know, Matthew, Peter, and John would certainly have given us an accurate description, as would Jesus’ own brothers, James and Jude. Yet these New Testament writers offer no details about Jesus’ physical attributes. We are left to our imaginations.

We certainly don’t need a picture to display the nature of our Lord and Savior. We have only to look at His creation, as we are reminded in Psalm 19:1–2: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” In addition, our very existence as the redeemed of the Lord, sanctified and made righteous by His blood shed on the cross, should have Him always before us.

The Bible, the very Word of God, is also filled with non-physical descriptions of Christ that capture our imaginations and thrill our souls. He is the light of the world (John 1:5); the bread of life (John 6:32–33); the living water that quenches the thirst of our souls (John 4:14); the high priest who intercedes for us with the Father (Hebrews 2:17); the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 14); the spotless Lamb of God (Revelation 13:8); the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2); the way, the truth, the life (John 14:6); and the very image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Such a Savior is more beautiful to us than any piece of paper hanging on the wall.

In her book Gold Cord, missionary Amy Carmichael tells of Preena, a young Indian girl who became a Christian and lived in Miss Carmichael’s orphanage. Preena had never seen a picture of Jesus; instead, Miss Carmichael prayed for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to each of the girls, “for who but the Divine can show the Divine?” One day, Preena was sent a package from abroad. She opened it eagerly and pulled out a picture of Jesus. Preena innocently asked who it was, and when she was told that it was Jesus, she burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Why are you crying?” Little Preena’s reply says it all: “I thought He was far more beautiful than that” (page 151).

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I have decided that I will not be taking down the crosses or pictures of Jesus that are on my walls. Nor will I get rid of my cross-jewelry pieces.
I agree with this teaching above. By having them, I do not practice idolatry. And I believe that would be sin, if I did.  They are not gods to me. I fully understand that pictures of Jesus are not really him. I do not pray to that picture. 
The little girl in the last paragraph there had it right.
Jesus is far more beautiful to me than any picture someone can paint or draw. 
However, I do know that there have been Catholics in my family that have carried a crucifix and think somehow that is going to save them from whatever. A cousin once told me I needed to apply oil to my doors after a rebellious teen had been in my home for a time and had left. But it is my belief that this isn't necessary because that is what Jesus came for. So that the Old Testament of applying blood to the doors could be done away with when Jesus gave His blood for us.
Do I still pray for that girl? You batcha. She came from a very destructive and sad family life. 
But the need for oil on the doors of our homes for me is unneccsary.
That being said, if you believe differently, that is between you and God. 
At any rate, these are the conclusions I have come to in my life and you may feel differently. I am just here to discuss them. We are free in Jesus for such things.
The most important question of all, of course is
Do you know Jesus?
Because that is the one that will either put us on the path to heaven or the path to hell. 
Thanks for coming today, Friends.

God bless!

Thou Shall Not...

 

 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Deuteronomy 5: 7-8

My daughter gave me a cross wall hanging a month or so ago. And the other day, I finally decided to hang it on my bedroom wall. 

But as I picked it up, I looked at the pretty flowers on it, and inscribed in the center of it, it reads Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good.

It just sort of it hit me. The cross that Christ died on had no flowers. It was not pretty. It was an ugly symbol of sin that Jesus had taken on to pay for us and the wicked ways that without it, we would not have a way to be redeemed by the Father.

I have in my living room a picture of Jesus that my son bought me years ago on a trip with his school. 

And I also have a cross that a friend had made out of shells which she then sold to make some extra money for her family.

That next verse in Deuteronomy says this:

8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

And I wondered, should we even hang these kinds of things in our homes? 

How about cross jewelry? Is wearing that wrong? Because I have some cross pieces that although I don't wear much jewelry now, I have in years past.

It's really not that I think the picture of Jesus is really Him. I know its not. And its not like I worship or pray to any of these objects.

But I have to tell you that it has left me a bit unsettling. And so, I have gone on a quest to see what others might say about these things.

There are varying opinions, of course. I think we should be careful not to use these items as a god, nor should we pray for them. 

I think the best answer to this comes from gotquestions.org. And in tomorrow's post, I am going to tell you what they say about it.

Of course, you may go there yourself as well. And in fact, I encourage you to do so. However, if you would like to know more about this subject, please come to my post tomorrow. 

Thanks for coming by. May God grant you the peace that passes all understanding. God bless.

 

Righteous Anger (Part 3)

 

Last evening, I watched a message preached by one of my favorite YouTube pastors, Justin Peters. He had spoke on the murder of Charles Kirk. And it was very clear how angry he was about it.

It was the same kind of anger that I felt after I had learned who Charles Kirk had been.

It wasn't an anger of revenge as some seek after a horrific event has occurred.

But it was anger. Righteous anger. 

Anger at the injustice of it. Of the audacity of it. 

Who gives a man the right to take the life of an innocent man that was trying to make things better? Who was concerned not only for the people but especially the young people in this country.

He wasn't trying to push his beliefs on anyone. He was simply trying to get the message out that things can be better. He had hopes that people would accept what he was trying to say. But he didn't try to make you believe what he did.

And as we have seen over the past few days, many did. Many loved him. And many are angered that he was stolen from us.

I started out yesterday addressing what questions.org has to say about what the Bible says about anger. I am giving you the rest of that now

What Does the Bible Say About Anger?

(source: gotquestions.org)

We can handle anger biblically by communicating to solve the problem. There are four basic rules of communication shared in Ephesians 4:15, 25-32:

1) Be honest and speak (Ephesians 4:15, 25). People cannot read our minds. We must speak the truth in love.

2) Stay current (Ephesians 4:26-27). We must not allow what is bothering us to build up until we lose control. It is important to deal with what is bothering us before it reaches critical mass.

3) Attack the problem, not the person (Ephesians 4:29, 31). Along this line, we must remember the importance of keeping the volume of our voices low (Proverbs 15:1).

4) Act, don’t react (Ephesians 4:31-32). Because of our fallen nature, our first impulse is often a sinful one (v. 31). The time spent in “counting to ten” should be used to reflect upon the godly way to respond (v. 32) and to remind ourselves how the energy anger provides should be used to solve problems and not create bigger ones.

At times we can handle anger preemptively by putting up stricter boundaries. We are told to be discerning (1 Corinthians 2:15-16; Matthew 10:16). We need not "cast our pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6). Sometimes our anger leads us to recognize that certain people are unsafe for us. We can still forgive them, but we may choose not to re-enter the relationship.

Finally, we must act to solve our part of the problem (Romans 12:18). We cannot control how others act or respond, but we can make the changes that need to be made on our part. Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight. But through prayer, Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, ungodly anger can be overcome. We may have allowed anger to become entrenched in our lives by habitual practice, but we can also practice responding correctly until that, too, becomes a habit and God is glorified in our response.

(Note: for more info on this study, go to gotquestions.org)\

It's true. We cannot control other people in how they react or respond to things. 

We can try to tell others how we believe. But we should never use violence in order to make someone do something we want them to. And I do not believe hounding people with our beliefs is right to do either. That just tends to turn them away from us.

Or use it to scare people.

And it seems that what the killer in this case was trying to do.

Was his murder a professional hit?

I don't know. And that may or may come out in the days ahead.

But whatever it was, it was evil.

And at the same time, it wasn't as successful as some people had hoped for.

Because in the end, tbe intended outcome isn't up to any human being on this earth.

It is up to God.

Because He has already and will continue to work it for our good.

So yes, there were many that felt the righteousness anger about it.

But we also don't seek revenge.

We have a more powerful weapon in our arsenal.

One of love and hope.

And God.

And of prayer for those that commited this murder. 

And I believe that Charles Kirk himself would be happy about that as he waits in heaven for his family to join him there. 

Thanks for coming by Friends.

May peace be with you today and always.

God Bless

Righteous Anger (Part 2)

Generally, I am not an angry person. It takes a lot to get my dander up. I don't use or even think cuss words in my mind, either while angry or when not. And if you asked my kids if I am an angry person, they would tell you that when they were growing up, if I ever used the words DAMN IT, at them, they knew then I was angry. It was a rare phrase for me.

But the day we learned of Charlie's death and how it had transpired, yes that day I was angry.

Not because I knew him. Actually, I really didn't know much about him. Not until he was murdered and I began to learn from those people I follow on YouTube that had known him. That had followed him. That had been influenced by his life during the short years he had lived. That had loved him.

And I believed that kind of anger I had that day, is what is called "righteous anger." So I looked that up on gotquestions.org to see what it is. I had known from the Bible that even Jesus had gotten angry when he overturned the tables in the temple and called it a "den of thieves' because of what was going on there.

Now I am not Jesus. But I wanted to be sure of what I was feeling that day because I know that I might have needed to repent if it wasn't. 

On gotquestions.org they have quite a bit on the issue of anger. I am going to repost it in two parts so as not to give us too much at one time. Sometimes in my own studies I do have to divide what I am learning up because my brain needs time to process it that way-in parts. 

And so this is today's post on it:

What does the Bible say about anger?

Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees, with anger. Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger.

Anger is not always sin. There is a type of anger of which the Bible approves, often called “righteous indignation.” God is angry (Psalm 7:11; Mark 3:5), and it is acceptable for believers to be angry (Ephesians 4:26). Two Greek words in the New Testament are translated as “anger.” One means “passion, energy” and the other means “agitated, boiling.” Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended to help us solve problems. Examples of biblical anger include David’s being upset over hearing Nathan the prophet sharing an injustice (2 Samuel 12) and Jesus’ anger over how some of the Jews had defiled worship at God’s temple in Jerusalem (John 2:13-18). Notice that neither of these examples of anger involved self-defense, but a defense of others or of a principle.

That being said, it is important to recognize that anger at an injustice inflicted against oneself is also appropriate. Anger has been said to be a warning flag—it alerts us to those times when others are attempting to or have violated our boundaries. God cares for each individual. Sadly, we do not always stand up for one another, meaning that sometimes we must stand up for ourselves. This is especially important when considering the anger that victims often feel. Victims of abuse, violent crime, or the like have been violated in some way. Often while experiencing the trauma, they do not experience anger. Later, in working through the trauma, anger will emerge. For a victim to reach a place of true health and forgiveness, he or she must first accept the trauma for what it was. In order to fully accept that an act was unjust, one must sometimes experience anger. Because of the complexities of trauma recovery, this anger is often not short-lived, particularly for victims of abuse. Victims should process through their anger and come to a place of acceptance, even forgiveness. This is often a long journey. As God heals the victim, the victim’s emotions, including anger, will follow. Allowing the process to occur does not mean the person is living in sin.

Anger can become sinful when it is motivated by pride (James 1:20), when it is unproductive and thus distorts God’s purposes (1 Corinthians 10:31), or when anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27). One obvious sign that anger has turned to sin is when, instead of attacking the problem at hand, we attack the wrongdoer. Ephesians 4:15-19 says we are to speak the truth in love and use our words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words to pour from our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common characteristic of fallen man (Romans 3:13-14). Anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over without restraint, resulting in a scenario in which hurt is multiplied (Proverbs 29:11), leaving devastation in its wake. Often, the consequences of out-of-control anger are irreparable. Anger also becomes sin when the angry one refuses to be pacified, holds a grudge, or keeps it all inside (Ephesians 4:26-27). This can cause depression and irritability over little things, which are often unrelated to the underlying problem.

We can handle anger biblically by recognizing and admitting our prideful anger and/or our wrong handling of anger as sin (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This confession should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger. We should not minimize the sin by excusing it or blame-shifting.

We can handle anger biblically by seeing God in the trial. This is especially important when people have done something to offend us. James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28-29, and Genesis 50:20 all point to the fact that God is sovereign over every circumstance and person that crosses our path. Nothing happens to us that He does not cause or allow. Though God does allow bad things to happen, He is always faithful to redeem them for the good of His people. God is a good God (Psalm 145:8, 9, 17). Reflecting on this truth until it moves from our heads to our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us.

We can handle anger biblically by making room for God’s wrath. This is especially important in cases of injustice, when “evil” men abuse “innocent” people. Genesis 50:19 and Romans 12:19 both tell us to not play God. God is righteous and just, and we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to act justly (Genesis 18:25).

We can handle anger biblically by returning good for evil (Genesis 50:21; Romans 12:21). This is key to converting our anger into love. As our actions flow from our hearts, so also our hearts can be altered by our actions (Matthew 5:43-48). That is, we can change our feelings toward another by changing how we choose to act toward that person.

(source: gotquestions.org)

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My anger that day was directed, as I said yesterday, towards the evil that had been done to a man of faith. A man that was trying to make things better for our country. For a family that had lost their father and husband.

For a country where evil is rampant. 

Where people can't have their own beliefs without criticism or worse yet, violence. 

Where people laughed at a man that had passed away and had called him decisive. 

Where a young man just barely into his adult years, decided that it was worth whatever consequences he had to face in order to take this man from everyone that loved him.

I was and am still angry about the injustice of it.

And I believe that is what is called "righteous anger" for me.

These are the things that made me angry.

But I also believe what Genesis 50:20 says. It reminds us that what the enemy meant for evil, God will bring good.

And He is. 

That young man whose life now hangs in the balance in one way or another may have had his say. But what he did has been made known all over the internet and people are talking about what Charlie Kirk did. How he had lived his life for God, his family, his country and for the scores of college aged people that he influenced for the good. 

He may have taken pleasure that he had shut him up.

But it has made many people resolved to take up his banner.

And as we know, God's Word will never be shut up.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. 

I will repost the rest of what is on questions.org on Monday.

And perhaps answer the question of forgiveness for a man that committed murder.

God bless!

Questions (Part One)

 

What can I say about the murder of Charlie Kirk that you haven't     heard over and over in the last few days?

From the very minute we heard the news, the news has dominated this death of a man so loved by many many people that he had come to be a friend, a mentor, a debater, a family man, and above all it is said, a man of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some are even calling him a martyr.

And so, my own questions are, why did this happen to this man that loved his God, his family and his country.

Well, thankfully, the man that murdered him was caught. 

Why had he given up his young life of freedom to fight against Charlie Kirk?

Or was it more than just the man that he was fighting against?

He could even get the death penalty for it. So that is even a worse sentence that will take him to the pits of hell for eternity if he has not been forgiven by God, at the time he passes.

I don't know about you, but at hearing that he had been shot, my first reaction was anger. 

Anger against something that the devil himself put in his mind t do.

Anger at the man, that did it.

Anger that our society has made it ok for people to lash out at those whose opinions differ from their own, believe that certain groups have the right to eliminate those they oppose.

Left or right of the aisle? It doesn't matter.

Our constitution guarantees that we are all made in God's image.

That we are all equal.

But are we really?

Why are there are so many that feel they have a right to tell everyone else what is right or wrong for them?

Why is murder becoming so the norm these days?
Things are getting worse out there friends.

People no longer feel safe to be out in their own neighborhoods.

On the other hand, the Bible does teach forgiveness.

Can we really do that in this case?

Should this man that took a dad from his family be executed? 

Along with all the others that loved him?

What does the Bible say about all of this?

Tomorrow, my post is going to be about that subject.

Anger and forgiveness.

When is forgiveness appropriate?

We know that forgiveness is because Jesus taught that it is. 

But when is anger appropriate if it even is?

That is tomorrows post.

In the meantime, some our questions have been answered.

As to who did it. 

And probably why he did it.

But what will happen now with him?

All I can say is while we pray for his family, perhaps we should pray for his soul. 

He is in need of a Savior

Just like us, when before we came to Christ.

Thanks for coming today, Friends.

God bless you with His peace today!

And don't forget to hug and love those you care so deeply for.