What Is The Bigger Issue

 What Is The Bigger Issue? I see so many on the left still talking about something Trump said, in 2014 I think it was. I said things worse than what President Trump said. I have a problem with Christians that think they cannot support Trump because of those words said one time. Then they have no problem supporting the democratic party that is supporting abortion that is taking the lives of babies. I think it is around 63 million since 1973. I can't support a man that talked about touching a woman's private area many years ago but I have no problem supporting candidates that believe in the taking of babies lives in the millions. In what world does this even make sense? If I had a car that was leaking oil at the rate of one quart per 5,000 miles or had brake shoes that were metal to metal, which would I fix first? Which is the bigger issue?  I have a faucet leaking a slow drip in my house or my refrigerator quit working, which would I fix first? Which is the bigger issue? What if I had a daughter that was wanting to wear a small nose ring or was wanting to use illicit drugs or was hanging around a promiscuous crowd?  Would I care about a nose ring or would I be more concerned with the possibility of her getting pregnant or venereal disease? It is like straining at a nat and swallowing a camel.    Some words that most of us would find offensive, that most of us have said worse, are guiding our choice of a Presidential candidate over the lives of millions of babies. Trump is the most Pro-Life president I have ever known and Christians are still hung up about one sentence said 14 or more years ago. The babies are being killed daily, the words would have been forgotten if people with evil intent would forget about them. I really don't understand the reasoning. These are Christian people that probably have never read what BLM is really about. Don't know enough Bible to debate the issue. There are many issues in any given election. They had no trouble supporting Bill Clinton messing with an intern in the White House. They were all about believing the woman when false stories were brought up and proven false in the Kavanaugh hearings and then months later if Biden raped my daughter, I'd still vote for him as one lady said. I hear these things and wonder what planet they live on?  One lady said the President surrounds himself with crooks, and I see all these Christians showing up at the White House to pray over and with him. He has done more for Christians than any president in my lifetime You can write paragraphs on the things this President has done for the American people and they don't see it, they still want to bring up words that were said 14 or more years ago. If God is looking at that heart, of that woman, I wonder what he sees?  I am concerned about the state of Christianity in our nation from the things I hear out of the mouths of Christians. Pray for our President, slander no man, from the same mouth, proceeds blessing and cursing. Is there something wrong with me or with the Christians in this country? It is a heart issue even in Christians. God help us, and God help me and forgive me for my sins, LVZ.

Riches Of Grace

7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known^c to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:7-10.

8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9. 

Here in Ephesians, we are reading about Grace again. We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses, our sins. By Grace, according to the riches of his grace. In my thinking when I read of riches of his grace, I think there is a lot of it. Lavished on us, sounds like he didn't use it sparingly. What are we talking about, Grace?  When I think about some recent blogs I wonder if I have carried this too far, I still want to draw a line on Grace.  It is God's plan, God's Grace, according to his will,  not ours. My old legalistic thinking returns, surely there must be a limit to this Grace. God doesn't mean for us to live a life of sin after receiving his plan for salvation. Then again in the second chapter, it is God's doing not our own. How we want to work for it, earn it in some manner. Keep the rules, keep the commandments. It is not our doing it is through faith. The result is that when given freely, none of us can boast. I did it my way, and oh we would boast. I think once again of the Pharisee and the Publican praying, and the Pharisee telling God how often he fasts and gives tithe on his income. How good he is on his own.  God says no, you cannot earn it by living a good enough life so that no one can boast. It is free, a gift of God. Through faith by believing in Jesus. That Jesus died on a cross for our trespasses, not just mine, not just the past sins, but all sins of every human that ever lived. Past future and present trespasses, every last one of them was redeemed through the blood of Jesus. Surely there must be another way. Oprah Winfrey says there are other ways to God. The Bible says no, just one way through Jesus Christ, through faith, it is a gift of God. "In the Grip of Grace", a book written by Max Lucado he tells of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer that killed at least 17. Max said he struggled with this, this serial killer is said to have become a Christian about two weeks before Jeffery was killed by another inmate. It doesn't seem right to our way of thinking. this evil person received Grace.               As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." Romans 10:11. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--  John 1:12  Any who received him (Jesus), any who believe in him (Jesus), he gave the right to become children of God. I look back at my sins, according to scripture they are gone, never to be remembered no more. As far as the East is from the West, I can never find them again. Does this apply to Jeffery Dahmer?  Anyone who believes. Anyone, doesn't that cover me and Jeffery both?  Riches of Grace, lavished upon us. It sounds like a lot of Grace. Anyone who believes, doesn't anyone include me and Jeffery. It is hard to imagine, I remember a lot of my sins, but even I probably do not know them all. Grace, I can't get over this Grace thing. Free, given by God a gift to anyone who believes. I could never earn enough money to pay for it, I could never work hard enough to earn it. It is a gift of God. There must be a line drawn somewhere, every trespass (sin) I have ever done confessed before God.  It is God's gift. Just like the publican, I have been forgiven. If I make heaven it is by Grace. Not because I lived an exemplary life. I cannot earn it by works of righteousness. All my righteousness is as filthy rages, its not enough. Billy Graham and Jeffery Dahmer both by grace.  There must be a line between them. Lest anyone should boast. Is there a line drawn in the sand that I missed? I don't think so, scripture says anyone. I think back to the master looking for someone to work in his vineyard, at the 11th hour, he found more workers and they received the same wages as those that worked all day.  Does that mean Billy Graham and Jeffery Dahmer received the same wages? the same eternal life?  That is the way it sounds to me. There is a lot of Grace, just for the asking. Anyone, that includes me.  God bless, LVZ.

Thankful For Grace

 I have been reading about Grace recently and wonder if  I really understand Grace. I have been taught Gace all my life but often didn't experience Grace from others. It was a legalistic upbringing, keeping the rules, keeping the ten commandments. If you failed, they considered you backslidden. Yet today I feel there are no perfect Christians. They fail at some point or another. I often look to a time 36 years ago when I came back to church after departing for a few years. I recommitted my life to Christ at that time. But when I look back that far I see a very carnal life. I am not proud of it. But I didn't quit, I would see my sin and repent. I went through many struggles in those 36 years. Many a time I look back and even I would call me a hypocrite. Did I understand Grace? Did I understand that God was working in my life? I struggled with relationships. I feel I didn't trust God with that part of my life, can I trust God to find me a life partner? After my fourth divorce, I started praying God if you want me to be single help me to be happy as a single person. I didn't want to be single, I could always find another relationship. But to actually trust God in this part of my life, it just wasn't me. I feel it was Grace that carried me through. God made me as I am. I started praying, God help me not to find the right woman, but help me to be the right man for someone. My focus changed. Maybe this wasn't your area of struggle, but was there an area of your life you didn't surrender fully to God? I look back and I believe this was God still working in my heart in spite of my fourth divorce. God didn't give up on me. If I was legalistic, I wouldn't use the word Christian to describe my life all those years. 4 divorces in 11 years. A lot of baggage I carried forward and God still loved me. If God could love a serial murderer like Jeffery Dahmer and clean him up or at least begin work in his life and accept him into his kingdom after only two weeks of Christian living, perhaps there is hope for me. That is called Grace. I didn't deserve it with the carnal life I was living. Jeffery Dahmer didn't deserve Grace as a serial killer. But he received it and so did I. My father was an abusive person, and yet claimed to be a Christian. It troubles me, but did God accept Jeffery Dahmer, and was God working in his life? What about my troubled past, the relationships outside of marriage, the divorces when God says I hate divorce. Where do we draw the line for Grace? Is it even ours to draw? It troubles me, I claim to have been on this path for 36 plus years and I failed. Does God still see me as perfect as Jesus in spite of my sins?  The Bible seems to say so. Peter denied knowing Jesus when he was on the cross three times before the rooster crowed. After the Rooster sounded off, Jesus looked at Peter, Jesus had told Peter ahead of time to repent and strengthen the brethren after this happened. Jesus knew before Peter failed that he would fail and even how many times he would deny Christ. King David failed and he lived before Christ lived and died, and God sent a prophet to correct him and King David repented. In Matthew chapter 20 is a parable about a vineyard owner. He went and hired workers early in the morning to work in his vineyard. After three hours he found more workers idle and hired them to work in his vineyard. The master found more at hour six and at hour 9 and sent them to work in his vineyard. And at the eleventh hour when there was only one hour of work left, he hired some more workers. They all received the same wages, and some didn't feel it was fair, they had worked 12 hours and were receiving the same as those workers that only worked one hour.  The Master said I gave you what I promised you, and the money is mine to give. I believe this is telling us Grace is God's alone to give. God calls the shots when it comes to Grace.  I certainly don't deserve it, and neither does Jeffery Dahmer. My father didn't deserve grace either but none of us have earned Grace. It is God's to give. God calls the shots on Grace, God draws the line on Grace. He is sovereign and he alone will judge on judgment day. God is the Master of the vineyard and he gives the pay as he so chooses. Grace is not earned, it is freely given as God chooses. I am thankful for Grace. If I make heaven it will be because of Grace. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1 God bless. LVZ.

RACIST

Racist:  

1. a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.

This definition fits the book White Fragility.  A person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another. This book is actually being taught. It is a White person that actually wrote this. It is generally another race that says something like this about a different race than their own, but in this case, she is writing that White people because of the color of their skin are racist. Common sense tells me this is wrong from the get-go. How about every White person that stood up against slavery from the very beginning of this country. The abolitionists, Abraham Lincoln, James Reeb a white Unitarian minister that marched with Dr. King. Reeb died a martyr to the civil rights cause. Reeb died in 1965 after being attacked by a group of White Supremacists in Selma Alabama. According to this book, Reeb and Lincoln and so many others that took up the cause of equal rights are racist simply because they are White.  How racist can you get than to lump every white person as a racist because of the color of their skin. I have run across people that think I cannot be racist simply because I am married to a Black woman. Racism is a sin, it is a condition of the heart and I believe it is something that can only be fixed by God.through the forgiven of our sins.  Shouldn't common sense tell you that these White people that gave their very lives for the cause of equality are not racist? I think there are more in this community that actually think I am racist because of my conservative values, but even that does not fit the definition of racist, the fact that I think differently because of my political beliefs and my spiritual beliefs. The definition of a racist is when you lump everyone of a certain race with a broad brush and paint them all racist as this book is doing. What it is teaching is actually racist.  I truly believe that the cure for racism is found in another book, the Holy Bible. We receive a heart change when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Someone will say and rightfully so, how about all these so-called Christians that were KKK members. I believe they were Christian in name only and never had truly repented of their sins. To be a Christ-follower requires a heart change. The best example of a changed life is a changed life.  It requires a heart change that only God can do. You can not learn it by reading this book the White Fragility or even just reading the Holy Bible. It requires an act of repenting of sins. You can read the Bible all you want and it may lead you to repentance but that repentance still has to happen. Some of those calling others racist because of the color of their skin are the biggest racist of all. It has absolutely nothing to do with the color of skin but everything to do with the condition of a person's heart. That is what will change America is changed hearts.  Are there issues in our country today, I'd say yes and it is people like the author of White Fragility that need a heart transplant. There are probably as many racist Blacks per population percentage as there are whites per population percentage. Many times they just unaware of the evil in their own hearts. Only God can fix this as he is the only one that forgives sin. Racism is a sin. God forgives sins, even racism.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28  God bless, LVZ.