Lack of God

With hurricanes, earthquakes, fires out of control,tornado's, flooding and severe t-storms tearing up the country from one end to another,with the threat of bird flu, terrorist attacks, the quote of the month is: Jay Leno: "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

The above paragraph was recieved on e-mail today from my friend Karen. It's an important thought. I've had several conversations with people over the past few months about where God is allowed in their lives. We've talked about the limits put on us in a work environment about our faith and how to press those boundries within the limits of the law. We've also talked about demanding jobs and how it's necessary to rely on God to get through the task. That is something I learned at CPS. You cannot do that job without some faith. You're always in a predicament as to whether God wants you to be there among the serpents, or if you should find something else. It always comes down to being a light. Who will go and save those without faith if we as Christians do not go out into the world beyond our comfort zones and protect people. CPS has a phrase "Protect the Unprotected" - that is what Christians are called to do in the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18-20 (New International Version)¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus calls us to continue the work he did, going out among the people and protecting them from their own behaviors, bringing them to salvation. He wants us to teach them up in the way of the Lord for their salvation. He does not say to do it some times, or when you won't be persecuted for it, but always. There are no outs for taking a break. Being a Christian means being a Christian always. It is part of your inner core.

When Baptisms occure at church Zander and I always talk about what is happening. I tell him that Jesus is coming to live in that persons heart. That is what Christians are, the continuation of the presence of God on Earth.God came down and took the form of Jesus so that we would believe and learn. He gave us this awsome tool called Baptism so that Jesus could remain here on Earth doing his work. So finding ways to be a presence of Christ and protect people from their own fallicies is a challenge in our daily lives. After all my conversations with people on this topic, we basically agree that we must always behave as Christians and let the Holy Spirit work through us on the hearts of those we meet. People without a relationship with Christ will notice something different and want to know more. They'll want to learn what gives us that inner peace and gives us the power to work with those who struggle. It's also important to let people see when we fail so that they know Christians are not perfect. Christians are people born with sin that's why we have to ask forgiveness.