Random Soapbox
DISCLAIMER: I am going to be getting on one of my random soapboxes in this post, so if you would rather not read the rantings of a Christian woman fed up with the craziness of this world, you are free to push that red X in the upper right hand corner of your screen now...
Having my new job has afforded me to be able to keep up with the news every day (not that I really should, as it's always death and destruction these days). I understand that negativity sells. People are fascinated by the "train-wreck" kind of news. You know, the phrase that says "it was like watching a train wreck; I didn't want to watch but I couldn't turn away." So much has been happening in the world, but to be fairly honest, these kinds of things have always happened. We are now in an age where news is instantaneously available to us, sometimes even as it's happening. Back in the old days when our parents and grandparents had to walk to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways, it would take days to find things out and sometimes people would never even hear about it if it happened far enough away. There were newspapers, sure, but even those took days to get news out to the masses. I often wonder about the phrase 'ignorance is bliss'. I almost think I would rather be ignorant sometimes to all the craziness that is happening in the world.
Everyone is wanting their 15 seconds of fame, and when it's over, they'll do whatever it takes to get another 15 seconds of fame. I haven't weighed in on the whole Bruce/Caitlin Jenner thing because I think its disgusting and disrespectful to God. I try not to read anything about the situation, but I can't help but feel like he's fooling everyone. He had his 15 seconds of fame (more like multiple 15 seconds of fame, really) when he was in the Olympics, and then when he married Kris Kardashian, and then when his step daughter played her role in a sex tape catapulting the whole family into being famous for being famous. Since then, Bruce was viewed as Mr. Kris Jenner and never seemed to be able to control anything in his family. Yes, I admit. I've watched Keeping up with the Kardashians. It's one of those 'train-wreck' shows for me...In every episode that I saw Bruce in, he just kind of seemed to fade into the background, just letting others make all the decisions. When he would stand up and try to be the head of the family, as God intended for men to be, he would be laughed right back into a corner. This 'courageous' act of him deciding that he didn't want to be a man anymore seems to me like more of an effort to get back into the spotlight. He's been surrounded by women for the last who-knows-how-long and he's seen them take center stage...why not decide to become a woman and shock the world to get your next 15 seconds of fame?! Even if he is being genuine in his decision to live 'true to himself/herself', it tears me apart to see people essentially spit in God's face. They are basically telling the world, "God got it wrong. I was suppose to be a man/woman". I'm sorry. God doesn't get it wrong. He has a plan for every single soul on this earth. If He made you a man, that's what He wants you to be. If He made you a woman, that's what He wants you to be. In my reading this morning of the first 5 chapters of Genesis, God's plan for creation was perfect. After everything He created, He saw that it was good. At the end of the week of creation, He saw that everything was good. He created man out of dust and woman out of man. He created them. He created them. He didn't tell Adam and Eve, "You know what, if you guys don't like being what I made you, feel free to change into something else." Eve didn't decide that she wanted to be a man to have dominion over Adam and Adam didn't decide that Eve seemed to have it easier so he wanted to be a woman. But in all honesty, this also has been happening for a long time. We just have it plastered all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever else we have available at the tips of our fingers. Solomon's testimony still rings true today; "There is nothing new under the sun."
I read an article the other day written by a man who struggles with sin. I will tell you now that I'm not going to disclose which sin because, does it really matter? We all struggle with sin, no matter what it is. His article really struck a cord with me. His conclusion, which was backed up with boatloads of God's word, was that any sin that we live with, whether it be lying, adultery, homosexuality, etc. is a result of us refusing to allow God to fill our lives. When we refuse to listen to the truth and allow God to rule in our lives, He gives us over to what we desire to try and fill the void in our lives (Romans 1:18-32). The truth is, we can never find anything to fill that void except God. But God is not a popular subject in the world today. Living a life for God is laughable to the world. Reading Romans 1:18-32, the depiction sounds eerily familiar to what we live in today. It's also similar to the old testament accounts in Judges when the children of Israel would do what was right in their own eyes because there was no one to rule over them in between judges. Are people today not doing what seems right to them? What's right about walking into a church building and killing innocent Christians because you didn't like that their skin was darker than yours? What's right about caring more about a dead lion than the thousands of children who are murdered because someone doesn't want the responsibility? Frighteningly, this next generation is growing up to be entitled little brats who have been taught to point the finger at anyone else and have it in their minds that they are owed something. My child will NOT grow up this way. I WILL be disciplining my child (Proverbs 13:24). She WILL be raised to work for what she has and for what she wants and she WILL be raised to respect every person she comes in contact with, regardless of whether they act in a way that deserves respect or not. She WILL be raised in the way of the Lord and will be taught selflessness and humility. She will also be taught that no matter what sins fill this world and her life, the grace of God covers all when you allow Him to fill your life.
God's love is so big and His grace is so encompassing that there's nothing that anyone can do that His love and grace can't cover. But what good is it if you don't let it? We honor God and His love and grace when we allow Him to fill our lives and live for Him. I chose 18 years ago to honor God and live my life for Him. I will continue until the day I die to 'work' to honor him. I can't earn my salvation, but I can honor the grace of God and the salvation He gives by living a life dedicated to service and letting my light shine to others. That does not mean that I will overlook all the sin in the world and tell everyone "it's okay to live like you want, as long as you love God". James 2:19 shows that even demons believe in God. Love is an action word. If you don't show love, you have faith that is dead. You can't try to fill that void with whatever you want and keep God on the side to use Him when you feel like it. Yes, God wants you to be happy, but He knows that the only true happiness is through Him. He has to fill your WHOLE life. I've known people who, after spending five minutes with them, you knew that God rules in their life. I've also known people who I knew grew up being taught the word of God and you would never know they even owned a Bible. My goal is to please God and be the former person, someone people can see Christ through. Someone who is salt and a light. I want to help my husband to become that kind of person as well and for us to raise our daughter to become a daughter of God and teach others the good news of Christ! Mr. Jenner has not done something that can never be forgiven. He still has the chance to have that void filled with Christ and to find peace in what God made him. The boy who killed all of those people in South Carolina has not done something that can never be forgiven. He still has the chance to have his sins covered by God's grace. Even women who have elected to kill their unborn children for whatever reason have not done something that can never be forgiven. They have the chance to come to God and have Him fill their lives and have Jesus' blood wash them clean.
When we get to heaven, I imagine that we'll all be surprised to see who truly lived for Christ and who He will tell "I never knew you". I don't want that job even for a millisecond! I don't want to be the judge of people, so I am trying my best to allow His word to do that (John 12:47-48). The Bible is not my opinion, it's God's truth. It's our road map to get through this crazy thing called life. Everything in there is an example for us, to show us what not to do (the children of Israel's roller coaster of centuries) and what to do to obtain true happiness and eternal life (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-10). I pray that everyone allows God to fill their lives, but I can only control my actions.
"And if it is evil in our eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
Soapbox done....
Having my new job has afforded me to be able to keep up with the news every day (not that I really should, as it's always death and destruction these days). I understand that negativity sells. People are fascinated by the "train-wreck" kind of news. You know, the phrase that says "it was like watching a train wreck; I didn't want to watch but I couldn't turn away." So much has been happening in the world, but to be fairly honest, these kinds of things have always happened. We are now in an age where news is instantaneously available to us, sometimes even as it's happening. Back in the old days when our parents and grandparents had to walk to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways, it would take days to find things out and sometimes people would never even hear about it if it happened far enough away. There were newspapers, sure, but even those took days to get news out to the masses. I often wonder about the phrase 'ignorance is bliss'. I almost think I would rather be ignorant sometimes to all the craziness that is happening in the world.
Everyone is wanting their 15 seconds of fame, and when it's over, they'll do whatever it takes to get another 15 seconds of fame. I haven't weighed in on the whole Bruce/Caitlin Jenner thing because I think its disgusting and disrespectful to God. I try not to read anything about the situation, but I can't help but feel like he's fooling everyone. He had his 15 seconds of fame (more like multiple 15 seconds of fame, really) when he was in the Olympics, and then when he married Kris Kardashian, and then when his step daughter played her role in a sex tape catapulting the whole family into being famous for being famous. Since then, Bruce was viewed as Mr. Kris Jenner and never seemed to be able to control anything in his family. Yes, I admit. I've watched Keeping up with the Kardashians. It's one of those 'train-wreck' shows for me...In every episode that I saw Bruce in, he just kind of seemed to fade into the background, just letting others make all the decisions. When he would stand up and try to be the head of the family, as God intended for men to be, he would be laughed right back into a corner. This 'courageous' act of him deciding that he didn't want to be a man anymore seems to me like more of an effort to get back into the spotlight. He's been surrounded by women for the last who-knows-how-long and he's seen them take center stage...why not decide to become a woman and shock the world to get your next 15 seconds of fame?! Even if he is being genuine in his decision to live 'true to himself/herself', it tears me apart to see people essentially spit in God's face. They are basically telling the world, "God got it wrong. I was suppose to be a man/woman". I'm sorry. God doesn't get it wrong. He has a plan for every single soul on this earth. If He made you a man, that's what He wants you to be. If He made you a woman, that's what He wants you to be. In my reading this morning of the first 5 chapters of Genesis, God's plan for creation was perfect. After everything He created, He saw that it was good. At the end of the week of creation, He saw that everything was good. He created man out of dust and woman out of man. He created them. He created them. He didn't tell Adam and Eve, "You know what, if you guys don't like being what I made you, feel free to change into something else." Eve didn't decide that she wanted to be a man to have dominion over Adam and Adam didn't decide that Eve seemed to have it easier so he wanted to be a woman. But in all honesty, this also has been happening for a long time. We just have it plastered all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever else we have available at the tips of our fingers. Solomon's testimony still rings true today; "There is nothing new under the sun."
I read an article the other day written by a man who struggles with sin. I will tell you now that I'm not going to disclose which sin because, does it really matter? We all struggle with sin, no matter what it is. His article really struck a cord with me. His conclusion, which was backed up with boatloads of God's word, was that any sin that we live with, whether it be lying, adultery, homosexuality, etc. is a result of us refusing to allow God to fill our lives. When we refuse to listen to the truth and allow God to rule in our lives, He gives us over to what we desire to try and fill the void in our lives (Romans 1:18-32). The truth is, we can never find anything to fill that void except God. But God is not a popular subject in the world today. Living a life for God is laughable to the world. Reading Romans 1:18-32, the depiction sounds eerily familiar to what we live in today. It's also similar to the old testament accounts in Judges when the children of Israel would do what was right in their own eyes because there was no one to rule over them in between judges. Are people today not doing what seems right to them? What's right about walking into a church building and killing innocent Christians because you didn't like that their skin was darker than yours? What's right about caring more about a dead lion than the thousands of children who are murdered because someone doesn't want the responsibility? Frighteningly, this next generation is growing up to be entitled little brats who have been taught to point the finger at anyone else and have it in their minds that they are owed something. My child will NOT grow up this way. I WILL be disciplining my child (Proverbs 13:24). She WILL be raised to work for what she has and for what she wants and she WILL be raised to respect every person she comes in contact with, regardless of whether they act in a way that deserves respect or not. She WILL be raised in the way of the Lord and will be taught selflessness and humility. She will also be taught that no matter what sins fill this world and her life, the grace of God covers all when you allow Him to fill your life.
God's love is so big and His grace is so encompassing that there's nothing that anyone can do that His love and grace can't cover. But what good is it if you don't let it? We honor God and His love and grace when we allow Him to fill our lives and live for Him. I chose 18 years ago to honor God and live my life for Him. I will continue until the day I die to 'work' to honor him. I can't earn my salvation, but I can honor the grace of God and the salvation He gives by living a life dedicated to service and letting my light shine to others. That does not mean that I will overlook all the sin in the world and tell everyone "it's okay to live like you want, as long as you love God". James 2:19 shows that even demons believe in God. Love is an action word. If you don't show love, you have faith that is dead. You can't try to fill that void with whatever you want and keep God on the side to use Him when you feel like it. Yes, God wants you to be happy, but He knows that the only true happiness is through Him. He has to fill your WHOLE life. I've known people who, after spending five minutes with them, you knew that God rules in their life. I've also known people who I knew grew up being taught the word of God and you would never know they even owned a Bible. My goal is to please God and be the former person, someone people can see Christ through. Someone who is salt and a light. I want to help my husband to become that kind of person as well and for us to raise our daughter to become a daughter of God and teach others the good news of Christ! Mr. Jenner has not done something that can never be forgiven. He still has the chance to have that void filled with Christ and to find peace in what God made him. The boy who killed all of those people in South Carolina has not done something that can never be forgiven. He still has the chance to have his sins covered by God's grace. Even women who have elected to kill their unborn children for whatever reason have not done something that can never be forgiven. They have the chance to come to God and have Him fill their lives and have Jesus' blood wash them clean.
When we get to heaven, I imagine that we'll all be surprised to see who truly lived for Christ and who He will tell "I never knew you". I don't want that job even for a millisecond! I don't want to be the judge of people, so I am trying my best to allow His word to do that (John 12:47-48). The Bible is not my opinion, it's God's truth. It's our road map to get through this crazy thing called life. Everything in there is an example for us, to show us what not to do (the children of Israel's roller coaster of centuries) and what to do to obtain true happiness and eternal life (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-10). I pray that everyone allows God to fill their lives, but I can only control my actions.
"And if it is evil in our eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
Soapbox done....
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