August 25, 2024

                    Start With Love

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

– Leviticus 19:33-34

They walk. They swim. They come by boat or cargo truck. They sacrifice everything, sometimes even their lives, to seek something better for themselves, their children and their extended families.

We don’t know their stories. We don’t care. We see the illegal crossings, the financial burden, the “threat” to what we erroneously see as ours. Our hardened hearts demand a stop to it all.

We are Christians.

Some conservatives rush to explain the Hebrew words and talk about illegal aliens and what this scripture really means. They are “justifying” hatred and lack of compassion.

Some liberals hurry to use these two verses as a reason to open the border completely and demand that our government provide unlimited money to help them all. Isn’t that what God would want, they ask.

Love. Maybe that’s the key word. Love. God loved us enough to send His Son to die on a cross for our sins. God is love. Jesus told us to love God and to love our neighbors.

But evil has dulled our senses to the point of hatred to all those who aren’t like us. We see it in the racial divide. We see it in the difference in neighborhoods and bank accounts. We “need” to be financially better than others. We “need” for everyone to be like us. We “need” to justify our hatred that we direct toward people we don’t even know.

This is a complicated issue with many, many points of view. Do we need to do something? Absolutely. But do not mock God by claiming faith and then turning away from those created in His image. In all things, show love and kindness and compassion. That is what God requires from us.

January 18, 2024

 Love Like Jesus

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” – Mark 8:17-19

Almost daily we are assaulted with political diatribe directed toward illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. Politicians are good at pointing fingers; not so good at solutions that actually work. Party divisions are rampant. Yet it seems as though everyone is missing the obvious, especially those who wear the badge of conservative Christian.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve got a problem and we need to take action. But we need to do that in accordance with what the Bible says to do. Welcome the foreigner. Love everyone. Do good to widows and orphans. Open your hearts to the least of them. In other words, live like Jesus.

Every single person who crosses the border was created in the image of God. Just like you and I. Every person has a name. God knows their name. Every person has a story and God knows and understands what it is. We don’t. We are too busy condemning them for daring to enter our borders illegally that we don’t bother to ask.

A woman and her two children recently drowned while trying to reach our country. We barely heard about them for the outcry of the jurisdictional power struggle between the state of Texas and the U.S. Border Patrol. Three people died! Did anyone mourn their loss?

Oh, how I wish we lived in a time when political leaders were actually statesmen more focused on doing what’s right than on what’s politically designed to boost their power and poll numbers. I long for the days when Christian leadership wasn’t afraid to actually preach God’s Word and guide us to action that aligns with the Bible we claim to love.

Why waste money building a wall that won’t keep people out? Spend that money on hiring more workers to review applications and reduce the amount of time for reviewing immigrant applications to months rather than years.

Stop shipping immigrants to other cities as though they are unwanted cattle. Use that time and money to organize a true plan for caring for God’s people. And they are God’s people. Create a joint plan that includes government workers and churches, synagogues and other religious groups. We are ALL called to care for the least among us. If we all do our part there will be plenty for everyone, including us.

Jesus’ disciples couldn’t understand about bread and yeast. They obviously didn’t even understand how Jesus multiplied meager offerings so that thousands could be fed. We don’t understand either. Our hearts are so hard and we cling so tightly to God’s blessings, that we miss the meaning of it all.

Love like Jesus. So simple and yet, perhaps, the hardest thing we could ever do.

July 9, 2018

Are You Christ’s Enemy?

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

– Philippians 3:18

Who do you most admire? Who do you want to be like? Who makes you want to be more than you are today?

Some, wanting to answer correctly, will mention Billy Graham or another great pastor. Others, not understanding the point, will talk about their parents or teachers or other great influences on their lives.

But there is only One that stands above them all. There is only One whom we should admire and strive to be like. Jesus. He is our example of how we should live.

We don’t see ourselves as enemies of Christ. But how many times each day do we deny Him by our actions or our words or our attitudes?

We make excuses. We tell ourselves and others that “It’s just my opinion.” Or “I really don’t like her (him).” Or “I’m just so tired. I’ll skip church so I can sleep in.” Or “I really need some time off and Sunday is the only day I have to go fishing or to the beach or for a bike ride.” Need I continue?

What do you prioritize? What comes first in your life? Who matters most? What would you do to defend them, to spend time with them, to enjoy them? Where does Jesus fit in all that?

I know. I’m asking a lot of questions. It’s not until we ask ourselves some tough things, and give honest answers, that we come to understand that we really can be enemies of Christ without even realizing it.

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. – Philippians 3:19

We become so focused on ourselves that we forget that our focus should be on Him. We are so intent on what we believe that we forget our beliefs should reflect Him. We are so hardhearted that we condemn those we don’t know and judge hearts we can’t see.

And how dare anyone threaten what we think belongs to us. We don’t want to share. We just don’t. We declare our rights as American citizens, as hard workers, as defenders of the constitution. We cling tightly to things of this world, never really considering that we aren’t citizens of this world.

We demand that what others have be given to us. We don’t intend to make sacrifices. We want the best without having to go above and beyond ourselves to get it. No. I’m not talking about welfare recipients, illegal immigrants or the disabled. I’m talking about you. There’s a lot of abuse of our system, a lot of people taking advantage of government programs. I see it everywhere. And you know what? Every single instance of it belongs to someone loftily looking down on those they consider to be lazy and undeserving. They condemn people who are truly in need in a disgusting attempt to justify greedily taking advantage of the system themselves.

Are you denying Jesus? Are you His enemy? Think about it.

June 21, 2018

What Does Your Heart Say?

“Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” – Mark 7:15

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

– Mark 7:21-23

What would you do to save your child’s life? Would you move? Would you scrape together all the money you could to afford something different? Would you break laws, take chances, risk everything, so your child could be safe?

Be honest. It’s just between you and God. Tell Him what you would do to save your child from death, torture, a life of crime and violence. Now tell parents from another country that they shouldn’t dare do that for their children.

The immigration issue in the United States is awful. There are no easy answers. Should our country protect its borders? Absolutely. Should people enter legally rather than violating our laws? Without a doubt.

Unfortunately, there’s more to the story. These are human beings with thoughts and feelings. They are people who, in many cases, are filled with fear and a desperation few can understand.

According to news reports, the average time for a person to come before an immigration judge is two years from the time of application. That works great if you’ve got the time. But what happens when the cartel tells your child that he now works for them and if he says no he will die? Do you hang around and wait for his death? Do you tell him to join hands with a life of violence? Or do you flee with a hope deep in your heart that God wants something better for your family?

I don’t have any answers for our country. No one seems to be able to solve this mess. Maybe we should start with being Jesus to people who are hurting. Maybe we should extend mercy and grace and compassion to people who are desperate. Maybe we should love before we judge stories we’ve never heard.

We are further traumatizing children who have been through so much. Can you imagine what it’s like to leave everything you know, fearing for your life, not knowing when you will eat or have clean clothes, only to reach safety and find yourself ripped apart from your parents? How can we call that okay?

Some argue that we’re trying to keep murderers and rapists and other violent criminals from our country. That’s obviously a good thing. But how many fit that description? Really. It’s far more likely that most of the people are good, decent folks. They aren’t criminals. They’re desperate people reaching for our crumbs and we are denying them without even trying to understand.

Maybe we need to expedite the immigration process. How many judges does it take to reduce the two-year wait? Yes, it costs money. But how much money are we spending on housing people in locked facilities? Isn’t it better to hear their cases and make decisions based on facts?

There is just so much hate in our country right now. Much of it comes from people who claim to know Jesus. I am appalled at the venom spewing from their mouths. Surely, they understand what the Bible says about love, about judgement, about mercy. But their lives don’t reflect it. Their words don’t reveal love.

Jesus says that evil comes from our hearts. What is your heart saying to the world?

January 26, 2018

Cloak Comments With Grace, Mercy

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9

Immigration is an issue. Always. The children of those who came to the United States illegally has become a push point for many. We live in a land where skin color continues to be an issue. We want to “choose” who can come based on their country of origin rather than who they are as individuals.

Welfare is another major point of disagreement. Misinformation is everywhere. Illegals get thousands while seniors get so little. Seriously? It’s just so much easier to believe lies than to look for the truth.

That misinformation fuels hate. We have left compassion and kindness and love behind. And we do it all while holding high the banner of Jesus. Does anyone else see the absurdity of it all?

Jesus was filled with compassion and mercy. He gave grace to all. No. He didn’t condone sin. In fact, He said to go and sin no more. But He did extend forgiveness. We’ve forgotten that.

We deserve better, we tell ourselves. They did wrong, we remind them again and again. We behave as though all the money and all the land in this country actually belongs to us. It doesn’t. Everything comes from God. Where is He in all this?

Years ago I lived in a state with a wonderful program for job skill training for people receiving welfare. It was awesome. The problem was people, especially women, weren’t moving forward and keeping those jobs. It caused quite an outcry.

At least it did until someone wisely investigated the situation. They found that when the job training ended and the job began, childcare benefits ended. No one at a minimum wage job can afford housing, food, medical care and day care.

Of course, the outcry rose that “they shouldn’t have had those children if they can’t take care of them!” Who can argue with that? But the reality is that the children existed and needed care. So the state extended benefits at a graduated level. As the pay level rose, the benefits decreased until the worker was fully self-supporting. It was a win-win for everyone.

I don’t have answers to this current debate. I don’t think anyone really does. But if you want to use Jesus’ name in all this, be sure to cloak your comments with grace and mercy not greed and judgement. Every time you use His name to condemn the poor or the outcast, you are condemning yourself. Think about that for a while.

January 25, 2018

Where Is Jesus?

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. – Proverbs 18:2

As I write this, our government has shut down. Not really, of course. It’s just that Congress is having yet another fuss and nobody is getting paid. Except for Congress. They always get paid.

Everyone has an opinion. Few people have even tried to understand the issues. It’s not a Republican or Democrat issue. It’s not an “us” vs. “them” type of issue. It’s a people issue. It’s also an economic issue. But, for Congress and the White House, it’s a power issue. And that is the root of the problem.

Battle lines have been drawn. Hateful words and finger pointing make all the news reports. Except no one really seems to care about the people who will suffer. There are those who won’t be paid. And there are those who might be deported from the only country they have ever known.

Where is Jesus in all this? Does He live in the hearts of those who would exile those who don’t have proper documentation? Is He evident in the lives of those who place politics above the financial security of government workers, including our military?

The truth is Jesus isn’t present at all. He isn’t present in the lives of those who spew hatred on Facebook. He isn’t evident in the hearts of those who think with their pocketbooks rather than their faith.

I don’t have any answers. That might surprise you. I know that Jesus wouldn’t deport people who grew up in this country because of the mistakes of their parents. He would grant them grace and a pardon. And I know Jesus would pay people the fair wages they had earned.

And I believe above all else that Jesus would tear apart the members of Congress for their political ploys. He wouldn’t care which political party they belonged to. I would love to see our Savior marching in, throwing aside desks and demanding that the members rule in love, with integrity and compassion.

Those things left long ago. Now it’s all about political agendas and power. Why should Congress solve the budget issues? Really, it doesn’t impact them. They don’t pay into Social Security. They have their own health care system. They have a cushy retirement with very few years on the job. They have no incentives to fix the issues facing the rest of us.

We the people are so split that we can’t rise up to change Congress. We the people are so busy fighting each other that we can’t collectively remind Congress that it works for us, not the other way around.

I don’t know how this is all going to end. It’s just so sad. 

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Listen To What God Really Says

Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” -- 2 Chronicles 14:11

We celebrate our country’s birthday today amid a sometimes bitter debate over philosophy and direction. Many proclaim God’s name as they argue their views, pointing fingers and spreading mistruths.

What is truth: God wants us to call on Him to lead and guide us. He wants us to live our lives according to what He actually says rather than what we wish He had said.

What? Well, that certainly didn’t go over well with some of those ultra-conservatives who claim the Republican platform is the only one that promotes Jesus. Because it isn’t. And, in some ways, it is the opposite of what the Bible actually says.

For example, we’re all in a tizzy about immigration laws. Some (conservative Republican Christians) want to fence our borders and deport everyone who can’t prove they’re here legally. The opposite side prefers to look the other way. Neither view is totally right or wrong on this complex issue. But what we know, what is clearly written in the Bible, is that we are to do good and show kindness and mercy to those foreigners in the land God has given us. Fear, hatred, mistreatment, ugly comments -- well, those things have no place in God’s world.

Health care reform is another big issue. The Bible tells us to share and care for those who have less than we do. How can anyone believe that Jesus wouldn’t support efforts to make health care available to everyone who needs it? Yet, they get so caught up in their own finances and their perceived unfairness of it all, that they can’t clearly see what God would have us do. I’m sure this plan isn’t perfect. No plan crafted by humans could or will be. But we are to share and care and provide for others.

That always brings us back to those who work and those who don’t, and those who have wonderful jobs with great benefits and those who have menial jobs with no benefits. The haves vs. the have nots. And it’s all the have nots fault. I had hoped that the last years of economic distress would show us that some people are unemployed through no fault of their own. Obviously, when it comes to politics it is always the struggling person’s fault.

Today is a day to celebrate our wonderful nation. The United States has so much more, does so much more, provides so much more, than most nations in this world. But we have pulled away from God and those leading that gap are the ones proclaiming His name the loudest.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

God Says To Love Immigrants

He gives justice to orphans and widows. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. You, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. -- Deuteronomy 10:18-19

We are a nation of immigrants. With the exception of Native Americans, each and every one of us are here because we have ancestors who came to this country as immigrants. Yep. Every one of us. We like to forget that sometimes.

I know. The number of illegal immigrants is ridiculous. But so is our refusal to show kindness and compassion to people who are -- for the most part -- only trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.

I’m one of those people who knows we’ve got a problem but I don’t have any answers. I don’t think anyone does, even though some politicians try to fool us all. I do know the answer isn’t in bills such as the one recently passed by the Alabama Legislature. Forcing schools to verify legal status makes it certain that those children won’t be in school. They’ll still be living in this country; they just won’t get an education. How does advancing illiteracy cut down on illegal immigrants?

Some of the harshest critics of immigrants are people who claim to be devout Christians. That makes no sense to me either. Clearly God tells us to show love to foreigners. He doesn’t specify whether they’re legal or illegal. He doesn’t talk about nationality or numbers. He simply expects us to care for them -- because we, too, were once foreigners in a land not our own.

The next time you’re tempted to moan about your tax bill or berate someone because he doesn’t speak your language, remember who you are. As Christians, we’re held to a different standard than others. God expects us to offer kindness and compassion and love to those foreigners you’re looking down on. Instead of condemning them, say a prayer for them and those Christians who have allowed their hearts to harden toward people God has called us to love.