Memorial Day

The Good Word

I found this Memorial Day Prayer on the website beliefnet.com. I thought it was perfect for today.

Thank you to all those who have sacrificed.

A Memorial Day Prayer – Heavenly Father, as our nation pauses today to remember those in the military who have given their lives for freedoms we enjoy, we pray you would have us all look to you for strength, comfort and guidance. Be with all who serve in our Armed Forces. Bless them and their families. Grant your loving protection. Let peace prevail among all the nations, O God. Especially let your mercy rest upon our land, even as we acknowledge with thanksgiving your past goodness on this country. If it is your will, preserve the lives of the men and women in uniform as they defend our citizenry. Most of all, we pray that you would turn the hearts of all – military and…

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Memorial Day

I found this Memorial Day Prayer on the website beliefnet.com. I thought it was perfect for today.

Thank you to all those who have sacrificed.

A Memorial Day Prayer – Heavenly Father, as our nation pauses today to remember those in the military who have given their lives for freedoms we enjoy, we pray you would have us all look to you for strength, comfort and guidance. Be with all who serve in our Armed Forces. Bless them and their families. Grant your loving protection. Let peace prevail among all the nations, O God. Especially let your mercy rest upon our land, even as we acknowledge with thanksgiving your past goodness on this country. If it is your will, preserve the lives of the men and women in uniform as they defend our citizenry. Most of all, we pray that you would turn the hearts of all – military and civilian – to your holy Word where we find the true peace for our sinful souls that surpasses all understanding. Keep us repentant of sin. Move us to know, take hold and treasure your saving grace. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Your beloved Son, who alone gives this peace and hope for eternity, we pray. Amen.

_{From the Evangelical Lutheran Synod}

 

Have a blessed week,
Chris

Source:
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/galleries/15-inspirational-prayers-for-memorial-day.aspx?p=8

The “Violent” Old Testament God

Every wonder how the God in the Old Testament seemed so different?

I often struggled with this too but I prayed hard about it and what came to me from God was a full understanding of the story of God. It was the people who forced God’s hand. Remember God created the World as a perfect paradise. We chose to sin, we chose to not to listen and ruined it. He then gave us a small amount of rules. The people didn’t accept just those rules. He then gave Moses the law. Another example of God changing things for his people is, God wanted to be a King to his people but then they wanted their own King, so God allowed that. God continued to go along with what the people wanted, which deviated away from his original paradise plan. He knew eventually he would send his only son to redeem us but he had no trouble occasionally doing what his children on Earth asked even if he didn’t agree it.

He chose his people who were constantly under attack. He asked them to commit genocide because that was the nature of the Middle East, it still is that way to this day. It was God’s people vs. Everyone Else. They would have done the same thing to the Israelite’s but God chose to watch over them, he chose them. Many Pagan Cultures used the same strategy in War. God was adjusting things to fit the culture we created. He was watching out for them knowing they would be attacked. It was an attack them before they attack you mentality. Remember these people were doing evil in God’s eyes, he doesn’t harm the good.

God created the Universe, and humans committed atrocities every day, but we shake our fists at the Lord if he dares to strike unholy people who are harming good people. It’s kind of silly really. How many innocents die every day from the War in the Middle East currently?

There is actually a line from a show called “Supernatural” I watch, when a villain questions the star of the show Dean about God, he said something along the lines of, “It’s his Universe, it’s his rules”.

I think that sums it up well. God is not the problem here. I trust God because it’s his Universe that he created because he loved us. We have been bad Children to the most loving, forgiving Father imaginable. He gave us free will because he loved us. The answer to the question of the violent God in the Old Testament is simple, read the beginning. That was his vision, paradise, no war, no sin, no death just him and his children. It was only after our sins that things changed. And how does he reward us for our bad behavior? Accept Christ and you get eternal life. Wow, what an amazing God.

God Bless

-Chris

Basic Christianity and how to deal with comment sections

“I am a Saint of God, I walk with Christ everyday….You ****ing Idiot”-An actual quote from someone on YouTube in a religious based video about Donald Trump.

It’s a crazy World out there. Many Christians defend God by speaking like the devil. It should be obvious who is the believer and who is the non-believer just by how they speak and not what they are saying. But in this time it really isn’t.

Not only are people arguing with Non-Christians some of the more vicious fights are between two Christians arguing over denominations, politics, or interpretation of scripture.

God certainly doesn’t want you to behave the way people are. We are supposed to strive to be Christ Like, would Jesus approve of name calling, violent threats, shutting people out of church and pushing them away from the Word of God? Of course not. Put your own feelings aside and put Christ’s feelings first.

I used wonder as a Christian how should I feel about certain things going on in the World? I came up with a simple solution, what would God feel about it? Think about Jesus’ teaching and put it in the situation. Would Jesus advocate bombings that kill innocent people, (any people for that matter) even if it’s retaliatory*? Would Jesus send a gay person away from communion**? (Or would he have felt like that person needed to be with him more than some?) Would Jesus tell someone to leave cause they weren’t properly dressed for Church?***

Here’s some scripture to put those questions in perspective…

^{*Matthew 5:38-42: 38} “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^[a]39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

**Mark 2:7 “17On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

***Matthew 6:28-29, “28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not evenSolomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.“

Happy Easter and God Bless