Knowing but…


Many times we know what we should do but we do something else. Just like a small child, even when we are grown, we do the things that we know we shouldn’t do. Why is that?

Christians and non-believers both do it. Even when we know better, we still do things, that we’ve been told not to do or maybe our conscience is telling us that we shouldn’t do something. Because of our rebellious nature, I suppose. So, what can we do about it? The only thing that I know of is to read the Bible is meditate on its principles. Granted, it won’t fix the problem immediately but over time our minds will be filled with God’s ideas and not our own.

This is called “becoming mature in our faith”. Becoming a Christian is just the first step. Maturity comes from learning about God’s way of living and you can only do that by reading the Bible and thinking about it every day. Most of us find out about this much later and it is sad that it takes so long. The church should teach this to new Christians so they can mature in their faith rather than stumbling along trying to figure it out on their own.

I’ve read that schools should teach “life lessons” so young people will know how to do some things when they graduate. The study of God’s Word should be a class for new Christians so they will know how to apply His Wisdom to their new lives. This is not a fast and easy course but it is necessary. I pray that most who read this will seek out a teacher or a friend to help them in becoming more mature in their faith.

James 4:17: Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Cling to Jesus!


I’ve heard this most of my life but until I read about how it should be done it truly never occurred to me. African-Americans have been wronged in so many ways, not just in America but even in their mother country as well. Many times it was one tribe who had conquered another tribe for their land or some other resource and then they would sell those to men who were willing to pay for them to be slaves in another country far away from their homes. Many of them didn’t even survive the trip in the ship because of such cramped conditions. Of those who did their life, if you can call it that, was miserable, hard and filled with pain and suffering.

My own ancestor came from either Ireland or Scotland, I’m not sure which, as an indentured slave to someone who could afford the trip to the New World as America was called at the time. I don’t know my ancestor’s name but since his skin was white he or she may not have had such a terrible time of it after arriving here. But I have read that some were just as cruelly treated as any other slave, regardless of skin color. Sometimes they might get a nominal education in order to do the job that their master needed them to do and sometimes they didn’t. Either way, regardless of their skin color, life was hard…much harder than it is today.

The one common thread that weaves through the Word of God is that faith and belief in God and the salvation that He offers grows tremendously when there is persecution involved. The Israelites held on to their faith when they were in bondage to Egypt. The early church was persecuted in horrible ways during the first few hundred years and in some countries today they still are, but the church itself grew in number even then. Faith seems to seek out the Savior when there is uncertainty and hardship regardless of nationality or skin color.

This is exactly what America NEEDS today…right NOW!! We need a solid anchor in the Truth of God’s Word. One that will not move and is always true in every instance that we need it for. Salvation, security, peace, hope, love, mercy and grace are all found in God’s Word and today the whole world needs these to be active and ALIVE in the church even if the church is located in someone’s home or basement.

Is slavery wrong? YES!! In every sense of the word. Child slavery, sex trafficking, and a host of other types of slavery that I didn’t mention…these are all wrong! Should we search out and destroy the places where this is practiced? That would be wonderful but I’m afraid that many in America would be surprised by how close to home this really is. We would be shocked and horrified by the realization that it involved someone we know or maybe even someone that we attend church with. I don’t know this for a fact, so don’t quote me here. But…it is possible.

The only person that could fix this is our Savior and our King, Jesus Christ. Many of these rings which conduct business in the middle of our cities and towns are only known as legitimate businesses. Even people that we do business with at least once or twice every month. It may not happen in small towns but it is possible

Every member of the church should dig deep into God’s Word and learn how He does things and then let your voice be heard. Make sure your voice is heard because if we don’t then the other side will and the country that will rise from their influence will be worse than the one we have now. If we aren’t going to make our voice, as the church, heard then we aren’t helping anyone. God sent His Son to pay the price for our sins and the least we can do is follow in His footsteps. Letting others know about our wonderful Savior and His love for them. If we don’t do that then we aren’t really His followers at all.