What the Bible has to say on Immigration.

This is how we as Christians ought to treat foreigners.  The Bible is very clear on this. 

 “The LORD your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19 CEB)   “You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9 NLT)   “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV)   “The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you” (Exodus 12:49 NIV)   “Don’t oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; don’t plan evil against each other!” (Zechariah 7:10 CEB)   “The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin” (Psalm 146:9 ESV)   “You have brought your judgment days near and have come to your years of punishment [because] father and mother are treated with contempt, and the foreign resident is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you” (Ezekiel 22:4, 7 HCSB)   “‘I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of Hosts” (Malachi 3:5 HCSB)   “If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever” (Jeremiah 7:5-7 NIV 1984)   “Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3 ESV)   “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:19-21 NIV)   “When you have finished paying the entire tenth part of your produce on the third year—that is the year for paying the tenth-part—you will give it to the Levites, the immigrants, the orphans, and the widows so they can eat in your cities until they are full” (Deuteronomy 26:12 CEB)   “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:35-40 NASB)   “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)   “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11 NIV 1984

Bin Laden, Dead!

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies
hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction
of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of
annihilation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963

I am grateful that Osama Bin Laden has been brought to justice and that we have one less terrorist in the world.  However, I am pretty alarmed at the rejoicing and celebrating in his death.  Even if he was our enemy, he is still a human being that has been killed.  I do not believe that we should let our hate bring us to celebration in any lost life, even Bin Laden's.  Remember that it is this kind of hate that caused the 9-11 attacks.  This is the same kind of hate that caused so many innocent lives to come to an end. 
Also, when hate brings us to a point where we celebrate the death of our enemies we are not obeying God.  God wants us to forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  He did not say to hate our enemies and celebrate their death.  This is what the word of God has to say about loving our enemies.

You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, and hate your enemy,’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:38-48).

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT, Matthew 6:14-15)

I know it seems unjust and not right to say we should forgive a person that has caused so much harm, but isn't that exactly what Jesus calls those who belong to him to do.  We are supposed to take our cross up and follow Jesus.  In order to follow Jesus we must have the same kind of forgiveness that Jesus had when he called out from the cross,  "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34).   Lastly I will add that this kind of forgiveness is not cheap.  It is not to say that what happened was right, but that we will not return evil with evil.  This is not cheap grace, after all don't forget that it cost Jesus his life. 
Osama Bin Laden definitely had to die, but we do not have to celebrate over it.

Not Going To Worry

Recently I feel like the world and the people that are in it have really been in a state of constant worry.  If you turn on the news, or even just talk to a group of people about gas prices, the middle east or heath insurance coverage you will get the same message that I am getting.  That message is that this world is going to hell and that we should all be scared out of our minds.  You can't get through the day without the message of fear creeping in, in someway.  I am not writing this to make people feel bad for be scared.  But I am writing this because I know there's no reason to be scared if you are a Christian.  I believe that the God that pinned my sins on a cross and has called me his, also safely holds me even while the world goes crazy around me.  What does the Bible say about worry.  “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26, NIV).   It is true.  Worry does nothing good for my life.  By worrying I have never prevented anything from happening.  In fact worry actually causes health problems.  Stress can lead to heart disease, anxiety disorders, and a multitude of other problems.  But can it prevent anything.  I have never prevented anything from happening by worrying about it.  However, I did waste precious time that I could have been spending doing God's will.  The Bible also says this about worry. 
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
 
I cannot do anything about the gas prices, the middle east, the rising cost of living, the politicians in Washington, or even the people around me.  But I can do something about how I respond to it.  Jesus calls us as Christians to respond with faith instead of fear.  Let the world see that we are not scared.  Won't that send a message.  Maybe they will want what we have if we respond in faith to this rising fear.  Remember Jesus has already won this war.One of the things that I notice about this verse is that I will have peace that transcends understanding.  What does that mean?  I think that means that I will have peace that makes no sense.  I will have peace when others are not in peace.  When it would make sense for me to worry and be fearful I will be peaceful instead.  And how do I get that kind of peace?  By praying to God instead of worrying. 

Why I Don't Go To Church

I have never written about this for the pure reason that I have not wanted to offend my other Christian friends but I think its time just to put it out there and be real about it.  There are some things about church and my fellow Christian brothers and sisters that really disturb and upset me.  It upsets me so much that I would just rather stay at home on Sunday than be around them.  I feel I get more out of the connections with my friends in AA than I do with my Christian brothers and sisters anyways. 

Here's the number one reason I stay home.  I find that other Christians are terribly judgemental of everyone.  If I remember from what I read in the Bible the most important commandment was to love God and then to love our neighbor.  This is what the Bible says:
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV, Mark 12:28-31).
Also in 1 Corinthians 13 it says in verse 4-6 it tells us that love is not arrogant or boastful and that it is patient and that it hopes all things.  To me that sounds like the opposite of judging.  And then it goes on to say its the most important thing and that without it we are nothing!

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [2] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Yet when I am around my Christian friends I find that they are terrible judgemental.  Have you ever noticed that when you walk into Church late everyone turns and looks at you.  I can guarantee they are not thinking how wonderful it is that you made it to church.  They are probably thinking something along the lines of how wonderful they are for making it to church on time when you couldn't.  When I am late for an AA meeting people are genuinely glad that I made it.  They even say you are never late for a meeting.  Its a shame I can't be accepted like that at church.
Also, there's this lady I work with.  She goes to church every Sunday.  She professes to love Jesus more than anything in the whole world.  Yet if someone comes in the door and they smell bad or are dressed bad I can guarantee you that she is the first person to talk about that person and how horrible it was for them to leave their house like that.  Well, excuse me I think its horrible for you to leave your house without the compassion of Christ.  Don't claim my saviors name if you are going to hurt people with your words.
Jesus came for sick people.  If we were well he would not have had to die.  Why is it when you go into a church everyone insists on acting like nothing is ever wrong in their lives.  You know that on the way to church in the car they were screaming at each other.  You can see the tear streams still etched on their face.  Yet when you ask how they are, they respond with life is wonderful and God is blessing us.  Don't lie.  Let your brothers and sisters in Christ help you.  That's why people go to drugs and alcohol to fix their problems instead of churches.  Churches don't seem like a place where sick people go.  To me that's sad.  That is exactly why Christ died on the cross.  To save the sick.  Not to be a resort club for the perfect.
I just wish there was a little less judging, a little more honesty, and a little more acceptance in the body of Christ today.  Do you want people to come to Christ.  You have to show them love first.  If you judge them first they will die before they come to Christ and they will die in their sins.  No one ever became a Christian because someone told them that they were scum.  You've got to show people love.  The Bible says they will know us because of our love.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

I try to ask myself would someone be able to identify me as a Christian based on this statement.  

Not About Me

Wow, how fast I can forget that its not about me.  Today my blog was rising in popularity and I was really getting excited.  In just a few short hours I had gained 4 new members and none of these people were people I had ever met before.  I started thinking things like, "Wow, I must be a really good author," and "I must have a lot of important things to say."  How quick I forgot the real reason why these people joined my blog.  My last 2 posts were written about the grace and forgiveness of God.  These new followers came to my blog to see Jesus, not me.  They were not interested in how I said what I said, what interested them is what was being said.  And what was being said was that Jesus saves. 

My popularity grew because I was pointing to the cross.  I was saying look at God because he can help you.  And that is what I am going to continue to say.  Because I am starting to realise that when I am lifting my eyes towards Jesus and giving him the credit that is due him that is when life goes right.  Its all about him anyways.
1 Cor 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

I am starting to realise that we have to move out of the way.  When I was a teenager there was this man at my church that did a lot to help me go to church camp.  I would always try to thank him and his wife and it would never fail.  Every time I attempted to thank him he would point up and say "thank God, not me."  That used to irritate me a lot that this man would not take my thanks.  Now I understand why he did that.  He was trying to get me to see Jesus.  He did not want to take the attention off from God.  He understood that if I was thanking him it was distracting me from looking at God.  He wanted me to gain a closer relationship with God.

I want to be like my friend.  I want to help get people closer to Jesus.  I don't ever want to distract someone from God.

New Years Resolution

Have you ever managed to stick to a New Years Resolution?
Yes	No
Another Question from YouThink.com. Ask your own Question!

Just curious.  Last year my New years resolution was to quit smoking.  It took some time but now I have 5 months so you can say that I did it.  This year my New Years resolution is going to be to lose weight, and to spend more time in my Bible.  So far it is day 3 and I have stayed within my diet and I have read my Bible all three days.  Yay, maybe I will have another success.  Only time will tell.  What are some of your New Years resolutions?  Leave me a comment and tell me, I am curious!

Don't Quit 5 Minutes Before The Miracle

Recently a few of my freinds have been going through some hard times and as I am watching them struggle it is reminding me how important it is not to lose faith.  Sometimes in life it can seem like hope is gone and we are as far down as we can get.  I have been there and I know how that feels.  But something that I have learned from being in that spot is that usually when I am at the darkest spots in my life, those are the times that I am closest to a new dawn.  I don't know when I am in the darkness that God is going to make the sun shine again, but he is. 
When I was at the Unity festival this summer one of the artist talked about one of my favorite bible verses.  Phillians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"  What this artist pointed out is something that I had never thought about before.  See I had always focused just on the peace part of this verse.  What I failed to see was that at some point in my life there would be a time that God would give me peace when it would make no sense for me to have peace.  That is why it transends all understanding.  At some point my life may be so bad that no one will understand why I am at peace when everything in my life is going haywire.  Now, how can I have peace like this.  I think I know the answer to this today.  Because the God I worship has conquered this world.  Nothing in this world can hurt me.  John 16:33 ""I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 
So don't quit before the miracle.  And don't lose your faith.  God has come through before and he will come through again.  Maybe in the struggle you will find your blessing.