Today, I was watching The View because guest Kristin Chenoweth was going to be interviewed. I have seen some of her Broadway style performances before and really enjoyed the part she played as an actress on The West Wing television series.
During the interview, there was a question posed (more…)
The Isrealites had been told in the Torah (or Pentateuch) to keep the Sabbath. Most modern people believe that as a Christian we should at least keep the Ten Commandments which they believe to be the Word of G-d to us for clean living. The fourth command is to keep the Sabbath. But what does “keep the Sabbath” really mean and how (more…)
Is it just me, or does anyone else notice that people do not really do what they say they will do most of the time? So much of our lives seem to be congenial trivialities meant to take up dead conversational space that is awkward to people. And if you don’t say much, people ask if anything is wrong. We are no longer OK with just being quiet because we are not as “engaged” in interaction as others feel we should be.
For instance, I called an old business contact I had the other day with an offer that I thought might interest him or someone he may know. He was not interested himself. He told me during the conversation that he did know someone that might be, maybe even two or three. We wished each other well with a word from him that my phone would be ringing by Saturday with at least one and maybe even two persons that might be interested in the offer. As you may have guessed, they did not call.
Now I am not saying that the man himself is a liar, nor would I wish anything bad to happen to him. But it does strike me as odd that he would implicate a promise of this nature (even though he did not actually say he “promised” anything) and then further than that not even call me to check on events that should have followed if he did not have the intention of actually carrying out the deeds. Am I missing something here?
Another example: A neighbor is helped with a problem. In the process of helping the neighbor with the problem a tool is broken. The neighbor is thankful for the help in solving the problem and offers to replace the tool. A few weeks later the tool which was broken during the repair process is located, purchased by the neighbor, and given to the tool owner as a replacement and a thanks for the help. Now, that neighbor said he was going to do something and then did it. At this point, a simple act has placed this person in a very favorable and possibly even dependable light. But wait, there is more.
At the giving of the replacement tool gift, the desire is expressed that maybe the two tenants should have coffee or play chess down the line as new friends. Over the course of several weeks, several attempts are made by the tool owner to make contact with and even engage in activities with the recipient of earlier help in fulfillment of the desire expressed to do just that. At no time is any offer taken, rescheduled, or acted upon in any way by the neighbor. At this point, a desire gone unfulfilled or un-acted upon takes on the life of a living lie. With every thrown out offer of an opportunity at activity participation, the neighbor becomes just as untrustworthy as if he had just lied himself. Because the neighbor just filled dead space because of an awkward silence and will not complete the implied promise of action, he has now lost the status he once had as a trusted neighbor, or at best severely damaged it.
In retrospect, I now remember the words of NT:James 5:12 which states “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” You see how serious this is? Above, before anything, don’t say you are going to or not going to do something and then just do the opposite. Condemnation here is the Greek word Hupokrisis, or in the English - hypocracy.
From now own, I will not be so upset at being quiet; or about someone asking me if everything is OK. As long as I am not a hypocrite, I am very OK and will not mind saying that I am OK.
Then I will shut up.
–SilverMouse
Today it seems that if there is nothing more to fight about then we make up stuff to fight about. It is the nature of man to fight about something. This is why we will never get along with everyone all the time.
Take the topic of abortion. On the one hand, we are taught that it is morally wrong to kill for no reason. There is also a further understanding that G-d does not condone the spilling of innocent blood, calling it an abomination. So those who believe in the existance of a supreme being also believe that abortion is not only wrong, but that we should not do it. This same G-d also says that we should not hate our neighbor saying via Yeshua that if we hate our neighbor then we have ultimately committed murder in our hearts. Murder is the taking of life without a cause. This is all fine and well for those who state that this is ok for them because their cause is that abortion is wrong and when put into action it creates a reason to hate; which is murder in the heart. Such a hard existence is created here for the Believer.
On the other hand, we are also taught that good and evil, Heaven and Hell, Life and Death even, are laid down before us and we are encouraged to choose Life. We do not have to choose Life (”L” used here instead of “l” meaning existence with G-d, the Abba or Source of Life). But, we are indeed incouraged to choose Life. So, if there are some that choose to kill innocent life, this is their choice because it has been laid down before them with an alternative choice to not kill innocent life.
So what happens when the one side believes so strongly that abortion is so wrong that they decide to take it into their own hands to stop it instead of believing that the L-rd our G-d will not take His own vengence? These are the people that end up doing evil themselves by blowing things up and hurting the feelings of so many people in the process by the hurtful things they do and will say about the other person taking the action of abortion. When this happens, both sides are wrong.
The final moral of the story? Both sides are actually right in their belief. They are right in the fact that they have the right to choose. They were given this choice by HaShem (Hebrew for “The Name”) Himself. It is up to the Righteous (the ones living within the corpus of G-d’s Law) to speak up and say the truth about G-d’s Word and Will. It is not up to the Righteous to force this Word and Will upon others. Everyone is coming to the day when they will have to account their own persons and actions to HaShem. We are only accountable for ourselves and it is only our job to be a witness to His goodness and glory and nothing more. When we force our will, what we believe is G-d’s Will, upon others, then we are in the wrong.
We should pray in agreement that others choosing abortion would change their choice because we grieve over the judgement over their actions they will face. But, ultimately the choice is theirs and only theirs to make and not for us to change by using negative means. Instead, we must love them even as we love enemies and keep praying for their salvation.
–SilverMouse
