BEEN PRAYING

I write this blog as a place for me to comment on national politics and world events as I seen them. I don’t usually write about religion or religious topics … mostly because I don’t want to. With that said, I’m a Bible believing Christian. I don’t consider myself to be a Bible-thumping Christian ... I cannot quote scriptures and haven’t memorized Bible verses. Ever since I was a little boy I have believed that Jesus is who the Bible teaches that He is … the Son of God. I’ve never doubted that. I take Bible gospel at its word. I believe that the Holy Bible is God’s word to man.

I’m doubtful about Church. I consider church separately from the Bible. Churches always seem to have a greater dependency on what church leaders have to say than they do on anything else. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a global church, a mega church, or a store front church. The head of the church always seems to be the focal point of the church. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be a church leadership … what I’m saying is that I don’t put my faith in church leadership. I put my faith in Jesus and God’s word. Most of what I have learned about God and the Bible, I’ve learned from Christian hero’s I’ve known all of my life or on TV from when I was just a little 5 & 6 year old kid. After all, God’s word is easily found here in the United States … which is why I believe that United States has been blessed.

I’ve always been taught that faith in Jesus and having a relationship with Him is a personal choice. With that choice comes a connection with Him that is private … it is yours and His alone. It is not a collective relationship, nor is it based on collective salvation. What I mean by that is we are saved individually by confessing to Him that you know that you’re a sinner and unworthy to be saved, but Jesus will save you even if you can’t convinces your loved ones to accept Him with you … they have to save themselves by coming to Him on their own.

Making that choice is both the simplest and most complex decision a person will ever make. There isn’t a lot to do. There aren’t any fees to pay … so it doesn’t cost you a month’s salary. There aren’t any forms to fill out or paper work that you have to submit (at least not for Jesus, anyway). There aren’t any tests to take, no physicals you have to pass, and forget about having to pass a background check. Jesus won’t ask you for a urine sample, and he won’t even need or want any character references. All you have to do it take a leap! … a leap of faith, that is.

Here is where it becomes complex. Even though Jesus will freely save you, what has really happened when you accept Him is that you have saved yourself from yourself, from the world, from the devil, and from hell. Even though all of that was freely given to you it does not mean that there isn’t an expectation of you from Jesus and from God. That is where the Bible (God’s word) comes in.

The Holy Bible is a handbook. Within it we find out what the rules are and what God expects of us. Jesus’ teachings can be found there and so can the ten commandments (not the ten suggestions). There are instructions on how to properly love and care for one another, on personal and business conduct, and on moral and ethical behavior. No where have I read (or I should say, have I ever heard read) in the Bible that the ends justifies the means. Honesty, humility, charity, integrity, are constant themes in the Bible. So are bravery, selflessness, sacrifice, and long suffering. I believe that all of those themes were true of our country’s founding.

I’ve heard that for almost any question you can find an answer to that question within the pages of the Bible. Kind of like the old spaghetti sauce commercials used to say, “it’s in there!” I have put that theory to test on a couple of occasions and have found that to be true (I won’t go into detail here about them here). I have said that the root of most of the troubles we have today are caused by the lack of good basic morals and ethics. Why do I say that? … because the bible tells me so.

I’m no different than most Christians. I find myself looking for God and praying to Him when I’m in trouble or worried about a loved one. I’m working on that. I’ve started attending a Bible study ( I even bought a Bible … two actually). I’ve also been using the internet to study Bible verses and stories and have been making a conscious effort to pray … I usually pray when I’m driving.

I don’t pray nearly as much as I know I should. But, like I said, I’m working on it. Time and time again I have said in my blogs and when talking with others that 2011 is going to be a year we’d like to forget but most likely never will. That is another reason why I’ve started turning to prayer, to the Bible, and to Jesus. I’ve admitted to people that I don’t think I love Jesus nearly as much as I know He loves me. I’m praying for a more intense connection to Him. I also pray that more people will turn to Him before it is too late in their lives for them to take that leap of faith.

However, I’m a pragmatist. I know that many will come to him and many will not. The Bible says as much. I differ from a lot of (or probably most of) Christians I know in that I believe that more people will suffer the consequences of rejecting Jesus than they’ll even consider. Islamic terrorist are one example. Many of them are educated and have studied theology. They know about the world’s religions and beliefs. That means that they know about Christ and have rejected Christianity for Islam. That’s their choice. Agnostics very often are people that have grown up in some religion or another. They learned about Christ and rejected Christianity. That’s their choice. The same can be said for most atheist, and New Agers. I’ve even know of people that have been to seminary that have turned from their faith. The Bible teaches all of this. As a Bible believing Christian that accepts the good news of Jesus Christ, I have to accept the not so good news too.

I’m not a gambler. I’ve never enjoyed betting. Every once in a while I’ll play cards with friends, never expecting to walk away with any winnings. I’ll gamble away twenty dollars and call it a night. I’m definitely not a gambler where my soul is concerned. I hope you aren’t either. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, consider doing so … I believe you will find that it is the best bet you’ll ever make.

So why did I write this posting? I’m not really sure … it’s just what has been on my mind and I thought I'd shared it here with you.

There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie