Casting Stones Or Bringing Beggars To Bread?

   In Matthew 7, we learn that if we are not careful, we could be condemning people for their sins, while we are guilty of doing the same things, or things that are just as serious in God's eyes, yet we don't see our own sin.

   In Luke 18, we learn about two people; one was a tax collector (tax collectors were considered 'sinners' because they took advantage of people who used their services), but the other was a Pharisee, a deeply religious person, yet very proud about his supposed standing before God and his efforts at achieving goodness. The Pharisee reminded God of how good he was and compared himself with the tax collector, in his sinful condition. Because the tax collector was able to look at his own heart and deal with his sins before God, the tax collector ended up being justified by God, for his sins. The Pharisee stayed in his sins and remained blind to his need for salvation and a new heart.

   In John 8, there were a group of men who wanted to trick Jesus and put Him into a situation where He would squirm (Obviously, they did not believe in the deity of Christ and His knowledge of everything). They found a lady who was involved in an affair and brought her to Jesus. They wanted to know what Jesus would do with this woman. Basically, they wanted to trap Him. They wanted to put him in a situation where there would be no right answers, and would mess Jesus up. Then they would win their case against Him, so they thought. Of course, Jesus was filled with all wisdom, and answered them wisely. He told them that whoever was without sin, was to cast the first stone. One by one, the men who were there left. There was no one left but Jesus and the woman who had committed adultery. Jesus had a couple of things to say to her. One was, that He doesn't condemn her. Note that this is not an 'ok' for us to stay in our sins! The next thing He said was to 'go and sin no more'. People like to leave this part off, for it means that they themselves, would have to repent.

   So, what are the issues here and why are they so important? The issues really have to do with the pride in our hearts and the false idea that we are better than other people. But it also tells us that there is repentance that is necessary for the sinner. Both the tax collector and the woman who committed adultery had to repent. We know the tax collector did repent because that is what the story is about.

   Why is this important though? I think it is important because today, whenever a person who knows the Lord shares Scripture, especially the passages that have to do with sin and God's standard, posts things on Facebook or on blogs, immediately, there is a response from a group of people. They tell the poster to stop 'casting stones'. They let the poster know that God is the only one who can judge and to stop judging people.

   OK, we have a problem here. First of all, the poster is probably not playing judge or casting stones. The poster may be showing people what the Scriptures say about sin or about ethics or even showing a Biblical worldview. The problem comes with the wrong idea of authority. Either the accusing reader thinks that there is no authority in Scripture, or, that the Christian poster is elevating himself or herself to be God (Judge).

   If people believe what weak churches are teaching, that culture has more authority than God's word, then it will appear that the poster is acting as God, or some kind of authority. I have talked with many people and the lie of the Enemy is still whispering in their ears, "Did God really say...?"

   So, God becomes watered down to be like one of us. Or, people perceive us as being the final authority of what God says, as if we are placing the judgment on them. We are just telling people what God says about their eternity, and what He will do about their sin if they don't repent.

"We are just beggars, telling other beggars where to find bread." We are sinners, although saved from our sins, who are telling other sinners where they can find salvation. We are not going to beat people over the head with the Bible. We are not going to put ourselves on the same level, as if we are God. We don't have the authority God has, because of who He is. But we have the responsibility to be faithful to the ministry of reconciliation which He has entrusted to us.

Our Words Have Power For Good, And For Destruction - In the Past As Well As Today

Is your mind already made up, or are you mature enough to listen to both sides of the story?

I have to think of a true story recorded in Scriptures concerning a man named Naboth, who had a beautiful vineyard, and a king named Ahab, who was married to a woman named Jezebel. *

  Naboth had a vineyard that was probably growing for years, in the place where he lived. From what we can tell, it must have been passed down to him from his ancestors. Now it was in Naboth's possession, and unfortunately for him, this was the time King Ahab was ruling the land of Samaria.

   Ahab decided one day, that he wanted Naboth's vineyard. So, he approached Naboth and asked him for the vineyard. Naboth refused, and rightfully so. His family had invested years in that vineyard, and for him to give over the vineyard to someone else, even a king, would not have been right.

   Ahab went home sulking. He told his sad tale to Jezebel, his wife. Basically, she rebuked Ahab, and told him to stop sulking. She would take care of the problem.

   A meeting was called and Naboth was invited. Poor Naboth. He had no idea that Jezebel had hired some scumbags to side with her by making false accusations against him. After the meeting, it was decided that Jezebel's words, as well as those of the scumbags, were true and accurate, and Naboth was stoned to death! How unfair is that?

   Today, there is a new term available to us. It is called, 'Character assassination' and it basically means that a person is destroyed by the words of others against him or her.

   As you know, I am not a Left-winger. I am dead set against the principles of everything the Left stands for today. I don't know how our country got into this mess, but now we are a divided country. We have Conservatives who know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, and truth and error. But, on the other side, we have a group of people who seem to have no conscience. Those on the left appear to be full of hate, especially since they did not get their way in the election.

   Donald Trump is our president. You may like him or hate him, but, he is the one who was chosen by the people, to lead our country. Our responsibility is to be praying for him and for our country.

   I am personally tired of the Left continually slandering this man. It is one thing to not like a person. It is another thing to destroy a person. We can  dislike someone, yet still support them, or at least be praying for him. It seems obvious that ever since the Left lost the election, they are on a rampage. They are angry and vengeful. Yet, if someone or a group on the Right becomes angry or expresses their opinion, they are called, 'Bullies'.

   I am tired of the name calling and the narrative. The whole thing is made up and is empowered by those who go out and protest as well as riot. Yes, we have freedom of speech and they are entitled to speak what is on their hearts. But their whole agenda first of all, is becoming evident and clear.

   Now we have a president who is carrying out what he said he will do. I am not saying this man is perfect, but, I have listened to him, and he does understand the issues our country is facing. But no matter what he does, or what decision he makes, those on the Left are sure to oppose it. They oppose it by using 'character assassination' tactics. They want to so malign this man so they can destroy him, with the hopes that he would give up the presidency.

   If you were to look at the issues during the campaign, and how the candidates responded to them you would see a clear opposition of the choices of the two main candidates. In other words, whatever Trump favored, Clinton opposed, and vice-versa. The responses of Trump were favorable with what the Conservatives would want. His responses were also the opposite of what the Left wanted, and now that he is president, they can see clearly that their agenda has a major roadblock in the way, and they are, to say the least, angry.

   Please be praying for Donald Trump, his family, the salvation of all in their home, and protection for them. Contrary to what the media would say, this man has wanted prayer, recognizes a God who is bigger than he, and has made some very good choices already for our country. If he does what he said he will do, I believe this country could turn around and regain the ground that was lost to the Enemy during the last 50 years or so. We have got to be praying for the church in America, for our leaders, and for our country. It is of upmost importance.

           Please, be careful, very careful of what the media says and what you believe. The media will suppress those who will speak the truth, and the media will exalt those who are doing evil. Please be discerning and listen to both sides before speaking about the political issues at hand.

* Naboth's Vineyard

"Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.  And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”  But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”  And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.

 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?”  And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”  And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.  And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”  And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.  And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.  Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”  And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it."

From 1 Kings 21:1-16 ESV

The Problem With Boundaries

I don't know about you, but I have always had a hard time understanding boundaries. What are they and why do we have them, or do we really have boundaries?

  I am looking at this difficulty with the situation of letting illegal immigrants come into our country. Should we be the ones to rescue them? Could this endanger our country in any way?

   What does Jesus have to say about boundaries? Can we find information in the Bible on them, and if so, what are they for?

   I have to admit, I really didn't understand boundaries until recently. I met a person and became her friend for about a year and a half, who struggled with this whole concept. She was also trying to learn about boundaries and recommended a book for me to read called 'Boundaries'.*

   I am embarrassed to tell everyone this, but I used to think that the Beatitudes were telling us to allow people to take advantage of us, but in an interesting way, we do not see Jesus allowing people to take advantage of Him, nor do we see that in the lives of the disciples. God will not be fooled. There must be something I didn't understand about the Beatitudes for that is not what they were teaching us.

   There seems to be an underlying thought that if we really do love someone or something, we should allow that person or group to use us (and abuse us). So, if we have some reasoning in us, it would seem like we would be helping these illegal aliens by allowing them to live in Sanctuary cities. We would be allowing these groups of people to come into our country and have the benefits of being in America, while, in a sense, suppressing the people who already live here. They need jobs, so we should give those jobs to them. That will mean the American people will have to take a back seat and some will not be able to get a job, because their job will be given to an illegal alien.

   But what if we just take these people in and don't give them the jobs, but provide housing and food for them? Couldn't we at least do that? Well, let's ask another question then. Shouldn't every family be adopting all the children who need to be placed in families? Every child up for adoption should be put into families, even if these families already have several children, biologically or by prior adoptions. I am totally for adoption, so I am not making a case against it here.

   Again, this would mean for us that somehow we would have to pay for their bills. How would we do that? Through taxes? Someone would have to foot the bill, and the channel for that would be, the government.

   Why do we have such a great need for children to be adopted? In the olden days, children who were orphaned were adopted into other families. But today, children are born into families that either cannot take care of them, don't want them, or have abused or neglected them. Many children are illegitimate, and would have to be raised by one parent, who would have to go to work. Of course, abortion is not the answer, because that is murder. Having sexual relationships outside of marriage is wrong, and that is a large reason for unwanted children being born. God forbids us to have sexual relationships outside of marriage, and if we were to take care of that problem, a big reason for unwanted children being born would also be helped.

   The point is, no one family can take on several children to be adopted (I know there are exceptions to this, and we thank God for those). The problem with illegal aliens coming into our country is basically that we are letting others cross our God given boundaries. We are essentially moving our boundaries to accommodate them. Another serious problem is that, like a Trojan horse, they can come into our country with plans to destroy our nation. They are not part of our culture, and the rules that apply to American citizens will have to apply to them. They should not be able to break our boundaries and get away with it, which many will. To assume that these illegal aliens are just good people needing some help is not a rational thought. All people have sinful, selfish hearts. When the illegal aliens come over here, they are not going to be grateful for what we are doing for them. They could possibly use what we give them and turn against us with those things we have blessed them with.

  Just another random thought: If any of these illegal aliens have relatives or family here in America, who are already living here and are citizens of this nation, I can see allowing these people to come live with their families. It would make sense if any of these aliens come here for any length of time, that they would either become American citizens, or they would eventually go back to their own countries.

  Just my 2 cents on this subject again. Never let anyone trespass your God-given boundaries!

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Boundaries - by
Henry Cloud

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