MY ANSWER

I tried to find the question, but the dang thing disappeared on me, it went something like "If you were accused of being a Christian is there enough evidence to support this accusation?"

My finger hovered over the "Yes" wanting to click it because that is how I see myself, but I hesitated long enough to think about it, which never ends well for you my reader!

First I wondered who is going to be on the jury, what parameters are they going to use to determine what a Christian should be like, what questions will be asked.  I wondered if I was the prosecutor what my strategy would be.

So, I decided to review my life to see what evidence I could find that would prove I was indeed a Christian, but first I had to decide from the prosecutors position what makes a Christian.

 Does my fruit bear out my faith? Yes, I think if you followed me around and asked people about what they had seen and heard that was Christ like you would be given many examples of things, just little things, that they know about me that would show this.

Do I speak of my faith?  Yes, I frequently tell people of my faith.

Do I spread the Word to others?  Yes, I use Bible verses often and refer to the Bible and what it says's often.

Do I follow the commandments?  Yes, not perfectly of course, but who is perfect?

Still I am not satisfied, these are all questions and answers that you could ask about an atheist and get the same answers.  Yes, atheist do speak of their faith, spread the Word and follow the commandments, they just do it for different reasons.

So what makes me a Christian, what distinguishes me from people who could give the same answers and not be Christians?  I got into a discussion this week, that left a woman angry at me, and though I am sorry for her anger that does not change what I said it only bears out that I was right to question what she said.  I cannot give you the long and painful list she posted of rules, but to shorten it what she was saying, and this is my understanding, was that we should follow the rules of the Torah because Jesus did, what disturbed me was that she said if we did follow these "Rules" we would be greatly rewarded.  If we did not follow these rules we would perish.  She spoke of love being the answer, of following these rules basically bringing peace and joy to the world.

This person believes they are a Christian and only God knows their heart, but is this being Christ like?  Yes Jesus did follow the rules and No He did not follow the rules.  Yes, the world would be a perfect utopia if everyone followed the rules, but when has this ever happened, and let's get real here people IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!  Love, well whose love, who do we love?  What about the people who reject our love?

But to me the ultimate question was, in her scenario "Why did Jesus go to the cross?"  If we could be saved by following rules, well He wasted His life didn't He.  If loving one another was enough again why the cross?  Heaven would be empty if we all went along with this teaching, and yes she calls herself a teacher.   My owners manual the Word tells me there is only one way, one truth, one LIGHT, it is only through the cross that we can be saved, only our belief, only our faith, only our knowledge that the cross and the sacrifice there was NOT IN VAIN, that Jesus gave his life so that we could be saved, this is our only salvation, there are no "buts" this is bottom line.  Throw the rules at me if you want, call me names if you will, rebuke me, but do not mess with my Jesus and do not try to tell others that His sacrifice was not needed, for this I know, you will be judged far more harshly for this than I could ever judge you and by the one who matters.

The irony in this is this person accused me of being one of those people who drove others away from the church, this person of rules, rules that drove me away from church when I could not on my own live up to them, rules I was expected to live by, but time after time failed to keep perfectly.  God truly has a sense of humor, I the one teaching only through Jesus can you be saved, being accused of not being Christ like, by someone teaching only through following rules can you be saved.  I who spread my love of Jesus everywhere I go, being accused by one whose idea of love does not bear out in their words or actions.

So, could I be convicted of being a Christian, I already am!

BELIEVE IS VERB

Lately I have heard Preachers on television, family,  friends and others who say that they are praying for a healing, trusting in God, not going to doctors, advocating not taking medicine, that could cure their illness.

I was mulling this around in my brain this morning when the title I used for this came to me.  Jesus often required action of those He healed, telling some to take up their beds and leave, some to roll away a stone, but all believed that He could heal them.

Not sure where you stand on this but as for me I thank God for the cures He has given this world, cures that have saved millions of lives.  So pray for a healing but take the medicine that God has provided.

Parable of the Drowning Man

There’s a man, let’s say his name is Dave. Dave owns a beautiful house on the bank of a river. Over the last few weeks, the town Dave lives in has been hit with one storm after another, and with each storm the river rises.

This morning the Weatherman on the local news forecasted the storm of the century. The river that Dave lives on is expected to crest at 30 feet above its normal level; Dave’s house and life are in danger. The News is encouraging people who live on this river to voluntarily evacuate.

Dave ignored the evacuation suggestion and shouted at the TV, “God will take care of me!”

The river water continued to rise. Local neighbors with boats rode around and offered Dave a ride to safety. Dave said no thank you to the ride and told his neighbors, “God will take care of me!”

Dave was now sitting on his rooftop because the water was up to the second floor of his home and was still rising. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to Dave’s house to rescue him. Dave refused to leave and told the Coast Guard, “God will take care of me!”

The water continued to rise and Dave drowned.

 As he approached the gates of Heaven he asked St. Peter why. He asked how could God let him die when he had such faith? He said he always believed God would take care of him. How could God forsake him now when he needed him the most? St. Peter said to Dave with a sigh, “Dave, God tried to take care of you but you refused his help. He sent you a warning and suggestion to evacuate in the newscast, he sent you a rescue boat and then he sent you the Coast Guard in a helicopter. But, you refused all the help that God was sending you because you were failing to see that God can only help you, if you let him. Everything was right before your eyes and you refused to pay attention and accept it.”

Are your expectations blocking your blessings?

WHAT IF?AND THE AARDVARK

Dear God,

Just wanted to drop you a line to apologize for all the times I have questioned you about the Aardvark.  I know it was not polite the way I laughed at this poor creature or often questioned what on earth you were thinking when you created it.  I have a better understanding today!

But you got to admit, that is one strange looking creature.

I had a "what if day" today.  Oh, not the bad kind where you second guess the past with no hope of changing it.  Or the self destructive what ifs where all your dreams are based on these past choices and you cannot move forward, because you are stuck in the what ifs of yesterday.

I had the kind of what if day that created the phone, the computer, electricity...etc....  Which brings me to my Aardvark.  It started out well, I am sure that if I had skipped 3 or 4 what ifs, it could have worked well, but alas like the Aardvark my what ifs sort of gotta away from me and took a life of their own. 

So yeah, I kinda get the Aardvark now!

Your Loving Daughter

Karen