THREADS OF HUMANITY
"God has made all that we see...He has made us also--poor atoms mixed up with this great universe. We shine like these fires and those stars; we sigh like those waves; we suffer like those great ships, which are worn out in ploughing the waves, in obeying the wind which urges them towards an end, as the breath of God blows us towards a port. Everything likes to live...and everything is beautiful in living things." Alexander Dumas
Cause and effect appears to be the prevailing rhyme of reason in the universe--a great fabric of interconnectedness that propels us forward. Each individual soul is essential in this woven commonality of experience. Every thought, when voiced or acted upon, has far reaching consequences. Events and ideas are related to each other in so many ways; the instantaneously formed relationships are not always obvious, but are all, nevertheless, important. Improved communication technologies like the Internet and the developing world economy have enhanced the effects of each person's participation and tightened the fabric's weave to a point where it is stretched taut and ringing: sensations or disturbances on one side of the globe can be known almost immediately on the other. One country's conflict is another's financial crisis. One's passing fad is another's cultural phenomenon.
As a result, the current fraying and disassembling of America's traditional Judeo-Christian moral and ethical fiber will soon be replicated in developing countries. Our nation has always been the original "American Idol" to the rest of the world, a bright, shining city on a hill to their eyes. Our accamplishments inspired them to greatness, and our prodigal backslide into depravity will in time lead them to destruction. Only a remenant will be saved. They will be saved by the influence of the Holy Spirit and Born-again Christians who are willing to take a stand for their faith regardless of the consequences, those willing to truly live like Jesus in all aspects of their lives.
What does it mean to live like Jesus in our modern world? I personally do not believe that Jesus would be interested in political parties, special interest groups, or positions of worldly power. He could have just concentrated on preaching to the multitudes but instead chose to spend most of His precious time with a few select individuals--His personal friends and people He touched and ministered to on an individual basis. He understood what we are just beginning to perceive well--what a truly small world it is. Everything we think and feel and our corresponding words and actions influence others--our children and families, our friends and neighbors, their friends and neighbors and their families developing into entire communities, communities into cities, cities into nations. Every individual interaction can be the starting point for a chain of events and reactions permeating and evolving exponentially on their own into persuasive ideological movements. Laws cannot change belligerant and resistant minds, but kind words and compassionate people can.
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pitchers of silver"(Prov. 23:11).
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7).
Jesus was not impressed by people who professed their own rightousness, or wore it like a robe or office for the world to see. Neither should we take it for granted that someone who claims to be a Christian knows what he is talking about regarding such a claim, especially our chosen leaders. Jesus said you would know someone not by what they claim, but by their actions. Everyone wants to live, and you should know a Christian by his passion concerning the sanctity of life--all life and all people. Every step should be taken to preserve and protect life in all circumstances. It is a sign of a person's inner convictions. A Christian is convicted and inspired in his thoughts and actions by the Holy Spirit, an important part of the Holy Trinity which is in totality the maker and sustainer of all life. This inner inspiration is reflected in what a Christian does and says.
"Wherefdore by their fruits ye shall know them..." (Matt. 7:20).
According to the Bible, to become a Born-again Christian, you must repent of all of your sins; plead Jesus' shed blood on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins to cleanse you from all unrightousness; accept Jesus the Son of God as your Lord (which means "Master") and Savior; and ask His Holy Spirit to enter your heart and direct your life according to your master's will completely. Nothing less will do. Once saved from the penalty for your past sinful life (which is Hell), you naturally desire to live a life that honors and glorifies God for all that He has done for you--for His mercy and grace that sent His Son to suffer and die in your place. You want to live as Jesus did and to see the world as He sees it--as a work to be brought to completion.
Jesus pulls all the loose threads together for us. He is the original Dream Weaver who makes sure our youthful hopes of changing the world do not fade away with the dawn of maturity, but continue on as effectual life-long missions of influence. For the moment one cannot fully grasp the total effects our single, solitary lives have had on humanity--how important dynamic Christian examples really are in the scheme of things. This we can know now: in the end, Jesus will make His Tapestry of Life completely beautiful again, once and forever, and His "Born-again Artisans" will have helped.
J. Wallace
Cause and effect appears to be the prevailing rhyme of reason in the universe--a great fabric of interconnectedness that propels us forward. Each individual soul is essential in this woven commonality of experience. Every thought, when voiced or acted upon, has far reaching consequences. Events and ideas are related to each other in so many ways; the instantaneously formed relationships are not always obvious, but are all, nevertheless, important. Improved communication technologies like the Internet and the developing world economy have enhanced the effects of each person's participation and tightened the fabric's weave to a point where it is stretched taut and ringing: sensations or disturbances on one side of the globe can be known almost immediately on the other. One country's conflict is another's financial crisis. One's passing fad is another's cultural phenomenon.
As a result, the current fraying and disassembling of America's traditional Judeo-Christian moral and ethical fiber will soon be replicated in developing countries. Our nation has always been the original "American Idol" to the rest of the world, a bright, shining city on a hill to their eyes. Our accamplishments inspired them to greatness, and our prodigal backslide into depravity will in time lead them to destruction. Only a remenant will be saved. They will be saved by the influence of the Holy Spirit and Born-again Christians who are willing to take a stand for their faith regardless of the consequences, those willing to truly live like Jesus in all aspects of their lives.
What does it mean to live like Jesus in our modern world? I personally do not believe that Jesus would be interested in political parties, special interest groups, or positions of worldly power. He could have just concentrated on preaching to the multitudes but instead chose to spend most of His precious time with a few select individuals--His personal friends and people He touched and ministered to on an individual basis. He understood what we are just beginning to perceive well--what a truly small world it is. Everything we think and feel and our corresponding words and actions influence others--our children and families, our friends and neighbors, their friends and neighbors and their families developing into entire communities, communities into cities, cities into nations. Every individual interaction can be the starting point for a chain of events and reactions permeating and evolving exponentially on their own into persuasive ideological movements. Laws cannot change belligerant and resistant minds, but kind words and compassionate people can.
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pitchers of silver"(Prov. 23:11).
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7).
Jesus was not impressed by people who professed their own rightousness, or wore it like a robe or office for the world to see. Neither should we take it for granted that someone who claims to be a Christian knows what he is talking about regarding such a claim, especially our chosen leaders. Jesus said you would know someone not by what they claim, but by their actions. Everyone wants to live, and you should know a Christian by his passion concerning the sanctity of life--all life and all people. Every step should be taken to preserve and protect life in all circumstances. It is a sign of a person's inner convictions. A Christian is convicted and inspired in his thoughts and actions by the Holy Spirit, an important part of the Holy Trinity which is in totality the maker and sustainer of all life. This inner inspiration is reflected in what a Christian does and says.
"Wherefdore by their fruits ye shall know them..." (Matt. 7:20).
According to the Bible, to become a Born-again Christian, you must repent of all of your sins; plead Jesus' shed blood on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins to cleanse you from all unrightousness; accept Jesus the Son of God as your Lord (which means "Master") and Savior; and ask His Holy Spirit to enter your heart and direct your life according to your master's will completely. Nothing less will do. Once saved from the penalty for your past sinful life (which is Hell), you naturally desire to live a life that honors and glorifies God for all that He has done for you--for His mercy and grace that sent His Son to suffer and die in your place. You want to live as Jesus did and to see the world as He sees it--as a work to be brought to completion.
Jesus pulls all the loose threads together for us. He is the original Dream Weaver who makes sure our youthful hopes of changing the world do not fade away with the dawn of maturity, but continue on as effectual life-long missions of influence. For the moment one cannot fully grasp the total effects our single, solitary lives have had on humanity--how important dynamic Christian examples really are in the scheme of things. This we can know now: in the end, Jesus will make His Tapestry of Life completely beautiful again, once and forever, and His "Born-again Artisans" will have helped.
J. Wallace
Labels: Live Like Jesus
posted by Purgatory Penman | 7:08 PM
1 Comments:
Every individual interaction can be the starting point for a chain of events and reactions permeating and evolving exponentially on their own into persuasive ideological movements.
You make an excellent point with this statement. Instead of having big plans to "save the world," individuals need to look around their immediate sphere of influence and see where they can be of help. If all people were to concentrate on making life better for those surrounding them, the ripple effect would be enormous. It's the "pay it forward" theory in action.
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