Society tells us that we should be open-minded to other people's opinions and ideas. It tells us to embrace cultural differences and grow from them. By being open-minded, we will learn new ways to think, new approaches to living and possibly find answers to problems that we have been struggling with for some time. So why is it that Christians try to put everyone in a box by categorizing everything as sin and telling society that if you continue down this path you will spend all of eternity in HELL? How can a culture be so closed-minded and so non-inclusive and be the right way? It's like we don't even speak the same language or live in the same world.
Hmmm... how do you respond to comments like that?
When I was a kid, many, many years ago, there were these popular books that were describing how to live on your own in the wilderness without the need for grocery stores or really a need for society. It was called self-sustainable living. Everything you need you either provide yourself or you won't have it.
To me the interesting area of the book was in the chapter regarding medicine and self-healing. I've always wondered what kind of a person would actually do these home remedies and think they would work. For example, I seem to recall that if a person were to get a fever they were supposed to wipe their forehead with a handkerchief until it was soaked. Then, without wringing it out, wrap it around a potato and bury it under the front porch. In the morning, the fever would be gone. It occurred to me that most people get sick in the winter and typically the ground is frozen so how can you bury it in the ground. Why wouldn't a person go get some medicine and take it? We have medicine for just about any of the common ailments and diseases. Just go get the cure and be done with it.
I really think the idea of relying only on what one can do for oneself is the draw here. If they can't do it by their self, without anyone's help, then they don't want to do it. You hear them say things like "I am very capable of taking care of myself -- Thank you very much!!"
Have you ever heard of a more selfish attitude? It appears to be all about them. I know none of you are like that, but I have seen people at work that act this way. Whenever I try to lend a hand, they are offended. "I don't NEED your help!" they say. To which I respond, "I know you don't NEED it, but would you LIKE it?" The load is always lighter with more hands.
What if you had a sickness or a disease that required a doctor's visit and the doctor gave you a list of things that you could choose from but only one of the items on the list was the actual cure and he didn't point out which one it was. You probably wouldn't go to that doctor anymore. But here is a doctor that has embraced multiple approaches to curing disease and he certainly isn't forcing you to choose the one cure that works and yet he would be reprimanded for not telling you the only way to cure the disease. That seems to align with what society says we should embrace, yet, in this example, no one would embrace that. We would have many names for that approach but "Intelligent" isn't one of them.
When Jesus tells us that sin is a disease and the consequences for sin is death but we can be cured if we just believe in Him, why is it we try to find another approach? Why do we take our sin soaked handkerchief and wrap it around a potato and bury under the front porch hoping for entrance into heaven? Are we so self-centered that we don't even want Jesus' help to get to Heaven? Do we really think there are multiple ways to get into Heaven? Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That seems pretty straight forward to me.
God gives you free will to go try other "gods". Feel free to search out other religions but remember you're just capturing sweat in your handkerchief. Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship with Jesus Christ. And just like other relationships, there is an interaction that takes place. Once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will begin that relationship. And you will wonder why you waited so long. It's funny to me when I hear people try to tell me that God doesn't exist. I picture it like this. Suppose you get a text from your friend and a person sees that you received that text. Then they proceed to tell you that the person that you are in a relationship with, the person who just contacted you, and that you spoke to, doesn't exist. REALLY?
Your relationship grows stronger the more you interact with Jesus - through prayer and through reading the Bible. As your relationship grows, Jesus directs you to do certain things... sometimes as if you just received a text from Him. He has a great sense of humor, too, so just be aware. You see Christians aren't closed-minded, they know the cure and they're trying to help you. Won't you trust me and open your heart to Jesus today? Please?
The Shepherd
Hmmm... how do you respond to comments like that?
When I was a kid, many, many years ago, there were these popular books that were describing how to live on your own in the wilderness without the need for grocery stores or really a need for society. It was called self-sustainable living. Everything you need you either provide yourself or you won't have it.
To me the interesting area of the book was in the chapter regarding medicine and self-healing. I've always wondered what kind of a person would actually do these home remedies and think they would work. For example, I seem to recall that if a person were to get a fever they were supposed to wipe their forehead with a handkerchief until it was soaked. Then, without wringing it out, wrap it around a potato and bury it under the front porch. In the morning, the fever would be gone. It occurred to me that most people get sick in the winter and typically the ground is frozen so how can you bury it in the ground. Why wouldn't a person go get some medicine and take it? We have medicine for just about any of the common ailments and diseases. Just go get the cure and be done with it.
I really think the idea of relying only on what one can do for oneself is the draw here. If they can't do it by their self, without anyone's help, then they don't want to do it. You hear them say things like "I am very capable of taking care of myself -- Thank you very much!!"
Have you ever heard of a more selfish attitude? It appears to be all about them. I know none of you are like that, but I have seen people at work that act this way. Whenever I try to lend a hand, they are offended. "I don't NEED your help!" they say. To which I respond, "I know you don't NEED it, but would you LIKE it?" The load is always lighter with more hands.
What if you had a sickness or a disease that required a doctor's visit and the doctor gave you a list of things that you could choose from but only one of the items on the list was the actual cure and he didn't point out which one it was. You probably wouldn't go to that doctor anymore. But here is a doctor that has embraced multiple approaches to curing disease and he certainly isn't forcing you to choose the one cure that works and yet he would be reprimanded for not telling you the only way to cure the disease. That seems to align with what society says we should embrace, yet, in this example, no one would embrace that. We would have many names for that approach but "Intelligent" isn't one of them.
When Jesus tells us that sin is a disease and the consequences for sin is death but we can be cured if we just believe in Him, why is it we try to find another approach? Why do we take our sin soaked handkerchief and wrap it around a potato and bury under the front porch hoping for entrance into heaven? Are we so self-centered that we don't even want Jesus' help to get to Heaven? Do we really think there are multiple ways to get into Heaven? Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That seems pretty straight forward to me.
God gives you free will to go try other "gods". Feel free to search out other religions but remember you're just capturing sweat in your handkerchief. Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship with Jesus Christ. And just like other relationships, there is an interaction that takes place. Once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will begin that relationship. And you will wonder why you waited so long. It's funny to me when I hear people try to tell me that God doesn't exist. I picture it like this. Suppose you get a text from your friend and a person sees that you received that text. Then they proceed to tell you that the person that you are in a relationship with, the person who just contacted you, and that you spoke to, doesn't exist. REALLY?
Your relationship grows stronger the more you interact with Jesus - through prayer and through reading the Bible. As your relationship grows, Jesus directs you to do certain things... sometimes as if you just received a text from Him. He has a great sense of humor, too, so just be aware. You see Christians aren't closed-minded, they know the cure and they're trying to help you. Won't you trust me and open your heart to Jesus today? Please?
The Shepherd
No comments:
Post a Comment