Reflections on Israel - Sabbath Day

I do not think, we, as gentile(non-Jewish) Christians, understand the importance of the Sabbath as much as we should. We have the freedom to live without following the Jewish customs or way of life, nor are we subject to be put under the law. Though, why are we not gleaning from the Bible the reasons behind why God put such an importance on the Sabbath day?

The business of life has taken away our day of rest, keeping us from worshiping God as fully as we can. Finding time just to read the Bible is hard. Most Christians in the western world have turned their ideas of Christianity into a "I think that being a Christian means..." instead of "The Bible says this about the world and these passages speaks to how we can be a light in this fallen world...".   We are too caught up in our life to truly understand the importance of reading scripture.  How can we defend ourselves from deception without understanding what the Bible says? Look at Jesus in Matthew ch 4.  While He was tempted out in the wilderness, he answered Satan's questions and misuse of the Scripture with another passage.  How many of us can do this in today's time and age?  We are so easily swayed too and fro in our culture, living off of emotions and feelings as a Christian without a grounded knowledge of the Word of God. Muslims learn the Qur'an from an early age, Jews learn the Torah at an early age, Buddhists learn how to seek Nirvana at an early age, and Christians...well, we are taught to go to church and pay attention.  Though, how many of us were told to read the Bible at an early age...or have yet to do so?

The first day after God created man, He gave man a day of rest to see the work that he did and to worship God. This is why the Sabbath day is so important. We need a day to worship God and delve into His word. Of course we should be reading the Bible and praying every day, but a day where we can fully seek Him. To find rest in His arms. We cannot forget it, we cannot forget the importance of it, and we cannot let our busy lives take it away from us. Find your Sabbath, find your day to seek God and to leave the worries of the world for the other days of the week. Get to know the Father whom first loved you, who gave everything for you. Study scripture and let His word speak into your life.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Psalm 53 - No One Who Does Good

It is only a fool that would dare to proclaim in their fame
That there is no God,
They believe there is no one that could put their claim to shame
And prove them wrong.
They have been corrupted by this world and their ways are vile by a mile
For there is no one who does good, no not one

God looks down on earth, to seek and find amongst all mankind,
A person that sees themselves as meek and would turn the other cheek
Someone that would understand the ways of good
But everyone has turned away and gone astray
They have been corrupted by this world and their ways are vile by a mile
For there is no one who does good, no not one

Do all evildoers know nothing, how to freely give in this life they live?
They devour the people of God without a care, which is too much to bare
But there they stand, overwhelmed with dread in each living thread
It was God who scattered them to a last man, for against Him they could not stand.
It is righteousness that will prevail and protect the frail
For there is no one good but God and His unfailing love.

Being a Light in a Society Filled with Darkness

How do you explain violence?  How do you explain why society cannot learn from the mistakes from the past? The world can seem very dark at times and the pain and hurt is felt beyond the people involved.  Many, even I, have tried to explain what is going on, but to no avail.  Others grasp for the best answer they can find and hope that understanding the reasons will fix the problem.  Though, in the end, it does not satisfy. People still mourn, people still die, and the cycle continues. We wish for the past days where life was simpler, where ignorance blinded us from reality and happiness was found in the small world we lived in.

Though, when this veil is lifted, we are left with a choice. Hide in a small hole or stand up and be an example to those around us. And in times like this, those who need us are those who are hurting the most. I could never understand what it is like to be a black male or female in the U.S., but what i can do is to stand up for them. To show others that they are just the same as me and to cry out at the injustice. Though, I also mourn with the families of lost loved ones, who did serve as police officers
to the best of their capacity. There is no war on races in Christ, we are one and the same.

Galatians 3:28 says:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And in this darkness, the only light some might see is what we can bring. Jesus calls us to be this light to the world.

As Matthew 5:16 says:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

How can we be a light to those around us? It is a simple solution. Instead of pointing fingers and trying to choose a side, we should love those who hate us, love those who persecute us, mourn with those who mourn, build peace amongst brothers and sisters, and forgive those who do us harm.

As Romans 12:21 says:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So let us not forget the great words from Martin Luther King Jr. A man who served God and fought for justice in a society that would not give it. His words hold true today as they did in the past. Let these words remind us that hate does not end with more hate.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."