Posted by
JTB on Friday, June 22, 2007 8:44:37 AM
If you're a Christian, you have a responsibility to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25) and wear the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-20). That means making sure of where we stand, doing what is right, strengthening our bodies and minds, and helping those around us. It does not mean conforming to the current culture, "fitting-in", or the like.
Actions have consequences, words have meaning:
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing (John 9:1-25 NIV)
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."
Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.
Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened."
The man replied, "He is a prophet."
The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"
"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."
He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
Are you helping people or hurting them? Are people afraid of you? Or do they seek you when they are hurting
Alternately, are you afraid to tell others about Jesus? I am, at times. Not for fear of death; I'm afraid of ridicule. You see, that's the Devil's tool in the West. We want to be seen with the intelligentsia. We want to avoid being identified with those polyester clad zealots who chained themselves together outside abortion clinics a few years ago. Well, those are the only ones that CNN showed... We want to avoid being the ones who thought Terry Schiavo deserved a chance to live... We want to avoid being identified with wierdo; but we don't belong to this world... Like the parents of the blind man Jesus healed, we don't want others to mock us or ostracize us...
BUT! We need to be more like Christ and less like the Pharisees. We must avoid breaking God's laws and use the blessings he gave us to help others. I can't say exactly what that means in your life; but you'll be able to see with His light if you study His Word. You can find the Bible online in a number of places. I like "http:www.BibleGateway.com". There are many others. The important thing is to read it and ask Him to show you how to use what you read...
May He give you light on your path today.