How Does Our Faith Help us in This World?

One objection I often hear from non Christians is that we who believe in Christ teach a pie-in-the-sky religion. It does nothing good for us now and it only makes its adherents miserable. We know differently but they don't. Therefore, I want to point out a few scriptures to refute their assertions.

As adopted children in Christ's spiritual family, we are provided with what we need in this world. Look at what the Bible in Basic English says about this matter in Mark 10:28 to 30. "Peter said to him, 'See, we have given up everything, and come after you.' Jesus said, 'Truly I say to you, There is no man who has given up house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or land, because of me and the good news, Who will not get a hundred times as much now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land--though with great troubles; and, in the world to come, eternal life.'"

But what of Christians who have families and haven't left home? The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19 (KJV) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Since this is so, why are some believers dirt poor? This isn't because of a lack of faith, as charismatic preachers claim, but God always gives us what we need, not what we think we need. As Jesus said to the crowd in his Sermon on the mount in Matthew 7:11 (KJV) "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

I once believed that the heavenly Father was stingy because he wouldn't give me 20/20 vision. I wanted it so I could give him glory and so I could find a job easier. Now I know that he gave me much more spiritually and even physically than I could have imagined back then. I wrote about this marvelous transformation of my soul in a book called How I Was Razed. Read more about this miraculous testimony at Amazon.

When Should We Judge?

This post is in answer to my friend Joseph Gudz's question regarding judging. People often quote Matthew 7:1 without knowing the context. They assume the verse means not to be critical of people's actions. Does not judging lest we be judged mean what they think?

Look at the context and the audience to whom Jesus spoke. In what Christians call the Sermon on the Mount, Christ addressed the external religion of the Pharisees and the lay people of first century Israel. They were so busy performing works to demonstrate their conformity with it that they forgot about the condition of their own hearts.

One fault which those people had was judging by external appearances. Anybody seen doing religious rituals in public was assumed to be holy. Consider this parable Jesus told about the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Luke 18:11-14 KJV) "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Consider how many times the religious establishment condemned Christ for keeping company with the riffraff of society. Luke 7:34 (KJV) reads, "The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, 'Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!'"

As a result of this law-keeping attitude, the people of Christ's time neglected to examine their hearts. Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if a person even looked lustfully at a woman, it was as if they committed adultery. Hiding hatred in one's heart was akin to murder as well. Jesus took the law to its extreme in order to show the utter impossibility of keeping it.

Additionally, I've found that when people quote, or more often misquote, Matthew 7:1, it's an effort to shut me up. For example, if I criticize a politician for wasting tax dollars on a boondoggle, I'm often admonished for hypocritically judging that person. However, I condemn the actions of that politician, not them personally. Many people can't separate the two.

There are also occasions when I recognize a fault in somebody else of which I was once guilty. Is it judge mental to warn that person in order to spare him or her future embarrassment or chastisement? Often times that person doesn't realize what effect his or her actions have on others.

Most importantly, we are called to discern good from evil and righteousness from wickedness by lovingly applying what scripture says. Being censorious isn't the way to correct people, as the legalists of Christ's time did. Rather, we should listen instead of shooting our mouths off. What we might assume to be a fault is instead our misunderstanding of people's motives.

Am I Not a Good Person?

People amaze me. They claim that they're good, yet they admit that they've broken the speed limit. They also don't think they've done wrong if they fudged figures on their tax returns, pocketed something at a store,  or took office supplies home from work. After all, the government or company has lots of money, right? Even getting back more change than they were entitled to from a cashier is brushed off as their just dues for how the stores supposedly rip off shoppers. This attitude is so pervasive that even David Bowie wrote a song about shoplifting called "God Knows I'm Good."

Isn't this a double standard? Would those individuals like it if visitors to their homes walked off with their possessions and wen confronted, they declared that they're really good at heart? Seems to me that the homeowner would have a thing or three to say to those sleazy friends.

People often excuse their petty crimes with the statement that they haven't murdered anybody, been faithful to their spouse,  or haven't robbed any banks. What about what Christ said in his famous Sermon on the Mount? If you hate somebody, it's the equivalent of murdering that person. If you, being married,  covet somebody's spouse, it's as if you committed adultery with that person. One of the Ten Commandments says not to covet a neighbour's property. Isn't envying somebody's house, car, or other possessions just as wicked?

Doubtless people will object that thinking about a crime isn't like actually doing it. Oh? Isn't it the heart of a person where wickedness begins? James wrote in his epistle that coveting leads to commission of the sin. Also, since people are thinking such nasty thoughts, what does that say about the content of their character?

I hope to write at length about this subject in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many people assume that they'll go there when they die because they're a good person. Tragically, they'll find out too late that they were horribly wrong. How I wish I could stop at least some folks from making such a shockingly irreversible mistake.

As for my other paperbacks, see my latest one at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books. My first two memoirs are available from my book page. Additionally, visit my Facebook author page to learn what I'm working on and how the book project is going.