It's not only their choice

   Look across this world.. and what do you see?  From a Christian point of
view.. this world is filled with sinners.. people who naturally choose to
pursue the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.  This
is definitely one reason that people in today's society have ran into extreme
sin.. from homosexuality, to witchcraft, to bestiality, to porn of all types,
to every drug on the market.. people are running into these pleasure
providing sources.. all to deaden the pain from all the forces and people
draining them.  But let's take a little closer, if not an uncomfortable look
at more of the reason sin has become so rampant.  It may surprise you.. it
will most likely shock you.. and will probably make you angry that someone
would have the audacity to accuse you of such gross negligence.  But if you
are angry.. that is all too often a sign that such accuzations are correct.
   What am I speaking of?  Truly.. it's the nonChristianity of the church.
You got it.  An extraordinarily powerful push away from Jesus is coming from
the millions of people who claim to love Jesus.  Why..?  Because leaders,
priests, and clergy of all sorts have been misappropriating funds, sexually
abusing their staff, and enjoying things that God has delineated as
destructive.... But not just that.  Many many people in the limelight have
simply shut up and bowed down to pressure... in order to feel more
comfortable in their Christianity.  We as a nation, especially, have kowtowed
to our leaders.. our pastors.. our president.. all in the name of making
ourselves feel worthwhile.  But in the process, we have been kicking out of
our churches the very ones Jesus came to save.
   Stupid?  You bet.  Avoidable?  Absolutely.  Continuing?  With increasing
speed.  Why?  Because people in this world prefer a throne to a cross.
Because people in this world want to sit on their keesters and enjoy their
God-given blessings apart from pouring them out on those God wants them to
use their blessings upon.  Why?  Because we've all bought into the notion
that believing in God and His Son's identity is all we need.  We all prefer
believing that God doesn't want much from us... only a teency weency inward
acknowledgement of His existence.. and He'll be more than willing to pour out
the fountains of Heaven upon us.  BAH!
   You really think this is how a perfect God operates?  You really think
that He only wants such miniscule fragmentation of love from you?  Or do you
remember what Jesus said was the greatest suggestion?  Wait.. that's right..
it's not a suggestion.. it's an option.. right?  No.. it's a *commandment*!
Yes.. a commandment.. to love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our
soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  This leaves little (*cough*) no..
room for selfishness... a selfishness that has pervaded this world and
stained its character for millenia.
   Can you honestly say that you think that a perfect, just, awesome,
righteous God.. who is beyond all things.. and who created everything in
existence (save that which had no beginning, such as Himself).. can you
honestly say that you expect such a "God" to be satisfied with your meager
moves of faith, trust, and devotion?  Can you honestly provide proof that the
real God only wants a tiny thing from you, and you will then forever live
with Him?  BAH!!
   You sit on your pew-seats.. for years.  You stand on your pulpits..
speaking things that your congregation enjoys.  You talk on your radio
stations.. lifting everybody up.. and not daring to speak the harsh words
that so need to be spoken... words that might get your budget cut in half as
your itching-ear congregations run away from the words they most need.
Why..?  Because you want that money to reach the lost.  But for Christ's
sake.. think about it!!  AREN'T YOU POISONING THE LOST WITH ALL THIS REFUSAL
TO ADDRESS SIN FOR WHAT IT IS??  AREN'T YOU ATTACKING THE VERY THING WITH
YOUR COMPLACENCY THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BUILD??
   I've gotten so sick of all this war... all this fighting... all this lack
of love.  Oh people will go to church and sing praise-words to God.... but
when it comes to laying their lives on the line for Him... they refuse.  And
when it comes to the most important... to truly dying to one's own
selfishness in order to let Christ grow in you.. you are all so dead!!  You
prefer the money of your jobs.. your fun.. your pleasures... to helping those
who hate you.  Why..?  Because that's the *POPULAR* thing to do.  It's what
the majority want.  And in our country.. the majority is right... right???
   All my life.. I've dealt with you.  Oh I may not have seen you face to
face.. but I've tasted your words just the same... words of "Be ye filled!"
that give no food... words of "Be ye warmed" that send us away... words of
"Know God's love" that turn a deaf ear to our cries.  You think that you're
going to get away with this..?  You think God doesn't know your laxness and
refusal to let Him be Boss??
   So what about homosexuals, wiccans, and other grievous sinners?  Well in
truth.. do you know one of the biggest reasons why people run after these
pleasure-wells?  It's very very simple -- and it has *NOTHING* to do with the
laws of the land.  Homosexuals, Wiccans, and all sorts of pleasure-addicts
have one thing in common -- meeting us face to face.  That's right... meeting
"US!"  They see our playing at religion... They see our holding tight to our
blessings... They see our fragile households.. and they say, "HAH!  Why
should I want any of that??"
   Why are we like this?  It's oh so simple.  It's because we are refusing to
live totally for God.  Oh we may give a few minutes for Bible study a day..
but when it comes to truly bearing our cross 24/7 (and yes.. bearing a cross
means living a life of dying 24/7), we can't even *BEGIN* to step out of the
boat and walk towards Jesus.  We just stay in the boat.. and enjoy our faith
as is.  We think that God would *NEVER* have us go that far... Jesus would
*NEVER* command us to truly *DIE*!  That's something only *HE* had to do.  We
have our *RIGHTS* now.. so we can take it easy.
   But let me ask you this.  What gives you those rights?  Truly.. think
about it.  Is there truly any force in this universe that is powerful enough
to grant you such rights?  The only power strong enough to grant us rights
isn't strong enough.  Why..?  Because a right is something we can demand, and
guaranteedly get.. it is something that even the strongest must bow down to
and remit unto us.  But.. isn't *GOD* the strongest?  Wouldn't this mean that
even *HE* would need to bow down to us and give us our rights?
   That's my point.  We don't *have* rights... we have responsibilities.  We
are *all* responsible unto God to live as He desires.  Think about it.  If we
all simply lived as He wanted... nobody would hurt anyone else.. except for
human inability.  We would live in extreme bliss.. with everyone living to
lift up the weak, the self-pitying, the dying, the lonely, the outcast.. and
God supplying us all from *His* infinite and perfect love!
   But His ways aren't good enough for us.  His ways are too hard.  His ways
cost us too much.  Or.. as you are probably saying, "God *CAN'T* want this
much of me!!"  But He does.
   God never promised a rainbow without a storm.  God never promised a
homeland without a sojourn.  God never promised eternity without the here and
now.
   But you all keep thinking He is... and that He only wants you to enjoy
simple and luxurious pleasures in this life.  Best you remember Jesus.... Who
was God's *PERFECT* son.  And what happened to Him?  You would think that if
God truly was so well-pleased with Him, that He wouldn't have had such a hard
life.  But He did.  And why is that?  Because people like you and me *KEEP*
ignoring Him.. and *KEEP* Him at arm's length... refusing Him His proper
place in our hearts and lives... as Boss over every one of the 86,400 seconds
of each day we live.
   That is the nature of sin.  And it's so so much of the church today.  But
we're all so blind to it.  We can't begin to admit our sins to one another...
we can't *begin* to open our eyes and see just how destitute we are... and
just how much renewing our mind truly needs.  Even our beloved "Christian"
president.. who claims full well to be a Christian... goes off and does
exactly what Jesus said not to.  Jesus told us to love our enemies.  He told
us that the day of hating our enemies was past.  He told us that he who lives
by the sword, dies by it.  But does this stop us?  NO!  We keep on fighting
for these rights we somehow have... as if such *rights* are going to provide
our true well-being.  As if our rights are.. you guessed it.. our God!
   That's right.... this country.. as well as many others.. has chosen to
worship a poorly defined magna carta of human rights.. based in nothing other
than a falsely hopeful statement that God endowed all people *with* these
rights.. instead of the real God.  We all think that we're gonna find peace,
and enjoy long life.. simply by living on the fuel of our military and
police's ability to keep us safe.  But what we don't realize is just how much
the enemy is living within our lives.  Our battle is not something you can
solve with flesh-and-blood force.  It is a battle where the *ONLY* true
weapon is The Word of God (i.e. Jesus).  And Jesus did not fight for us with
physical force.. but with spiritual love -- something far stronger than all
the hate you have for those who hate you.  Yet *you*.. yes *you*.. continue
to abide in the pleasures of hating your enemies... thinking that somehow
this hatred is going to keep you safe.  But that hatred holds *you* hostage..
as you fight against God with it.. and keep out of your hearts those who most
need God's love.
   So why?  Why are so many homosexuals, wiccans, drug users, pedophiles, you
name it.. all stuck?  Yes.. it's sin.. and yes.. they need Jesus... but how
can we show them Jesus when we don't really know Him ourselves???  How can we
go around parading our faith so unlovingly.. and expect that God is going to
bless it?????
   You say you want life.  You say you want truth.  You say you want to live
forever.  But are you willing to pay the price??  Yes.... You're right.. we
can't earn God's gift of eternity... but we can sure show Him poor
acknowledgement *of* that gift..... poor enough that He can.. and *shall*
take away from us the little that we have.
   We've chosen.. time and again.. to stay shut up in our little church
services.. going weekly to our socials.. enjoying our jobs.. taking it easy..
amidst all this turmoil around us... that is sapping us for every bit of
energy we have.  We hold tightly to all that we have.. and we pray for God to
give us more.... but we totally *miss* *EVERY* opportunity to *GET* more.. as
we refuse to pour out what He's given us unto those He wants it given to.
   Blessings are *NEVER* just for the receiver.  They're like hot coals..
that one needs to hand to the lost and cold... so that they can warm
themselves.  WE, as Christians, are called to dispense the hot coals from God
unto all we meet... so that they will see the good in all we're doing and..
you guessed it.. thank God for it!  Our blessings are *NEVER* to just sit in
our own hearths.. warming our own homes... They are to be shared.. left..
right.. up.. down.. with everyone!  To refuse to do so is to tell
homosexuals, wiccans, drug users, pedophiles, and such.. that they have *NO*
place in our lives... even though Jesus loves them enough to die.. yes..
*DIE* for THEM!
   And that's my point!  We all keep so far away from the 'rabble' of this
world that *we* become the rabble that nobody in need will come to.  Why..?
Because we're so cold.. that nobody wants what we have.. except those around
us who are just like us.  And then it just becomes a game of white elephant..
where everyone has the same gift to trade.  It gets old *VERY* fast.
   But hey!  That's what's popular eh???  That's what's *IN*... to be a
quiet, gentle, unassuming, temperate, voiceless member of some body of
believers that just goes on its merry way enjoying its own self... without
regard to those God created us to love.  BAH!!!!!
   You think you are rich.. but you are poor.  You think you are well.. but
you are sick.  You think you are happy.. but you are *dying* inside.  And
why..?  *All* because you keep your eyes closed and your mouth shut.  All
because you prefer to be patted on the back for little things.. as the big
things go right on by without a peep.  Like Petra sings,

"We're content to pitch our tent
 when the glory's evident...
 Seldom do we know..
 the glory came and went."

We are all so stuck in our little ruts that we have lost sight of what truly
matters -- the things of the depth of our hearts.... truly getting to know
God.. both as majesty beyond the universe, and as father of our second birth.
   So what are we to do?  First off.. it's time to stop yelling and start
crying.  It's time to stop fighting and start breaking.  It's time to stop
blaming and start asking... "Is it me?"  "Am I to blame?"  "What am I doing
to help cause this?"  Do not be quick to forget that sin doesn't just go to
sleep once we begin our faith-walk with Jesus.  It is still very real and
very powerful.. and if we don't faithfully put it to death through living
totally for God, then it will rule over us.. and *can*.. yes.. *CAN* easily
kill us for eternity.  Remember the one-talent servant?  He perished.. why?
Because.. though he had the Lord's money.. and the Lord's charge to use it...
he buried it... and complained that God was unfair, so he couldn't go about
using it.  And God looked at this wicked.. yes.. wicked.. and lazy.. yes..
lazy.. servant.. yes.. servant.. (or 'Christian').. and appointed him a
position with the unbelievers... why?  Because though he began with God...
and was willing to acknowledge Him in name.. he refused to acknowledge Him in
heart.. and live appropriately with the blessings God had given him.
   So don't go about thinking that your quiet, gentle, and unrefutant faith
is going to save you.  We have a president who is going out and slaughtering
the very people Jesus told us to love.  How Christian is that???  And how
Christian is it to sit on Romans 13 and say, "Well.. this is what my leader
wants, so I'll obey".. even when a leader who is greater has told us to do
totally opposite what that leader is saying???
   Think about it.. Think about the truth.  Think about the pain you are
causing all those around you when you go around saying you love God.. but
refusing Him in what you're doing with your life.  Think about the image
you're portraying of Jesus.. when you say you love Him, and that you're
following Him.. but you end up crucifying the people you're supposed to love?
   Think about it.. and pray.  It's not too late to identify with the second
part of Petra's verse:

"Moving can seem dangerous..
 In this gracious pilgrimage
 Knowing that you can't stand still,
 you cross the bridge."

Cuz you never know.. your bitter enemy of today could be your friend of
tomorrow.. by the power of the Jesus you claim to know.  Think too of the
converse.. that your awesome friend today.. might just be your bitter enemy
tomorrow... *IF* you refuse to let Jesus truly be boss.

  The choice is just too important to gloss over.  The answer is there for
you.  Jesus is calling.. but are you listening?