The Wrong Question

With all the things going on around us, the terrorist attacks, the racial tensions, the political agendas, not to mention our own trials, troubles, tribulations we ourselves are going through, we may be asking "why is God letting this happen?" And we seem to never get an answer or we get an answer that just leaves more questions. Well, perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Perhaps instead of asking "why is God letting this happen" we really need to be asking "God, will you help me through this, will you help those families who have lost those in the attacks, will you help me weather my own storm, will you help me in the middle of this fight I am in?" Those are the questions really we need to be asking. By asking "Why is God letting this happen" we will never get an answer that brings peace and resolution. If you ask "God, will you help me?" you WILL get answer that brings peace and resolution. Reach out to Him in your storms, in your fights and in your battles, reach out to Him in those times where you don't understand the "why" and ask Him to help you. He will bring you peace.

I came across this song a few months ago, and it really touched my heart this morning, probably because of what happened in Nice, France. This song really should become our anthem...

Rules or Grace?

Why is it that churches filled with people who say they have been saved by grace can become such ungracious people?

Why is it if you ask someone outside the church what they associate with the word “Christian” (especially “evangelical”), they might mention a conservative political agenda or judgmentalism or self-righteousness but not grace-filled love? I think it has at least partly to do with pride.

This is a major theme in Scripture. The writers of Scripture tell us that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is because only the humble want to receive it.

Ortberg, John (2010-05-11). Love Beyond Reason (p. 140). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

The church has become filled with "do this" "don't do that" that we have forgotten about grace and God's love for us. If church has become more of a list of requirements, then we have really separated from what God truly intended when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross. Church is not about rules and regulations, it is not about a list of requirements for getting in the door. Church should be a place where people from every culture, background and race can come and receive God's love and His grace. We, as the church, have not done a good job at extending grace and love, but we have done a very good job at listing rules and regulations and requirements for getting in the door. We, the church, need to get back to extending grace and God's love to EVERYONE, not just those we think "fit in" in the church.