Barnabas

VII. STANDING UP

The text for this was taken from Ephesians 4:15.


How often when I see something wrong I want to correct it at the expense of someone’s feelings! How often do I forget that God, through Paul, said to live in peace (Romans 14:19) as much as possible! And how often, in trying to correct my habits, do I forget these words do not mean peace at any cost! While it is important to live in peace and to be considerate of others, I don’t think that God intended us to overlook or accept harmful behavior in the guise of exercising rights.

These days it is particularly hard for me to keep silent. After all, someone needs to stand up for what is true and right in this world. Think about it. First, we are told not to pray in public schools. Then we are told that women have the right to harm themselves by having abortions. The last straw? I may not be allowed to let my co-workers know about my Lord and Savior, which to me is as natural as talking about my mother, my friends, or my brothers. I won’t be able to share something that I would enjoy sharing. Instead I have to be subjected to people’s coarse joking and opinions, especially in political circles.

Or do I? Is this a situation where I should keep mum? My heart says no. My mind says no. And most important my God and Jesus say no. Not that I am going against the rules, because according to the First Amendment to the Constitution I have the right to free speech. And when that is infringed upon, do I get riled. While people can scorn my love for God and His Son, what right, according to my rights as an American from day one of this wonderful nation, does anybody have the right to tell me what to say and when to say it? Only God can do that and He only does that on few occasions. Not only because of the First Amendment, but also because I am free in Christ I have the right to speak up and stand up for Jesus. In fact that is a privilege that Christ has given me to do. That in fact was afforded to every human being, the ability and privilege to express oneself and to say what is on one’s mind without recourse. God in His infinite wisdom has provided a mechanism for this to occur without confusion. It’s called being meek and self-controlled. You know, Christ-like. There are those that would say that no one should protest abortions, that it indeed is a woman’s right. While I don’t agree with blocking doors or murdering those performing abortions, I do not believe that I should not be allowed to tell a woman that while it is her choice to have an abortion, she is still wrong. Just as it was wrong for Eve to take the apple from the Tree that God told her not to take from. She still had the choice to do that, but her choice was still wrong. That doesn’t mean Christ didn’t come for the woman that has an abortion, but how will women know it’s a wrong choice (Romans 10:14,15) until someone speaks out in love and meekness and says there is a better way?

Even worse, women don’t realize what a poor choice they are making. Neither does anyone else when they decide to sin. When someone has pre-marital sex or commits murder, sure, they have the right to do these things. But that doesn’t make their actions right. In fact those people that are claiming that they have the right to live their own lives as they see fit are the same that wouldn’t have stopped Neo-Nazis from marching in Skokie, Illinois, because the Neo-Nazis have the right to march even if it is causing emotional harm to the Jewish population. And who was that population of Jews hurting? No one. In fact they were Holocaust victims that just wanted to live in peace. Who is right in that situation? I know and God knows. But think about it, who else knows what the right thing to do is? And if we know the right thing to do, why do we choose the wrong thing and then do it. Are we so comfortable with our plasma TVs and DVDs that we just say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, leave me alone”? Seems to me that we forget that over 230 years ago men were tired of someone telling them how to worship and how to lead their lives and so fought a war so that they could be free. We have the right to make a choice, whether it is wrong or right, true. But we also have the choice to speak out against wrong choices, and to stand up for Jesus. We have a right to confront those who are diametrically opposed to God’s way as outlined in the bible and we have the right to worship God’s way. And no one can tell us we cannot. Why? Not because we are made free by the Constitution. Someone came over 2000 years ago and made us free. We are freed by Christ to speak the truth in love, to walk as He walked, live as He lived, and to flee from what would be demonic spirits into the open arms of God.

May we always make that choice to stand on Holy Ground with God!