Written by Jonathan Israel
johnnyisrael@email.com
The World Heath Organization recently stated that 18 million people worldwide die of starvation daily. That’s 18 million people! The Counsel for the Center of Disease Control (CDC) has stated that over 11 million children in America go to bed hungry every night. The only meals they receive are school lunch vouchers. On the weekends, most do not have anything to eat. Americans as a whole have been blessed with the good life. We live in comfortable homes with manicured lawns, possess big screen televisions, eat the best of foods, wear fine apparel, we drive the best of automobiles, we own boats, luxury toys, and the more we acquire, the more we crave.
A very rich man had a big house with many servants. The rich man enjoyed life’s greatest paramount. He was the “big fish” in his community. There was a very poor man named Lazarus that sat daily under the rich man’s table expecting to eat the morsel of crumbs that fell to the floor. Lazarus was very sick; his body was covered with bleeding blisters. The rich man figured that by allowing poor Lazarus to scrounge for the measly crumbs that fell from his table that he was performing an act of kindeness.
Lazarus eventually died and so did the rich man. As the story goes, the rich man looked up from the flames of hell and saw Lazarus being comforted in the arms of his Heavenly Father. The rich man apparently was dismayed at this turn of events. After all, he believed he was being kind and generous by allowing Lazarus to eat the crumbs that fell from his table. The Lord saw it differently and told the rich man so. He reminded the rich man that while he had the opportunity to bless Lazarus, he squandered his blessings on his own selfishness.
The Iraqi and Afghanistan war has cost America over a trillion dollars. We pump billions into useless projects that benefit only a few. Greed and more greed has become our model of standards. Our churches throw a few pennies in the poor bucket believing, just as the rich man, that we have fulfilled God’s service to humanity. Our self-centeredness separates us from the very blessings we seek from our Heavenly Father. How true the old adage loudly rings, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Come Judgment Day, the Lord of Righteous Judgment will not adjudicate us for the wealth we enjoyed, but rather, how we administered our wealth to the poor. How dare we call ourselves Children of the Lord and close our eyes and ears to the cries of the hungry and poor. Shame on all of us! If America and the free nations desire to prove themselves as a benevolent, generous, kinder, loving nation, than each and every nation must rise up with financial aid to rid the world of hunger and starvation. Tell your pastor, rabbi, minister, Congressman, and those in charge to act immediately to rid the world of hunger. 18 million people a day are counting on it. If we fail God will judge us accordingly.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Looking Unto Jesus
Written by Jonathan Israel
Email: jonathanisrael@email.com
God’s Word directs us at all times to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. In these troubling times Christians are paying special attention to terrorism, abortion, recession, money, material things, family issues, politics, candidates, judges, moral decay, and a host of other everyday problems. We’ve become so transfixed on national and world events rather than the “Good News” that we lost sight of the Cross.
Jesus told his disciples to “preach the Good News.” Preachers today have a new message, that is, they preach “how to get rich schemes” to what candidates to vote for. Jesus willfully went to the Cross to save the world from the condemnation of sin. The shedding of His blood was to cleanse us from unrighteousness; and to bring us into a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through Christ we have complete access to our Heavenly Father. Christ taught his disciples to pray for one another. He directed them to preach the “Good News” and to minister to the more unfortunate ones.
Yet, Christian’s are praying for money, power, and a myriad of selfish greed. The Lord has turned a deaf ear to our covetous prayers. We are in awe over the fact that His anointed presence has left the Church. And yet, we believers continue marching down “Selfish Lane” without giving a second thought as to God’s purpose for our lives. We’ve educated ourselves to know more about Him rather than developing an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.
The quandaries of today are not new ones. The Devil would have us believe that He, not Christ is in control of the world events. Yet, he has deceived the Church into believing that material things, money, wealth, avarice, lust, power, fame, and having a “righteous cause” to fight for are the keys for survival. He has swindled the Church out of her righteous inheritance of faith and trust. By focusing on world events, social issues, and the current political spectrum, our faith has soured into self-seeking fulfillment.
True faith desires to please Christ. Today’s Church adheres more to preaching the current political spectrum than the joys of entering into his anointed chamber room. I have often contemplated if the Lord has the audacity to equate today’s Church as His beautiful bride to be? The Church podium has cultivated into a political platform. She has danced to the voice of crime and punishment, moral laws, politics, and governmental regulations. Her weary face bears the marks of an angry, harden-bitter woman.
The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in adultery. They demanded that Christ sentence to woman to death, according to the Law of Moses. Christ responded, “You without sin, let him cast the first stone.” The law makers departed having been put to shame by their harden hearts. Christ then asks the woman, “Where are those that condemned you?” She admitted there was no one. He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” The religious political spectrum of the day demanded the death sentence. Christ offered the adulteress woman forgiveness. It is time for the Church to take her eyes off today’s religious political continuum; and fasten them on the Lord of mercy and forgiveness.
Email: jonathanisrael@email.com
God’s Word directs us at all times to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. In these troubling times Christians are paying special attention to terrorism, abortion, recession, money, material things, family issues, politics, candidates, judges, moral decay, and a host of other everyday problems. We’ve become so transfixed on national and world events rather than the “Good News” that we lost sight of the Cross.
Jesus told his disciples to “preach the Good News.” Preachers today have a new message, that is, they preach “how to get rich schemes” to what candidates to vote for. Jesus willfully went to the Cross to save the world from the condemnation of sin. The shedding of His blood was to cleanse us from unrighteousness; and to bring us into a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through Christ we have complete access to our Heavenly Father. Christ taught his disciples to pray for one another. He directed them to preach the “Good News” and to minister to the more unfortunate ones.
Yet, Christian’s are praying for money, power, and a myriad of selfish greed. The Lord has turned a deaf ear to our covetous prayers. We are in awe over the fact that His anointed presence has left the Church. And yet, we believers continue marching down “Selfish Lane” without giving a second thought as to God’s purpose for our lives. We’ve educated ourselves to know more about Him rather than developing an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.
The quandaries of today are not new ones. The Devil would have us believe that He, not Christ is in control of the world events. Yet, he has deceived the Church into believing that material things, money, wealth, avarice, lust, power, fame, and having a “righteous cause” to fight for are the keys for survival. He has swindled the Church out of her righteous inheritance of faith and trust. By focusing on world events, social issues, and the current political spectrum, our faith has soured into self-seeking fulfillment.
True faith desires to please Christ. Today’s Church adheres more to preaching the current political spectrum than the joys of entering into his anointed chamber room. I have often contemplated if the Lord has the audacity to equate today’s Church as His beautiful bride to be? The Church podium has cultivated into a political platform. She has danced to the voice of crime and punishment, moral laws, politics, and governmental regulations. Her weary face bears the marks of an angry, harden-bitter woman.
The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in adultery. They demanded that Christ sentence to woman to death, according to the Law of Moses. Christ responded, “You without sin, let him cast the first stone.” The law makers departed having been put to shame by their harden hearts. Christ then asks the woman, “Where are those that condemned you?” She admitted there was no one. He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” The religious political spectrum of the day demanded the death sentence. Christ offered the adulteress woman forgiveness. It is time for the Church to take her eyes off today’s religious political continuum; and fasten them on the Lord of mercy and forgiveness.
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