How can we as Jesus followers respond to the events in Orlando?

-
How can we as Jesus followers respond to the events in Orlando? 

Having walked closely with the Aurora shooting victims who were neighbors and friends I am deeply moved by all these events.

I read something this week written by Vince Vitale that resonated with me.

How can we as Jesus followers respond to the events in Orlando? 
1. Tears. Until we have cried with the victims we should have nothing to say. Period.
Then we must call this evil.  Some wish to philosophically say there is really no such thing as evil. There is.
We must repent of not challenging those who say that there is no such thing as evil.
We must double down on the reality that every single life is valuable and worth protecting.  Our love for all humans must be unconditional if we follow Jesus.  For all of us sinners Jesus preferred to die rather than watch us die.

2. We must stand strong together that it is never okay to treat people as anything other than sacred and worthy of dignity and respect.


3. We must stand for justice.  We will not overlook this kind of hate.  We will not forget what was done to those people in Orlando.  Jesus has shown us that God’s anger isn’t in spite of love but because of love.
Love and justice are not the opposite, but are aligned together.  We must teach this to our children and grandchildren.

4. Those who suffer must never be left to suffer alone. Jesus on the cross was with dying men some of whom chose to change even in their dying moments.  Jesus was there and gave hope.  Jesus felt forsaken.  Jesus had been overwhelmed in sorrow to the point of death and sweating blood.  He left the comfort of heaven to be there with those dying horribly.
Where there are people who are hated and murdered you can be sure God was present and near.  We too must be near.  Those dying in horrible pain as those on the crosses with Jesus had His compassion near to them.

This is a God worth following.  He is the one who gives real hope.  Not the hope of dying with more toys.  Or dying without pain.  But dying with hope.  Real hope.  God wiping away every tear and being in a place with God where there is no more crying, mourning or crying or pain.

We keep following Jesus to live a life not centered on ourselves but on helping others through times of suffering.

Larry Wishard
6.16.16
       

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6.10- The Power of Keeping a Confidence

-
 6.10- The Power of Keeping a Confidence I have a close friend who started listening to my confidential words 46 years ago. He guards his lips and preserves secrets and deep friendship. He does not speak rashly. He doesn't add shame to the bad things l have experienced. He reduces my burdens by his grace. He has good judgement regarding when to speak and when to remain silent. This gives him good long term friends and deep joy. Proverbs 13 3  A wise son  accepts his  father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2  From the fruit of a person’s mouth he  [ a ] enjoys good, But the  [ b ] desire of the treacherous is violence. 3  One who guards his mouth protects his life; One who opens wide his lips  [ c ] comes to ruin. 4  The soul of the  [ d ] lazy one craves and  gets  nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made  [ e ] prosperous. 5  A righteous person hates a f...
Read more

9.7- The long prayers about not electing anyone who doesn't support babies in the womb

-
 9.7- The long prayers about not electing anyone who doesn't support babies in the womb but unwilling to support and educate them for the next 18 years. Save your political action prayers for the meeting with your win/lose political party, whether you are democrat, republican or independependent as far as I'm concerned. Preach and sing the gospel but leave moral slobbery for some group that doesn't abuse children and cover it up and practices racism as a normal thing. The teacher said don't strain out gnats and swallow camels. Stop bad religion please. Matthew 25 31  “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.   32  And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;   33  and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34  “Then the King...
Read more

8.16- Confidence is a good thing. A well trained Olympic athlete is very confident.

-
Image
 8.16- Confidence is a good thing. A well trained Olympic athlete is very confident. They train four years or longer for this moment on beam and fall down the beam or fall of the beam. They fly off and miss the uneven bars. Knowing they cannot win a medal. They have messed up and gone off the horse. What do they do? They get back on the horse. They finish their routine with a confident smile. They do not let that failure define them. Our life is not marked by a failure unless we allow it to be. The choice is ours. Bad day at work yesterday. Make today that much better. 2 Corinthians 4 7  But we have this treasure in  [ e ] earthen containers, so that the extraordinary  greatness  of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;   8  we are  afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;   9  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;   10  always carryi...
Read more