If We Sought Salvation & Knowledge

 I was watching YouTube and 2 videos in particular put me into a train of thought about what I think of as "intelligent ignorance".

The first video is about how some Middle Easterners crave and seek out a party lifestyle. A lot of what we Americans and a lot of other non-Middle Easterners take for granted is forbidden by other cultures. But there seem to be no boundaries to the human greed for sin. So, if one wants it bad enough (or can afford it), sin can be found.

The other video is about people who will degrade themselves to make money. And I'm not talking about people who prostitute themselves because they know of no other way to survive.

I know one person - I will call her Davia -  who when she was a struggling and might-as-well-be-single mother, decided that she didn't just want to be financially stable but rich. She put everything else in her life at risk to make this happen. She did work very hard for what she eventually got, but I sometimes wonder at what cost. And I wonder these some years later if it was really worth it. She has spent at least the last two and a half decades living extremely well.  She's probably in the millionaire class by now. She has had all the travel, fine dining, and shopping experiences that most upper-middle-class and kinda-sorta well-off people can only fantasize about. She still works but her job is managing all the people she has working for her. 

Davia achieved all that she wanted. When she was struggling, she decided that she never wanted to be in that position again. What I don't know is whether she has put as much consideration into the state or the future of her soul. I know that she is "religious", but I don't know if she has eternal salvation. Now that she is of a different financial class (and does not live in this country), I'm not as close to her as I once was. A long time ago - before she reached her goals, I did ask about her beliefs Her answer was just that she was "spiritual". Because I was not saved then, I never pushed her to be more specific. I never did witness to her.

Using myself as another example, before I was saved, I was a master at searching out and finding information about all kinds of things. Keep in mind, this was before home computers and use of the internet were common. However, if you'd given me a quiz about anything to do with Jesus or the Bible, I would not have been able to pass for all the money in the world.

I guess I'm just thinking about how we will work so hard at our jobs and on our romantic relationships and for other things but we don't consider the really important things. I often wonder if (or why not) people ask the important questions:

• What happens when we die? 
• Where will we spend eternity? 
• What does it mean to be 'spiritual' or 'religious'? 
• What about Jesus? 
• Why Jesus and not some other person? 
• Could those Christians be right? 
• Why do I believe what I believe?
• What if I am wrong?

I wonder most of all why people don't pursue those questions more.

I know people who think a lot about UFOs, aliens, ghosts, hauntings, angels, the Mandela Effect, 'lizard people', and whether or not Michael Jackson, Elvis, or Tupac might still be alive. And they think hard and seriously about these things. But do they spend as much time thinking about their beliefs about God or good and evil and what that means to them personally?

There is this one rich guy who is spending more money than I can almost imagine on retaining physical youth. Maybe he wants immortality? When I was younger, I might have found him intriguing. With my more mature perspective, I find him weird, sad, and worrying. I find myself praying for him to become as wise as he is rich.

Now, that guy doesn't even care that a lot of people on social media laugh and make fun of him. Meanwhile, as a Christian, I sometimes am intimidated by people who laugh and make fun of my beliefs. What a strange time we live in!

They will do this for "likes"...

My prayer for myself and my fellow Christians is to be unashamed and energetic in our pursuit of pleasing Christ. I pray that we can be as bold in witnessing to others as secular "influencers" are in sharing whatever they are peddling. 

Peace

--Free

**Wordly World** Is It Really 'News"?

 Reading the news makes me worry about society. Not because the news is so bad but because of what is considered 'news'. I might be making regular posts about this so here goes. This is what I saw in the 'news' this morning.

In addition to all the hate and madness going on, the thing that really caught my eye was the "mystery man" running for office in Ghana. What a world. Here in the US, we have schoolyard bullies, mean girls, and every kind of silliness going on in politics. Something in my Christian soul reacted to the idea of a "mystery" person seeking a political office.

Why is "partying" with a political leader even part of the current conversation? How about trying to find a candidate we'd like to have a serious conversation with?

Speaking of a lack of seriousness, this is the first of many articles mentioning the pop star Taylor Swift. 

I was having a conversation a few days ago with my brother about how I've been seeing this woman's name every time I scan the news.  And I'm not talking just lightweight news sources. I've seen her popping up on what I used to consider serious news sources.

Maybe it's just me and my disdain for pop culture but I find it weird. Seeing such frequent mentions of pop stars on the same page as stories about wars, deaths, and deadly politics is a little disconcerting. 

Here's Swift again. (Did you know they call her fan-actics "Swifties"? Beyonce has her Beehive - or whatever - so why not? Kids today, am I right?

And again. Newsweek really is into her. At least this mention is on one of their "culture" pages. Because this is so much "culture"...

That's it for today. There is more, I'm sure, but I'm a little tired of looking. I have to try to try to find some real and actual news to catch up on.

Peace

--Free

Can One Be a “Gay Christian”? Yes and No.

This comes up a lot in online and in-person conversations. Can one be gay and a Christian? 

Understand that I have no formal theological training. I am answering from the perspective of a layman. I read and study the Bible and I look to Christ for answers to questions I have. In response to anyone with the question about being a gay Christian, my answer is yes and no.

Yes, one can think of themselves as gay and still be a Christian. I know this because I myself am a sinner. I struggle against sin every moment of every day. 

Also, no, one cannot be a gay Christian. No more than one can be a lying, cheating, thieving, murdering, fill-in-the-sin Christian. Not if one is willfully, unrepentantly practicing the sin.

I am a Christian but I am still a sinner. I am a saved sinner who struggles against my sinful thoughts. I am not saved because I am perfect or sinless; I am saved because I have asked for forgiveness. I am saved because I am repentant. 

I am a Christian because I follow Christ and live for him. If I were sin-free, I would not need Christ and his forgiveness and mercy.

In looking for a way to better state how and why Christians are not - and can not be - sin-free,  I found that (as is usual) Got Questions explains it best for the layman.

Before I was saved and born again, there were times I didn't even realize some of my sins. I may have felt bad for my actions hurting others and I knew right from wrong. I just didn't think of my wrongs as sins. 

As a Christian, I am able to sin less - in some ways - but I can never be sin-free in this earth-bound body. Even when I don't put action to a sinful thought, the thought is there, no matter how fleeting. 

I have never struggled with my sexual identity and I imagine it can be a strong hold on a person. I have - and sometimes still do - struggle with envy, pride, anger, and forgiveness. Forgiveness! Me! The person who has been forgiven for so much.

So, to those who struggle with their sexual sins, I would say the same thing I say to myself: repent and turn over to God your heart, mind, body, and soul. Trust in him, lean on him. Pray, pray, pray. 

When we say the Lord's Prayer, we are asking that God not permit us to be tempted. (God Himself does not tempt us to sin.) I read somewhere (probably on Got Questions) this explained well. God doesn't allow us to sin and He has control over tempters. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Finally, I think that when we truly commit to following Christ, we know when we are doing something that displeases him. We may sometimes try to pretend we don't know. When I do wrong, I feel like hiding my face from God. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, when I fall into temptation, I want to cover myself. That's my sign, as one comedian jokes. 

I hope that this helps anyone who has these struggles. Read your Bible, study your Bible, and pray for understanding.

Peace

--Free