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DAILY DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2003
(Psalms 51:10, John 3:16)
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SHARE WITH THOSE YOU KNOW WHO ARE NOT SAVED. THE WORDS
GOD SPEAKS IN THIS DEVOTIONAL CAN CHANGE LIVES FOR ETERNITY!!!!!
THE answer to the shootings at our schools. Over the last 5 years, there
has been an epidemic of shooting in our nations schools. Sadly, there was
another one in Pennsylvania yesterday. They have taken place in elementary,
junior high, and high schools. These schools have been located in rural
areas as well as the suburbs. Those who have committed these senseless acts
of
violence have been boys and girls, though mostly boys. After each one of
these
incidents, the un-answered question remains, why?
In attempting to answer that question, we get an endless parade of pundits,
psychologists, and politicians. At the top of the debate is our nations gun
laws. Now I am all for any laws that can help make guns in our society
safer without impeding on our Constitutional rights. The fact is, we have
law books full of gun laws, many of which are not being properly enforced.
Also visible in this ongoing debate is societies role in the lives of those
who commit these acts of violence. The role of parents and the school in
these incidents is also hotly debated. While all of these factors are part
of the overall picture, they are not the real answer.
You see, we are all born into sin, with a heart that is prone to sin.
Society has put some limits on what is acceptable behavior, but the fact is
when a person chooses to ignore those limits, he or she is capable of the
most heinous kind of actions imaginable. So many kids grow up today
without a moral foundation, without any absolute truth in their lives,
without an understanding that there are very real consequences for their
actions.
It is the job of the Christian community to show people a moral base from
which
we must live our lives, that there is absolute truth, right and wrong, and
that sin carries consequences.
The real answer to this problem lies within the church, the Christian
community, those of us who acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. You see my friend, too many of us have decided to sit on our hands,
remain silent in our daily lives. When you accept Christ into your life,
you become an ambassador of the Lord. You no longer have the luxury of not
being involved. It is no accident those people God has placed in our lives.
It is no accident we go to school where we do, work where we do, live where
we do.
However, rather than letting our lights shine, far too many of God's
children hide their lights under a bushel. We tend to only associate with
other
Christians and are very bad at reaching out to others. The example Christ
gave us in
His earthly ministry was to reach out to the hurting, the broken, the
downtrodden. Yet we see these people in our lives each and every day and
pass them by,
just like the Priests passed by the wounded traveler on the road to Jericho
in
the story of the Good Samaritan. WE CAN NOT IGNORE THOSE WHO ARE HURTING,
SINCE WE HAVE THE ANSWER TO THEIR HURTS AND PAINS!!!!!!
Unfortunately, so many children grow up now in homes where their parents
are not Christians, thus the parents are also lacking a Christian foundation
in their life. Just as bad is the fact so many kids grow up in one-parent
homes. ***Let me just say this to you parents. You took the vows and
responsibility to get married. You took the responsibility to have
children. I am acutely
aware of the circumstances that cause marriages to break up, but let me
challenge
you. Before you end your marriage, before you act in what is often just a
selfish
manner, know what the consequences of your actions will be in the lives of
your
children.
I pray that this is a lesson to you young adults to really think first
before getting married. Don't be unequally yoked. Have a firm spiritual
base to your
relationship. In most cases, children will one day be involved in your life,
and your
actions will have a profound impact on their lives. Marriage is not
something to enter
into lightly. Having children is the biggest responsibility you will have in
this life, so
think about that when you are tempted to have sex without being married.
I love you and care about you so much. If you are reading this and have
never committed your life to Christ, let me assure you that He has a love
for you,
that you have never experienced before. Life does not have to be so
confusing.
There are answers to those problems you have that seem insurmountable. God
can
give you options you never even thought of. Most of all though, He has a
perfect
plan and purpose for your life, if you will just surrender yourself to Him.
Go to my website, www.liveprayer.com . On the left menu bar is: "Plan of
Salvation". Before you read it, just pray, "God, open my heart to theses
words you have for me". Read the words, and make the most important choice
you
will make in this life, to accept Jesus Christ into your heart. It won't
make all your problems go away over night. But you will have a new
strength, and new
power within you that will literally change your life.
I pray that these words today will encourage you and challenge your life.
Am I saying Christians are responsible for these school shootings? Of
course not. But we do have a responsibility to share the love and hope we
have in Christ with those who God brings into our life. It is not an
option. He did not give us the words of life, He did not give us His love so
that we
can simply hold onto it for ourselves. He gave it to us freely, so we can
give it to others freely. Will people reject your attempts? Yes. Will
people still do evil things like randomly shoot classmates and teachers?
Yes. We can not eliminate sin from the world in which we live in, but we can
do
our part to share the love and hope of Christ with others each day. God
never asked us to do it all, just our part.
***The truth is, this is a society where sin runs freely throughout, it is
ONLY the people of God that keeps it from being total chaos!!! Those who do
share their faith, reach out to others, take a bold stand for Christ are the
ONLY
reason we don't have more of these types of incidents. We have THE ANSWER
in
Christ, so let's be encouraged and get serious about sharing that answer
with
everyone that we meet!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email
at bkeller@liveprayer.com
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copyright 2003 Bill Keller Ministries. All rights reserved.
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