Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”- Romans 8:31
Thought of the Day- We live in a world where it is so easy to criticize. It has become the norm for the media to overwhelm us with all of the things that people hate or are against. You seldom hear those same people state what they are for. It is much more powerful and meaningful to be for something rather than against something. Whole movements are started in opposition to something, like Antifa, but they never tell us what they are for. They seem to be against almost everything. What do they want besides anarchy? It is easy and somewhat lazy to criticize something. It takes much more effort and determination to have a cause that you stand for. Instead of complaining about the darkness, you can learn to light a candle.
Jesus came to earth during a very difficult time to be a Jew living under Roman oppression. But rather than complaining about all that was wrong in the world at that time, or demanding the overthrow of the Roman Empire, Jesus taught us to “love another.” His whole life was spent living out that purpose and His Kingdom was not of this world. He came as “the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) He taught it was better to serve than to be served (Mark 10:45) and it was better to give than receive (Acts 20:35) Those words were as radical then as they are today. The world is selfish, Jesus was selfless. He taught that the main problem wasn’t out there somewhere in the world, but rather was our personal sin, living in each and every person on earth, that separated us from God, and therefore unable to express the true love of God to our fellow man. Jesus came to earth as a representative of God’s love (1 John 4:8) and as a lifeline to reconcile us back to God who loved the World so much He sent His Son Jesus to die for forgiveness of our sins (John 3:16). Jesus was literally willing to die for his cause.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that “you will never know what you are living for until you find a cause you are willing to die for.” When we put our efforts into shining light into the darkness, we can expect opposition. The darkness does not like the light. But if the cause is for good, for the betterment of humanity, then maybe it is worth every ounce of energy we have. God’s kingdom works on the laws of multiplication. Standing for something can lead to a huge tsunami of results that can be felt for generations to come. Martin Luther King Jr. is still celebrated today for his boldness to stick up for equal rights for all people. Being against something is much easier, and takes little investment, but is ultimately less likely to leave lasting results. Remember, God is for us. And as Romans 8:31 says “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
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