Does God Care About Race?

America has recently been faced with yet again another brutal reminder that racism is alive and well in this country.  We have seen a viral video of a fatal shooting from two armed white men of an unarmed black man who was jogging in a Brunswick, Georgia neighborhood on February 23, 2020.  The unarmed black man/African American's name was Ahmuad Arbery. He was only 25 years old at the time of his death. There is no doubt that this was a racially motivated hate crime.  The perpetrators made up some story about Ahmuad fitting the description of a burglar or break-in somewhere in the neighborhood to try justifying their murder of him.  They took the law into their own hands under the so-called "citizens arrest" law in Georgia. But Ahmaud committed no crime; other than being black.  They pursued him. Followed him. Blocked him from jogging anymore. Murdered him in cold blood for everyone to see. It took some 74 days to pass after Ahmuad's slaughter before there were any arrests made.  Disgusting. Disheartening. Painful. Shameful. Sinful. Abhorrent. Foul. 

The legacy of America (whether we want to acknowledge it or not) is one in which the earliest settlers from Europe bought, sold and enslaved millions of Africans for some 250 years on this land.  Even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, African Americans were still not free in this country. They were subject to the horrors of the Jim Crow laws of segregation in the South, the domestic terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan, lynchings, unequal treatment under the law, and much more.  And even though black men were granted the right to vote in 1870, they could not freely exercise that right to vote after the Reconstruction Era (1864-77) ended.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibited unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.  The following year, we had the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It gave all blacks the universal right to vote without discrimination. Both of these were landmark Civil Rights laws.

In 2008, America elected Barack Hussein Obama (First African American) to the Presidency of the United States for two terms. BUT we clearly still have a long way to go towards racial justice.  Laws don't change people's hearts. Only God can change hearts.  And as human beings, we must be open to a better way.  To God's way.

What does God think about race? How does he feel about discrimination? Does he care? To answer these questions, we must turn our attention to the Holy Scriptures. 

In the New Testament of the Bible, Acts 10 presents a powerful turning point in the history of the Church.  This is the all-important moment when God brings in the Gentiles (Non-Jews) to what was only a Jewish Church at the time.  It is the story of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion (Officer in Charge of 100 Roman Soldiers) of the Italian Regiment.  It is a story both of redemption and racial reconciliation.

For centuries, Jews and Gentiles did not like each other.  Jews looked down upon Gentiles as "unclean" people.  This was because in the Old Testament Scriptures (Tanak), Jews were said to be the People of God.  They were the only people and nation on the earth in covenant with the God of the universe. Over time, this caused them to look down on other people.  They even had laws that forbade intermixing of Jews and Gentiles.  One of Jesus' earliest and most devoted followers (Simon Peter) was a Jew who upheld these restrictions.

He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean" - Acts 10:28

God had given Peter a vision of a sheet let down from heaven with all kinds of animals on the sheet. A voice told him to 'kill and eat,' to which Peter said that he had never eaten anything unclean. For 1,500 years Jews had been instructed to keep 'kosher'.  That meant that they could only ingest the food that God had approved of, according to the Torah found in Leviticus 11. But God wasn't talking about food in the vision that he had given to Peter. God wanted Peter to get rid of his old belief system in the superiority of the Jewish people over others and get in alignment with God's love and acceptance for ALL People.

When Peter embraced God's vision and agenda, he came to this conclusion:

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" - Acts 10:34-35 

Hallelujah!! That's awesome! But what does it mean? The Greek word for 'nation' is ethnos.  That means ethnic or ethnicity.  It means that God ACCEPTS EVERY ETHNICITY!! God is NOT a racist, and he does NOT want anyone down here on earth to be a RACIST! As you continue to read the story through the end of the chapter, you will discover that Cornelius and all of his household became disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The commitment of the Church must be found in the Great Commission from the Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20

Let's Love God, and Love ALL People! 

REMEMBER .... GOD WANTS YOU!! 

The Power of Positivity

During these trying times it is especially important to stay positive.  Something that all of us can do is to take out a sheet of paper, get a pen or pencil, and write down every single thing that we are thankful for in life. Thankful for the air we breathe, the clean water we drink, the beds we sleep in, and the food we eat, etc.  Try it! It's is a very therapeutic, positive, and medicinal exercise.  It causes us to focus on our blessings more than what we think we lack in life.  It empowers us to be grateful.  It deadens negativity and ingratitude. 

Scripture has much to say about the power of our words we speak, our thoughts, attitudes and actions.  Consider these powerful passages as we focus on the Power of Positivity today:

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. - Proverbs 18:21. 

What we say will come to fruition either in a positive way or a negative way.  Let's choose life! The positive way! Use your words to encourage, build up, and inspire other people! 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

Our tendency might be to retaliate against someone who has wronged us, but God says the way we gain the victory is to continue to do GOOD! In this way, we CRUSH evil! 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

Our thought life is critical in our daily lives to choose either positive or negative things.  The passage above encourages us to think on things that are positive, and things that will help us to bear good fruit in our lives.  

There are many more passages that I could cite, but these three passages encourage us to think, speak and act in ways that illustrate not only the Power of Positivity, but point the way to a victorious life down here on earth, even during a global pandemic.  We can't change our circumstances around us, but we can control how we respond to our surrounding circumstances. 

Remember ... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are challenging times that we live in right now during the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the whole world with fear.  It is a HIGHLY contagious virus that has already infected more than 690,000 people world wide with over 32,000 fatalities.  

The world has seen many pestilences and viruses throughout the millennium like the Bubonic plaque, the Spanish Flu, small pox, Ebola, etc. We live in a fallen world that became that way when the first inhabitants of the planet violated God's principles in the Garden of Eden cf. Genesis 3.  And as the Apostle Paul put it in Romans 8:18-23:

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

Notice Paul says the creation has been "groaning as in the pains of childbirth."  But there will be a liberation of this creation.  It will happen during the coming resurrection when the Lord Jesus returns on the clouds of heaven to issue judgment on this world, while taking his people to reign with him forever.  

In the meantime, let us take courage and faith that God is in full control during this time and for all time.  He has us in the palm of his hand.  He is greater than this pandemic, and he is still in the healing and deliverance business.  Take consolation in the solace in the Creator of this universe who knows all of the answers to our questions, and has the solutions to our complex problems.  Jesus once said in John 16:33: 

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We who are followers of Jesus Christ can and must remember that our Lord has our back, and that we among all people can be confident of the victory that is ours through the One who conquered sin, disease, and death! 

Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A New Year with Ancient Promises

Congratulations to you if you are reading this blog! Why do I say that? If you are reading this blog, then that means that you are still alive!! And that means that you still have ample opportunity to reclaim some wonderful ancient promises from God Almighty in this New Year of 2017!!

Consider these powerful passages of Holy Scripture:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;    never will I forsake you.” - Hebrews 13:5

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 

- 2 Corinthians 1:20

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 

- 1 Timothy 4:8

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

- Galatians 3:29

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

- 2 Peter 3:9

REMEMBER .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time to Begin Again!

This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19