Jesus loves me this I know


Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Who sang along while reading the opening to this blog? Come on, show of hands?

My childhood is full of memories of songs just like this. I was fortunate to be raised by mother and a family with deep roots in the church. I remember, when I was very young, my Grandpa and all the men I saw every Sunday breaking ground on the new church. Many times in my life I have looked a photo of my brother Josh in a car seat on top of the mound of dirt they dug out to build the foundation and thought "I actually remember when this was taken". As I grew older my family's involvement in the church only grew more steadfast. My Uncle Ronnie became a Pastor and performed the wedding ceremony for Tiffany and I. My Aunt Debbie and her late husband (my other Uncle Ronnie) became children's pastors at one of the largest Church of God's in the world. My Grandpa has not missed a Sunday of Church since well before I was born. And my mother studied theology and had a constant thirst for God. It was a good family to grow up in, and I am sure if you ask my siblings and cousins they would all tell you the same thing.

I will tell you right now that, in spite of my Christian upbringings, I am a sinner. In fact every day, I sin in some way, shape or form. I have this terrible addiction I cannot seem to conquer, and by smoking I am sinning:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."

Then there is the guy who lives down the street who drives a 2012 Dodge Challenger srt8. Bright orange with black rims and I want it. Ohh, do I want one. Every time I drive by I drool just a little. And in doing so, I commit sin:

Exodus 20:17- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, or male or female servant, or his ox nor his donkey, or anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

Ok so maybe that car isn't specifically listed, but man, if they made an OX with a 392 in it, I think we would be in direct violation of the 10th commandment.

I am sure there are many many other sins that I commit regularly that I should concern myself with. And the Bible tells us that if we ask forgiveness from our sins, then he takes them and throws them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12). So each night before i go to sleep I say a prayer. And no matter what else I pray for day by day, I have always asked for the same 3 things every night. I ask God to please keep myself and my family safe. I ask God to please guide me in my daily life. And I ask forgiveness of my sins. Every day. While I may not be in church every Sunday and may not be the definition of a cookie cutter Christian, I pray these things everyday and have for as long as I can remember. I have enough to worry about with my very own sin to think about what others may be doing.

There is a lot going on in this world today. As a Christian, I am more alarmed by the opinions of some of the church community than I am of the worlds. Sure there are things that have occurred that are black and white sins in the Bible. And it does not sit well with me that we can take God out of our society and celebrate what the Bible calls sin. But that is where we are as a society. What concerns me more is where we are at at community in the body of Christ. I see posts on Facebook blasting the sinners and this society all in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet, from everything we are taught, Jesus would not have handled this situation this way. We have become so far removed from his actual teachings that we sin ourselves in the judgement of those who are not just like us.

The Bible teaches to "judge not lest we be judged." So as some people will sit on the sidelines shouting "SINNER! You are going to hell!".  I hope they realize that, just like me, they are sinners as well. But he also loves us all. The Bible tells us so.

I have no opinion on whether someone is born gay or chooses to be gay. That's  something I am sure the scientists will figure out and the religious people will refute. I can only believe what I have always said. I believe the Bible, just the way its written. There are sins that are black and white in the Bible. On this issue, there are sins on either side of the argument. But the Bible teaches us to pray for those who sin, and tell them about the love of Christ. It does not say shout at them they they are sinners and tell them them they are going to hell. And it also says he who is without sin should cast the first stone.

I guess my little rant this morning boils down to this. This world may be going to hell in a hand basket. And we need all the prayer we can get. But leave the judgments to the man who will be the judge. Worry about your own sin instead of the sin of someone else.

Look at me sinning again, judging the people who judge.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Day # 60, this world needs prayer, but it is still good to be me!

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