Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Jesus is more needed than DOMA

While the news that the Supreme Court has ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional is disappointing, I am not surprised nor am I discouraged. If we look at other governments throughout history of the world (and many even today), American Christians are better off than many others. Many have been imprisoned or killed just for having a Bible. We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and “bloom where we are planted” both in our location and our point in history. Besides, as the song goes: “This is not our home, we are just passing through.” God did not promise us that our road on earth will be easy. In fact, he said it would be just the opposite. We need to realize that America is not the promised land and it never was.

What the world needs is not DOMA but Jesus. Hebrews 11 lists Old Testament saints that heard the Word of God and acted on it. Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel: those names help us recall their stories of faith and victory by the hand of God.  At the end of the chapter in verses 36 and 37, the writer of Hebrews lists out many things that happened because people believed in God. After reading that list, ask yourself this question, have I ever endured those types of persecutions? Would you be willing to suffer like that for the sake of the Gospel? I look in the mirror and feel convicted because I feel awkward about telling others about Jesus so I don’t. Some people are killed for telling others about God but still do it. Those people are more aware of what is at stake than we are. If we truly believed that they were going to hell because they do not know about Jesus, we would shout it from the rooftops. But we don’t.

So, I have some more questions for you and me to answer. What does being a Christian mean to you? Does it mean that you are a fairly good person and you “don’t drink or chew or go with guys that do”? Does it mean that you go to church when it is convenient for you? How does being a Christian affect your life? Do you know more and spend more time talking and reading about a sports team than the Bible? We are called to love people that are different from us. We are called to watch what we say about others. Are these qualities present in your life? There are many areas in my life that I need to work on. I urge you to pick one. Pick one area that God has been waiting for you to give to him. That may be pride, how you talk about others behind their back, lack of prayer time or time in the Bible, your temper or your laziness. Whatever it is, God is asking for you to trust that He knows what is best for you. You can give it up and He will help you through it.

What difference does being a Christian make in your life? Today, make sure you show someone what difference it has made in your life and can make in their life.