Chris' Christian Blog

September 17, 2021

"Prompt: Do I allow myself to be taught through God’s word how to overcome pain, weakness and challenges?"

I am not sure I follow the question. I believe it is asking if I learn that the secret to being joyous and positive even in the midst of trials and pain is reliance on God's word. I agree with that 100%. I know there are many scriptures in God's word that come to mind when I am in the midst of a trial. One is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Many Christians do not realize that if they are living lives of peace and tranquility they are not living Christian lives. Jesus said that those who followed Him would suffer persecution. Last night in Church History II for my graduate class we studied William Tyndale. Many do not know that 80% of the words we read in English translations today were originally translated by William Tyndale. His reward for doing so was that He was strangled and then burned at the stake. Due to the fact he was a former priest, they did not burn him alive.

Jesus said that His followers would be persecuted for believing in Him. I see this happening all the time. It happens when a shop owner is sued for saying "no" to baking a cake or catering a dinner for a gay marriage. It happens to me when I would love to become certified to perform marriages but choose not to become bonded so I can avoid being sued for refusing to perform a gay wedding. It's not that I personally care that a couple is gay, but God says it is sin. I also find my hands bound at work due to the separation of church and state. Since I am a chaplain for the state of West Virginia, there are things I simply cannot do without drawing the State into a violation of the constitution. This is all persecution.


"Prompt: I was cruising the galaxy with Magnum, PI, Tom Selleck, the one and only Magnum! We landed on this planet where TheBusmanPoet

STATIC

Decisions  (E) When one comes along. You have to decide. #2195586 by TheBusmanPoet

Write about this in your Blog entry today.

I agree that decisions can be difficult. I have taken years to make a decision on some issues and was miserable until I did so. Usually, decisions for me are impulsive but I stick to them.