Railroad
Routinely Derailed
My thought is, due to the London attacks and other things, perhaps the following would be good for a bigger audience:
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">All things come alike to all:
one event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. - Ecclesiastes 9:2
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
It is very easy for Christians, seeing a disaster occur, to think that God is punishing those affected by it. The Old Testament reports many such instances where God was actively participating in the affairs of Israelites on a day-to-day basis.
But it is not our place to judge whether or not something that occurs is the hand of God at work punishing someone; indeed, we know that the disaster in London was the work of men.
In "The Tube" and on the bus, there were doubtless all kinds of people - the righteous, the wicked, Christians and Muslims and Jews, etc. The murderous blasts didn't discriminate, though, and all these kinds of people were injured or killed.
This type of event underscores the importance of not waiting for a time to devote ourselves to Christ, to accept Him as our personal saviour. It underscores the urgency behind asking His forgiveness when we sin. It underscores the care we must take to be exemplary Christians all the time, so that in the hour of our deaths we may have changed a life for the better, or even inspired a soul to seek Christ.
In a crowded bus or subway or on a sidewalk or a country lane, you are like a silver icon, shining forth and by your very nature separated from the crowd. You are noticed by those whom God allows to see. In an instant that bit of the universe could be vaporized and your journey here would come to a blessed end; what you leave behind may be a memory seared into the eye of another, an imprint on the soul of the needy.
You are God's instrument for good; thank Him for choosing you! Ask to know His will in all things, all the time. He will help you all the way, if you ask it. May God bless you today; may this be a day of joy in Him! "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
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Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">All things come alike to all:
one event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. - Ecclesiastes 9:2
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
It is very easy for Christians, seeing a disaster occur, to think that God is punishing those affected by it. The Old Testament reports many such instances where God was actively participating in the affairs of Israelites on a day-to-day basis.
But it is not our place to judge whether or not something that occurs is the hand of God at work punishing someone; indeed, we know that the disaster in London was the work of men.
In "The Tube" and on the bus, there were doubtless all kinds of people - the righteous, the wicked, Christians and Muslims and Jews, etc. The murderous blasts didn't discriminate, though, and all these kinds of people were injured or killed.
This type of event underscores the importance of not waiting for a time to devote ourselves to Christ, to accept Him as our personal saviour. It underscores the urgency behind asking His forgiveness when we sin. It underscores the care we must take to be exemplary Christians all the time, so that in the hour of our deaths we may have changed a life for the better, or even inspired a soul to seek Christ.
In a crowded bus or subway or on a sidewalk or a country lane, you are like a silver icon, shining forth and by your very nature separated from the crowd. You are noticed by those whom God allows to see. In an instant that bit of the universe could be vaporized and your journey here would come to a blessed end; what you leave behind may be a memory seared into the eye of another, an imprint on the soul of the needy.
You are God's instrument for good; thank Him for choosing you! Ask to know His will in all things, all the time. He will help you all the way, if you ask it. May God bless you today; may this be a day of joy in Him! "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
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