Police shooting. Black lives matter. Protests. Mourning. 

These words flood my Facebook feed, and you may be like me and think, “If I see one more post about this stuff…”

All I have to say is now is the perfect time to practice what Jesus preached. And that is not to get angry, get on our soapboxes, and teach the bad guys a lesson. It is to love and pray and love and pray and well you get the picture.

It goes without saying that recent events have been nothing but heart breaking. The tragedies we’ve witnessed within the last couple weeks have no reason for happening except for the Devil to show his face.

But we should not react like the world. Jesus is just as heart broken as you and I, but His response should be ours. Life and all its turmoil, evil and all its assailants have given us Christians an opportunity to do the unthinkable.

Pray for the officers. Not just any officers, but the ones who felt the need to fire their gun at the wrong person at the wrong time.

Pray for the shooters who decide to target and murder a specific people group.

Pray for the victims and their families.

All of the above need God equally.

“But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” 

– Luke 6:27-28

After all, God loves them as much as He loves us. God sent Jesus to die for the man that pulled the trigger. We aren’t the judge, He is.

Besides, the unstable gunmen, lost officers, and even terrorists like ISIS themselves are not the enemy. Satan, the Devil, the Adversary, whatever you want to call him is the mastermind of it all, and he is simply giving us a taste of what he is capable of.

Praying is not simply giving our condolences to God for the souls who have brutally lost their lives. By praying, we are combating Satan’s demons with God’s warrior angels. We are putting God in control of the problems at hand. Most importantly, we are allowing God to not only impact the lives of others, but our lives as well.

Fortunately, in the midst of all this devastation, we can rest in the hope that Jesus has already overcome the world and that He will win in the end.

God bless!

-LJM

John 16:33, Romans 12:14, Matthew 5:44

This weekend my glimpse of God came from an unexpected source: my brother.

I was tasked with the responsibility of house/pet sitting for my family while they were away for a few days. This weekend also happened to be one where an ice storm was to hit the area, forcing us southerners to run for the bread and milk and batten down the hatches.

My brother, anticipating that I would not want to be alone, had his bags packed. He helped me take care of our four cats and he turned out to be the best company when it comes to simply chilling out. He could have been having fun in the snow with his college buddies, but instead, he chose to be cooped up in the house with his little sister.

As I observed his selflessness, I also noticed just how much God has worked in and through his life. I can see just how much he has changed over the years and how God has made him into a spiritual leader.

Spending quality time with him this weekend showed me that he has become not only a blessing, but an inspiration to me, and I can only pray that the girl who has the privilege of marrying him will look at him the same way.

God Bless!

-LJM