If you are in a group of people where someone puts down those who believe in Jesus as being weak, are you turning your back on Jesus if you don't stand up for Him?

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

If you are in a group of people where someone puts down those who believe in Jesus as being weak, are you turning your back on Jesus if you don't stand up for Him?

I'm ashamed to say that I know from personal experience that it's easier to hide your true feelings and blend in with the crowd. The thing is, every time we blend in with the crowd, others think we agree with the comments being made, which makes them a little bit more likely to blend in with the crowd, as well. 

What would it have been like if  when Jesus was being questioned He said, "These people I was planning to give My life for won't even stand up for Me. Why should I stand up for them?" 

Fortunately, that's not what Jesus said, but the passage says: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

When You Desire New Clothes, a New Car, or the Latest Phone, Are you Telling Jesus that You Aren't Satisfied with What He's Provided?

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10

When you desire more money, a new car, or the latest phone, are you telling Jesus that you aren't satisfied with what He's provided?

According to the Bible verse above, people who love things like like money and abundance of material goods are never satisfied. The implication is that we always want more. Most of all of us have been guilty of this at one time or another. 

God says through this Bible verse that this is vanity! I bet you don't consider yourself vain. None of us want to be associated with a shallow label like that, but if the shoe fits, we have to wear it! 

It's not too late to turn the desire of these things over into Jesus' capable hands. He can heal us from this and our other vices if we let Him!

So, When I'm Crabby, Say Rude Things, and am Generally Hateful, Am I Putting the Light that Jesus Gave Me Under a Bushel?

Matthew 5: 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

So, when I'm crabby, say rude things, and am generally hateful, am I putting the light that Jesus gave me under a bushel?

Yes, even Christians get crabby, say rude things, and can be generally hateful, at times. When I'm behaving in any of these ways, am I showing the positive impact that Jesus has made on my life? Not at all, I'm embarrassed to say.

The thing is, my question asked if I was putting the light that Jesus gave me under a bushel? Unfortunately, it may be that when I act in any of these unsavory ways, I'm putting them on a candlestick where others can see them. So, in fact, instead of hiding these behaviors, I have put them out there were others can think, "If that's the way that Christians behave, I want no part of it."
 

I'm ashamed to say that people have seen my poor behavior. Of course, I'd like to think that only happens when I have low blood-sugar, but that's looking for a scape goat. I have to be honest, when ever I've behaved in these ways, I'm letting darkness shine and not light. I need to be prayerful about turning all aspects of my life and my reactions over to Jesus' very capable hands! I do want to share light instead of darkness!  

When We Give Up Trying to Let Go of Our Vices, Are We Saying that We Don't Trust Jesus to Heal Us of These?

1 John 5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

When we give up trying to let go of our vices are we saying that we don't trust Jesus to heal us of these?

I was a compulsive overeater for most of my life. One day I gave up and told God that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. Well, I actually didn't expect for God to do anything, because I was really giving up on dieting. The surprise was that very same day, Jesus took away my urge to eat sugar, excessive carbs and large amounts of food away from me. 

It wasn't anything I did of myself. It was all Jesus!!! He allowed me to lose 80 pounds and to keep the vast majority of it off for over 30 years. If Jesus could heal my big vice, He can certainly heal yours! 

In the process, Jesus had to teach me some important lessons. A major one was that I had made food a false god, because I was turning to food for comfort when I was stressed, worried, etc. Once He showed me this, I started turning my food, body, and eating over to Jesus' very capable hands each day. Have your vices become false gods to you? Do you turn to them instead of to Jesus? You can do the same with your vices. One thing is to ask Jesus for the willingness to turns these vices over to Him each day.

Does that mean that I never slip up? No. Satan knows that I am especially vulnerable to overeating, especially when I start getting sloppy with my eating plan, which most often means I've gotten sloppy with my relationship with Jesus. Fortunately for us, we have a very forgiving Savior. When I realize what I've been doing, I ask forgiveness and for Him to be in control of my vices, because I can't.

 Trying to be in control was another one of my vices, but I didn't realize it until it was one of the lessons Jesus taught me along the way. In the years prior to this, I thought I had a close relationship with Jesus. I would ask Jesus to help me stop overeating. I would pray for Him to help me to be thinner. I kept asking Jesus to help me instead of turning control over to Him. It has made a major difference in my life.  

So, back to the original question.  When we give up trying to let of our vices are we saying that we don't trust Jesus to heal us of these? Be prayerful about your answer to this one!

When We Don't Show Compassion to the Refugees, Poor, Widows and Fatherless, Are We Saying That We Want Jesus to Turn His Back on Us, As Well?

Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother. Zechariah 7:9-10

 When we don't show compassion to the refugees, poor, widows and fatherless, are we saying that we want Jesus to turn His back on us as well?

 So, are we planning evil in our hearts against the widow, the fatherless and the poor when we are supporting tax breaks for the very wealthy when it will eventually end up in cuts for these very same people Jesus wants us to show compassion to?

So, are we planning evil in our hearts against the alien [refugees] when we don't support decisions to help them find safe homes and jobs to provide for their families.  

I think it's noteworthy what God, through the Bible goes on to say:

But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears to that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of Hosts. Zechariah 7:11-12