I struggle with the ideals of Christianity and prejudice converging forming the society that we have grown accustomed to. I struggle with understanding how minds could believe that a loving, kind, and giving God would smile upon the unmeasurable hatred that has been displayed when He clearly said in John 3:16 (KJV), For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The word whosoever defined as “whoever; whatever person” is a direct reflection of His outreach to show His love. To say that one is inferior to the other because their religion, origin or skin color is contradictory to God Himself who cursed Miriam, the sister of Moses for speaking against Moses’ wife’s. In Numbers 12, (1) Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. The Lord heard them and become so angry that He called them out of the tabernacle to scold them (Christianity and prejudice). 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:… 9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. The Lord ended up cursing Miriam and gave her the lightest skin possible, leprosy. Her brother Moses being a humble and kind brother, pleaded for her, asking the Lord to forgive her and remove the curse but it says the Lord refused his plea.
There are so many websites, and articles that contradict each other. The Old Testament is debated greatly as the source of evidence that God is for slavery, and for oppression, and the slaughtering of many but it was not race that dictated God’s disapproval, it was the hardness of hearts that refused to believe that there was one true God or for the disciplining of those He considered to be His children. But God! I hear many share their love of those two words. I too love those words. But God, sought to save as many as He could and sent His only begotten Son. He, the Lord Almighty wrapped in flesh chose to become a descendant of one of the most persecuted people on this Earth, the Jews. He chose. One day, Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment. In Mark 12 He responds, 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”
His love, grace, and mercy knows no bounds. In Revelation 7:9 (NIV) it says, (9) After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… 14 … “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’[a] nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b] ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”.
We all have some prejudice in our hearts, a moment in time will give us the true answer. Whether it was taught to us by parents, friends, our environment, an incident, a hurt, an inopportune time that caused it to become embedded in our minds triggered by the sight of…them, whoever your them is. I pray that we allow God to search our hearts and uproot any hatred, and anger, anything that is not like Him, anything that does not fall in line with His GREATEST commandment to love all.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Forgive me Lord for allowing the circumstances of these times to corrupt the heart that You have given me to protect. Forgive me for allowing the pain that I have experienced to overcome me and seep into the cracks I left exposed and began to display in my actions. Forgive me Lord. I ask Lord that You take control of my heart. Cleanse me of whatever is not of You and allow Your love to pour into me so that I can pour into others. Grow me up Lord in You.
In the name of Jesus I pray!
Amen.
Mending Glass --- In Progress 