Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Changing the Hearts of Christians

Followers of Christ rise up!  Fellow believers in love please take your stand.  Anybody who has ears to hear or eyes to see, please take note.  It does not matter who wins this upcoming election in the United States.  Our next President and his fellow members of the House and Senate will not bring about the change this country and this world needs.

God will bring change.  When God changes the heart of a person, that's when there will be change.  We need to all grow in our relationships with Christ.  We are in need of his grace and mercy more than ever.  Money will not change our problems.  Passionate speeches or drawing lines in the sand will not bring about change.  No, it is God that changes the heart of men.  

When God changes you from the inside out there is an amazing shift that occurs.  What was once an internal struggle and toil becomes a tangible manifestation of love.  Our actions begin to mimic the love God has put in us.  This is the change that is needed in America today.  We Christians need to start living lives of love and we will see the transformation God brings when act upon His love.

I want to confess to you all sins and my transgressions.  One of my main areas of sin is my anger.  I sin daily when I drive to work (usually).  I am so refreshed that one day out of twenty when I am able to drive somewhere and not be brought to a sinful anger.  Today in particular I found myself cursing at people in cars on my way home from work.  I cannot overcome this anger but God can.  Please forgive me for unloving and selfish heart in this matter!  

Do you have unconfessed sin?  The bible calls Christians to confess their sins to each other.  This is a beautiful moment for us to lay bare what is hidden and be forgiven.  I will have more posts where I ask your forgiveness as I know that I will continue to stumble around in this life.  My hope is that God will help me grow and give me the strength to stop committing the same sin over and over again.  I want to move on to the mature things the bible alludes to!  

-E

4 comments:

Jason said...

I just found your blog. I love it, because of it's simplicity. I look forward to many a good conversation within its walls. I will respond to this post soon.

Erik said...

I too look forward to some healthy conversations. I'm glad to have your perspective, it's important to me that it is heard!

Jason said...

E,
but don't you think its important who our next president is, in as much as it affects the moral compass of our nation's laws and policy?

Abortion, for instance. With a pro-choice president, won't that make the fight for a child's right to live that much more difficult?

Also concerning foreign policy. Issues such as world hunger and disease certainly can be affected by our nation's leader.

These are two sets of problems that I believe we can extinguish in our lifetime. Isn't our choice for president important concerning such issues?

Erik said...

No. Government cannot mandate a change of its people's hearts. Regardless of who becomes president, those who want abortions will get them and it will not matter what is legal or illegal. Issues of morality can only be addressed and solved by God changing the hearts of men. Abortion, hunger,disease... while I wish for the same thing as you do in that I wish these could be ended in our lifetime; I believe the reality will starkly different. Also, the notion that the president affects the "moral compass" of our country seems far fetched to me. If God is not the reason given to do the right thing then that very thing WILL fail.

The point of what I am saying is this, The church is failing. These things that you and I want to see solved in our lifetime are not going to be solved as long as we do nothing. I don't mean casting a vote. I mean literally feeding the hungry and providing clean drinking water and getting proper medical aid to those in need. Why do we think a president will change things when we aren't doing anything to enact the change we think we want to see. These problems can be fixed if the church can re-awaken to the function God has called it to be. If the church is the body of Christ it(we) needs to carry out the functions that the head has commanded us to do.

I have nothing against a person voting or taking sides regarding politics. I do think it is a mistake to put your hopes for change in the hands of anyone except the hands of God. Do not forget that the President is balanced by the different branches of Gov't and has box inside of which he/she must rule. Only God can ultimately change man's hearts and that's what is needed. We need people to not want to kill unborn babies... not be "forced" to let it live. We need people to love thy neighbor as thyself and give food and medical help to those in need.... not legislation "forcing" it on us. History has shown time and time again that laws and people will always fail, but it is the miracle of Christ and his Glory that will not fail. These problems can all be saved by God changing the heart.

-E