THE TRUTH!
Our culture divides us! Hatred is at an all time high. We feed our anger in multiple ways throughout each day. We look for opportunities to be offended & feel slighted. We anticipate that we will be treated badly. We shame & are ashamed. We judge & feel judged. We assign guilt & feel guilty. We blame & assume wrong motives of everyone around us. We are pessimistic & we mock those who hope. Everything has the look & feel of smoke and mirrors, but we deny reality. We doubt truth when it's obvious but heartily embrace falsehoods! So many of our cultural ailments could be solved by embracing the simplest Biblical principles ~ Be kind to one another ~ Treat people the way you want to be treated ~ Rejoice w/those who rejoice ~ Mourn w/those who mourn ~ Share what you have ~ Don't judge people for things you do yourself ~ Love one another ~ Put others before yourself ~ Serve others ~ Forgive those who sin against you ~ Pray for your enemies. IF we applied these principles to those who "rubbed" us the wrong way, our culture would be so very different! Instead of slapping each other down for daring to differ, we would respect one another & be willing to listen. We would NEVER assume people are evil just b/c we don't understand them. We wouldn't let others tell us how we feel. We would investigate things on our own & dif for TRUTH! We would NEVER be convinced to trash people just to make a point or stand for a cause. We would NEVER hammer our opinions home over & over under the guise of "enlightening the less intelligent", but instead realize our relationships are far more important than our feelings! We would consider others, NOT TARGET THEM! The Bible teaches us to let our minds dwell on whatever is TRUE, HONOURABLE, RIGHT, PURE, LOVELY, OF GOOD REPORT, EXCELLENT, or WORTH OF PRAISE. When we put this into practice the God of peace will be w/us. We cannot control God & we shouldn't second guess Him, as much as we sometimes try. Our God has plans & purposes far beyond our understanding. Sometimes those plans & purposes break our hearts. Some may require sacrifices we never agreed to make. His plans can stop us dead in our tracks, turn us upside down, inside out & paralyze us w/pain. BUT HIS COMFORT IS NEVER FAR OUT OF REACH! Our "WHYS" may not get answered right away, but we can TRUST there is ALWAYS a reason. God is in control, if you allow Him to be. He is sovereign & He desires to love us THROUGH our pain & misery. Life is hard but GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD. A fire is started by one spark. Change begins w/one person willing & courageous enough to live out THE TRUTH!

"But are you willing to recognize that faith w/out works is USELESS?" (James 2:20 NASV)

Written by
Diana Franklin
GDC#1001339444
Pulaski State Prison