I love watching Veggie Tales. My boys are older now, so I haven’t seen some of the newest ones, but I remember the ones I have seen. The catchy songs and good moral lessons are taught to us through talking vegetables that have no arms or legs. One song on my mind lately is from “Rack, Shack, and Benny.” A movie based on the story of the three men who were thrown into the furnace because they refused to participate in idol worship.
The song is called “Stand”. In this catchy tune they sing about standing up for what you believe in, and God will stand with you. What a great lesson for all of us. In the world today, we are tempted to just fit in. We have to be careful not to upset or offend anyone. But at what cost? When do we draw the line, and say enough is enough? When do we take a stand and not be afraid to share what we believe?
I am not asking us to judge others, so please don’t take it that away. We are called to love everyone, to help our neighbors regardless of what their beliefs are. Jesus didn’t ask someone what they believed or for a list of their sins before He talked with them. In fact He knew that He came to spend time with the lost, the broken, the hurting. He came to teach others about His Father.
So when do we take a stand? I believe we can do this every day in subtle ways . How do we take that stand? We start by not being afraid to bow our heads in public and pray before eating. We can be honest with people when they ask us our beliefs. Christmas is just around the corner. We shouldn’t be afraid to say “Merry Christmas”. We can wear a cross necklace or Christian shirt and not be afraid that others will judge us. I have been guilty in the past of hiding who I am for the fear of being judged and not accepted. The Bible warns of this. We should not deny God or He will deny us.
The media likes to portray “Christians” as crazy people who are hurtful and judgemental . How many times have you turned on the news to see them showing the angry mobs of “Christians” holding up signs hating and condemning homosexuals or girls seeking an abortion ? When a shooting occurs and they find out that the person claimed to be a “Christian”, they focus on that. How many times do we here about this one church in the Mid-west protesting funerals of soldiers and holding signs up about homosexuals? Do we ever see the people who have risked their lives to help a neighbor? I have to literally search for good stories. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus ever tell believers to go out and kill those who are not following His ways. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus spread the message of hate. Instead He encourages us to love one another. We are to show the world we are Christians by our love. We need to write letters to our local papers and let people know that the crazy people that the media portrays on television as “Christians” would not act that way if they were true followers of Christ. Over 10 years ago I wrote into a local paper after a “Christian” had bombed a local abortion clinic. I knew in my heart that a man following Jesus could never take the lives of so many people. They printed my letter to the editor and I was able to get the word out. I wanted people to know the truth. I was tired of letting the media walk all over the Christian faith. I took a stand.
You can, too. And you can be assured that when you do; God will be with you. There are people today in other countries dying for their faith. They refuse to deny their Lord and Savior. Yes, they may lose their life on this earth, but they know they are entering a new life when they die. They will be joining their Savior and no longer be persecuted. I pray that none of you ever have to face this kind of persecution. But let us learn from this example. Let us, not be afraid anymore.
In the famous words of a cute little asparagus, “stand for what you believe in and God will stand with you.”
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