Tuesday at Ten: If I could change anything I would change………
If I could change anything, I would change the violence that exists. 911 shocked the world, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Boston Marathon, the massacre at the theater in Colorado, the senseless killing of the nine church members in South Carolina, to the recent killing of the four marines and one navy person adds insult to injury. Not to mention the daily crime that we hear on our nightly news.
Jesus came to seek and save that was lost. In the midst of the miracles, there was danger. After Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead, appeared forty days before ascending to heaven, the persecution of the church increased and Stephen was the first martyr he was stoned for his faith in Acts 7: 54-60
The Stoning of Stephen
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
What if the good news was enough to combat evil? The good news of Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life. John 3:16
We are warned of the influences of evil. We are given a recipe to cast our anxiety on God, to be alert because the devil prowls.
Cast Your Cares on Him
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 1 Peter 5: 7-9
If I could change anything, I would start with the fact Jesus prayed for us.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 20: 20-23
So much evil and I may not be able to rid the world of evil but I can witness. Jesus gives us marching orders.
The Great Commission
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20
So much hurt and I may not be able to rid the world of hurt but I can offer hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
If I could change anything, I will change me.
Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart oh God,
May I be like You.You are the potter,
I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
Beloved, will you believe with me in the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world? You see when we submit to God hope prevails.
