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Where is your Christian line in the sand?
by chris benjamin "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 I know as well as most people in the U.S. that "out of sight, out of mind" applies to our Christian walk in regards to the plight of the less fortunate, at home and abroad. The only way to change our outlook is to see and feel the hurt and devastation that is happening every day. That is how my priorities changed over the last year because of my deployment to the Horn of Africa. I have seen the extreme poverty and abandonment. I felt the little orphans crying out while clinging to my finger, waiting to be loved and taken care of. That is when I drew my line in the sand, to make a dramatic positive change in the world we live in. I cannot wait one more moment in good conscience, to try and help someone in need. I know there are children, abused women, and grieving families waiting for the chance to receive your love, help, and time. Is today the day you draw your line in the sand and say "today is the day I chose to make a positive difference in the lives of my brothers and sisters in need!" Is this your line in the sand? Is it the fact that marriages in the United States have a 50 percent chance of ending in divorce? How many of you have been touched by the stain of divorce? Every night 25 million children in the United States go to bed without their biological father in the house. Think of the endless possibilities of mentoring, loving, and coaching that are being missed by not having a complete family unit. I know it is difficult to maintain a marriage in this age, but the alternative is so much more disastrous. http://www.divorcerate.org/ http://www.fathers.com/ Is this your line in the sand? "WORLDWIDE Number of abortions per year: Approximately 42 Million" "UNITED STATES Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)" I was shocked to see these numbers myself. Can this be true, that life means so little to so many people? Life is so precious and full of potential, but it never reaches that potential when it is destroyed before birth. Imagine the smiles and tears of joy that are missed out on by the mother, father, grandparents, and all the friends that were never made. http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html Is this your line in the sand? "Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes. That's one child every five seconds. In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. One third of these deaths are due directly or indirectly to hunger and malnutrition." Have you ever been hungry? Not just missed a meal, but not eaten in days or have any hope of finding a meal? Has anyone seen the look of desolation and surrender in the eyes of those who have to bury their own children because they slowly starved to death? Children depend on their families to provide for them and at times it is impossible to do because of extreme conditions, but those who have in abundance, by God's grace can help. http://www.bread.org/hunger/global/ Is this your line in the sand? "Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2009, approximately 3.3 million child abuse reports and allegations were made involving an estimated 6 million children." We as parents are made to provide and protect our children, and if necessary, for the children who cannot do so for themselves. A child is defenseless to the attack of abuse by an older, bigger person. We need to stand up and be that protector and provider for those in need. http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics "Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Here's the math. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey -- the country's largest and most reliable crime study -- there were 248,300 sexual assaults in 2007 (the most recent data available). There are 525,600 minutes in a non-leap year. That makes 31,536,000 seconds/year. So, 31,536,000 divided by 248,300 comes out to 1 sexual assault every 127 seconds, or about 1 every 2 minutes." http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/frequency-of-sexual-assault Is this your line in the sand? In 2007 16,929 men, women, and children combined were murdered in the U.S. alone! These lives will never reach the full intended purpose that God blessed each individual with. Why, because of hate, greed, and selfishness? The reasons are endless, but they are just the symptoms of the true problem that we face as Christians. It is the separation from God, and the consequences of that separation, is death. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0308.pdf Here is the solution to the problem. Are you ready? It is simple and effective. Let Christ shine through you into the world! "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light" Luke 8:16. God has called us to live our faith outwardly so that we may show the world the love of the Father. When we do so, lives will be dramatically changed for the good of all, and a transformation will triumphantly occur. Not just in ourselves but in our families, our nations, and the world. We need this change desperately and I know we can do it as the faithful servants of God. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" Matthew 7:7. God Bless all of you on your journey to find the life and world you desire for the good of God and His children. Chris is the author of the inspirational book "Spiritual Basic Training" Learn more at www.spiritualbasictraining.com to complete missions for a Spirit-filled life. God Bless Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |