Recently, two tragic events occurred within days of each other.
The first happened near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when two bombs detonated within moments of each other.
The second happened in the Texas community of West when a fertilizer plant exploded.
The first occurred in a major metropolitan area; the second in a small town.
In both, lives were lost.
In both, many were severely injured.
The first was a deliberate act by two individuals who subscribed to an ideology based on hate.
The second was a terrible accident.
In the days that followed I planned to use this devotional to address a specific question that was on the minds of many.
During that time, I also read some things that caused me a tremendous amount of personal anguish and distress.
After much reflection and prayer, I decided to address both beginning with the one that caused me pain.
Shortly after the bombings in Boston I read in the news of a church in America that believed this event was a direct punishment from God.
A short time later I learned that members of this church felt the same way about the tragedy in the town of West.
I refuse to name that church (or the issue that drives them) as I have concluded they seem to enjoy such publicity.
This church not only drew an erroneous conclusion, they compounded their error by planning to engage in protests at the funerals of the fallen.
It was my personal opinion that their position was flawed, their language was profane and their viewpoint could have been considered just as extreme as those of the bombers themselves.
Adding to my sadness were some of the comments news readers posted in response.
One reader stated that this was why he did not go to church.
Another said that this was why he did not believe in God.
As Christians, our mission is to be a beacon drawing others to Christ rather than a force that drives them away.
While there were numerous passages of scripture I could have cited in response, I opted instead to summarize my viewpoint in a comment of my own that I posted in several forums.
I share that comment with you now.
"The God I worship would have none to perish, in fact. He sent His only Son to save sinners. Even sinners like me. That same Son teaches me to love my neighbor, especially when my neighbor refuses to love me in return. Events like this are not a punishment from a vengeful God, rather, they are a symptom of a fallen world. Scripture must be accepted and understood as a whole. You cannot simply carve it apart and accept the parts you agree with and discard the rest."
This brings me to the initial question that I thought many struggled with in the aftermath of these unfortunate events.
Where exactly was God during these tragedies?
We are taught as children that God is everywhere.
He really is.
When the bombs went off in Boston. God was in the first responders who ran toward the explosions rather than away from them.
God was in the three policemen who stood in front of the fallen runner to shield him from another potential blast.
God was in strangers who assisted those they did not know as they applied makeshift tourniquets to torn limbs.
When the fertilizer plant exploded in the town of West, God was in the dispatcher who stayed calm and did her job even though her friends who were already fighting the fire had likely perished in the blast.
God was in the students who were taking a class in becoming emergency medical technicians as they ran in to assist the injured.
God was in the throngs of people from surrounding communities who came in to help. Many were turned away because too many wanted to help.
God was in the people who collected and delivered relief supplies. So many items were donated that this became a problem in and of itself.
These are but a few examples of God’s involvement.
God was also involved much earlier.
God was also with an eight year old boy when he wrote the words "Stop hurting people" well before he was killed in the blast in Boston.
We live in a fallen world.
As a result, bad things happen.
God does not punish us with these events, neither does he abandon us when they occur.
God Is in control even when the world seems chaotic to us.
God has a plan and He is in complete control.
His plan is not one of punishment.
His plan is one of hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) - ‘For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not harm you. I plan to give you a future filled with hope.’
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 3, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 10, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Pray...
If attacked because of freedom... you have given me more appreciation.
If attacked to harm the innocent... you have given me more compassion.
If attacked because of faith... you have given me cause to pray.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) - Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Pray for Boston,
Pray for the world!
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Thursday, April 11, 2013
True to His Faith
I have always been fascinated with history.
For me, history is not merely a collection of dates to be memorized simply for the sake of memorization.
Neither is it merely a study of the circumstances surrounding those dates.
What fascinates me are the individuals who lived during those times and how they chose to respond to those circumstances.
In the roll call of names from history, there are a few individuals that I truly admire.
Individuals who made a difference in the world, or tried to, in spite of the difficulties they faced.
One such individual that I truly admire is a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was born in the year 1906.
He was an accomplished theologian, pastor, author, musician and more.
What made Bonhoeffer remarkable to me was how he chose to live his life in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the Thirties and Forties.
He was ordained in Berlin in 1931.
In a sermon he wrote in 1932, it was evident that Bonhoeffer was aware that the future would be difficult.
In that sermon he stated that "the blood of martyrs might once again be demanded, but this blood, if we really have the courage and loyalty to shed it, will not be innocent, shining like that of the first witnesses for the faith. On our blood lies heavy guilt, the guilt of the unprofitable servant who is cast into outer darkness."
1933 saw the rise of Nazism in Germany and many Protestant ministers there initially welcomed this turn of events.
By the fall of that year, the Deutsche Christen gained control of many Protestant churches and approved the exclusion of those with Jewish ancestry from the ministry.
Bonhoeffer opposed this movement as he deemed it a surrender of Christian ideals to a political ideology.
In 1934, he became a member of the Universal Christian Council for Life and Work.
In 1935, Bonhoeffer established an "underground" seminary.
This seminary was shut down by the Gestapo in 1937.
In 1938, Bonhoeffer made connections with "conspirators" who politically opposed Hitler.
In 1939, he left Germany for New York City but felt compelled to return that same year and subsequently joined the political resistance.
In 1941, he was forbidden to either print or publish.
That same year, he became part of Jewish rescue action.
About this time, Bonhoeffer joined Abwehr which was at the center of resistance to Hitler.
Hans von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer‘s sister, was already a part of Abwehr and brought Bonhoeffer in because his contacts would be beneficial for Germany.
There were several plots to kill Hitler in 1943 of which Dohnanyi was aware and it is presumed Bonhoeffer was aware of them as well.
In 1943, Bonhoeffer and his sister were arrested.
Bonhoeffer found himself imprisoned at the age of 37.
In February 1945, Bonhoeffer was transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
In April 1945, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler’s life.
Hitler ordered all conspirators be found and executed.
This included Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Almost immediately, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at the age of 39 even as Allied Forces closed in on Berlin.
Shortly thereafter, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker and Germany surrendered.
One of Bonhoeffer’s quotes that echoes in my mind reads as follows:
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
This parallels scripture.
Ezekiel 3:19-20 (NIV) - But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
In spite of the difficulties of the times, Bonhoeffer stayed the course and remained true to his faith even at the cost of his own life.
That is why I hold him in such high regard.
One more thing.
There are some who find it disquieting that Bonhoeffer might have been involved in a plot to kill someone.
Even if that someone were as evil as was Hitler.
Bonhoeffer struggled with this himself.
Bonhoeffer wrote the following: "when a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it...Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace."
I personally do not have a problem with Bonhoeffer’s involvement and offer the following:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (NIV) - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
It is important to remember that the world was being torn apart by a global conflict in which millions had already died.
Had this attempt or another on Hitler‘s life been successful, lives could have been saved and the time for healing would have started sooner.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 26, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
For me, history is not merely a collection of dates to be memorized simply for the sake of memorization.
Neither is it merely a study of the circumstances surrounding those dates.
What fascinates me are the individuals who lived during those times and how they chose to respond to those circumstances.
In the roll call of names from history, there are a few individuals that I truly admire.
Individuals who made a difference in the world, or tried to, in spite of the difficulties they faced.
One such individual that I truly admire is a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was born in the year 1906.
He was an accomplished theologian, pastor, author, musician and more.
What made Bonhoeffer remarkable to me was how he chose to live his life in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the Thirties and Forties.
He was ordained in Berlin in 1931.
In a sermon he wrote in 1932, it was evident that Bonhoeffer was aware that the future would be difficult.
In that sermon he stated that "the blood of martyrs might once again be demanded, but this blood, if we really have the courage and loyalty to shed it, will not be innocent, shining like that of the first witnesses for the faith. On our blood lies heavy guilt, the guilt of the unprofitable servant who is cast into outer darkness."
1933 saw the rise of Nazism in Germany and many Protestant ministers there initially welcomed this turn of events.
By the fall of that year, the Deutsche Christen gained control of many Protestant churches and approved the exclusion of those with Jewish ancestry from the ministry.
Bonhoeffer opposed this movement as he deemed it a surrender of Christian ideals to a political ideology.
In 1934, he became a member of the Universal Christian Council for Life and Work.
In 1935, Bonhoeffer established an "underground" seminary.
This seminary was shut down by the Gestapo in 1937.
In 1938, Bonhoeffer made connections with "conspirators" who politically opposed Hitler.
In 1939, he left Germany for New York City but felt compelled to return that same year and subsequently joined the political resistance.
In 1941, he was forbidden to either print or publish.
That same year, he became part of Jewish rescue action.
About this time, Bonhoeffer joined Abwehr which was at the center of resistance to Hitler.
Hans von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer‘s sister, was already a part of Abwehr and brought Bonhoeffer in because his contacts would be beneficial for Germany.
There were several plots to kill Hitler in 1943 of which Dohnanyi was aware and it is presumed Bonhoeffer was aware of them as well.
In 1943, Bonhoeffer and his sister were arrested.
Bonhoeffer found himself imprisoned at the age of 37.
In February 1945, Bonhoeffer was transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
In April 1945, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler’s life.
Hitler ordered all conspirators be found and executed.
This included Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Almost immediately, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at the age of 39 even as Allied Forces closed in on Berlin.
Shortly thereafter, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker and Germany surrendered.
One of Bonhoeffer’s quotes that echoes in my mind reads as follows:
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
This parallels scripture.
Ezekiel 3:19-20 (NIV) - But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
In spite of the difficulties of the times, Bonhoeffer stayed the course and remained true to his faith even at the cost of his own life.
That is why I hold him in such high regard.
One more thing.
There are some who find it disquieting that Bonhoeffer might have been involved in a plot to kill someone.
Even if that someone were as evil as was Hitler.
Bonhoeffer struggled with this himself.
Bonhoeffer wrote the following: "when a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it...Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace."
I personally do not have a problem with Bonhoeffer’s involvement and offer the following:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (NIV) - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
It is important to remember that the world was being torn apart by a global conflict in which millions had already died.
Had this attempt or another on Hitler‘s life been successful, lives could have been saved and the time for healing would have started sooner.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 26, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
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