When the Haitian earthquake took place, I was already in "birth pang" observation mode. There had been in the last 3 weeks several moderate quakes in various places. Then Bang! the big disaster in Haiti.
As I watched the news coverage, my heart really hurt for those people. So many dead, so many, trapped, so many homeless, without water, food, facilities, and all of this in a country that is basically already in a state of anarchy. We are looking at a glimpse of what it will be like on a global scale during the Tribulation period.
It was only last summer that our church was asked to pray for the safe exit of a work group from a sister church, because of what was going on there. There had been other mission groups in the news from around our state that had also been caught up in rapid retreat.
Sunday night a Christian truck driver I know came to my store. We discussed Haiti. he said that another Christian driver had said, "I am not helping those people, that's God's judgement on them. They...[are evil]...and got what was coming to them"!
How do you answer this, after all is is basically true?
My first thought was, "we are all evil, we all deserve the same judgement"! It is only by grace that with have received through faith in Christ, that we are not destroyed utterly, and delivered to The Great White Throne for eternal damnation!
My second thought was that of the prophet Jonah. Its a short book everyone should read it right now! Jonah was told by God, "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." Jonah decided to go somewhere else instead. Now we find out later in the story that Jonah did not like the Ninevites. He became indignant with God because after the Ninevites repented of their wicked ways God did not destroy them. It could be that Jonah was a prejudice racist or just self-righteous. In the rest of the book God deals with straightening out Jonah's attitude.
It is true that Haiti unruly and wicked. It is also true that an Earthquake is God made and he does "place the feet of the wicked on slippery slopes". It is also true that God sent many Jonah's to Haiti ahead of this great disaster. BUT! It is also true that God usually saves a remnant for himself when he brings judgement. Now that God has their attention, now that there is a major armed police force in place to establish order, now that he need to pray most for those people and support Christian missions into their land with money, supplies, and prayer. Now is not the time for self-righteous indignation. We could be the next to be judged. We don't deserve it any less!
2 comments:
It pains me to see these kinds of comments, even from prominent people in the public eye. Jesus didn't command us to figure out our fellow man, or to back away when judgment comes. He commanded us to love our brother as ourselves and if we have anything against our brother, to "leave your sacrifice at the alter and go fix it." Otherwise we can not have God's ear. So who cares if they got what they deserve? Your command is to love them.
htp://hubiegoode.blogspot.com
I am so sorry but how can you say Haiti is evil, by who standards? It amazes me how certain prominent Christian leaders having been pointing out a certain pact that supposedly took place a time where many of them were not even born. Haiti is no more sinful than any other country. There are believers and non believers in that country just like there all over this nation. There is nothing about this so called pact in the bible so please tell me where everyone is getting this new found information from.
Trust me when the tribulation starts there will be no denying that it is here. The bible states that clearly just read the book of Revelations. As christians we were put on this earth to blessing to others to try to spread the gospel and help and uplift each other not to think that we were better than anyone. There is no perfect person but Jesus and god himself. It amazes me how quick we as Christians are quick to judge everyone except for ourselves. How many ministers are there who claim to be Christians who are prejudice and racist of others who do not look like them? How many are there who are committing sins such as adultery, having impure thoughts, sexual acts and living double life styles, racist, and every other sin but still continue to go to the pulpit and preach every day. The only being who can hold anyone accountable and that will happen on judgment day is god himself.
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