Standing in the Gap

By -
UKRAINE IN CRISIS
If you aren’t aware, there is some massive tension going on in Ukraine right now.  Pro-Russian separatist rebels have captured many eastern cities, while the interim government is trying as hard as possible to avoid an all-out civil war.  The West blames Russia, who has roughly 40,000 troops stationed at the Ukraine border, for backing the rebels and stirring up the violence.  Russia denies this, yet also claims that they will protect their interests if they are threatened.

Chaos is everywhere.  Violence is rampant.  Blood has been spilled.

And what answer does Christianity offer?  What would Jesus have to say?


PEACE IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS
When His Disciples were experiencing a storm they feared could take their lives, Jesus calmed the storm and asked why they didn't trust in Him (Mark 4:35-41).  Jesus doesn’t promise us a pain-free or problem-free life; in fact, He guarantees that we will have hardship (John 16:33).  But Jesus does promise that if we trust Him, we don’t have to be afraid in the midst of the storm (Matthew 10:28-31).  He will guide us through it.


The answer Christianity provides us is this: trust in Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.


“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins…but God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
–Ephesians 2:1, 4-5

Jesus stood in the gap for us.  We deserved death, but instead He died and gave us life.

And now He calls us to do the same.  We must stand in the gap for those who are dying.  We must pray for those who need Christ (1 Timothy 2:1-6).  We need to pray that God is with the leaders of Ukraine crisis, that He speaks to them and guides their actions, even if they don't know them.  Most importantly, we must ask that God will use this situation to reveal Himself to the people involved.  Leaders, rebels, citizens; everyone.  We must pray that they will come to trust in Jesus!


Where is God calling you to stand in the gap?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LOTR On Prime: Timeline of The Second Age

By -
Image
THE PURPOSE OF THIS INFOGRAPHIC With Amazon's new show in the works, tentatively titled, "LOTR On Prime", you might be wondering what the show will be about. What content is available for them to use? Where are they getting this from? Will characters from the Lord of the Rings films be in it? This timeline was created to answer and visualize many of these questions, designed with the casual fan in mind. It is an infographic illustrating almost everything that takes place in The Second Age, which is when the show will take place (we say "almost" because, inevitably, there's always something else that could be included). WHAT IF I ONLY KNOW THE MOVIES? The Lord of the Rings takes place during the Third Age of the world. While this is certainly the most iconic story that J.R.R. Tolkien ever wrote, he also built an extensive world beyond that of The War of the Ring. The Amazon Prime show will take place primarily during The Second Age, which many events go on t
Read more

WHO IS THE BEST BATMAN?

By -
Image
I’m talking about the best live-action film version of Batman.   If we had to go to the greatest portrayal of Batman across all forms of media, hands down it would be Kevin Conroy as Batman in the Arkham games.   I firmly believe this series (specifically Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City) are the absolutely the best version of Batman, his villains, and the overall mythos. As far as live-action films, it’s clearly between three actors: Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck.   While they all have pros and cons to their performances, here’s what I think they are each able to do really well: MICHAEL KEATON No matter how you might feel about Michael Keaton’s performance, no one can argue that it defined how Batman would be portrayed for decades to come.   Before this, Batman was campy and not taken seriously.   When I look back and watch this late 80’s movie, I’m not particularly impressed (being born a few years after its theatrical release), but
Read more

What Is Speaking In Tongues?

By -
Image
SPEAKING IN TONGUES This can be a touchy subject among Christians.   There are varying viewpoints, and this issue seems to spark so much emotional and personal feelings it’s almost taboo to talk about it even among Christian circles.   I’ve decided to focus on answering 10 questions regarding speaking in tongues.             1. What is speaking in tongues?             2. Is speaking in tongues found in the Bible?             3. What is Baptism in the Holy Spirit?             4. Why is there so much division on this subject?             5. Is speaking in tongues still for today, or was that just for the Early Church?             6. Who can speak in tongues?             7. Is the “initial physical evidence” really that important?             8. Do you lose control of yourself when you speak in tongues?             9. Am I not saved / less of a Christian if I don’t speak in tongues?             10. If I’ve prayed for this gift, why haven’t I received it?
Read more