To Make a Point, Pick a Side. To Make a Change, Choose Love.

Uncle Bobby and I keep in contact between our daily 5:30 PM phone calls and via Facebook Messenger.

"Going to bed," he wrote late one night this week. "Maybe when I wake up, news will be better."

I understood. The rising death toll from the Nepal earthquake and riots in Baltimore had flooded news channels and shocked a watching world. The world was on the same side regarding the Nepal earthquake. Love dominated and nations came together to send much needed aid. Baltimore was a different story as warring factions polarized and fought to make points for their side. So far, there has been much debate but no one seems to have won.

When I travel, I often miss the news. Bob and I passed through Baltimore, Maryland last Monday night and wondered why so many police cars raced along I-95 and into the city. When we arrived at our hotel, 60 miles north of Baltimore and turned on the news, we were horrified. Baltimore was literally burning. Angry mobs destroyed property and looted stores. News channels aired differing points of view worldwide. We stayed glued to the television long enough to also learn about the rising death toll from the Nepal earthquake. That night, the Baltimore riots received top international news billing over Nepal. For some reason, that made what we were watching even more macabre. Later, the repeated video of a frantic mother slapping desperately at her son and dragging him out of the crowd brought back memories of my own terror over mistakes made by my oldest son David. I was grateful no one had been around with a camera. The video showed a mother who wasn't taking sides and making points. She loved her son and had one goal in mind - to make her son leave that mob and go home. She chose love and made a change.

As I watched the riots from the safety of my hotel room, I listened for information that would allow me the relief of picking a side. If I could blame "evil" police officers, parents for not controlling youth, cities for allowing hateful prejudice, criminals looking for an excuse to loot and steal, or the rich and powerful for not allowing escape from poverty, I would have felt better. I could have vented my frustrations by "making my point." Nothing I heard gave me enough information to choose a side.

Then, I remembered lessons learned during the race riots of the 60's and Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. I was 15 and followed and respected Dr. King. I had always hated prejudice. I wanted to make a change and sanctimoniously picked a side against prejudice. Ironically, Dr. King actually taught to choose love. My passion over race relations scared Mama and when she tried to slow me down, I assumed she'd picked the other side and therefore was the enemy. Instead of listening and understanding her position, I stuck my nose in the air, feeling sure I was the "better person." I made my "point" regarding race relations to anyone who would listen, especially if I detected racism. I never changed anyone's mind.

I may have thought Mama and I were on different sides but trust me, we were on the same side when we ended up together in the same car in the middle of a race riot. The night Dr. King was killed, my 10th grade boyfriend and I had a Junior Achievement Meeting downtown. As Mama drove us home, we were stopped by angry mobs. They shook our car and threw rocks at us - simply because of the color of our skin. I wanted to roll down my window and shout, "But I'm on your side," but even at 15, I figured out that the "side" I was on wouldn't help me. I was on Mama's side when she gunned the engine, sending crowds scattering, and got us to safety. I was glad to be alive and knew Mama's quick response had saved us. The shock of that and a new admiration for Mama helped me to listen to, understand, and accept her views about a subject that I cared deeply about. I realized that Mama loved people and was kind to everyone, regardless of their race, lifestyles, or choices. Her concern was about what she called my "causes" and her fear for my safety, security, and reputation. My new understanding of Mama's position had little impact on my "causes" or what she considered risks, but it empowered me to make the changes I so craved to make. The love and understanding of Mama's position later gave me the gentleness needed to make concrete changes in race relations in the classical piano music world in Florida.

On Monday night, I continued to watch the news while praying, "Help me choose love." As is often true, the way of love was more painful. When I chose love instead of taking a side, I was left weeping for all sides. I wept for the family of the young man killed, a life ended so young. I wept for angry people in so much pain that they looted and destroyed. I wept for all whose prejudice caused them to miss the joy of loving their neighbors. I wept for the police officers - guilty or innocent - in the middle of the horrific situation. I wept with the rest of the world for the people of Nepal.

Why choose love instead of picking a side? After all, anger feels better and is more energizing than weeping. Pain forces us to seek Jesus for comfort. Love dispels our fears, which are never from God. Choosing love allows us to be helpful to others who are hurting, regardless of the "side" they take. It spares us from the emotional roller coaster of our own self-righteous anger. Love allows us to see clearly how God wants us to respond. For example, with Nepal, I did all I knew to do - pray and donate towards relief. For Baltimore, I prayed, and later, when the dust settles and only the memory of the hurt and the reality of the damage remain, I'll put Baltimore on the list of cities where we take Gospel teams. Choosing love means we pray for all involved equally. It means we don't waste time and energy in controversial but debilitating discussions. It means that unless we are on the jury tasked with deciding guilt or innocence, we don't have to carry the burden of judgment on our shoulders. It means that instead of simply making a point, we have the chance to make a change.

How have you reacted to these events? Have you stood around making points or has God already revealed to you the way to make a real change? Have you been defending a side and railing against the other? Or, are you equally weeping for all involved? Have you taken a side or chosen love? If you want to make a point, pick a side. If you want to make a change, choose love.

I'm Sorry

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

This is dedicated to the people all across America who shared with me their “Christian” and “Church” horror stories.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 NIV


To everyone who has been hurt by Christians who put legalism ahead of love, I’m sorry. Those same people crucified Jesus.

To everyone who has been hurt by a church who judged them instead of loving them, I’m sorry. Jesus told them that if they judged, He was going to judge them.


To everyone who has been devastated by a Christian who did not honor their vows, I’m sorry. Jesus said they honored Him with their lips but their hearts were far from him.

To everyone who has watched a Christian use God’s word to kill or destroy, I’m sorry. Jesus said to love your neighbor.

To everyone who has been puzzled by a Christian trembling in fear, I’m sorry. Jesus said, “Oh ye of little faith, why do you doubt?”

To everyone who has been abandoned by a Christian, I’m sorry. God said, “I will never leave you nor will I forsake you. “

To everyone who has been wounded by Christians while doing the work of Christ, I’m sorry. Jesus said, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”

To everyone who has been reminded of their mistakes by Christians, I’m sorry. If you ask Jesus into your life, He won’t even remember your mistakes.

To everyone who has had Christians use the word of God to win an argument, I’m sorry. The Bible says they have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels.

To everyone who has watched Christians preach one thing while doing another, I’m sorry. The Savior called them hypocrites.

To anyone who has been criticized by a Christian, I’m sorry. Jesus said they should have first taken the plank out of their own eye.

To everyone who has rejected Christ because of Christians, I’m sorry. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Journey to the Cross
Sin – Up Close, Personal, and Uncomfortable

Morning Meditation

Read Psalms 32:2-5
Ps 32:2-5 NIV
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" — and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

• Blessed is the man in whose spirit is no deceit. Quietly check your spirit.
• Are your bones wasting away and your groaning long? Allow God to search your heart.
• Do you feel as if your strength is sapped? Prepare your heart to acknowledge your sin.
• Anticipate the joy of confession.

Morning Prayer

• Ask God to give you the courage to honestly face yourself and your sin.
• Ask God to be gentle as He reveals the sin in your life.
• Tell God your joys, fears, and needs. Praise Him in everything.
• Pray for knowledge of God’s will for you today and the power to carry that out.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to interpret the scriptures you are about to read.

Morning Bible Study

Lent is a time to examine the sin in our lives. The word for sin in the Hebrew is awen. It means "iniquity; vanity; or sorrow." Because of the roots of the word, there is an implication that awen means the absence of all that has true worth; hence, it would denote "moral worthlessness," as in the actions of wrongdoing, evil devising, or false speaking. The word sin in Greek is hamartia. It means “missing the mark.” It is the most comprehensive term for moral obliquity. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

The word sin is in the Bible 471 times. Admit it. We may not like it but at least God warns us – sin surrounds us and permeates our lives. If that news is not bad enough, sin is getting worse. Read 2 Timothy 3:1 and “don’t be naïve.”
2 Tim 3:1 The Message
Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead.

There are indeed difficult times ahead as we grow closer and closer to the end times.

For examples of sin, read 2 Timothy 3:2-5.
2 Tim 3:2-5 The Message
As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people.

Sin is even in the church and that shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, people are going to make a show of religion but behind the scenes be animals. Again, we may not like the truth but at least God warns us.

• Do you know any “bloated windbags?” Are you one?
• What about the words cynical, ruthless, self-absorbed, crude, or contemptuous of parents? Recognize any of these?
• Are you someone people should “stay clear of?”

Difficulties and trying times make us particularly susceptible to sin but there is hope. Read Job 1:22.
Job 1:22 NIV
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

While it might be rare, it is possible not to sin when having difficulties. Look at all Job went through. Even though he was blameless, his friends blamed his problems on sin. One would think he had earned a long bout with doubt or self-pity but somehow, he managed to avoid it. Amazing but true!

If you are wondering how not to sin, read Matthew 5:29-30.
Matt 5:29-30 NIV
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

It is so simple. We figure out what is likely to make us sin. We gouge it out and throw it away. Recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and compulsive overeaters know this to be true. To recover, they must spend the rest of their lives gouging out and throwing away their “drugs of choice.” It may be simple, but is certainly isn’t easy.

Sin is serious. Read Matthew 18:6.
Matt 18:6 NIV
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

It would be better to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea than to cause someone else to sin. Think about that the next time you:
• Lash out at someone or hurt their feelings, causing them to want to retaliate.
• Complain about your pastor and make others doubt his leadership.
• Involve others in gossip by listening or passing it on.

The message not to sin is a personal one to us. The focus of examining sin is to be on us and not others. Only when we are sinless, can we judge. Read John 8:7.
John 8:7 NIV
If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

At the risk of committing the sin of judgment, one has to wonder about the “honesty” of anyone who thinks they are without sin.

So, what is sin? Practically speaking, it is anything that breaks one of the many laws of God. There are plenty of sins to choose. The words “Thy shalt not” are written in the Bible 240 times, beginning with the Garden of Eden. “Thy shalt not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!” (Gen. 2:17) You probably know the end of that story. Adam and Eve ate from the tree. That knowledge of good and evil was as useless to them as it is to us. They continued to commit evil anyway, much like us today.

If you want to see an extensive list of ways to “miss the mark” before God, read Exodus 23:3-17, 2 Corinthians 12:20, and Mark 7:20-23. These are but the tip of the iceberg.

Ex 20:3-17 The Message
No other gods, only me. No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don't bow down to them and don't serve them because I am GOD, your God, and I'm a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I'm unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments. No using the name of GOD, your God, in curses or silly banter; GOD won't put up with the irreverent use of his name. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to GOD, your God. Don't do any work — not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days GOD made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore GOD blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day. Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that GOD, your God, is giving you. No murder. No adultery. No stealing. No lies about your neighbor. No lusting after your neighbor's house — or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's.

2 Corinthians 12:20 The Message
I do admit that I have fears that when I come you'll disappoint me and I'll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces — quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam.

Mark 7:20-23 The Message
He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness — all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.

If there are so many sins, how do we get it right? The answer lies in the cross. When we sin, like the scripture in the opening meditation, our strength is sapped. We accept our inability to live by the law and turn to grace. Read James 5:15-16.
James 5:15-16 NIV
If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Believers of Jesus Christ are to confess sins to God and to each other and accept the fulfillment of the law, Jesus Christ. Only then, are our prayers powerful and effective.

Unfortunately, most of us journey back and forth from sin to the cross many times throughout our lives. While our eternal salvation may be secure, we are perfectly capable of condemning ourselves to a “hell on earth” if we avoid regular trips to the cross. Use this “Season of Lent” to return to the cross. Examine your life. Use the above scriptures to identify the sins in your life. Become willing to “Gouge them out.”

Application

Ben was an alcoholic. To fund his disease, he broke into houses in the middle of the night and robbed them. In desperation, he cried out to God. God heard and sent him to Alcoholics Anonymous. Ben confessed his sins and asked forgiveness. Ben learned that in order to recover, he would have to give up alcohol for the rest of his life. God required even more of him. He felt the voice of God gently urging him to go to each house he had robbed, apologize, and offer to make restitution.

One by one, he checked the houses off his list. His victims were amazingly forgiving. Realizing Ben was financially destitute and rebuilding his life, most forgave him instantly without requiring anything further.

Finally, he arrived at the last name on his list. He had done damage to this house and was dreading the confrontation. He procrastinated longer than he should and became tortured emotionally. Not wanting to return to drinking, Ben knocked on the door of this family and quietly told his story. The man and his wife were stunned. The women burst into tears. “Thank you so much for telling u,” she said. “Up until now, we had thought our son had done this to us. We had completely cut him out of our lives.” Ben’s “journey to the cross” restored a family’s love. Like Ben, our journey to the cross can have the same miraculous outcome.

Look at yesterday’s list of your darkness. Reread at the above lists in Exodus 23:3-17, 2 Corinthians 12:20, and Mark 7:20-23 and notice what sins contribute to your darkness. Make a bulleted written list of your sins.
• Have you been a gossip?
• Are you mean spirited?
• Have you committed slander, lust, or fornication?
• Where have you been dishonest, fearful, selfish, or prideful?

Be fearlessly honest. God already knows where you have sinned and is patiently waiting to restore your strength. Take a deep breath, pray, and proceed. Keep this list for use in our future devotions together.