During the 8th century, the prophets emphasized many things in their teachings, one of which was social justice. They zoned in on the fact that the wealthy and powerful took from the poor and needy. This shows us how God feels towards this injustice. He wants us to learn from this story and not make those mistakes ourselves. God wants us to help each other instead of take from each other. He wants the more fortunate to not use their power to gain more for themselves but instead use it to help those less fortunate around them. Those who follow God today need to understand that lesson. We are all here to help those in need. God wants to make sure that we do our best to take the time to help one another.
The implication from the prophets' emphasis on social justice shows that God really cares about equality. We were all made by Him. No human being is more special than the next. This is true in God's eyes and should be that way for us as well. None of us should feel superior to those around us. We are equal in God's eyes.
These stories imply that we do not just worship God with our words or praise, but also through our actions. There are many ways to worship God and one of them is through our treatment of others. Our actions say a lot about our character and they say a lot to God as well. We should honor Him with the way we act. We should do our best to make him proud of our actions.
If a prophet appeared in America today, they would probably be appalled at our social justice. I think they would retell their old messages to us today since those same lessons still apply. We have people who have more money than they know what to do with, while others are starving to death. Where is the justice in that? I imagine that a prophet would have quite a but to say to us.
I think an individual can practice the prophets' lessons about social injustice in many ways. All one has to do to "practice what the prophets preach" is to help those around them. This can be in big or small ways, but no matter what it is, if it's helping, it's practicing. We should always be looking for ways to help those in need.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Katie Clouse
God has a very unique way of answering our prayers. His answers may surprise us or catch us off guard. It sometimes feels like God is ignoring us and not answering our requests when really, He is just answering them in a way we are not expecting. Sometimes it’s directly, and other times it’s through an indirect route. He not only puts us in situations that show us the answer we seek, but he also places people in our lives that help us find the solution or hold the answer themselves.
This is kind of a silly example, but it still taught me a lesson. Growing up, I was an only child; still am to this day. As a kid, I wanted a brother or a sister around the house, someone to play with. I remember putting it on my Christmas list every year, begging my parents and praying to God for one. As the years went by, I continued to ask for one, but never received one from Santa, my parents, or God.
When I was sixteen, my parents divorced. That was a really hard time for me. That period really tested my faith in God. I learned many valuable lessons through that experience, one of which was an answer to my sibling prayer. It was then that I realized why God never sent me a brother or a sister. It was an extremely tough time and having a younger brother or sister probably would have made that even harder.
This experience affected my faith in God by strengthening it. I learned to rely on God more and to get my strength from Him.
A great example of God testing someone’s faith is in Genesis 22. This story is where God tested Abraham’s faith. God told Abraham to take his one and only son Isaac and sacrifice him as an offering. Without even questioning God, Abraham took his son to the place where God had told him and was going to do as God commanded. Just as Abraham was about to kill his son, an angel appeared to him. He saw that Abraham feared God and instructed Abraham to instead use the ram that was hiding in the bushes for the offering. This must have been a really hard thing for Abraham. He loved his son and it was the only one he had. He must have wondered why God was having him do this, but instead of questioning God, Abraham relied on his faith.
Biblical stories such as this one are great to refer to in times of trial. During those times in our lives when it seems like God is not answering us, it is good to look at these stories for comfort and reminders. We are not the only ones who get put through tests and we can get through them as long as we put our faith in God and trust in Him. It is good to remember that God knows what He is doing, even when it seems unfair.
This is kind of a silly example, but it still taught me a lesson. Growing up, I was an only child; still am to this day. As a kid, I wanted a brother or a sister around the house, someone to play with. I remember putting it on my Christmas list every year, begging my parents and praying to God for one. As the years went by, I continued to ask for one, but never received one from Santa, my parents, or God.
When I was sixteen, my parents divorced. That was a really hard time for me. That period really tested my faith in God. I learned many valuable lessons through that experience, one of which was an answer to my sibling prayer. It was then that I realized why God never sent me a brother or a sister. It was an extremely tough time and having a younger brother or sister probably would have made that even harder.
This experience affected my faith in God by strengthening it. I learned to rely on God more and to get my strength from Him.
A great example of God testing someone’s faith is in Genesis 22. This story is where God tested Abraham’s faith. God told Abraham to take his one and only son Isaac and sacrifice him as an offering. Without even questioning God, Abraham took his son to the place where God had told him and was going to do as God commanded. Just as Abraham was about to kill his son, an angel appeared to him. He saw that Abraham feared God and instructed Abraham to instead use the ram that was hiding in the bushes for the offering. This must have been a really hard thing for Abraham. He loved his son and it was the only one he had. He must have wondered why God was having him do this, but instead of questioning God, Abraham relied on his faith.
Biblical stories such as this one are great to refer to in times of trial. During those times in our lives when it seems like God is not answering us, it is good to look at these stories for comfort and reminders. We are not the only ones who get put through tests and we can get through them as long as we put our faith in God and trust in Him. It is good to remember that God knows what He is doing, even when it seems unfair.
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