Humans are a beautiful blend of skin tones, and like a box of colored pencils, people are many fabulous colors in one box. You see, we are formed by the hands of the Creator, made unique in God’s image; no one color is better than another; we are all fashioned by God.
Genesis 1:27
“27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Psalm 139:14
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Our nation is in turmoil over the senseless, tragic death of George Floyd. I am so full of sorrow if you have ever been hurt by racism. You see, God did not intend for people to care about the color of skin because God sees us all as equal (Galatians 3:28). Look in the mirror; you are wonderfully made by the Almighty. He fashioned every one of us special, just like the way you are. If hurtful individuals have wounded you, I want you to know that God cares for you. Jesus Christ knows about your distress, and your tears are so precious to Him that He keeps them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). Not only does He care about you, Christ loves you exponentially, the Bible states there is no depth, or height, or width to the love of God (Ephesians 3:18). God cares about you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bring you to a personal relationship with Him.
John 3:16
“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
As Christians, we must pray, fast, and show love to others, regardless of their color or race, to help our land unite as “one nation under God” and thus usher in “liberty and justice for all.” It seems pertinent to use a quote from the late Martin Luther King, Jr., who was, and posthumously is a crucial voice in the civil rights movement.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Our country cannot drive out hatred by showing or acting out of hate, only the love of Christ, and people sharing the principles He taught in the Bible can drive out the evil. As our country is beleaguered with riots, no-go zones, hate, screaming, yelling, violence, we as Christians need to love one another. Pray and seek the Lord for wisdom on how you can make a difference in someone’s life. Rioting, screaming, or blaming each other is not the answer; these demonstrative clashes only breed more reactions and violence.
“The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
God states in His Word, the Holy Bible, regardless of our race, we are all one in Jesus Christ. It is our very differences that make America unique. Think of it: we as one people bring our cultures and backgrounds together and celebrate many peoples as one nation. Instead of dividing us, it makes us better. Our different peoples so bless us as a nation, their different cultures have brought us many traditions, and a sumptuous banquet of food. Americans love to eat out and dine on asian, hispanic, texMex, and pizza. If we can enjoy the food from many places, why can’t we get along? It is time to stop looking for the dissimilarities in each other, and instead, see that we are a mix of many races that all become one as Americans.
“We have much more in common with other people than we have apart.” (Ben Carson)
Christians, I implore you to pray for our nation that we will love one another regardless of our skin color because our strength as a nation has always been “the many” merging into a melting pot of “One Nation Under God.” Only through God can we make this vicious cycle of hate stop. Brothers and sisters, it is time to draw together in unity and love one another as Christ loved us.
John 13:34-35
“34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Unity in Christ
Brothers and sisters, the Holy Bible states we are one in Christ. No race is better than another. We are equal in Jesus. We have a duty to love others regardless of their skin tone. As Christians the color of a persons skin should not be an issue or concern. We must lead with love of God so that the country and the world may know love. We understand that the following verse was written to Christians, but the premise is still the same God sees humans as equal.
Galatians 3:28
“28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Love One Another
God speaks very clearly in His Word that we are to love another, and Christians need to love each other. There is no option to bail out on account of race. Love one another period.
1 John 4:19-21
“19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
What is Biblical Love
As we see from 1st John, we are commanded to love others. So, what is love? As Christians, who follow God’s principles in His Word, the Holy Bible, the definition of Biblical love is found in 1st Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
Care For Others
The Lord seeks us to care for others, to treat them as we want to be treated, and show our love not hate towards any individual or people regardless of their skin color. The Lord sees only the heart of man, not the outside, and we as His followers must lead by example to love our neighbor and reach out with kindness towards those who are different from us. Remember it was in His compassion that Jesus loved and died for all the people of the whole world, seek to be as Messiah who did not see with His eyes but judged others with righteousness, and saw with the Holy Spirit. He does not look on the outward appearance of man.
Isaiah 11:2-3
“2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.”
Unity in Christ
Christ Jesus offers unity for His followers to combat the division that scours our world and seeks to divide old and young, man and woman, and race against race. As Christians, we need to be an example of unity in care and love for one another. Yes, we can have doctrinal issues and disagree on theology; however, we need to be an example to keep our values while still walking in peace and love that only God can give.
1 Corinthians 1:9-10
“9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
Galatians 3:26-29
“26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Prophetic Word
This prophetic word is from July 2016, but I find it relevant for today.And they came old and young
Side by side preparing to fight for the souls of men
This generation shall bring the greatest awakening ever seen in the world
I declare that in Christ; ethnos will work with ethnos
That black will work with white that there will be no division of race
That we will not see color for we will see the heart
I declare we will work together as Christians to bring about the will of the Father on this earth
I declare that in Christ; there is no racial divide
I declare that in Christ; there is no sexual divide
I declare that in Christ; the only division is light versus darkness
That Christian will stand with Christian
Men and women together to bring forth the great awakening
His power and authority will be released on the earth, and none will doubt that He is God
And they came young and old alike
Standing side by side preparing to fight for the souls of men
We are not of the World
A pivotal point to Christianity is we are not of the world. The Holy Spirit, who lives inside us, urges us to be different from our old selves, be humble, serve others when our nature rages within us to serve self, not Christ, and to put others before our wants desires. Only through Christ can we be radically changed to see things through eyes of love, through eyes of compassion, and live the precepts taught by Christ.
Romans 12:1-2
“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The very idea that we are called to be ambassadors of Christ to live as He lived is so foreign to our nature and culture, which has embraced the doctrine of “me first.” Only God can give us eyes that are His to see, not a race, age, or diversity of others but to see as Messiah saw and judged with righteousness. To love another as Christ loved us, to be kind and share Biblical love as found in 1st Corinthians 13, is only found through renewing ourselves.
John 17:16-21
“16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
Good Samaritan
Jesus taught the parable of the good Samaritan, and we are to be as he and help out the injured the wounded person in our path. Samaritans lived nearby but were not Jewish; if you remember from the story of the woman at the well, the woman asked Christ why he was asking her a Samaritan for a drink for the Jews did not deal with the Samaritans (John 4). Jesus had no racial divide or prejudices; we know from the account of the woman at the well, that there were differences between the Jews and the Samaritans, yet Jesus spoke to a woman and a Samaritan one at that. Now back to the Biblical account of the Samaritan, who was a stranger, or should we say a person of a different religion/race helped out an unknown person that the priest and the Levite ignored. The Samaritan tended the wounded man and had compassion for someone different than him. The deeds of the good Samaritan lead us to an important question; who is my neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37
“25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
Who is my neighbor
According to the words of Jesus Christ in the preceding parable, the neighbor was a stranger, a person of a different race and religion. In light of all that is happening in our world right now, I would like to ask a question, who is your neighbor, and what can you do to show them the love of Christ?
God bless you.
Armour Bearer
Arsenal Of The King 