Concerns Between Liberal and Conservative Division Among Believers, and how Different Religious People can be Unified

There are so many Christians in this world. So many liberal thinkers. So many conservative believers. This often causes many concerns and conflicts within the minds of those involved. It’s sometimes difficult to get along with different “kinds” of believers, and in many cases each group tends to simply go their own way. Because of this, unification between these two groups is rare and sometimes nearly impossible. There are, however, ways in which liberal and conservative Christians can be unified. These ideas may be hard to turn into actions, or may go against what your mind is telling you to do; but quite honestly, in these situations, your actions must be derived from the desires of the Lord, and not from the ambitions and traditions of your own rules.

 FIRST of all, we must have an understanding between faiths. Not that we should be compromising in our own ideas, only open to the fact that there are so many different beliefs in the world other than just our own.

 

SECONDLY, we must be careful not to look down upon those who think differently than ourselves. And yet, we mustn't look up to their contradicting ways.

 

THIRDLY, we have to be sure to be good examples of the truth. And yet not to be a bad influence upon their faith. It is important to remember that as we might be confident in what we are convicted on, so might others; and we do not what them to “fall”, but to rise up in an even better faith. This can be accomplished if we are good examples and not bad influences concerning beliefs.

 

FOURTH, we need to be aware. As we share our thoughts to others around us, they may also get deep into sharing their own; and this could be dangerous to us if we are not careful with guarding our hearts and minds. It is polite and thoughtful to listen, but we have to also always be aware.

 

FIFTH, it is sometimes necessary to put our differences aside, depending on the situation. When we get together, meet up with someone on the street, etc., we can talk with friendliness and continually speak with kindness, showing with our actions and words our true love for Christ in the way that we feel it. All the while, being sure to set aside “heated” or “argumentative” conversations based upon “religion”. On the other hand, we shouldn't not be afraid to or avoid standing up for our faith. If differences are brought up in any way, we must be truthful and always ready to give an honest but polite answer.

If you truly are a Christian with a mind that wants to learn, ask questions of the opposite division in faith; find out the “whys” in their beliefs. In this way, you may or may not learn something in the way of changing your ways, but it may get the other person truly thinking. By cautiously digging into someone else’s religious life, you may end up planting strong roots of curiosity to the other’s mind; he/she might question their own ideas and “dig deeper” themselves after trying to correctly and biblically answering your questions.

So all in all, it is a difficult, worrisome, and sometimes all together confusing mess to deal with believers who have strongly different ideas than your own; but if done correctly,with the Lord’s help, and with a true desire, unification between the division of liberal and conservative believers is possible.

River Flows in You - Yiruma

Enjoy this SONG!!! This is my new favorite piece to play all day every day on the piano :) And I just wanted to share it with you.

#InLoveWithYiruma'sMusic

Happy music listening!

What It Might Have Been Like If...

...Delilah Had Been a Godly Wife to Samson

I, Delilah, live in the Valley of Sorek.

One day I met a man named Samson, and found myself falling quickly in love with him. The poor man had made a great many dreadful mistakes in his lifetime, one including the involvement of telling a riddle on his wedding day. On that special day, set aside to celebrate his marriage to a philistine woman, he had told all thirty of his companions that if they could answer the riddle correctly, he would give them thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes; and if not, they would have to give him the garments and clothes. For days and days the men could not figure it out, and in desperation, they coaxed Samson’s wife into getting her husband to tell her the riddle, that she might secretly reveal it to them. She did this, and Samson later was very angry when he found out, and did awful things to those philistines. Her Father, assuming that Sampon now hated his wife, then gave her to Samson’s friend. When Samson discovered this, he took revenge on the Philistines once again. In return, the Philistines went and burned Samson’s wife and her father to death! I am still horrified at the thought of these things as Samson had explained to me with such brokenness in his heart. Samson would not give up, though, and continued his vengefulness upon the Philistines. Again and again he killed men as they kept trying to kill him. I won’t lie, I am sickened by the realization that Samson has killed so many men, and still has a difficult time stopping. Though I myself am a philistine, I hear God telling me that I must be a comfort to this man in such a past and present mind, and to do him good. So I shall. Of course, he does not hate me for being a Philistine woman; He loves me as I love him.

One day we married and began a beautiful life together. We were faithful to one another and I began to notice that Samson grew softer each day he spent with me; I heard less talk about revenge and war, and more about how we could use such trials in life for God’s glory. I believe the Lord used my Christian character to help influence his thinking quite heavily, and that he began to close his mind from self-vengeance, and open his heart to God’s will and plan, realizing that God really did have a special story for him.

As we grew stronger as husband and wife, I tried harder than ever to bring good and not harm to Samson; but it was not always easy…

Once, when Samson had gone from our home on business somewhere or other, the rulers of the Philistines paid me a disturbing visit. They implored me to seek from my husband the answer for his unusual strength. Everyone around us knew that Samson was no ordinary man with strength like every other man in the land; and everyone desired to know why. Why these men asked me to stray to disloyalty with my husband, I could not clearly comprehend, but when they offered me eleven hundred shekels of silver, I knew it was bribery with every kind of evil intention. The story of what happened with Samson’s first wife was brought to my mind in a rush of panic, and I became painfully nervous. Surely I could do nothing of the sort.

I left the leaders with no sure answer, and when Samson returned, I explained the visit to him. I did not plead for him to reveal his secret, but rather enhanced his knowledge of the slyness of those around us. Seeing that I would never ruin or harm him, Samson told me his secret. Neither of us had any doubt of the other; I knew he trusted me, and he knew I could be trusted. His secret then, though I cannot tell you exactly what it was, is truly a gift from God, and will forever be safe with me.

No one, then, will be able to discover the secret, unless Samson or I reveal it; and that we mustn’t do. If anyone did find out, Samson could easily be destroyed and deprived of his gift. I have listened to God, and will forever be faithful to my husband. No amount of money or anything else of any worth could bring me to forsake the trust that Samson has in me. I am always to do good, rewarding, godly things that will make my husband proud of me; and one thing I must do, is forever honor and respect his desire to keep his special gift a hidden treasure. I know God does not want him destroyed yet; He has so much more in mind for him.

 

I hope you were amused by this random story! I wrote it a year or two ago... and I remember finding it really interesting to note how different things could have been, had Delilah been a godly and loyal wife to Samson. It was a joy to write! Very fun and interesting to look at things from a completely different perspective.

 

Cheers!! And Happy May to you!!!!

Your friend, Hannah :)