We Reap What We Sow
I will open with my heart and prayers go out to those who are grieving at the loss of loved ones and friends. These are totally senseless acts of violence that we find ourselves facing more and more of. They certainly create intense pain and suffering for many people. We lash out in anger because we feel this has to stop! We cry out for more regulations, more laws, always seeking within ourselves the answers to the crisis at hand. When you read about Travis's life leading up to this moment (below) you will no doubt find many issues where you will be screaming; they should have done this!, why didn't they do that!? This could have been easily prevented! On the last statement I believe God would most definitely agree. I have to think God views Travis as yet another casualty of war. A war that many refuse to acknowledge even exists because to do so would mean declaring yourself a believer in the almighty God. The toll of this war far exceeds the losses suffered in all of the battles waged by man since being expelled from the Garden of Eden. That would be the war we wage between good and evil, sin & the righteousness of our Lord, the Devil and the almighty God and the ultimate eternal battle for our souls between Heaven & Hell.
If this is not what we believe in our hearts then the devil has already won. It is becoming more apparent by the day that any attempt to control the populous by man's laws is futile. If we are taught that we are no greater then any other part of our physical world, that life itself is merely a matter of chance, then our sins of greed & lust are free to rule both in our hearts as well as in our minds. There are no standards to which we are held accountable. We are only here for a little while until we merely return back to the Earth as fertilizer. Is it any wonder why life has so little value? It is God's word that makes each life precious. That He loves each and every one of us and desires that we all experience a fullness of life that comes when we use it to glorify Him. Fill your life with a love for one another as God first loved you. Let God in Jesus rule in your heart to give you patience, understanding, self-control, and His vision through the power of the Holy Spirit to discern what is good and what is evil in our world and the fortitude to work passionately at making it better. To actually take the time to truly love your children, raise them in a loving & Godly home including making the tough decisions and taking disciplinary actions when needed. It takes a strong family grounded in Christ surrounded by a strong community in Christ to support one another and raise up the next generation. Our society embracesses dysfunctionality and claims it works just fine. It is our freedom to choose any path we should so desire and there are no consequences for doing so, just great rewards.
Galatians Chapter 6:7&8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Travis's life leading up to his violent act; Travis Reinking was fired from a job three weeks ago. He was then hired by Crane Works in La Vergne last Monday, but only worked there one day. Travis did not display any signs of mental instability. In interview with parents there were concerns in the past about his mental health. May 2016, he told Illinois police he thought Taylor Swift was stalking him and hacking into his phone. He also appeared to be suicidal at one time, according to a police report. In 2017 Reinking reportedly wore a pink dress to work while carrying an AR-15 and started yelling at someone. He also told police last year that 30 to 40 people were trying to hack into his phone. Aug. 24, 2017, officials confiscated four weapons from Reinking due to worries about his mental stability. He voluntarily surrendered the weapons to police, who then turned them over to his father Jeffery Reinking, after he promised to keep them secured and away from his son. Reinking’s father has admitted to returning the weapons to his son, one of which was the AR-15 reportedly used in Sunday's shooting. July 2017. He was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service for being in a restricted area near the White House but was later released. He was interviewed by authorities in Illinois and the FBI, which is when his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked. Reinking is now on the TBI's Top 10 Most Wanted List, he is 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, and is considered armed and dangerous. Call 911, the Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600, Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463, or their local law enforcement agency.
A troubled young man indeed and lots of room for finger pointing. The one place we need to look for answers is to God. What in our own lives and in our society goes against the will of the Lord? The divided family, wrong priorities, abuses of any kind (self or to others), no love, discipline or instruction in work & life skills. We cannot let social media raise our children and expect great results. The media industry has little to do with God's values as those just stand in the way of their own life decisions as well as what they want to depict on the screen, as that brings in the most revenue. Playing off our human sinful nature by filling every form of media with graphic violence and sexual immorality just serves to make the industry rich at the expense of mankind. They want you to laugh this off as right-wing lunacy and turn the attention to it's all about the weapons. Let me remind you that almost immediately after man was turned loose into the sin filled world brother kills brother. Genesis 4:8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. It is only through God can we be given the ability to recognize our sins and the true pain & suffering they bring. It is also only through God can we receive the strength to overcome these temptations and when we fail from time to time God gives us a second chance through His Son Jesus. We strive to be our best even though we fall short because we know in Jesus Christ we are saved and the ultimate prize is yet to come, all eternity in Heaven with our Lord!
Please share this good news with everyone around you as God truly is the answer. Do this through acts of kindness as this is the way Jesus did. Unfortunately in our world today people rarely see a stranger just approach them and want to give them a simple refreshing gift or do something to help them totally for free! There was a time not that long ago where this was more the norm, but today it is almost unheard of especially without a catch. That is what makes doing P.A.C.K. (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness) so easy. You get to show a love that people rarely experience these days. Well that is God's love reaching out to the recipient of your kindness at that very unusual time & place! The "Connect Card" delivers that message and reminds them this is what God's grace through Jesus is like. You cannot earn or buy it! The card also provides them with your church information as just a suggestion as to where they are welcome to come to learn more about the unique love that Jesus has for them. Care-Share-Connect. The P.A.C.K. program is totally free because God's love & grace are free gifts of the Spirit. Just sign up at: https://acts18.org/#free-resources and the link will be immediately provided. Never an ask just prayerful encouragement to do! God bless!