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by Michael Terrian

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

What a wonderful promise. Do not fear, for God is always with you. He has made that declaration to every Christian. Even in your darkest moments, God will be there with you. Even in the valley of pain and confusion, God will be there. God never promised a perfect and happy life without any problems or trials (John 16:33) but He did promise He would be there to help us through them. This is great news!

“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:1-2

We are important to God! He calls us by name. God lets us know that He created us, which gives us value. God lets us know that we are important and valuable. Because God finds us so valuable and important, He promises us that He will be with us through the rough waters and protect us when the fires of trouble overcome us. What an awesome promise!

When the difficulties of this world try to beat us down and try to destroy us, God is there and promises us He will help us through them. This is the promise and privilege of being a Christian.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Fear is a dark shadow that traps us and imprisons us. It doesn’t have to be death, but it can be the fear of money and paying bills, or it can be someone at work or school that puts fear into your day. God did not promise us that life would be easy. He did not guarantee us a life without bullies and problems. But He did promise that whatever we go through, He will be there for us. He will help us through. This is a wonderful promise. This proves that we are not alone. We don’t have to travel this world alone. God Himself said He would be with us. That is totally awesome.

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.

by Michael Terrian

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” -John 15:12-13

What an awesome verse. Greater love has no one than to lay down our own personal needs for the needs of others. Again, this is not a suggestion, but a commandment from Jesus Himself. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give water to the thirsty. We are called to help the weak, the lonely, the hurting, and the abused. We are commanded to do all this while setting our own needs aside. We are commanded to sacrifice our own needs to the well-being of others. We do not have an option. We do not have a choice.

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” -Ephesians 5:1-2

Our love for others should be the same as this. This kind of love goes beyond self-satisfaction. This love puts the needs of other in front of our own needs.

A perfect human example of this is our military men and women. What an amazing and incredible sacrifice to our country and the men and women that live in it. This goes way beyond the needs of self-satisfaction. This is a pure example of sacrificial love for a country and the freedom and liberties that lie within it. What an honor and privilege to be an American, to see the sacrifice that was given and still is given today.

In a time where bullying is at an all-time high, we need to know that we are the first responders to any and all situations that involve helping those in need. When situations arise and our response as Christians is needed, then we respond quickly and confidently. If it’s someone who can’t defend themselves, we charge to the front line and stand for those who are weak. If it’s someone who is on the brink of suicide, with love and compassion we charge to aid them and rescue them. We set aside our own needs to help those in need. This is not an option but rather a commandment.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone will dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:6-8

When we were in our weakness and helpless estate, Christ came to us and saved us. We could do nothing to save ourselves. We could do nothing on our own to change the outcome. Someone had to come to our rescue. Someone had to come to our aid and save us and Jesus Christ did that for us. He died on the cross and rose on the third day to save us.

Shouldn’t we as Christians be doing the same? Shouldn’t we be helping the weak and the helpless, those who can’t fight for themselves? If we are to be like Christ, then yes, we are called to action. We have an obligation as Christians to help those in need.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” -John 3:16-17 These verses point out that God “so” loved, which implies intense passion. God “so” loved demonstrates a great importance to a specific issue. God just didn’t love the world but He “so” loved the world.

God’s love was not static or self-centered. His love draws us in. His love allows “whosoever” to be saved and have everlasting life. This is the greatest example of divine love: setting aside self-satisfying needs for the needs of others.

Our job as Christians is not to condemn the world but to save the world. We can’t get caught up in all the wrong everyone is doing before we point them to Jesus, but rather point them to Jesus and let Him fix their lives. That’s what He’s in the business of doing.

We must “so” love those in need that our heart aches for them. We must love as though our response to them will determine which road they will choose. Our spirit and attitude must be love and compassion. As hard as it may be sometimes, it’s the right thing to do!

What will you do today to positively influence someone? It doesn’t cost anything to offer encouragement to someone. Maybe it’s a smile or a pat on the back. Remember, it’s not about how it will affect your life. It’s not about if it will result in a positive outcome for you. It’s not about what you will gain from helping someone. It is, however, about those you help. It’s about standing in the gap no matter what may happen. It’s about taking a stand for right and taking a stand against evil no matter the outcome.

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  Any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will be deleted.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature, will be reported to the authorities.

by Michael Terrian

I remember as a young person, I was bullied quite extensively in grade school and I remember many times being very angry and confused. I really wasn’t sure what the right attitude was for me. I was born and raised in church and I knew right from wrong.

I knew I was supposed to be a good person, but I have to admit I was angry often times because of what was happening at school. At a young age it was difficult to love my neighbors, because they were the ones wrecking my life. They were the ones seeking to tear me down and destroy me. I didn’t like to feel this way. I wanted to be the happy-go-lucky boy that was always looking to make life more enjoyable and fun. Sometimes it meant causing mischief and getting into trouble.

I also found during that time that those who were “Christians” and went to church with me would do some of the same things to me. There were times when I was punched in the arm until it brought tears to my eyes. I would be tripped and knocked down in front of my peers. This was very embarrassing and at times I was very confused and frustrated. I would often think to myself, if this is what being a Christian is about, then I don’t want any part of it. There was nothing to motivate me to be a Christian as a young person when I would see my examples of Christ treating me the same way the world was. It was very confusing to me and it would often build anger inside of me. It doesn’t take very long before you build walls around your emotions. Things aren’t as fun anymore because you’re not sure if someone is going to ruin it for you. I didn’t like feeling this way.

On the flip side of that, there were always elderly people in my church, most of the time they were ladies, who would truly show me the love of Christ. This was big for me. I needed to know that being a Christian was real. I needed to know that what I heard from the pulpit could really happen in hearts of believers. There were many people in my life that influenced me in a positive way. They truly were the beacons of hope for me in my young world at that time. The power of influence is incredible, especially when you’re young and very impressionable. When these incredible and awesome people in my life would shine the light of Jesus on me, it was powerful. Times like those are cherished for a lifetime.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Matthew 22:37-39

This is not a suggestion but rather a commandment. Jesus is admonishing us as Christians that we are to follow these two commandments. We are to love the Lord our God with all that is within us and, just as importantly, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. This love puts the needs of others before our own needs. Think about what Jesus set aside so He could be beaten, scorned, humiliated and then crucified for the needs of sinful man.

“For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet’ and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” - Romans 13:9-10

Love does no harm. What a powerful statement! If we love as Christ loved us, then we will treat people as Christ would treat them. It is impossible to hate and love at the same time. You cannot love a person and hate them equally. You cannot treat someone with compassion and malice simultaneously. It is impossible. Even when our enemies seek to destroy us (and there will be times), how we respond to them dictates our love or lack of love for fallen and lost people. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

If we are to be an example of Christ, then how do we treat others? We do not have the right or the privilege as Christians to be the bully. If we truly are a “Christ follower,” then we show love and compassion. We live to build each other up; we don’t exist to tear each other down. How will the world see the love of Christ if we don’t show it to them?

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12