For Justice sake

THEY CAME FOR THE COMMUNISTS,

AND I DIDN'T SPEAK UP BECAUSE I WASN'T COMMUNIST.

THEN THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS,

AND I DIDN'T SPEAK UP BECAUSE I WASN'T A JEW.

THEN THEY CAME FOE THE TRADE UNIONISTS,

AND I DIDN'T SPEAK UP BECAUSE I WASN'T A TRADE UNIONIST.

THEN THEY CAME FOR THE CATHOLICS,

AND I DIDN'T SPEAK UP BECAUSE I WAS PROTESTANT.

THEN THEY CAME FOR ME,

AND BY THAT TIME NO ONE WAS LEFT TO SPEAK UP.

~ Poem attributed to Martin Niemoeller

Niemoeller was an influential Lutheran pastor from WWII Germany who was initially complicit with Hitler's political agenda and pledged him the support of the Protestant Churches he represented. When Niemoeller finally recognized Hitler's true intentions and realized he was not going to honor any of the allegiances he had made to the Church, he with-drew his support form the Nazi party. He was subsequently arrested and spent the remainder of the war in the Nazi prison and eventually the Dachau concentration camp as one of Hitler's personal prisoners.

What a challenging poem! The word of God says, "RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUSTICE are the foundation of Your throne! Lovingkindness and truth go before you" (Psalm 89:14). Can I be really honest about something I have observed over the years of being a part of Bound4LIFE? A lot of people don't take serious their call to justice on behalf of those things which are right in the eyes of God. Abortion is just one issue among many that needs justice to be served; I understand that. But even among the many, how many of us can actually say we've taken on one of them and are the front-lines to see resolution? Would we lose face, as Niemoeller did, and forfeit any amount of comfortable living for the sake of justice and righteousness? What about abortion? What about human trafficking? What about the nation of Israel and the Jewish people? What will it take before we stand and be bold in what we know is right before God?

Maybe it will take us being the ones served unjustly. But then....will it be too late?

My food for thought today. God bless!

Love,

Crystal

Radical love

(something supernatural part 2)

You see, it is not enough for us to obey God on our own - we need to become a contagious force for change and bring others with us in our quest to win back this world for God. Radical people will do radical things - especially those who have the burning zeal of God within them like the prophets, judges and kings and queens throughout Bible history. Radical people aren't afraid to do what needs to be done, even if it hasn't been done before. And they know that, in order to accomplish the task in front of them, they will need the help of others working toward the same goal."

The Cry of Mordecai By Robert Stearns

Being radical doesn't mean being stupid, but it may make you look like you are. Ha ha! Really. I find the closer and deeper I get with Jesus, the more He speaks about doing things that outside the "norm". Even the Church starts to turn their head a little bit. But it's that kind of zeal and radicalism that is going to lead an End-Time Army. It's not going to be the spectators that sit and judge what is happening in the Church Sunday morning. It's not going to be the Church that kept things "seeker-sensitive" instead of SPIRIT-SENSITIVE. It's not going to be the individual who cares more about the things in this world or is easily anxious about the burdens of life. No. It's going to be the Church that is radical in their love for Jesus. Why? Because it' the very warning Jesus gives to the Church in Matthew 24. Many hearts will grow cold and far from love because of the increase of wickedness - and thats not just wickedness in the world, that is also wickedness in the Church.

How crucial is radical love for Jesus in this hour?

It IS crucial!!! His love cries with urgency. We are able to love God because He first loved us. The love of God cries out to us, wooing us to love Him back!

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

John 2:17-19

The bigger picture IS the last hour. The "last hour" is not an actual hour. God does not live in time or space. Rather, it is an urgency to live ready for the return of Christ! We are living in the last hour because we are awaiting our Groom's return. And every day, every minute is one moment closer to His return. He has been preparing His Bride to be a part of an End-time Army for centuries. Who is so radical enough in their love for Him that they would say "YES!" We are in the hour in which we should always be living - readily awaiting the return of Christ.

But what keeps us from that disposition? It is our love for the things in the world - the desires of the flesh, the desires of our eyes (heart) and the pride of life. Even fear is a form of pride. Fear chokes us sometimes when God is ready to catapult us forward! Some times it takes an act of radical love for us to be free to live in the Spirit and be obedient no matter the cost. God will give you a revelatory gift when you choose to not love the things of the world. He will be more nearer and speaking more than ever when you give up everything else. And that is not even a fair swap at its greatest! For He truly gave up everything for us, and we could never out-give Him.

I encourage you to give Him all you got. Let's be radical in our love for Him!

Love,

Crystal

Some cross reference for look-up on the end-time hour - 2 Tim 3:1; James 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3; Jude 18

For PART 1 of Something Supernatural click here.