Wage Peace, Not War

https://www.pexels.com/photo/german-love-padlock-4662/Luke 1:77-79  To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Dear Readers, May the peace of Christ be ever upon you.  I want to tell all of you, everyone who reads my posts, that I love you in the name of Jesus.  Praise His Name!  Shout Hallelujah!  When I say, “everyone”, I mean even those who hate and despise me.  Even those who return evil for good, and especially those who mean me harm, the ones who think of me as  their enemy and wish to take down this site.  I want you to know that I love you most of all.  Even the M.D.O.C. and the prison administration, who have begun to threaten me weekly, and who only last Friday told me that I will remain in solitary confinement until I stop writing.  I love you!  That love has been hard won within my spirit.  Like any normal human being, my first thoughts upon being attacked are often those of indignation.  But, like any true Christian, the love of my Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit which dwells within me has led me to the ways of peace and forgiveness.

Philippians 4:7  “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Oh, how true those words are.  Thank you, Jesus!  I cannot lie, I was deeply hurt – still am in some ways – when they told me to stop writing.  I do know what they are afraid of.  I expressed some of it in the “War On God, Freedom and Human Rights” post.  I just can’t fathom why this so-called justice system has to be so evil.  I do know that sin is the root cause, but why in an age of enlightenment are we still so archaic in so many ways.  When I ponder these things, I feel sorry for those who think of me as their enemy; For I realize how lost and corrupted they truly are.  You know, they won’t even let my pastor or his wife visit me.  In fact, they have barred them from the entire prison.  I am truly confounded by the level of darkness in this system.  Yet, I must not wallow in despair.

I must continue doing the Lord’s work.  The purpose of this site is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I do so through the self-expression of what the Lord is doing to me and through me.  I have never had another purpose.  I only desire to inspire people to aspire to the teachings and examples of Christ.  That’s all.  To L.W.S. – Love . Worship . Serve – are my primary objectives.  My only act of defiance is my writings, which are of the Lord.  I mean no one any harm.  I cannot help that I love the Lord and want to share that love with the world.  Such is what it is to be a Christian.  How can they punish me for that?  Is this not America?  There is a reason why the First Amendment is the first amendment.  It is the most fundamental of all.  Yea, though I am persecuted, and treated unjustly, as a second class citizen, I shall not return evil for evil, nor hate for hate.  Rather, I shall return only love and peace.  It is not easy to accomplish such; but for the love of Christ, it would be seemingly impossible.  Yet, I am endowed with the Holy Spirit; Thus, I am able to overcome my sinful emotions and wage peace instead of war, love instead of hate and joy instead of evil.  Praise God.

My dearly beloved brothers and sisters, it is my great hope that my own experiences be an example to you.  I say, “my experiences”, but the truth is, they are not my own.  Rather, they serve the Lord’s purpose and thus, belong to Him.  My life is not mine, but God’s.  Though I often sin and fall short of the glory of God, I never-the-less continue to serve Him in any way I can.  I pray that all of you do the same.  I was reading the Bible a few days ago, when the Lord led me to Matthew, chapters 26-28.  It is the story of Christ Jesus being captured, beaten, condemned and crucified unjustly.  He was betrayed by those whom He loved most.  Yet, He offered only passive resistance.  Here He was, a God over everything, and He did not smite those who hated or betrayed Him.  He stood by His principles and that was His only act of defiance.  I immediately knew that the Lord was telling me to do the same; That I need only offer passive resistance and so I shall try to do just that.  After all, I am neither breaking God’s law, nor man’s.  I am following the scriptures and the Constitution of the United States of America.  No matter how they threaten me or what they do to me, I will stay the course and offer only passive resistance – as my Lord commands.  I do so with the hope that the peaceful nature, which has been granted me by the love of Christ, will open their eyes and melt their hearts.  Amen!

Fight only the good fight, my brothers and sisters.  Please pray that they will once again allow my pastor to enter the prison and do God’s work.  Please pray that the love of God will prevail in this and all other situations worldwide.  I am praying for all of you in America, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, China, France, Africa and worldwide.  I thank all of you for your support.

Romans 14:16-19  Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these thing is acceptable to God and approved by men.  Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”

May God bless and keep you!  May you learn the power of passive resistance!  May you wage peace, not war!  Amen!
Love in Christ,
Randall
(A humble, peaceful and passive servant of the Lord!)