Why the term 'tolerance' is not found in the Bible

I realised an interesting fact this week, that I never knew before - the term 'tolerance' does not occur anywhere in the Bible. This is how I came upon this remarkable discovery...

By now, everyone should be aware of the US Supreme Court ruling which legalised same sex marriages across all 50 States. My facebook newsfeed was flooded with articles which both supported and condemned the decision. I am very intentional about what I share on facebook. I believe that I have a responsibility, as a Christian, to speak the truth in love, and some of the posts I was reading came across as condemning. Many persons can quote John 3:16 by heart, but have never gone through the trouble of reading on to verse 17 which says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him"

So when I read an article that, in my opinion, was pointing to salvation rather than condemnation, I shared it. For those who have not seen it, this was what I posted:

"A homosexual is not a worse sinner than I am. I’m the worst of the worst, the chiefest of sinners, and if there is hope, love, grace, and forgiveness for me, it’s there for everyone.

And for those who are involved in such activities, for you, truly, my soul weeps, because whether you recognize it or not, you are separated from the love of God, lost, and in desperate need of a Savior.

I weep for you because the world around you is telling you this kind of behavior is normal and right, knowing that it isn’t, watching you walk into destruction without a care because your cause furthers a political agenda that will make them — the political ruling class — powerful and wealthy.

My prayers are that God would open your eyes to the truth, and you’d be rescued by the loving arms of Jesus Christ."

- Michael Cantrell  

In response, one of my friends posted this picture:

As with any issue that is contentious, I decided to search the scripture to see what the Bible says about tolerance, and I realised, it didn't.

Tolerance is a term that is used widely in the media, especially in reference to issues like homosexuality and abortion. It lulls persons into a false sense of belief that there is no absolute right or wrong; that once you believe that something is acceptable, no one should tell you differently.

Unfortunately for those who preach tolerance, the Bible begs to differ. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, has every right to establish His standards for morality. God makes it clear to us how He expects us to live if we want to be pleasing in His sight. He is not the author of confusion, so He does not leave it up to us to decide right from wrong.

It would be remiss of me to not warn my loved ones when I see them heading in a dangerous direction. Jesus was crucified by religious leaders who did not agree with His message. He refused to stay silent while people were being led astray by those who were in authority. As one of His followers, I too will speak the truth, even If this results in me being labelled as 'intolerant'.

Tolerance is not one of the fruit of the Spirit. So I choose instead, with God's help, to demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)

Moments that made my birthday unforgettable....

That moment when my Hunny treated me to a lunch of
buss up shut and curry in the Botanical Gardens

That moment when my friend for the past 25 years
jumps on a plane so she can celebrate with me

That moment when I got to bond with her son while
she was sleeping (for the record, he started it....)

That moment when she convinced me to walk
around Grand Etang lake in slippers on a muddy trail...

That moment when we were hurtling down the river one minute
and floating tranquilly the next, soaking in the beauty of God's creation

That moment when a regular tannia log lime turned into a
surprise birthday party

That moment when we had pancakes in bed for breakfast

That moment when everyone shared scripture that was
encouraging and uplifting to one another

That moment when we got to hold all kinds of animals
at the Petting Zoo

That moment when we enjoyed lunch
prepared by a French chef

That moment when we had a photo shoot on
the rocks overlooking the sea

That moment when my godson and I pretended we were
escaping from the prison on the fort

That moment when I was able to take a dip in Grand
Anse beach with friends at the end of a hot and sticky day

That moment when I was showered with gifts and cards
that were so thoughtful and from the heart...

That moment when we spent the night laughing until our cheeks
hurt, followed by a wonderful time of worship

A massive thank you to all my family and friends who took the time to call, send whatsapp and facebook greetings on my special day. I truly felt the love from you all!!!!

I can't believe this is happening...

I went online tonight with the intention of responding to all my birthday greetings on facebook and doing a blog about my fantastic birthday weekend, but something stopped me dead in my tracks. One of my facebook friends posted a link to this article:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/209745/we-regret-inform-you-4-days-you-and-your-family-will-be-deported-haiti#

and it rocked me to the core...

As someone who has traveled to Haiti on numerous occasions with Is There Not A Cause, and has passed through the Dominican Republic en route to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, this article greatly disturbed me. I could not fathom that this was really going to happen.

That thousands of people would unceremoniously be kicked out of the only country they have ever called home, and be dumped in another country that, as far as I know, has not put anything in place to receive them.

That these people who were born and grew up and established homes and businesses and families in the Dominican Republic would be torn away from everything that was familiar to them and exiled to live in a country where they don't even speak the language.

That all this is supposed to happen in the next few days, and it seems like nobody knows or cares about it, because it is not as trendy as Jack Warner or Caitlyn or the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

So I started reading more about it to understand the story behind it and the more I read the more disheartened I became as I realised that this was the result of a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that apparently cannot be changed. Even though the Human Rights court has asked the Dominican Republic to reconsider the decision and change their laws, certain forces seem intent on ridding the country of persons with any connection to Haiti.

There is only one thing left to do; pray and rally as many believers as possible to intercede on behalf of our fellow Caribbean family. Please pray that:

• The deadline for Haitians and other non-residents to be registered would be extended
• The registration process would not be unnecessarily prolonged or delayed for those who are qualified
• Plans by the Dominican Republic officials to do 'mass round-ups' of persons who have Haitian features and heritage with no proof of citizenship to deport them would be halted
• Employers in the Dominican Republic would provide workers with the documentation needed to prove the length of time they have been living there, which would help to expedite the registration process
• Discrimination against Haitians living and working legally in the Dominican Republic would come to an end

Feel free to forward these requests to as many prayer warriors as you can - nothing is impossible with God.

Taken from: http://www.ryot.org/5-things-know-cleaning-haitians-dominican-republic/935183

Reflections on my 36th Birthday

I woke up this morning
Giving God thanks and praise
For blessing me with another year
Of life, health and strength
Another year to accomplish His purposes
Another year to build relationships
Another year to advance His Kingdom

He is my reason for living
Without him, my life lacks meaning and purpose
I am so grateful for God
That He loves me unconditionally
That He never disappoints
That He is always with me
That He is forever faithful

And always blessing me;
Loving family and friends who are family
Providing for my every need
Demonstrating His love and care for me

And even though where I am now
Is not where I expected to be
It is where God would have me to be
And for me, that's the best place to be

Estamos listo para Mexico!

Some members of the Grenadian delegation to World Assembly journeyed to St. Lucia to obtain their Mexican visas. God also granted us travelling mercies to and from St. Lucia. In an effort to minimise costs, two members of the team purchased staff tickets, which meant that they were flying standby. God graciously ensured there were at least two free seats to each flight (from Grenada to Barbados to St. Lucia) coming and going, so there were no unnecessary delays. 

Hope excited about her first trip on an airplane

We were greeted at the airport by Josephine Romain who was our most gracious hostess for the duration of our trip. She provided meals, accommodation, transportation and also took us sight-seeing while we were there.

Enjoying a hearty breakfast before setting out for the day

All the necessary documents were scanned and emailed from Grenada long before and had been approved, so the purpose of this trip was to present the original supporting documents and interview the applicants. We were not expecting any difficulties, but we still prayed for favour before going to the Embassy.

Mexican art work inside the Embassy

The workers there were very welcoming and attended to us promptly. After filling out parts of the forms which were missing, all the documents were taken indoors for examination while we waited outside. After a while, they asked if we had the national identification card for Hope’s mother, since she was considered a minor. Although we had a letter and an affidavit from her, giving Hope permission to travel with us, we did not have the ID card. 

The clerks were helpful, suggesting that we could contact her and ask her to scan and email it to us, but we knew she did not have the technical capacity to do so. We were really hoping they would go ahead with the application, but they seemed to be determined that Hope’s application would not be processed without the missing ID card. Then one of them asked if we could get her to take a picture of it and send it to them via whatsapp – this we could do, so we quickly made arrangements for this to be done and sent to the relevant authorities. Within the next hour, all three applicants walked out of the embassy with their newly issued Mexican visas – gracias a Dios! We give God thanks that the authorities were willing to accept an electronic version of the ID card, so we did not have to make another trip to St. Lucia.

Ready for Mexico!!!

This was a clear assurance to us that God is most definitely in control of this trip to Mexico. He has worked out all the details so far, and we know He will take us safely there.

As an added bonus, and just to show that God cares about the 'little things' too, Hope was able to satisfy her passion for Audi cars by visiting the showroom in St. Lucia, where the manager was more than happy to show us around. She even got some magazines to go home with, and he encouraged her to dream big, because you never know when they can come through...

Elated to be in the driver's seat of a brand new Audi

Hope shared this about her experience:

"Being one step closer to our destination is a great feeling. To know that we aren't that far away from our goal. Receiving our visas even though we acquired some difficulties was a blessing. The process was speedy and the attendants were friendly. The whole experience here was amazing. Even when challenges arose out of no where, we always had this feeling, this faith that God will work things out.

Even though being one step closer is a great feeling, I know that without the favour of God, without His mighty help we would not have been here. We owe great thanks to our Father, through Him all things are possible!"