KATRINA: GOD'S JUDGMENT OR GOD'S MERCY?

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY VARIED OPINIONS VOICED as to whether Katrina was an act of God or merely an INEVITABLE act of nature.

As a Christian, I have to say that I have no doubt that it was an act of God...The more appropriate question would be was it God's Judgment, or was it God's Mercy?

Many Christians have taken the view that it was God's Judgment on the wickedness that prevailed over the gulf coast, from the voodoo and occultic activities that prevailed in New Orleans, to the gambling casinos of the Gulf coast. Early on, I thought that was certainly the case, but upon further consideration, I believe that this was an act of God that occurred as a result of the complacency of the Church in New Orleans and the Gulf region.

A long time ago I read a book that described the life of eagles. According to the author, the nest of an eagle is located in the highest spot of an area. When the eaglet gets old enough to leave the nest, he has to learn to fly. The author of the book said that the mother eagle pushes the eaglet out of nest, and as it is plummeting toward the groud, desparately trying to use it's wings to save itself, the mother eagle comes down and snatches the eaglet out of the air just before the eaglet hits the ground, to carry it back to the nest, only to repeat the process until eventually it learns to fly.

Whether all this is true or not, the mother's methods are not cruel. It probably seems to be cruel to the one being pushed out of the nest, until he learns to fly and to soar with the rest of the eagles, assuming his rightful place as the king of the sky. But to get him out of nest requires drastic measures on the part of the mother to impart to her offspring the initiative to fly.

I believe the church has been too comfortable in its' nest for far too long, and our loving FATHER allowed this city and the coastline to be visited by Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita to impart to His children the initiative to "GO" into the highways and the byways, and into the neighborhoods to put their hands and feet to work to match the Word they have been preaching and teaching. The loss of "things" isn't overly important to the One Who instructed us not to lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through tosteal...but rather to lay up treasures in Heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and steal. Too many Christians in America have memorized that verse, but haven't applied it to their lives. The verse reads like this:

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The key to these verses is found in the words "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth," with the emphasis being "YOURSELVES". Whatever treasure we accumulate here on earth is to be not for ourselves...but for the Glory of God and for the furtherance of His Kingdom here on earth. As we set our affections on things above, and seek everyone else's good rather

than our own, then we lay up for OURSELVES treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves cannot break through and steal. The Christian who is genuinely fulfilled is the one who understands fully that he or she has a more enduring substance in Heaven, and thus he or she takes the loss of thier material possessions joyfully, understanding that ALL THINGS work together for good for those who love God and are called according to HIS PURPOSE.

There is wonderful freedom in not attaching much importance to the things of this world...once a person achieves that freedom, he or she can devote their time to seeking the furtherance of the Kingdom of God instead of wasting their valuable time in accumulating the temporal trinkets that the kingdoms of this world have to offer.

I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THE LORD ALLOWED KATRINA TO OCCUR SO THAT HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE FREE FROM THE THINGS THAT SERVED TO DISTRACT THEM FROM THEIR REAL PURPOSE HERE IN THIS WORLD. I realize that might be hard for some people to accept, but the Truth is that we as the Body of Christ have been neglecting our primary purpose of impacting our world for the Kingdom of God, because we have gotten so comfortable with our possessions, and have become friends of the world, rather than friends of the God Who created us for Himself.

In most Churches there is a gospel being preached that teaches us how to acquire self fulfillment, to satisfy our covetousness, and to further our personal kingdoms; and there is a Gospel that has been preached of self denial, to satisfy our neighbor's needs, and to further the Kingdom of God.

Jesus preached the latter gospel. We need to get back to the Gospel, and these hurricanes have been a catalyst to shake us out of our nests to learn to fly.

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