The Amish Voice 5
PERSONAL JOURNAL NOTES
(
Reflection & Response)
1.
The most important thing that I learned from this lesson was:
2.
The area that I need to work on the most is:
3.
I can apply this lesson to my life by:
4.
Closing Statement of Commitment:
SUMMARY:
You have come too far to turn back now. Go ahead and take the
risk: follow hard after God! As a matter of review, remember the three
main points:
1.
Remember your former life.
2.
Look at your present life: you know God and are known by
God.
3.
Consider your turning back.
A Christian should not try to offend others
needlessly. However, if we follow Jesus, we
will offend others—just as the loving and
perfect and holy Jesus often offended others
by His life. Following is an article written by
Marvin Hershberger who would like to share
his thoughts and beliefs. You may feel offend-
ed by Marvin's bluntness, but rather than be
offended, we all should consider what he
writes?
Time is going by so fast, that sometimes
we just have to take a moment and enjoy liv-
ing in the now. Do we ever take the time to
think of things like why we do what we do, or
take the time to research if what we have been
taught is truth? We need to compare what we
have been taught to what the Bible says, fol-
lowing the example of the Berean Jews told
about in Acts 17. In the Old Testament, GOD
sent a prophet to the people and said, "
Repent
from the iniquities of your forefathers.
"
In
other words, he is saying that if your parents
and grandparents are not doing what is right
in God’s sight, turn from their sins and follow
God.
We hear a lot about prayer. When we
pray, we are speaking, but are we also taking
the time to listen to GOD, asking GOD to
open our ears, to hear Him speak, and to come
to understand His love and ways. This is very
important in a relationship, that when we talk
to someone, we also take the time to listen to
what he is saying. Psalm 46:10 says, "
Be still
and know that I am GOD
."
To repent is to
change the way we think. You may ask, "How
can that be?" Have you ever thought how
much our thoughts control what we do? Prov-
erbs 23:7 says, “
For as he thinketh in his
heart, so is he
.”
We have been taught that we need to do a
certain thing or live a certain way, and we are
told and believe that these things are true be-
cause others tell us that this is what the Bible
says; but have we actually taken time to seek
God for ourselves and learn His word? Many
people have taken verses here and there, and
their opinion of that verse has been passed
down many generations. Have we considered
and researched for ourselves if this is really
truth? We ought to search the Scriptures for
ourselves. Jesus even dealt with many reli-
gious leaders whom He rebuked for not
knowing the Scriptures or for putting their
traditions above what God had really said.
For example, have we compared Jacob
Amman's life to the life of JESUS? From
some of the history that I have researched,
Jacob left the church he was in because he
wanted to shun the ones that left. The elders
of that church did not agree with him or be-
lieved it to be the right thing to do. That is
why there was so much chaos when he started
shunning. Jacob was sometimes harsh, stub-
born, unreasonable, and self-righteous. For
those that are in doubt of what I just shared,
please research it yourself. Jesus, however,
was kind, compassionate, and loving. Mat-
thew was a hated tax collector, but JESUS
accepted him! JESUS ate with the sinners.
Yet Jacob Amman believed that it was wrong
to eat with the ones that left his group.
So, who do we want to follow? Down
through the generations, our parents and
grandparents have said that” the world” refers
to people who drive cars, use the latest tech-
nologies, etc.; yet the Bible says that “the
world” is things like pride, hate, lust, and self-
righteousness. So, which one do we believe?
Who is “worldly”—the one who has a car and
loves others, reads the Bible, and follows
God, or one who does not have a computer
but whose heart is full of lust and hatred and
envy?
Does shunning come from love? How
could it possibly be? Is this even what the
Bible teaches? Have we researched it for our-
selves? Is this something JESUS would do?
Love is acceptance, forgiveness, and compas-
sion. Shunning is revenge, separation, divi-
sion, and hurt. Who is our neighbor? Once
again, let us ponder our life and how we are
treating others. Are we treating others like we
would like to be treated, regardless of their
past and/or beliefs? Do we love those who are
different than we are? How can we fail by
being compassionate and loving instead of
judging and condemning? My desire is to
become the person that treats others as I
would like to be treated. Love never fails.
Marvin Hershberger—(440) 636-2752
5600
Ensign Rd
West Farmington, OH 44491
Offensive Love
—
Marvin Hershberger
