A.J. Castellitto
August 29, 2014
Spiritual fruit vs. religious nuts
By A.J. Castellitto

What type of servant are you?

Whom (and to whom) do you serve?

If you want to change hearts, threats of hellfire fall a bit short of the charitable goodwill offer (of mercy and forgiveness).

Do we offer nothing but condemnation? Is that all we've been given? Are we merely a vicious cycle of strong wrath and righteous indignation? Those will have their place, but are they ours to give?

Your guests have great expectations. What do you serve them? Fruit or nuts? Over-cooked meat? Sweet manna? Lukewarm milk and/or honey? An extra helping of fire and brimstone....?

Are you merely splitting the difference? Are you half-hearted? Are you fully committed? Do you really believe your own message? Are you going all the way?

What are you offering? Is it even on the Menu? Are you just feeding yourself or merely choking on regret? Does your tree bear fruit?

For the spiritual body, the Bread and the Wine is true sustenance. There is no other substitute.

Be the change you want to see. We were all rebels once. Get out of your comfort zone, love your enemies and be a rebel for Christ.

We need to forgive each other, but most importantly we have to forgive ourselves! Only Jesus truly provides that (to all those who let Him!)

Are you insecure or ashamed? Are you prideful and disgusted?

Have you ever told your enemy (ideological, true or perceived) that Jesus loves them...? That YOU love them??? That all the hardness and pain they've been harboring can be taken away... for good! That they have yet to sin it all away.....

Next time you stand before your enemy, your adversary, look him straight in the eye and tell him 'JESUS LOVES YOU and SO DO I.' Then repeat it...and mean it!

Don't be surprised if this disarms him....as it disarms you! And that the eyes well up with tears.

The world is a hard place. We've been made and formed with pain and trauma. We all have a story. We've all survived something or have been affected by someone who has. We all need relief. We all need comfort. We all need redemption. We all need JESUS!!!

Don't hide your pearls. Share em! At least try!

© A.J. Castellitto

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

Click to enlarge

A.J. Castellitto

A.J. Castellitto is a freelance writer who resides in NJ with his wife and five children. He holds a B.S. in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Scranton and his writings have been published at The Center for Western Journalism, The Christian Post, Intellectual Conservative and Reformed Perspective Magazine.

Tweets: @AmericaLost2014

Subscribe

Receive future articles by A.J. Castellitto: Click here

Latest articles

 

Alan Keyes
Why de facto government (tyranny) is replacing the Constitution (Apr. 2015)

Stephen Stone
Will Obama be impeached now that Republicans control both houses of Congress? (Nov. 2014)

Bryan Fischer
The shallowness of Donald Trump on abortion

Cliff Kincaid
The real one percent strikes again

Robert Meyer
Wisconsin's Supreme Court election is about judicial philosophy

Bryan Fischer
Losing America one cowardly governor at a time

Jerry Newcombe
The answer to Muslim violence: Jesus

Marsha West
Evangelicals divided, a movement fractured Part 1

Michael Bresciani
Trump takes but gives nothing back to America -- three clear examples

Judie Brown
Planned Parenthood is the classic bully!

Ellis Washington
Obama and ISIS, O'Reilly and Da Capo

Michael Gaynor
Megyn Kelly ignores key facts to champion faux victim Michelle Fields' bogus criminal battery charge

A.J. Castellitto
Theocracy rising

Alan Keyes
Can the people regain the power to elect the president?
  More columns

Cartoons


Michael Ramirez
More cartoons

RSS feeds

News:
Columns:

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Jamie Freeze Baird
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites