In 2008 I listened to a Christian musical artist named Ray Boltz. I loved his songs. There was so much passion in them. Several years later when I had my own laptop I was looking up old artists to kind of go back to what I used to listen to. I found out that Ray Boltz had "shocked the Christian community" by announcing he was gay. I was surprised and I wanted to know more. I read that he had written a song "Don't Tell Me Who to Love" and I also watched a video interview with him. I wanted to know what he had to say because I just don't know how any God-loving Christian could justify homosexuality. I haven't heard the song but just the title in reference to this subject seems to drip with rebellious disdain towards other people.
In the interview he spoke about struggling for a long time with the fact that he felt gay. He struggled with the fact that his wife and kids didn't even know. He said he felt like death "was the only way out" and he had suicidal thoughts. Finally he came clean because he wasn't hiding his struggle very well. His family came around him and told him "they loved him anyway."
He said that other people did not respond as well and said many terrible things to him. Even telling him he should kill himself. I don't think the people who said those things really love and are following God. And I don't think Ray is following God either.
Early in the interview he said he had not experienced the transformation promised when one accepts Christ. I guess that means he was not magically made un-gay by accepting Christ.
So here are my thoughts: God holds marriage between a man and a woman very sacred. It is special to Him and is His picture of how He wants the church to be as a whole. Homosexuality is not how God made us, and to claim to follow and love God whilst choosing to be homosexual is going against God. Another word for going against God is sin. Man is sinful but Jesus and God want to save and cleanse us from sin. God doesn't say "accept yourself and everything will be alright." He says repent of your sins and be cleansed and forgiven.
I know that sin is a tough thing to be chained to and no amount of striving on our part will change us or take it away. It's like tar. The more you struggle the more it entangles you. That's why we have God. Only He can rescue us out of it.
It is not instantaneous. If we as Christians struggle with sin, we cannot simply say it is "just apart of us." God does not accept sin he destroys it, therefore we should not accept it. Through clinging to God, beseeching Him to cleanse us daily, spending time with Him, asking and begging for Him to fill us, we will be healed. We need others who truly love God to keep us accountable. We need to talk to them because God is in each of us. We need to repent.
I don't think Ray is evil. I don't want him to kill himself. I do want him to realize that if He really loved God He would not just continue to go against God and be ok with it. I want him to know that it does take time to be changed and the only way for it to happen is to SEEK THE LORD with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Lord, may I live up to this as well! May I seek Your will above everything and please make me new, Lord. Keep me from stumbling! Do not let me think only of myself! Show me all the ways in which I am selfish and not honoring You!!
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