Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presented a bid for full membership in the United Nations in September, blaming the failure of the peace process on Israel. Abbas called for a return to the 1967 lines. Meanwhile, Jews were at the Western Wall—praying. “Israel wants peace and a Palestinian state,” says The Israel Project’s Founder and President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi. 

“Sadly, sometimes they seem to want it more than the Palestinians. I deeply hope that President Abbas will recognize that the issues of security, borders, water and refugees need to be resolved with mutual respect and agreements … and cannot be imposed by the United Nations. He should drop his preconditions and hate and come to peace talks right away. Israel is ready for this conflict to end so both sides can have a better future.”

Not all Muslims want to kill you

Thank you for the profound article by Christopher Alam, “Not All Muslims Want to Kill You” (September). It gives a history of the Muslim background, but not as the media presents this situation. This article was God’s truth, explaining how we as Christians can reach Muslims with God’s love. Hopefully it took the fear out of our way of thinking about Muslims. 

Laurie Stark, via email

Thank you for the two great articles “When Muslims See Jesus” (by Audrey Lee) and “Not All Muslims Want to Kill You” (by Christopher Alam). I celebrate the definitive insights and instructions for the body of Christ that Alam offered concerning Muslims. This sounds like Jesus to me: “We Christians should have no enemies because our DNA is one of faith and love, not fear and hatred. We must not forget we have received commandments to bless those who curse us, to overcome evil with good.” 

Steve Dixon, Fayetteville, Ark.

Too much Faith in fiction?

Carol Johnson’s article “Saving Stories” (September) on the impact of fiction suggests popularity equals influence. But if Christian fiction is to impact the world, it must grow in the area where it is still weak: craftsmanship. Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Bridges of Madison County, both hugely popular but now largely forgotten, are probably better templates for contemporary Christian fiction than a classic like To Kill a Mockingbird.

John L. Moore, Miles City,  Mont.

A dilemma over our ‘gay dilemma’

This is in response to Julia Randle’s letter (September), questioning why the magazine published articles on homosexuality (“The Church’s Gay Dilemma,” July). If “Christians should not be involved,” then how is the church supposed to handle this issue? What do we do if “they” come into our congregations? 

Ms. Randle, what will you do if “it” shows up in your family? Jesus said to let he who is without sin cast the first stone. It’s time for the church to lay down their stones and take on the compassion of Jesus. Thank you, Charisma, for printing articles that help the body of Christ learn more about these controversial issues.

Sherry Toler, Ernul, N.C.

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. —Genesis 29:31

Leah was unloved by her husband but was loved by the Lord, whereas Rachel was loved by her husband but was barren. The Lord did not honor Rachel in the thing that began to matter more than her beauty, her brains, and everything else she had going for her.

What is the difference between having love from someone here below and receiving love from the Lord? Earthly love is only of the here and now, but the love that is from above has the future in mind. I want to ask you this: Do you feel deprived because you haven’t had a great education, you don’t have a brilliant brain or good looks, you don’t have a good job, and you feel unappreciated? But there’s more to life than beauty or brains that make people excel.

I have this question: Are you loved by the Lord? That’s what matters. You ask, “How can I know?” Well, to begin with, Hebrews 12:6 says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves.” What does this mean? It means God begins to deal with you; He forces you to learn something in a way that is pretty tough. It may be the Lord who has kept you from getting that job or from getting married. It may be the Lord who has brought you to a place where everything happening around you is bad, and you wonder where God is. Are all the bad things that happen God’s doing? Yes. God brings you so low that there’s nowhere to look but up, and then, when you start looking at Him, He says, “Oh, good, you’re coming to Me. That is what I wanted.” And you begin to realize that the Lord loved you so much that He beckoned you in His direction. You see, those whom the Lord loves, He deals with, and those who are dealt with are truly His; they will go to heaven and no one else.

But one day you will find out that God loved you so much that, to get your attention, He brought you to the place where you just looked to Him.

Excerpted from All’s Well That Ends Well (Authentic Media, 2005).

For I, the Lord, love justice. —Isaiah 61:8

The God of the Bible loves justice, and if you are being treated unfairly, God knows it. It is only a matter of time, and He is going to compensate. That’s a promise. Let me tell you something about Jesus, God the Son: Jesus is full of compassion. Jesus sees your tears. He knows you’re hurt.

Did the Lord notice how Leah was feeling? The Bible says, “When the Lord saw Leah was not loved, he opened her womb” (Gen. 29:31). What was Leah’s compensation? Rachel, whom Jacob loved, was barren. Leah, the unloved woman, came through where it ultimately mattered. Nothing could stop Jacob being the father of many sons because God had foreordained it. Therefore, God’s word was at stake (Gen. 22:17). You could call it His sense of humor, you could call it His sense of justice, but when God saw that Leah was not loved, He opened her womb. Rachel, the one who was loved, was contributing nothing to this oath that God swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Leah gave birth to Judah, the one through whom the Messiah, God’s Son, came. Her crown was that she graced the church with glory as no other wife of Jacob could have done. Leah’s desire was to have a husband who loved her, but her crown was what she did for the future of Israel. Jacob never appreciated Leah, but God did. And so do we.

Are you an unloved woman? God knows that. He’s going to do things for you, and if you start counting your blessings, He’s going to make it up to you—it’s only a matter of time.

Excerpted from All’s Well That Ends Well (Authentic Media, 2005).

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. —Job 1:22

There are many women who are angry with God because they feel He did not give them good looks, and so men find them unattractive. Perhaps you feel this way. Let me ask you a question: Do you wish you looked different, that you were better-looking than you are? I suppose we all wish that. But maybe, one day, when we get to heaven, we’ll see it was a particular kindness, which we couldn’t see at the time, that God made us just as we are. Do you know what God wants to achieve in you and me? He wants us to come to terms with our looks, with our gifts, with our limitations, with our place in society, with our parents, with the way we’ve been treated, and to learn to like ourselves like that. One of the greatest evidences of grace is that we like ourselves just as we are.

The proof of conversion is that you see through to the true God and don’t let circumstances divert you. I have often been amazed how black people in the Deep South ever became saved when I consider how badly their masters treated them. Yet they heard talk of heaven and knew one day they were going there, where they would be out of their misery. They could identify with that. That’s why they were converted. God has a way of getting us past our circumstances. No matter how dreadful our experiences might have been, God has a way of reaching us, and the most unlikely person can be the most glorious convert. The experiences that may have caused us to feel the deepest bitterness can turn out to be our salvation. God has designed all things to get us to look to Him.

Excerpted from All’s Well That Ends Well (Authentic Media, 2005).

When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I?” —Genesis 29:25

Leah, Jacob’s first wife, not his choice and not part of his plans, can be seen in the Bible as the unloved woman. Perhaps she was unloved by everybody. Jacob didn’t love her. She was plain, and Jacob never pretended to notice Leah. So we see Leah was also unloved by her father, because no father would have treated his daughter like that if he cared about the way she felt. Leah was manipulated and controlled by an uncaring father. Can you identify with that?

So why is this story relevant? It is especially relevant to any woman who feels unloved. It could be because of an unhappy relationship with her father. You have felt unloved as long as you can remember because you haven’t known a father’s love. Perhaps you feel unloved because of an unhappy relationship with a brother or a sister. It could be you feel unloved because of a husband or because of another man who has hurt and rejected you. My word to you is this: God cares about that. Furthermore, this story is relevant not only to women, but also to any man, any husband, any father. If you have been insensitive to a woman’s feelings and have underestimated the hurt she feels by her rejection, you may come to appreciate the depth of her pain.

We are all different, and because we do not share the same problems and weaknesses, we may feel it is hard to find someone else who will understand how we feel. The point is that God sees and understands, and to prove it, He sent His Son into the world, who lived on this earth, tempted at every point just as we are, yet He was without sin. And even if no one else understands, Jesus will understand completely. Do you know we can talk to Him and tell Him just what we’re feeling? No one ever cared for us like Jesus.

Excerpted from All’s Well That Ends Well (Authentic Media, 2005).

Recorded at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, Great Great God is Gateway Worship’s fourth live recording, and is led by church worship leaders Thomas Miller and Walker Beach, along with the Gateway Worship team. Dove Award-winning artist Kari Jobe is featured on “My Everything.” The album is filled with anthems of victory—“Great Great God,” “Victorious” and “Sun and Shield”—and songs of rest and response such as “My Everything” and “When I’m With You,” and it features an expanded version of the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy (Savior and King).”

Acclaimed artist Michael W. Smith reseases this month the anticipated instrumental sequel to his 2000 album, Freedom. Titled Glory, Smith’s 23rd career project was recorded with a 65-piece orchestra at London’s AIR Studios. Songs include “Glory: The Overture,” “The Patriot,” “Heroes,” “Whitaker’s Wonder,” “Redemption,” “Atonement,” “The Romance,” “The Tribute” and a symphonic version of “Agnus Dei.”

The 3rd annual “Rock & Worship Roadshow,” normally a spring event, launches its first fall tour this month. Catch MercyMe, Jars of Clay, Disciple, Hawk Nelson, Matt Maher, Group 1 Crew and Trip Lee in one of 12 markets starting Nov. 3 through Nov. 20.

The first greatest-hits collection by Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter Chris Tomlin features some of the most-sung songs in the church today. Of the 14 tracks on the album, eight have been Top 10 radio hits. Three are all-new recordings of classic Tomlin worship songs. A new recording of the No. 1 song “How Great Is Our God” features guest appearances by international worship leaders singing parts in their native languages.