Genesis 9:6  Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Another tragic shooting has taken place in the U.S. I can agree with those who are saying that we are hearing about too many of these. I cannot agree with the common response to these shootings. Every time there is a shooting such as the one that just happened in Nashville, there are those who say we need tougher gun legislation.
A gun is an inanimate object. It can sit on a shelf or in a gun case or out on a table and it will never hurt anyone or anything. The problem is not with the gun. The problem is with those who lack the fear of God and will take a gun or a knife or a bat or anything to seek to do harm to others.
God set the law on life and death early in the history of mankind. Cain was punished for killing his brother Abel. Lamech boasted of his murderous life and taunted God to do something to him. Genesis 6 tells us that wickedness was abounding in this world at the time of Noah. God cleaned things up quite a bit with the world-wide flood. However God stated that this would never fix the problem.

Genesis 8:21  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

God was not saying that punishment for sin was useless. He would not have sent the flood if He believed that. He was saying that there needs to be more than punishment for sin. There needs to be a constant reminder of Who is in charge. We need clear teaching from God’s Word on the sanctity of life. We need clear action on the murder of individuals. We have been murdering unborn children for many years in our country. We do not even have a law against this evil. Our government protects the murderers and condemns those who would seek to warn those involved in the preaching of God’s truth.
Unless a person is truly born again, nothing will change. As God stated in Genesis 8:21, the heart of man is the problem. Only God can change the heart of man. Unless a person is willing to turn to God in repentance and be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing will change.
We are reaping the results of this fight against God. Society is not winning in that fight. No one wins against God. David was directed by God to go against Goliath. Goliath thought he was more powerful than anyone in Israel. He defied the true and living God. David was smaller than Goliath. He did not have the armour that Goliath had. However, David had armour that was of much greater help than all that Goliath had on. David did not need Saul’s armour. David trusted in the true God. He chose five stones from the brook and he had his sling. Those things were just extra trappings. His victory against Goliath was a clear victory from God. David knew this. King Saul and the armies of Israel needed to know this. The Philistines also needed to know this. The world needs to know this as well.
The second major issue that came out of this shooting is that the shooter was a sodomite. Our world does not like that word, but it is a Biblical word. The world states that she was a “transgender”. She preferred to be called he/him. Interestingly, after her death, no one identified her by her preferred pronouns. In fact, the left wing media was reluctant to even mention that she was a “transgender”. Her violent nature did not fit the narrative that they want to brainwash people with.
There have been ungodly people who have spoken out since this shooting and seeking to blame anyone with some moral sense for this shooting. They have stated that it is because the sodomite community is ostracized that they are taking to violence because they want to be heard. They want to shame those who have some moral sense into silence unless they are willing to endorse this wickedness.

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God is in charge and He tells us how He made mankind. There is no third or fifth or tenth option. A person is born either a male or a female. Romans chapter 1 tells us that the sodomite is one who rejects the true God and chooses to worship the creature rather than the Creator. There is no such thing as a “Christian sodomite”.
No doubt there will be unbelievers who will become more sympathetic to the sodomite agenda as a result of the shaming that some in the media will do because of this event. There are so-called conservative communities close to us that are becoming more accepting of “gay pride” events in their communities. That is to be expected from godless people.
God has always condemned that wicked lifestyle and He has not changed His mind. People need to be taught the truth and Christians need to be willing to speak the truth on these matters. We may face ridicule. We may face hatred. We may face death threats and even death.
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to their ungodly nature. The tribe of Benjamin was almost destroyed due to their defence of sodomites. God hates sodomy. He loves the sinner and He hates the sin.
The question was asked: will the U.S. government label this crime in Nashville as a hate crime since it was an attack against “Christians”. The government says they have not made a decision on this yet.
It does not matter what the government decides to do with this. God has already decreed what this is. It is a hatred of God that drives a person to express that hatred against other people.
Born again Christians do not hate others. It is loving to remind people of Who is in charge and what He requires. It is loving to preach the Gospel of Christ and to pray for the lost and seek to help them to know the truth. John 3:16 declares:

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Those words were spoken by the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Just to be clear, “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God”.) The Jews hated Him and would eventually demand that He be crucified. He came to give His life a ransom for all. He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary to make it possible for people to be forgiven and saved.
There are many hurting families in Nashville right now. There are people who are wondering what to do in the midst of this tragedy. The family of the shooter is also hurting. Many have built upon a foundation of sand and they are on very shaky ground. They are groping in the dark.
Those who read these devotionals and are saved, need to be praying for the Christians in that area. They need wisdom and boldness to be able to help those who are hurting and afraid. The devil will be busy using this to advance his wicked plan. God wants His children to be bold and demonstrate true love by reminding people that there is only one solution to this problem and all others. The solution is found in verses like John 14:6:

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

That is what our world needs to hear every day. Let us pray, but let us also speak up and give people another opportunity to know the “Prince of peace.”
Pastor Bartel