It seems that our world is in such a mess. If we look back to what this world was like 50, 60, or 70 years ago things seem way different. We can see that the change has come gradually. So gradual that a lot of us haven’t even noticed, until suddenly we woke up one day and said, “What happened?” Nothing as big as this happens overnight. The devil knows that if he would have brought things on suddenly none of us would have accepted or been deceived by it.
It is one thing to recognize that there is evil in this world but it is another to dwell upon it. I believe that the unfallen Angels of God did not even really recognize the evilness of sin until Christ was hanging upon the cross. At that point they could see the real evilness of the devil. We cannot really recognize the evilness of sin unless we focus our attention on Christ and Him crucified.
It was my sin and your sin that put Him there. It is our sin’s that crucify Him afresh every time we choose to do things that are displeasing in His sight. (See Hebrews 6:6)
Does God really care about how I take care of this temple that He wants to dwell in? Absolutely! He cannot dwell in a polluted place. So what do I need to do so that my temple is not polluted? “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1Corinthians 10:31. There are many aspects that can be addressed here but I am going to just focus on “whatsoever ye do”. I just want to be clear that all is important.
I want to talk about the spirit of the law. The letter of the law is important to obey. Some may think that the letter of the law is easier to keep. “What it says in black in white I will do.” But the reality is keeping the letter of the law means nothing without the spirit of the law.
If I choose to obey the command, “Thou shalt not kill.” But show hate and anger toward ANYONE, it is the same as killing. It is hard for our brain to comprehend and wrap our brains around. But if we study the life of Christ and focus to be more like Him we will treat all people with the same respect.
Christ loves all people and we are supposed to do the same. It does not matter what they do or say to us we need to love them. We cannot do this without the power of Christ love. But we have to surrender self to God and allow Him to love through us. We cannot do it on our own.
The political bashing from Christians astounds me. How should we talk about or treat those people who are doing and saying things we don’t agree with?
I think of David when Saul was chasing him. Saul was trying to kill him but David refused to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed. I cannot recall a verse where he even spoke badly about him.
I think of Daniel. He served in 3 different kingdoms. He was taken captive by one kingdom, then that kingdom was invaded and taken over by another kingdom and so on. How could he serve in a high position in each one of those kingdoms? I believe one reason was that God was with him. But I also believe it was because, it did not matter which power was in place, he treated them as the Lord’s anointed.
God is the one that allows those into office that He would have and He takes down others. Ultimately He has the last word. So the reality is God has placed Trump there. What I think about him does not even come into the equation. But how I treat him or talk about him does.
Remember all people were created by God and are loved by Him.
There is another aspect that I want to point out in Daniel. The reason Daniel was in captivity was because Israel had not been following God, as they should have been. Daniel was a very godly man. We don’t read anything that would indicate that he did anything evil in the sight of God. Yet, when he prayed about the sins of his people, he includes himself. “Dear Lord, We have sinned.” It is easy to point out the sins of our churches but the reality is we should be crying and sighing for the abominations we see in Christianity and we should include ourselves in those prayers. We have all sinned. I believe this to be true for our country as well. We should be praying for the sins of our country and include ourselves in it as well.
We can get so caught up in being right and pointing fingers that we don’t love a Jesus loves. The only way we can love as He loved is to allow Him to love through us. But we have to surrender ourselves. If we cannot learn to speak well of and to love these people now, when things happen that affect our lives in a negative way we will not love and speak well of them.
We need to pray for our leaders. Whether they be political or church leaders.
A true Christian will be known by their love.
Dear Father,
We need Your love. It is so easy to point fingers but in reality we are not any different from those we may be pointing fingers at. We are all sinners in need of You. Help us to focus on surrendering our lives to You. Prompt us to pray for those that are leaders. You have loved us with an everlasting love; help us to do the same. We cannot do this without You. Fill us with Your love and compassion. As we see the leaders, whether leaders of the country, church or even our bosses, help us to see You hanging on the cross for them. Thank You for the love and compassion that you show each one of us.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Let’s surrender all to God and have compassion for those around us. Remember God has the final say.
Love you all.
I know what I have shared here does not seem politically correct. What are your thoughts? Please share respectfully.