I’ve been trying to articulate my frustration and disappointment with what’s happened politically in America over the last several decades. Let me first say that I was part of the problem without even realizing it. My love for this country transformed into nationalism as well as elitism over anyone who didn’t see my view, even loved ones. Through the political/national security work I was involved in my mind got tainted. My heart grew hard towards my fellow man, all of mankind that was outside of my think tank. The truth is, I wasn’t the only one. In fact, this is a serious cancer in our nation and...in the Church. This involves all parties, all denominations, all races.
When we become so intent on excluding others because they think or look differently than we do we’ve grossly stepped outside of the way of the cross and the Gospel of Jesus Christ altogether. When we are willing to physically harm others, publicly slander them, disown longtime friends and family members over a difference of beliefs, ideals and political preferences we’ve completely lost sight of who Christ has called us to be and especially who Christ displayed himself to be.
We’ve strayed so far from the cross that we believe it’s appropriate to carry the Christian emblem or flag while shouting people down and condemning them to hell for thinking differently. We’ve totally missed the way of the cross and the fact that it exhibits the truth that lover conquers all. What this horrible situation has proven is that a house divided will fall. It should be enough that we believe that Jesus died for every soul and that he was resurrected, giving new life to those who believe and he is returning!
Instead of digging our heels in and insisting our political views are the only way we should be showing the love of Christ and the way to the cross. Instead of insisting on shouting out everyone else’s sin, faults and weaknesses, we should be showing them the perfect love of Jesus which cleanses each of us. Instead of insisting on our own way we should be showing THE way. We each need to do a LOT more listening and loving and LOT less hating, pointing and shaming.
Our time is running out quickly. If we truly want to see “America” (really anyone, including other nations, including our enemy) win, then it’s time to lead America (others) into humble repentance, prayer, diligently seeking the way of the cross and loving others, including our enemies. There’s no better house to begin than the House of Prayer.
Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37-39 ESV
“Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”
2 Chronicles 7:12-22 ESV
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 ESV
#faithhopeandlove #humility #love #loveconquersall #Justice #TheWayOfTheCross #Jesus #political #nationalism #pride
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