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Lately my heart has been so burdened by the anger, hate and division that has been happening, especially in the church. Somehow it has become acceptable to hold aggressively to our political opinions instead of loving. Some how we are holding fast to organizations who thrive on racial conflict rather than loving. When we allow these things entrance into our lives as “rights” we unconsciously step away from the Lordship of Jesus. I don’t say this to judge anyone but rather to sound a warning. I don’t wish this to come across as angry but as a plea. Church we are giving the enemy a foothold into our hearts. He is desperate to rob the authority of the sons of God by causing division. It may seem like a simple opinion but it’s not. It is a doorway where the enemy can subtly cause more harm like a cancer growing undetected. If not countered by the Holy Spirit, His kingdom thoughts and life it can take us to dark places before we even realize it. It can leave us with broken relationships, battered and embittered hearts and a lot of anger. We are called to be another kind. How will the world know of His love if we do not exhibit it? Hatred will become more and more commonplace in the world if the church falters and surrenders its authority. I am posting the quote below not as an endorsement politically but because of the disdain and justification for retribution on people.
Recently, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin said this of people who she described as President Trump’s enablers: “Shunning, shaming these people is a statement of moral indignation that these people are not fit for polite society.… It’s not only that Trump has to lose, but that all his enablers have to lose. We have to collectively, in essence, burn down the Republican Party. We have to level them because if there are survivors, if there are people who weather this storm, they will do it again.”
Regardless of which candidate you support this type of anger, hatred and division is never ok. Church we have got to take our place, we have to die to ourselves and our so called
“rights” and live the kingdom life He has called us too. We can no longer allow opinions, culture, or any difference separate us from each other or from God’s purposes. We are called to be of another kind, we are called to be His stewards of love on the earth.
I have had several conversations where I have seen these divisions come between brothers and sisters. We never want to come out and admit that in these situations we have allowed a bitter root to settle in our hearts over this but instead we decide to “pull back” or “love” from afar or some other nice way of saying break relationship. When this happens often we aren’t really open to hearing what God has to say because we feel justified in our “rights”. You notice I keep using quotes with that word and that is because we have no rights. When we accepted Jesus as Savior He also became our Lord. We now live under His kingdom principles. If Jesus, who is our example in all things, didn’t embrace politics than should we? I am not saying don’t vote but don’t let it divide, don’t let it cause disdain for people. Walk humbly in love and pray for leaders to know God. We have started to allow disdain for people of different opinions to not only be acceptable but justifiable. If Jesus reached out across racial and ethnic barriers with love shouldn’t we? Both sides of racial and cultural differences need to set aside differences and remember that regardless of our background we are brothers and sisters.
Hebrews 13:1 “keep on loving each other as brothers.”
We are called to be of another kind! We are called to be like Jesus and we can’t say that anything in this earth has given us a justifiable cause to cling to any “rights” we think we might have. Jesus hasn’t changed but we need to and to be of another kind.
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”