Month: August 2023

Luke 6:35-36 CSB – But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Galatians 6:9-10 CSB – Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

As you all well know, the political landscape is incredibly contentious. Each side has a person that they support, and it seems like if you support person A, then you are required to hate person B, and vice versa. Politics has become black and white with no room for gray, no room for debate, compromise, or even acknowledgment that the other side may have a good idea or two. But what does our God say about this? If you read the above verses, you can see that he’s pretty clear on how we should respond to the “other side”. We are to love them, and work for their betterment, for the good of ALL. Not just those you agree with.

I want to be very clear on my next point. If you are putting your politics above your lord, then you are guilty of sin. When God says “Love your enemies” and you post something on Facebook making fun of the person you don’t agree with, or making fun of their family member’s struggles, or calling them derogatory names, or slandering them, you are sinning. It’s not just lighthearted fun, it’s sin.

Here’s another command:

Romans 13:1-2 CSB – Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

Another:

1 Peter 2:13-15 CSB – Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

If you combine those two sets of commands, you get a very clear directive. Love the people whom God has placed over you and respect them, even if you disagree with them. Love them, help them, and do good to them. They are placed there by God, for his purpose, and for his glory. By submitting to those who are above you, you honor God. Putting another man or woman above Christ, and letting that motivate you to sin towards another human being, is idle worship, which is something that angers God more than just about anything else. Work to honor God by how you treat others, even politicians, and you will be blessed.

 

Matthew 6:6 CSB – But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6 contains the famous scene where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray (Our Father, who art in Heaven…) Immediately prior to his example prayer, he makes an interesting statement, as referenced in the verse above. He tells us to go to a private place, with the door closed, so that we may pray to the Father in secrecy. And if you do that, your Father, who knows and sees all, will reward you.

There are a couple of reasons why Jesus commands us to pray in this way. First, it allows us to leave our egos at the door and sincerely pray to our maker without having to worry about what everyone else thinks. In those hidden places, it’s just you and the Father in unity in prayer, and no one else is there to pass any kind of judgment on what you’re facing. Second, it shows the Father that you have faith in him and in him alone. When you pray to him in secret, it means that you’re relying on him and him alone to help you with your problems. You are acknowledging that the Father is the only one who has total power over your life, and you are submitting any control that you may have to him, in faith.

Jesus commands us to do a lot of things. We’re commanded to go make disciples of all nations and peoples, we’re commanded to take care of those who cannot help themselves, and we’re commanded to turn the other cheek when someone hurts us. However, some commands, such as this one, often go overlooked but are just as vital, maybe even more so because the command also contains a promise. If you go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to the Father in secret, he will reward you. What will he reward you with? More of himself.