Skip to main content

Not Divided - Set Apart

Every morning that the sun rises and the moon and the stars fade into the background, the Lord's mercy for us is renewed...

"Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:23-24 (NLT)

But as His children created in His image,... do we have mercy in our heart for another?

It's easy to get a little off course these days with so many things attempting to pull us in different directions. But "a little" off course... is off course. And being off even by a little can lead us to a destination we never intended over time.

We're human, so it's no surprise to anyone that we're tempted to be intrigued by humanly interesting things. For our potentially consuming pleasure as humans, there are personal interests, group interests (which can include ideological, religious, ethnic, and a host of other "groups"), national interests and even global interests just waiting to grab our attention. Each one of them presents opportunities for us to be both divided and divisive. Additionally, at times it seems like the sponsor of each and every available interest is anxious to win our allegiance to the available "cause" of the moment, so it's not too hard to understand how we might allow ourselves to feel pulled in different directions. But in the midst of all of those different possible paths, ... as "followers" of Christ, there's really only one path that we should be following and only one interest that we owe complete loyalty to - a path marked by some very disciplined footsteps and a consuming and overriding interest that should unite us all.

"The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."  John 15:19 (NLT)

To hate sin as God does is not wrong,... but as "followers" of Christ, do we love the sinner as He does? In the moments that could divide us and perhaps even spark our anger, in those moments of tempting worldly divisiveness, do we choose to reflect and share the grace that we ourselves are such awesome beneficiaries of? Do we have grace for a differing opinion or does it evoke a war of words? Does the forgiven forgive, or bring judgment on his own head (Matthew 18:21-35)? What matters in God's economy - what has value? People matter, hearts matter and the people contrary to us are as desired by God as we are, so we need to take care in how we respond to them if we respect Him. It's easy to react to some things in the worldly life around us quite vocally (and for some even less controlled - physically), but the cure and resolution to the world's division - however inviting a fight it may be, isn't our bringing more fuel to add to the worldly fire of division... And social media has not only the ability, but also the propensity to become a bonfire if we let it.

The Apostle Paul:
"In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.


Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."   2 Timothy 2:20-26 (NLT)

If we allow this world to be our first and foremost focus, then by inheritance we may find ourselves heirs to all of the troubles and fears that the world and its governments have to offer. But, if we make submitting ourselves to the governance of the God who created us our first and overriding focus as He ordained it to be, then this world and it's troubles are no longer our concern. As we submit as citizens of the higher government of our God, certainly our desire will and should be for what He desires and wills, but we allow that the battle is sovereignly His - and He does not and never will, ever fail.


"The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline: Let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORD’s demands. Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love." Lamentations 3:25-32 (NLT)

Jesus:
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 (NLT)

We're not powerless, but instead become ultimately powerful both with and through Christ Jesus when we find our right place... on our knees before Him.
Peace.


"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Judging, Judgment And Judge...

"I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” John 12:46-50 (NLT) A lot is said these days about "judging", but in the midst of that popular societal buzz and the assertive comments that come with that conversation, I have a question: If God has called something sin and we simply agree with what He's said,... are we judging or just repeating and declaring the truth? When He walked the earth, Jesus spoke about judging and He pointed out the danger of our judging...  “Do not judge other...

An Observance And Observing True Reality...

As Easter approaches, I begin once again considering how our God sees our observance of an occasion as I always do and also what He might truly desire of us in observance above any of our trivial, man inspired traditions . What I come away with in firm conviction is the understanding that the most trivial of my sins, the least of my crimes against God, had the power to forever damn me in His judgment of me and send me into unending torment. And that knowing this one thing in truth and as reality, is key to my correct posture before God in honor of His purpose in the event. That key being the horror of knowing that the price of my very least sin was the shedding of my Christ Jesus' blood and His horrible suffering, because the reality of this brings the deep rending of my heart in awe and gratitude and it makes possible my true joy at the relief of my sentence because of what He has done. I believe this is a part of what God would desire from us in observance of Christ's death a...

What If...

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. "  Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJ) I'm not one who appreciates the stoking of fear for the sake of it or unnecessarily. There are enough things in this life to keep people concerned and even constantly fearful if they subscribe to them. I would like though, to take a moment to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ and any others who will take a little time to read this and give it some serious consideration because the subject has real   potential  consequences and there's still time to address any issues that we find upon reflection... If you were made aware that   sometime in the next hour  your life on earth was ...