I’ve spent the past hour (it’s Sunday afternoon), bargaining with God because I don’t want to write this week’s post.
It’s been a busy few days and I haven’t had a topic land quite yet, but I’m getting close to being “last minute.” I was truly hoping (and praying) for something light-hearted.
Maybe a lovely post about an even lovelier couple at their lovely wedding I played the piano for this weekend. No? Then maybe something humorous featuring my crazy canines? No again? I even tried to bargain with God to give me another week to ponder this before stepping into the line of fire! But no.
When God speaks to me about my blog topics, most of the time he is crystal clear as to what I will write about. And for the large majority of those times, I’m thrilled with his clarity and the topic he’s chosen for me.
Not so this week.
The topic can be incredibly incendiary and divisive and may result in some of my readers feeling disappointed or maybe even angry about what I’m led to say. But say it I must.
I will be as gentle as I can, while still typing the words God gives me.
I want to address what most people would call today’s “political climate.” I understand why that’s an apt description, but I’m not speaking from that perspective today. I want to address this climate with a spiritual lens.
Regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, most people would conclude that there are few examples of grace being extended “across the aisles” nowadays. That’s an area of agreement regardless of where you stand.
Without naming names, or even political parties, the remainder of my message will be about how and where we turn when we need to apply Christian, biblical discernment to the times we find ourselves in. How do we navigate these tempestuous times with a Christian worldview?
The answer is simple. We turn to God’s Word, the Bible. The application is where things often fall apart.
Has it become too easy to justify behaviors, decisions, language and the positions one takes on any number of “hot potato” issues, because we can find some element of “good” in them?
Might a position align with our own, so we turn a blind eye to everything else surrounding someone?
Whether we’re looking at the broad stroke of current leadership, at all levels and both sides, or leadership from the past, what have we been willing to overlook? Are we too quick to say, “Well, at least…?”
I recognize that the Bible can often be used to justify what appears to be conflicting beliefs, particularly if something is taken out of context. Solid believers can disagree and find a few verses here and there to back up their opinions.
This post won’t attempt to work through those weeds!
For the sake of this discussion, I turn to the New Testament and the example of Jesus throughout his short ministry. And I turn to the Apostle Paul’s letters to the early churches to see how he instructed, encouraged, praised, thanked, and sometimes admonished them as they learned what it meant to be a Christian (Christ-follower) in those early days.
Jesus had a heart for the hurting and the outcasts. He showed kindness and compassion throughout his ministry. However, he displayed his righteous anger when the spiritual leaders of the day hung their hats on the details of following the law, rather than the spirit of it.
And Paul’s ministry can be summed up in his words to the church of Phillipi (Philippians 2:3-4):
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Guess what – those words and those examples still apply to the world we live in today. I realize many might question the relevance of God’s Word, but I for one, have learned to trust the universal and timeless value of the Bible.
So just how do we navigate these tumultuous times?
First of all, ask God to give you guidance and discernment. If you’re a believer, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, and that’s one of his main jobs. To help guide you into all truth.
When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13).
Then begin searching the scriptures on the topics that are most crucial to these times. Where do you get a sense of unease? Where has God opened your eyes in new areas? Is there a line, for you, that shouldn’t be crossed?
For me, it’s moral character. What we see outwardly, and what heart conditions might lead to the behaviors and the rhetoric we are witnessing. Does it align with what you’ve just read in the Bible?
Now the hard part. Again, regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, ask God to help you call out the areas that mock Jesus and what he taught. Or the myriad ways that Paul instructed the churches he loved. Don’t paint everything with one broad brush.
We can agree with decisions without endorsing the behavior and rhetoric that often accompany them.
Some final “reality check” points:
- There are no perfect leaders in this world, whether political, corporate or spiritual. So, apply grace when necessary, but don’t compromise your beliefs.
- Whoever is in a position of authority has been placed there by God for HIS purposes.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed…” (Romans 13:1-2). Learn to live within that reality, knowing that God has a firm grip on every aspect of our world.
- Don’t argue for argument’s sake. This takes a lot of discernment! It hasn’t been an easy road for me, as I try to avoid some of these conversations with friends. However, God is now calling me out, not to have a political argument, but to encourage fellow believers to search their hearts, and the scriptures, for how God wants us to navigate these tumultuous times.
Deep breath!
Thank you for walking through this with me. Please know that I truly love my friends, regardless of their beliefs, but God has made it clear that I’m also responsible for speaking truth in some uncomfortable circumstances. I pray you can extend grace to me as well!
Feel free to follow up with me personally, if you feel so led. I ask that this not become a public debate.
Speaking the truth in love,
we are to grow up in every way into him.
Ephesians 4:15