A Nation Divided, a Faith United

 

Depending on who you talk to, the United States of America is either on the verge of collapse and chaos or on the cusp of a new era of effectiveness and glory.

Depending on which political party has captured a person's allegiance, the United States of America is led by either a narcissistic megalomaniac or a genius visionary.

One thing is for sure, though.

The United States of America is NOT united.

But that's not what concerns me today. The issue that brings me to my computer with a heavy heart is that the conflict and division I've just described is not only affecting politics.

There are men and women...people who are doing their best to love Jesus...who have built figurative walls between each other because of what they think about government spending and executive orders.

With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.

James 3:9-10 CSB

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Truth is...Politicians whither and governments fade away. Entire nations rise and fall. But there is only one name known to mankind by which we must be saved. Only one who has promised and proven to be with us always...even to the end of the age. I pledge to keep the main thing the main thing. I will continue to lift up Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, as each soul's savior, and I look forward to seeing him draw everyone to himself.

Light vs Darkness: No Contest

 

First John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

What I am about to say may seem controversial, but I am convinced of its truth:

There is no such thing as darkness.

What we think of as darkness is just an absence of light. For instance, we have these magical sticks where you can press a button or click a switch and a beam of light shoots out. They are called flashlights.

However...

There is no such thing as a flashdark.

And contrary to what some movie reviews may say, there is no classic contest between dark and light. You turn on a flashlight and the beam of light doesn't struggle to get out. It doesn't have to slowly and with much effort push back the darkness.

No.

When it comes to darkness. Whenever light shows up, light wins!

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Truth is...That's the way it is with Yahweh, too. What did John say? "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin!" Let the light of God reach every remote corner of your soul and you can celebrate being purified from all sin!

Learning from Experience

 

If you're in the middle of a pickle or located in another fine mess and in need of some confident hope, you could do a lot worse than turning to the Psalms. Often, King David exudes confidence in Yahweh's loving care for him.

Case in point, Psalm 27:1-3 (CSB)...

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

whom should I dread?

2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,

my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army deploys against me,

my heart will not be afraid;

though a war breaks out against me,

I will still be confident.

Why is David so fearless?

The answer is right there in the middle two lines. David could review his personal history and recall times when God came through for him. Yahweh had helped him...indeed, saved him...in the past. There is no reason to suspect Yahweh will fail him in the future.

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Truth is...Past protection leads to current confidence.

Sure As Hell

 

Once considered foul language but now, apparently, barely eliciting a PG rating, the phrase "sure as hell" strikes me as...well...odd.

The phrase is meant to express that the person is absolutely sure about something or is 100% convinced of something, but I mostly hear it being spoken by someone who I'm not convinced is all that sure there even IS a hell.

Now Jesus...he could use the phrase with integrity because he often talked with certainty about the existence of a realm where God is absent and weeping and gnashing of teeth is present. But I just can't imagine Jesus trying to convince his listeners of the surety of a future event by saying something like, "And it's as sure as hell that I'll be with you always."

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Truth is...I'm pretty sure that some of you are at least a little uncomfortable, perhaps even offended, by this train of thought. And I can't say I really blame you. But I'm as sure as all get out that Jesus understands my warped curiosity and lack of filter and will continue refining me until the new Jerusalem arrives. My prayer is that you desire the same thing for yourself.

Why Do We Wander?

 

A former co-worker messaged me out of the blue:

Asking for myself  -  why do we sometimes wander from God? Why do we get caught up in the world? Just some deep thoughts this morning.

My response:

Deep in the realm of My Personal Take here, but I do think these thoughts are Scripturalesque-ish. We sometimes wander from God because we are bent toward sin. Our human nature is one that wants its own way. We are NOT basically nice people who sometimes "make mistakes". Without Jesus, we are dead set against the things and ways of God. And I do mean dead.

Now, when we accept Jesus' work on the cross, we are instantly forgiven and justified...just as if I'd never sinned. But the work of being sanctified, actually being made holy, is a longer process. We LEARN to walk in step with the Spirit, but there are many missteps along the way.

The ways of the world are right here in our face 24/7 and we ARE called to be in the world...just not to be OF the world. To live in the midst of something but not accept its wrong motives/desires/priorities is challenging.

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Truth is...I am grateful for this opportunity to focus on the fundamentals of faith. It reminds me to be thankful for Yahweh's everlasting love and overwhelming grace.

Muhammad Ali Poem Packs a Punch

 

Yes, I know World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali was a Muslim, but that doesn't preclude his poem about truth from being worth considering. Put this in the same category as Paul quoting Greek philosophers in his sermon on Mars Hill.

The face of truth is open

The eyes of truth are bright

The lips of truth are ever closed

The head of truth is upright

The breast of truth stands forward

The gaze of truth is straight

Truth has neither fear nor doubt

Truth has patience to wait

The words of truth are touching

The voice of truth is deep

The law of truth is simple:

All you sow you reap

The soul of truth is flaming

The heart of truth is warm

The mind of truth is clear

And firm through rain and storm

Facts are but its shadows

Truth stands above all sin

Great be the battle of life

Truth in the end shall win

The image of truth is the cross

Wisdom's message is its rod

The sign of truth is Christ

The soul of truth is God

Life of truth is eternal

Immortal is its past

The power of truth will endure

Truth shall hold to the last

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Truth is...If I were given the task of editing this, I would change the third line to "The lips of truth are NEVER closed," but it still is a fitting personification. Almost as good as fixing our eyes on Jesus: the way, the truth, and the life.

James Taylor and My Identity Crisis

 

I recently had a kind of cultural identity crisis.

Because of a song snippet that came tumbling out of my mouth, I discovered a twenty-something co-worker of mine has no idea who James Taylor is. So I strolled over to a thirty-something co-worker and said, "Guess what. Twenty-something Gal doesn't know who James Taylor is."

To which, Mr. Thirty-something replied, "Who?"

So I clarified, "Twenty-something Gal...right there."

Only to be gobsmacked by hearing, "No...I mean who is James Taylor?"

"You know...'Fire and Rain,' 'You've Got a Friend,' 'How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You'?"

Nothing but blank stares.

When I told all this to Beloved, she pointed out that those songs are all around 50 years old and asked how many songs from the 20s did I know when I was in MY twenties?

So I did a little research and found out she was spot on.

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There is a pastoral application for this. When I'm talking to an individual with little to no church background, or addressing a group that could very well include such individuals, if I say something like "You know, it's like in the parable of the sheep and the goats," I could very well be met with blank stares.

Truth is...Never assume everyone knows what you know or has experienced what you have experienced.