Stop the anger: Today is the day of Salvation!

 

In the past, I have followed politics closely. I hardly ever missed a "State of the Union" address whether it was from "my" party or the opposition. Over the last several years, I have deliberately NOT watched this annual report of our nation. As I got up this morning and checked on the "internet news," my choice was justified. Wow! There is so much anger in our country and around the world. AND this hate and anger is fed by our leaders, ALL our leaders! The presidential election rhetoric has now officially begun! There is no compassion, no love, no joy, no peace, no compromise, and no middle ground in politics. We just move from one fiery message and confrontation to another. We vilify our opponent. We tout their many faults while we fail to remove the plank in our own eyes. It is going to be a long seven months! My advice, stay away from the political fray!

This morning as I was reading Psalm 4, I got the sense of David's own political upheaval. 

"Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him. Don't sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. Many people say, 'Who will show us better times?' Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." (Psalm 4)

From the moment David defeated Goliath, to the end of his life, he faced one battle after another. People slandered him; he was attacked mercilessly. Yet, he remained focused on the Lord. He turned to the Lord! Yes, I know of his mistakes. He made some "doozies" just like the rest of us. He overcame those mistakes. He overcame the attacks both physically and mentally, to continue his faith in the Lord. Anger did not control him. He turned to the Lord and the Lord kept him safe.

I believe it is our duty to vote. I am humbled that God has placed me in a country that has free and fair elections. But, I will not rejoin the battle of political ideologies. I do not believe God calls us to put our faith in conservative or liberal politics. Every action we take should be viewed through one lens. How am I representing the Lord to my family, friends, and community? Am I letting anger and division blind me? Are my political leanings keeping me from serving ALL the lost and helping ALL people find the Lord? The greatest sin we can commit is not loving God and not loving people. Loving God means obeying his call to be his ambassador, speaking for him in this world:

"And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's Ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it. For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.' Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 6:1,2)

We cannot  ONLY be Christ's ambassadors to people who agree with our politics! We must build bridges, genuinely love and care for our political foes, and serve ALL mankind with the hopes they will come to know Jesus. We must take the Gospel to ALL THE WORLD. We cannot ignore our call. We are partners with God, we are his ambassadors, we are his voice, and "TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!"