Some
Fuel Discord
I
urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and
put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.
Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their
own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.
– Romans 16:17-18
Beware of
people who tell you exactly what you want to hear. We know the truth of this
and, yet, we do it anyway. We want so badly to believe that our beliefs are
true and honorable that we ignore God’s truth in a vain attempt to justify our
hearts.
I dislike
Donald Trump. I always have. It’s not personal. I’ve never met the man. But I
can’t justify his lies, his arrogance and his commentary. Yes. I know. Only God
knows the heart so we can never truly know what lies within. That said, I do
believe James when he said that there should be evidence of faith.
Holding a Bible
and throwing out a few words doesn’t mean someone truly knows Jesus. Faith isn’t
a political mantle one can put on to gain votes and discard when it’s no longer
convenient. Faith is the firm foundation by which we live our lives. True faith
should be evident to everyone.
Faith,
however, isn’t always politically correct. Faith tells us it isn’t always about
us. Faith tells us to be good to the poor. Faith tells us to love our enemies. Faith
calls us to a life that is neither easy nor comfortable. It calls us to put
others first and that is something we simply cannot do.
Some people
will always seek to divide. They find joy and power in listening to people
argue and fight. They paint themselves in shiny armor, the hero of a story being
written. The truth is distant and troubling. They are spawns of the devil,
determined to divide God’s people and conquer the hearts of many for the one
filled with darkness.
This isn’t
about Republicans or Democrats. It’s about honesty and integrity. It’s about what
the Bible actually says rather than what we wish it would say. Every time you
look to a podium, holding that person up as savior, you have blasphemed the
true God. Every time you defend a lie, ignore a truth or spread falsehoods, you
show the darkness within your own soul.
Anger and
hatred abound among God’s people. Trump repeatedly has fueled that discord. Look
around. Everyone you see is made in God’s image. Stop talking and start
listening – to God. Draw near to Him while your heart might still be saved.
