Okay, I’ll tell you upfront, the subject line was merely a ploy to get you to read this. I guess it worked… 🙂
Have you heard that he wanted to cancel the National Day of Prayer? I have. Lots of my friends are worried about it. And do you know, he’s never even suggested cancelling it. Actually, a right-wing nut on the radio simply made it up, which got the Christian gossip machine rolling, and now, almost everyone I know thinks it’s going to be canceled unless we stand up and fight. Amazing!
The scripture is clear about what you and I should be concerned with: ourselves!
Notice the list in 2 Corinthians 12:20 where Paul says, “I fear that there may be quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts, anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.”
Again in Galatians chapter 5, just before the list of the Fruit of the Spirit, there is the fruit of the flesh list. It includes: discord, jealousy, dissensions, factions and envy.
David in the Psalms and Solomon in the Proverbs echo nearly the exact same lists. God seems serious when he says we need to get the logs out of our eyes before we worry about a speck in someone else’s (in this case, a false speck).
Obama’s sin – some bad politics. For sure. I think he’s making some political errors. So let’s fight the battle with better politics, but NOT with slander, gossip and other sins of the tongue and heart.
Those of you who follow Jesus, lift your heads up. Out of the muck of political name-calling and ask God to give you a heart for change. Real change. The kind Jesus gives. Health care, financial reform and solving the Israeli-Palestinian issue won’t produce fruit that lasts – only God does that. And the world cannot see the fruit of that change in our lives when we’re busy bad-mouthing, gossiping and slandering. Stop!
