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The Voting is Over, November 2, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

We are in the week of our election in the United States. Depending on when you’re listening, we are choosing tomorrow, have chosen, or are awaiting news of who garnered the most electoral votes and will sit in the Oval Office on January 20^th. Will it make a difference to the country? I’m not sure.

In the last few decades, we polarized ourselves to such a degree I’m not sure anyone can bring us together unless we, as a people, choose to stand up as a whole and demand change from within. Jesus described our political parties well from his description of the political parties of his day when he said in Matthew 23:

²‘The scribes and Pharisees,’ he said, ‘sit on the seat of Moses. ³So you must do whatever they tell you, and keep it, but don’t do the things they do. You see, they talk but they don’t do. ⁴They tie up heavy bundles which are difficult to carry, and they dump them on people’s shoulders – but they themselves aren’t prepared to lift a little finger to move them!

⁵‘Everything they do is for show, to be seen by people. Yes, they make their prayer-boxes large and their prayer-tassels long, ⁶and they love the chief places at dinners, the main seats in the synagogues, ⁷the greetings in the market-places, and having people call them “Rabbi.” (Matthew 23: 2-7 NTE)

Take a look at what goes on within the political arena in Washington. We’ve had so little happen for the people in the last 20 years unless it brought attention to the bill’s author. We hear about Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, but if you read the 10,000 pages of its legislation, it’s not much different from the Trump Healthcare plan except for the act’s regulation. They both provide the same care to those who can’t afford it. They both ensure pre-existing conditions are covered. They both try to reduce unpredictable and uncontrollable costs.

The big difference is in the regulation. The Republican Party doesn’t like big government, so gets rid of regulation whenever it can, which means getting rid of government oversight and government jobs. The Democratic Party favors big government and management and adds regulation and government jobs. The two have much more in common than in differences. But we don’t read the 14,000 pages of legal jargon, so we don’t know that. We only hear what each side tells us through their media, and we buy their stories.

I’m thrilled we finally turned out to vote this year and discovered the importance of letting our voices be heard in an election. Maybe we won’t crawl into a hole until the next general election but will instead continue to provide a voice through letters, calls, attendance at local venues with our representatives in the local, state, and federal legislatures to let them know what we think. We have let them run amuck far too long. It’s our fault the right and left have grown so far apart. We have failed as citizens to reign them in and make them sit down at the table and discuss meaningful compromises that will do what we want them to do. They are our representatives, not our kings, our princes, or bosses. They should be giving voice to what we want, not what they want.

How do we make that happen? When they fail to voice our concerns and a more moderate line, which is what I think most Americans would prefer, we should vote them out of office and replace them with someone who will listen to our voice. Recalls can still happen when our representatives fail to follow what we insist they do. Our laws allow us and demand us to take such action for the good of the citizens they represent. But we must stay involved and informed if we plan to do those things.

We can’t blindly take the word of what we have found to be a significantly biased media. Both left and right spin their stories to inflame the other side. Now we see both sides of social media intentionally censor their clientele to ensure only one side gets told on their platform. As Christians, how are we to overcome this divide that plagues our nation?

First, recognize what is happening. As Jesus said, “A house divided cannot stand.” If we continue to allow the media and our politicians to inflame the populace along far-right and far-left ideologies, America will dissolve as a democracy. We cannot continue to survive as a nation under these conditions. Nor can we survive as a far-left or far-right nation. Neither side will meet the needs of the majority. The radical fringe ideologies that both sides propose daily will destroy what we built over the last 244 years. Both extremes are wrong. Both sides lay burdens on the backs of the people they are not willing to carry themselves. Note the exemptions Congress gives itself regarding the laws it enacts for the rest of us concerning taxes, healthcare, banking laws, salary for life after serving just one term, and many other regulations that burden the people but not them.

Second, pray that God will intervene and soften the hearts of the men and women in our elected positions, that they will listen to his voice and act accordingly. Pray that he will hear our prayers and heal our land. Pray that he will bring safety to our country; that he will return a sense of humanity to the hearts of both sides of the aisles in our legislators at all levels of government. Pray that the radical actors burning our cities and committing violence against innocent citizens will stop, repent, and discover God.

Third, find out the facts about what our governments at local, state, and federal levels are doing. Don’t listen to the news outlets, but instead, get involved and read the legislative bodies’ official records. Go to the public documents that record the legislation and the votes of those who represent you. See how they acted, not what they said. It’s often interesting the differences you find in the two. You don’t get prosecuted for lying to the press, but you do when you perjure yourself in court or Congress. So read the official records.

Fourth, vote for the individuals who act according to what you think is right for the community at large. Don’t vote based on what you hear in ad campaigns or what the media splashes across their platform. As we have seen in the campaigns this year, both sides do their best to take one statement, spin it a million different ways, and try to trash their opponent. This has nothing to do with how they will help you or your community. So, vote for the person who acts to do what is right for the community at large. That is what democracy is about—doing the majority’s will while protecting the few’s rights.

Next, get involved. Go to the meetings your representatives hold—Voice your opinions and concerns. Ensure your representatives carry out the will of the people, not their agenda. They represent the majority that put them in office, not some isolated group somewhere, or at least that is how our government is supposed to work. When they fail to meet your expectations, vote them out of office. Don’t let politicians continue to hold offices that fail to carry out the will of the majority. Hold them accountable for their promises.

Finally, force your representatives to sit down at the table and listen to the other side. Find the commonalities between the two. Negotiate a reasonable plan that will satisfy both sides. We don’t need to operate on the far left or far right. In fact, we should probably never find ourselves living in either space. Find a moderate compromise that takes both sides’ best and legislates a sensible plan free of all the add-on amendments that too often cause good bills to fail. Get involved as one not driven by either extreme to let your voice, driven by the King of kings, be heard.

The voting is over. Right now, the country is in turmoil, and it’s our fault as Americans, as silent Christians. We have not played our part as good citizens. It’s time we do what we should and let our voices be heard so that the King of kings can rule this nation along with all the others. It’s time to participate in politics and tell those the country elected to do the right thing and make sure they do. Remember, separation of church and state was always to keep the government out of the church, not keep the church out of government. We need to raise our voice and let God back into the running of our country. It’s our fault as Christians we are where we are today. We can help fix it if we dare.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Love is Key, October 26, 2020

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. We think we progressed so much over the last centuries, but I’m not so sure. When we think of Jesus’ day and the early Christian church, we too often think of the Middle-ages with its feudal systems and the monks and monasteries. But the first century found itself embroiled in Rome’s politics, and in Israel, the fight between the different factions within the Jewish religion.

We think we have a divide between the Republicans and Democrats here, and we do. In recent years, we managed to tear each other apart until now we have come to the point of both extremist sides protesting anything the other says with violence, riots, burning down innocent victims’ property, shootings, and killings. We have become maniacal in our drive to push our agenda without listening to the other side.

Jesus’ day didn’t appear much different. The Sadducees held the seats of power. They had the honored seat of the priesthood and the powerful reign as chief priest. What the chief priest decreed; the people obeyed at risk of their eternal soul. But problems erupted in the politics of the arrangement.

The Sadducees gained their position through violence when the Maccabees overthrew the Seleucids, and the Hasmonean dynasty began. The Pharisees and Sadducees’ views were about as opposite as the Democrats and Republicans. And they hated each other about as much as the two parties seem to hate each other today.

The Sadducees, considered conservative among Jews because of their strict adherence to the Law of Moses, accepted only the first five books of scripture as authoritative. They believed heartily in an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth punishment. They did not recognize a final resurrection or many other rituals or details of the Law the Pharisees believed because they accepted only the Torah.

Despite their conservative approach to Judaism, their wealth, power, and cooperation with Rome labeled them Hellenistic. The people despised them and looked for ways to overthrow their tight rule over the priesthood. Several sects grew out of the populace, including the more familiar Essenes and Pharisees.

If the Sadducees were the far-right in Jesus’ day, the Pharisees represented the far-left. They wanted to overthrow the current reign of the Sadducees and take control of the priesthood. The Pharisees believed in all the scriptures’ authority in the current Hebrew Bible, which includes the Wisdom Books and the Prophets. They believe in bodily resurrection, after which a final judgment will separate God’s chosen people and proselytes to Israel’s God and reward them in the ‘age to come.’

While appearing pious and godly in public, the Pharisees funded, plotted, and planned several revolts to overthrow the Sadducees and the Roman occupation to rid the nation of both entities. The Pharisees would gladly break their own laws to rid the country of their enemies, no matter who they were.

Politics! Isn’t amazing how we have not changed in 2,000 years—party attacking party. Behind the scenes, action stirring up trouble to do more name-calling and pointing out flaws than announcing what the party stands for and how it will accomplish what it says it will do for the people. Dirt uncovered or made up and splashed across whatever grapevine is handy. Say it enough times, and it must be true, right? Have the right person announce it, and it must be true, right? Put it on the right platform, and it must be true, right? We have become so gullible on both sides; quite frankly, we are pretty pathetic as a nation when it comes to politics.

One difference between the Sadducees and Pharisees and our political parties now is that at least they came together for one purpose – to get rid of Jesus. Here’s one example out of many that didn’t work.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40 NIV)

The Sadducees tried to trapped Jesus with their question about marriage at the resurrection. Jesus confirms the resurrection but blasts their misunderstanding of what the resurrection is like and their misunderstanding about scriptures, declaring God is God of the living, not the dead. The Sadducees slink away defeated. So their enemies, the Pharisees, take up the battle against Jesus at the Temple.

This scene is different to me because I see so little common ground among the people we send to Washington, the politicians. I know it is not true of the neighbors around me, or the people who live across town from me, or the owners of the stores downtown or their workers. I know it’s not true of the average American citizen. I believe deep inside, most of us have a lot more in common than we have against each other.

Like the people in almost every country I’ve visited, I believe most of us want a few things in life. We want a stable economy and standard of living that makes us comfortable, not necessarily rich or wealthy. We want our kids to have a better life than we did. We want to know we can walk the streets at night without the risk of being mugged or killed. We want to sleep at home in safety. We want to worship in the way we choose without ridicule, harassment, or government involvement. We want basic services at a reasonable cost, police, fire, water, sewage, healthcare, and the like. We want honest men and women in elected positions who serve the people instead of growing their bank accounts on the people’s backs.

Christians should live as good citizens of the country where they live, act as the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and do something about injustice, poverty, and crime. But Christians must also live as citizens of the Kingdom of God first. That is our true citizenship, and it means we must live by Jesus’ commands. All authority in heaven and earth is placed in him, and his command is given in the verses we just read. Love God and love your neighbor. Elsewhere Jesus tells us you can’t love the invisible God you can’t see; if you don’t love your neighbor, you can see.

Does name-calling fall within the rights of a Kingdom of God citizen? I don’t think so. Does rioting fall within those rights? I don’t think so. Does violence against another meet the criteria? Again, not according to what I see in Jesus. We need to stand up for what is right, but not in the way it happens on Facebook or some of our streets today. Even what we see on C-Span or the news outlets, how interviews, or more like interrogations, are handled, they do not reflect a citizen of the Kingdom spirit. Am I judging? Yes. I think when we see behavior clearly violating the spirit of God’s law, that’s not judging the heart. I can’t see a person’s heart and cannot evaluate a person’s state before God. But I can certainly identify behavior so outlandishly against what Jesus would accept in his Kingdom.

It’s time we stop and think before we act. If we are children of the Kingdom, we need to act like it. We need to share the gospel, not hatred. We need to remind ourselves and others that Jesus was crucified, died, and buried. He was raised from the dead and is alive, sitting as King of the world. Put your faith and hope in him. Pray a lot about this election. Go and vote your conscience. Someone will win, someone will lose in this election, but it doesn’t change the real ruler. That will never change. Jesus is and always will be the King of kings.

One day, ‘every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus is the Lord.’ There is no other.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

Fake News, August 31, 2020

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Well, it feels like we’re snowed in one more day in Central Texas. The coronavirus seems to make it feel like that, anyway. People are staying indoors a lot more than they used to. But folks are learning to get around a little better with social distancing. Schools opened in many areas with varying degrees of success – some with masks, some without, some online, and some hybrid in-person and online. These are strange times, indeed.

At least in San Antonio, our hospital census continues to drop from COVID-19 cases. The danger stays with us, and we can expect another spike with school starting, but we hope trends continue with kids less susceptible to the disease. Then with good hygiene practices, we hope families can keep it from spreading from the schools to their homes. We will soon see.

Of course, fall and winter are almost here, with the expectation of a second wave of the virus. Scientists talk about a vaccine, but getting one in 12 to 18 months when they usually take 11 to 14 years to pass FDA standards makes one a little leery of what might come out of the laboratories. How effective will they be, and what side effects will they have that are unknown after just a few months of testing?

The pandemic in this country seems like the good news right now. The thing that fills the headlines everyday concerns the politics of the riots and upcoming elections. What’s suddenly different about the post office that delivery might be delayed by weeks? Why do they need to $25 billion when they asked for $2.5 billion, and their profits and cash flow have been positive for the last five years? But since the newscasts tell us they can’t deliver the mail, it must be true, despite their balance sheet figures and their ability to fill my box with enough junk mail to fill my 70-gallon recycle bin every week.

I mentioned last week, we need to stop listening to the news and social media and do our homework. This is one of those areas. Find the numbers and the statistics about the Postal Service testimonies that go to the Government Accounting Office, not the questions that make it to C-SPAN, and you’ll see an interesting picture. It’s also interesting to read the Congressional Budget. That’s the legislative branch that spends our money. Talk about fascinating reading! It is unbelievable where taxes go every year.

Enough about that. Time to turn toward the words that hit me from the lectionary this week. Paul wrote to Christians in Rome to talk about how they should act living in that pagan city. The church felt heavy persecution. The Roman government wanted to destroy mystic religions, defined as those worshipers did not bow to idols crafted for their gods. Any invisible god was no god to them. Christians and Jews were particularly singled out as atheists because they believed in a single god. How could one God control the world? It required pleasing a pantheon of gods to make sure things progressed correctly.

Paul had this to say in Romans chapter 12:

⁹Love must be real. Hate what is evil, stick fast to what is good. ¹⁰Be truly affectionate in showing love for one another; compete with each other in giving mutual respect. ¹¹Don’t get tired of working hard. Be on fire with the spirit. Work as slaves for the Lord. ¹²Celebrate your hope; be patient in suffering; give constant energy to prayer; ¹³contribute to the needs of God’s people; make sure you are hospitable to strangers.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless them, don’t curse them. ¹⁵Celebrate with those who are celebrating, mourn with the mourners. ¹⁶Come to the same mind with one another. Don’t give yourselves airs, but associate with the humble. Don’t get too clever for yourselves.

¹⁷Never repay anyone evil for evil; think through what will seem good to everyone who is watching. ¹⁸If it’s possible, as far as you can, live at peace with all people. ¹⁹Don’t take revenge, my dear people, but allow God’s anger room to work. The Bible says, after all, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.’ ²⁰No: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile up burning coals on his head.’ ²¹Don’t let evil conquer you. Rather, conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 NTE)

The emperor didn’t know what to do with that. How do you persecute people who are feeding the poor, the widows, and orphans? How do you get the populace to turn against individuals who refuse to fight back when attacked? How do you get a Roman soldier to think it okay to run a spear through a mother who gives him a blessing as he does so?

Love wins. Unfortunately, what we see in social media and on the streets of our cities today is not love. We see a lot of hate. The riots, violence, destruction, disregard for human life in our major cities, says we don’t care about each other. And too often I see some of those actions coming from people who call themselves Christians. I am not God, but I expect many of those will be among that crowd. Jesus turns away and says, “I never knew you.”

And they will say, “But didn’t we bomb abortion clinics in your name? Didn’t we face the mob in your name? Didn’t we defend our rights in your name? Didn’t we stand up for our laws in your name? Didn’t we march in the streets for your name? Didn’t we scream at midnight as the voice for the voiceless in your name? Didn’t we try to right injustice in your name? Didn’t we try to rid the world of socialism in your name? Didn’t we try to swing the vote right or left in your name? Didn’t we…?”

And he will retort, “Sorry, I never knew you. You might have used my name, but my name means grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, just as I showed you. You never showed those characteristics in your zeal for what was right in your own eyes. Now I stand in judgment. I never knew you. Turn aside.”

It doesn’t matter which side of the issue you support. Going about solving it in unchristian ways still results in unchristian behavior and brings consequences. Paul tells us to love. Replace evil with good. In fact, he says to go further than that. He says if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. Let God be your avenger. He will do a much better job in the end, anyway. His justice is perfect. Ours is not.

So, here is your homework. It might be really boring, but it is really important. You will hear about some crisis happening in the government today or tomorrow that is about to make some department collapse. Don’t listen to any news reporter or pundit talk about it. Instead, go to the official reports of that department, the one they must give to Congress and the Budget Office. Not their talking notes, but their report that goes into the record. Take the time to read it. See what about their numbers say. You’ll probably find that both sides take pieces out of the report to fit their agenda. They will use one chart or one graph to make their point, whether representative of the whole report or not.

Fake news? Yep. Both sides of the fence. That’s why this year, more than any before, we have to do our homework for every candidate. Know who they are and what they stand for. Find the one who demonstrates love for their enemies, who returns good for evil. That’s the person you want. But don’t trust the media’s take on who that person is. Find out for yourself. Do your homework. And while you’re at it, pour a little good on your neighborhood.

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What you can give our nation (Luke 20:23-25) December 27, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Esther 1-5

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 20:23-25
Jesus: Why are you trying to trick Me? Show Me a coin. Whose image and name are on this coin?
Chief Priests, Religious Scholars, and Elders: Caesar’s.
Jesus: Well then, you should give to Caesar whatever is Caesar’s, and you should give to God whatever is God’s.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve been thinking a lot the last year about how distorted our views are about what Jesus thought about governments. We’ve just been through one of the most tumultuous election cycles in our 240 year history with both sides screaming about the unfair system. Both winners and losers claim problems at the polls with voter identification fraud, or the need for voter identification in the first place. Claims that dead people vote, some stealing votes by using someone else’s identity, non-citizens voting, broken or hacked machines, boxes of ballots not counted. There has been an incredible scandal about he whole system.

Then people decry the electoral college and how fair or unfair it might be. Of course the sparsely populated areas of the country think the electoral college is extremely fair, otherwise they would have no voice in the country. The overly populated areas of the country think the electoral college is extremely unfair, because as we’ve seen the majority doesn’t always rule. And then some think we should have a completely democratic system while some think we should be socialist.

Well, one of the great things I like about reading God’s word over and over and particularly concentrating on Jesus’ words these last several months, He never supports or condemns any particular form of government. Have you ever noticed that? Jesus had a few things to say about unjust rulers, but not about their form of government. He called King Herod, “that old fox”, but didn’t say the Roman Empire or the regents and kings, as Herod liked to be called, were necessarily good or bad forms of government.

In fact, God’s words tells us that governments exist at His pleasure to assist human society to live in community. Since we have proven we cannot rule ourselves with decency because of our selfishness, He puts kings and authorities over us to rule us and keep some order in our communities instead of leaving us to the chaos that would erupt if left to our own devices. I don’t think God cares much whether that government is a democracy or dictatorship. I think what He would prefer is a theocracy with Him in charge.

Our problem is, we won’t give Him that place in our communities. Whether we’re talking about cities, states, or nations, I don’t know of a single place on earth right now that gives God sovereignty. We take it from Him. Or at least we try to, thinking we can do a better job of managing our affairs that God. We’ve done a pretty lousy job, though. Just look around at the mess we’ve made. We can’t get along with anyone. We can’t even get along in our own families if you look at the divorce rates, the incidents of spouse and child abuse, the domestic violence, and even the murders within families.

So what should we do about the mess we’ve made with the governments we live under? We are about to start a new year in a few days and an opportunity to start a new season, with a new president in this country, whether you voted for him or against him. We will have a new congress with new senators and new representatives, whether you voted for them or against them. But the interesting thing is that you just happened to be born into this particular country at this particular time with these particular leaders and we can do one of two things.

We can pray for them and ask God to help them make godly decisions and guide our country toward revival using each of us who claim to be followers of Christ as the instruments of revival fire. Or we can belly-ache about the conditions and how unfair the system is and how the side we’re not on politically just doesn’t understand and how gullible they are to the untruths the media spews our way. (By the way, that works whether you are Democrat or Republican or Independent.)

As for me, I feel privileged to live in this particular country and have prayed for my presidents whether they have been the party of my choice or not. Whether I have agreed with them or not. Whether I voted for them or desired for them to take that seat of power or not. Because it really isn’t up to me or you or the 120 million people who voted as to who will sit in what some think of as the seat of power. It’s not for us to give to them. It’s not for them to take or earn or buy. God puts into those positions the people He wants into those positions. Sometimes He even lets us have what we deserve. Ouch! Scary thought, huh!

Make it a point, whatever your political persuasion the rest of this year and the next to pray for our leaders. They need it. We need them to know as Christians we lift them each day in prayer in a positive way. That, more than anything else you do this year, will make a difference in our political system and our nation.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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Try on those new eyes (Luke 13:15-16) November 25, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Malachi

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 13:15-16
Jesus: You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus didn’t have much room for people like the hypocrites He spoke to in today’s scripture. It’s the problem that became very obvious across the country this year in all the political drama on both sides of the aisle. People saying one thing and doing another. People declaring they are one thing but living another. People saying they want all of us to abide by certain laws but then not living up to them themselves.

That became the major emphasis of both major presidential candidate’s campaigns this year, did you notice? Neither laid out a platform of how they would help the country recover from the degradation we have slid into over the last several decades. Neither had a plan to raise the moral and ethical state that has robbed us of our innocence and has caused our children to be sold into slavery to sex and drugs and immoral vices that only which a miracle from God can free them.

Both could only blast the other about how they broke the laws of the country and were themselves a blight on society and lied to the people about each others moral character and inability to lead the country. And probably at least half of all that was said is right. I’m not sure we saw any candidates in the long list of people who spent millions of dollars in campaign ads were morally and ethically worthy of our votes. Our country has really come to that point in its slide toward debachery, self-centeredness, and evil, I’m sorry to say.

All you need to do is look at the number of laws and programs that Congress imposes on us,the citizens of the country, but excludes them, the legislators, to understand how true Jesus words are today. Obamacare doesn’t apply to Congress or many other special interest groups. Many of the tax laws exclude our government representatives. Special traffic laws, parking permits, and housing rules apply to our government leaders for the purpose of their protection, but more often for the purpose of their indulgence if the truth were told. And the list goes on.

But frankly, those things have been around since way before our Constitution was formed, way before Jesus talked about it with those Pharisees, way before the Romans came into power. That hypocrisy has been around since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. Men and women have this selfish side to them that says I want something you have or I have something I don’t want you to have and I’ll do anything necessary to keep you from it. Even kill. And so this evil springs up and we see the difference in the haves and have-nots everywhere.

Socialism thought it could blot it out, but it couldn’t. The Soviet Union was that great social experiment and it lasted a whole 70 years before it collapsed on itself. People say China’s socialist society works, but it doesn’t. It’s really not very socialist. It still operates under the rules of the ancient dynasties more than it does socialism so you have the elites in halls of power and the peasants who feed everyone else.

The same is true in the church, unfortunately. We find those who would impose what they think is God’s will on others but will not follow the same course of action for themselves. They are fast to see the errors that others are making and are quick to declare God’s wrath on all who might disobey those rules laid down for others to follow, but don’t see the hypocrisy in their own actions by failing to show God’s mercy and grace when that’s what He extends to everyone who will come to Him with a repentant heart.

And too often in the church today, we are much like those political candidates. Instead of providing the answers to those who come to us in need of forgiveness for their sins, we only point out the darkness in their heart. We know the answers they seek. We know that Jesus can heal their brokenness and clean up their lives. But instead of providing the solutions to the problems they face, we only point out the ugliness we see. We only point out the past mistakes and dredge up every mistake we can find. We look hard to find the weakness and failure and sin when what we should see in others is what God sees…His image, potential, His creation, a child ready for adoption into His family and His kingdom.

Will we ever learn to see with Jesus’ eyes? We can. All we need to do is give ourselves to Him. Let Him be Master and Savior and Lord. When we do, we see things, and particularly people, in a whole new way. Try on those new eyes and see how different things can look.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The divide is worse than you think (Luke 12:49-53) November 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Peter

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 12:49-53
Jesus: This is serious business we’re involved in. My mission is to send a purging fire on the earth! In fact, I can hardly wait to see the smoke rising. I have a kind of baptism to go through, and I can’t relax until My mission is accomplished! Do you think I’ve come with a nice little message of peace? No way. Believe Me, My message will divide. It will divide a household of five into three against two or two against three. It will divide father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

It’s ironic, isn’t it, that Jesus calls us to unity, but His message divides households, communities, families, because of His message. We are learning about division in our country right now. Over the last few years and especially in the last several months we have seen how politics can cause divide in even violent ways in what is supposed to be a peaceful process. We always prided ourselves as a nation in the way we transitioned from one leadership team to another so peacefully. But as you watch the actions that have happened in the last couple of weeks with protests that have turned violent, police injured as they try to intervene to keep traffic moving in critical areas of cities, some protests turning to near riots with multiple injuries as people vent their anger and hatred toward one side or the other, we begin to wonder if our democratic experiment will continue.

But the divide that Jesus causes between believers and non-believers is even greater. We will get over our political divide. We will figure out how to get past the next four or eight years and although there will be some rough days ahead, everything will work out and the sun will come up, we will still pay taxes, and most of us will obey the laws. Those that don’t will probably find themselves suffering the consequences of their actions as they face courts that determine their fate. But we will survive the political upheaval.

The spiritual divide, though, is one that can not be bridged. That chasm cannot be crossed by human means. The only way across that space is a transformation in thinking. Believing in Jesus for salvation. Only through faith in His sacrificial death can we cross from one side to the other. He is the only bridge and there is no other. And that divide between believers in Jesus resurrection power to save us from our sins and those who do not believe in His power to do so is a divide that will last through eternity once we pass through that veil called death. That will just be the beginning of the separation between believers and non-believers.

But in this world, in the here and now, we have an opportunity to reach out to those who are doomed to reside on the wrong side of that chasm and introduce them to the one who can bridge the gap for them. We can introduce them to the Savior. But that’s all we can do. We can’t save anyone. We can’t be the bridge for anyone. We can’t make the final decision for anyone. All we can do is testify to the change Jesus makes in our lives today. That’s it. That’s all we can do.

But that’s all the disciples could do, too. They couldn’t save anyone. They couldn’t make the decision to believe in Jesus for salvation for anyone but themselves. They couldn’t be the bridge to heaven for anyone. All they could do was testify to the transformation Jesus made in their lives when they gave themselves to Him and let His spirit fill them and take control of their lives. All they could do was live that changed life in front of those who knew them before and after their experience with Jesus so others could see the transformation in their lives. They lived out their Christianity boldly wherever they went.

Paul was still a tent maker and earned a living everyday wherever he went making tents and earning a few coins so he and his companions could eat. I expect Luke, who accompanied him took care of the sick and accepted some small donations every once in a while so he could help with the expenses of the group that followed along with Paul on his journeys. Paul did that manual labor that we don’t here much about because that was just his occupation to put food on the table and care for the physical needs of those that traveled with him.

Paul’s vocation was introducing people to the Jesus he met on the road to Damascus. Peter did the same. I can imagine Peter going to his boats in the morning, bringing in a load of fish to sell in the market, then spending the rest of the day telling people about the change the Master made in his life so he could catch men instead of fish. He could introduce them to his Savior.

That’s all we can do, too. But that is what we are called to do. Remember the Great Commission? It doesn’t say go save people. It doesn’t say go evangelize. It says go be witnesses and make disciples. Show them what He has taught you. That means living Christ in front of people every day. Just introduce others to Jesus and He will do the rest. And the best way to introduce Him to others is to live out His spirit in your life all day long every day of your life. That’s what He calls us to do. Just be Him wherever you go.

Will the nation and the world still be divided? Yes, until He returns there is little hope for unity. The Bible tells us that, unfortunately. But we still have an opportunity to add just one more to the kingdom of God before He comes. Will that one more be someone you’ve been praying for? Introduce him or her to Jesus through your Christ-mirrored words and actions. That is always the best way for others to come to Him.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Politics doesn’t run God’s kingdom (Psalm 146), October 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 146

Set – Psalms 146; Luke 24

Go! – Nehemiah 5-6; Psalms 146; Luke 24

Psalms 146
¹ Praise the Eternal!
Praise the Eternal, O my soul;
² I will praise the Eternal for as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God as long as breath fills my lungs and blood flows through my veins.
³ Do not put your trust in the rulers of this world—kings and princes.
Do not expect any rescue from mortal men.
⁴ As soon as their breath leaves them, they return to the earth;
on that day, all of them perish—their dreams, their plans, and their memories.
⁵ Blessed are those whose help comes from the God of Jacob,
whose hope is centered in the Eternal their God—
⁶ Who created the heavens, the earth,
the seas, and all that lives within them;
Who stays true and remains faithful forever;
⁷ Who works justice for those who are pressed down by the world,
providing food for those who are hungry.
The Eternal frees those who are imprisoned;
⁸ He makes the blind see.
He lifts up those whose backs are bent in labor;
He cherishes those who do what is right.
⁹ The Eternal looks after those who journey in a land not their own;
He takes care of the orphan and the widow,
but He frustrates the wicked along their way.
¹⁰ The Eternal will reign today, tomorrow, and forever.
People of Zion, your God will rule forever over all generations.
Praise the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Across the United States, politicians begin to jockey for position. They try to tell you how they will change things because of their leadership, their intellect, their ability to see things the way they really are and make things better for you. As I’m sure you’ve learned over the last several decades, their actions fall very far short of their promises. Campaigns changed recently, though, now politicians make fewer promises because they know they can’t keep them. Instead, they just tear each other down. They let their crews find half-truths about their opponents and blow them out of proportion to enhance their own likelihood for election. I suppose they think it’s best to elect the better of two evils.

Perhaps that strategy works in the world, except that the world belongs to Me. And I don’t particularly want evil of any kind to reign here. The better of two evils still sounds like evil to Me. The psalmist understood that. He recognized the falacy of putting trust in the hope of kings and princes, or in your case, presidents and congressmen. Too often individuals just want power or fame or some kind of legacy. They talk about public service or benefactor of the people, but who among them comes out of office with a smaller bank account than when they entered? How does that benefit or serve others? What have they really done?

On the other hand, My kingdom lasts throughout eternity. It always operates for My glory and your good. No human leader can create the earth or skies or living creatures, but I spoke them all into place. No human can change the course of the stars, but I set each one in motion and at My command can just as easily change their direction, cause them to cease giving their light, or make them explode to engulf their planets. I can cause it to rain or inflict draught across a region. Who among you can do that?

The rhetoric you will hear in the political campaigns over the next several months will encourage you, frustrate you, maybe even make you think you’re going insane because of the pointless arguments the candidates and their cronies shout across your radio and television networks. The elections are important to the operation of your earthly government. Governments remain in place at My pleasure. But they will never solve the real problems of the world, your nation, your state, or city.

Only bowing to the ruler of My kingdom, the triune Godhead, can the problems of the world be solved. I can rid the world of sin and evil and guilt if all people will give their lives to Me. Will it happen? Only each of you can determine that. Because each of you have the choice as to whether you will give Lordship of your life to Me. As you look across the world at the devastation you create each day, the answer is probably no. With more mass murders this year than days this year, it seems you will continue to follow your selfish paths. But the evil can stop. Just turn to Me.

Even in just one country or one state or one city, if you will listen to My words and do My will, I will make such a difference in your community that the world will be astounded by you. My will on earth is not just a few words I taught you to pray. It can be the beginning of a revival that turns the rest of the world around if you will just obey Me and let Me work in your lives. Try Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Politically privileged around a long time (Deuteronomy 17:14-20), Mar 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Set – Deuteronomy 17; Galatians 2
Go! – Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalms 38, Galatians 2

Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Moses: ¹⁴ Once you’ve gotten into the land the Eternal your God is giving you, and you’ve conquered it and settled there, you may say to yourselves, “Let’s appoint a king to rule our country, just as all the nations around us have!” ¹⁵ If you do have a king, remember you must enthrone the king He chooses. It must be a fellow Israelite whom you enthrone; you must not enthrone a foreigner who is not a fellow Israelite. ¹⁶ Although an Israelite, he must not try to build a strong army by collecting large herds of horses for his cavalry troops and a chariot corps. The king must certainly not send people back to Egypt to get large herds of horses, because the Lord has commanded you, “Don’t ever go back that way again!” ¹⁷ This king must not have many wives. If he takes foreign wives in marriage alliances, they could turn his heart away from the Lord and lead him to worship foreign gods. And the king must not accumulate great quantities of silver and gold for himself.

¹⁸ As soon as this king takes the royal throne, he must write out a copy of this law for himself on a scroll with the Levitical priests looking on. ¹⁹ He must keep this copy with him and read it every day, so that he will learn to fear the Eternal his God and to obey everything in the law and remember all these regulations very carefully in order to do them. ²⁰ That way he won’t think he’s privileged and oppress and exploit his fellow Israelites. He won’t deviate at all from what the Eternal has commanded, and he and his descendants will rule over Israel in a long dynasty.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I see a problem growing up in almost every nation around the world. It’s the problem of the politically privileged. Those in power, whether by election or decree, who think themselves above the law of the land. They exempt themselves from the rules everyone else must follow. They hold themselves above the law since they think they created it. What they don’t realize is just how precarious they stand in their positions.

You see, lawmakers don’t create the law. I did. Centuries ago I determined humankind needed relationships to survive. Those relationships meant order must reign within households and among families. To keep order, those families must establish rules and those common rules within and among families became laws. Laws I taught the first families who walked the earth. Those rules have been handed down through the generations until now. When people keep them, there is peace and order and society advances and grows. When people decide to create their own laws to advance one sector or one people over another, society falters.

I’m the one who allows those troublemakers to hold their positions. But I allow them to hold those positions and create trouble because the people across the nation have forgotten Me. When I am not lifted up in the home and My principles do not become a way of life for the family, the selfish nature of humankind jumps out and those politically privileged make promises to the weak that can never be kept. So they seek their own advancement and forget about the promises made. They forget about how they found themselves in their position. They forget Me.

It happened in Israel. King Saul started the problem. He built an army around him. He gathered horses and chariots. King David, one of My favorite kings, married foreign wives to keep peace. King Solomon gather more silver and gold than any other king before or after him. The line of kings in Israel just followed their lead and continued to act the part of the politically privileged until I destroyed the nation. Then their priests did the same until I had to come in the flesh and show humankind what a farce Israel’s religion had become.

There is a solution to the politically privileged. Make My word required reading for every person in power. Elect only those who truly believe in Me. Not those who say they do, but those whose actions demonstrate it. Take away the laws that do not conform to My word or pass the filter of the Great Commandment: “Love Me with all your heart, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Is it possible to turn political privilege around? It is possible. But it will take a great revival in this and many other countries around the world. I have told you in My prophecies time will come to an end when certain things happen. Look around. Most already have passed by. The rest could happen very quickly or I could continue to take My time about coming back. It’s partly up to you. How much do you want revival in the land? Are you willing to pay the price for it? It won’t be easy. But all things are possible for those who believe in Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.