Ruthless American Elections and Scripture

 

By: Chris Palmer, author, cbn.com

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

Politics are a ruthless enterprise. And here we go again. Let’s look back at the American presidential election of 1800. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were friends who ran against each other. It became one of the most vicious elections of all time.

Mud-flinging went on left-and-right. Thomas Jefferson accused Adams of being a “hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.”

Adams’s campaign fired back and said Jefferson was “a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.”

Jefferson got the last word, though. He hired someone to lie about Adams, saying he wanted to attack France. It proved effective. Many Americans believed it and Jefferson won the election. Adams was so upset that he refused to show up at Jefferson’s inauguration. The two friends didn’t talk for 12 years.

Despite the falling out, the two men eventually desired to renew their friendship. In 1812, Adams wrote to Jefferson and wished him a happy new year. Jefferson responded, recalling memories of their friendship. They remained pen pals for 14 years and exchanged 158 letters.

In a twist of irony, the friends and former rivals died on the same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which they both helped write. The two men went through it all together, including the bitter pains of division caused by self-ambition. Too bad they couldn’t avoid it.

In Philippians 2:3, God’s Word warns us about divisions that come from our own selfish ambitions and instructs us to avoid them. Here, Paul was writing to the Philippian church where there was rivalry going on among some of the believers (Philippians 1:15-18). Paul was giving practical advice about how to end these rivalries. He says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition …”

The Greek word for “selfish ambition” is eritheia. It means “strife,” “contentiousness,” and “rivalry.” Aristotle used eritheia in his work, Politics, to describe candidates getting into office using unethical means. It means to use any method necessary to one-up someone.

Paul is telling us that this doesn’t ensue only in politics. It happens in the church. Believers compete at each other’s expense in order to achieve positions of leadership, celebrity, and prominence. They were to stop at once.

There’s simply no room for rivalry in the church because it causes strife and division. Christ’s Body must not be divided (1 Corinthians 1:10, 13). Instead of campaigning for ourselves, we are to serve one another the way Christ served us.

Have you ever done something out of selfish ambition that cost one of your brothers or sisters in Christ? While it’s likely you haven’t run a public smear campaign, maybe you have smeared someone’s name so that you could benefit from it. Whatever it is that you are after, it’s not worth competing if you have to divide God’s people to get it.

If you’ve been competing with others, why not try a new approach to promotion? Instead of putting people down, why not serve them? The outcome will be a win-win for both parties.

This beats having to deal with the misery that comes from running a crooked campaign.

What Now, Lord?

 

 

Belinda Elliott, Author, cbn.com.

It happened as I was driving home one night. You’ve probably experienced it before. The Holy Spirit points out something in your life that needs to go, and you know it’s the start of a season of spiritual growth.

I wish I could say I responded with excitement, looking forward to what God wanted to do in my life. But I didn’t.

Instead I threw my hands up in exasperation and groaned, What now, Lord?

It may sound slightly irreverent, but I felt like I’d already come through a series of these spiritual “growth spurts,” and I was tiring of the routine.

In the last year and a half I had emerged from a dark night of the soul experience in which God had led me to deal with bitterness and resentment that had taken hold in my heart. Prior to that, He had brought me through a season of testing through which He taught me to trust Him more. And before that, He had taken me through a season of forgiving painful offenses (and offenders) from the past.

Bitterness, trust, unforgiveness, what could be next? I wondered.

I felt like I’d been through the wringer and had finally come to a place where the hard part was all over.

Apparently not.

Can’t I have a break, Lord? I asked, thinking back to the spring breaks I enjoyed in college. For a short time, there were no tests, studying, or homework, just relaxation and fun. Having an extended period like that during which I could just “coast” spiritually would be nice.

Not gonna happen.

Okay, that’s not the exact words that the Lord used, but it sums up what He said. He taught me an important lesson that day.

As long as we are still on earth, God is still working on us. We will never reach the point where we can say we are finished until we get to Heaven where our transformation will be complete.

I don’t know who first penned the popular saying, “God loves you where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you there,” but that person was right. The Bible describes it as a pruning process where God shapes our hearts and our attitudes to bear spiritual fruit for him.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1-2 NIV).

We don’t have to dread this process. It is simply God wanting to make us more like Him. Having the Holy Spirit point out our faults may not feel good, but Scripture tells us that God’s discipline is a sign of His love for us.

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV).

The Lord encouraged me that day that though I’m not always where He wants me to be spiritually, He still loves me right where I am. Day by day He is shaping my heart and my character to match His.

That night I decided to embrace the work that God wants to do in my life, even when it means working through the hard stuff. Instead of asking, “What now, Lord?” in frustration, I’ll respond with an eager “What’s next, Lord?” because I want more than anything to be like Him.

If God is putting His finger on an area of your heart that He wants to work on, don’t resist. Allow Him unhindered access as He works in your life.

And on those days when you feel like you have jumped over one spiritual hurdle only to slam face-first into the next one, remember that we are all a work in progress.

We can be encouraged by the same promise that Paul used to encourage the early Christians at Philippi.

Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30: 5 (NAS)

Who’s to Blame?

 

Beth Patch – Senior Producer, cbn.com

The light had just turned green and before you could get your foot on the gas pedal, “Honkkkk! Honkkkk!” Later, you’re in the grocery store check-out line and witness a customer cussing out the grocery clerk for not double-bagging her milk.

“What on earth?” you think to yourself. “Why is there so much anger?”

The Bible tells us our struggles are not against flesh and blood (other people), but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (See Ephesians 6:12-17)

God has given us the truth about where our struggle lies, and it’s not with other people. So, who’s ultimately to blame? Evil. There are unseen forces of evil fueling sin in our world and they prey upon everyone. We have specific guidelines on how to combat this evil. Through Christ, we can be awesome warriors against the evil that tries to sneak its way into our lives.

The Belt of Truth

Picture yourself with oversized garments that would fall down and trip you if you had no belt. The belt is important; it keeps everything in place, and nothing falls down around our ankles to trip us. Truth takes many forms. Christ laid down his life for our sins, rose again to a resurrected life, and He lives today. That truth is the basis of our faith. We may need to see the truth about a particular situation in our life. We may need to be more aware of telling the truth to ourselves and others. Whatever the circumstance, the Christian who is not walking in truth will be tripped up, so it’s imperative that we stick to the truth. (Ephesians 6:14)

The Breastplate of Righteousness

We are instructed to guard our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness, making heartfelt decisions in our lives based on the character of our Lord. This is the 21st-century bullet-proof vest. Without it, we are easy targets for the bullets of envy, strife, unforgiveness, revenge, and jealousy which seek to destroy our hearts. God fills our hearts with his love, leaving no room for the enemy’s evil suggestions. (Ephesians 6:14)

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

As servants of the living God, when we walk with proper footwear, we carry the message of where we are headed, and why we are going there — the gospel message. If our feet are not ready, we may be delayed by the enemy who doesn’t want us on the path. On the path toward God, we are not barefoot where rocks and rough terrain (life’s circumstances) damage our walk; we can make it to our destination. (Ephesians 6:15)

The Shield of Faith

The Bible tells us to hold up the shield of faith with which we can extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one. Using faith as our shield, we believe without doubting, believe in God’s victory over all the sin in our life (evil), and believe He is all-powerful and loves us unconditionally. Against that kind of faith, the one who seeks to destroy us has no power. (Ephesians 6:16)

The Sword of the Spirit

Get proactive with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God wants us to know His Holy Word and use it! In every struggle we face, we are not fighting flesh and blood. God’s Word is able to pierce all the evil thrown at us. Jesus used scripture when tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:10). There is power in God’s Word! (Ephesians 6:17)

The Helmet of Salvation

This helmet protects our thought life. Since the original sin when Satan convinced Eve that God didn’t want her to know too much, he has used that same trick over and over. He takes aim at our thought life. Satan reasoned with Eve, and brought doubt into her mind by using worldly logic.

Salvation says I am bought by the blood of the Lamb, and my mind is fixed on serving the One who died for me. It does not fit worldly logic that the God of the universe would take the lowly form of a human being, and allow Himself to be crucified to pay the penalty for our sin. (Ephesians 6:17)

Worldly logic is not God’s way. He is above that. So, when the intellectuals and the critics of our faith are energized by Satan’s thought processes, we must protect our minds by the helmet God provides.

We must stay focused and remember we are not fighting flesh and blood. We must pray for those who are being used as pawns to carry out the enemy’s plans and we need to love them through it. We must also pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ regularly (Ephesians 6:18). This is God’s plan.

So, when you are tempted to blame others for your misery, remember they are flesh and blood – just like you. Know your true enemy. Love God. Love others.

Make Music from Your Heart to the Lord

 

Julie Lavender, author,cbn.com

Graduate student Erin signed up to participate in a local 5K to raise money for a homeless shelter. An acquaintance from Erin’s Bible study also registered, but Angela found excuses not to walk or run. Instead, she signed up to hand out water at a relief station.

Runners whizzed around Erin and walkers passed her. The distance widened between her and other participants, but she didn’t care. She had been born with cerebral palsy and walked with crutches. Her goal was not to come in first, but to finish the race.

Erin soon approached Angela’s station near the first stretch of the race. When Angela saw her, she admired Erin’s determination and felt like kicking herself for not signing up to walk. She hadn’t worn the right sneakers, but, with water bottle in hand, she stepped out to join her friend on the journey.

With plenty of time for conversation, the college students talked a little about everything—grad school, Bible study, and cerebral palsy. “Her spirit was joyful the entire time,” Angela later said of her friend.

“… be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-20 NIV)

Well over an hour into the girls’ walk, almost all of the other participants and volunteers were back home, the media had left the area, and organizers had celebrated a successful walk with a whopping $25,000 raised for the shelter. But two walkers remained steadfast on the course.

When someone alerted the shelter chairman that a pair of walkers were still on the course after two hours, Dee and her husband quickly returned downtown to check on them. When she saw that the girls were fine, she rounded up the few remaining volunteers to be Erin’s cheering squad.

The band hired for the event still played at a restaurant nearby, and volunteers who had waited patiently, cheered and thanked the two participants crossing the finish line. Shelter director Dee told someone she was reminded of Acts 20:24 (NIV):

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me …”

Erin began the 5K race making music from her heart, sharing her joyful spirit with Angela. Their attitude inspired the shelter chairman and volunteers, and soon there was a symphony of thanksgiving. The entire community was blessed when they read the newspaper article about the walkers.

With everything going on in the world today, it’s often difficult to be thankful and to share “psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” But when we make a conscious effort to obey God’s word in Ephesians and fill ourselves with the Spirit, then our joy can spill over to others.

Each day may seem like a new race, rife with obstacles. But with God’s help, we can lace up our sneakers and face the journey, one step at a time.

Despite any limitations or challenges you’re facing today, how can you give thanks in everything? What can you do to fill yourself with the Spirit and spread joy to those around you? Find a way to share music from your heart with others, and you just might create a symphony of thanksgiving and praise!

Do You Want to Be Well?

 

 

By: Kathy Thomas, cbn.com

 

“Do you want to be well?” The question pierced me. I pondered the past several years of my life, filled with exhaustion, pain, dizziness, and confusion; all the result of an accidental arsenic poisoning. Our family had inhaled the fumes of a series of fires containing pressure treated wood and other toxic garbage. I had become so ill that I couldn’t even remember my address when I was filling out paperwork at my doctor’s office. For months, I had swallowed 72 pills a day with gallons of water to detoxify my body.

I had diligently researched the long-term effects of arsenic poisoning, and one article had wedged itself into my mind. It played over and over in the shadows of my thoughts, influencing my every decision. An entire small community had somehow suffered arsenic poisoning. Eighty percent had developed multiple Cancer within eight to 10 years. A vast majority were terminal. Eight to 10 years? It seemed like such a long time when I first read the article, but it was now year number nine for me. Not just for me, but for my children, too.

I had already begun to develop multiple sores and cysts of various shapes and sizes throughout my body; some leading to biopsies, while others painfully ruptured. All had been benign ... so far. The closer I came to the eight to 10-year mark, the more I became predisposed to drop my sword and surrender each time a new cyst or sore developed, or some part of my body malfunctioned. I felt like I was bracing for an inevitable crash. In my mind, doom was certain. It was not a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when.” I felt like I was living on borrowed time.

Then, one Tuesday morning, we were studying the gospel of John:

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’

The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.” (John 5:2-8 NKJV)

I was struck by the man’s answer to Jesus’ question because I realized that I had been answering his question the same way for nine years. I had spent so much time dwelling on why I was sick, that I had simply been laying on my mat, waiting for impending doom.

I had a revelation that morning. Jesus wanted me to walk in the waiting; to pick up my mat and keep moving forward. He had already determined the number of my days. Each day was a gift, and I was wasting them sitting on my mat, by the pool of Bethesda.

It was time to pick up my mat and walk in faith with hope for the future. Now, I see lumps as nothing more than speed bumps. I will not live my life waiting to die. I will live my life “well.”

“Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:14-16 NKJV)

Do you want to be well?

Too Much of a Good Thing

 

By: Steven Halter, cbn.com

Faith is a wonderful thing. We have been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). By faith we have become children of God (John 1:12). With faith, it is possible to please God (Heb. 11:6). When we believe God, impossible things become possible.

But can we believe too much? “Certainly not!” you may say. But to really answer that question, we have to consider what and in Whom we are believing. Too often, we as Christians believe in the wrong things, and we are quick to believe in them, too!

For example, sometimes we’re quick to believe in gossip about co-workers (2 Cor. 12:20). We may believe the latest rumors about celebrities. We might believe misinformation and slander about politicians. Bosses could believe a bad report about employees. By doing these things, we can hurt others by believing (and sometimes acting on) something about them that is not true. We misjudge them, and we make it worse by telling others the half-truths and lies we’ve believed.

Sometimes we hurt ourselves more directly by believing whatever teaching we hear. Or we may believe a smooth talking con artist who is utilizing the latest financial scheme.

How can we protect ourselves and keep from hurting others? There are a number of things we can do. One thing is to not believe just one side of a story that is told about someone. We need to hear both sides of a story, then we can understand the situation better (Prov. 18:17).

In addition, we can protect ourselves from false doctrine by comparing what we hear to the whole counsel of the Bible (Acts 17:10-12; Eph. 4:14). We should test everything with the Bible and the guidance of the Spirit (1 John 4:1; 1 Th. 5:21).

Let us resolve to not hurt ourselves or others by believing in things that we shouldn’t. Let us ask the Lord to give us discernment about what is true and wisdom about what is right. Jesus Himself once said to His disciples, “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). James wrote, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you” (James 1:5).

Yes, faith is a wonderful thing! But let’s not have too much of a good thing. Let’s keep God and His truth as the focus of our faith. When we do that, we will be a brighter light to the world around us (Mat. 5:14). And as God helps us to grow in these areas, we will become more like our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus! We will be more conformed to image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29). Thank God that His love is everlasting towards us as we continue to grow in Him.