I'm going to take a little detour from Revelation. And yes, I know many of you don't feel like celebrating the day after a new comprehensive health care bill was passed. Some feel that our representatives have violated our trust. I do not wish to speak about politics as such, or address the issues on either side, but rather to look at what a Biblical response looks like. You'll see that when you're in God's Kingdom there isn't a 'losing side'. We really can celebrate; we are the King's kids!
Does this mean we should have no opinion or can't confront what we feel is 'wrong'? Do we have to just be a wimp? No! Jesus Himself can be our guide about fighting for our beliefs. Remember the scene at the temple when He became furious with those doing 'business' in His Father's house? You can find this story in John 2: 12-16. Jesus actually made a whip of cords and drove the merchants out of the temple courts. He scattered the coins and overturned their tables! God has a temper! This is called 'righteous anger'. I'm not suggesting that you can't stand up for what you believe is right and good and true. Some will display and act out all kinds of emotion, some will not. Spiritually speaking, what is really going on?
Before we get too involved in judging other's motives, let's keep in mind that "There is no one righteous, not even one..." Romans 3:10. This includes you and me. Better to look at this world through spiritual eyes; you'll actually see more. Darkness is the absence of light, so allow the Lord to shed His light on the subject. Blessing can come packaged in ways we don't expect. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this story, but I can't think of another that makes this point so clearly.......
There was a very wealthy man who had a son about to graduate from college. The son often stopped by a showroom to see, touch, sit in, etc. the 'car of his dreams'. He mentioned this car to his father many times and because He'd been a 'good kid', never giving his folks much trouble, had applied himself to his studies and earned a college degree, he was very confident that this car would be his graduation gift. His father called him to come into his study one day and told him how proud he was of him and how much he loved him. "This is your graduation gift" he said as he handed him a package to open. In the package was a beautiful leather Bible with his name embossed in gold on the cover. "What?" the son said. "With all the money you have and this is what you give me?" He threw the Bible on his father's desk and left. He didn't see or speak to his father for years. One day he got a call saying that he had died. The son, feeling guilty for the way he had behaved, attended his funeral and afterwards went into the study where he'd last seen his father. The Bible sat on a table. His father probably never gave up hope that he would return. The son picked up the Bible and begin to leaf through it. There, tucked in among the Psalms, he found an envelope and in it was a set of keys to the car he had wanted so badly. There was also a note saying that all he had to do was go to the dealership and pick it up. The point? The father gave his son a blessing, but it came in an unexpected package.
I was teaching the Book of Acts to a group in San Marcos when 9/11 occurred. Two days later I went to my class as usual. I wondered what the comments would be and if the principles of God's grace and sovereignty that I had been teaching for many weeks would impact their reaction to this horrendous event. They were all there early that day, or maybe I was a little late. As I walked into the room my eyes fell on a sweet lady who loved the Lord and loved studying His Word. She looked at me and said, "The King is still on the throne!" As we remember this truth, we know we are safe - this world can't hurt us!
None of us know what is going to happen in the next moment. Life can change in a heartbeat! But what we can know is that God has a plan and a purpose for all that happens. His timing is perfect, His motives are pure, and best of all, we can trust Him, totally and completely! We who believe are 'in Christ' and He Himself is our peace - Ephesians 2:14, therefore, we can have peace here, in this world.....today. Amen!
So often we think what is happening to us is a big tragedy when in reality, as God's plan unfolds we see that it was for good. Consider our frustrations to be 'sandpaper' used by God to smooth and mold us and to give us an opportunity to walk in faith trusting Him. We have no power of our own, so stand by faith believing He 'works all things together for good......' Rom 8:28.
Thank you Lord that we can 'be still' and know that you will fight for us....Exodus 14:14. Now that's a good reason to celebrate!
