Do we fear that the government in Washington D.C. will fail us? It most certainly will if we count on it to be our success. Success for the christian is apprehended in being governed by God. Can we can choose men and women and send them off to Washington D.C. to be righteous governors if we haven’t for some time chosen righteous governors for our congregations? Does God ever instruct us to be involved in the civil government? If He did would we succeed in that while FAILING to faithfully govern and be be governed in our congregations? But it is Jesus our King whom we must seek FOR governance. It will mean we change. It will mean I change. Washington DC may not change, and will almost certainly get get worse (2 Timothy Ch. 3). But will I change? That is God's desire that I be changed. Will you change?
John the beloved Apostle instructs us to LOVE NOT the world. That does not mean we should take a vow of poverty or chastity, or go live in a cave until we die. We have to live and honor God with the material realities of this life. We do need food, clothes, jobs, spouses, children, and whatever other good things God will provide for us. The world we are not to love is the world which sins, doubts, and rebels against God. If we are passionate for God in His love we will hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and the things and persons of unrighteousness will be easily discerned.
But there is a vey personal crisis we each must engage. It is that of our own unrighteousness. All have sinner. I have sinned. I may sin again. Most of us can’t imagine that we could walk from May 21, 2015 until the day we die in sinless perfection. But Jesus did say twice, to a man and to a woman “Go and sin no more.” !!!!! So we should see at the least that God’s desire is different than that “something” in us that chafes and wanders from and rebels against God.
Why does life today contain so much human failure? Because we don’t think like God thinks, we LACK the mind of Christ. God’s success was never greater than when Jesus rose from the dead, If we are to rise with Him we shall by absolute necessity have to have died with Him.
Someone said, “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” It sounds so right to say it! But peace cannot begin in me until peace is given to me, and received by me. The peace than man can give or deny will come to an end someday. The peace that we need is the peace God alone gives and Jesus came as the Prince of God’s peace to bring us into His peace. That gift of peace was expensive, so very expensive. To give it Jesus was rejected by those He loved, was accused of being of the devil, was betrayed by his close associate, was illegally arrested and tried for a crime (blasphemy) He did not commit, and convicted for claiming to be God’s Son (which was true but deemed blasphemy by His accusers), was humiliated, was beaten, flogged, was stripped naked, nailed to a cross, mocked and left to die. He purchased us and it was a fearsome price He paid for us! And when we through faith receive Him by grace we are given His peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's. The first "order of business" is that men and women through faith in The Messiah Jesus become members of God's household. There in Jesus they will live and not die. In God's household life is not found in the abundance of their possessions. (Luke 12:15). There they can lay up treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21) In God's household men and women can love God, love God's people and love their neighbor, and even love their enemies. (The New Testament!) From God's household we can do good to all men, and especially to those of God's household. (Galatians 6:10) In God's household we are not afraid of what man can do to us. (Romans 8:31, read the whole chapter!) There they need not except to obey God and behave according to His law of love. (Romans 8:1-2). There they can live without the need to be richer than others or even equal to others. (Philippians 2:3-4, read the whole chapter!) There they can live inoffensively forgiving all, knowing that their souls are safe for eternity, while still very very short in their frail flesh and blood. (Mark 11:25; James 4:14; Revelation 12:11). Success in God's household can be lived out under the most trying circumstances. The sins of others cannot rob the Messiah's children of their destiny. Success in God's sight is to learn and to love others as Jesus loved them, (Luke 23:34) to learn and love our fellow christians as He loves them, (John 15:12) and to learn and love God as Jesus, Father and The Holy Spirit love each other and all men. (John 17:21-26 NOTE verse 23)
In God's household we learn and then do justly while loving mercy and walking in humility with God. (Micah 6:8)
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
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