2 Corinthians 5:20
Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We’ve just come off an election week in which nastiness in both major political parties reached epic proportions. Some are now claiming that “God has spoken,” indicating that God favors one political party and it’s followers over another. I strongly disagree, because this would mean that God’s favor is only for some, and that is not what I read in the scriptures. And this is nothing new. My mom is reading a book about the writing of the Constitution, and she noted that both “sides” were praying and believing that God would give them a positive outcome.
I’ve also noticed that people credit God with victories at sporting events, the next choice for American Idol, and more. And I have to laugh. Does this mean that God doesn’t care about the “losing” team? Absolutely NOT!
Go back and read this scripture passage again… “anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new.” I believe this means that God may allow… or even orchestrate… the outcomes of certain events, such as elections, sporting events, and competitions of all kinds… but not for the reasons we may think! I believe if we pray for anything except GOD’s WILL… His perfect plan in the outcome of such events – and the safety and well-being of those involved and their care and blessings - we are asking God to “pick a side,” and He simply will not do this. It may be that God has a very different purpose for said outcome… perhaps He will use a victory or loss to show us far more than we would learn, were the outcome different or more to our liking.
We must remember that God’s ways are always perfect. His WILL is always perfect… but not always ours! Notice that this passage says, “All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.” So this tells me that we need to be busy sharing the love and perfection of God’s plans for us with others. We don’t need to act superior to anyone else, or to lord over them the fact that our team won. We need to operate in the same love, grace and mercy that God shows to us on a minute-by-minute basis!
We need to be busy making friends with others, not separating ourselves from them. But first, we have to be sure we are truly friends with God. Is He really in charge of your life? Are you giving Him free rein… and free reign? Have you become a new creature and ditched your “old life” completely? Are you fully equipped to be a representative of God? In order to do this, you have to check your biases and your ego at the door. You have to acknowledge that you are special to God – but no more so than the next guy, regardless of his team, political party, social standing, race, lifestyle, or ethnicity. Have you done this? I won’t ask if you “can” do this, because God makes all things possible. But the choice is totally ours… what do you say?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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