> Of course not...I don't speak for him ;) > > Let me rephrase - if we spent time trying to better the world through > love as I think we're supposed to, we wouldn't have so much time to > tell other people that they're doing wrong. > > http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/04/martin.jesus/index.html > > I know some will avoid the link due to CNN...but..it sums up some of > my thoughts much more eloquently than I am capable of. > > J
Justin: I agree totally with your point about love. I have rather recently become aware of the seductive influence of politics in my own life, as a distraction from real involvement in helping real people. It's a rather obvious realization once you have it. The Enemy is cunning to use all manner of divisive issues, platforms, ideological positions, outrageous goings-on in the news, etc., to keep people from seeking the relationship with Christ that would certainly manifest itself in love and charity instead of judgment. Not to mention have a real impact on the sinners we are called to bring to Christ. The devil doesn't care particularly whether ideas of the ostensible Left or the ostensible Right seduce you---he is happy the minute you start putting your "faith" in politics, or buying into all the fear tactics of this or that bugaboo, because that means faith putting faith in man and human institutions to "solve" the problem, which is, again, worship of the creature instead of the creator. With respect to judging, I also agree. The imperative to suspend judgment is critical to bringing a person to the realization of the love of God, particularly when you are, in a manner of speaking, ministering to them one-on-one through a difficult time or whatever the occasion. We *must* reflect Christ's love and forgiveness, or they won't come to know it any other way. This means, yes, all the good works associated with service to fellow man--but to be clear, those alone won't save you or the recipient of your kindness. The risk of focusing on good works is simply that the healing power of the Word of God gets watered down into some sort of wishy-washy "social gospel" of relief of physical needs to the exclusion of the spiritual needs. It's great to give the poor your money. But if that's all you do, you have profited them and yourself nothing. We are not called to minister to the flesh, but to the whole person: spirit, soul and body. This is what drives the devil bonkers, and often he uses state-sponsored oppression to snuff it out. On the other hand, all the godless dictatorships of the 20th century obtained power by promising to minister to the flesh exclusively--free healthcare/drugs, free education, free love, guaranteed employment, etc. Sound familiar? So the dilemma is that if you do not exercise your right to vote for people whose values you share, people whose values are the opposite will get elected and change the laws to make them hostile to your ability to serve God. It's a serious dilemma, and it's not made any easier by the fact that many of the so-called "values" candidates are themselves deeply flawed, unhealed, and often unrepentant sinners. We want to believe them because they speak to our convictions, but then they stab us in the back as soon as they get in office and everything they do makes a joke of our convictions. They are in a way worse than the ones who come out openly and oppose us. Anyway, all of this by way of saying that being kind, loving and not judging of others really the ticket. I am striving to be less judgmental. Certainly, in one-on-one scenarios, this is actually quite easy. When you learn to see the "whole person" and the Spirit fills you with compassion for them, it's rather hard to be judgmental--especially if you are honest about your own sinful nature and past. But healthy expression of outrage and sadness at what is wrong with society and the law is a good thing too--as long as the law doesn't become an object of worship, and cause us to take our eyes off the real task, which is to win souls, not elections. - Bob _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
