A Tale of Two Attitudes
The Project Manager frequently visits Christian message boards in order to see what people are saying about various topics. One of the biggest subjects, of course, is politics. What goes on in Washington, DC affects all of us. The subject of politics is of special concern to the PM because the Ecclesiastes Project was formed in part to inform others of the biblical perspective and the true Christian response to politics.
The area that concerns the PM more than any other is: do we respond to secular situations and people in a way that honors and glorifies God? Our current president is a polarizing person, some people love him, others are virulent in their opposition to the man and his policies. Whether we like him or not, however, is not the question. Scripture commands us to respect those in authority, because they are placed there by God, to do His will. But do we believe that, and do we act in accordance to Scripture, or in accordance to our flesh?
The following is an exchange that was on a Christian message board; let us read and then compare and contrast the attitudes expressed by the authors. The initial post was a prayer for our elected officials, reprinted here and edited for capitalization and to remove redundancies:
Heavenly Father, I raise up our president and his entire cabinet, and the Congress, before You today and ask that You bring about the circumstance that will cause them to hear Your full truth so that they can make an informed decision as to what they will do with Christ. I also pray that You use this administration to bring about Your will for both this country and the world at large. There is a crown to be had for not complaining, so I pray that You help us to remember that You are at work here, and that You help us to recognize that help.
Father, I pray that You bring this administration to the realization that You are in control, and help them to see their need for You. I pray that the current administration come to know You in spirit and in truth. We know that the man in office is the man of this hour and that You have ordained it to be so. May Your perfect will be done.
Father, I pray that You continue to restore the USA to Your perfect will, using our president as You see fit. I pray that You will cause each of our leaders to hear Your truth so that they can make an informed decision to come to know Christ on a personal basis. Father, I pray that You guide Obama in any decisions he makes today and this week in general. I continue to pray for all those in office and that You challenge each of them with Your truth.
The Project Manager as a rule does not comment on the prayers of others, and puts up this prayer for two reasons; to show a godly example of praying for our elected officials, and to contrast it with a comment that was posted as a response. The person who put up this prayer shows humility before God, love for unbelievers, respect for God's sovereignty, and a willingness to accept and follow God's will. Let us now read and explore the attitudes expressed by the person who replied to this prayer (the response is unedited):
You know folks, I can understand where ya'll are coming from in wanting to pray for Obama. But, just me, I can't. That would be like praying for Hitler or Stalin. What we need to remember is that God "raises up" certain individuals to do "His" work. Like Judas and Pharaoh. Yes, even Hitler whom we think is the ultimate destroyer. But was he? Didn't Stalin massacre almost twice as many people as Hitler did? But then Stalin was a Communist, a "darling of the liberals". Hitler was a Fascist - a so-called "right-winger" by todays press.
What we should be praying for, is like in the "Lord's Prayer" where we are told to pray for "His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven". Pray for Obama, and his stinking "ilk"? Not this guy!! Sorry...
Goofus and Gallant
The attitudes expressed by the person who posted the prayer, and the other person, remind the Project Manager of the old Highlights Magazine feature; "Goofus and Gallant". Gallant was a polite, considerate person, while Goofus was a selfish knucklehead; the feature compared and contrasted their behavior and attitudes toward others. Let us examine the respondent's attitude and then do a compare/contrast of our own.
You know folks, I can understand where ya'll are coming from in wanting to pray for Obama You understand, but you don't approve, because you don't like the man. But, just me, I can't. That would be like praying for Hitler or Stalin The Project Manager supposes this means you only pray for people whom you like and agree with. The Lord does tell us, repeatedly, to "love your neighbor as yourself"; the PM always assumed that his neighbor was everyone, not just those whom he liked and approved.
What we need to remember is that God "raises up" certain individuals to do "His" work True, but why are you fighting the Lord over His choice? You say remember, but you act as if you forget that the Lord chooses those who serve in authority, not you. Like Judas and Pharaoh Yes, the Lord can and does use evil people for His purpose. Yes, even Hitler whom we think is the ultimate destroyer And God sovereignly used him as the conduit to bring about the formal recognition and borders for the nation of Israel. We may not see God's hand at work, but rest assured, He is there. But was he? Didn't Stalin massacre almost twice as many people as Hitler did? And God sovereignly used Stalin for His purposes as well. A man's degree of evil is not an indicator of how God will use a person. Or have you forgotten about the Apostle Paul (Acts 8:1-4)? But then Stalin was a Communist, a "darling of the liberals". Hitler was a fascist - a so-called "right-winger" by todays press HUH?! The PM has no idea where that came from, and isn't sure he wants to find out.
Just me, but I don't feel we should be praying for any of these "pure evil" men. Or nowadays, women too, like Nancy Pelosi You are judging according to the flesh, by your own standards (John 8:15); it is not your place to judge unbelievers. That job is reserved for God and God alone. IMHO, if we pray for these evil people, it is to have God remove them What happened to "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"? Destroy them! But then I doubt that will happen as God is using "certain" people in these last days to ensure that prophesy is fulfilled If it is His will, yes, God will destroy them. If the Lord wishes them to remain in power, then that is His will and it would be wise for you to not try to impose your will on the Creator.
Yes, the Project Manager knows full well that King David prayed for the destruction of his enemies and the enemies of Israel. Yet, even as he prayed against his enemies, David still prayed first that God's will be done, always put himself under God's will, and always accepted God's will, even if it meant hardship and suffering in his life. We all know that David was no stranger to government persecution, and he still managed to put the Lord's will ahead of his own. Are you better than King David, a man after God's own heart? Just asking.
Let us NOT go against Him No, let's just question His wisdom in choosing our leaders, His sovereignty over this nation and the earth, and His commitment to His children by introducing leadership that we disapprove of and might actually cause us to <gasp> suffer. What we should be praying for, is like in the "Lord's Prayer" where we are told to pray for "His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" There it is, a little late, but it's there! Of course, when you pray that God's will be done, you're actually supposed to mean it. You know, that God's will be done, as opposed to yours. Or did you just mention this because you suddenly remembered that you are supposedly a Christian and you want people to think that you are "religious" and truly want to serve the Lord? Again, just asking.
Pray for Obama, and his stinking "ilk"? Not this guy! Sorry... At this point the Project Manager would like to ask a practical question; with the character this person has shown in their commentary, are we supposed to believe that there is good fruit in them (Matthew 12:33-35)? Their attitude does not suggest anything but intolerance for the people that they dislike, their refusal to pray for those in authority speaks volumes as to their worldly and selfish nature, and their blatant, rebellious disdain of the word of God makes the question of whether they truly love the Lord a legitimate one to ask.
Double-Mindedness
This commentary, railing against the people whom God raised up to authority, coupled with a disregard for the word of God, yet interspersed with pious-sounding platitudes and lip-service to prayer, gives the Project Manager the distinct impression that this correspondent is a double-minded person, unstable in all their ways (James 1:8). The Lord has disdain for double-minded people; "Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart from Me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men" (Isaiah 29:13).
People who claim to serve God yet continue to live in the world are double-minded, and need to quickly decide whether to serve God or themselves, for "No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon" (Matthew 6:24). The Project Manager knows that this is in the context of loving money, but feels it applies equally well to anything that we may love ahead of our Lord, including ourselves and our accustomed lifestyle on earth.
Do you continue to try to serve God and yourself? Then you need to choose your master: "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him" (1Kings 18:21). Baal could just as easily be any idol that we have created in our lives. Remember, an idol is anything that we give prominence in our lives, ahead of our sovereign Lord.
Still, there is hope for all that try to serve both God and themselves; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). The Lord promises us that if we truly repent of our sins and seek Him out, He will allow us to find Him! That is just one of the many loving, comforting promises that God makes to His children when they go astray. Please join the Project Manager in prayer for those double-minded people who are trying to serve both themselves and God, that they repent of that sin and devote their entire lives to their Savior.
0 comments:
Post a Comment