As I watch and listen to the news commentators, I reach a point of saturation when I think to myself, I can't listen to this anymore. Conservative and Liberal pundits and opinionated "experts" go nose to nose in an effort to have those who are watching or listening to hear their point. It seems anymore just about anything can be politicized which creates a great division of people.
We cannot even have a beauty pageant without politics becoming the headliner rather than the winner of the event. As far as Miss America, 2009 goes I will always remember Miss California; don't even ask me which young lady won the contest. Everyone from both sides of the political spectrum are in a frenzy about all sorts of topics. And they are extremely important to each person.
In itself, these politcally and socially heated battles have only been white noise in the background for me. However, as I observe followers of Christ jumping into these arguments and becoming part of the melee, I get discouraged. I get a sense that the prince of this world, Satan, derives a certain sense of pleasure from how distracted God's children have become through this latest mass of confusion.
Colossians1 reminds us where we as Christians should land on all issues of this world. In the end, it really is vanity (meaningless) to expend our energy on such things. Colossians tells us that Jesus Christ is first in everything: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him . . . that in all things He may have preeminence." Col. 1:15-18 (emphasis mine)
When Christians get into heavy debates over the direction we think our country is going, it is all right to have an opinion; Jesus always had an opinion. (His opinions were always in light of the joy which awaited Him in heaven). But quite often we hold so tightly to our opinion that the resulting argument becomes a liability to the cause of Jesus Christ. We only need to remember that no matter how vehemently we espouse our wisdom, Christ "is before all things, and in Him all things consist." Nothing happens in the world without His knowledge. Jesus had many opportunities to change the events on the day of His crucifixion. But God's will is perfect and it happened as God directed. Likewise, Paul is saying that we not only trust that God is in control, but that in everything we are to understand that He is to be first in every aspect of our lives. None of us live that way, but can you acknowledge that you try to make Him preeminent (first)?
Sal Ippolito
No comments:
Post a Comment