a cry for our nation...

We are on the precipice of a new era in our nation, as we are before any president is inaugurated into office.

Honestly, social media makes completely ill at this point. I am so tired of everyone’s opinions. I am weary of how our bickering is dividing a nation that once claimed to be “one nation under God.”

Whatever you feeling is about the man who will begin his occupation of the oval office tomorrow, please remind yourself of this:

God has never stopped being in control.

He makes no mistakes.

Nothing that happens in this world, good, bad or otherwise happens without His consent.

Also remember this, you may dislike the politics and personality of our governing leaders on either side of the fence but constantly spewing opinions on one side or the other will rarely help the situation.

I am, honestly embarrassed by what our nation must look like to the rest of the globe right now. We are acting like spoiled rich kids, bickering amongst ourselves and starting drama simply to start it. We are showing that we cannot and will not accept any opinion that is not our own. Hate is being hurled in every direction, not just from the President Elect.

My heart is so sad at the behavior of this nation. We cannot seem to respect one another let alone love each other.

And believers…Oh my brothers and sisters, when will we open our eyes to the fact that there is something going on here that is far more eternal that we can even comprehend?  When will we let go of our own opinions and embrace God’s? We need to put down the signs and lay down the hate on both sides of this and embrace the chance for unity.

We. Have. So. Much.

I work with the homeless and it is amazing to me how much the people who we count as the least of these in society actually have. In comparison to the world we know NOTHING about poverty. We are trying to fix problems in a political realm that can only be fixed through power of Christ Jesus. We cannot put our hope in man. They fail. ALL of them.

Trump.

Bernie.

Obama.

Even women fail…Hilary.

They are sinners.

We are sinners.

Even in our best efforts we will never really get anywhere.

This is to the church of Christ Jesus…It is time to rise up and be the Church.

It is time to stop getting so tied up on what my opinion is or what your opinion is and love the way Christ loved. He loves the vilest of sinners…even Donald Trump. He loved liars, tax collectors, thieves, Pharisees, prostitutes and every other manner of human being.

We need to be humbled.

We need to be SILENT.

We need to be still and know that God is still God. He has never stopped being God.

Our hope doesn’t come from a president, a policy, a poll. It doesn’t come from money, status or even freedom. Every single thing on earth will fail us outside of the Lord.

We need to crawl on our knees before a holy God and confess that we have made an idol of ourselves, our culture, our opinions and even our nation. We need to beg for revival to sweep from east to west, north to south and from the most famous and powerful to the very least of these brothers of mine. If you hate the new president, confess it and then pray for him. If you hate your neighbors opinion or worldview, confess it and pray for unity.

We need to turn off the GARBAGE that we set before our minds. We need to stop giving power and status to things of the flesh. We need to walk as men and woman of integrity not justifying worldliness but actively and passionately pursuing holiness. We are so wrapped up in reality shows, new broadcasts, the next hilarious youtube video, social media and every other form of nonsense, that Bibles sit idle and dusty as we stare at the box in our hands.

Wake up brothers!

Wake up sisters!

We have to make a decision, who do you serve?

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”  1 John 4:20

I want to serve Christ. I want to love as He loved.

 I want to love the drug addicted, the prostitutes, the homeless, the politicians, the homosexuals, the feminists, the rednecks, the liberals, the conservatives, the religious, the humanists, the agnostics and the atheists, the powerful and the powerless, the ignorant and the arrogant. I want to be able to love the most difficult people in our society. I want to love with no consideration of race, size ethnicity, disability. I want to love without question or pause because that is how Christ loved. We are all sinners.

Will I always agree with everyone? No. Will I seek to love and serve everyone without prejudice? Yes, yes, yes.

My Savior as He took MY sin and hung on a cross, preached His greatest sermon of all when He forgave those who had hung Him there. How can I show any less love, compassion and forgiveness than my Savior?

Do I always do this well? No. Not even close. But every day, more and more I want to draw closer to the Lord so that I can recognize the beat of His heart and live in the same rhythm.

So as uncertain days lie ahead of us, lets pray. Let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence asking the Lord to awaken us once again.

Let’s pray for our president.

Let’s pray for all of the other leaders.

Let’s pray for our former presidents.

Let’s pray for our military.

Let’s pray for celebrities.

Let’s pray for the influencers.

Let’s pray for the broken, the hurting, the lost, the weary.

Let us pray and let us rise up wearing the armor of Christ ready to stand for His truth and be vessels of His love, NO MATTER WHAT.